Lane Cutoff

Streamlined passenger train split semaphore-type signals with overpass in distance

Lane Cutoff Brand-new in mid-1936, one of the two City of Denver trains poses on the Lane Cutoff west of Omaha, a favorite spot for Union Pacific publicity photos. The portholed cab and booster units rode on two trucks each, but were connected by a span bolster, not couplers. Union Pacific photo […]

Read More…

Amtrak’s New York tunnels withstand Ida’s deluge

Train in rain

NEW YORK — Despite more than 7 inches of rain that shut down New York’s subway system late Wednesday, the Amtrak tunnels connecting the Northeast Corridor to Manhattan survived tropical storm Ida without the debilitating damage that occurred as a result of 2012’s Superstorm Sandy. But other damage and power outages caused cancellation of all […]

Read More…

Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad: How to visit

Side view of small steam locomotive waiting on tracks

Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad: An introduction The Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad provides a family train-riding experience through scenic vistas. The tourist railroad is located on the western outskirts of Yosemite National Park, two miles south of Fish Camp, Calif. The facility at Fish Camp consists of a two-stall engine house, a museum, and […]

Read More…

Ask MR: How do I fix low-hanging trip pins?

A trip pin plier is used to bend the trip pin on an HO scale coupler

Q: I have a Bachmann stockcar whose couplers hang down so low that the pins catch on turnout closure rails, grade crossings, or crossing diamonds. How can I get them up to the right height? Will a coupler shim work, or do I need to do something else? – Joseph Kuepfer, Milverton, Ont. A: That depends […]

Read More…

Federal regulators seek comments on railroads’ local service

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today said it is seeking comments on whether railroads should be required to report performance metrics that measure their local service. Class I railroads are required to report weekly performance data to the STB, including average train speed and average terminal dwell. But those measures do not include how railroads […]

Read More…

One injured as CN trains collide in Ontario (updated)

Smashed locomotives and other wreckage

PRESCOTT, Ontario — One person is reported injured in a collision between two Canadian National trains Thursday morning, the Ontario Provincial Police report. The collision occurred about 10:30 a.m. near an overpass at Edward Street in Prescott, about 65 miles northeast of Kingston, Ont., and just across the St. Lawrence River from Ogdensburg, N.Y. CTV […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern reports flooding issues in Northeast

Norfolk Southern logo

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern is experiencing storm-related disruptions to freight service in the Northeast even as it and other railroads continue to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans. In a service alert, the railroad said several NS facilities and lines are experiencing flooding and in some cases are inaccessible because […]

Read More…

Analysis: Merger hopes dashed, CN now faces fierce backlash

JJ Ruest standing in front of trains

There is no joy in Mudville – er, Montreal – today because the mighty CN has struck out. Canadian National suffered a stinging defeat on Tuesday when U.S. federal regulators effectively killed its proposed merger with Kansas City Southern. CN won’t get to create the first railway connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. And it […]

Read More…

Remnants of Ida cause major rail disruptions (updated)

Rail signal rising above large area of water

Rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida is causing major havoc with travelers in the Northeast, with Amtrak service halted between Philadelphia and Boston, major disruptions to New York subways and commuter rail service, and NJ Transit cancelling almost all rail service. Amtrak has now cancelled all Northeast Corridor service between Washington and Boston for […]

Read More…

German rail operator seeks injunction to end strike

German_Trains_Lassen

FRANKFURT, Germany — National rail operator Deutsche Bahn is seeking an injunction to end the third strike in a month by German train drivers, saying the action is not within “the relevant legal framework.” TheLocal.de reports the Frankfurt am Main labor court will hold a hearing on the injunction Thursday beginning at 6 p.m. local […]

Read More…