WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s police department and Operation Lifesaver, the national rail safety education nonprofit, are joining law enforcement and other first responders across the U.S. today for “Operation Clear Track,” the single largest rail safety initiative in the U.S. This annual initiative takes place during Rail Safety Week, Sept. 18-24, in the U.S., Canada and […]
BERLIN — Electric vehicle maker Tesla has opened its railway line east of Berlin to passenger trains designed for use by workers at its new ‘Gigafactory’ east of the German capital. Trains started running on Sept. 4, and are free of charge and available to all passengers whether Tesla employees or not. The short rail […]
MONTREUX, Switzerland — Climb every mountain … That sometimes seems to be the motto for the Swiss people, and for its railway builders. There are 26 cog (or rack) railways in Switzerland, according to Wikipedia; given the source, view that number as something less than definitive, but it should at least be in the ballpark. […]
Note: This article corrects an earlier version that contained an error in the description of the SD70’s HTC-R trucks. See Comments for more information. Alaska Railroad’s SD70MACs make up the backbone of the railroad’s freight operations and they also power all the ARR’s long-distance passenger trains — wait, isn’t the SD70MAC a freight locomotive? Although […]
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern has established an interim fund that will backstop the value of homes sold in East Palestine, Ohio, and some surrounding communities, the railroad said yesterday. The Value Assurance Program will compensate home sellers for any difference between a home’s value and its selling price in the wake of the toxic Feb. […]
BNSF Railway and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division—International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) have reached a tentative agreement which includes paid sick days. Building upon existing BNSF paid time off and sickness benefits, BMWED members will receive individual paid days off to use as sick days and gain the ability to convert up […]
Canadian National AC44C6M No. 3309, which was rebuilt at the Wabtec plant in Fort Worth last year, now sports the railway’s steam era logo on its long hood. The unit was first spotted with the so-called “wafer” logo last week. The 3309 has been on the point of the CN business train since departing Markham, […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel commemorated two anniversaries on September 16: The first passenger train to arrive from Williams to the Grand Canyon’s south rim on Sept. 17, 1901; and the former Santa Fe branch line’s reopening as the Grand Canyon Railway, 88 years to the day in 1989. Steam locomotive No. […]
GOSHEN, Va. — Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 completed a successful ferry move on September 14 from its hometown of Roanoke, Va., to the Buckingham Branch Railroad. The J-class 4-8-4 is currently stationed at the new Victoria Station siding in Goshen. According to a post on the Norfolk & Western Class J No. […]
Washington’s Tunnel 5 Fire SKAMANIA COUNTY, Wash. — In a preliminary report initially obtained by the Columbia Insight, later acquired for Trains News Wire, the Wildland Fire Investigation of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources has determined a BNSF Railway freight train as the main cause of the Tunnel 5 Fire. As the name […]
If it works as intended, the Surface Transportation Board’s proposed reciprocal switching rule just might — emphasis on might — lead to better service for Class I railroad carload customers. Earlier this month the board unveiled the long-awaited rule, which for the first time proposes service standards for railroads. If a railroad fails to meet […]
News & Products for the week of September 18th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of September 18th […]
