OMAHA, Neb. — Railroad executives will meet with U.S. and Mexican customs officials next month to discuss how they can work together to keep vital rail border crossings open amid the surge in migrants crossing the Rio Grande. The railroad bridges linking Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, with Mexico were shut down for four […]
Locomotive prime movers are the engines inside all diesel-electric locomotives and are the heart of the entire locomotive. Prime movers provide enough power to pull both the locomotive and any freight cars attached to it, while also producing enough extra output to support the power needs of the various systems on the locomotive such as […]
Five Alco locomotives no one wanted: In the annals of locomotive history, there are a great many success stories. The GP7, the U25B, and the SD40-2 spring to mind for many railfans. But among these successes, there are of course failures, models forgotten to time. This article highlights five locomotives from the famed manufacturer Alco […]
SALT LAKE CITY – Southeast Farmers Coop has donated former Denver & Rio Grande Western SW1200 No. 133 to the Promontory Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, according to the Facebook post by Derrick Klarr, Promontory Chapter preservation officer. The South Dakota-based D&I railroad assisted in the donation. Rio Grande No. 133 was built in […]
SILVIS, Ill. — The stereotype of a worker or volunteer restoring a steam locomotive today is a group of grizzled mechanics of retirement age who recalled steam in their youth, and now want to get their favorite machines back on the road. But that stereotype is crashing down at the Silvis shop of Railroading Heritage […]
Imagine that you’re the head of the Federal Railroad Administration. A railroad proposes inspecting brakes with wayside detectors that find 10 times more defects than carmen can see during an inspection in a yard. It’s a significant improvement in safety. Rail labor’s on board, and your own safety experts back the proposal, too. You’d give […]
Wabash locomotives were distinctive in both steam and diesel eras. After depending on more than 150 2-8-2s for freights that succeeded typical smaller types, Wabash in 1930 received 50 handsome 4-8-2s and 4-8-4s (25 each) from Baldwin. Perhaps more remembered were seven 4-6-4 Hudsons, rebuilt at Decatur from unsuccessful three-cylinder Mikados in the […]
WASHINGTON —The Surface Transportation Board has called for Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the Port of Mobile, Ala., to provide “detailed information regarding the status of the implementation of the settlement agreement” agreed to in November 2022 to allow Amtrak service to begin between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. — and scheduled a February hearing […]
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Great Sandhills Railway SD38-2 No. 2022 rolled out of Metro East Industries’ paint shop on Jan. 17, wearing a bright green and yellow paint scheme that it and sister unit No. 2009 will share. The new image bears a striking resemblance to the Reading Co.’s final paint scheme of the […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – On Jan. 11, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new agreement with the Portland & Western Railroad. A tentative agreement was reached in December 2023. The five-year contract governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 55 operating employees. A Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary, Portland […]
KENOSHA, Wis. — The Kenosha City Council will consider a resolution on Wednesday in support of a long-discussed commuter rail line to Milwaukee, the Kenosha News reports. City councils in Racine, Milwaukee, and South Milwaukee have already approved resolutions supporting federal investment toward the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Regional Rail Corridor. The resolution to be considered by Kenosha […]
Last year’s merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, the two smallest Class I systems, has turned out to be the little spark that has ignited a lot of railroad competition. Skeptics have scoffed at Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s meandering route from the Midwest to the Mexican border at Laredo, Texas. It’s got more […]
