HAVRE, Mont. — No injuries were reported Monday after one car of the eastbound Empire Builder derailed Monday afternoon near Havre, Mont. Amanda Frickel, Hill County coordinator for disaster and emergency services, told MTN News that the next-to-last car derailed but remained upright, confirming what appeared to be the case, based on an image posted […]
Railroad: Amtrak
11 cars of BNSF train derail in Montana
HAVRE, Mont. — Eleven cars of a 25-car BNSF intermodal train derailed Friday afternoon about 8 miles east of Havre, blocking the railroad’s Northern Transcon route. The derailment occurred at 4:39 p.m., the Havre Daily News reports, quoting a BNSF spokeswoman. Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel said one car was carrying […]
Lawsuit filed in collision that derailed Silver Star
LAKELAND, Fla. — A national injury law firm has filed suit against three trucking companies and a driver over the collision that derailed an Amtrak train July 14 in Lakeland, sending eight people to the hospital for treatment of injuries. WFLA-TV reports the suit was filed against Lastre Auto Transport, M&L Auto Transport, and Betan […]
Senate appropriations bill seeks to maintain funding for Amtrak, grant programs
WASHINGTON — Amtrak and funding for rail-related grant programs fared far better with Senate appropriators on Thursday than they did last week with those in the House of Representatives. Transportation spending for fiscal 2024 in a bill approved by the Senate Committee on Appropriations includes some $2.45 billion for Amtrak operations and state-of-good repair funding, […]
California Zephyr again fares poorly in on-time statistics
WASHINGTON — The California Zephyr, Empire Builder, and Heartland Flyer all had on-time performance under 40% in the second quarter of 2023 according to statistics released today (July 18) by the Federal Railroad Administration. The Zephyr had a customer on-time performance of just 31% for the quarter, while the Builder and Flyer were both at […]
Adirondack round trips to be extended to Saratoga Springs
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — With the Saratoga horse racing season having begun last Thursday, Amtrak has announced it will extend Adirondack operations 37 miles beyond Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y., to Saratoga Springs starting Monday, July 24. The New York City-Montreal train was the last state-supported corridor to be restored following nationwide discontinuances in March 2020 as a […]
Amtrak begins process to upgrade maintenance facilities at Seattle, three Northeast Corridor sites
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has published Requests for Qualifications for maintenance facilities in Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, part of a program build or upgrade more than 20 sites nationally for new trainsets. Two requests are currently active. One is for Seattle, where Amtrak is hoping to gain permission to close a street, […]
Silver Star locomotive derails after Florida grade crossing collision (additional update)
LAKELAND, Fla. — Amtrak’s Silver Star was involved in a derailment this evening (July 14) after a grade-crossing collision with a truck carrying automobiles, according to a WFTS-TV report. An Amtrak spokeswoman said the train’s lead locomotive derailed, and that the company was working with local emergency responders to move approximately 166 passengers and 10 […]
Bachmann N scale Siemens SC-44 Charger
The Bachmann Trains N scale Siemens SC-44 Charger diesel locomotive recently visited our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route layout. Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno discuss the features on the modern engine and take it for lap on our 4 x 12-foot layout. Paint schemes on the Bachmann N […]
Bachmann N scale Siemens SC-44 Charger
The Bachmann Trains N scale Siemens SC-44 Charger diesel locomotive recently visited our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route layout. Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno discuss the features on the modern engine and take it for lap on our 4 x 12-foot layout. The Bachmann N scale Siemens SC-44 […]
Surfliners to add three trains for trio of major events July 21-23
ORANGE, Calif. — With regular Pacific Surfliner service set to resume on Monday, July 17, the agency overseeing the Surfliners has announced plans to add three extra trains the weekend of July 21-23 to help serve three major events — Comic-Con International San Diego, the X Games in Ventura, and the opening of the summer […]
Tornadoes, weather warnings halt Metra, Amtrak on Wednesday evening (updated)
CHICAGO — Metra commuters suffered evening rush-hour delays, while Amtrak also halted operations for a time, because of tornado warnings and other severe weather warnings in the Chicago area. WMAQ-TV reports one tornado touched down at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, damaging some warehouses, and that the National Weather Service confirmed this morning (July 13) that […]