Of all the forces that can bring trains to a halt, snow has to be one of the fiercest elements that Mother Nature can throw at a railroad. Keeping the tracks clear is a never-ending battle in the winter months. Depending on the severity, plows and flangers can do a good job winning the battle. […]
Trains News Wire continues our review of the top stories of 2022. We’ll count down the Top 10 stories of the year, as voted on by Trains editors, columnists, and correspondents, beginning Dec. 26. As a prelude, we’ll be looking at major stories that didn’t make that list. Today: Preservation. While some preservation stories did […]
CHICAGO — As predictions of high winds and subzero temperatures move east, Amtrak has cancelled all service on some regional and long-distance routes while maintaining reduced service on others. Amtrak had originally planned to maintain full service on Friday, Dec. 23, after projecting cancellations for Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday [see “Amtrak cancels Empire Builder, thins […]
A Santa Fe 4-8-4 powers a long string of new Santa Fe Refrigerator Department reefers near Winslow, Ariz., in the mid-1940s. Santa Fe photo […]
PHOENIX — Sky Harbor Airport is set to open a 2.5-mile extension to its Sky Train people mover on Tuesday, Dec. 20, the first addition to the route since 2014. The Arizona Republic reports the $745 million addition will connect the Sky Train to the airport’s off-site rental car center in 6 to 8 minutes, […]
The Menards Beta 4 Santa Fe locomotives are the latest version of the company’s foray into motive power. A year or so ago Menards tested the waters with a diesel locomotive in Santa Fe paint. Let’s take a look at this set and see what’s changed with this latest release. In this Beta 4 version, […]
The Menards Beta 4 Santa Fe locomotives are the latest version of the company’s foray into motive power. A year or so ago Menards tested the waters with a diesel locomotive in Santa Fe paint. Let’s take a look at this set and see what’s changed with this latest release. In this Beta 4 version, […]
BUFFALO, N.Y. — After a two-day hiatus while up to 6 feet of heavy lake-effect snow fell in Buffalo, Amtrak trains were moving again today (Sunday, Nov. 20) through western New York even as many area roads remained impassable. Meanwhile, with the Thanksgiving holiday — and its usual heavy ridership — approaching, operating obstacles cropped […]
FORT WORTH, Texas – Union Pacific’s Tower 55 in Forth Worth, which once controlled the busiest railroad junction in Texas, is being demolished this week. Demolition work began Nov. 14. Originally a wood structure, it was replaced by a three-story brick structure in the 1930s. As railroads expanded in Texas, several railroads reached Forth Worth. […]
Menards Santa Fe diesel program launched a little more than a year ago with its first beta test. The company has released several more iterations of its F units, which it markets as “Santa Fe Diesel Locomotive,” soliciting customer feedback. The latest iteration, beta 4.0, is an A-A set in Santa Fe’s “bluebonnet” paint scheme […]
A 1944 photo shows an eastbound Santa Fe freight on the horseshoe curve east of Welch, Ariz. FT diesel 126 (foreground) is on the head end; a steam helper (background) is shoving hard on the caboose. Charles W. Lindenberg photo […]
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — Ceremonies to mark a new workforce training center funded through a grant from Union Pacific are set for Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Dona Ana Community College in Sunland Park, near Santa Teresa, N.M., and El Paso, Texas. The ribbon-cutting will be held at 10 a.m. The Las Cruces Bulletin reports the Union […]
