Massachusetts, Amtrak, CSX pursue grant for East-West Rail improvements

Map of proposed passenger route in Massachusetts

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Amtrak, and CSX Transportation are seeking $108 million in federal grants to improve the rail line between Springfield and Worcester, Mass., as part of the proposed East-West Rail project. The three entities announced the grant application Friday, MassLive.com reports, with the goal of adding two daily Amtrak […]

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FBI agent acquitted in shooting aboard DC Metrorail train

ROCKVILLE, Md. — An FBI agent who shot a man in a confrontation aboard a DC Metrorail train in December 2020 has been acquitted of attempted second-degree murder and related charges. A jury returned the verdict on Friday, the Washington Post reports, concluding a four-day trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Eduardo Valdivia, 38, had […]

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No injuries in NS derailment on landmark Rockville bridge

Derailed railroad car on roadway in night photo

MARYSVILLE, Pa. — Six cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed on the landmark Rockville bridge crossing the Susquehanna River early this morning (Friday, Dec. 2), sending at least one railcar onto a roadway below the bridge. It was one of at least two NS derailments early today. The other, near Hanover, W.Va., involved five […]

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Alco S5 locomotive — a Diesel That Didn’t

End cab Alco S5 locomotive in train yard in front of light tower

Similar to the EMD RS1325, the Alco S5 locomotive is one of those locomotive designs that seemed like a good idea at the time, was engineered well, ran well, but almost no one wanted to purchase.     The manufacturer needed to update its aging lineup of 660-hp S3 and 1,000-hp S4 end cab switchers […]

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British passenger equipment company files for insolvency protection

Silver, yellow, and green multiple-unit trainset in operation

SOUTHAM, England — Vivarail, the British passenger train re-manufacturing company majority-owned by Pittsburgh-based Railroad Development Corp., has announced it is seeking the appointment of insolvency administrators via the British courts while efforts are made to find new investors or owners for the company. The process, similar to Chapter 11 protection in the USA, will allow […]

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Biggest steam switcher: Union Railroad’s 0-10-2

Three quarter view of front of biggest steam switcher locomotive in yard

The biggest steam switcher stood head and shoulders above the rest.     In the steam era, switch engines came in basically three sizes: 0-4-0, 0-6-0, and 0-8-0. They ranged from diminutive shop switchers — typically 0-4-0s, pretty much a pre-1900 machine — to huge switchers such as Indiana Harbor Belt’s three U-4a class 0-8-0s […]

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Ball signal at Whitefield, N.H.

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As the caboose of a Maine Central train passes, the operator resets the ball signals at the Maine Central/Boston & Maine crossing at Whitefield, N.H., in 1979. This was the last surviving ball signal in commercial use on a U.S. railroad. Ben Bachman photo […]

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