Amtrak employee sues over ‘Empire Builder’ accident

Three men in hard hats and safety vests in front of derailed passenger train

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — An Amtrak on-board service attendant injured in September’s derailment of the Empire Builder has become the latest to file suit over the accident. The Billings Gazette reports Tarrick Peyton filed suit in U.S. District Court in Great Falls against Amtrak and BNSF Railway for negligence in the Sept. 25 accident that killed […]

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News Photos: Toaster, California style

Front view of electric locomotive in red, black, and white paint

Days after Amtrak wrapped one of its ACS64 locomotives in the paint scheme once worn by its AEM7s, Bay Area commuter operator Caltrain has unveiled a repainted AEM7  in a variant of the red, black, and white scheme worn by its MP36 diesels. The ex-Amtrak unit will be used to test the Caltrain catenary system, […]

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Preservation effort mounted for New York’s Penn Station

Illustration showing station concourse under large glass ceiling

NEW YORK — The destruction of New York’s Penn Station — built in 1910, demolished in 1963 — is often cited as a seminal moment in the movement to preserve historic buildings. Now, the processes to protect historic structures may be used to prevent redevelopment of the current Penn Station, the crowded, confusing, and largely […]

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DC Metrorail gets okay to return 7000-series cars to service

DC Metrorail train

WASHINGTON — The independent agency that oversees DC Metrorail safety issues has given its approval to a plan to gradually return Metro’s 7000-series railcars to service, ending an equipment shortage that has led to a significant reduction in Metrorail operations. The Washington Post reports the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission said it had no technical objections […]

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Large scale engine house project

Model engine house in 1:24 scale

A large scale engine house project is just one example of how buildings complete a scene. It little matters if the large scale railroad is an indoor table presentation or an outdoor garden expanse. I built a two-bay roundhouse with the added feature it can be partially disassembled for storage and transport. It’s a hybrid […]

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Amtrak shifts vaccination policy, will avoid service reductions

Passenger train passes station

WASHINGTON — Amtrak will revert to its original COVID-19 vaccination policy, which allows testing as an alternative to vaccination, in light of a court ruling halting a federal executive order blocking enforcement of a vaccination mandate. As a result, the passenger railroad does not anticipate that it will need to make any service reductions in […]

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Kansas City Southern enters voting trust

Logos for Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern’s sale to Canadian Pacific has officially been completed, allowing the KCS shares to be placed into a voting trust while the deal is reviewed by federal regulators. The $31 billion deal sees KCS stockholders receive 2.884 shares of CP common stock and $90 in case for each share […]

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Canadian National, Google Cloud announce seven-year partnership

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National has announced a seven-year deal with Google Cloud to modernize the railroad’s technology infrastructure and improve customers’ ability to ship and track cargo moves. CN says the move will use Google Cloud’s expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to provide customers and supply-chain partners with planning, shipping, tracking, […]

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