Santa Fe hi-level lounge acquired by Arizona museum

Former Santa Fe high-level passenger car

CHANDLER, Ariz. — The Arizona Railway Museum has acquired former Santa Fe hi-level lounge No. 576. The car arrived at the museum last month Six hi-level lounge cars with curved glass roofs were built for Santa Fe by Budd in 1956. They were numbered 575–580 and operated on the all-coach El Capitan streamliner between Chicago […]

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Equipment shortage causes 4-hour delay for ‘Pennsylvanian’

Electric and diesel locomotive on passenger train at station

HARRISBURG, Pa. – A locomotive shortage over the weekend caused Amtrak’s westbound Pennsylvanian from New York to run more than four hours late on its 444-mile trip to Pittsburgh. On Saturday (March 11), the seven-car train No. 43 left Manhattan’s Penn Station Moynihan Train Hall on time behind an ACS-64 electric locomotive as usual, changing […]

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Amtrak launches Silver Star traditional dining ‘pilot’

Passenger cars on bridge

WASHINGTON — Beginning with the northbound Silver Star of today (Wednesday, March 15), and the southbound train on Friday, March 17, Amtrak is returning full dining car meals to the Star’s Viewliner II diner. It will be the train’s first such food service since “traditional dining” was replaced by “flexible” meals in a bowl on […]

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Amtrak, Southern Rail Commission welcome news of CP-KCS merger

Canadian Pacific freight train meets Amtrak train

WASHINGTON — The merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern may be a union of two freight railroads, but it is likely to matter for passenger railroading, as well. Amtrak had formally supported the railroads’ merger application before the Surface Transportation Board. That reflected CP’s backing for passenger operations between New Orleans and Baton […]

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Metra, Chicago suburbs see few concerns addressed in merger decision

People walk across railroad tracks as trains meet in background

WASHINGTON — Commuter rail operator Metra and a group of Chicago suburbs received few of the conditions they had sought when the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger was approved on Wednesday. But that doesn’t mean their concerns couldn’t be addressed later, Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman said during a Wednesday press conference, thanks […]

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CB&Q Hudson with the ‘Empire Builder’

In April 1943, Burlington Route 4-6-4 No. 4000 enters Chicago Union Station with Great Northern’s Empire Builder, which has used CB&Q rails from the Twin Cities. Hudson 4000 was once streamlined to pinch-hit for diesels on the stainless-steel Zephyrs. Classic Trains collection […]

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BC government to fund further study of Vancouver Island rail line; some land to be returned to First Nations group

ENRDCsJohnston

VICTORIA, British Columbia — The British Columbia government will spend C$18 million on planning for a possible resurrection of rail service on the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo line on Vancouver Island, beating by a day a court-ordered deadline to declare intentions for the long-dormant rail line but pushing an ultimate decision farther into the future. […]

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