Monday preservation and tourist railroad news: Boca Raton rail museum, former FEC station, is sold The Boca Raton Historical Society has sold the former Florida East Coast Railway train station that houses its Boca Express Train Museum for $2.1 million, Law.com reports. Mizner Arts LLC is listed as the buyer. The station was built in […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway today named Kathryn Farmer as its next chief executive, effective Jan. 1. Farmer, who has been BNSF’s executive vice president operations since 2018, will become the first woman to lead a Class I railroad. She will replace Carl R. Ice, who will retire at the end of 2020 after […]
Friday morning rail news: Judge rules construction group can quit Purple Line light rail project The consortium overseeing construction of Maryland’s Purple Line light rail project will be allowed to quit in mid-project over disputes with the state over cost overruns, a state judge ruled on Thursday. The Washington Post reports Judge Jeffrey M. Geller […]
A 1902 Climax Manufacturing Co. narrow gauge geared steam locomotive that has spent the last 118 years in Alaska is on its way back to the town where it was built — Corry, Pa. Disassembled and loaded in a container, the 3-foot gauge engine was shipped 1,400 miles from Whittier, Alaska, to the U.S. Lower […]
Friday morning tourist railroad and preservation news: North Carolina Transportation Museum to host weekend of 611 events The North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C., will host two special tours and a nighttime photo session featuring Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 Sept. 18-20. The Fired Up Behind The Scenes Tour, on Sept. 18, […]
Local officials have begun announcing the award of U.S. Department of Transportation Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD grants). Rail-related projects announced so far include: — $24.9 million to Lexington, N.C., to build a new train and bus station. The Lexington Dispatch reports the Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development grant also provides money […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National’s traffic is accelerating back to normal levels, driven by strong growth in intermodal, grain, lumber, and frac sand traffic. “We are clearly seeing a recovery happening,” Chief Financial Officer Ghislain Houle told an investor conference on Thursday. Last week the railway’s domestic intermodal volume was up 30%, international intermodal gained 19%, […]
ORBISONIA, Pa. — The revitalized East Broad Top Railroad has announced several fall events, offering visitors several opportunities to visit the railroad, ride trains and enjoy a barbecue dinner. On Friday, Sept. 18, and Saturday, Sept. 19, 90-minute guided tours of the East Broad Top shops complex will be offered at 11 a.m. and 2 […]
CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific executives touted strong domestic intermodal growth during an investor conference today, noting that volumes are now running above pre-pandemic levels. UP’s intermodal traffic is up nearly 8% so far in the third quarter, boosted by double-digit percentage growth in parcel and truckload shipments due to e-commerce and the […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak President William Flynn has told members of Congress that the company needs a $4.9 billion appropriation for fiscal 2021 to avoid employee furloughs and reduced long-distance train frequencies planned for October. Flynn, Rail Passengers Association President and CEO Jim Mathews, and labor officials representing the Transport Workers Union and Transportation Communications Union […]
WASHINGTON — Former Amtrak president David Gunn believes the company’s plans to cut most long-distance trains to triweekly operation beginning in October will lead to a permanent reduction in serviceable rolling stock, and cost the company employees with the expertise necessary to run the system in the future. “If you want to preserve the network, […]
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific has cut more than 60 dispatching positions at its Harriman Dispatching Center in Omaha and its joint dispatching office in Spring, Texas, this week. The affected dispatchers, who are management employees, were notified on Thursday and Friday that their jobs were being eliminated, according to a person familiar with the […]
