CHICAGO — Preliminary figures for the first month of Amtrak’s state-supported Borealis show the train is averaging about 300 passengers each way daily, or more than 18,500 people in the first month, according to Amtrak. The second train on the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul portion of the route also served by the Empire Builder launched on May […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Against the backdrop of a long, busy, and hot holiday weekend, it was business as usual for Grand Canyon Railway No. 4960. The 2-8-2 Mikado-type led a July 6 round trip from Williams to the national park’s South Rim as part of the railway’s “First Saturday” steam excursion. Coinciding with the Fourth […]
MELROSE PARK, Ill. — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death of a Union Pacific railroader who was fatally injured in Proviso Yard over the weekend. WFLD-TV reports that the worker has been identified by the Cook County coroner as 27-year-old Justin Pender. “Preliminary information indicates on July 6, at approximately 1:59 a.m. […]
Union Pacific and BNSF Railway shut down their operations in the Houston area Sunday in preparation for Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall today (Monday, July 8) as a Category 1 storm. Beryl, which was downgraded to a tropical storm this morning, came ashore at Matagorda, Texas, about 90 miles southwest of Houston. Beryl is expected […]
CHICAGO — A series of hearings to consider the future of public transit in the Chicago area — including a proposal to merge the four boards overseeing three transit systems and the umbrella agency overseeing them — is set to begin Tuesday in Chicago. The six hearings of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee have been […]
How fast ya’ going? The legendary John Luther “Casey” Jones forever linked the heroic railroad engineer with speed. He was the lone casualty when his train crashed in an attempt to get his “Cannonball” back on schedule. For the most part, steam engines lacked speedometers. Skill and a trusted pocket watch worked aptly for safe […]
GIBBON, Neb. — Approximately 15 cars of a Union Pacific coal train derailed today (Sunday, July 7) in Gibbon, KGFW Radio reports. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office about 2:24 a.m., according to KVRN Radio, and occurred at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Pawnee Road […]
BORDULAC, N.D. — The fire at the site of a CPKC derailment in North Dakota has mostly been extinguished, with cleanup and infrastructure repair work continuing today (Sunday, July 7). KFGO Radio reports first responders remain on scene as the fire occasionally flairs up as the derailed railcars are moved. The process is now underway […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak service on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and New York City was restored as of about 9 p.m. Saturday night, the passenger operator announced late Saturday evening. The company says the preliminary cause is a lightning strike that disrupted power. Normal operations are planned for today except for three early trains […]
Amtrak’s Keystone and Pennsylvanian One of the most famous passenger routes in the East is the former Pennsylvania Railroad trunk between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, known for hosting the New York-Chicago Broadway Limited. I’m a big fan of this route, known as the Main Line. The name stems from the original transportation corridor, the Main Line […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak service between New York City and Boston was cancelled for the remainder of today (Saturday, July 6) as of mid-afternoon because of “an ongoing electric power issue,” the passenger operator said in a service alert on its website posted at 5:50 p.m. ET. An earlier notification indicated that the problem was […]
On Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Union Pacific No. 4014 departed Rock Springs, Wyo., bound for Evanston. This would be the third operating day of almost a month as part of what UP calls its “Westward Bound Tour.” The first two days, from Cheyenne to Rock Springs, found the Big Boy operating on the main line […]
