NEW YORK — Union Pacific, which is bucking the Precision Scheduled Railroading trend of idling the humps at classification yards, still needs the new hump yard it’s building in Hearne, Texas, CEO Lance Fritz says. The late CEO E. Hunter Harrison converted several hump yards to flat-switching facilities at Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and CSX […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Alaska Railroad continuing to make repairs following earthquake NEWSWIRE
An image of earthquake damage on the Alaska Railroad right-of-way. Alaska Railroad ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad remains shut down between Anchorage and Fairbanks following a 7.0 earthquake that shook the southern part of the state on Friday. No one was injured in Friday’s earthquake — or the more than 1,000 aftershocks that have […]
Amtrak seeks applicants for social media residency program NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has begun an open casting call for participants in its #AmtrakTakeMeThere social media residency program, with entries accepted through Jan. 31, 2019. According to a press release, the program seeks “social media community leaders, whose creativity and energy allows them to connect with their followers on a deeper level. The judging panel […]
Bush Funeral Train schedule set NEWSWIRE
UP veterans unit No. 1943 hustles the Bush funeral train consist southward toward Houston on Sunday. Zach Pumphery COLLEGE STATION, Texas — George H.W. Bush, the last president who served in World War II, will make his final journey Thursday — by train. Union Pacific says the special Bush Funeral Train will run from its […]
Philly Solari board may be headed for preservation NEWSWIRE
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — The clickety-clack of the Solari status board will be leaving 30th Street Station for the last time sometime in January, and its last stop may be the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. The electro-mechanical wonder is the last one in service on Amtrak, and its retirement has been anticipated for some time. […]
SEPTA gives ‘toasters’ tasteful send-off NEWSWIRE
FULL SCREEN Patrick Yough An image of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s last run of an AEM-7 locomotive, affectionately known by railfans as “toasters.” FULL SCREEN Patrick Yough An image of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s last run of an AEM-7 locomotive, affectionately known by railfans as “toasters.” FULL SCREEN Patrick Yough An image of […]
Virgin Trains reveals Tampa expansion details; strikes deal with Martin County, opponent group NEWSWIRE
The airport PeopleMover and control tower are visible in this view looking north from the platform of Virgin Trains USA’s Orlando Airport station from Jan. 30, 2018. Room has been provided for platforms for SunRail commuter trains, but those platforms have not yet been built. Bob Johnston A northbound Florida East Coast freight with LNG […]
UP 4141 expected to participate in Bush funeral train NEWSWIRE
UP No. 4141 rests at Ney Yard in Ft. Worth, Texas on July 4, 2008. Steve Schmollinger COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Early this morning Union Pacific’s Jenks locomotive shop in North Little Rock, Ark., outshopped another diesel. That happens every day. In this case, the unit was a specially-painted SD70Ace No. 4141 in honor of […]
Spacing of steam ‘chuffs’
A conventional two-cylinder locomotive like this one exhausts four times per wheel revolution. This is thanks to the position of the valves. Library of Congress Q At low speed, the four “chuffs” a steam engine makes per wheel rotation all sound the same to me, but at higher speed I think I hear a four-beat […]
Road to Oblivion
Financial hardships, highway competition, and inadequate maintenance and investment led to the abandonment of a wide array of railroads. Take a look at our free 45-page PDF download to uncover the history behind the following railroads: The formation of the Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad and the different rail lines it operated, restored, and acquired. How the Vicksburg Route changed […]
Chicago Union Station is awash in new light NEWSWIRE
An elevated interior image of Chicago Union Station’s Great Hall after reconstruction. The suspended work deck is shown beneath the vaulted skylight. Mike Clarahan, Berglund Construction/Amtrak CHICAGO — The historic Great Hall at Chicago’s Union Station is awash in new light with renovation all but complete on the iconic skylight, installation of improved lighting, and […]
Earthquakes shut down Alaska Railroad NEWSWIRE
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has been shutdown following two earthquakes north of Anchorage on Friday morning. The back-to-back quakes measuring in 7 and 5.8 on the Richter scale shook buildings and damaged roads across the southern part of the state. The Associated Press reports that there were no immediate reports of death or […]
