Still more Thursday morning rail news: Age of Steam acquires Camelback 0-4-0 The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Sugar Creek, Ohio, has acquired a rare Camelback steam locomotive in a sealed-bid auction held Wednesday at the Strasburg Rail Road in Pennsylvania. Former Philadelphia & Reading 0-4-0 No. 1187 was built in 1903 to burn […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
New Ohio Valley short line, spun off from CSX, expects strong traffic growth
MARIETTA, Ohio — Short line Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad is off to a good start since the 48-mile route in the Ohio Valley was spun off from CSX Transportation in May. Traffic could double over the line’s historical averages in the next 12 to 18 months, says Casey Cathcart, founder and president of Ohio-based Cathcart […]
Digest: 50% capacity rule lifted for NJ Transit
Tuesday morning rail news in brief: New Jersey governor lifts 50% capacity limit for NJ Transit New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has lifted the 50% capacity limit on NJ Transit trains, light rail, and buses as of Wednesday evening. New Jersey Business magazine reports Murphy said the decision was “in anticipation of the fact that […]
Trains Presents: Assembling 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 in West Virginia
Crews from Hulcher and Diversified Rail Services worked to place Western Maryland Scenic 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 on its wheels on June 10, 2020. It was a major milestone in the restoration of the last Baldwin locomotive built for domestic service in 1949. This video shows the highlights. […]
Digest: Rail Runner awaits date to resume passenger service
More Monday morning rail news: New Mexico Rail Runner running five times a day — with no passengers While the New Mexico Rail Runner commuter train continues to run five times a day — to maintain crew proficiency and test positive train control — there are still no plans for allowing riders to return to […]
Digest: 51 new cars for Amtrak built or under construction
Monday morning rail news in brief: Equipment update reports 51 cars for Amtrak regional service built or under construction; first Charger due in early 2021 Fifty-one Siemens cars in the order for Amtrak state-supported service in California and the Midwest have either been completed or are under construction, according to the end-of-June report by the […]
Amtrak CEO: Appropriations proposal would preserve daily service, avoid job cuts
WASHINGTON — Amtrak President and CEO William Flynn has told members of Congress that proposed funding for fiscal 2021 “would enable us to avoid frequency reductions on our Long Distance routes, as well as minimize further impacts to our workforce.” In a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee […]
CN crew actions led to VIA train’s sideswipe accident, TSB says
Saturday morning rail news: TSB report cites CN crew error in sideswipe accident with VIA train The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has released its report on a September 2019 sideswipe collision between a VIA Rail Canada train and two tank cars in Ernestown, Ontario, finding that switching moves by a Canadian National crew caused […]
UP says it will end some support to Metra operations, would stop operating trains in 90 days if it wins suit
Thursday morning rail news in brief: UP says it will end some support of Metra in August, would quit running trains in 90 days if it wins suit Union Pacific says it will stop providing some support services for Metra at the end of August and would stop operating trains for the commuter railroad within […]
Appropriations bill would require Amtrak to maintain service to get funds
More Thursday morning rail news in brief: Appropriations bill would block Amtrak service reductions Amtrak and public transportation would receive at least $26 billion in emergency aid under the fiscal 2021 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill proposed by the House Appropriations Committee — but the money for Amtrak would be tied to a […]
Metra adds tool to track occupancy rate on trains
More Wednesday rail news in brief: Metra tests ridership dashboard Metra has joined the list of commuter railroads providing online ridership information to help passengers make decisions on finding less-crowded trains. The ridership dashboard, a test program, will classify trains according to four levels of occupancy: low (green), with an average of less than 50 […]
Inspector general: Amtrak needs to define role of its police
Tuesday morning rail news in brief: Inspector general: Amtrak needs to better define role of its police Amtrak needs to define the role and priorities of its police department before it can determine the optimum size of the force and determine if it is being used efficiently and effectively, according to an audit from the […]