An afternoon passenger train run on the Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: G scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era Description: J&MtZ 4-6-0 #17 makes the run with the afternoon passenger train. Music from Epidemic Sound, “Waiting […]
Zone & Region: Pacific Northwest
Delayed return of ‘Cascades’ to Canada shows Amtrak employment challenges: Analysis (updated)
SEATTLE — In its determination to cut costs in 2020 and 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic sucker-punched its prized Northeast Corridor moneymakers, Amtrak management turned off the hiring pipeline while furloughing employees nationwide. But state-based decisions deferring resumption of regional round trips have exacerbated the situation, especially in efforts to hire operating personnel, as prospective […]
Amtrak Cascades service to Canada pushed back to December
SEATTLE — Transportation officials in Washington state and Oregon are protesting an announcement by Amtrak that it does not plan to restart Amtrak Cascades service between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, before December 2022. The Associated Press reports Ray Lang, Amtrak vice president of state-supported services, informed the rail directors in both states that the […]
More transit mask rules end, but federal government will appeal ruling
WASHINGTON — More transit agencies have dropped their requirement for riders to wear masks, but the Biden Administration has announced it will appeal the judge’s ruling that struck down the federal mask mandate for public transportation. Among the latest agencies to end a mask rule are several in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bay Area […]
Washington heritage railroad regains some insurance
CHEHALIS, Wash. — After being shut down for more than a month when insurers declined to renew its policy, the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum has acquired insurance that will allow some activity to resume. The Centralia Chronicle reports the heritage rail operation acquired premises-liability insurance as of April 8, allowing work to resume at the […]
Big Boy heads west in June
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific’s famed Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014 is set to return to the tracks this summer for what UP’s Steam Club is calling the “West Coast Steam Tour,” kicking off on June 26 from the railroad’s heritage headquarters in Cheyenne. This year’s tour celebrates Union Pacific’s 160th anniversary, its heritage, […]
Moonlight extra on the snowy Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway
Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: G scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era. Description: Moonlight extra – Gas Electric M-2 “Sadiebug” runs an extra passenger service on the Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway on a cold and snowy evening. Music from Epidemic […]
Passenger awarded $8 million for injuries from Amtrak Cascades derailment
TACOMA, Wash. — A federal jury has awarded $8 million in damages to a woman injured in the fatal 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train in DuPont, Wash., the latest in a series of large jury awards resulting from the accident that killed three people. The Seattle Times reports the jury awarded $2.5 million […]
News photos: Albany & Eastern pays tribute to Wrinn
LEBANON, Ore. — The Albany & Eastern Railroad’s Santiam Excursion Trains had a new feature this weekend: A tribute to late Trains Editor Jim Wrinn. Dave Bertz sent these photos of a message added to the cab of the train’s locomotive, Santa Maria Valley No. 205, a 1924 Baldwin 2-6-2, as seen during an excursion […]
Brookville completes first trainset in Tacoma light rail order
BROOKVILLE, Pa. — Brookville Equipment Corp is preparing to send the first of five new light rail vehicles to Tacoma, Wash., for the expansion of Sound Transit’s Tacoma Link, set to open in 2023. The new equipment, 66-foot-long Liberty NXT Light Rail Vehicles, are being built under a $26.5 million contract. They will support the […]
President of Washington heritage rail operation resigns
CHEHALIS, Wash. — The president of the Chehalis-Central Railroad and Museum has resigned as the railroad deals with its shutdown because of a lack of insurance, saying in an email that the “organization is doomed to fail and I will not be a part of that failure.” The Centralia Chronicle reports that James Folk, who […]
Accident losses led to end of insurance for Washington state heritage railroad
CHEHALIS, Wash. — Documents detailing more than $1 million in losses over a 6-year period led to the inability of the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum’s inability to obtain liability insurance, the heritage railroad’s insurance broker explained earlier this week at an emergency meeting of the railroad’s board of directors. The lack of insurance has forced […]