Derailment blocks UP line in Texas (updated)

Wednesday afternoon rail news in brief: Severe weather leads to UP derailment in Texas (updated) Union Pacific has informed customers that its route between Fort Worth, Texas, and El Paso has been disrupted by a derailment near Colorado City, Texas, caused by “a severe-wind weather event.” It is warning that shipments through the area could […]

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Restoration work begins on CN 6060

Rail preservation and museum news in brief: Work begins on CN 6060 Work has begun to restore Canadian National No. 6060, the semi-streamlined 4-8-2 which had a heralded excursion career beginning in 1972 but has been inactive since 2011 and stored in Stetler, Alberta. The Rocky Mountain Rail Society is working to restore the locomotive, […]

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Las Vegas high speed project reaches agreement to build along I-15

virgin_trains

Tuesday afternoon rail news: Caltrans, high speed project reach agreement on use of state-owned right-of-way The California Department of Transportation and Xpress West, the Virgin Trains USA/Brightline subsidiary planning to build a high speed rail line between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nev., have reached agreement on a lease allowing the rail line to build […]

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Introductory course ‘signals’ there’s more to learn about PTC

PHILADELPHIA — Two days of an introductory course does not a signal and train control expert make. Then again, it’s not supposed to. When Trains attended a 2016 University of Wisconsin-Madison Engineering Professional Development course in Philadelphia on the topic, this editor-author had delusions of learning about the latest in positive train control tech. Instead, […]

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Senators seek more details on Amtrak service, job cuts

WASHINGTON — Sixteen U.S. Senators have pushed back against Amtrak’s plan to reduce 12 daily long-distance trains to triweekly departures and cut its workforce by 20%. In three separate letters to President and CEO William Flynn sent late last week, the lawmakers strongly hinted they were unwilling to grant the company’s request for an additional […]

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New England’s Pan Am Railways for sale

a train crossing a river on a bridge

BILLERICA, Mass. — New England regional Pan Am Railways is for sale. The privately held company, owned by 78-year-old Tim Mellon and other investors, has enlisted BMO Financial Group to assist with a potential sale transaction, according to multiple railroad industry sources. Pan Am officials did not respond to a request for comment. Industry observers […]

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New model trains for the week of July 2, 2020

Yellow, pink, and blue train cars

Check out the latest HO and N scale model railroad products from Accurail, Kato USA, Micro-Trains Line Co., and more! HO scale locomotives Alco RSD-5 diesel locomotive. New paint schemes: Chicago & North Western (yellow and green); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (pinstripe scheme); and Southern Pacific (“black widow” scheme). Two road numbers per scheme; […]

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