WASHINGTON — The union representing railroad conductors is calling for the Federal Railroad Administration to set standards for those involved in training of conductor trainees, while also issuing an advisory to its members regarding their duties and responsibilities regarding such training and trainees. The actions from the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and […]
ROANOKE, Va. — Strong sales have followed Tuesday’s release of tickets for the upcoming fall excursions with Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 on the Buckingham Branch Railroad. The Shenandoah Valley Limited will offer twice-daily, 60-mile round trips during October and November weekends between Goshen and Staunton, Va. Traffic was high on the website […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific is now dealing with flooding along Texas’ Gulf Coast as a result of Tropical Storm Harold, adding to the issues it continues to address in Southern California from Tropical Storm Hilary. In a Tuesday evening update to customers, UP said a 5-mile stretch of track was underwater in Corpus Christi, […]
The east tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel has been reopened for freight traffic and is available for almost 100 trains per day, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) reports. With that route now handling freight traffic that had been rerouted over the Gotthard Pass panorama route, improved passenger service over the panoramic route is planned as […]
STUART, Fla. — A new double-track bridge for the Florida East Coast Railway at Stuart would cost about $218 million and take four years to build, Brightline Vice President of Community Relations Ali Soule told Martin County officials on Tuesday. WPTV reports Soule appeared before Martin County Commissioners to ask them to pass a resolution […]
DE SOTO, Mo. — Amtrak will add a Texas Eagle stop in De Soto, the De Soto city council announced at its meeting on Monday. The Leader newspaper reports that the announcement comes after a five-year campaign to gain the station stop. Council members have previously agreed to provide the matching funds necessary for construction […]
NEW WESTMINSTER, British Columbia — The first set of next-generation railcars for the Vancouver-area SkyTrain system have begun testing in Ontario, transit agency TransLink has announced. The 205 Mark V cars — to comprise 41 five-car trainsets are being manufactured by Alstom and are undergoing testing in Kingston, Ont. The fully articulated trainsets, being built […]
Locomotive paint schemes Nobody plans to create a less-than-stellar locomotive paint scheme, but at times, anyone’s best efforts can produce something other than classic. It’s also a matter of taste. I happen to like the red, black, and white design of the McGinnis-era New Haven, but a friend of mine thinks it’s just garish. The […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reopened its Mojave Subdivision in Southern California today and continues to clean up the mess that tropical storm Hilary left on Sunday. The Mojave Sub, part of UP’s I-5 Corridor, suffered storm damage near Mojave as well as 10 miles north of Fontana. All tracks have been restored to service. […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shortline holding company Patriot Rail has acquired two New Hampshire tourist railroads, the Hobo Railroad and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad. The railroads operate a combined total of 54 miles of state-owned former Boston & Maine trackage. The Hobo Railroad is based in the White Mountains tourist town of Lincoln, while the Winnipesaukee […]
NEW IBERIA, La. — Two locomotives and 20 cars of a BNSF train derailed on Monday evening after the train struck a truck at a grade crossing near New Iberia. While KLFY-TV reported one crew member had been taken to a hospital after the 5 p.m. incident, BNSF said in a Tuesday statement that no […]
How to get the shot It has happened to all of us sooner or later. We plan a train day and head out, camera in hand, to enjoy our hobby … and get skunked. Here’s how to get the shot — even when you missed it. Maybe there was a maintenance window somewhere on the […]
