In the steam era, perhaps no sight was as unconventional as an encounter with one of the Southern Pacific cab-forwards. These monstrous AC class 4-8-8-2 steam locomotives turned engine design almost literally on its head by flipping the position of the cab and the firebox to the front. As they would in the diesels that […]
It’s getting cooler in the northern latitudes, and for many of us, it will soon be time to put away the garden implements and head back to the basement. If you’re like me and you’ve been letting indoor projects pile up as outdoor opportunities entice you away, you might need to spend a little time […]
LUGANO, Switzerland — You know that feeling when you take friends for the first time to a favorite restaurant or some other place that’s really special to you — and they love it as much as you do? That was the feeling I had today after the first full day of the Trains/Special Interest Tours […]
NORTH PLATTE, Neb.— An incident Thursday on the west end of Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard caused the evacuation of nearby residents, the Associated Press reports. Everyone within a 1-mile radius was evacuated and U.S. Highway 30 (between North Platte and Hershey) was shut down. At approximately 12:10 p.m., an explosion of an intermodal container on […]
When I began writing this Mileposts blog seven years ago, I told myself to avoid saying much about my favorite steam locomotive, Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225, which I worked on in college at Michigan State. The 1225 led me to a career, and I wrote a book about it. But there are plenty […]
WASHINGTON – Railroads are trying to shift liability for the shipment of hazardous materials to chemical producers, a trade association says in a letter to federal regulators. The American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers, raised concerns about railroad liability and insurance requirements in a letter this week to the Surface Transportation Board. “Railroads leverage […]
Q: I’ve read the articles on how to patch out locomotives and rolling stock, but how often are these techniques used by cash-strapped short lines? It seems a lot easier (and cheaper) to slap a patch on a new locomotive and get to work than repaint a used locomotive. – Michael Schlobohm A: Prototype railroads, […]
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J.B. Hunt will acquire the brokerage operations of BNSF Logistics, which provides third-party logistics services for trucking operations, the companies announced today. A unit of BNSF Railway, BNSF Logistics handles logistics services for full truckload, flatbed, temp-controlled, drayage, expedited, and less-than- truckload movements to a large group of the railway’s customers. Not included in the […]
Atlanta Beltline ATLANTA — Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. is launching a study that proposes using 13.6 miles of a 22-mile rail transit corridor to circle downtown Atlanta. Known as the BeltLine loop, a mixture of biking and hiking trails along with a light-rail line will reuse sections of an inactive right-of-way. The study, a recent press […]
PHILADELPHIA — Fans of the Presidents’ Conference Committee trolley car, we direct your attention to Route 15 on the SEPTA system. This fall six refurbished PCC cars will return to the route occupied by buses since 2020, according to an AXIOS Philadelphia story. The PCC cars were to begin operating this week, however, SEPTA is […]
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern’s independent safety consultant has made 11 recommendations the railroad should follow in order to improve its safety culture. Atkins Nuclear Secured, in its first report since being hired in May to assess the railroad’s safety efforts in the wake of the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, says NS […]
