Locomotive news in brief: Metra C&NW heritage unit debuts Chicago commuter railroad Metra has unveiled its latest heritage locomotive. Metra F59PHI No. 90 was released Monday from the company’s paint booth in a Chicago & North Western-inspired scheme. The design incorporates elements of C&NW’s paint scheme worn on early passenger diesel locomotives such as EMD’s […]
Monday morning preservation and tourist railroad news: Diesel engine from GE test locomotive declared a mechanical engineering landmark A prototype diesel engine built for use in a General Electric test locomotive has been declared an Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ National History & Heritage Committee. The 1,200-hp Cooper-Bessemer FVAL8T […]
Monday morning rail news: CN workers suffer serious injuries when hit by vehicle at grade crossing Two Canadian National Railway employees were hospitalized with serious injuries when they were struck by a vehicle while doing repairs at a grade crossing in Alberta late Friday night. Global News reports the accident occurred about 11:30 p.m. when […]
More Monday morning rail news: Amtrak seeks to close troublesome Newark lift bridge Amtrak is seeking to permanently close an 85-year-old New Jersey lift bridge adjacent to Newark Penn Station that sometimes fails to close properly, delaying its trains as well as those of NJ Transit and PATH. NJ.com reports the railroad has applied to […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s top managers contend cutting long-distance operation to triweekly is a valid short-term money saving solution in the reduced ridership environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also admit the company does not have specific plans to maintain daily operation if directed to do so by Congress. In an Aug. 6 Trains News […]
Saturday morning rail news: Durango & Silverton won’t reach Silverton in 2020 The Durango & Silverton has given up hopes of operating to Silverton this summer, and will continue operating excursions between Rockwood and Cascade for the remainder of the 2020 season. The Durango Herald reports the railroad will offer a minimum of five daily […]
A trio of experts discussed the pros, cons, and reality of Precision Scheduled Railroading this week during the Midwest Virtual Rail Conference. C. Tyler Dick, a lecturer and principal research engineer at the Railtec program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, says the late E. Hunter Harrison’s operating model aims to combine the best […]
Friday morning rail news: PTC implementation complete on Amtrak-owned or controlled mileage Amtrak says it has completed implementation of positive train control on all track owned or controlled by the passenger railroad. The final portion to be completed was 1 mile of slow-speed Chicago terminal trackage. The railroad operates or controls 898 miles covered by […]
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Amtrak’s California Zephyrs were again detoured through Wyoming on Thursday as traffic remains shut down on Union Pacific’s ex-Denver & Rio Grande line between Denver and Grand Junction, Colo., because of a fire near Glenwood Springs. As of Thursday, UP was reporting the Grizzly Creek Fire was threatening a bridge 9 […]
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — On Aug. 13, 1960, Millie Kovalchick smashed a bottle of Canada Dry ginger ale on the front coupler of East Broad Top Railroad 2-8-2 No. 12, officially reopening the East Broad Top as a tourist carrier. Sixty years to the day later, Millie Kovalchick Glinsky did it again — this time […]
More Thursday morning rail news: Fire shuts down UP line in Colorado’s Glenwood Canyon, disrupts Amtrak service Operation of Union Pacific trains and Amtrak’s California Zephyr were disrupted Tuesday by a fire in Colorado’s Glenwood Canyon that shut down the former Denver & Rio Grande Western rail line through the canyon. The Glenwood Springs Post […]
Thursday morning rail news: NJ Transit cancels trains, expands PTC testing as deadline looms NJ Transit has expanded positive train control testing this week, cancelling dozens of trains in an effort to complete PTC installation by the end of the year — a deadline the Federal Railroad Administration says it is in danger of missing. […]
