Trains editors discuss the rail news that’s fit to publish. This week, editors talk about Alcos, Canadian National’s Alabama short line, and Amtrak food. Only from Trains! […]
Ask Trains: Why and when did rails get their shape?
Rail profiles through time from file: TRN-TC0513 Illustration: Rick Johnson Q: Why and when did rails get their profile? — Rozier Smith A: The basic shape, or profile, of rails that we see today: chucky head, thin web, and wide base, has its roots railroading as early as 1789, according to an illustration Trains printed […]
Burlington Junction C415s safe despite addition of MK1500D locomotives to roster NEWSWIRE
Burlington Junction Railway has added four MK1500D locomotives to its already eclectic roster. The new units operate mostly around Quincy, Ill., where much of the traffic base is located. In this photo, three of the four units work the Quincy yard on July 3, 2019. Steve Smedley QUINCY, Ill. – The future of the unique […]
Conrail predecessor documents bound for shredder saved instead NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Northeastern railway preservationists have saved hundreds of drawings — some dating to the 1860s — from Conrail predecessors from the shredder in what has been called a “monumental achievement” for railroad historians. The documents came from the Smithsonian Institution, which collected them between 1981 to 1984. With an Aug. 1 deadline to […]
Illinois legislator ‘doesn’t see brown’ on Metra’s board NEWSWIRE
Luis Arroyo, Illinois state representative Illinois General Assembly website CHICAGO — A key Illinois legislator appeared before Metra’s board Wednesday to take credit for helping the agency receive about $1.6 billion in infrastructure funding, but also chided the agency’s lack of Latino leadership, calling it a “good old boys network” that needed to change. Illinois […]
OmniTRAX gives up on Texas short line, files for abandonment NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — Short line operator OmniTRAX is throwing in the towel on its Central Texas & Colorado River Railway. OmniTRAX this week filed to abandon the 67.5-mile line, citing its dim prospects and millions of dollars in operating losses since it acquired the route in 2016. The prime culprits: New crushed rock traffic that never […]
Ask Trains: Does Norfolk Southern own the yards along its CNO&TP route?
Cincinnati Southern Railway website Q: The city of Cincinnati owns the CNO&TP line running from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, Tenn., which Norfolk Southern leases from the city. Does the city of Cincinnati also own and lease yards along the line to NS, or does NS own these yards outright? — Doug Lathrem, Bowling Green, Ky. A: […]
Ask Trains: How do railroads determine a grade on track charts?
Conrail C36-7 No. 6628 works an eastbound train in New York’s Southern Tier east of Lanesboro, Pa., near the Pennsylvania-New York border in 1985. This section of track has a grade, what percentage that shows up on a track chart is determined by how precise the charts are. TEH-11062-18 Michael S. Murray Q: Some […]
Amtrak foodservice still in flux NEWSWIRE
Broiled salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans on the ‘Crescent’ in July 2019. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON – A leaked Amtrak presentation that describes the elimination of Auto Train’s coach dining car and introduction of so-called “contemporary” pre-packaged meals on the New York-Miami Silver Meteor and New York-New Orleans Crescent may not be the last word […]
Black Mesa & Lake Powell visitors’ guide NEWSWIRE
Black Mesa & Lake Powell crosses a bridge near Cow Springs, Ariz. Andy Kirol PAGE, Ariz. – The end is in sight for the isolated Black Mesa & Lake Powell Railroad in northern Arizona, with some reports putting the end of operation in August yet. Each day, except Wednesday, a single set of hoppers makes […]
CSX Transportation makes safety strides as injuries, accidents decline NEWSWIRE
The underside of a specially equipped boxcar on CSX Transportation. CSX Transportation JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has significantly improved its key safety metrics during the past 18 months, with the railroad’s personal injury rate leading the industry so far this year and train accidents at their lowest levels in company history. CSX’s key safety […]
Iowa museum replicates narrow gauge passenger car of Milwaukee Road affiliate NEWSWIRE
A replica combine is underway in Eastern Iowa. John Schumann MAQUOKETA, Iowa — The Bellevue & Cascade was a 3-foot gauge Milwaukee Road branch that ran between its namesake towns in eastern Iowa. The B&C lasted longer than any other Midwestern narrow gauge, being sold to a shortline railroad before finally folding in 1936. In […]
