The song and dance routine Working the North Pool was always one of my favorite pools to work. In this case a pool was a regulated number of assigned crews that rotated on what was known as a board. The first out crew was the next call and a crew that just tied up would […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Topeka heritage group seeks to save Santa Fe locomotive
TOPEKA, Kan. — A non-profit group seeks some $1 million to move and cosmetically restore a Santa Fe 4-6-4 long on display in Topeka but that has experienced significant neglect and deterioration since the 1990s, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. Hudson No. 3463, built by Baldwin in 1937, is the only surviving member of a class […]
Floridian debuts with delays; offers major coach travel discounts: Analysis
CHICAGO — On Sunday, Nov. 10, the first “official” Floridians departed from Chicago and Miami, ushering in some noteworthy — if not all positive — changes to Amtrak’s intercity rail network east of Chicago. After one day, it remains to be seen whether operational issues can be rectified to keep the reconstituted 1,944-mile service close […]
Cumberland Yard improvements will enable CSX to reroute traffic to the former B&O main line
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla.— CSX is wrapping up work at Cumberland Yard in Maryland that will enable the former Baltimore & Ohio main line to handle merchandise traffic moving between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest that’s currently routed the long way around via Selkirk, N.Y., on the former New York Central Water Level Route. CSX has been […]
‘Cameron Christmas Train’ to visit Ohio, Indiana, Michigan
ANGOLA, Ind. — A three-day holiday train operation in northeast Indiana, southeastern Michigan, and western Ohio has been announced for next Monday through Wednesday. The Cameron Christmas Train, sponsored by Cameron Hospital, will be operated by the Indiana Northeastern Railroad, Little River Railroad, and Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Nov. 18-20. “As the region’s healthcare […]
Soo Line No. 1003 attracts crowds for 2024 Santa Train
HARTFORD, Wis. — A bit too early to be kicking off the holiday season? That certainly wasn’t the case for Soo Line No. 1003, the Steam Locomotive Heritage Association, and Downtown Hartford. The 2-8-2 was in steam on Nov. 9, 2024, for the annual Santa Train to precede the city’s Christmas Parade. Mike Raia, president […]
National Capital Trolley Museum adds rare ‘Auto-Railer’
SILVER SPRING, Md. — The National Capital Trolley Museum has added an Evans Auto-Railer — a 1930s vehicle designed to operate on both roads and railways — to its collection. The vehicle operated on the Arlington & Fairfax Railway from 1936 to 1939, providing service between Rosslyn, Va., to Fairfax City and Fort Myer, near […]
Schneider to launch intermodal service over new CPKC-CSX shortcut
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Schneider will launch intermodal service next month linking the Southeast with Texas and Mexico via CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s new Meridian & Bigbee corridor. The first interline trains over the new route are scheduled to roll on Dec. 1, CSX officials have said. “This represents a major leap forward […]
News photos: Fallen ‘Star’
While Amtrak marked the launch on Sunday of its new but temporary Floridian service between Chicago and Florida, via Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., the debut of one train meant the end — at least for a similar undefined period — of another. Amtrak’s New York-Miami Silver Star made its final runs on Sunday, part of […]
RDC buys rail lines in Northern Germany
Railroad Development Corp.’s German subsidiary, RDC Deutschland, has bought two railway lines in northwestern Germany from the international freight business of French Railways (SNCF). Both lines, acquired in a transaction completed at the beginning of November, have regional passenger service, or will shortly. This makes them potentially attractive as an investment, as much of the […]
Metra introduces locomotive honoring veterans
CHICAGO — Metra has added to its fleet of specially painted locomotives with an F40PH-3 honoring veterans. The Chicago Sun-Times reports the unit, introduced last week at a luncheon to honor veterans who work at the commuter rail operator, will enter service on the Rock Island District, moving to the BNSF and Milwaukee District lines […]
BNSF logistics center in Arizona clears first regulatory hurdle
PHOENIX — Plans for a major BNSF intermodal and logistics facility near Phoenix have passed the first step in the permitting process. In a meeting last week, the Maricopa County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval for the BNSF Logistics Park Phoenix development, the Phoenix Business Journal reports. The county’s Board of Supervisors will vote […]