Baldwin diesel locomotives history Established in the 1830s, Philadelphia’s Baldwin Locomotive Works was one of America’s oldest and largest locomotive builders. Baldwin steam engines were known for their high quality and good looks. But many of its internal combustion efforts could be classified as “diesels that didn’t.” Along with fellow steam builders Alco and Lima, […]
All through October, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the gritty, coal-hauling, Pennsylvania-based Reading Company railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Reading freight trains selected from the image archives of Kalmbach Media‘s David P. Morgan Library. Reading Company, as a railroad, disappeared into Conrail more than 40 years ago. But it is still possible to […]
PHILADELPHIA — A union representing about 5,000 employees of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has authorized a strike if current contract negotiations break down. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports about 1,000 members of Transport Workers Union Local 234, the largest union for SEPTA employees, authorized the strike on a voice vote Sunday morning. The union’s current […]
WASHINGTON — DC Metrorail operations will remain limited at least through the remainder of this week, as the agency continues to deal with an equipment shortage triggered by the sidelining of its 7000-series railcars. The Washington Post reports Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager Paul J. Wiedefield said Friday the current reduced service levels […]
BALTIMORE — Officials from Amtrak, the city of Baltimore, and the state of Maryland held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to mark the start of a $150 million project to redevelop Baltimore Penn station, which will see the structure turned into a mixed-use development including office, retail, and residential and hotel space. WYPR-FM reports Amtrak President […]
BOSTON — A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority conductor is suing the operator of MBTA commuter trains, saying a defective door caused the partial amputation of one finger. The Quincy (Mass.) Patriot Ledger reports the suit by Quincy resident Allen Chin is one of eight against contract commuter operator Keolis over the last six years over […]
PERRYVILLE, Md. — Amtrak’s first two Siemens ALC42 Charger long-distance locomotives, No. 300, in the interim “Phase VI” paint scheme, and No. 301, in the “Day One” scheme, are pulled through Perryville by an ACS64 on Thursday, in a deadhead move from Amtrak’s Wilmington, Del., shops to Washington. From there, they are reportedly headed to […]
WHIPPANY, N.J. — A well-known artifact of 1960s and 1970s tourist railroading has been restored to its appearance from that era. Whippany Railway Museum’s 1907 Baldwin-built Southern Railway Class H4 2-8-0 No. 385 has been repainted into the green and gold scheme it wore for the Morris County Central tourist railroad 50 years ago. The […]
How did you get started in the hobby? I received an HO scale model kit of a steam locomotive for Christmas when I was 14 years old. I had fun following the instructions, then building a railway to run it on. I also liked building outdoor villages with buildings and roads with toy cars and real […]
NEW YORK — Two New York City commissioners are joining the Metropolitan Transportation Authority as part of a reorganization that will reduce the number of people reporting directly to the CEO, at the same time the agency does away with its transformation plan. Politico reports Lisette Camillo, commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, […]
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Monday received a flurry of last-minute comments regarding CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. The filings – from federal and state transportation officials, Norfolk Southern, and Genesee & Wyoming – were submitted on the deadline to respond to comments already made to the Surface Transportation Board […]
WASHINGTON — The DC Metrorail train that derailed Oct. 12, stranding passengers in a tunnel near Arlington National Cemetery, had derailed twice before that day, the National Transportation Safety Board said Monday, and other cars in the same order had been involved in 31 failures since 2017. The Washington Post reports that inspections last week […]
