A bad week for the California Zephyr

Passenger train with bilevel cars at station

CHICAGO — Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr has been cancelled this Sunday, Sept. 25 — continuing a week of disruptions for the service between Chicago and Emeryville, Calif. The sequence that led to Sunday’s cancellation began with the westbound departure of Monday, Sept. 19, which sustained delays totaling 16 hours, 35 minutes on its way to […]

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Amtrak sets goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045

Passenger train led by black locomotive with blue and white stripes

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its network by 2045, the company announced Thursday. “With new equipment, modernized stations, and net zero emissions, Amtrak can lead the drive toward sustainable transportation throughout the nation,” CEO Stephen Gardner said in a press release. The company said its efforts to […]

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Amtrak’s Maple Leaf overtakes a freight train

Passenger train approaches on track next to passing freight

Amtrak’s Maple Leaf catches a CSX intermodal train   With vehicle-train collisions near the top of the issues list following the Southwest Chief derailment at a Missouri roadway earlier in the summer, Trains News Wire scouted an appropriate photo location in western New York during a recent trip to capture an Amtrak train at a […]

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Parts of an Electro-Motive Division F40PH diesel locomotive

Photo of front of HO scale cowl-bodied diesel on white background

Parts of an Electro-Motive Division F40PH diesel locomotive The Electro-Motive Division (EMD) F40PH diesel locomotive was the backbone of Amtrak’s fleet for many years. The four-axle unit earned its keep on several commuter lines, too. GO Transit (Toronto), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (Boston), Metra (Chicago), and NJ Transit were just some of the places the […]

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Pacific Car & Foundry B-100-40 boxcar from Rapido Trains

Models of four boxcars with white background

Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $36.95; three-pack, $110.85; and six-pack, $221.70 Era: 1976 to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features Separate, factory-applied uncoupling levers, door latch mechanism, and end ladders Detailed Hydra-Cushion underframe Underbody brake rigging Road-number specific […]

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Amtrak long-distance trains set to resume

Passenger train on curve

All Amtrak long-distance trains will apparently resume operations today (Friday, Sept. 16), although the most recent message on the passenger carrier’s website, posted Thursday evening, continues to say only that the company recommends passengers “check their ticket and confirm their train status on Amtrak.com or the Amtrak app.” The passenger operator had cancelled all long-distance […]

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