UP: Capital spending to be flat in 2018 NEWSWIRE

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Kevin Hicks, Union Pacific’s associate vice president, engineering-design, reviews 2017 and announces UP’s capital spending plans for 2018 at the NRC conference in Los Angeles. TRAINS: David Lassen LOS ANGELES — A Union Pacific leader says the railroad will likely keep its capital spending right around $3 billion this year — the same as for […]

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Pension changes not a big deal, eh? NEWSWIRE

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Canadian National and Canadian Pacific are likely to see their operating ratios rise this year — but for a reason that has nothing to do with the railways’ industry-leading efficiency. An accounting rules change that went into effect on Jan. 1 will disproportionately affect CN and CP. As a result, CN’s operating ratio is expected […]

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Metra seeks new locomotives NEWSWIRE

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Metra F40PH Nos. 102 and 107 appear at Elmwood Park, Ill. Metra officials look to replace or re-manufacture much of the railroad’s aging motive power fleet. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — Metra, Chicago’s commuter rail agency, plans to order 12 new or 15 re-manufactured locomotives in 2018, and may order dozens more if additional funding […]

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Big Steam look ahead to 2018 NEWSWIRE

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Nickel Plate Road No. 765 inches closer to the platforms at Metra’s LaSalle Street Station in Chicago on June 17. TRAINS: Steve Sweeney This year, 2017, brought many chances to see big steam locomotives making excursions onto main lines. While it is too early in the operating season for most organizations to announce their operating […]

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Rail-themed beer round-up for New Year NEWSWIRE

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© Irochka | Dreamstime © Aleksandr Kiriak | Dreamstime ‘Tis the season for a toast to the year that has come and the year that lies ahead. To help you prepare for year-end celebrations, Trains News Wire has rounded up a partial list of U.S.-based railroad-themed brews to help celebrate — should you choose to […]

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CN orders 200 locomotives from GE NEWSWIRE

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CHICAGO — CN today announced it will acquire 200 new locomotives over the next three years from GE Transportation to accommodate future growth opportunities and drive operational efficiency across its system. The order includes Tier 4 ET44ACs and Tier 3 ES44ACs (Tier 4 certified) locomotives to be equipped with GE’s GoLINC Platform, Trip Optimizer System […]

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First look at the Amfleet I coach fleet refresh NEWSWIRE

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The interior of a newly refurbished Amfleet 1 coach. Ralph Spielman NEW YORK – For Amtrak’s 450-odd, 40-something-year-old Amfleet I passenger car fleet, the Budd-built cars are newsworthy yet again, and the news is passenger comfort. The new interior redesign brings the 21st century to the Northeast and the Midwest. Trains News Wire recently toured […]

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Friends of the 261 acquires two dome cars NEWSWIRE

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Steve Glischinski MINNEAPOLIS – The Friends of the 261, owners and operators of Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261, has purchased two dome cars from Canadian National. The cars are former Western Pacific California Zephyr dome coach Spirit of Superior and Algoma Central dome coach observation No. 901. The cars were last used on CN’s Algoma […]

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‘Amtrak Cascades’ train derails onto Washington highway

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This overall view shows cars off both sides of the tracks at the Interstate 5 bridge near DuPont, Wash. Two photos, Steve Carter SEATTLE – Several people are dead after a southbound Amtrak Cascades train derailed on an overpass above Interstate 5 near Olympia. Although several motorists were injured when the train fell off the […]

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