SEATTLE — The National Transportation Safety Board wasn’t stingy in handing out criticisms or recommendations for changes in the aftermath of the December 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment, so those on the receiving end have a lot of work ahead of them figuring out if and how they’ll respond to the safety board. For the Washington […]
The westbound Southwest Chief passes through Brookfield, Ill., on May 15, 2019. Chief service is temporarily suspended in Kansas because of a BNSF route closure. TRAINS: David Lassen KANSAS City, Mo. — Amtrak has temporarily suspended service on its Missouri River Runner between Kansas City and St. Louis, and on the Southwest Chief between Kansas […]
WASHINGTON — DC Metro has pulled almost 300 railcars from service after a set of doors on one car opened while a train was in motion. The 286 cars of Metro’s 3000 series, built by Breda and delivered in 1987, represent about 15 percent of the transit system’s fleet. They will remain out of service until […]
No. 6060 at Stettler, Alberta Rocky Mountain Rail Society STETTLER, Alberta – A nonprofit in Alberta wants to raise nearly $1 million to start restoration work on Canadian National 4-8-2 No. 6060. No. 6060 was built in 1944 and was used in mainline excursion service in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, the locomotive is owned […]
YORKVILLE, Ill. — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal for a six-year, $41.5-billion infrastructure program in the state includes $100 million for the expansion of Metra service into Kendall County, the Kendall County Record reports. A total of $3.4 billion in the plan is for transit projects, the Chicago Tribune reported earlier this week, with $2.9 […]
WASHINGTON — Talks between President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders on an infrastructure bill broke down on Wednesday, with each side blaming the other: The president he can’t work with Democrats while they investigate his administration, and Democrats responded the president was never serious about an infrastructure program. Trump had met with House Speaker […]
No. 4014 will travel to Iowa on an excursion on July 15. Trains: Jim Wrinn OMAHA, Neb. – Where is Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 headed next? The UP Museum has confirmed that its fund-raising trip of July 15 from Omaha to Boone, Iowa, will be pulled by the newly restored 4-8-8-4 that returned […]
A view of the wreckage of derailed Amtrak Cascades Train 501 on Dec. 18, 2017. Steve Carter WASHINGTON — The conclusion of an investigation into a 2017 Amtrak Cascades derailment has touched off a debate over the safety of non-conventional trainsets. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that the Talgo equipment’s lightweight design was […]
0-4-0T No. 85 will return steam to Pennsylvania’s Stewartstown for the first time in 80 years. Stewartstown Railroad STEWARTSTOWN, Pa. — For the first time in more than 80 years, the sounds of steam will be heard in Stewartstown this fall. The 7.4-mile Stewartstown Railroad replaced its steam locomotives with Plymouth gasoline and diesel units […]
Orlando International Airport station platforms await tracks on Jan. 30, 2018. Virgin Trains USA has announced the contractor who will complete trackwork at the airport, as well as those responsible for construction elsewhere on the company’s route between Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla. Bob Johnston MIAMI — Virgin Trains USA, formerly Brightline, has named […]
A train-view of a flyover at Zoo Interlocking in Philadelphia. Brian Solomon Question: Where are some other mainline flyovers in the U.S.? — Frank Klos, San Diego, Calif. Answer: A flyover is grade-separated track arrangement used to keep busy lines fluid by avoiding the need for conflicting crossover movements, often built in conjunction with junctions […]
Don Evans Rotary Club VANCOUVER, B.C. — Don Evans, the Canadian railway preservationist who led the West Coast Railway Association to create a sustainable museum complex in Squamish, cemented the merger of the North American tourist railways and museums organizations, and assisted with the development of countless museums across the continent, has died. The regional […]
