In every issue News p. 4 The Surface Transportation Board orders railroads to resubmit service plans Preservation p. 44 National Railroad Museum restores a unique hospital car Train-Watching p. 46 Hot spot: The small town of Fort Montgomery, N.Y. on the Hudson River has big-time train action […]
How to rerail a freight car on a short line
How to rerail a freight car: When things go bang that shouldn’t on the railroad, it usually means trouble and most likely a derailment. Derailments are a fact of life, and when one occurs on a main line of a Class I railroad, it usually results in many cars on the ground with extensive media […]
‘Cardinal’ conductor L.L. Claytor reflects on five decades of railroading
Second of two parts Two veteran Amtrak employees retired last year after lengthy tours of duty on the New York-Washington-Indianapolis Chicago Cardinal, and a regular on the train reached out to suggest their stories were worth telling. Previously, we spent time with sleeping-car attendant Janice Adams [see “Two ‘Cardinal’ veterans look back …,” Trains.com, Jan. […]
Metra to receive $500 million American Rescue Plan grant
WASHINGTON – Chicago’s Metra will receive a $513.6 million from the American Rescue Plan fund, announced U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The funds will help the commuter agency maintain service and keep workers on the payroll as it continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Public transportation has helped people reach their jobs […]
News photo: First revenue run for new Amtrak cars
JOLIET, Ill. — More than a year after making their first test runs, the Siemens Venture equipment built for state-supported Amtrak service in the Midwest made their first revenue trip Tuesday morning on Lincoln Service train No. 303 from Chicago to St. Louis. The equipment is scheduled to return this evening on train No. 306, […]
News photo: South Shore station falls in Michigan City
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — The landmark but long-closed South Shore Line station on 11th Street in downtown Michigan City has been torn down, a casualty of the ongoing project to double-track the line between Gary, Ind., and Michigan City. That project will also see the end of the current street running in Michigan City. The […]
Canadian government plans task force, infrastructure projects to address supply chain issues
OTTAWA — The Canadian government will create a Supply Chain Task Force to address issues that have developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and will make C$50 million available for projects to address congestion at ports following a national Supply Chain Summit held Monday. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and five other government ministers hosted the summit, […]
How West Virginia’s lone Amtrak station agent was reinstated
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some may take the physical presence of a station agent for granted, especially in a world that has learned to do more with less interaction. But the story of how West Virginia regained its only agent back helps underpin the importance of humanizing the passenger railroad experience. In April 2018, before the […]
Group forms to save Bakersfield, Calif., station
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A group has formed to try to save a 133-year-old former Southern Pacific railroad station in Bakersfield, and is asking the public’s help in convincing the city to extend a lease on the structure while it mounts its preservation efforts. The Bakersfield Californian reports the Save the Sumner Station Working Group […]
Norfolk Southern intermodal train derails in Virginia
BLUEFIELD, Va. — An estimated 30 cars of a Norfolk Southern intermodal train derailed Monday in Bluefield, leading to a response by hazmat teams. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports the derailment occurred Monday morning, and no injuries were reported. Railroad spokesman Connor Spielmaker told the newspaper that a small number of the cars were categorized […]
Toronto museum offers online talk on film ‘Iron Road’
TORONTO — The Toronto Railway Museum will host an online lecture “Trains in the Movies: Behind the Scenes of ‘Iron Road’” on Feb. 17. Producer Anne Tait will be the featured speaker for the event, set for 7-8:30 p.m. EST, on the movie Iron Road, described as “the building of the Canadian Pacific’s transcontinental route, […]
Class I railroad employee COVID-19 infections and quarantines hit pandemic high
WASHINGTON — The spike in COVID-19 infections and quarantines among Class I railroad employees has continued this month and hit a pandemic high in the week ending Jan. 22, according to the most recent data from the Federal Railroad Administration. Overall, 2,275 Class I employees contracted the virus, including 1,374 in the East and 901 […]
