WASHINGTON – Total U.S. weekly rail traffic rose 0.9% for the week ending May 18, up 474,886 carloads and intermodal units compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads reported on Wednesday. Total carloads for the week ending May 18 were 214,092 carloads, down 4.8% compared with the same week in […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 113 debuts in 2024 steam season
MINERSVILLE, Pa. — Mid-May marked the return of Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 113 for its 2024 operating season. Back-to-back Saturdays on May 11 and 18 saw the heavy 0-6-0 switcher in steam at its Minersville home for a night photo session and a series of excursions, respectively. Offseason work beforehand focused on general […]
Young Guns in Preservation: Russell Heerdt
Railway preservation is important for museums and tourist railroads. But each non- and for-profit approaches this differently. For Special Events Coordinator Russell Heerdt of the for-profit Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, keeping the doors open, lights on, and wheels turning is a juxtaposition between individual organizations. How did you get involved in rail preservation? […]
Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 to pull public excursion
SILVIS, Ill. — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America and the Central States Steam Preservation Association announced today that Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 will pull a public excursion June 29 on the Iowa Interstate Railroad. According to the two sponsors, the trip is being run as an educational fundraiser to promote railroad safety. The train […]
Coal exports resuming through port of Baltimore
CSX and Norfolk Southern expect to resume normal export coal operations at the port of Baltimore in the coming days now that the 50-foot shipping channel has been reopened in the wake of the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The March 26 collapse of the bridge following a ship strike blocked marine […]
Ohio Rail Development Commission awards grants to three railroads
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Rail Development Commission has announced grants totaling more than $1.65 million for infrastructure projects for the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway, East Ohio Valley Railway, and Camp Chase Railway. These grants join the previously announced grant of more than $1.23 million for R.J. Corman’s Western Ohio Lines [see “Two R.J. […]
Second Chicago-St. Paul train shows value of frequency, capacity: Analysis
WINONA, Minn. — The first westbound trip of Amtrak’s new Borealis wasn’t flawless. A “technical problem” with a credit card reader delayed the café car’s opening. A pesky lock on the platform wheelchair lift’s enclosure at the Sturtevant, Wis., stop contributed to delay, as did the decision to open only one vestibule trap at downtown […]
Colorado voters unlikely to be asked to fund Front Range rail project this year
DENVER — It appears a ballot measure to fund Colorado’s Front Range Passenger Rail project will not go to voters until 2026. Colorado Public Radio reports that members of the Front Range Passenger District board said that a 2026 vote would be “the best course of action,” as it would allow the measure to go […]
BNSF and J.B. Hunt say Quantum intermodal service is delivering growth
NEW YORK — The Quantum intermodal service that BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt launched in November — specifically aimed at loads that have never touched rails before — is providing 99% door-to-door on-time performance and is gaining volume, executives said today. “This is true highway conversion. It’s not intended to be a different service level […]
Pair of Berkshires build on 2024’s must-see big steam
FORT WAYNE, Ind., and OWOSSO, Mich. — Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 has been a recent showstopper during its epic CPKC Final Spike Steam Tour from Canada to the U.S. and Mexico. But with summer closing in, expect more locomotives to take center stage as part of 2024’s must-see big steam, including a pair of […]
Amtrak Borealis makes debut
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was 43 years in the making, but the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor finally has a second Amtrak passenger train. In ceremonies in Chicago, St. Paul and intermediate points today, Amtrak and state, local, and federal official marked the first run of the Borealis, new daily service between Chicago Union Station and […]
CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs unveils Seaboard Coast Line heritage locomotive
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX’s latest heritage locomotive honors Seaboard Coast Line. “Excited to share with you all our latest CSX Heritage Locomotive #1967 – the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL). Established in 1967, the Seaboard Coast Line railroad was a result of the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad,” […]