A Railway Post Office clerk looks out from a doorway during a stop at Waterloo, Iowa, in April 1967. The train is Illinois Central’s Sioux City–Chicago Hawkeye. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
RPO on IC’s Hawkeye
Type of Train: Passenger/Transit
Morning Hi at Portage, Wis.
Milwaukee Road’s westbound Morning Hiawatha pauses at Portage, Wis., in October 1965. Tucked behind the E units are several head-end cars, including a Great Northern express boxcar, Milwaukee express boxcar, and GN baggage express car. Tom Hoffmann photo […]
Brightline eyes Las Vegas-LA route
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Florida’s Brightline announced Tuesday that it intends to compete in the heavily traveled Las Vegas-Los Angeles Basin market by acquiring XpressWest. That company won the right from the Nevada High Speed Rail Authority in 2015 to build a 220-mile route adjacent to Interstate 15 from Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif. A […]
Amtrak now aims to continue running all routes, even if they aren’t PTC-compliant NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In written testimony at last week’s congressional hearing on positive train control, Amtrak backed away from earlier statements indicating it would not operate on lines without PTC. The written testimony by Scot Naparstek, Amtrak’s chief operating officer, was offered at the Sept. 13 hearing of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s […]
First shell for Avelia Liberty power car is completed NEWSWIRE
An artist’s conception of the Avelia Liberty trainset. Amtrak/Alstom Merrill Technologies and Alstom personnel pose with the first completed Avelia Liberty power car shell. Pete Hudeck, Merrill Technologies NEW YORK — The Avelia Liberty, the next-generation high speed trainset for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor service, reached a construction milestone this week, as the first body shell […]
Analysis: Amtrak trends continue in exploration of outside food service providers
The lone breakfast offering on the Lake Shore Limited on Sept. 13, 2018. Amtrak is seeking information for possible outsourcing of its food service. WASHINGTON — Claiming to look for “transformational service models and industry best practices for Managed Food and Beverage Service,” Amtrak issued a request for information on Aug. 31 that could lead […]
A decade after Chatsworth wreck, risk of ‘tragic’ accidents remains NEWSWIRE
This memorial plaque near the accident site recalls the victims of the Chatsworth collision on Sept. 12, 2008. TRAINS: David Lassen The site of the Chatsworth memorial plaque. An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passes in the background. TRAINS: David Lassen CHATSWORTH, Calif. — On Sept. 12, 2008, an engineer on a commuter train received a text […]
Amtrak announces cancellations, schedule changes because of hurricane NEWSWIRE
Amtrak’s Auto Train departs Sanford, Fla. The train is among those cancelled because of the approaching Hurricane Florence. TRAINS: David Lassen NEW YORK — Amtrak will cancel much of its service in the southeastern U.S. and modify other schedules beginning Wednesday, in anticipation of the arrival of Hurrican Florence. The following trains have been cancelled […]
Illinois slows plan to expand Hiawatha service NEWSWIRE
A northbound Amtrak Hiawatha passes through the Glen of North Glenview, Ill., Metra station. Glenview’s opposition has led the state of Illinois to slow plans for expanded Hiawatha service. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — A plan to increase Amtrak Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago has been delayed because of local concerns about noise and […]
Atlas HO scale GP39-2 with ESU LokSound
Atlas Trainman HO scale GP39-2 with ESU LokSound New road names and factory-installed sound highlight the latest version of the Atlas Trainman Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP39-2. We first reviewed a direct-current (DC) version of the GP39-2 in the January 2010 issue. This latest release has a dual-mode ESU LokSound Select decoder that provides realistic sound […]
Analysis: No end in sight for Amtrak delays
The often-delayed Capitol Limited passes through Goshen, Ind., on Norfolk Southern on July 14, 2017. Bob Johnston CHICAGO — Host railroads and Amtrak have settled into an uncomfortable détente during the last year instead of making serious efforts to develop accurate, a Trains News Wire analysis reveals. “Amtrak slammed by delays,” on page 24 of […]
East Lansing to join list of unstaffed Amtrak stations in Michigan NEWSWIRE
LANSING, Mich. — East Lansing, Michigan’s fourth-busiest Amtrak station, will soon join the list of Amtrak ticket offices in the state to close. The stations in Niles, Jackson and Flint, Mich., became unstaffed earlier this year by attrition (the lone ticket agent at each station retired and was not replaced). In all cases, the Michigan […]
