ROANOKE, Va. — The Virginia Museum of Transportation has announced the arrival of Norfolk & Western No. 611 at the Strasburg Rail Road will be delayed, and events involving the Class J scheduled for this weekend, May 21-23, have been cancelled. In preparations for the move, a malfunction was discovered with the locomotive’s stoker, preventing […]
Federal regulators deal blow to CN-KCS deal, raise concerns about merger (2nd update)
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators have dealt a blow to Canadian National’s proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern. The Surface Transportation Board today denied CN’s request to place KCS into a voting trust while the merger is under review. The board said CN’s application was incomplete, however, because CN has not yet filed its merger application. And […]
News photo: Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Fs debut
Aberdeen, Carolina & Western debuted its former Norfolk Southern executive F units on a special train Sunday. Units 271 and 274 are shown here leading train No. 900 at Seven Lakes, N.C. […]
Wabtec says next generation of battery-electric will achieve 30% fuel and emission savings
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec says the next step in its development of a battery-electric locomotive will be a locomotive with a battery capacity of more than 6 megawatt hours, which could reduce the fuel consumption and carbon emissions of a locomotive consist by up to 30%. Such a second-generation locomotive would be offered commercially and could […]
Digest: Evacuation continues near Sibley, Iowa, derailment
Evacuation continues after UP derailment in Iowa Iowa State Troopers said they planned to allow the fire to burn overnight after a Union Pacific train derailed and caught fire in Sibley, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon. KELO-TV reports an evacuation remains in effect in a 2½-mile radius of the derailment site, with those evacuated sheltering in […]
Nevada Northern makes final push for funding to refurbish 2-8-0
EAST ELY, Nev. — After spending almost $1 million to refurbish 2-8-0 No. 81, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum is issuing a call for a final $166,590 in donations and memberships to complete the 1917 Baldwin Consolidation by mid-summer. Railroad President Mark Bassett says the engine is 96% complete will be ready for regular service […]
British railfan charter sends off world’s fastest diesel locomotive
LONDON — After several months in which public railfan trips have been illegal in the UK due to restrictions imposed to control the spread of coronavirus, a trip on Thursday, May 13, celebrated the iconic British Rail-built High Speed Train. The charter from London’s St Pancras was to mark the end of regular use from […]
Digest: California governor calls for additional $11 billion in transportation spending
California governor seeks additional $11 billion for transportation projects California Gov. Gavin Newsom, aided by the presence of a projected budget surplus of more than $75 billion, is proposing to add $11 billion for transportation to the state budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The additional funds — which would bring the total transportation budget […]
Digest: Sound Transit places first of new light rail trainsets in service
Sound Transit places first of new Siemens LRVs in service Sound Transit has placed the first of its new Siemens light rail vehicles in service, part of an order that will more than triple the agency’s fleet. A total of 152 vehicles, from two orders totaling will be delivered from Siemens’ plant in Sacramento through […]
UP train derails, catches fire in Sibley, Iowa (2nd update)
SIBLEY, Iowa — For the second time in about 24 hours, a Union Pacific train derailment in the Midwest has created a hazmat situation. This time, the derailment has triggered a fire that is leading to an evacuation of part of Sibley, a town of about 2,800 just south of the Iowa-Minnesota border and about […]
Tank cars leaking acid at site of UP derailment in Minnesota
ALBERT LEA, Minn. — Some 28 cars of Union Pacific train MITDM derailed in Albert Lea at approximately 1:45 p.m. today. The southbound train was en route from Itasca Yard in Superior, Wis., to Des Moines, Iowa. The derailment occurred along Goose Lake in Albert Lea, just north of the small UP yard in town, with […]
Digest: House transportation committee asks for investigation of PSR
House committee asks General Accountability Office to investigate Precision Scheduled Railroading The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has asked the head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate the impact of Precision Scheduled Railroading on shippers, Amtrak and commuter railroads, employees and others. In a letter earlier this week from committee chairman Peter […]