Colorado governor, in RTD meeting, says current date to build commuter line is “not legitimate” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, in a rare appearance at a meeting of Denver’s Regional Transportation District, continued his recent push for construction of a commuter rail line to Boulder and Longmont, Colo., saying the current projection of completion in 2042 […]
The U.S. Department of Labor has cited Trinity Rail Maintenance Services for violations of federal safety standards as a result of an August 2020 accident at its Hugo, Okla., facility that led to the deaths of two workers. Following an investigation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the company for 11 serious violations […]
A former Union Pacific GE C36-7 locomotive is being rebuilt in the small Eastern European country of Estonia to operate using liquefied natural gas, the first of a series of planned conversions. Freight company Operail began work on the first locomotive in early February, after plans to undertake the project last year were delayed by […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. rail traffic continues to run above 2020 levels, according to the latest information from the Association of American Railroads, although the rate of the increase has cooled somewhat. For the week ending Feb. 6, the overall traffic of 495,815 carloads and intermodal units was a 2.2% increase over the corresponding week in […]
Canadian Prime Minister announces plans for $14.9 billion in transit funding Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced plans to spend C$14.9 billion over the next eight years on public transportation projects, with part of that funding to create a permanent $3 billion per year transit fund. The CBC reports the plan could provide funding […]
The Charlotte Area Transit System has begun testing for its Phase 2 extension of the CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar line, slated to open later this year. Intermittent overnight testing was slated to begin Feb. 9 and will continue for several weeks, QCityMetro.com reports. The initial tests are to check electrical systems and platform clearances; they […]
A ubiquitous freight car that rode America’s rails from one World War to another, the 40-foot double-sheathed wood boxcar developed by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), is the latest HO scale offering from WalthersMainline. A war baby. The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was formed in 1917 to nationalize the nation’s railroads, which were […]
Sprecher Brewing Co., a Milwaukee fixture famous for craft beers and many flavors of fire-brewed sodas, is coming to HO and O scale model railroads nationwide thanks to another Wisconsin com- pany, Menards. The model. Menards’ structure is meant to resemble a generic brewery of the steam-to-diesel transition era. The era I listed in the […]
The Siemens SC-44 Charger is built in California. The first units are in Amtrak- supported state and regional service. Chargers have been pulling trains in California (CalTrans, North County Transit District, and San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission), Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin (IDOT), Maryland (MARC), and Washington state (WSDOT) since 2017. Amtrak has ordered 75 similar […]
Additional Tuesday morning rail news: Fundraising effort begins to save Union City, Ind., tower A fundraising effort has launched to save a former CSX interlocking tower in Union City, Ind., which is scheduled for demolition. The Winchester News Gazette reports the “Save the Rail Tower” effort seeks to raise $50,000 by March 25 for funds to […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway has received a patent for a virtual track block system that has the potential to significantly boost existing mainline capacity, raise average train speeds, and improve the detection of broken rails. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the patent application last month, and credits the invention to BNSF employees Mitchell […]
Tuesday morning rail news: North County Transit District debuts new Coaster locomotives, refurbished cars San Diego’s North County Transit District placed the first five of its new Siemens Charger locomotives into service Monday, along with several newly renovated passenger cars. The locomotives, which began testing in October [see “News Photo: New Coaster locomotives begin testing,” Trains News Wire, […]
