Was the Blue Streak Merchandise the last Great American Freight Train? “You define a passenger train by its cars, its menu, its route — even its patrons,” says railroad historian Fred W. Frailey in his 1991 book on the Blue Streak. “But the Blue Streak defined the railroads over which it runs — seized control of […]
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Railway Express has opened its new Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade maintenance facility, or LOU, at its Crossroads Yard in Fredericksburg. The 33,500-foot, two-track structure features a drop table for removing locomotive and railcar trucks and wheelsets; a wheel truing machine; and an overhead bridge crane with two lift points, one with […]
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has released its annual report to Congress for 2022, which outlines the board’s work during the calendar year, as well as providing an overview of its structure and mission. Board chair Jennifer Homendy, in her message accompanying the report, notes that the board issued 1,864 investigation reports during […]
PRINCETON, N.J. — The Princeton Dinky, the nation’s shortest scheduled commuter rail line, is set for a short hiatus. Midday operation of the Dinky, formally NJ Transit’s Princeton Branch, will see midday operation replaced by buses from Monday, July 10, to Friday, July 21, the website Planet Princeton reports. Buses will replace trains from 9:30 […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National says the 10-mph restriction it imposed on Adirondack operation between the Canadian border and Montreal during temperature extremes is a direct result of Amtrak’s unwillingness to pay for the level of track maintenance CN says is necessary to maintain passenger train speeds. That is according to a statement issued in response […]
WAYCROSS, Ga. – CSX Transportation’s third heritage locomotive is No. 1982 honoring the Seaboard System. CEO Joe Hinrichs posted photos of the locomotive today on LinkedIn, with the ES44AH posing outside the paint shop in Waycross, Ga. The Seaboard locomotive joins CSX’s Baltimore & Ohio and Chessie System heritage units. Each locomotive is numbered for […]
Family road trips usually involve self-inflicted detours to see park steam engines, “stuffed and mounted” for the sake of local posterity. They’re usually easy to find, thanks to J. David Conrad’s standard reference “Steam Locomotive Directory of North America, Vols. I and II,” which I’ve consulted for decades, or, in a pinch, Google. A […]
KANSAS CITY — You know the story: In November 1939 Electro-Motive FT No. 103 embarked on an 11-month, 83,764-mile demonstration tour on some of the toughest territory that American railroads could throw at the 5,400 horsepower, four-unit locomotive set. In test runs with freight and passenger trains, the experimental diesel-electric proved itself superior to even […]
MOORPARK, Calif. — Scheduled rail service through the site of Wednesday’s derailment of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight remains disrupted while an investigation and clean-up continues. The derailment occurred about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday when the train hit a water truck at private, unprotected grade crossing near Moorpark [see “Coast Starlight derails after hitting truck …,” Trains News […]
Pennsylvania is rich in railroading heritage. There are dozens of museums, tourist railroads and railroad sites in the Keystone State, many in close proximity to one another. From the famous to the hidden gems, here are Pennsylvania tourist railroads you must visit from the Trains Magazine Tourist Trains Guidebook! Pennsylvania Tourist Railroads and Museums Southcentral […]
LOS ANGELES — Metrolink could add two new stations within Los Angeles County based on work in progress by LA Metro, the county transit agency that helps fund the five-county commuter rail operator. The LA Daily News reports new stops are being considered near the Los Angeles County Medical Center in Boyle Heights and in […]
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. senators have reintroduced a bill they say is intended to address service issues and shipping costs for rail customers. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) on Wednesday introduced the Reliable Rail Service Act, which seeks to clarify the definition of railroads’ common carrier obligation and establish specific criteria for […]
