BNSF is bouncing back from harsh winter weather as service, volume recover

An orange BNSF Railway locomotive leads a train over a snow-covered multi-track main line.

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway is recovering quickly after blasts of extreme winter weather raked the system last month. BNSF has turned the corner on restoring fluidity to its network as volume recovers after the weather shocks, John Miller, the railroad’s group vice president of industrial products, told the Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers […]

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Digest: New funding plan for FrontRunner, other Utah projects

Utah Transit Authority logo

Utah legislators change funding plan for transit projects Utah legislators have changed plans for funding a series transit projects, although the projects — including double-tracking sections of the Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner commuter rail route — will still get the money they need. The Salt Lake Tribune notes that instead of borrowing more than $1 […]

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Digest: DC Metro proposal could cut 22 stations

WMATA/DC Metro logo in black and white.

DC Metro proposal would see 22 stations closed, rail service reduced as of January 2022 The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority would could close 22 Metrorail stations, reduce rail service to 30-minute intervals on all routes, and shut down nightly at 9 p.m. instead of the current 11 p.m. under the rail component of a […]

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Digest: San Francisco cable cars return this fall, streetcars sooner

A San Francisco cable car in a street.

San Francisco streetcars to return in May, cable cars back in fall San Francisco will revive its historic streetcar F Line in May and its cable cars this fall — with the latter representing a turnaround from prior suggestions that return of the city’s signature transit system was in doubt because of cost and declining […]

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Digest: Brightline, Florida DOT resume negotiations on Orlando-Tampa route

Brightline logo

Still more Tuesday morning rail news:

 Brightline, FDOT resume negotiations on Orlando-Tampa route Brightline has resumed negotiations with the Florida Department of Transportation on a route for Tampa-Orlando service, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports in a paywalled article, which says negotiations had halted in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The railroad has proposed building […]

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Digest: Fire damages BNSF Mississippi River bridge

Fire and smoke billowing in the distance

Additional Tuesday morning rail news: Fire damages BNSF bridge in Bemidji, Minn. A BNSF Railway bridge across the Mississippi River in Bemidji, Minn., suffered “moderate damage” in a Monday afternoon fire, the Bemidji Pioneer reports. The fire was reported about 4 p.m., with Bemidji firefighters working about two hours to extinguish the blaze. The cause […]

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What were the rules for occupying open platforms on observation cars?

Classic Trains logo

Question: In the days when passenger trains carried open-platform observation cars, which passengers were allowed to occupy the platform? Was this subject to permission of the conductor, payment of an extra charge, or was it simply on a first-come, first-served basis? — John W. Eiszner, Indianapolis Answer: Open-platform cars and their successors, the round and […]

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Digest: Bankruptcy trustee begins sale of equipment from Iowa Pacific affiliate

Train pulling up to the station

More Tuesday morning rail news: Bankruptcy trustee places former Iowa Pacific equipment on sale More than 100 pieces of historic rolling stock, both passenger cars and locomotives, are up for sale as part of bankruptcy proceedings resulting from the receivership of Iowa Pacific Holdings. The equipment belongs to Heritage Rail Leasing; it and the San […]

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Digest: New Mexico Rail Runner to resume limited operation March 8

Rail Runner logo

Tuesday morning rail news: Rail Runner Express to resume limited operation, almost a year after suspension New Mexico’s Rail Runner Express commuter train will resume service March 8, the Rio Metro Regional Transit District has announced, almost a year after service was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The train will operate on a limited […]

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In apparent last run, ‘Cascades’ Talgo equipment arrives in California

Train riding alongside a body of water

LOS ANGELES — The new owner of Washington state’s two Talgo Series VI trainsets says the equipment is available — but not for long. “It’s a sensitive matter for everyone involved, and it wasn’t supposed to turn into a spectacle,” Noah McCann of NSM Transportation Co. tells Trains News Wire. He adds, “If anyone is interested, they […]

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The Odyssey of UP 2488 on the Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway

The Odyssey of UP 2488 on the Jericho & Mt Zion Railway

Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: G scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era. Description: The Odyssey of UP 2488 on the Jericho & Mt Zion Railway. AristoCraft 2-8-2 live-steam Mikado makes the run with a local freight.   […]

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Remembering the Seaboard Air Line Railroad

Stainless-steel streamliner crossing bridge.

History of the Seaboard Air Line The Seaboard’s beginnings date to 1832, when the Portsmouth & Roanoke was chartered to build from Portsmouth, Va., to Weldon, N.C. Opened in 1834 the companies’ backers saw great potential to link the North with the South’s agricultural and forest products and with its developing potential for industry. P&R […]

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