MOBILE, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s office has been in contact with officials in Mobile about possible state involvement in the Gulf Coast passenger project, AL.com reports. Mobile officials expressed concern during a Monday meeting that the city, rather than the state, was being asked to provide funding for Amtrak’s effort to launch passenger […]
VENTURA, Calif. — For the second straight year, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner is adding service to Ventura while the city hosts the X Games sporting competition. The additional trains will run June 28-30; during the same period, reservations will be required on the Surfliners because of anticipated additional ridership, and the Rail 2 Rail and Metrolink […]
CRESSON, Pa. – Noted railroad painter and illustrator J. Craig Thorpe will conduct a three-day artists’ workshop at The Station Inn railfan bed & breakfast in Cresson Aug. 23-25. Open to artists of all levels, the event will combine working experiences with discussions of approach, style, composition, form, lighting, and perspective. Those attending will visit the nearby Railroaders […]
An unusual steam locomotive, born of wartime necessity, has joined Broadway Limited Imports’ N scale lineup. The Reading Co. class T-1 4-8-4 Northern, converted from 2-8-0 Consolidation locomotives near the end of World War II, mostly handled fast freight, but also pulled passenger and coal trains. In 1945, wartime restrictions kept Reading from buying new […]
CHICAGO — Four private cars have made their way to the Windy City to participate in this weekend’s “Pullman Railroad Days: People, Progress and Innovation.” The event Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, is sponsored by the Historic Pullman Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. […]
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign officially opened the National University Rail Center of Excellence with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday (May 29). The center is the first academic rail research and education center of excellence to be supported by the Federal Railroad Administration with the help of […]
WASHINGTON — Canadian National has agreed to some of the conditions sought by a grain shipper group and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of its proposed $230 million acquisition of Iowa Northern Railway. CN says it will allow IANR customers to arbitrate gateway disputes, a condition that the National Grain and Feed Association […]
PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia — The CN-served Port of Prince Rupert received a major boost today when AltaGas and Vopak decided to move forward with their $1.35 billion liquefied petroleum gas and bulk liquids terminal on Ridley Island. The first phase of the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility, which is scheduled to open by the […]
Unstoppable Thursday, June 20, 1968, began simply enough — clear, sunny, and warm. As a newly minted Santa Fe acting trainmaster working vacation relief out of Newton, Kan., I had been assigned by Superintendent Jimmy Fitzgerald — who later became vice president of operations — to monitor and expedite the movement of grain trains from […]
LAREDO, Texas — The Final Spike Steam Tour has entered the third country on its itinerary. This morning, the train celebrating the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger crossed into Mexico, a historic moment underscoring the three-nation linkage created by the CPKC merger and marking the first trip into that country for CP 4-6-4 No. 2816. […]
A record number of short lines qualified for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Jake Safety Award this year, with 340 railroads earning the “with distinction” honor for having zero reportable injuries for 2023. Overall, 385 railroads qualified for the safety award program, the industry group said yesterday. Nineteen member railroads will be […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National has beefed up its ability to battle wildfires with the addition of two new firefighting trains. The Trident and Neptune trains, unveiled yesterday, will join CN’s original firefighting train, Poseidon, in combating fires along the railway’s right of way, particularly in isolated areas. “Our priority is to maintain the integrity of […]
