Trains LIVE — Restoring Montana Western No. 31

Three men standing next to a motorcar talking. Trains LIVE — Restoring Montana Western No. 31.

Trains LIVE — Restoring Montana Western No. 31 — 3-15-2024 — At the root of the diesel-electric locomotive family tree is the Electro-Motive Corp. motorcar or doodlebug, as they were sometimes called. The EMC motorcar employed traction technology that today is common — an internal combustion engine turning an electric generator feeding power to axle-mounted […]

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Michigan grant helps fund improvements at CSX Detroit intermodal facility

Aerial view of intermodal yard

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded $5 million to CSX Transportation to upgrade the railroad’s Detroit Livernois Intermodal Facility, the agency announced today (Friday, March 15). Improvements will include paving what is currently a dirt and gravel yard, which will help limit dust blown into surrounding neighborhoods. CSX is contributing $6.7 […]

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R.J. Corman facilities damaged by Ohio tornado

Damaged building

CELINA, Ohio — An enginehouse for R.J. Corman Western Ohio Lines was severely damaged and a warehouse was also damaged Thursday night when a tornado struck in Celina, a community of about 11,000 people in Mercer County. Nearby Auglaize and Logan counties were also struck by the storms. Logan County was the hardest hit, with […]

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MBTA reports another near-miss for track workers

Subway train at station

BOSTON — A group of  Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority track workers experienced another near-miss incident on March 1, the transit agency reported Thursday, the latest in a series of safety incidents that helped lead to federal oversight of the rapid transit system. The Boston Globe reports that one flagger and four track workers were involved […]

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Metrolink brings back Angels Express service

Overhead view of commuter train at station

ANAHEIM, Calif. — LA-area commuter rail operator Metrolink will revive Angels Express service after a five-year hiatus, offering round-trip service to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Los Angeles Angels baseball home games, as well as midweek games against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 26, Sept. 3, and Sept. 4. Round trips will operate from LA […]

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Milwaukee County Zoo railroad replacing steam engines

Small-gauge steam locomotive doubleheader

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Dieselization came late to the Milwaukee County Zoo’s railroad, but it has arrived. The zoo announced today (Thursday, March 14), that it has sold the two steam locomotives for its 1.25-mile, 15-inch gauge railroad — No. 1916, the Henry J. Grant, a 4-4-2 built in 1961, and No. 1924, a 4-6-2 built […]

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FRA awards $900,000 to three states for interstate rail programs

Passenger train in late afternoon lighting

WASHINGTON — Projects in Illinois, Louisiana, and North Carolina have received a total of $900,000 in planning and development funding under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Interstate Rail Compacts grant program, the FRA announced today (Thursday, March 14). Compacts are agreements between two or more states to support development of intercity passenger rail services that can […]

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East Broad Top starts rebuilding track south of Rockhill Furnace

Men working to rebuild railroad track

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — A track crew began restoring East Broad Top Railroad’s main line south of here this week, a first step toward reopening the narrow-gauge steam tourist line’s 20-mile route to Robertsdale, Pa., a former mountain mining center that produced the semi-bituminous coal that was EBT’s revenue-freight lifeblood for more than 80 years. […]

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