An aerial view of Sunday’s wreck between Amtrak’s Silver Star and a parked CSX freight train in Cayce, S.C. The widow of the Amtrak conductor killed in the crash has filed suit against Amtrak and CSX. Jeff Blake, The Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The widow of the conductor killed in Sunday’s crash of Amtrak’s […]
ST. CHARLES, Mo — American Railcar Industries’ board of directors has appointed John O’Bryan as the company’s president and CEO. The board had appointed O’Bryan as president and interim CEO on Jan. 1. “We are pleased to appoint John as President and Chief Executive Officer of ARI. John joined ARI as Chief Commercial Officer in […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Loram Maintenance of Way Inc. based in Minneapolis and Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. based in Georgetown, Texas, today announced that they have completed a definitive merger agreement under which Loram will acquire all outstanding shares of GREX. “GREX and Loram share a passion for innovation and customer service. The combined strength of this […]
A southbound ‘Acela’ races across a stretch of positive train control trackage on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor at Perryville, Md., on June 5, 2011. Michael T. Burkhart This story first appeared in the October 2011 issue of Trains Magazine. The Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System highlighted here was not active at the time of the of […]
Confidential Close Call reporting basics A New Jersey Transit train zips northward from Atlantic City to New York’s Penn Station on Jan. 23, 2010. If the crew were to err, they could report the close call and be part of a bigger program to improve safety, rather than be punished. Dennis A. Livesay photograph Confidential […]
Positive Train Control Tick, tock. U.S. railroads have collectively spent decades and billions of dollars on positive train control research. Tick. Public outcry after a 2008 commuter crash that killed 25 people — a crash that a Federal safety panel says PTC could have prevented — pushed Congress to act. Tock. With a Congressional deadline […]
Intelligent Grade Crossings will warn motorists and trains that approach is imminent. Federal Railroad Administration Train crews and motorists may have the ability to “see” one another earlier than ever thanks to “Intelligent Grade Crossings” currently under development through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Research and Development Office. Since the dawn of railroading, one of the […]
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The head of the National Transportation Safety Board says a misaligned switch is the immediate reason Amtrak’s southbound Silver Star collided with a parked CSX Transportation freight train early Sunday, killing two people and injuring dozens. Investigators say they’ll now try and find out why the switch was misaligned. NTSB Chariman Robert […]
ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has signed a $146-million contract to refurbish 118 of its railcars. Kinkisharyo International, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Kinki Shayro Corp., will do the work at its factory in Piscataway, N.J., a former plastics factory converted by the company in 2015. The contract, part of MARTA’s Rail […]
LA GRANGE, Ill. – The end may be near for a locomotive plant that was once at the top of the industry. Progress Rail parent Caterpillar Inc. is considering closing the famed La Grange facility, splitting the remaining engine production between a plant in North Carolina and outside suppliers, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The 850,000-square-foot […]
A photo freight crosses the Los Pinos trestle, near Osier, Colo. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn WAUKESHA, Wis. — Trains magazine and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad are pleased to announce a special photo freight event Aug. 25-26, 2018, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last revenue freight on the legendary Rio Grande narrow gauge. […]
Northbound CSX Transportation aggregates train K944 is seen meeting intermodal train Q145 at Opelika, Ala., in 2010. Class I railroads use different kinds of schedules to keep their networks fluid and profitable, even on single-track lines. Frank Orona What time will the train depart? When will it arrive? While most people associate schedules with passenger […]
