PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s public transit has a new name. The Port Authority of Allegheny County has rebranded itself as Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the agency announced in a Thursday press conference at its Gateway light rail station in downtown Pittsburgh. Along with the new name comes a new logo: the letters PRT in yellow circles. The […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak is seeking more than $200 million in federal funding, along with money from state and local sources, in an attempt to fix a series of long-standing deficiencies, capacity limitations, and how trains from the south and east enter Chicago. The passenger operator is competing for a portion of $5 billion available between […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration could soon rule on a petition that would allow a pair of freight railroads to use wayside wheel temperature detectors for inspections currently performed by workers. But a union representing railroad employees says granting such a request would be dangerous. Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific jointly petitioned the FRA […]
TEMPE, Ariz. — A broken rail is the probable cause of a derailment of a Union Pacific train on a Tempe bridge in July 2020, which led to a fire, collapse of part of the bridge, and a release of hazardous material, according to a report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The […]
HAMILTON, Ontario — Workers at a railcar manufacturing plant in Hamilton staged a protest on Thursday, seeking a police investigation after the third workplace death at the factory in 21 months. The CBC reports members of United Steelworkers Local 7135 led the rally outside the National Steel Car plant in response to Monday’s death of […]
PITTSBURGH — Railroad Development Corp. has appointed Dr. Juan de Dios Oleachea as managing director, international business development. He will lead business-development activities in selected markets, with Latin America and mining-related opportunities worldwide as initial targets. Oleachea is a founding shareholder of Peru’s Ferrocarril Central Andino, where he has served as chairman since its formation […]
40-foot Pfaudler milk car Scale: HO (1:87) Price: $36.99 Era: 1920s to 1950s Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Features: Screw-mounted express-type trucks Machined metal RP-25 contour wheels Body-mounted McHenry couplers Injection-molded plastic body Minimum radius: 18” Available July 2023 Road names: Chicago & North Western, Alderney Dairy Co., Merkle Dairy […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has received an $8 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to expand the apprenticeship program it launched earlier this year. The funds are among the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants announced earlier this month [see “FRA announces CRISI grants …,” Trains News Wire, June 2, 2022]. They will support […]
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe class GA-152 coal gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $29.99 plus shipping Era: 1966 to mid-1990s Manufacturer: Concept Models, P.O. Box 137, Cassel, CA 96016, con-sys.com Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe class GA-152 coal gondola features: Resin castings 3-D printed parts Assembly hardware Decals for Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 74900-series […]
DEL MAR, Calif. — The California Coastal Commission has approved the San Diego Association of Governments’ stabilization plans for the Del Mar Bluffs, despite objections to parts of the project from the North County Transit District as well as residents. The San Diego Union reports that at a Wednesday, June 8, meeting, the commission unanimously […]
40-foot pulpwood car Scale: HO (1:87) Price: $24.99 Era: 1957+ to 1990s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com 40-foot pulpwood car features: Separate, factory-applied brake wheel 33” machined metal RP-25 contour wheels 50-ton solid-bearing or 70-ton roller-bearing trucks Body-mounted McHenry couplers Injection-molded plastic body Minimum radius: […]
Overall on-time performance for the big four U.S. Class I railroads has fallen from a pre-pandemic average of 85% to just 67% in the last week of May 2022, as crew shortages continue to plague rail service. The extent of the service decline was revealed in historic on-time performance data that BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, […]
