The 2022 Lionel American Flyer EP-5

American Flyer EP-5 locomotive by Lionel

The Lionel American Flyer EP-5 is the latest version of a locomotive with a lot of history in S gauge. The General Electric prototype gained fame in service with the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. A.C. Gilbert first produced its model numbered 449 in 1956-57 with one motor and a horn. In 1958 […]

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Mt. Washington Cog Railway engineer dies in hiking tragedy

Man leaning out of cab of steam locomotive

RANDOLPH, N.H. — A hiker who fell to his death off the summit of Mt. Willard in Crawford Notch on Saturday, Dec. 10, has been identified as a longtime employee of the Mt. Washington Cog Railway. WMUR-TV reports that New Hampshire Fish and Game officials on Monday identified the victim as Joseph “Eggy” Eggleston, 53, […]

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MBTA opens Green Line extension

Green and white light rail vehicle at station

MEDFORD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority opened its Green Line light rail extension to Medford this morning (Monday, Dec. 12), completing a $2.3 billion project adding five stations. The Boston Globe reports more than 200 people were gathered at the Medford/Tufts station by 4:37 a.m., with a packed first train departing at 4:52 […]

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LIRR assumes ‘operational control’ of Grand Central Madison

People walk on station platform next to stopped train

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority remains mum on its date to open Grand Central Madison, the new Long Island Rail Road station beneath Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. But that date has moved one step closer with the announcement that operational control of the facility has shifted from MTA Construction and Development, the […]

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News photos: CNJ 0-6-0 makes holiday appearance

Steam locomotive and passenger train across bridge

MINERSVILLE, Pa. — A largely overlooked steam locomotive in Pennsylvania’s anthracite coal region is Central Railroad of New Jersey 0-6-0 switcher No. 113 (American Locomotive Co., 1923), owned and operated by the nonprofit Railway Restoration Project 113 of Minersville, Pa.  The engine runs only a few times a year, mostly for Santa Claus trains, pulling […]

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Groundbreaking marks start of work on Penn Station Access

Woman speaking at podium with video screen to her left

BRONX, N.Y.— New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for the Penn Station Access project, which will allow trains from Metro-North’s New Haven Line to directly serve Penn Station while adding four new stations in the Bronx. Hochul said in a press release that the project “will not only […]

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FTA sends a dozen corrective plans back to MBTA for revisions

Subway train at station

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority must resubmit a dozen corrective action plans to address Federal Transit Administration safety directives after the FTA asked for revisions to those plans, the Boston Herald reports. To date, the FTA has only received approval for eight of the 20 plans stemming from directives issued by the FTA […]

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BLET ratifies four-year contract with Long Island Rail Road

Commuter train with diesel locomotive and four bilevel cars on three-track main line

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has decisively ratified a new contract with the Long Island Rail Road, with 84.97% of votes cast in favor of the agreement. Almost 74% of those eligible voted on the contract, the union said in announcing the agreement on Wednesday, Dec. 7. The four-year agreement […]

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CTrail, Amtrak Hartford Line schedules return to normal

Black and red locomotive leads short passenger train

HARTFORD, Conn. — CTrail and Amtrak service on the Hartford Line will see schedule changes as of Monday, Dec. 12, with completion of second-stage work on the line’s rail replacement project, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has announced. Work in Meriden, and between Berlin and Hartford, had led to schedule adjustments of up to 35 […]

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GG1 and P70s

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Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 4907 leads a southbound train at Aberdeen, Md., in about 1949. The six-car consist contains four modernized P70 coaches, a diner, and a parlor car. Robert A. Hadley photo […]

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MTA opens new shop for Staten Island Railway

Diesel locomotive and subway car in shop building

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday marked completion of the Clifton Maintenance Shop on Staten Island, the rebuild of a facility extensively damaged by Hurricane Sandy that has been upgraded to withstand Category 2 hurricane winds and a water surge of up to 3 feet. The 93,220-square-foot facility includes Staten Island […]

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