MEADVILLE, Pa. — The Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad is discontinuing operation on about 70 miles of railroad between Saegertown, Pa., and Jamestown, N.Y., the Meadville (Pa) Tribune reports. Company president Bob Babcock told the newspaper that the railroad generated just three carloads of traffic over that segment last year. A “handful” of employees […]
Zone & Region: Northeast
GG1s at Baltimore
Just south of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Baltimore station in September 1954, GG1 4875 emerges from the B&P Tunnel with a Washington–New York mail and express train as three sister Gs wait to forward Northern Central passenger trains down to Washington. Beyond the waiting Gs, under the Baltimore & Ohio’s plate-girder bridge, Pennsy P5b 4702, the […]
Ancora board nominees attack NS on safety after Pennsylvania accident
CLEVELAND — Continuing attacks on current management at Norfolk Southern, board nominees of investor Ancora Holdings have issued a “white paper” on last Saturday’s three-train NS collision in Pennsylvania in which they outline what they say would be safety upgrades at the railroad and question the current operating culture. The investment group launched a proxy […]
Three-train NS incident unfolded in less than a minute, NTSB investigator tells township council
LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A National Transportation Safety Board investigator has filled in town officials on additional details of last weekend’s incident collision and derailment involving three Norfolk Southern trains, saying a total of nine railcars derailed in the incident, WFMZ-TV reports. Ruben Payan, who is leading the NTSB team looking at train operations, […]
Bill to end cuts to railroad unemployment insurance advances in Senate
WASHINGTON — The Senate Budget Committee has unanimously voted to advance a bill that would permanently exempt railroad workers’ unemployment and sickness insurance benefits from sequestration cuts, and end current cuts. Industry and labor groups had jointly written members of the committee earlier this week asking for support for S.1274, the Railroad Employee Equity and […]
United Railroad Historical Society sets 2024 schedule for Hudson River Rail Excursions
BOONTON, N.J. — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey continues to expand offerings of its Hudson River Rail Excursions, this year scheduling more than 50 day trips beginning and ending in New York City, as well as six overnight trips between New York and Chicago. Tickets for the 2024 trips go on sale […]
Contractor on Amtrak Philadelphia station project faces bribery charges
PHILADELPHIA — A contractor on the project to restore Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia is facing a federal bribery charge after allegedly providing more than $300,000 in gifts and favors for an Amtrak employee, who altered a contract to nearly double the value of the contractor’s contract, KYW Radio reports. A court document says […]
Rail industry, labor urge Senate to pass bill addressing cuts to unemployment benefits
WASHINGTON — A rare coalition of rail industry and labor groups have asked the Senate Budget Committee to approve legislation which would permanently exempt railroad unemployment and sickness benefits from sequestration budget cuts. The bill in question, S.1274, the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness Act, or REEF Act, was introduced by Sen. Deb. Fischer (R-Neb.); […]
Amtrak adds eight weekday, four weekend Northeast Corridor trains
WASHINGTON — Beginning today (Monday, March 4), Amtrak is scheduling four additional Northeast Regional round trips weekdays and two on the weekends between New York and Washington, D.C. The decision to reconfigure seating in each coach so that half of the seats face in different directions [see “Fixed forward and backward seating to speed Northeast Regional […]
Meet Ron Hoess
What was your first train set (or locomotive)? My first train set was from John English & Co. The three freight cars and caboose were pulled by a Pennsylvania Railroad Fairbanks-Morse 1200 HP switcher. These were sold in the 1954-57 time period. My Dad built a small layout (we used to call it a platform) […]
Coach passengers now can buy meals in Silver Star and Silver Meteor dining cars
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s New York-Miami trains will begin offering “traditional dining” to “a limited number of coach customers” starting today (Monday, March 4), according to spokeswoman Kimberly Woods. The company dropped meal-in-a-bowl “flexible dining” last March on the Silver Star and last June on the Silver Meteor [see “Amtrak returns ‘traditional dining’ …,” Trains News […]
Investigators release control of site of collision, derailment to NS
LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — National Transportation Safety Board investigators have released control of the site of Saturday’s collision and derailment involving three trains to Norfolk Southern for its crews and contractors to address cleanup, the Allentown Morning Call reports. The NTSB turned the site over to NS late this afternoon [Sunday, March 3], but […]