John G. Kneiling, by profession a consulting engineer, wrote Trains Magazine’s Professional Iconoclast column for many years. His column called out perceived problems with the rail industry and suggested new ways of thinking about solutions. Fifty years ago, in the September 1975 issue, Kneiling took aim at the government-supported Conrail, then newly created from several […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak, looking to garner more publicity for the Aug. 28 launch of its new premium NextGen Acela fleet, has piggybacked a tracksuit promotion onto New York’s Fashion Week (Sept. 11-16). According to Amtrak: The most comfortable way to travel just got even more comfortable; as it is launching its first-ever line of […]
NEW YORK — The Staten Island Railway has completed its conversion to a fleet of R211 subway cars, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced. In an event at St. George on Staten Island, MTA officials celebrated the fact the isolated 14-mile, 21-station segment of the New York City Transit rail system now has a full […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority lost some $1 billion to fare and bridge toll evasion in 2024, a new report estimates. But it also says moves by the MTA and law enforcement agencies have started to cut into that figure, and could reduce the loss by some $100 million this year, the first […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has urged commuters to work from home or stay with friends and family in or near New York City in case of a strike by Long Island Rail Road workers, while announcing “limited service options” in the event of a work stoppage. Approximately 300,000 riders will be impacted […]
SCRANTON, Pa. — The Lackawanna Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society has donated $10,000 to the Iron Horse Society for restoration of a World War II troop sleeper built by Pullman. The Iron Horse Society is the non-profit organization supporting Steamtown National Historic Site, where Delaware, Lackawanna & Western car No. 3621 — […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has nominated railroad industry consultant Richard Kloster for an initial five-year term as a member of the Surface Transportation Board, and re-nominated current member Michelle Schultz, FreightWaves has learned. The nominations now go to the Senate for confirmation. The nominations are critically important, as the board will soon consider the […]
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declined to say Wednesday whether she would ask President Donald Trump to appoint a Presidential Emergency Board to head off a potential strike by five Long Island Rail Road unions, and claimed that the Trump administration was responsible for the possibility of a walkout as soon as […]
WASHINGTON — Though outsiders were not permitted to comment or ask questions, the online Amtrak board of directors meeting today (Wednesday, Sept. 10) was much more informative than the previous edition, in large part because of interrogation by board members following company executives’ presentations and candid admission of where results are falling short. The last […]
Facts and features Name: Pennsylvania RR Panhandle Division Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 25 x 41 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR Locale: eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and West Virginia panhandle Era: late 1940s and early 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 150 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (main), 24″ (branch) Minimum turnout: No. 6 (main), No. 5 (branch) Maximum […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has unveiled an F40 locomotive painted to honor the Boston & Maine Railroad, the first of three recently overhauled diesels honoring predecessors to the commuter rail service offered today by the MBTA. The three units are the last of 37 F40PH locomotives built between 1987 and 1991 to […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit has exercised options to purchase an additional 200 Multilevel III commuter railcars and 12 ALP45 dual-power locomotives from Alstom, the manufacturer has announced. The purchase, valued at approximately $1.05 billion, had been authorized by the NJ Transit board in May. “Service reliability and safety is one of my highest priorities, […]
