CSX Santa Train The CSX Santa Train, enjoying new life after a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, again delighted children and adults along its 110-mile former Clinchfield Railroad route between Shelby, Ky., and Kingsport, Tenn. This year’s train featured a new “Santa Car” rebuilt from a former Pan Am Railways office car, as well […]
LIVINGSTON, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has declared a state of emergency in Rockcastle County, in the remote eastern part of the state, following the derailment of a CSX Transportation train earlier today. About a dozen homes in a remote area of eastern Kentucky were evacuated following the derailment, WLEX-TV reports. CSX said that […]
Railroad watches In the era of timetable and train order operation, railroaders had to have a standard railroad watch. In those days Hamilton, Elgin, and Waltham were among several popular brands. Railroad pocket watch standards But there were dozens of watch companies making “railroad approved” watches that had mandatory features by the 1930s: a minimum […]
MONTREAL — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has said it will investigate after an Exo commuter train and Canadian National freight train collided on Tuesday evening, sending three men to the hospital with minor injuries. The CBC reports the incident occurred about 6:30 p.m. at the Saint-Léonard-Montréal-Nord station on Exo’s Mascouche line. Four other […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announced Tuesday (Nov. 21) that it had completed “critical track work” on the transit Red Line, removing four 10-mph speed restrictions and five 25-mph restrictions between the JFK/UMass and Park Street stations. Rail service was replaced with shuttle buses on the evenings of Nov. 14-16 and all day […]
TORONTO — The first of an order of 60 new Alstom streetcars for the Toronto Transit Commission entered service last week, joining an existing fleet of 204 Alstom light rail vehicles in the TTC fleet. The C$568 million order, with funding from the federal, provincial, and Toronto governments, will be completed with deliveries through 2025. […]
NEW YORK — Commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have approved a $230 million, multi-year program to address track and rolling stock issues for the Port Authority Trans Hudson, or PATH, rail system, NJ.com reports. Commissioners voted 12-0 to approve the state-of-good-repair projects at their Tuesday, Nov. 21, meeting. The […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation board announced today it will extend the reply comment period for its proposed rule on reciprocal switching by 14 days to Dec. 20. The board’s decision is in response to a request by a coalition of shipper groups — the American Chemistry Council, the Fertilizer Institute, and the National Industrial […]
Come along with Trains.com host Gerry Leone, as he explores the production facilities of Sievers Benchwork, located on Washington Island, Wisconsin. With master carpenters Barb Cornell and Butch Young guiding us through the manufacturing process, learn how model railroad framework fabricated with pre-drilled holes and modular designs, revolutionized benchwork construction! Discover additional insights about its history, […]
WASHINGTON — Railroading is an outdoor sport, and the Federal Railroad Administration is encouraging railroads to step up their play in bad weather. In a safety advisory issued Monday, Nov. 20, the FRA urged railroads to take steps to ensure that they take proper precautions while operating through extreme weather events, including tornadoes, high winds, […]
OWOSSO, Mich. — Pere Marquette steam locomotive No. 1225 made its public debut over the weekend by operating the North Pole Express excursions – organized by the 2-8-4’s owners, the Steam Railroading Institute (SRI) of Owosso. The Berkshire-type locomotive is fresh from an extensive rebuild of the driving wheels and running gear with test runs […]
Ask Trains.com November 2023 compilation | Host Cody Grivno answers viewer questions concerning pricing of hand-crafted brass versus injection-molded plastic freight cars; how to decipher stenciled freight car data; the steam locomotive classification system; where to learn about U.S. Department of Transportation rail equipment; and insights into the numerous locomotive paint schemes of the MR&T, Model […]
