WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific Z-train was moving at 64 mph when it collided with a 45.5-ton piece of heavy equipment on a grade crossing in Pecos, Texas, last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said today. The Dec. 18 wreck fatally injured the train’s two crew members, engineer Clay Burt and conductor Phillip Araujo. […]
ARLINGTON, Texas — A North Texas governmental agency will provide $100,000 to address a funding shortfall for the Fort Worth-Oklahoma City Heartland Flyer. The news site Fort Worth Report says the Regional Transportation Council, a 45-member organization that it part of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, has allocated the money from regional toll […]
LINCOLN, Neb. — An 18-year-old accused of derailing a BNSF train last April will be tried as an adult after a Nebraska court turned down his appeal of the decision to move his case out of juvenile court. KLKN-TV reports juvenile court Judge Roger Heideman ruled last August that Zachary Hertzler, 18, should be charged […]
PECOS, Texas — A ceremony to honor the two Union Pacific crew members killed in the Dec. 18 grade-crossing accident and derailment will be held in Pecos on Sunday, Jan. 19. Engineer Clay Burt, 63, and conductor Phillip Araujo, 47, were killed when their train hit a truck with an oversized load at a grade […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced a new set of weather-related train cancellations, this time in connection with a storm expected to hit Texas and the South beginning tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 8). A relatively small number of trains today through Friday, Jan. 10, are affected. On the Pacific Coast, Coast Starlight and Pacific Surfliner cancellations are […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced an extensive list of train cancellations as of today (Saturday, Jan. 4), extending into Tuesday, Jan. 7. Operations from coast to coast are affected as a result of the winter storm currently moving through the center of the country. The cancellations began with Friday’s scheduled departure of the eastbound Southwest […]
CUBA, N.D. — No injuries were reported when 17 cars of a Canadian Pacific Kansas City train derailed Monday (Dec. 30, 2024) near the town of Cuba. The derailment occurred just before noon. Barnes County Emergency Manager Jessica Jenrich told KFGO Radio that the cars involved were either empty or carrying sand. Cuba is about […]
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma state legislator has announced plans for a bill to limit train lengths within the state. State Rep. Ty Burns (R-Pawnee) says the legislation, to be introduced at the start of the upcoming legislative session in February, will seek to cap train length at 8,500 feet, KOKI-TV reports. “The infrastructure that […]
Since 2019, Union Pacific has been in the steam spotlight with its restored 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014. In 2024, CPKC stole some of 4014’s thunder with its “Final Spike Tour” using Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816. From April to July, No. 2816 operated from Canada through the central U.S. and through Mexico to Mexico […]
BRENHAM, Texas — Seventeen cars of a 127-car BNSF coal train derailed Tuesday (Dec. 24, 2024), near the town of Brenham, KHOU-TV reports. No injuries resulted but at least one grade crossing is facing an extended closure. The derailment occurred about 9:30 a.m. at the New Wehdem Road grade crossing adjacent to State Route 36, […]
PECOS, Texas — The truck struck by a Union Pacific train in a fatal grade-crossing collision and derailment was on the grade crossing for just over 1 minute before the collision occurred, the National Transportation Safety Board said today (Dec. 22). In an update on its investigation into the Dec. 18 accident that killed two […]
ST. LOUIS — After attempting to rectify “ongoing mechanical issues” following the westbound Texas Eagle’s on-time arrival in St. Louis on Saturday evening, Dec. 21, Amtrak decided to cancel the train across the rest of its route to San Antonio, Tex., leaving Texas travelers with a lump of coal. An advisory at 11:50 p.m., more […]
