FRA study sees issues with locomotive cab automation

Image of computer screen

WASHINGTON — A Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored study on the use of locomotive cab automation systems found human errors occurred in three of 10 sessions in a locomotive simulator, and recommends further training on the systems for engineers, conductors and dispatchers. The study, “Human Error Analyses Associated with Locomotive Cab Automation,” also calls for further study […]

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Electro-Motive Division’s NW5

Photo of HO scale locomotive model in black, white, and gold paint

Electro-Motive Division’s NW5 history Electro-Motive Division’s NW5: Steam was still king when Electro-Motive Division (EMD) produced the NW5 diesel locomotive. However, railroads were taking note of the economy of performance offered by the various yard diesels entering the marketplace. This led railroads to approach EMD about the possibility of constructing low-cost diesels that could be […]

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Menards Rocket Diner review

Menards Rocket Diner review

Menards Rocket Diner is a great place for your O scale folks to eat. After all, it doesn’t take much arm-twisting for a train enthusiast to stop and chow down at a railroad-themed or trackside restaurant. I’ve dined at two eateries in the Seattle area that used old passenger cars for service. In Cincinnati there […]

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Siemens optimistic about US passenger market

Two passenger trains, one white and blue, one white and yellow, on display tracks outside exhibition hall.

BERLIN — The prospects for a number of transformative passenger projects, as well as the potential for more rail electrification, have the CEO of Siemens Mobility in North America upbeat as he considers his company’s future. Marc Buncher heads a company that has grown rapidly in North America, with its Sacramento, Calif., manufacturing site employing […]

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Wabtec planning for transition from diesel

Flat gray box-like object

BERLIN — Wabtec has presented a range of new technology at the InnoTrans trade fair intended to enable rail operators to reduce fuel bills while offering shippers more efficient and predictable service. In a series of exclusive interviews with Trains News Wire, Wabtec executives outlined the likely transition from diesel to alternative fuel types for […]

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Restoration effort begins for last surviving U34CH

Black locomotive with gray stripe

BOONTON, N.J. — The United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey has begun restoration of the last surviving U34CH locomotive, a project it is undertaking in partnership with contractor and consulting firm FMW Solutions. The organization has begun the project with a $10,000 matching donation from the Tri-State Railway Historical Society. It will display the […]

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Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads

Blue-and-yellow cab unit locomotive next to a depot in a snowy scene.

Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads: A drive along twisting mountain byways through freshly fallen snow, ears straining for the slightest hint of the groan from the horn atop an ALCO RS-3, camera at the ready for the first sign of a brightly colored locomotive is how my trip […]

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Progress Rail to offer diesel-battery hybrid locomotives

Blue and gray end-cab locomotive with three-axle trucks

BERLIN — Progress rail will begin offering diesel-battery-electric hybrid locomotives, with the first two such units to be delivered this year to Rumo, a Brazilian railway and logistics company. The company announced the addition of the hybrid locomotive to its offerings on Tuesday at the InnoTrans rail trade fair. Rumo will begin testing two GT38H […]

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Innotrans trade fair opens in Berlin

Cab ends of red trainset and blue and white trainset on adjacent display tracks

BERLIN — The world’s biggest rail industry trade fair, InnoTrans, has returned after a four-year gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The show opened its doors in Berlin today (Tuesday, Sept. 20), with 2,834 exhibitors from 56 countries using the entire Messe Berlin exhibition grounds, which includes 26 buildings covering more than 1.7 million square feet, […]

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