WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Wednesday ordered federal agencies to continue their response to the Feb. 3 toxic derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, and to ensure that the railroad covers all cleanup costs. “As part of his commitment to the people of East Palestine, President Biden is today issuing […]
A unique tender for a Lionel No. 1587 Girl’s Train I couldn’t have imagined the excitement that year would bring to me as a collector and a new father. Chasing after postwar Lionel trains for about four years, I had amassed a decent collection. [Anthony’s superb collection was profiled in the special Kalmbach publication, All-Star […]
My greatest find occurred in 1957, when I was 13 years old. Before I tell you about it, let me share some memories of my growing up in northeast Philadelphia. Second-hand trains My family wasn’t wealthy, so my trains were mostly what I scrounged up using my allowance. One example was my Lionel GG1 (a […]
WASHINGTON — President and Secretary-Treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, issued a statement to recognize Rail Safety Week 2023. Spearheaded by Operation Lifesaver, Inc., and collaborated with many organizations and institutions throughout North America, the Sept. 18-24 campaign raises the awareness to the public surrounding railroad safety [See […]
SAN FRANCISCO – Caltrain has completed the installation of all the poles necessary to support its overhead catenary between San Francisco and San Jose. It also upgraded the signal system, and successfully tested electric trains at maximum track speed of 79 mph. The commuter railroad said the three major milestones bring the Caltrain Electrification Project closer […]
BOSTON, Mass. — MBTA and Keolis Commuter Services have completed repairs to tracks in Leominster and have restored commuter rail service to the city. Tracks were damaged when severe flash flooding Sept. 11 overwhelmed the city’s drainage system and washed away the ground under both tracks near Leominster Station. Alternative bus service has been in […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern announced a new partnership with RapidSOS to enhance critical information gathering in the event of a rail-related emergency on the Class I railroad. In a Sept. 20, 2023 news release, RapidSOS is described as the world’s first intelligent safety platform that can “securely link over 500 million devices, apps, and sensors […]
I thought about calling this column “What on earth were they thinking,” but that wouldn’t have made a good title because someone looking at the table of contents would have had no idea what the article was about. The “they” in my unused title was Atlas, which had the N scale whale-belly tank car shown […]
GARIBALDI, Ore. — The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad has been plagued by thefts of ties and tampering this month. Vandals broke into a historic diesel and fired off a fire extinguisher inside while also opening and tampering with the electrical cabinets. The railroad also reported a large number of ties being stolen from work sites […]
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency has shut down the Eagle Pass, Texas, border crossing – the second-busiest rail gateway to Mexico – due to the worsening migrant crisis. Union Pacific and BNSF Railway interchange with Ferromex at the Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras gateway, where about 16 trains per day cross the Rio Grande, according […]
ATLANTA — As of Sept. 16, Norfolk Southern has confirmed two recent promotions in its current ranks. According to NS’ media relations department, Floyd Hudson has been appointed to a newly created position. His title: Vice president of field engagement. In this leadership role, Hudson will primarily be engaging with front-line railroaders for ideas on […]
WASHINGTON — In 1972 the annual average number of U.S. grade crossing collisions had risen to 12,000. Concerned about this tragic situation, the Idaho governor’s office, Idaho Peace Officers, and the Union Pacific Railroad launched a 6-week public awareness educational campaign called Operation Lifesaver to promote highway-railroad grade crossing safety. Idaho’s crossing-related fatalities decreased that […]
