CHICAGO — The Federal Railroad Administration will provide a $3 million grant for a project to upgrade concourses at Chicago Union Station, matching funds by Amtrak and its partners and bringing the concourse project to the point where it is ready for construction. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot […]
CHICAGO — More than a year after requesting proposals for the project, Metra’s board of directors has approved a plan to convert at least three of its oldest F40PH-3 locomotives, and as many as six, to battery power. Progress Rail will perform the conversions at its Patterson, Ga., facility, with delivery of the initial order […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has struck down a state law prohibiting stopped trains from blocking railroad crossings, citing federal jurisdiction in regulation of railroads. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that in a ruling issued Wednesday, the opinion by Justice Sharon Kennedy acknowledged “the significant danger to the public” created when trains obstruct the […]
CHICAGO — Continuing equipment-availability problems have led to the suspension of one of four daily Amtrak Lincoln Service round trip between Chicago and St. Louis. The service reduction is slated to run through Tuesday, Aug. 23. Not operating are train No. 300, scheduled to depart St. Louis at 4:30 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at […]
HUDSON, Ind. — Mechanical staff of the Indiana Northeaster Railroad is in the process of completing upgrades and repainting of ex-Reading Lines locomotive No. 2185, one of the two GP30s on the 105-mile system which operates in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Travis Bloom, chief mechanical officer for the railroad, leads a staff of four mechanical […]
KEYTESVILLE, Mo. — A Missouri judge is considering a request to stay litigation over the fatal June 27 derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief while the National Transportation Safety Board investigation is ongoing, as requested by defendants. KMBC-TV reports Chariton County Circuit Court Judge Terry Tschannen heard arguments Tuesday from attorneys for Amtrak, BNSF Railway, and […]
A crewman climbs aboard Chicago & North Western class H No. 3017 on Nov. 17, 1929, six days after the 4-8-4 arrived from Baldwin. The engine is being broken in on the main line west of Chicago. A. W. Johnson photo […]
WASHINGTON – Canadian National has rebutted claims that Amtrak and Canadian Pacific have made regarding its proposed acquisition of Kansas City Southern’s line linking Springfield, Ill., with Kansas City and St. Louis. CN has asked the Surface Transportation Board to force CP to divest KCS’s former Gateway Western Springfield Line as part of the CP-KCS […]
NORTH LAWRENCE, Ohio — Nineteen cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed in North Lawrence on Monday morning after the train hit a truck at a grade crossing, the Canton Repository newspaper reports. No injuries were reported after law enforcement and fire agencies responded to the collision at about 7:45 a.m. The accident occurred at […]
EAST GALESBURG, Ill. — A grade crossing remains closed and cleanup is ongoing in the wake of an Aug. 3 derailment of a BNSF Railway intermodal train, the Galesburg Register-Mail reports. The State Street crossing at the derailment site is expected to reopen next week, a BNSF spokesman told the railroad. Darrell Corbin, acting mayor […]
American Car & Foundry 2,980-cubic-foot Center Flow covered hopper Scale: N (1:160) Price: $44.98 Era: 1985+ Manufacturer: Produced by Micro-Trains Line Co., available from Kalmbach Hobby Store, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Features: Injection-molded plastic construction Separate roof, end cages, and stirrup steps Factory-installed brake wheel and four round hatch covers Two-piece outlet gates Pin-mounted roller-bearing trucks Plastic wheelsets […]
Pennsy Santa train ride: There is an indelible link between kids, trains, and Christmas; even the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad found a way to offer a Santa train ride to kids. Growing up in 1950s Fort Wayne, Ind., I remember the Pennsylvania Railroad as a prominent player in the city’s life. Also prominent was Fort […]
