UP train derails in central Texas (updated)

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

TRENT, Texas — About two dozen cars of a Union Pacific train derailed east of Trent on Tuesday, April 23, KTXS-TV reports. The derailment occurred about 8 p.m.; a UP spokesman said there were no injuries and no releases of hazardous materials. Images on the station website show derailed double-stack containers. KTAB/KRBC-TV reports that high […]

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Last chance to ride VIA’s Budd RDCs

Under overcast skies a silver and blue two car passenger train reverses past a red brick depot

The days of the five serviceable Budd RDCs (Rail Diesel Cars) remaining on VIA Rail Canada’s roster may be numbered. As Siemens Venture equipment displaces the stainless and LRC coaches (and F40s and P42 locomotives) on the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, the aging RDC fleet assigned to train Nos. 185 and 186 between Sudbury and White […]

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Freight locomotives can’t always pull modern passenger trains

A black model diesel locomotive pulls a modern passenger train down a grade

If you’re new to the hobby, you might be wondering if you can operate any locomotive on an everyday commuter, intercity, or high-speed passenger train. If you’re looking for prototypical operations on your layout set in the modern era, the short answer is usually no. However, there are many factors which go into this simple […]

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Fiery CPKC train rolls through London, Ontario

Night fire scene along railroad tracks. Fiery CPKC train rolls through London, Ontario

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is investigating a bizarre fire aboard a Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway freight train in a London, Ontario residential neighborhood around 10:49 p.m., April 21, according to reports from numerous news agencies and the London Fire Department. Witnesses reported seeing the CPKC train moving through the city as flames shot […]

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Guardian Award honors Union Pacific dispatchers

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

Omaha, Neb. — Recognizing the vital role played by its train dispatchers when it comes to safe operations, the Union Pacific Railroad has presented its Guardian Award to nearly 300 dispatchers for their work in 2023. The honored dispatchers work in three locations – Omaha, Neb., San Bernardino, Calif., and Spring, Texas. UP train dispatchers, […]

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Norfolk Southern questions operational data behind activist investor plan

Norfolk Southern says that activist investor Ancora Holdings’ detailed plan for the railroad, released last week in a 193-page presentation, contains misleading operational data and vastly overstated cost-savings projections. Ancora says its proposed management team would reduce costs by $800 million through a full-blown implementation of the low-cost Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model at NS. […]

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Sold-out Reading & Northern special covers rare mileage

Three RDCs exit tunnel

MOUNT CARMEL, Pa. — For the first time in decades, a passenger train Saturday (April 20, 2024) covered the full length of Reading & Northern Railroad’s Mahanoy & Shamokin Branch, carrying 194 riders aboard a trio of Budd Co. Rail Diesel Cars. Sponsored by the affiliated Lehigh Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society […]

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South Shore to introduce expanded schedules on May 14

CHESTERTON, Ind. — The South Shore Line will introduce expanded schedules on Tuesday, May 14, signaling the completion of the Double Track project between Gary and Michigan City, Ind. “The final completion of Double Track allows for the addition of 14 weekday trains, revised times, reduced travel times, and new, limited-stop express service,” Michael Noland, […]

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CPKC releases travel schedule for tour by No. 2816

Schedule for tour by CPR steam locomotive 2816, from April 24 in Calgary to May 28 in Laredo, Texas

CALGARY — CPKC has filled in many of the blanks on the upcoming Last Spike Steam Tour, releasing a schedule with travel days and intermediate stops for the Canadian and U.S. portions of the three-nation tour of 4-6-4 No. 2816, shown above. Locations and times for the “Event” days on the schedule were released last […]

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