LUCASVILLE, Ohio – The beginning of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment in southern Ohio was caught on video by drivers on nearby U.S. Route 23. That video has since gone viral on Facebook with more than 140,000 views as of Friday afternoon. WCHS-TV reports that six cars eventually derailed on the north side of […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Trains News Wire Round-Up for the week of March 1, 2019 NEWSWIRE
Trains editors discuss all the news that is fit to publish for the week of March 1, 2019. This week, Editor Jim Wrinn and Digital Editor Steve Sweeney talk about the Coast Starlight stuck in Oregon, Union Pacific receives go-ahead to run steam locomotives up to 11,000 miles in 2019 from the FRA and more. […]
Soo Line legacy
A southbound CN freight passes the former Soo Line station in Waukesha, Wis., in 2012. Brian Schmidt Q How did Canadian National end up operating the former Soo Line route through Wisconsin. I thought the Soo was affiliated with Canadian Pacific. – Kirk Gobain, Dodge City, Kan. A The Soo Line acquired the Milwaukee Road […]
Transcontinental Railroad history: Importance, workers, challenges, and funding
UP crews built a switchback to reach a tunnel during construction. In many ways, the work done on the transcontinental railroad were feats of ingenuity and engineering. Union Pacific Importance of The Transcontinental Railroad In the 1850s, major railroad projects were viewed as projects for the public good, in much the same way we justify […]
A llama riding light rail? Even in Portland, Ore., that’s against the rules NEWSWIRE
“Caesar the No-Drama Llama” meets a fan at the Oregon Convention Center light rail station. The animal’s trip aboard a light rail train was against the rules, officials subsequently confirmed. From Caesar The No-Drama Llama’s Facebook page PORTLAND, Ore. — In a city known for such oddities as a unicycle-riding, fire-breathing bagpiper, a llama riding […]
AAR: Traffic returning to growth mode for the week of Feb. 23 NEWSWIRE
Association of American Railroads Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads reported this week on U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Feb. 23. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 522,630 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.1 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for […]
UPDATE: Dates set for ‘Zephyr,’ ‘Starlight’ service to resume after snow disruptions NEWSWIRE
RENO, Nev. — Amtrak has announced plans to resume full service on its California Zephyr and Coast Starlight routes, both currently disrupted after snow-related closures. According to Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari, the first Zephyrs to cross Donner Pass after that route was closed by a Feb. 26 avalanche near Truckee, Calif., are scheduled to do […]
‘City of New Orleans’ route truncated indefinitely by flood mitigation
JACKSON, Miss. – Beginning Thursday, and just days before the big Mardi Gras weekend, Amtrak’s City of New Orleans from Chicago will start making a same day turn at Jackson with chartered Amtrak Thruway buses making all scheduled intermediate stops to and from the Crescent City. The northbound bus will leave New Orleans Passenger terminal […]
Drumming up support for California high speed rail NEWSWIRE
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Next week will be critical for California high speed rail as the agency responsible for managing the project must reply to the U.S. Department of Transportation by March 5. DOT is looking to cancel a $929 million grant and recover $2.6 billion in funds already delivered. The Rail Passengers Association is working […]
FRA: UP doesn’t need waiver to run steam 11,000 miles in 2019 NEWSWIRE
UP No. 844 rolls south at Greeley, Colo., in July 2018. Trains: Jim Wrinn WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has told Union Pacific it doesn’t need waivers in 2019 to operate non-PTC-equipped steam locomotives Nos. 844 and 4014 on three excursions covering 11,111 miles, according to letters between UP and FRA that Trains Newswire […]
Golden Spike gets upgrade in National Park system NEWSWIRE
Golden Spike National Historical Park is the new designation for the site at Promontory Summit, Utah. Trains: Jim Wrinn WASHINGTON — Federal legislation has changed the status of perhaps the most significant railroad historical site in the United States. The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a sweeping public lands bill on Tuesday. The bill, […]
Mount Washington Cog completes cosmetic restoration of ‘Old Peppersass’ for Northeast tour NEWSWIRE
‘Old Peppersass’ Mount Washington Cog Railway BRETTON WOODS, N.H. – One of the most unique steam locomotives ever built is hitting the road next month to mark the 150th anniversary of the world’s first cog railroad. A cosmetic restoration of the Mount Washington Cog Railway’s first mountain-climbing steam locomotive – dubbed Old Peppersass because of […]
