JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX’s 16th heritage locomotive honors the Georgia Railroad. The unit, No. 1834, was released yesterday at the railroad’s paint shop in Waycross, Ga. “Here is our 16th CSX Heritage Locomotive – the Georgia Railroad #1834. Founded in 1833, the company was originally the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company and the banking side […]
Section: News & Reviews
Railroads pledge to make additional safety improvements based on NTSB East Palestine findings
The 31 new safety recommendations that the National Transportation Safety Board made yesterday in response to Norfolk Southern’s hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, have prompted a flurry of responses from the rail industry, lawmakers, and union leaders. The Feb. 3, 2023, derailment was caused by the failure of a wheel bearing on a […]
Concrete tie maker to open plant in North Las Vegas
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A German manufacturer of concrete railroad ties will open a factory in North Las Vegas to help supply the Brightline West project, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. PCM Railone AG, which production facilities in 12 countries, specializes in track systems and concrete ties for projects that go 186 mph or […]
Hydrogen trainset arrives in San Bernardino, Calif.
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — More than 20 months after it was unveiled in Berlin and nine months after its U.S. debut, the first Stadler hydrogen-fuel-cell powered FLIRT H2 trainset has arrived in San Bernardino, where it will operate on Southern California’s Arrow commuter rail line. The first-of-its-kind trainset arrived on June 21, after leaving Pueblo, […]
BNSF continues clean-up following Monday derailment in Wyoming
CLEARMONT, Wyo. — BNSF Railway is estimating it will reopen its main line early Wednesday morning following a derailment of a grain train Monday evening near Clearmont. A notification to customers says the derailment was reported at 5:44 p.m. local time on Monday, June 24,; reopening is estimated for 4 a.m. MT on Wednesday. No […]
NTSB chair rips Norfolk Southern’s ‘unprecedented and reprehensible’ response to derailment probe
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy sharply criticized Norfolk Southern today for the way it responded to the board’s investigation of the Feb. 3, 2023, hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine. NS stonewalled board requests for information, ran its own probe on the side in violation of NTSB rules, and […]
In memoriam: Skip Natoli
In memoriam: Lionel enthusiast and historian Fred “Skip” Natoli died on June 17, 2024. We at Classic Toy Trains remember him with gratitude for sharing his O gauge layout with our readers and offering insights on how to model New York City during the post-World War II decades with elegance and wonder. A native of […]
NTSB issues 31 new recommendations in wake of East Palestine wreck
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Norfolk Southern and its contractors should not have decided to vent and burn derailed tank cars carrying vinyl chloride three days after the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment in East Palestine, the National Transportation Safety Board said today (Tuesday, June 25). The five tank cars were among the 38 cars of train […]
Montreal’s Exo begins placing new CRRC-built commuter cars in service
MONTREAL — Commuter operator Exo is set to begin operating 44 new bilevel railcars built by China’s CRRC on its Saint-Jérôme line today (Tuesday, June 25). At least one set of the cars, part of a C$204 million order, was reportedly in service as of last Friday, June 21. The original 24-car order was modified […]
Ten cars of CN train derail in remote Ontario location
JOGUES, Ontario — Ten cars of a Canadian National train derailed Monday, June 24, in northeastern Ontario, leading to a precautionary evacuation because of a diesel fuel leak from one of the cars. CTV News reports the incident occurred about 2:45 p.m. in Jogues. The community of 214 is about 5 miles southwest of Hearst, […]
CSX line reopens after Harpers Ferry bridge fire (updated)
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — CSX has reopened one track of its two-track main line at Harpers Ferry, W.Va., about 3:30 a.m. today (Tuesday, June 25) and expected the other to be reopened by midday following Monday’s fire on the bridge across the Potomac River. The Hagerstown Herald-Mail reports railroad spokesman Bryan Tucker wrote in an […]
Supreme Court to review decision blocking Uinta Basin project
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to review the appeals court ruling blocking construction of the Uinta Basin Railway, the Associated Press reports. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last year struck down Surface Transportation Board approval of the 88-mile rail project in a remote portion of eastern Utah. […]