SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Problems with lead in restroom water supplies have delayed the introduction of new Siemens passenger cars for state-supported Amtrak service in California and the Midwest, but Siemens says it has a solution to the problem. The Sacramento Bee reports the issue was discovered during routine testing last November, according to Caltrans spokesman […]
Zone & Region: Midwest
Midwest private-car trips set for summer, fall
The owner of private car Hollywood Beach, a 1956 Seaboard Air Line observation car, is offering three trips open to the public this summer and fall that will feature guides from Midwest Rail Rangers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization offering onboard educational programs in the Midwest. Trips on tap are: St. Louis-Kansas City, Mo., and return, […]
Rock Island resourcefulness
Rock Island resourcefulness The Rock Island converted an old flatcar to a ramp in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 1961. One truck and coupler is still in place (note the wheel stops on the track just to the right of the ramp). D. E. Winter photo […]
Mark Twain Zephyr outreach, interview, and book-signing tour set for July
TREGO, Wis. — The Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad is planning an outreach tour along the original route of the Mark Twain Zephyr in July, visiting communities in western Illinois, eastern Iowa, and Missouri to seek out people who rode or worked on the train, and to provide updates on the progress in restoring the historic […]
Digest: Second Missouri River Runner to resume July 19
Missouri River Runner gets second round trip for remainder of year as of July 19 Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner will restore its second daily round trip as of July 19. State funding and federal coronavirus relief funds will maintain the two-round-trip schedule between St. Louis and Kansas City through the remainder of 2021. “We appreciate […]
Before the whiteout
Before the whiteout Wearing the handsome yellow, black, and red Kansas City Southern passenger-diesel livery, E8 No. 28 is at Sallisaw, Okla., with the New Orleans-Kansas City Southern Belle in June 1962. KCS began using a version of this paint scheme, introduced with the Belle in 1940. The railroad later went to all-red and all-white […]
How to visit Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Visiting Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum If you took a major Class I railroad in the early 1950s, shrunk it, and set it aside to show people today what a section of big-time, steam-era railroading was all about, you’d create Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. Set on a portion of Southern Railway’s original main line into Chattanooga, […]
Digest: Transport Canada issues new rules on track maintenance
Transport Canada issues series of new rules on track maintenance Transport Canada issued new rules on track inspection and management on Monday updating the agency’s Rules Respecting Track Safety on a number of fronts, to be addressed in three stages. As outlined in a ministerial order, the first stage addresses training, verification, and record-keeping for […]
Railcar provides stark reminder as Holocaust exhibit comes to Kansas City’s Union Station
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — By railfan standards this two-axle, metal-framed, wooden rail freight wagon is an interesting, vintage piece of rolling stock, but otherwise unremarkable. For the world at large, it has a larger, darker place in history, which is why it is on display at Kansas City’s Union Station. The car was one of […]
Six indicted in alleged railroad disability fraud
CHICAGO — Six former railroad employees face charges carrying prison sentences up to 20 years, as well as cash penalties ranging from $10,000 to more than $270,000, after being indicted for alleged disability-benefits fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois has announced. The six are accused of working other jobs while […]
Digest: Industrial development firm launches rail affiliate, announces first operation
Agracel Rail Holdings launches with agreement at Ohio industrial park A company providing industrial development services to rural communities is launching a rail affiliate. Agracel Rail Holdings, a subsidiary of Agracel, Inc., will begin operations by redeveloping and operating rail infrastructure at The Point Industrial Park in South Point, Ohio. “Our goal in becoming a […]
Freight car evolution
Freight car evolution Auto parts trains were a mixed bag in the mid-1960s. This Wabash train in May 1964 shows an old 50-foot parts car with only the code and car numbers visible, new 60- and 85-foot cars, and an open auto rack. J. David Ingles collection […]