Interurban railroads once plied much of the Midwest, moving passengers easily from farm to city and vice versa. Today, a sprig of that heritage remains at the East Troy Electric Railroad, where electric trains run through the scenic countryside. Choices On a 14-mile round trip, the railroad offers a variety of cars to ride that […]
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Georgia State Railroad Museum profile
Part of the multi-site Coastal Heritage Society Museum complex, the Georgia State Railroad Museum is a destination for those interested in early American railroading technology. Located on the edge of Savannah’s renowned historic district, the museum encompasses 13 structures from the original Central of Georgia shops site, several of which date back to the early […]
Amtrak Cascades day trip from Portland to Seattle
An Amtrak Cascades day trip from Portland to Seattle is a great way to travel. There are currently three daily departures from Portland that provide access to Seattle, plus Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. For the purpose of this getaway, we recommend northbound Cascades No. 500, which is scheduled to depart Portland Union Station at 8:05 a.m. […]
Amtrak Northeast Regional day trip to Washington
An Amtrak Northeast Regional day trip to Washington is within the sights of most Northeast U.S. residents. One of the recent successes in expanding that Northeast Regional service was restoring passenger train service to Roanoke in southwestern Virginia in 2017. The now-five-year-old passenger service reintroduced regularly scheduled trains to Roanoke for the first time since […]
Amtrak Heartland Flyer day trip to Fort Worth, Texas
For Oklahomans and visitors to the Sooner State an Amtrak Heartland Flyer day trip to Fort Worth, Texas is easy thanks to intercity train’s apt schedule. Each day, the Heartland Flyer departs from Oklahoma City’s original Art Deco Santa Fe depot for a relatively short jaunt down to Fort Worth, Texas. The depot is located […]
CSX cleanup efforts continue after West Virginia derailment
SANDSTONE, W.Va. — CSX Transportation has completed removal of the 22 empty coal hoppers that derailed Wednesday when its train hit a rock slide in the New River Gorge, the railroad reports, as it continues efforts to reopen its rail line. The derailment occurred at 4:51 a.m. Wednesday when the train hit several large boulders, […]
West Virginia rail bill advances in state Senate
CHARLESTON, W.Va — A bill allowing West Virginia’s Public Service Commission to investigate and fine railroads for safety and operational violations will advance to the full Senate after being advanced by the Senate’s judiciary committee. WCHS-TV reports a CSX Transportation representative testified earlier this month that the railroad believes federal law would prevent HB3059 from taking […]
Kansas legislative committee holds hearing on train-length bill
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas has joined the list of states considering legislation to limit the length of freight trains. Senate Bill 271, introduced at the request of state Sen. Mike Petersen (R-Wichita) would limit trains to a length of 8,500 feet. It also requires rolling stock stored on sidings to be at least 250 feet […]
NTSB releases final report on Amtrak conductor’s fatal fall from train in 2022
WASHINGTON — A conductor’s use of an emergency door release to open a car door while her train was operating at 40 mph, and Amtrak’s accepted practice of allowing such doors to be opened to monitor platforms while approaching a station, contributed to the death of the conductor in a January 2022 accident in Westerly, […]
Amtrak set to start early work on B&P Tunnel project
BALTIMORE — Amtrak will begin early construction activity on the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program this Friday, March 10, with tie and rail replacement and track drainage work as part of its preparations for the $6 billion project. “This initial project will directly reduce impacts during later construction phases and maximize the benefits of the new […]
Intermodal traffic again drags down weekly U.S. rail volume
WASHINGTON — Reflecting another week in which intermodal traffic showed a double-digit decline from the same week a year earlier, overall U.S. rail traffic was down 6.3% for the week ending March 4, 2023. Total rail traffic was 474,191 carloads and intermodal units. That included 237,413 carloads, down 1%, and 236,778 containers and trailers, down […]
Norfolk Southern to site emergency responder training center in Ohio
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern will create a new regional first responder training center in Ohio and expand the outreach of its safety train that travels the system to provide firefighters with hands-on tank car training. NS will work with Ohio officials to determine a site for the training center, the railroad announced on Wednesday. The […]