Former LIRR FA2 awaits scrap in Northeast Ohio

Aerial view of locomotive

LIRR FA2 It’s an unusual sight — what looks almost like a diesel B unit, resting on the cold ground in an Ohio scrapyard. A closer look reveals that this wasn’t always a B unit — it had a cab at one point, removed with significantly greater care than any scrapyard could give. On its […]

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Tri-Rail sets date to launch long-planned service to downtown Miami

View from bridge of commuter train at station

MIAMI — South Florida’s Tri-Rail will launch its long-delayed service to and from Brightline’s downtown MiamiCentral station on Saturday, Jan. 13, the commuter rail operator announced today (Friday, Jan. 5). Service will begin as a shuttle between the Metrorail Transfer Station in Hialeah on the current Tri-Rail route and MiamiCentral. Tri-Rail is terming the first […]

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STB seeks nominees for new Passenger Rail Advisory Committee

Passenger train on curve next to tower

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board is seeking nominees for its newly formed Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, with nominations for the 18 positions due by Feb. 5. “The Board seeks to fill all PRAC positions with active and engaged transportation professionals to help us more fully understand the complexities of passenger rail issues,” STB Chairman […]

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An engineer’s life: Mojave Green

train on track with sun shining on one side

Mojave Subdivision You have heard me mention in a couple of previous stories that I’m proud to be qualified on three different mountain grades; Stampede Pass (former Northern Pacific), my home territory, Stevens Pass (Great Northern), and Tehachapi Pass (Southern Pacific/Santa Fe) on the Mojave Subdivision. How did I end up in southern California, far […]

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The 1,000th issue of ‘Trains’ Magazine

man with glasses holding issue of Trains

Trains Magazine (1940-today) At a chaotic time in history — World War II, atomic bombs, the birth of the Cold War — founder Al Kalmbach published the first issue of Trains Magazine. Many great things were happening in the 1940s alongside the many bad. For instance, the Slinky was also invented around this time. Trains […]

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