WASHINGTON — National Park Service volunteers from national or historic parks and monuments along Amtrak routes are again be hosting informative programs aboard trains this summer and fall under the “Trails and Rails” program. The table below shows the segments and days of the week where personnel discuss the historical significance of the route’s points […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released a preliminary report on the April 26 derailment of a BNSF Railway train near the Arizona-New Mexico state line — an incident that led to a breach of tank cars carrying propane and fire that closed Interstate 40. No one was injured in the incident. Interstate […]
DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday signed into law the bill that imposes a fee on rental cars to help fund rail passenger service in the state. SB24-184 imposes a “congestion impact fee” of up to $3 per day on rental cars, with money raised as a result to go into a fund […]
First-generation locomotives First-generation locomotives: The North American locomotive industry is currently into a deep rebuild cycle to keep their rosters reliable and fresh. The high cost and complexity of new locomotives coupled with excess power on Class I rosters have prompted a wave of rebuilding older locomotives rather than purchasing new power. While more simple […]
ScaleTrains has added a Trinity 82-foot, 7,883-cubic-foot capacity mechanical refrigerator car to its Rivet Counter line. The modern era car, offered with and without sound, features an injection-molded plastic body, prototype-specific details, and die-cast metal couplers. The prototype The samples we received are decorated as BNSF Ry. 793303 and 793324, part of the railroad’s 793000 […]
WASHINGTON — A communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of the August 2022 fatality of a Union Pacific conductor at a yard in El Paso, Texas, the National Transportation Safety Board determined in its final […]
CHICAGO — Canadian National, CSX, and Union Pacific last week asked a federal appeals court to set aside the Surface Transportation Board’s new reciprocal switching rule, which will allow sole-served shippers in terminal areas to request access to a second railroad if their rail service falls below certain standards. The STB rule, which was adopted […]
Living with a model railroad and a dog or cat isn’t always easy. The animals don’t know the difference between your toys and theirs, and can wreak havoc on scenery, models, or your workbench. Animals love to chew on natural materials and unfortunately, many scenery products are made of those. But peaceful coexistence is possible […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City says it’s unlikely that its engineers, conductors, and rail traffic controllers in Canada can strike or be locked out within the next 60 days. CPKC and Canadian National are conducting separate negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, whose members authorized a strike that could have begun on […]
BOSTON — Recent work on the Red Line eliminated another 13 speed restrictions, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, as work continues on its year-long effort to address the backlog of slow orders on its rapid-transit network. The work saw the rail line shut down between the Park Street and JFK/UMass stations between May 2-10, […]
CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra will offer free rides on the weekend of June 8-9, concluding a week of activities to mark its 40th anniversary. The agency dates its birth from June 8, 1984, when the first meeting was held of the Regional Transportation Authority’s Commuter Rail Division. The Metra name was adopted a […]
WASHINGTON — Patrick J. Fuchs has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a second term on the Surface Transportation Board. Fuchs was confirmed by a voice vote on Tuesday, May 14. His latest term expires on Jan. 14, 2029. President Joe Biden had nominated Fuchs for reappointment in January, and the Senate Committee on […]
