Amtrak says it will pay for platform work on Gulf Coast

Glass-backed Amtrak observation car alongside a station platform.

MOBILE, Ala. — Pending approval from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak intends to pay for repairs to station platforms to be used by the Gulf Coast service Amtrak plans to launch in 2022. Vice President of Stations and Accessibility Dr. David Handera told members of the Southern Rail Commission, holding their quarterly meeting on Friday, […]

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Kentucky steam group gains ownership of three former Indiana museum pieces

Cranes and a truck moving a piece of railroad equipment.

In a landmark deal, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation has acquired a historic water tender and accompanying former-Pennsylvania Railroad Railway Post Office car from the Indiana Transportation Museum. Both cars, along with a former-Pennsylvania Railroad baggage car, were transported from Indiana to the KSHC property in Irvine, Kentucky, in late 2018. The cars were part […]

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Digest: Railway Interchange postponed to 2023

Railway Interchange Logo

Railway Interchange trade show and conference postponed to 2023 Railway Interchange, the biennial rail conference and exhibition that is the largest event of its kind in North America, has been postponed to 2023. The event had been set for September 2021 in Indianapolis. In a message on its website, organizers say they have made the […]

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February rail traffic shows impact of severe weather

Complex table of freight traffic for the week ended Feb. 27. The article text has more details.

WASHINGTON — February’s severe weather across the nation drove rail traffic downward for the month, but traffic showed recovery during the week ending Feb. 27, according to the Association of American Railroads. In a press release, AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said the weather wrecked “havoc on all forms of transportation, including rail. […]

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Tips for better passenger cars: Car height

Two olive green HO scale heavyweight passenger cars are compared for height.

The height of freight cars can vary tremendously, but passenger car heights were very consistent in late steam/early diesel times. Most heavyweight cars, including the Pullman Co.’s standardized sleepers, measured 14 feet from the rails to the top of the roof. It’s important to me to know that Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe heavyweights were […]

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