LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — The Canadian government has reached an agreement in principle with the town of Lac-Mégantic on the purchase of land needed for construction of a rail bypass around the community, Transport Canada has announced. The agreement will allow both parties to prepare the deed of sale for the land owned by the town. […]
WASHINGTON — Overall rail traffic was down slightly in October compared to the same month in 2022, while traffic for the week ending Oct. 29 showed a slight increase, according to the Association of American Railroads. Monthly totals had combined U.S. carload and intermodal traffic down 0.5% compared to October 2021,with carload traffic up 0.5% […]
PARADISE, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road’s 4-8-0 steam engine No. 475 collided with a tracked excavator or “trackhoe” parked on a spur Wednesday morning, Nov. 2, punching a hole in the engine’s smokebox. No injuries resulted and the engine, running light, remained on the track. A combination of a misaligned switch — apparently left open when […]
ST. JAMES PARISH, La. — Acid leaking from a tank car has led to evacuations near a Canadian National derailment that occurred Wednesday afternoon. The Advocate newspaper reports the derailment occurred about 2 p.m., with the leak from a car carrying about 20,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid reported about 3:15 p.m. That led to evacuation […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation board has granted the request for more mediation in the Amtrak Gulf Coast case — but not to delay its scheduled hearings on the matter. At least, not yet. In a decision issued Wednesday evening, Nov. 2, the board calls for further mediation, to extend through Dec. 1, as requested […]
CSX Transportation is on a roll. In the past 12 months or so, nine new major manufacturing plants and one inland intermodal terminal project have been announced for sites located alongside its tracks. Many of them are the direct result of the railroad’s long-term industrial development efforts. If there’s a theme from these wins that […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety advisory for portable derails in the wake of an Aug. 29 fatal switching accident on Union Pacific. “FRA is issuing Safety Advisory 2022-01 to emphasize the importance of, first, ensuring that portable derails are clearly visible to train crews and operators of other on-track equipment, […]
TSU-N18 sound decoder Price: $124.95 Manufacturer: SoundTraxx, 141 Burnett Dr., Durango, CO 81301; 970-259-0690; soundtraxx.com Features: Sound library including 10 exhaust chuffs, up to 12 diesel engines per profile, up to 12 bells, 90 whistles, and more than 40 airhorns Plugs into models equipped with Next18 socket Additional couplers, dynamos, cab chatter, and more Dimensions: 25 x 9.5 […]
OTTAWA — Extensions to Ottawa’s light rail lines continue to fall behind schedule, with the western extension of the electrified Confederation line now likely to be completed 17 months late, and the southern addition to the diesel-powered Trillium line at least a year overdue. The CBC reports a city committee was told Tuesday that the […]
RAVENNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Approximately 18 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Tuesday evening in northeast Ohio, WKYC-TV reports. A railroad representative told the station that no injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved. The Portage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management reported on its Facebook page that the derailment […]
UNION, Ill. — Former Chicago & North Western Railway SD50 No. 7009 is headed to the Illinois Railway Museum after two benefactors provided the funds to purchase the locomotive from the dead line at National Railway Equipment in Silvis, Ill. IRM says the locomotive is the first SD50 to be preserved by a museum. The […]
BOSTON — Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Steve Poftak has announced his resignation, effective Jan. 3. The Boston Globe reports the resignation comes nearly a full year ahead of the end of his contract, but will coincide with the arrival of a new governor. It will end four years during which Poftak has led […]
