DURANGO, Colo. — The final chapter of the long history of coal-powered trains on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad came Saturday, March 23, with a round-trip excursion between Durango and Cascade, Colo., handled by a Baldwin Class K-36 2-8-2 No. 481. The locomotive will now be converted to oil firing, completing conversion of […]
DARIEN, Conn. – Genesee & Wyoming on Sunday marked the 125th anniversary of the company’s founding with a flag-raising ceremony at its headquarters and the release of a trailer for a full-length video. The original 14-mile Genesee and Wyoming Railroad was incorporated on March 24, 1899, when Edward Layton Fuller and his financial partners purchased […]
PUEBLO, Colo. — Stadler Rail’s hydrogen powered multiple-unit passenger trainset has set a record by traveling more than 1,700 miles without refueling or recharging. The FLIRT H2 trainset, destined for use on the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s Arrow service, covered 1,741.7 miles on the test loop at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo. The […]
BOSTON — A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Red Line train derailed this morning (Saturday, March 23) while changing tracks to accommodate a planned service shutdown, WCVB-TV reports. The incident occurred just before 6 a.m. near the Broadway station in South Boston and involved the first car of the trainset. Shuttle buses for a planned shutdown […]
CHEHALIS, Wash. — The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad and Museum will resume excursion train operations April 6 after a lengthy hiatus, the organization has announced. The Centralia Chronicle reports Saturday and Sunday excursions are scheduled through Sept. 29, plus Polar Express trains that will begin Nov. 9. The heritage operation halted operations in March 2022 after losing […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has proposed rules to protect track workers for all transit agencies, the first such effort to propose minimum national standards for track maintenance safety. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking now available at the Federal Register would require transit agencies to create a protection program for personnel who work on […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has increased the length of its grain shuttle trains to 105 cars from 85, a move that allows the railroad to handle 23% more grain in each train. “We’re unlocking capacity to handle more business for both our current and prospective customers,” Chief Marketing Officer Ed Elkins said in a statement. […]
Electrification of railroads North American freight trains are powered by diesel locomotives. Before the diesels, steam engines did the work. Electric trains have a niche hauling passengers in the Northeast. Everyone knows this short history of motive power development, but it’s not quite the whole story. Early electrification of railroads “Diesels,” of course, are properly […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak will operate modified schedules for two Illinois Service trains to allow passengers to better view the solar eclipse coming up on April 8, the passenger operator has announced. On that day, Saluki train No. 391 will depart Chicago earlier, at 6:35 a.m., arriving at Carbondale, Ill., at 12:05 p.m. to reach the […]
MINERSVILLE, Pa. — Railway Project 113, the group that has restored Central of New Jersey 0-6-0 No. 113 to operation, will be operating the train for six trips on May 18 as part of Minersville’s first Community Day. Trips will operate from the Minersville station to Reading Anthracite’s New St. Nicholas Breaker and return. The […]
CHICAGO — BNSF Railway CEO Katie Farmer and Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena are among those scheduled to speak at the annual meeting of the North American Rail Shippers, set for April 30-May 2 in Chicago. The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk hotel, 301 E. North Water Street, and is […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain will upgrade safety at five grade crossings after receiving $1 million in federal funding as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, the commuter rail agency has announced. Funds will improve grade crossings at two crossings in San Francisco (16th Street and Mission Bay Drive), as well as Whipple Avenue in […]
