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A Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus train en route to Hampton, Va., from Louisville, Ky., rolls through St. Albans, W.Va., in August 2011. Chase Gunnoe ELLENTON, Fla. — When the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus drops its big top for the last time in May, the classic passenger cars and equipment […]
A pair of EMD SD50s leads Reading & Northern train SBPI near Scranton, Pa., in October 2015. Michael S. Murray PORT CLINTON, Pa. – Regional railroad Reading Blue Mountain & Northern is raising train speeds across the about 320 miles of track it operates to accommodate growing traffic. But to run trains more than 30 […]
Trains, like this westbound BNSF Railway intermodal train near Oro Grande, Calif., in January 2014, would have a minimum of two-person crews if a bill introduced in Congress is passed. Trains: Jim Wrinn WASHINGTON — A bill that would restrict freight train crews to no fewer than two people has made another appearance in Congress. […]
A Department of Defense train hauling a spent nuclear fuel cask in an undated photo. Association of American Railroad standards require use of electronically controlled pneumatic brakes on nuclear waste trains. U.S. Department of Energy WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads has long required electronically controlled pneumatic brakes on special trains that haul nuclear […]
This coal hopper, seen in Butler, Wis., has a main body built from aluminum and a center sill made of steel. Freight-car makers use non-conductive materials to separate the metals and prevent galvanic corrosion. Steve Sweeney Q There are aluminum-body Talgos and aluminum-body coal cars, both with steel center sills. High school chemistry teaches that […]
NEW YORK — The Federal Railroad Administration will continue to move forward with its proposed rule requiring two-person locomotive crews despite the changing political climate in Washington and mounting criticism from the rail industry. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to reduce government regulations. But elections don’t change the FRA’s mission of improving safety, Robert Lauby, […]
Electric and diesel locomotives’ top speeds are governed by gear ratios and safe operations, like this Union Pacific westbound near Franklin Grove, Ill. Brian Schmidt Q What determines the theoretical top speed of a diesel locomotive? Is it the gear ratio? What other factors enter in? – Mike Pedersen, North Berwick, Maine A The maximum […]
A loaded CSX coal train spans Pool Point trestle en route to Erwin, Tenn., from Shelby Yard in Pikeville, Ky. Chase Gunnoe Eastern Kentucky rail lines and Interstate highways Federal Railroad Administration Safety Map PIKEVILLE, Ky. — As U.S. coal traffic continues to slide, CSX Transportation is cutting further into its vast Appalachian rail network, […]
Two biplanes trailing smoke accent a 1939 publicity photo of Florida East Coast’s Jacksonville–Miami Henry M. Flagler, named for the road’s founder. E3 No. 1001, emblazoned with the train’s name, was FEC’s first diesel. FEC photo […]
Jim McClellan Trains file photo VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Jim McClellan, a primary architect of North America’s modern railroad landscape, has died. McClellan was a life-long rail enthusiast who leveraged his passions for the benefit of the industry in the bankruptcy-riddled 1970s. Executives and planners relied on his knowledge of railroading and interpretations of maps […]
What’s in a picture? In this one, a brown-painted automatic equipment identification, or AEI, reader barely pokes out of a slope along a Conrail right-of-way in New Jersey. A company that installed this reader received a $195,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commissions for having incorrect licensing for tracking freight trains near rights-of-way. WASHINGTON D.C. […]
From the beginning of U.S. railroading, each railroad chose its own whistles that varied from high to low in pitch. Alex Mayes Q Have American steam engines always used a low-pitched or bass whistle, instead of a high-pitched whistle? – James Kelty, San Anselmo, Calif. A Steam whistles chosen by American railroads were almost always […]
