New CTT products for September 2023 Locomotives and rolling stock An Electro-Motive Division SD70MAC road diesel locomotive has joined the Atlas O Premier Line. Paint schemes include BNSF Ry. (green and cream), CSX (dark blue and yellow), Lake State Ry. (blue and gray), Metra (blue, black, and orange), Paducah & Louisville (green and white), R.J. […]
Railroad ghost town When the evening breeze whispers, Rhyolite, a railroad ghost town in Nevada, almost seems to come alive. One can imagine people strolling the concrete sidewalks under electric streetlights while strains of music float from the air-conditioned opera house. Children and their parents are enjoying locally prepared ice cream, the telegraph office is […]
The City of Miami passenger train one of three coordinated services linking Chicago with Miami. There was a time — like, as recently as 1979 — there was direct rail passenger service between the Upper Midwest (notably Chicago) and Florida. This ended with several slashes of Amtrak routes as a result of budget […]
The Amtrak GE P30CH locomotive is the spiritual successor to the GE U30CG passenger locomotive of 1967. Amtrak acquired 25 of the P30CH model, Nos. 700-724, between August 1975 and January 1976. The model designation led to the units’ nickname: “pooch.” It was essentially a U30C freight locomotive with a cowl body and […]
LUDINGTON, Mich. — The historic Great Lakes car ferry, S.S. Badger will receive a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). The contribution will go towards an ongoing feasibility analysis to convert the coal-fired steamship into a zero-emission ferry vessel, according to the DOT press release on Sept. 21, 2023. “The […]
MERIDA, Yucatán — Described in the Yucatán Times as a new “Central Park” for Mexico’s Yucatecan capital, Mérida’s Gran Parque La Plancha [La Plancha Great Park] is a recreational development to the downtown’s former railyard of the Ferrocarriles Unidos de Yucatán [United Railways of Yucatán]. Amongst the new green areas, pathways, an artificial lake and […]
Canadian National will build a 29.2-mile branch to reach a massive, $7.5 billion potash mine that’s under construction about 85 miles east of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The BHP Jansen mine – billed as the world’s largest – is expected to begin production in 2026. The mine will have an annual production capacity of 4.35 million metric […]
OMAHA, Neb. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection will allow the Eagle Pass, Texas, railroad gateway to reopen at midnight tonight after a visit by a delegation of Union Pacific executives led by CEO Jim Vena. The bridge linking Eagle Pass with Ferromex at Piedras Negras, Mexico, has been closed since Wednesday due to the […]
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – A through east-west roadway paralleling the Norfolk Southern Fort Wayne Line track here will reopen on a limited basis Monday, Sept. 25. It was closed for 7 months during an environmental cleanup of the derailment and toxic-chemical spill that occurred Feb. 3. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that East […]
ELY, Nev. — A longstanding tradition for the Nevada Northern Railway Museum will be held again this fall. The 2023 Iron Horse Symposium is scheduled from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 as an immersive experience with steam locomotives Nos. 81 and 93 in operation alongside the museum’s other historic equipment, including vintage Alco and Baldwin […]
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The planned passenger rail service between Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley is receiving a boost in federal funding. In a July 28 press release, Congressman Ken Calvert announced that $5 million (of the $23.8 million secured for district transportation projects) — as part of the federal Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation/HUD Appropriations […]
The mood was one of celebration and accomplishment as the first Brightline train pulled into the new Orlando International Airport station on Friday. The arrival signaled the start of revenue service between Miami and Orlando, linking major population centers and attractions in the northern and southern portions of Florida. [see “Brightline Orlando to launch service […]
