BNSF found liable in Montana asbestos deaths

BNSF Railway logo

HELENA, Mont. — A federal jury found earlier this week that BNSF Railway contributed to the death of two people who were exposed to asbestos when mining material was shipped through the town of Libby, Mont., and awarded $4 million each in compensatory damages to the estate of the two plaintiffs, who died in 2020 […]

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Colorado bill to help fund passenger rail projects advances in House

Passenger train with locomotives at each end

DENVER — A Colorado legislative committee has advanced a bill to help fund passenger rail and transportation projects. By an 8-3 vote, the state House Transportation, Housing & Local Government committee passed SB24-184, which will assess a fee on rental cars to help pay for the development of projects including the Front Range (Fort Collins-Pueblo) […]

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Joint Line

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Eight Santa Fe and Burlington Northern engines power a Santa Fe freight on the Rio Grande-owned northbound Joint Line track at Castle Rock, Colo., in 1973. Mel Patrick photo […]

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Colorado rail regulation bill advances

Orange locomotive and coal train

DENVER — Colorado legislation limiting train lengths and requiring wayside detectors, among other provisions, has passed the state’s House of Representatives and been introduced in the Senate. HB24-1030 is sponsored in the House by state Rep. Javier Mabrey (D-Denver) and in the Senate by Sens. Lisa Cutter (D-Lakewood) and Tony Exum (D-Colorado Springs.). As passed […]

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Durango & Silverton | Coal-fired steam finale

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has faced numerous challenges in the last few years, the results of which have attributed to the end of using coal to fire their steam locomotive fleet.  Following a major fire near the railroad, the D&S fast-tracked a program to convert their steam engines to burn oil.  A […]

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T-TRAK Project Part 7: Gravel, ground foam, and static grass

Small model train set up with gray and black track, green grass and trees, dark gray roads, miniature vehicles, and two buildings of different sizes.

Modelers David Popp, Brian Schmidt, and Bryson Sleppy continue the scenery process on their T-TRAK modules by adding gravel, ground foam, and static grass in an attempt to make them look more like the prairies of Colorado. T-TRAK is a modular N scale railroading system that uses foot-wide boxes plugged together to build tabletop layouts. […]

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25 railroad places to visit out West

Cajon Pass, California

Railroad places to visit 1. GOAT LICK TRESTLE: Fast-paced action of BNSF’s northern transcon and the beauty of Glacier National Park, plus live GN goats. 2. CAJON PASS: Busy mainline mountain crossing for both BNSF and Union Pacific leaving LA. 3. TEHACHAPI: Mind-boggling over-and-under loop in Southern California sees more than 40 trains a day. […]

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News photos: Final coal-fired train at Durango & Silverton

DURANGO, Colo. — The final chapter of the long history of coal-powered trains on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad came Saturday, March 23, with a round-trip excursion between Durango and Cascade, Colo., handled by a Baldwin Class K-36 2-8-2 No. 481. The locomotive will now be converted to oil firing, completing conversion of […]

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Stadler hydrogen trainset sets distance record

Blue and white two-car passenger trainset on display track

PUEBLO, Colo. — Stadler Rail’s hydrogen powered multiple-unit passenger trainset has set a record by traveling more than 1,700 miles without refueling or recharging. The FLIRT H2 trainset, destined for use on the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s Arrow service, covered 1,741.7 miles on the test loop at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo. The […]

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