CASS, W.Va. — Former Western Maryland Railway geared steam locomotive No. 6 (“Big Six”) has recently completed its FRA 1,472-day inspection and boiler recertification. According to the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad (DGVR), the massive Shay-type will undergo final break-in runs and adjustments before returning to excursion service on the Cass Scenic Railroad. “Big Six” […]
With remarkable timing — the process had been underway for years — but the Gotthard Base Tunnel derailment may have convinced any remaining doubters, the Swiss government announced on Aug. 16, a week after the tunnel was shut following a derailment, that it had approved the completion of the other major Swiss alpine rail crossing […]
ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has begun shipping old rapid transit MU cars to the Georgia coast and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. MARTA is partnering with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Reef Project to contribute cars from MARTA’s original fleet as they are replaced by new CQ400 railcars in coming […]
NEW DELHI, India – A rail and ports deal linking the Middle East and South Asia was announced Saturday at the G20 Summit meeting in New Delhi. The United States, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, United Arab Emirates and other G20 partners agreed to explore a shipping corridor project to augment trade flows between Europe […]
Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works Wheel arrangement: 2-8-2 Mikado Build date: March 1923 Why it’s important: Grand Canyon Railway’s 4960 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. The O-1A class 2-8-2 Mikado No. 4960 was ideally suited for powering fast freight trains across Burlington’s mostly level Midwest routes. With the arrival […]
Last month Trains sat down with Stefan Loeb, Norfolk Southern’s vice president of first and final mile markets, to discuss how local service can help the railroad grow. The position was created in April, when Loeb joined NS from shortline holding company Watco, where he was chief commercial officer [see “Norfolk Southern names intermodal and […]
LUCERNE, Switzerland — One of these days, I will give a visit to the Swiss Museum of Transport all the time it deserves. This was not that day. I’ve now been to the museum — the most popular in Switzerland, with about 530,000 visitors a year — twice. Both times, it has been far too […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific’s freight car and locomotive inspection and maintenance practices pose a “significant risk to rail safety,” the head of the Federal Railroad Administration said in a letter sent Friday to top railroad executives. FRA Administrator Amit Bose said the agency conducted a focused inspection of UP’s mechanical operations and rolling stock in […]
Keep your diesel cool Cooling has always been one of the most important aspects of a locomotive. Simply put, the higher the horsepower, the more cooling a locomotive needs. With the implementation of emission regulations over the last several decades, the amount of cooling has increased to meet requirements at each of the four levels […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — Last October, BNSF Railway had filed a suit over a start-up airline’s effort to use the name “Northern Pacific.” As of Sept. 8, 2023, a temporary outcome has surfaced. Northern Pacific Airlines (NPA) has received a preliminary injunction — a “temporary relief” to keep things the way they are until the […]
OLTEN, Switzerland — Just about every railfan knows what it’s like to have one of those days when you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. So it was for me today in Olten. This is not a city high on the must-see list for most vacationers. It doesn’t even warrant a mention in […]
POINT CLEAR, Ala. —The launch of two daily Amtrak round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., depends on when design and construction of a pocket track at Mobile is completed and 3 miles of positive train control is installed through CSX’s Gentilly Yard east of New Orleans. But that means service will not come […]
