SANTA MARIA, Calif. – OmniTRAX has entered into a joint venture for the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, which becomes the short line holding company’s 29th rail operation. Located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the SMV provides Central Coast Valley commercial and agricultural customers a connection to Union Pacific. The acquisition is a joint venture […]
CHICAGO — For most of Wednesday’s annual presentation to Northwestern University’s Sandhouse Rail Group, representatives of Metra and Northern Indiana Commuter Rail District, or South Shore Line, were able to highlight a string of positive accomplishments and coming attractions. But the tone changed dramatically as the session at Metra headquarters wound down, as someone asked […]
ROANOKE, Va. — After almost 45 years at its current location, the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is moving its collecting of historic equipment to a new location. The chapter has purchased a 16-acre site, the former Virginia Scrap Iron & Metal property in Norwich, from OmniSource LLC of Fort Wayne, Ind. […]
NEWPORT, Tenn. — Norfolk Southern is set to begin replacing a collapsed bridge today (March 12) on its line between Newport and Asheville, N.C., and should reopen the route closed by Hurricane Helene by the end of the month. New spans for the bridge across the Pigeon River in Newport will be placed today, Blue […]
NEW YORK — Yet another proposal has emerged for New York’s Penn Station, this one calling for relocation of Madison Square Garden to allow for expansion of the station and creation of a major train hall and park. The New York Times reports the plan from the Grand Penn Community Alliance would build a new […]
JUNEAU, Alaska — An Alaska state legislator has reintroduced a bill that would require the state to sell the Alaska Railroad. House Bill 120 was introduced late last month by Rep. Kevin McCabe (R-Big Lake). It would require the state’s governor to request proposals to purchase the railroad and related assets by June 15, 2026, […]
Q: I’m setting up a model railroad on a 6 x 12-foot table. The layout will use Digital Command Control. What would be the best wire size(s) to use on the layout? — Greg Kurtz A: Two considerations when selecting the right wire size, Greg: First, that doesn’t involve long bus-wire lengths, so No. 14 […]
Menards continues to add to their line of industrial structures. A little more than a year ago, they introduced Sooty’s Coal Tipple, and have now added an O gauge Sooty’s Mine Shaft to the lineup. Shaft mining is a method of excavation that accesses an ore deposit from the top down. The term “shaft” refers […]
NEW YORK — CSX is moving more tonnage on fewer trains this year as part of a significant reduction in the number of road train crew starts. The 10% decline in coal volume this year has contributed to the reduction, Chief Financial Officer Sean Pelkey told an investor conference today. “But there’s a significant amount […]
FRIEDENS, Pa. — Two crew members and the truck driver were injured after a coal truck struck and derailed the locomotives of a CSX train sat a grade crossing in Somerset Township on Monday (March 10). WTAE-TV reports the truck caught fire following the collision. WTAJ reports a locomotive fuel tank was ruptured, leaking fuel […]
PALESTINE, Texas — Union Pacific on Monday notified employees at its Palestine, Texas, car shop that their current jobs would be eliminated following the latest ruling in a long-running court battle over an agreement dating to 1872. The Dallas Morning News reports the railroad notified the 57 employees it would close the shop after the […]
CHICAGO — Metra has begun a rider survey over renaming its lines from their current names — which largely are derived from their historic operators — to one of two alphanumeric systems, one of which also uses color coding to a significant degree. The move is spurred by Metra’s upcoming operational takeover of the three […]
