Amtrak set to start early work on B&P Tunnel project

Map detail showing MARC commuter stations around B&P Tunnel

BALTIMORE — Amtrak will begin early construction activity on the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program this Friday, March 10, with tie and rail replacement and track drainage work as part of its preparations for the $6 billion project. “This initial project will directly reduce impacts during later construction phases and maximize the benefits of the new […]

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The first Lionel Conrail cars and engines

Lionel conrail blue gp9

The first Lionel Conrail cars and engines came shortly after the federal government created the railroad in 1976. Fundimensions, the division of General Mills then licensed to manufacture and market Lionel trains and accessories, announced an O gauge boxcar with Conrail graphics in the 1977 consumer catalog. The quick move was actually atypical. Earlier mergers […]

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DC Metrorail continues preparations for return to automation

Rapid-transit train arrives at above-ground station

WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority aims to return to automated operation of DC Metrorail trains systemwide by this December, the Washington Post reports, reactivating a system shut off after a fatal 2009 collision. The return of Automatic Train Operation will end problems with operators running past red lights, missing stopping points at […]

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Tourist railroads help create commuter train for Tom Hanks film

F unit locomotive and passenger cars at station platform

Rail consulting firm FMW Solutions and several heritage railways combined to recreate a 1970s-era commuter train for the recent Tom Hanks film “A Man Called Otto,” which makes use of equipment and locations of the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railway, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, and Washington D.C. chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The film’s […]

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East Broad Top Railroad passenger cars in the 21st century

Cabooses and passenger cars at a railyard during the evening.

East Broad Top Railroad passenger cars have been vital to the narrow gauge railroad’s 150-year history. Today’s fleet is a mixture of old and new, waiting for you to climb aboard the next time you visit this National Historic Landmark in Rockhill, Pennsylvania. Coach passenger cars Since the beginning of passenger service on August 30, […]

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Conrail Retrospective

Big Blue diesel locomotives were ubiquitous for those living in the Northeast and upper Midwest for many years of the last century. Although Consolidated Railroad Corporation has been gone for over 20 years now, let’s take a look back at 1990s Conrail freights in the state of Pennsylvania! […]

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First week of new LIRR schedules brings crowding, complaints

Overhead view of EMU train on three-track main line

NEW YORK — The first full week of the Long Island Rail Road’s new schedule, offering more trains systemwide and full service to the new Grand Central Madison station, has gone less than smoothly, particularly for those still taking the LIRR to Penn Station. There are now fewer Penn trains than there had been when […]

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NTSB expresses concerns about protective covers on tank cars

An "energetic pressure release" from a vinyl chloride tank car at East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 4, 2023. NTSB.

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board says it is “looking closely” at aluminum protective covers on tank cars involved in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, over concerns those covers melted on three of the cars, which may have hampered the performance of pressure relief devices. The issue occurred on three of the five cars […]

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