Michigan City OKs eminent domain to acquire land for South Shore project The city council of Michigan City, Ind., is moving forward on eminent domain proceedings to complete the land acquisition needed for the South Shore Line’s Double Track project, which will drastically remake the single-track street running in the community that is a unique […]
John Gohmann, owner of the Minnesota Commercial Railroad — a notable early success story in the shortline industry that developed in the wake of Staggers Act deregulation — has died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Libertyville, Ill. He was 73. Gohmann began his railroad career as a yard clerk for the Chicago & […]
The layout at a glance Name: Midwest Lines Layout owner: Rolf Plachter Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 33 x 52 feet Prototype: freelanced, inspired by Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Rock Island; and Union Pacific Locale: Denver to Milwaukee Era: mid-1960s Style: around-the-walls Mainline run: 400 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 2 […]
Metra adds second bike car to Milwaukee North line Chicago’s Metra has introduced a second bike car on the Milwaukee North Line, expanding the program to offer bike car service on 14 weekday trains and eight on weekends. The bike cars, with a distinctive blue and gray paint scheme, can accommodate 16 bicycles rather than […]
Minneapolis & St. Louis 2-6-0 330 is at Story City, Iowa, on March 9, 1944, with the triweekly mixed train from Marshalltown. Story City was at the end of a 38-mile branch line. Photo by William F. Armstrong […]
FBI seeks man who fired rifle on Metra platform The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking a man who allegedly fired a rifle on the Metra platform at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. The FBI website report on the incident includes video showing a man removing a collapsible rifle from a backpack and firing one […]
Amtrak, Metra propose schedule to STB for Union Station dispute; will provide information on remaining issues Dec. 15 Attorneys for Amtrak and Metra will inform the Surface Transportation Board on Dec. 15 of unresolved issues in their dispute over Metra’s lease at Chicago Union Station under a proposed schedule to address those issues presented to […]
Ann Arbor Railroad photographs are among the tens of thousands housed in the David P. Morgan Library at Kalmbach Media. This week’s selection highlights the short and fairly short distance passenger trains that zipped across the Ann Arbor’s lines. Please enjoy this gallery, only from Classic Trains! […]
Suspect charged for allegedly firing rifle on Metra platform A suspect has been charged with three felonies after allegedly firing a rifle on the platform of the McCormick Place station on the Metra Electric line earlier this month. In a press release, Metra reports Shawn A. Kimbrough, 40, of Chicago was charged with aggravated unlawful […]
Amtrak, Metra end mediation; Union Station dispute to return to STB Mediation of Amtrak’s dispute with Metra over Metra’s lease at Chicago Union Station has ended with some issues still unresolved. In a letter to the Surface Transportation Board, representatives of STB and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service said the two parties had met nine […]
A stalled train ahead has halted the GP7s and reefers of Illinois Central hotshot CC-6 in western Illinois, enabling the photographer to get this picture. He was riding the Council Bluffs–Chicago train on the road’s Iowa Division for a story in Trains magazine. Photo by William D. Middleton […]
Additional Monday rail news: Metra extends sale of $10 one-day pass Metra is extending sale of its $10 All-Day Pass through Jan. 31, 2020. The pass, introduced June 1, allows unlimited Metra rides on a given day through 3 a.m. the following morning, and in most cases is less than the cost of two one-way […]
