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WASHINGTON — Overall U.S. rail traffic for July was up 3.8% over July 2020, according to statistics released by the Association of American Railroads. The numbers include 904,670 carloads, an increase of 55,969, or 6.6%, over July 2020, and 1,066,169 containers and trailers, an increase of 15,450 units, or 1.5%. While the figures showed an […]
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Union Pacific has posted photos to its social media accounts, including Facebook, showing its work to dig out from mudslides last week that closed its route through Colorado’s Glenwood Canyon. Clearing of debris and rebuilding track was completed early this morning, with the first freight train passing through the slide area […]
OAKLAND, Calif. — Amtrak says it is “actively working” with Union Pacific on a plan to restore service on the full Coast Starlight route between Los Angeles and Seattle, but does not yet have a date when that will occur. Service has been disrupted since UP’s 1,200-foot Dry Canyon Bridge was damaged June 28 by […]
GRANBY, Colo. — An iconic geared steam locomotive is relocating within Colorado. Former West Side Lumber Co. Shay No. 8 has been sold by the Royal Gorge Route Railroad in Cañon City to the Moffat Road Railroad Museum in Granby and will be moved this month. No. 8 has been on display at the Cañon […]
PARIS — Global technology firm Thales is on the verge of selling its rail signal business to Hitachi for about $2 billion, Reuters reports. The French firm, which provides electronic systems for aerospace, defense, and digital security applications, plays a significant role in European railways, with its European Train Control System used in 42 countries. […]
Canadian National and Canadian Pacific have both announced records for Canadian grain movement in the just completed 2020-21 crop year, with CN setting a second consecutive record and CP reaching a new mark for the fourth consecutive year. CN says it moved more than 31 million metric tons of grain, bettering last year’s mark of […]
Before you head out to watch the world’s largest steam locomotive in August 2021, here are Big Boy etiquette tips you should know. Big Boy on the move Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 will set out eastward from its homebase in Cheyenne, Wyo., bound for New Orleans. This is the first time for the locomotive […]
Union Pacific Big Boy basics Q: Why is a diesel with Big Boy 4014? A: The diesel serves many purposes. Its dynamic braking saves brake shoes. Its power provides a boost that saves on No. 4014 fuel stops. It’s a much-preferred power source in tunnels. And if Big Boy were disabled on the main line, the […]
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A Bellingham woman has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge and violence against a railroad carrier as a result of a November 2020 incident involving BNSF Railway in the Bellingham area. The Associated Press reports Samantha Frances Brooks, 27, entered a guilty plea in July and a federal judge accepted the plea last […]
HUNTINGTON, Mo. — An estimated 33 cars of a Norfolk Southern train, many of them carrying new automobiles, derailed Monday afternoon in northern Ralls County, Mo. No injuries or hazardous material spills were reported. KHQA-TV reports the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other first responders were notified of the derailment about 12:15 p.m. The accident […]
WASHINGTON — National Transportation Safety Board investigators have determined that one Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority light rail train was traveling at 30 mph when it struck another train Friday in an accident that injured 25 people. In a press release, the NTSB said it had obtained information from the event recorder on the train that […]
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak P42 No. 108 displays a 50th anniversary version of the interim “Phase VI” paint scheme as it leads the westbound Lake Shore Limited on Friday, July 30. The design is similar to one introduced on the first of the new Siemens ALC42 Charger locomotives [see “Amtrak shows off first long-distance Siemens […]
