DURANGO, Colo. – Last weekend’s coal-fired photographer’s snow-train special marked the end of an era as the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad moves to complete its conversion to recycled motor oil as a fuel for its fleet of a half-dozen active steam locomotives. The all-day excursion was powered by 2-8-2 No. 481 (Baldwin Locomotive […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — Mount Emily Lumber No. 1, a three-truck Shay locomotive, has arrived at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland, completing its move from its former home at the City of Prineville Railway. The locomotive, built by Lima in 1923, was donated by the lumber company to the Oregon Museum of Science and […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit will launch light rail service on the first portion of the East Link Extension, a 6.5-mile, eight-station segment in Bellevue and Redmond, Wash., on April 27, the agency announced Thursday. The first portion of the 2 Line — which eventually will span 14 miles and 10 stations, connecting with the original […]
ALBERTVILLE, Ala. — Progress Rail will build 54 EMD GT38AC freight locomotives for PT Kereta Indonesia, or PT KAI, for service in South Sumatra, Indonesia, adding to an existing fleet of 91 of the locomotives. “We are excited for this opportunity to once again work with PT KAI to deliver our GT series locomotives, which […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service will introduce a revised timetable on Saturday, Feb. 17, as it continues to deal with the effects of a line closure caused by a landslide in San Clemente. The revisions affect two northbound trains. Train 765, normally a 6:01 a.m. depart from San Diego to Goleta, Calif., […]
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom The view from the Library module of Abobe’s powerful digital image organization and editing software, Photoshop Lightroom. Recognizing the popularity of digital photography and the need to keep collections organized, Adobe released Photoshop Lightroom in early 2007. This software offers a user-friendly interface that lets you store, locate, sort, and edit your […]
Track inspection No. 1: Know thy thermal forces! For John Zuspan, principal at Track Guy Consultants, the most important takeaway for any student in his introductory track inspection course is that rail forces increase with temperature changes. So, knowing that the rail can move (compress or tense), even in moderate temperatures, means knowing that track […]
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Palmetto Railways will work with Innovative Rail Technologies to convert two of its diesel switchers to battery-electric power, the railroad announced this week. Palmetto, a division of the South Carolina Department of Commerce, received a $4.17 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant for the project in September [see […]
Track ballast Down below the trains, below the rails, the tie plates, and the ties, is a lowly yet vital component of railroading — track ballast. While ballast may not be at the top of anyone’s list of rail topics, it’s literally part of the foundation of railroads, and it can comprise more than 80% […]
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Transportation Committee of the Kentucky House heard testimony Tuesday on a bill requiring two-person crews for freight trains in the state, reviving legislation that has previously failed to advance. HB 33 is sponsored by seven legislators including Reps. Kevin Bratcher (R-Louisville), whose biography includes involvement with the Kentucky Railway Museum among […]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Less than two weeks after the Nebraska legislature killed a bill to require two-person train crews, a legislative committee has heard testimony on another rail regulation bill, this one including limits on train length. The unicameral legislature’s Transportation and Telecommunications Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on LB1212, introduced by Sen. Lynne Walz […]
SACRAMENTO — A California state senator is introducing a bill to address projects to prevent interruptions to passenger rail service on the LOSSAN Rail Corridor between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, such as the current slide near San Clemente, Calif., that has disrupted Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink commuter rail service. The San Diego […]
