ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – After being out of service for eight months, East Broad Top Railroad narrow-gauge 2-8-2 Mikado engine No. 16 (Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1916) will resume hauling tourist passengers tomorrow (Friday, Aug. 30). The engine will pull regularly scheduled EBT trains on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Oct. 27, plus additional special runs […]
Section: News & Reviews
NTSB determines probable cause of fatal UP collision near Salton Sea in Southern California
WASHINGTON — The probable cause of a fatal September 2022 collision on Union Pacific’s Sunset Route was the routing of an intermodal train into a passing siding that was occupied by 74 empty intermodal cars, a move that was made possible by the inappropriate removal of a computer-aided dispatching system block on the siding, the […]
CN renames Woodcrest Shops in honor of two-time COO Ed Harris
HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Canadian National has named its Woodcrest Shops after former Chief Operating Officer Ed Harris, who began his railroad career at the Illinois Central facility outside Chicago. “We were thrilled to welcome recently retired CN COO and railroading veteran Ed Harris back for a very special visit and surprise, as we renamed our […]
Train engineers agree to deal in long-running British dispute
LONDON — A breakthrough in the long-running series of British rail engineer strikes was announced in mid-August, when talks led by the new government agreed a pay raise of around 5% for each of the last three years for engineers at 16 English passenger rail companies which have government contracts. The trade union representing train […]
Appeals court judge clears CPKC of contempt charge in hours-of-duty case
OTTAWA, Ontario — A Canadian judge has overturned a lower-court ruling that found CPKC in contempt of court in a case regarding excessive hours worked by train crews. The Canadian Press reports Federal Court of Appeal Justice Donald Rennie acquitted the railroad, writing in his ruling that it is “impossible to rationalize a finding of […]
Tornado derails cars of BNSF train in North Dakota
STEELE, N.D. — More than 40 cars of a stopped BNSF Railway train were derailed when struck by a tornado near Steele, N.D., on Wednesday night. A BNSF spokeswoman told KFYR-TV that 43 cars empty coal gondolas were derailed at approximately 8:19 p.m. The train had been stopped because of reported tornado activity in the […]
U.S. weekly rail traffic climbs again
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic saw another surge in the week ending Aug. 24, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. U.S. railroads handled 516,807 carloads and intermodal units, a 9.5% increase over the same week in 2023. That included 228,858 carloads, up 1.2%, and 287,949 containers and trailers, up 17.1%. This followed […]
Four appointed to VIA Rail Canada board
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Transport Minister, Pablo Rodriguez, has reappointed one member and announced new appointments of three others to the VIA Rail Canada board of directors. The VIA appointees announced Wednesday, Aug. 28, were among 26 appointments to 11 transportation-related organizations overseen by the federal government. Others included port authorities in Montreal and Prince […]
Virginia, Norfolk Southern greenlight Manassas line purchase, extension to Christiansburg, Va
RICHMOND, Va. —The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority board of directors has approved a recently negotiated plan with Norfolk Southern to acquire the railroad’s former Southern Railway route out of Alexandria, Va., to Manassas, Va., and gain Amtrak train access to the NS main line beyond Roanoke, Va., to Christiansburg, Va. In a press release, the […]
Pinsly Railroad Co. to acquire Texas short line Hondo Railway
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shortline operator Pinsly Railroad Co. today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Hondo Railway, a short line railroad company in Hondo, Texas, just west of San Antonio. Pinsly and its partner, Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, have requested that the transaction be exempt from Surface Transportation Board review, as is common […]
FRA releases safety audit of BNSF Railway
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway’s safety practices are improving and the company has a commitment to safety, according to a Federal Railroad Administration review. But FRA recommended that BNSF take steps to foster trust between management and labor, better respond to safety concerns fairly and consistently, and to improve training for new employees and maintenance of […]
Cuyahoga Valley Scenic names new CEO
PENINSULA, Ohio — Larry Stevenson has been named the new president and CEO of the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, the heritage rail operation announced today. Stevenson was most recently CEO of the Island Corridor Foundation, the non-profit on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island overseeing the right-of-way of the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway. That organization has […]