PIERRE, S.D. — Two rail projects in South Dakota will receive almost $2.4 million in funding under the federal Special Transportation Circumstances program, state Transportation Secretary Joel Jundt announced. The Ringneck & Western Railroad will receive up to $1.799 million for a project near Plankinton, S.D., while the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad will […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation needs to improve its customer service and culture, CEO Joe Hinrichs told employees during a town hall meeting on Monday, his first day on the job. Hinrichs acknowledged the controversy surrounding Precision Scheduled Railroading but says CSX won’t be changing its operating model because it’s hard to argue with its […]
Menards Rocket Diner is a great place for your O scale folks to eat. After all, it doesn’t take much arm-twisting for a train enthusiast to stop and chow down at a railroad-themed or trackside restaurant. I’ve dined at two eateries in the Seattle area that used old passenger cars for service. In Cincinnati there […]
KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The CSX Santa Train will run this year after all. In a reversal of an earlier decision, the Santa Train Facebook page announced this morning (Tuesday, Sept. 27) that the train will mark its 80th anniversary year by running on Saturday, Nov. 19. “Feedback and community support, in addition to positive developments […]
WASHINGTON – The machinists’ union has reached a second tentative agreement with Class I railroads, just under two weeks after the rank and file rejected the union’s first tentative deal. “We are pleased to announce that the nation’s freight railroads have reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM),” […]
Mind-blowing East Broad Top facts Tucked deep in the Allegheny Mountains, between Altoona and Harrisburg, is Rockhill, Pa. Today, Rockhill is home to a railroad time capsule called the East Broad Top Railroad, arguably one of the more famous and best-preserved U.S. narrow gauge lines. Built between 1872 and 1874, the EBT mostly lugged coal […]
BERLIN — While not quite matching the record numbers it set in 2018, the 2022 InnoTrans trade fair, which concluded Friday, made a strong return after a four-year pause. A total of 137,394 people attended the four-day event, according to the event’s closing report, with visitors from 131 countries attending the world’s largest rail industry event. […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail, which concluded its acquisition of Pioneer Lines earlier this month, will expand further through acquisition of Delta Southern Railroad, the companies announced Monday. Delta Southern operates more than 40 miles of track in two line segments about 60 miles apart in Monroe and Tallulah, La., serving two Mississippi River ports: […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nashville Steam raised more than $200,000 toward restoration of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis No. 576 during a matching-grant fund drive this summer, the organization has announced. Beginning in May, all donations of $250 or more toward work on the 4-8-4 built by Alco in 1942 were matched through a program sponsored by […]
WASHINGTON — With Hurricane Ian bearing down on Florida and the Southeast, Amtrak has cancelled Auto Train in both directions Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 27 and 28. Amtrak also says in an online advisory that the New York-Tampa-Miami Silver Star that departed today (Monday, Sept. 26) is terminating at Jacksonville, Fla., Tuesday morning; its northbound […]
PITTSBURGH – In order to attract, hire, and retain conductors – and avoid crew shortages that snarl operations and hurt service – Class I railroads need to make the job more appealing to today’s workers. That was the consensus of shippers, railroaders, and analysts who spoke at the North East Association of Rail Shippers conference […]
NEW YORK – Coal is enjoying a day in the sun amid low stockpiles at power plants and high natural gas prices. Overall railroad coal volumes have improved since the second quarter of 2021 and the trend is expected to continue into next year. But then a wave of coal-fired power plant retirements will put […]
