WASHINGTON — Seventeen Amtrak employees in the Northeast have resigned in connection with an investigation by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General into alleged health care fraud. The employees who have resigned are based at New York Penn Station or an Amtrak base in New Jersey. They include two gang foremen, four linemen, three truck drivers, […]
Section: News & Reviews
Shay moved into Oregon Rail Heritage Center engine house
PORTLAND, Ore. — Mt. Emily Lumber No. 1, a three-truck Shay locomotive built in 1923, has been moved into the engine house at its new home, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. The move came Tuesday, Oct. 15, according to a Facebook post from the Friends of the SP&S 700. The center plans to use the […]
Carload Considerations: Freight railroads should take a lesson from NJ Transit
NJ Transit recently hired a Customer Advocate — the actual title of the job. This individual is supposed to be solely responsible for representing customer interests, developing goals and objectives around those interests, cultivating relationships between the public — its customers — and the agency, and developing engagement plans that rely on customer feedback. It’s […]
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum receives funds for building work
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has received a $67,500 state grant to be used for building improvements on the museum’s Grand Junction campus. The state Capital Maintenance and Improvement funds, administered through the Tennessee State Museum, will be used for window replacement in the 42-year-old Grand Junction Depot, electrical upgrades in the […]
STB extends mediation for Union Pacific, Metra
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday, Oct. 15, granted Union Pacific a 30-day extension to the mediation period in its effort to reach an agreement with Chicago’s Metra regarding some financial aspects of an agreement to continue commuter rail service on three Metra routes on UP lines. The mediation period was to have […]
Rail projects in Alaska, South Dakota, Wyoming receive federal funds
WASHINGTON — Nine projects in Alaska, South Dakota, and Wyoming have received more than $108 million in federal funding under a program for states that do not have Amtrak passenger service or are not connected to the national rail network. Six of the projects are in South Dakota, two are in Alaska and one is […]
Switzerland’s MOB orders new locomotives for GoldenPass Express
MONTREUX, Switzerland — The Montreux Overland Bernois Railway (MOB) has ordered six new locomotives from Stadler for the meter-gauge rail line, four of which will be used on the gauge-changing GoldenPass Express passenger train. The other two locomotives are intended for rail services and infrastructure maintenance. The dual-cab, B-B locomotives will be hybrid electrics, able […]
NTSB to investigate fatal NJ Transit accident (additional update)
MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the accident that killed the operator of an NJ Transit light rail train. The agency made the announcement in a late Monday post to X.com. The operator was killed and more than 20 passengers were injured when a train on NJ Transit’s River Line […]
New York MTA sets first Open House meeting on five-year capital plan
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold the first of a series of Open House meetings on its 2025-29 Capital Plan next Monday, Oct. 21, at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. The open house, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., will feature posters, pamphlets, and videos explaining elements of the plan. MTA representatives […]
News & Products for the week of October 14th 2024
News & Products for the week of October 14th 2024 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of October 14th […]
Nickel Plate SD9 shines on Indiana Rail Experience cigar train
PLEASANT LAKE, Ind. — The Indiana Rail Experience operated its second cigar train using Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society passenger cars on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, on host railroad Indiana Northeastern. The “Rocky Patel Rolling Smoke Cigar Train” train operated behind Nickel Plate Road SD9 No. 358 in pull-pull fashion from Pleasant Lake to Hillsdale, […]
Operator killed after NJ Transit light rail train strikes tree
MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The operator of a train on NJ Transit’s River Line has died after the train stuck a downed tree early this morning, KYW-TV reports. The incident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. when a southbound train from Trenton hit the tree just north of the Roebling station. Forty-five people were reported to […]