PETALUMA, Calif. — Northern California commuter rail service Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit is set to launch service on its northern extension to Windsor, Calif., on Saturday (May 31). The North Bay Business Journal reports that SMART received final clearance from the Federal Railroad Administration to begin operation on Thursday, according to SMART General Manager Eddy […]
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Las Vegas police are seeking help in identifying three people who may be responsible for derailment of three railcars earlier this month, causing almost $25,000 in damage and cleanup costs. The May 23 incident occurred in the 9700 block of South Rainbow Boulevard. According to a police department press release, an […]
Trains.com Staff Writer Lucas Iverson and Classic Toy Trains’ Editor Rene Schweitzer unbox and demonstrate the new MTH Premier N&W 4-8-4 J class Northern steam locomotive. This engine features Proto-Sound 3.0, a steaming quillable whistle, and much more! Turn up your volume and enjoy! […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators want Watco to provide more information about its proposed acquisition of Michigan short line Great Lakes Central before they will allow the deal to proceed. Watco on March 6 sought to have the deal to acquire the 420-mile Great Lakes Central exempt from a Surface Transportation Board review, as is common […]
BOSTON — Four former Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority track inspectors and a current MBTA employee are facing federal charges for allegedly falsifying track inspection reports on the rapid transit Red Line. Brian Pfaffinger, 47, of Marshfield, Mass.; Ronald Gamble, 62, of Dorchester; Jensen Vatel, 42, of Brockton; Nathalie Mendez, 53, of New Bedford; and Andy […]
NEWARK, N.J. — Five Amtrak employees have recently pleaded guilty to charges relating to a health care scheme that resulted in more than $11 million in fraudulent claims to the company’s health care plan. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced this week that Kevin Frink, 53, of Willingboro, N.J., pleaded […]
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico — BNSF Railway and intermodal partner J.B. Hunt have launched cross-border Quantum de Mexico premium service in conjunction with GMXT’s Ferromex. Like domestic Quantum service in the U.S., Quantum de Mexico takes aim at highly service-sensitive freight that has never moved on rails before, the companies announced this morning at the Mexican […]
It’s a great day to be railfanning at Tug Tower in Welch, W.Va. As a westbound Norfolk Southern unit coal train comes downgrade, NS General Electric units prepare to ascend the grade. Lou Sassi took the photo on Scott Teague’s N scale layout in Granite Falls, N.C. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the Day features images […]
SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo will sell its rail leasing equipment business to a newly formed joint venture of GATX Corp. and Brookfield Infrastructure, the financial company announced Thursday (May 29, 2025). The joint venture will purchase approximately 105,000 railcars for $4.4 billion; Brookfield will separately acquire the Wells Fargo rail finance portfolio of approximately […]
NEW YORK — Lost in the debate between Amtrak, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, and transportation advocates over the plans to close Amtrak’s East River tunnel for repairs — and the resulting service reductions, especially for Empire Service trains to and from Albany-Rensselaer, N. Y. — are the limited track routing options that exist between […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — With the Illinois legislature one day away from a deadline for passing the state’s budget for fiscal 2026, lawmakers have yet to decide on a way to address the looming $770 million deficit for Chicago-area transit agencies. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that state Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) has proposed funding the operations […]
The first step in building a freight train is understanding what railroaders mean by “compliance.” A freight train is said to be “in compliance” when it’s assembled properly and is operating according to the railroad’s rules. In practice, crews need to devote as much attention to the big picture of compliance as they do to […]
