As railroad fans, we are in one form or another, closet historians. “The station used to be right there. You can still see the foundation if you look carefully,” we point out to neophytes to a particular area. “The railroad used to have a switcher based here to service the local industries. Today, there is […]
TOKYO — Japanese rail operator JR East is considering adding add freight cars to its Shinkansen trains, and may develop entire freight bullet trains, the Japan News reports. A host of issues remain before the launch of freight-only trains, however, among them facilities to handle the cargo and track space on some lines. But the […]
GREEN RIVER, Wyo. — The former Union Pacific depot in Green River could cost up to $20 million to restore for public use, with up to $3 million needed just for immediate stabilization and preservation efforts. Cowboy State Daily reports that the imposing structure, built in 1910 and donated by UP to the city in […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian union Unifor will vote on a potential strike against CPKC, saying negotiations with the railroad have reached an impasse. The union’s 101R, which represents approximately 1,200 CPKC employees nationwide in mechanical trades, said in a Friday, Nov. 29, announcement that it would hold the strike vote “in the coming weeks.” The […]
OWOSSO, Mich. — The Steam Railroading Institute’s Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225 has been sidelined for the remainder of the organization’s North Pole Express excursion season, the organization has announced. The Lansing State Journal reports that the locomotive, built by the Lima Locomotive Works in 1941, is not being run on the holiday excursions as […]
TORONTO — The Toronto Transit Commission will receive almost Ca$1.2 billion in federal funding, with more than half ticketed for 55 new subway cars, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland announced on Friday, Nov. 29. Some $758 million of the federal funds, to be provided over the next decade from the […]
My worst nightmare-come-true as a railroader was waking up Christmas morning in a lonely hotel room, hundreds of miles away from home. Restaurants were usually shuttered and even the vending machines at the station were bare. I once held the northbound Palmetto at Florence, S.C., refusing to move the train until I could at least […]
MADISON, Wis. — The state of Wisconsin has begun studying the possibility of adding a second daily round trip to the Chicago-Milwaukee-Twin Cities Borealis service, WisBusiness.com reports. The train’s ridership has been exceeding projections by 10% to 15% each month since its May 21 launch, Lisa Stern, chief of railroads and harbors for the Wisconsin […]
SANTA ANA, Calif. — Three men have been each been charged with a pair of felonies after allegedly stealing more than $300,000 in Air Jordan shoes from a BNSF train stopped in the Mojave Desert, the Orange County (Calif.) District Attorney said in a Nov. 27 press release. Nike had placed a GPS tracker in […]
NASHVILLE — A group opposing a transit improvement plan passed by Nashville voters earlier this month has filed suit seeking to overturn the results, arguing the plan includes projects not allowed under the state law governing the referendum. The Nashville Tennessean reports that the lawsuit was filed Wednesday, Nov. 27, by members of the Committee […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen at the Florida, Gulf & Atlantic Railway have ratified a five-year agreement, their first since joining the union last year, the BLET has announced. The agreement, ratified Nov. 21 and announced this week, establishes such work rules as a seniority roster, grievance procedures, […]
WASHINGTON — A safety advisory issued this week by the Federal Transit Administration is asking agencies overseeing transit operators to look more closely at street-running rail operations, noting the heightened risk of incidents including fatalities. The advisory issued on Monday, Nov. 25, notes that the number of incidents at street intersection grade crossings are about […]
