A screen image capture from a Metra video of natural gas-fired switch heaters. Media outlets covering the late January freeze in the Midwest have reported that Chicago’s Metra sets its tracks on fire. METRA CHICAGO — From ABC to the British Broadcasting Corp. with Stephen Colbert in between, the national and international media is obsessed […]
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CHICAGO – The derailment of a Canadian National freight train in south suburban Harvey that knocked down adjacent catenary supports on parallel Metra Electric tracks continues to affect Windy City passenger operations, even as temperatures begin to climb. For the third consecutive day, all Metra Electric and South Shore Line trains have been cancelled. The […]
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An excursion train on the museum’s loop in 2013. Brian Schmidt GREEN BAY, Wis. – The National Railroad Museum is advancing several long-term projects that will include more indoor exhibit space, equipment restorations, and remodeling of existing space. While none of the projects is “shovel ready” yet, plans are moving forward according to Executive Director […]
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WASHINGTON – Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has announced its vision for the Great American Rail-Trail, an unprecedented commitment to creating an iconic piece of American infrastructure that will connect nearly 4,000 miles of rail-trail and other multiuse trails from Washington, D.C., to Washington State. RTC is committing to this project after more than 18 months of analysis […]
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Passengers de-train from the New River Train as it makes its second station stop in Hinton, W.Va., in October 2015. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has sent a letter to Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson expressing concern over Amtrak’s policies and restrictions that are creating financial hardship for the Collis P. Huntington […]
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Trains editors discuss all the rail news that is fit to print each week. In this episode of Trains News Wire round-up, Editor Jim Wrinn and Digital Editor Steve Sweeney talk about railroads and the Polar Vortex, Class I railroad traffic gains and concerns, a school bus-train crash, and more. Only from Trains! […]
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‘American Orient Express’ observation car ‘New York’ at Denver in June 1996. Ten years later, the train would be rebranded as GrandLuxe Express. Chip Sherman Q What happened to the American Orient Express? It appeared on several railroad videos from the 1990s. – Frank Klos, San Diego, Calif. A The genesis of the American Orient […]
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The Canadian National Railways started off by acquiring a handful of bankrupt and government owned railways, but soon after this takeover, and over the next decade, the Canadian National Railways expanded significantly as it purchased railroads in the United States. In this free 39-page PDF download, we dive into the details behind: The Wisconsin Central, […]
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Join Trains on a visit to a track work project in a Swiss tunnel. Rhomberg Sersa and the Rhaetian Railway invited Trains to see how they re-build meter-gauge track in often grueling conditions in September 2018. See Steve Sweeney’s full story in the March 2019 issue of Trains, THE magazine of railroading! […]
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UP forecasts single-digit growth in 2019. This westbound mixed freight is in eastern Iowa. Trains: Jim Wrinn Executives from the six publicly traded Class I railroads expect 2019 to be another solid year for traffic and revenue growth amid a relatively strong economy. In most cases, the railroads expect this year to be a replay […]
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A Chicago-bound Amtrak Hiawatha passes the station at Deerfield, Ill., on Dec. 24, 2016. Almost all Amtrak corridor service in and out of Chicago will resume Friday after cancellations on Wednesday and Thursday. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — With temperatures expected to bottom out at minus-23 degrees and wind chills in the minus-50 degree range […]
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The western part of the CN system is humming with traffic. New acquisitions are aimed at filling out the rest. Trains: Jim Wrinn MONTREAL — Canadian National, flush with growth in western Canada, is turning to acquisitions and partnerships to help fill up the rest of its railroad. But it’s not looking at traditional railroad […]
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