PHILADELPHIA — As if the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority wasn’t having enough problems lately, one of its trolleys was struck Sunday by a driver who allegedly ran a red light, injuring four people. Which might not seem like a SEPTA issue — except that that the Philadelphia Inquirer reports the driver of the vehicle turned […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s second-quarter earnings slumped 24% as volume and average revenue per car both declined, the railroad’s corporate parent, Berkshire Hathaway, said on Saturday. BNSF’s operating income fell 24%, to $1.6 billion, as revenue declined 11.6%, to $5.7 billion. The railway’s operating ratio increased five points, to 68.2%. Overall volume was down […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A CSX Transportation conductor trainee was killed in the Cumberland, Md., yard early this morning, with the accident prompting the railroad to impose a safety stand down for its 350 conductor trainees. “CSX confirms that an employee was fatally injured in the course of working early this morning in Cumberland, Md.,” the […]
EMD F69PHAC Locomotive builder EMD entered into an agreement with Siemens in 1989 to create the F69PHAC, an experimental four-axle alternating current passenger locomotive for the sole purpose of seeing how such a beast would work. Outwardly the locomotives strongly resemble a standard EMD F40 then found on passenger trains throughout the country except for […]
Common name: Snow-in-summer, Mouse ear, Silver carpet, Chickweed Latin name: Cerastium tomentosum Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: 6-8″ high by 1-2′ wide; can be invasive USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-10 (short-lived in Zones 8-10) Cultural needs: Full sun (light shade in hot Zones), well-drained, moderately rich soil, water well after soil dries somewhat Snow-in-summer is an […]
Keep scenery looking its best: There are two main issues with aging scenery – dust build-up and fading. Battling dust is an inevitability and an uphill battle if scenery work is continuing elsewhere in the room. Both dust and fading occur gradually over the years and can be hard to spot. Water and rolling stock […]
NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road reported early this morning it had completed all infrastructure repairs following last Thursday’s derailment at Hall Interlocking and expects to operate a regular schedule of trains for today’s morning rush hour. Some LIRR routes are currently reporting scattered delays, but the issues are unrelated to the derailment, […]
ALEXANDER, W.Va. — Beech Mountain Railroad has leased two former CSX SW1500s from LTEX Rail to continue moving coal from Carter-Roag Coal Co.’s Star Bridge processing plant to the railroad’s interchange with the Appalachian & Ohio at Alexander. United Coal Co. subsidiary Carter-Roag has closed its Morgan Camp mine, which fed the Star Bridge preparation […]
OAK PARK, Ill. — Fire officials in Oak Park report two people were injured, one critically, when they came into contact with the electrified third rail at a Chicago Transit Authority station on Saturday. WGN-TV reports paramedics were called to the Ridgeland Green Line station about 7:24 p.m. after two people, part of a group […]
NAWABSHAH, Pakistan — At least 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured when Pakistan Railways’ Hazara Express passenger train derailed Sunday, the BBC reports. The derailment occurred about 170 miles northeast of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and the train’s starting point. Al Jazeera reports Minister of Railways Kahwaja Saad Rafique told reporters at […]
Get in and out of your garden railway: Isn’t it usually when guests are watching that things get stuck in inconvenient areas of the railway? When we can easily get into those remote regions, without crushing that umpteen-hour project, it’s pure joy. However, one size does not fit all when it comes to solving railway […]
Fast trains It never fails. Visit a train museum with a group of children, and at some point during your exploration one of them will ask: What is the fastest train? Once the discussion has begun, the apex of speed will need to be discussed for every piece encountered. Let’s not reserve this top-speed obsession […]
