A Texas Pacifico crew works at Ballinger, Texas, in 2012. The state of Texas has made major investments in the line operated by Texas Pacifico. Wes Carr AUSTIN, Texas — What could be the loneliest railroad in the United States is getting a facelift. Crews are at work upgrading the South Orient rail line, which […]
A Canadian National train crosses Echo Lake in Burlington, Wis., in May 2018. CN’s CEO says the railroad should pursue other technological opportunities before working on autonomous train operation. TRAINS: David Lassen BOSTON – Canadian National CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest says there’s a whole lot of low-hanging technology fruit that his railroad can pick before moving toward […]
Watco’s Decatur & Eastern Illinois makes its first run on Sunday, between Decatur and Paris, Ill. Steve Smedley DECATUR, ILL. — The Midwest has a new railroad. The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad made its inaugural run out of Decatur on Sunday, Sept. 9. The first revenue move left the Decatur yards on Sunday morning […]
MISSOULA, Mont. — Tom Walsh, who has been with Montana Rail Link since the railroad’s inception, has announced his retirement as the company’s president. Stacy Posey will become the new Montana Rail Link president, effective Jan. 1, 2019, the company announced Monday. Walsh has been with MRL for 31 years. “My time at Montana Rail […]
Join Trains Art Director Tom Danneman for a video adventure tracking down elusive BNSF Railway motive power in Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin. The spectacular and out-of the-way region is the scenic backdrop for unique BNSF locomotives such as Geeps, SD40-2s, and SD60Ms. A side trip to the Power River Basin and few “bonus” trains round […]
The often-delayed Capitol Limited passes through Goshen, Ind., on Norfolk Southern on July 14, 2017. Bob Johnston CHICAGO — Host railroads and Amtrak have settled into an uncomfortable détente during the last year instead of making serious efforts to develop accurate, a Trains News Wire analysis reveals. “Amtrak slammed by delays,” on page 24 of […]
A British group has formed a subsidiary to build a new version of the V4 steam locomotive. One of the original V4s is shown here. A1 Steam Locomotive Trust DARLINGTON, England — The Brits are at it again. The British group behind the Tornado — the first main line steam locomotive built in the United […]
Nashville’s Radnor Yard. CSX Transportation JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation has resumed hump operations at Radnor Yard in Nashville, Tenn., which was among the eight classification yards converted to flat-switching facilities last year under then-CEO E. Hunter Harrison. Radnor’s layout ultimately proved cumbersome for flat switching. So in June the railroad began work on retarders and […]
C&O EMD GP7 No. 5704 and its new as-delivered cosmetic restoration on the Lebanon Mason & Monroe Railroad in Lebanon, Ohio. Lebanon Mason & Monroe Railroad LEBANON, Ohio – A Chesapeake & Ohio EMD GP7 has been restored to its as-delivered blue-and-gold paint scheme. C&O GP7 No. 5704 is the latest restoration project to ply […]
A Union Pacific Cold Connect produce train passes through Lombard, Ill. UP is adding to its refrigerator-car fleet. TRAINS: David Lassen SUN VALLEY, Idaho — Union Pacific will acquire 1,000 new refrigerator cars with the possibility of expanding the order to 1,600, a UP official told a recent shippers’ conference. The Produce News reports that […]
BOSTON — CSX Transportation will eventually seek to operate trains with one-person crews on lines under the protection of positive train control, Chief Financial Officer Frank Lonegro told an investor conference this week. When PTC is fully operational by the end of 2020, CSX will have invested $2.4 billion in the federally mandated safety system. […]
LANSING, Mich. — East Lansing, Michigan’s fourth-busiest Amtrak station, will soon join the list of Amtrak ticket offices in the state to close. The stations in Niles, Jackson and Flint, Mich., became unstaffed earlier this year by attrition (the lone ticket agent at each station retired and was not replaced). In all cases, the Michigan […]
