Two more new trainsets to support Brightline’s expansion of service to Orlando, Fla., are on their way to the passenger operator. The Bright Pink 2 and Bright Green 2 trainsets, which departed Siemens’ Sacramento factory on July 8, were photographed Saturday, July 16, on CSX Transportation’s Henderson Subdivision (Evansville, Ind.-Nashville, Tenn.). Brightline had said it […]
NEW YORK — The subway car termed “The Last Redbird” has been auctioned off for almost a quarter-million dollars by the City of New York. The car had been displayed outside Queens Borough Hall in Queens, N.Y., since it was acquired by then-Borough President Helen Marshall in 2005, and was employed as a welcoming center. […]
OAKLAND, Calif. — Three people were injured after an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train hit on-track maintenance equipment late Friday morning, disrupting rail service for several hours. The San Jose Mercury News reports a front-load tractor owned by Union Pacific was working on the middle of three tracks when it was struck by San Jose-bound train […]
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia Railway Express will eliminate fares for passengers in September, and for parts of its system in October, to offset closures of parts of the DC Metrorail rapid transit system. The VRE Operations Board approved the plan during a Friday meeting. It will make the entire system fare-free in September; in October, […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The owner of the dump truck involved in June’s derailment of the Southwest Chief has a federal judge to halt a lawsuit by Amtrak and BNSF Railway, saying the federal investigation of the accident prevents it from responding to allegations. KMBC-TV reports MS Contracting says federal law prevents the company from […]
PALERMO, N.D. — The second of two main lines on BNSF’s Glasgow Subdivision was slated to be reopened about 3 p.m. Sunday after a July 14 derailment involving an intermodal train at Tagus, N.D., near the town of Palermo and about 48 miles west of Minot. BNSF said in a customer advisory that the first […]
MINNEAPOLIS — A dispute over funding continues for the Twin Cities-area Northstar commuter rail service, which continues to operate on a significantly reduced schedule introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports Anoka County — one of the entities which funds the 40-mile line between Minneapolis and Big Lake — says its $1.95 million […]
TRENTON, N.J. — Three of NJ Transit’s busiest stations will receive more than $600 million for renovations and upgrades as part of $814 million in capital funding added to the New Jersey budget for fiscal 2023. NJ.com reports that the budget includes $250 million for replacement and expansion of the Walter Rand Transportation Center in […]
WASHINGTON — Preventing a national rail strike that could have begun Monday, July 18, President Joe Biden has established a Presidential Emergency Board to investigate the ongoing dispute between railroads and workers. Biden will name the members of the three-person board, whose members can not have any financial or other interest in either a rail […]
Electro-Motive Division GP40-2 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with factory-installed speaker and 21-pin plug, $169.99 Era: Early 1990s+ to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Electro-Motive Division GP40-2 diesel locomotive features: 21-pin plug for Digital Command Control decoder (sold separately) 2,600- or 3,600-gallon fuel tank […]
Spring Mills Depot DODX flatcars Editor Eric White takes a look at Spring Mills Depot’s long-awaited heavy-duty military flatcars. These cars were built in the 1980s to carry the Army’s then-new M1 Abrams main battle tanks. […]
LONDON — Britain is bracing for additional rounds of rail strikes after unions announced planned strike dates later this month and in August. The Guardian reports the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) has called strikes for August 18 and 20; those strikes will involve about 40,000 RMT members at infrastructure company […]
