Trial of Amtrak 188 engineer set to begin

ntsb188

PHILADELPHIA — The lengthy legal saga of the engineer in a fatal 2015 Amtrak accident will finally go before a jury asked to determine if the events of that day constitute a crime. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports a trial is slated to begin today (Tuesday, Feb. 22) in which Brandon Bostian, 38, is charged with […]

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RDC’s Vivarail to supply all-battery trains for London route

White passenger train of multiple-unit cars with yellow noise and black doors

LONDON — Vivarail, the British passenger train re-manufacturing company owned by the Pittsburgh-based Railroad Development Corp., has won a contract to provide battery trains for passenger service in the suburbs west of London. Vivarail has developed a range of passenger trains using electric, diesel, and battery power which are now in regional service in England […]

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Rare Fairbanks-Morse locomotives looking for new home

Black and white photo of train in mountains with three diesels

CALGARY, Alberta — The Locomotive & Railway Historical Society of Western Canada is seeking homes for three Fairbanks-Morse locomotives that will become homeless later this year. The locomotives are Canadian Pacific FM H16-44 No. 8554, part of Canadian Pacific’s former historical collection, and a pair of Canadian Pacific FM CPB16-4 B units built as CP […]

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An opportunity for the millennial railroader: Analysis

Intermodal train passes between two stopped trains

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Class I railroads are hiring train crews to replace the droves of workers who retired or left the railroad during the coronavirus pandemic. Class I railroads currently employ less than 115,000 workers, 12% fewer than before the pandemic, according to Class I railroad data compiled by the Surface Transportation Board. Despite an […]

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Roger Holmes, railroader, photographer, and historian, dies

Black and white photo of smiling, bearded man

Railroader, photographer, and rail historian Roger Holmes of Hudson, Ill., died Saturday, Feb. 19, after a six-week battle with COVID-19. He was 73. Holmes was a former Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway dispatcher, and had worked for the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad and the Chicago & North Western. He had recently worked with younger […]

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FRA calls meeting on South Florida grade-crossing, pedestrian safety

Brightline_Delray_Lassen

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will hold a meeting this week with South Florida rail operators, as well as government and law-enforcement officials, to discuss safety efforts in the wake of ongoing fatal accidents involving Brightline passenger service. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Brightline, Amtrak, CSX, and commuter agency Tri-Rail will be part of […]

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Three hurt as rail grinder collides with stopped CSX train

Firefighters and rail workers on maintenance machinery

SPENCER, Mass. — Three people were injured when a Loram rail grinder collided with a stopped CSX freight train early Sunday morning, requiring some of the injured to be freed by first responders. WCVB-TV reports a CSX statement indicated the accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. Spencer Fire and Emergency Services wrote on Facebook the three […]

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Norfolk Southern recalls some laid-off workers at Altoona shop

Norfolk Southern logo

ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has recalled 18 laid-off workers at its Juniata Locomotive Shop, the Altoona Mirror reports. Citing information from Bob Kutz, president of the Blair-Bedford Central Labor Council, the newspaper says the railroad has brought back eight machinists, four boilermakers, three electricians, two pipefitters, and a carman. The recalls mean approximately 318 […]

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