Steam down south Gainesville Midland 2-8-0 No. 301 switches at its namesake Georgia town. The two-story building in the distance is the road’s headquarters. Photo by Philip R. Hastings […]
Steam down south
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East Broad Top Chief Mechanical Officer Dave Domitrovich discusses his job
East Broad Top Chief Mechanical Officer Dave Domitrovich found himself in limbo when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020. Just three weeks from completing a three-month Amtrak locomotive engineers’ training school in Wilmington, Del., the pandemic suddenly shut down the program in March 2020. He’d been notching 98-to-100 scores on tests. He’d just left […]
Nevada Northern’s Mark Bassett answers questions from Trains
The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is one of the best-preserved standard gauge railroads in North America. The former copper hauling railroad exists much like it did until regular operations ended in the early 1980s. Since that time preservationists have made a bold stand in the high desert hundreds of miles away from heavily populated areas. […]
Analysis: Coach sellouts, high sleeper prices continue on Amtrak long-distance network
CHICAGO — Amtrak’s announcement that it will lift capacity restrictions on coach seating can’t come soon enough for long-distance train passengers. They continue to face limited availability at the highest “flexible” fares, or outright sellouts on many routes, because otherwise-idle equipment has not been added to service with consistently strong patronage since triweekly operation began […]
Digest: Metra launches capital improvement work for 2021
New stations, replacement of 122-year-old bridge on Metra’s 2021 capital to-do list Metra has launched its 2021 capital improvement projects, which includes work on two new stations, replacement of a 122-year-old bridge in Chicago, and continued work to close the remaining gap in the triple-track main line on the UP West line near Geneva, Ill. […]
Digest: Texas high speed rail opponents file suit against FRA
Opponents sue FRA over decisions on Texas Central high speed project Texans Against High Speed Rail, six Texas counties, and 10 individual landowners have filed suit against the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration over the proposed Texas Central high speed project between Dallas and Houston, seeking to void the FRA’s Rule of […]
Weekly rail traffic figures continue to underscore effects of pandemic in 2020
WASHINGTON — Emphasizing the degree to which rail traffic has recovered from its pandemic-induced slump in 2020 — as well as how dramatic that decline was — the latest figures from the Association of American Railroads show volume has increased by nearly a quarter from the same week a year ago. Total traffic for the […]
Digest: ASLRRA to hold in-person regional meetings in June
Short line association resumes in-person meetings with two regional events in June The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association will resume in-person meetings with two regional gatherings in June: The Central/Pacific Region meeting will be held June 7-9 at the Downtown Marriott in Kansas City, and the Eastern/Southern Regional Meeting will be June 21-23 […]
Super failure?
Super failure? Santa Fe’s famed Super C freight commanded high rates — charged to placate other Santa Fe customers. This meant it had extremely limited traffic, as illustrated by a one-car train in 1969. Photo by Wayne Bridges […]
Kato 20th Century Limited train set
We take a look at Kato’s new 20th Century Limited train set. Learn how to get inside the passenger cars, and take a look at some of the cool details engineered into these all-new models. […]
Kato 20th Century Limited train set
We take a look at Kato’s new 20th Century Limited train set. Learn how to get inside the passenger cars, and take a look at some of the cool details engineered into these all-new models. […]
Amtrak’s money mystery
From January 2019 Trains When the Southwest Chief rumbles across New Mexico’s Raton Pass, with sleeping-car passengers paying as much as $1,058 to ride in a roomette, what is the train’s revenue-versus-cost effect on Amtrak’s bottom line? According to the “route level results” of the fiscal 2017 performance report, the Chicago-Los Angeles train generated $49.9 […]
