First of two parts WASHINGTON — While the U.S. Transportation Security Administration reported a record 2.7 million passengers processed at the nation’s airports on Friday, May 26, a lack of capacity means intercity passenger rail travel was not a Memorial Day weekend travel option for many Americans served by Amtrak long-distance trains. The problem is […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Locomotive contractor RELCO of Albia, Iowa, has completed repainting Minnesota Transportation Museum’s Great Northern Railway SDP40 No. 325 into GN’s simplified orange and green color scheme. The only remaining work is application of Great Northern logos on the cab sides. In February the museum announced a member had agreed to fund […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has reached a tentative labor agreement with its largest union after a month of negotiations, the two sides have announced. The three-year contract includes a compounded raise of 9.8%. The New York Daily News reports that the approximately 40,000 members of Transit Workers Union Local 100 would receive […]
WASHINGTON — Growth of carload traffic was insufficient to offset sagging intermodal volume as U.S. rail traffic continued to lag behind 2022 levels, according to the latest statistcis from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending May 27, 2023, overall traffic was 480,998 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.8% from the same week […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Bay Area commuter rail operator Caltrain launches its “Summer of Caltrain” today (June 1), a series of events running through Aug. 31 to engage with riders at stations throughout the system. Planned for today are Customer Appreciation Day events at the San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Hillsdale stations, including free Philz […]
Soo Line passenger trains were simple affairs serving wide swaths of the rural Upper Midwest. While passenger service was not a big part of Soo’s business, the road strived to maintain quality service, and with partner CP, offered Canadian connections. In 1889 MStP&SSM inaugurated the Minneapolis-Sault Ste. Marie Atlantic Limited, among the first […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has today published Notices of Proposed Rulemaking that would require certification of dispatchers and signal employees, under provisions of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008. The rule regarding dispatchers would require railroads to develop formal training programs, methods of verifying that dispatchers have the knowledge and skills to […]
The Lionel Legacy 2-6-0 “Mogul” type locomotive graced the company’s 2022 Vol. 2 catalog. It’s a welcome re-release as the previous 2016 models were struck with gearing issues. These caused many of them to run poorly at slow speeds. Many were returned to Lionel and never made it to the the second-hand market. This new […]
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Rail line seem to be popular landing strips for small aircraft in distress. Birmingham Fire & Rescue Service reports it responded to the crash landing of a small plane on the CSX Transportation tracks near the 3300 block of Vanderbilt Road at 9:58 p.m. on Tuesday night. A trainer pilot was training […]
BALFOUR, N.D. — Six cars of containers and one locomotive at the end of a CPKC freight train derailed near Balfour, N.D., on Tuesday evening, a railroad representative told KMOT-TV. No injuries were reported. Three of the cars were carrying some items classified as hazardous, including lithium batteries, airbags, and four small drums of methanol, […]
Rob Himoto’s Santa Maria Valley Railroad is the quintessential short line success story. His family bought the struggling 13.72-mile independent short line in 2006. Through hard work, they’ve been able to quadruple annual carloadings, diversify the railroad’s traffic base, and improve its track. Himoto is understandably proud of the turnaround and the role the railroad […]
ABILENE, Kan. — Fans who were looking forward to enjoying an extra season of steam-powered trips on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad will have to wait a little longer for those trips to begin. Trains powered by Santa Fe No. 3415, the railroad’s 104-year-old 4-6-2 locomotive, were to have begun operation Memorial Day weekend, […]
