More Friday rail news: Pacific Sun Railroad to discontinue operations; BNSF to take over BNSF Railway will take over operation of San Diego-area lines currently served by short line Pacific Sun Railroad, according to a petition filed with the Surface Transportation Board. Pacific Sun’s lease to operate the 21.3 Escondido Subdivision and 0.3 mile Miramar […]
Caboose donated to Conrail Historical Society
LITTLE FERRY, N.J. — The Conrail Historical Society has added to its collection with the donation by CSX of caboose No. 22130, which continued to wear its Conrail blue paint until its retirement earlier this year. The extended-vision cupola caboose was built in August 1970 by International Car Co. for the Reading Co., and transferred […]
Group asks STB for OK to build new rail line in Kentucky, Tennessee
WASHINGTON — A group representing development agencies in Kentucky and Tennessee has filed a request with the Surface Transportation Board that would allow it to build a new 12-mile rail line connecting two existing short lines to better serve a Kentucky river port. Ken Tenn Regional Rail Partners, a non-profit corporation created by the Fulton […]
Frame, running gear for SP locomotive arrive at Niles Canyon Railway
SUNOL, Calif. – The last major piece of a significant California steam locomotive has returned to the Golden State. On Wednesday, a truck delivered the frame and running gear for Southern Pacific 2-6-0 No. 1744 to the Pacific Locomotive Association. The 1901 Baldwin will be rebuilt for operation on the association’s Niles Canyon Railway. The […]
Digest: Two operators cancel holiday trains
Tourist railroad and preservation news for Thursday: Michigan’s Steam Railroading Institute cancels all 2020 excursions The Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Mich., has decided not to operate any excursions this year, meaning its annual Fall Colors Tours and North Pole Express trips are off for 2020. “The operation of excursion trains is identified among the […]
Digest: Investment groups make new offer to buy Kansas City Southern
Thursday morning rail news: Report: Investment groups make new bid to buy Kansas City Southern Two investment groups have made a new offer to buy Kansas City Southern after a previous bid was rebuffed, the Wall Street Journal reports in a paywalled article. Details of the bid by Blackstone Group Inc. and Global Infrastructure Partners […]
Digest: Business group forms to push for commuter service on Brightline route
More Thursday morning rail news: Miami-area groups form organization to push for commuter service on Brightline route Miami-area business groups have organized to push for a proposal that would see commuter operations on the southernmost part of Brightline’s route between West Palm Beach, Fla., and Miami. Bisnow.com reports organizations including the Wynwood Business Improvement District, […]
Digest: UP to close one hump at North Platte’s Bailey Yard
More Wednesday morning rail news: UP to close one hump at Bailey Yard Union Pacific will close one hump at Bailey Yard in North Platte, Neb., consolidating car sorting to the newer, westbound hump on the world’s largest railroad yard. The North Platte Telegraph reports the eastbound hump, which opened in 1968 and sorts cars […]
Five railroads respond to joint STB-FRA letter
Five Class I railroads have now responded to last month’s joint letter from the Surface Transportation Board and Federal Railroad Adminstration, mostly in general terms assuring the two agencies that they are prepared for an upsurge in traffic. The letter to CEOs at the seven Class I roads asked railroads to ensure they have sufficient […]
CN works to build ‘intermodal of the future’
MONTREAL — Canadian National is working to build what it’s calling “intermodal of the future” by experimenting with terminal improvements and fully integrating the operations and people from its recent trucking-company acquisitions. “We know that in order to compete down the road with the truck, that we have to not only be safer, more efficient […]
Quick action saves Central Pacific car that was at Promontory
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Quick and coordinated action by the president of the Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society, the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center, and the California State Railroad Museum has saved a former Central Pacific coach that was at the driving of the Golden Spike in Promontory Summit, Utah, in 1869. The car, Central […]
Amtrak tells employees it will furlough 1,950 workers
Amtrak will furlough approximately 1,950 of its unionized workers as part of cutbacks for fiscal 2021, according to a message sent to workers today and obtained by Trains News Wire. Additionally, approximately 100 managerial positions will be eliminated. The largest portion of those, 698 employees, will come from on-board staff represented by the Amtrak Service […]