CHICAGO – The Federal Transit Administration has committed $1.947 billion in federal funding for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension Project. The 5.6-mile extension of the CTA’s Red Line to Chicago’s southern border is the first rail transit extension since the Orange Line, running southwest to Midway International Airport from the Loop opened in […]
Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works Wheel arrangement: 2-8-2 Mikado Build date: March 1923 Why it’s important: Grand Canyon Railway’s 4960 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. The O-1A class 2-8-2 Mikado No. 4960 was ideally suited for powering fast freight trains across Burlington’s mostly level Midwest routes. With the arrival […]
Last month Trains sat down with Stefan Loeb, Norfolk Southern’s vice president of first and final mile markets, to discuss how local service can help the railroad grow. The position was created in April, when Loeb joined NS from shortline holding company Watco, where he was chief commercial officer [see “Norfolk Southern names intermodal and […]
LUCERNE, Switzerland — One of these days, I will give a visit to the Swiss Museum of Transport all the time it deserves. This was not that day. I’ve now been to the museum — the most popular in Switzerland, with about 530,000 visitors a year — twice. Both times, it has been far too […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific’s freight car and locomotive inspection and maintenance practices pose a “significant risk to rail safety,” the head of the Federal Railroad Administration said in a letter sent Friday to top railroad executives. FRA Administrator Amit Bose said the agency conducted a focused inspection of UP’s mechanical operations and rolling stock in […]
Keep your diesel cool Cooling has always been one of the most important aspects of a locomotive. Simply put, the higher the horsepower, the more cooling a locomotive needs. With the implementation of emission regulations over the last several decades, the amount of cooling has increased to meet requirements at each of the four levels […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — Last October, BNSF Railway had filed a suit over a start-up airline’s effort to use the name “Northern Pacific.” As of Sept. 8, 2023, a temporary outcome has surfaced. Northern Pacific Airlines (NPA) has received a preliminary injunction — a “temporary relief” to keep things the way they are until the […]
OLTEN, Switzerland — Just about every railfan knows what it’s like to have one of those days when you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. So it was for me today in Olten. This is not a city high on the must-see list for most vacationers. It doesn’t even warrant a mention in […]
POINT CLEAR, Ala. —The launch of two daily Amtrak round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., depends on when design and construction of a pocket track at Mobile is completed and 3 miles of positive train control is installed through CSX’s Gentilly Yard east of New Orleans. But that means service will not come […]
Transit safety NEWARK, N.J. — To start the 2023 school year, NJ Transit has introduced three safety programs for children of various ages and educational needs. “Special SEAT (Safety Education Awareness Training),” “Protecting our Pedestrians (POP),” and “Safety Rules!” These initiatives have different goals and are designed to “foster a culture of safety and vigilance […]
LAWS, Calif. – Another piece of narrow-gauge steam history may soon come to life in California. The Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site will conduct a boiler test on Southern Pacific narrow-gauge 4-6-0 No. 9 to determine if it’s feasible to return it to service. The museum is currently renovating the locomotive including paint and […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety advisory calling on railroads to use wheel impact load detectors to properly identify and replace freight car wheels that could significantly damage track and lead to derailments. The advisory was issued yesterday in response to the Feb. 21 derailment of a Union Pacific coal train […]
