Meet Jerry Dziedzic What was your first train set (or locomotive)? How about three, in different scales? Like so many youngsters, a Lionel circle around the tree greeted me one Christmas morning. I suppose this was in 1956 or 1957. My dad had fun, too. He used two sheets of plywood to build an 8 […]
Freight trains should be able to begin using the Gotthard Base Tunnel on Wednesday, Aug. 23, Swiss national rail operator SBB said Friday in its latest update on repairs following an Aug. 10 derailment inside the world’s longest rail tunnel. Thirty cars of a northbound freight train derailed because of a broken wheel, causing damage […]
The 9000 class steam locomotive was developed by Alco and built between 1926 and 1930. As if the twelve connected drive wheels weren’t unique enough, the 9000 class featured a third cylinder under the boiler which operated a second drive axle. This inner cylinder used Gresley gearing since the cylinder did not feature valve gear. […]
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Commuter rail operator Metrolink is planning limited service changes today (Monday, Aug. 21) in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary, saying that as of a Sunday evening update that no rail infrastructure had been affected by the storm. The only changes planned for today call for the four Orange County Line […]
STUART, Fla. — Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railway have launched a schedule app and website for the St. Lucie River drawbridge, offering mariners real-time information on bridge operations. The bridge began operating under a new schedule on Aug. 15 under a new “temporary deviation” announced by the U.S. Coast Guard [see “Coast Guard […]
HAMILTON, Ontario — Canadian National train No. 148 passes Bayview Junction on the Dundas Subdivision on Aug. 28, with AC44C6M rebuild No. 3309 serving as the distributed power unit, followed by three cars from the railroad’s business-train fleet. Reports are the business train equipment is to operate out of Montreal later this month. — Stephen […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will offer $139 million in funding for rail infrastructure projects in Alaska, South Dakota, and Wyoming, the FRA has announced. The funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is for the Special Transportation Circumstances grant program, and provides funds for states that lack intercity passenger service or are not connected […]
SCRANTON, Pa. – Genesee Valley Transportation, the nation’s largest operator of six-motor Alco and Montreal Locomotive Works diesels, has almost doubled its fleet of the rare locomotives with the acquisition of four M636 units from regional railroad Western New York & Pennsylvania. Rebuilt General Electric AC60CWs idled WNYP’s active fleet of six big MLWs in […]
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and the North County Transit District Coaster commuter rail service both have further reduced service beyond the plans announced previously as a result of Tropical Storm Hilary, now moving through Southern California. The latest Surfliner update has two southbound and five northbound trains cancelled in their entirety; three […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The government of British Columbia has announced new restrictions on non-essential travel because of wildfires in the province, leading to the cancellation of at least two scheduled trips of the Rocky Mountaineer luxury tour train. The government order announced Saturday restricts people from staying in hotels for non-essential purposes in several […]
Train travel I’ve made thousands of train rides, but I’ve never lost the exhilaration that one gives me. Every time I board a train, I relive my youthful wanderlust of finding my seat, gliding along on steel rails, and watching the unfolding rolling panorama pass by my window. The thrill of a train ride is […]
ELKTON, S.D. — Two people were killed Friday when their vehicle crashed through a crossing-gate arm and struck a moving train, setting the vehicle on fire and derailing the train into a grain elevator, the Mitchell Republic reports. The incident occurred about 7 p.m. at a grade crossing on the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern […]
