Hitachi Rail to build new factory near Hagerstown, Md.

Interior of structure with railcars

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Maryland — Hitachi Rail will build a new factory in Washington County to build the new 8000-series railcars for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the company has announced. The $70 million factory, near the Hopewell Valley Industrial Park adjacent to Hagerstown, Md., is projected to employ up to 460 people, and will […]

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Canadian Pacific shutdown begins in Canada (updated)

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CALGARY, Alberta — With each side blaming the other, a dispute between Canadian Pacific and the union representing 3,000 train crew members and yard workers has led to a halt of the railroad’s operations in Canada. Canada’s Minister of Labor, Seamus O’Regan, confirmed the stoppage had begun in a Twitter post at 12:01 a.m. EDT […]

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7 great Lionel locomotives and 4 duds

Lionel 408E locomotive.

7 great Lionel locomotives and 4 duds – this list recognizes what we consider to be the Lionel Corporation’s crowning achievements in locomotive manufacturing 1900-1969. Admittedly, it’s subjective, based on experience owning, operating, and repairing Lionel locomotives. We both value solid construction and reliable operation, so those were key factors in awarding our trophies. Our […]

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Adventures of a railroad station agent

Orange and red diesel locomotives

I’d been hired as second-shift railroad station agent at Channing, Mich., for the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad in June 1980. The railroad had taken over operation of the Milwaukee Road’s lines north of Green Bay, Wis., three months earlier. I was 23 years old and had no qualifications for the job, other than I […]

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44-ton locomotives in North America

Orange and light grey locomotive working a freight train.

44-ton locomotives in North America: There was a time in North American transportation where railroads were the king of moving goods and services, providing every industry whether it be 50 cars or one, a spot on their daily switch list. When steam was being dethroned by internal combustion, many railroads replaced them in-kind with similar […]

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Emery Trust awards $350,000 in rail preservation grants

Emery Rail Heritage Trust logo

The John Emery Rail Heritage Trust has will award 22 grants totaling $350,000, for rail preservation projects in 2022. The list of grants selected comes from 34 applications requesting more than $1 million. The trust, the largest in the U.S. that makes 100% of its awards solely for rail restoration projects, was founded by long-time […]

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Montreal light rail project faces delay

Map highlighting changes on Montreal light rail project

MONTREAL — The controversial REM de L’Est, planned as the second phase of Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain light rail project, faces an uncertain future after the pension fund behind the project said it will seek to delay environmental hearings. The CBC reports that CDPQ Infra, the infrastructure-project arm of Quebec pension fund manager Caisse de […]

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