JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail Co. has completed its acquisition of Denver-based Pioneer Lines, nearly doubling the company’s short line operations. The transaction closed Wednesday following regulatory approval, Patriot said. It will expand the company from 16 to 31 railroads, with operations in 23 states. “We are pleased to bring Pioneer Lines railroads into Patriot […]
WASHINGTON – The National Industrial Transportation League, the largest and oldest group of rail shippers, has asked congressional leaders to prevent a railroad strike or lockout that could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, the Class I railroads today reached a tentative agreement with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU, […]
The 310-page book Narrow Gauge in the Tropics is a thorough examination of the railroads in the tropical islands of the Dutch or Netherlands East Indies, capturing the story behind the first railroad in Java where construction began in 1864. Java is the most populous and economically developed of the thousands of the Indian archipelago. […]
TILDEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man on his way to work at a fast-food restaurant has been charged with risking a catastrophe after allegedly tampering with a Reading & Northern railroad crossing signal, the Reading Eagle reports in a paywalled article. The article was also posted on the Tilden Township police Facebook page. Ryan M. […]
Four events highlight the history of the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway: two spectacular accidents, a visiting steam locomotive, and a murder. Remarkable is that the TP&W rebounded from the negative incidents to last through 1983, when it was merged into the Santa Fe Railway. After three years, though, Santa Fe wanted out, and the […]
Working mountain Alco locomotives: Nestled in the wide rolling hills on the western edge of New York’s Southern Tier lies the formerly two-railroad town of Olean, N.Y. A quaint, unsuspecting town of 13,000 residents located along the placid Allegheny River was once a railfanning destination, that is — until the formation of Conrail. Dozens of […]
BRANDON, Manitoba – Alberta’s provincial pension fund will acquire Cando Rail & Terminals from a Canadian private equity firm. Cando, which operates more than 40 industrial switching facilities, nine owned terminals, and one short line, experienced rapid growth while under the control of TorQuest Partners. The deal, announced today (July 20), is the latest in […]
WASHINGTON – The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad family is growing. Next month the New York state railroad will acquire a controlling interest in neighboring short line Ontario Midland Railroad, it said in a July 13 filing with the Surface Transportation Board. Ontario Midland operates 47 miles of trackage east of Rochester, N.Y., and connects […]
Belt Railway of Chicago locomotives: I recently photographed an ex-Belt Railway of Chiacgo Alco in, of all places, Olean, N.Y., on the Western New York & Pennsylvania. That old Alco and I go back to the mid 1980ss when I first laid eyes on her and a stable of other exotic beasts at BRC’s Clearing […]
SANTA PAULA, Calif. — After departing Fillmore in a disagreement over use of a city-owned rail yard there, the Sierra Northern Railway, Ventura Division, has moved its operational headquarters some 9 miles west to the former Santa Paula Hay and Grain facility on 12th Street in Santa Paula. The move was effective as of July […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration on Thursday announced more than $368 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program funds to 46 projects in 32 states and the District of Columbia. The grants were awarded to passenger and freight projects, as well as several technology and safety development programs. The Bipartisan […]
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has pushed back the start of its excursion season by nearly three weeks due to extreme wildfire danger. The 64-mile steam-powered narrow gauge railroad, owned by the states of New Mexico and Colorado, now aims to begin its season on July 1 rather than the previously scheduled June 11 […]
