LOGAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — SMS Rail Service, the New Jersey short line celebrated for its continuing use of Baldwin locomotives, has been hit by scrap thieves who stole some $135,000 in parts from locomotives and railcars. NJ.com reports parts including high-voltage cables, motor cables, air brake equipment and brass wheel bearings were stolen from seven […]
WASHINGTON — A combination of Precision Scheduled Railroading and pressure from Wall Street has prompted railroads to slash costs and raise rates while providing less reliable service, rail shippers and labor told Congress on Tuesday. The House Transportation & Infrastructure subcommittee hearing was focused on the reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board and how the […]
Lionel Legacy SW8 locomotive Lionel has released an SW8 switcher locomotive in its Legacy line. Classic Toy Trains editor Hal Miller gives you a first look at this engine, which is loaded with extra details like a fan-driven smoke unit, operating couplers, unique number boards, a bell, a single smokestack, two horns, and so much […]
PITTSBURGH — A Norfolk Southern project to increase clearances to allow double-stack intermodal operations through a Pittsburgh neighborhood awaits city council ratification after being approved by a mediator. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the project will involve raising three bridges by amounts ranging from 17 inches to 2 feet, 9 inches, while the roadbed will be […]
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Alan G. “Dusty” Dustin, the last president of the Boston & Maine as an independent entity prior to its purchase by Guilford Industries in 1983, has died. Dustin, who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease, died at age 93 on Feb. 27. A career railroader who began his career as a baggage clerk at […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak will resume normal operations on the Northeast Corridor as of Monday morning, March 7, the passenger railroad said in a Sunday evening announcement. Also, Maryland commuter rail agency MARC said it expected to operate a normal schedule on its route north of Baltimore to Perryville, Md. Amtrak operations between Washington, D.C., and […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak service remains disrupted today (Sunday, March 6) on the Northeast Corridor as cleanup continues from the Saturday morning derailment of a Norfolk Southern coal train at Perryman, Md. As was the case Saturday, the passenger railroad is offering limited Acela service between New York and Washington, D.C., and limited Northeast Regional service […]
ABERDEEN, Md. — Twenty cars of a Norfolk Southern coal train have derailed near Aberdeen, disrupting Amtrak service on the Northeast Corridor. As of 8 a.m. EST, Amtrak said in an advisory that service had been temporarily suspended between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, and it would be operating a modified schedule between New York and […]
PHILADELPHIA — Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian has been found not guilty of all charges stemming from the fatal May 12, 2015, derailment of Northeast Regional train 188. CBS News reports the jury returned its verdict after a little more than an hour of deliberations. The 38-year-old Bostian was tried on charges of causing a catastrophe, […]
PRINCETON, N.J. — The nation’s shortest scheduled commuter rail line now has a 50-50 chance of remaining as it is. The Daily Princetonian reports that a study of possible options to replace “Princeton Dinky,” the 2.7-mile electrified NJ Transit line connecting the Princeton University campus to the Northeast Corridor, has reduced four potential options to […]
PHILADELPHIA — The trial of engineer Brandon Bostian, at the controls for the fatal derailment of Amtrak train 188 in 2015, is slated to go to the jury today (Friday, March 4) after the prosecution and defense presented closing arguments on Thursday — although the judge indicated skepticism that the evidence supports the prosecution’s case. […]
DENVER — Some 30 miles of New York rail line formerly operated by the Saratoga & North Creek Railroad has been sold for $3.33 million to a couple whose company plans to ship titanium ore from a mine on the route. The Albany Times Union reports Doc N Duchess Rails LLC, owned by Carol and […]
