Clean up your 2400-series Lionel passenger cars

Lionel 2400 passenger cars catalog image

The 2400-series Lionel passenger cars have always been popular with operators and collectors. In the postwar era the plastic streamliners have been run in green with yellow trim, yellow with red trim, and silver with black trim and gray roofs. Q: I bought a great set of 2400-series Lionel passenger cars. They look fine and […]

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FTA involved in investigation of SEPTA accidents: news report

Aerial view of derailed light-rail vehicle with one end inside stone building

PHILADELPHIA — The Federal Transit Administration will play a part in the investigation of a recent rash of incidents involving Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolleys and buses, WTXF-TV reports. SEPTA vehicles were involved in five incidents in a week in late July, including a collision of two buses that killed a 72-year-old woman and an […]

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The Lionel No. 2055 Hudson

Lionel No. 2055 Hudson

The Lionel No. 2055 Hudson was prominent in the parade of 4-6-4 steam engines in O-27 outfits from 1950-56. Others in that notable group, including the 2046, 2056, and 2065, thrilled the many kids who received freight and passenger outfits at the peak of the postwar era. When the editorial staff of Classic Toy Trains […]

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MBTA reaches deal with largest union

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has reached a new labor agreement with its largest union, affecting more than 6,000 workers including bus and train operators. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Carmen’s Amalgamated Transit Union Local 589 announced the agreement on Wednesday. WBUR reports it will provide an 18% wage increase over four […]

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MTA chooses consultant for Interborough Express environmental review

Illustration of light rail station

NEW YORK — Consultant WSP USA will perform the environmental review for the Interborough Express, the proposed 14-mile light rail line in Brooklyn and Queens which will use the right-of-way of Long Island Rail Road’s Bay Ridge Branch for a route connecting 17 subway lines and LIRR commuter rail service. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority also […]

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Montreal light rail sees 25,000 trips on first day

Light rail train on bridge over freight yard

MONTREAL — About 25,000 trips were taken on Monday’s first day of paid service for the Réseau express métropolitain light rail service, REM officials said Tuesday. That was despite two incidents that stopped service during Monday’s peak morning commute for more than an hour [see “Montreal’s REM experiences bumpy first day,” Trains News Wire, Aug. […]

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Metra to add to Electric line’s Blue Island Branch schedule

Electric bilevel cars approach statement

CHICAGO — Metra will add four trains — two daily round trips — the weekday schedule for the Metra Electric District’s Blue Island Branch as of Aug. 14, the commuter operator announced Tuesday. Those trains, and adjustments to the current 18 daily trains on the branch, will also address ridership trends and service gaps to […]

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Return of Ottawa light rail pushed back to Aug. 14

Red and white light rail train in station

OTTAWA — Reopening of Ottawa’s light rail Confederation Line has been pushed back yet again, with Aug. 14 as the new date for the resumption of service. But the Ottawa Citizen reports that Renée Amilcar, the city’s transit services general manager, stressed that is an early estimate and subject to change, saying, “We continue to […]

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Amtrak Floridian service remembered

Red-and-black diesel locomotive with Amtrak Floridian passenger train in street

Amtrak Floridian service provided direct service between Florida and the Midwest for almost a decade. The train was first known as the South Wind, a name inherited from predecessors Pennsylvania Railroad, Louisville & Nashville, and Seaboard Coast Line. With the issuance of Amtrak’s first in-house timetable on Nov. 14, 1971, the name was changed to […]

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Montreal’s REM experiences bumpy first day

Two green-and-white light rail trains meet on tracks in center divider of highway

MONTREAL — Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain light rail line experienced a problematic start to regular operations on Monday, as service was halted for more than an hour during the morning rush hour because of a pair of issues. The line was shut down from 8 a.m. until about 9:15 a.m. because of a track issue […]

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FTA funds address disaster recovery for transit agencies

Federal Transit Administration logo

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration will provide $102.3 million in funding to help transit agencies, cities, and councils recover from recent natural disasters, the agency announced Monday. The funding, to entities in eight states and territories, comes from the FTA’s Public Transportation Emergency Relief program. It helps fund replacement of equipment and facilities damaged […]

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