LOS ANGELES — Santa Fe steam locomotive No. 3751 will make 2024 public debut this September at the Rail Safety: Los Angeles event, the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society has announced. The free, two-day event will be the largest rail safety event hosted in downtown Los Angeles in more than a decade. Taking place at […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Canada’s labor minister to meet with CN, CPKC, union
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Minister of Labor, Steve MacKinnon, will meet with representatives of Canadian National, CPKC, and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Tuesday and Wednesday in an effort to avoid the work stoppage set to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 22. The CBC reports MacKinnon will be in Montreal, headquarters of […]
Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch remains closed by flood damage
WATERBURY, Conn. — Service on Metro-North Railroad’s Waterbury Branch remains suspended following significant flood damage to the route on Sunday, Aug. 18, while Danbury Branch service was restored in time for the evening rush today (Monday, Aug. 19), the Metropolitan Transportation Authority reports. Waterbury Branch damage includes a significant mudslide between the Seymour and Ansonia […]
Arizona fire that destroyed homes blamed on BNSF track work
WICKENBURG, Ariz. — A June wildfire that destroyed 15 structures near the town of Wickenburg and cost nearly $1 million to fight was caused by BNSF Railway work, according to fire officials. The 266-acre Rose Fire, which began on June 12 and was contained five days later, was started by sparks from a welder, grinder, […]
Rails to the sky: Cass Scenic Railroad
Cass Scenic Railroad THIS IS A STORY ABOUT ONE SUMMER in the life of a fireman on the Cass Scenic Railroad in Cass, W.Va. I was hired in 1972 as a shop hand and extra fireman. I worked about six months in the shop and then was put on as regular fireman on the short […]
More semaphores fall on Southwest Chief route
LAMY, N.M. — The last segment of U.S. mainline railroad still using semaphore signals has gotten smaller. Railroad officials in New Mexico replaced five semaphores with modern day CTC signals on Saturday, Aug.17, on a stretch between Lamy and Cerrillos on a section of original Santa Fe now owned by the state of New Mexico. […]
Canadian National DC to AC fleet expands
CN DC to AC Canadian National is receiving its next DC-to-AC rebuilds this summer. The first conversions already on CN’s roster are 50 former Canadian National C44-9Ws converted to AC-traction AC44C6Ms by Wabtec in its Ft. Worth, Texas, facility in 2022 and 2023. The latest group of rebuilds on order include additional AC44C6Ms and EMD […]
STB misses its own deadline for decision on CN acquisition of Iowa Northern
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board has sailed past its deadline for issuing a decision on Canadian National’s proposed $230 million acquisition of Iowa Northern Railway. The board was set to issue a decision by July 26, according to the procedural schedule that regulators spelled out on Feb. 29. A board spokesman says the proposed […]
First test trains begin running through repaired Gotthard Base Tunnel
FAIDO, Switzerland — The first freight train operated through the repaired western tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel today (Monday, Aug. 19) as part of test operations preparing for full reopening of the tunnel, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) reports. The 5:30 a.m. train from Chiasso bound for Basel was the first train to use the […]
Weather issues disrupt Amtrak, NJ Transit on Northeast Corridor (updated)
NEW YORK — Amtrak service between New York and Philadelphia has resumed late this evening (Aug. 18) after being halted by flooding, while NJ Transit and Metro-North Railroad have also reported flood-related service suspensions. Amtrak, in a notice posted to its website at 10:25 p.m. ET, said it had “released the hold on all tracks” […]
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference delivers strike notice to CPKC; CN delivers lockout notice (updated)
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference today (Aug. 18) served a 72-hour strike notice to Canadian Pacific Kansas City, saying the union will walk out at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, barring a last-minute labor agreement. Canadian National Railway, meanwhile, announced it had delivered a formal 72-hour lockout notice, following up on plans it had […]
News photos: Reading & Northern officially opens Nesquehoning station
NESQUEHONING, Pa. — Port Clinton, Pa., based-Reading & Northern officially opened the newest station for its busy passenger excursion business on Saturday, Aug. 17, holding a ceremony for the new facility on its Nesquehoning campus that also includes training and mechanical facilities. The ribbon-cutting preceded an excursion featuring former Reading Co. T-1 4-8-4 No. 2102, […]