WASHINGTON — Brightline West’s bid to extend its proposed electrified, 186-mph rail route from Las Vegas, Nev., to Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., has gained regulatory approval in two separate Surface Transportation Board decisions. In decisions released Friday, the STB approved route modifications at Las Vegas along with a 5-mile extension from the original terminus at Victorville, […]
LOS ANGELES — An original Santa Fe Super Chief lounge car is being made available at no cost to any group interested in it. The catch? The new owner must handle the shipping and handling. The San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society, known for its operation restored Santa Fe 4-8-4 steam locomotive No. 3751, is seeking […]
CALGARY — The CPKC Holiday Train and Holiday Express both are set to begin operation this week, with both the Canadian and U.S. trains beginning their trips on Tuesday, Nov. 21, while the Holiday Express launches its trip through the Southeast and Texas on Saturday, Nov. 25. The Canadian Holiday Train actually begins in the […]
DELTA, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating a collision and derailment involving two BNSF Railway trains that occurred early today (Sunday, Nov. 19) in Delta, the CBC reports. Railroad spokeswoman Lena Kent told the CBC two locomotives and five cars derailed in the incident at about 2:30 a.m. A small […]
KINGSPORT, Tenn. — “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” wrote American humorist Mark Twain in a letter to a news reporter who asked if news of his impending demise were true. The same can be said of the CSX Santa Train. Until Joe Hinrichs was hired by the CSX board of directors as CEO […]
Meet Shawn Viggiano How did I get started in the hobby? I got started into trains at an early age. My dad would set up an old Lionel train set around the Christmas tree every year. When I got older, my dad would set up a layout with buildings and switch tracks in our basement. […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Three people suffered minor injuries Saturday night when a Metro Transit light rail train derailed in downtown Minneapolis, WCCO-TV reports. A concrete object on the tracks caused the derailment between the Nicollet Mall and Warehouse District/Hennepin stations about 8:30 p.m., according to Metro Transit. None of those injured required hospitalization. Replacement buses substituted […]
CHICAGO — Metra has launched use of specially decorated trains for the holidays in regular commuter service, while the Chicago Transit Authority’s Holiday Train is set to begin operation on Nov. 24. The debut of the Metra trains — decorated for already sold-out holiday rides with Santa Claus in December — came on Friday, Nov. […]
Q: I’m interested in modeling a Maine short line in HO scale. What can you tell me about the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR in the steam era? – Joel Norman A: The Belfast & Moosehead Lake looks like a great subject for someone interested in modeling a Maine short line, especially if you’re intrigued […]
The smallest operating railroads were often born of simple economic necessity. Railroad fever gripped the U.S. in the 19th century and every town wanted to be connected. The only problem was that not every town was on the way to somewhere else. This led to several small railroads being built, often just a few miles […]
General Electric U34CH diesel locomotives helped modernize commuter rail operations in northern New Jersey in the early 1970s. A passenger version of the U36C, the U34CH was built between 1970 and 1973 for the New Jersey Department of Transportation as a commuter locomotive. The 32 units carried Nos. 3351-3382 and operated over Erie […]
CHICAGO — A design problem with the braking for the CTA equipment played a role in Thursday’s collision between a Yellow Line train and a piece of train maintenance machinery, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said today (Saturday, Nov. 18). Homendy was speaking at a press briefing on the investigation into the accident […]
