Canadian National cowls: Where are they now?

red, black and white locomotive

Canadian National cowls Six-axle freight locomotives built with a cowl carbody are a rare design when looking at the overall quantity of models built for North American service. Compared to the thousands of GP9s, SD40-2s, and C44-9Ws built, no one cowl model exceeded 100 locomotives ordered. Canadian National ordered four of the six six-axle freight […]

Read More…

Amtrak combines Capitol Limited, Silver Star to create the new Floridian (updated)

Locomotive and caboose on display next to passenger station

WASHINGTON — Amtrak is temporarily combining the Capitol Limited and Silver Star trains to create the new Floridian. Amtrak says the change is due to the upcoming East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project in New York. During this project, one tunnel tube will be closed at a time, minimizing service impacts, maximizing construction access and modernizing the tunnel infrastructure to […]

Read More…

Soybean processing plant opens on Watco’s South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad

CHERRYVALE, Kan. – Bartlett, a Savage Company, is beginning operations at its new soybean processing plant in Cherryvale, Kan., which is served by Watco’s 458.7-mile South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad. The plant will handle up to 49 million bushels of soybeans annually, providing sustainable soy feedstocks for refined vegetable oil, animal feed and renewable transportation […]

Read More…

Five mind-blowing facts — Stilwell Oyster Car

Builder's photo of a railcar designed to carry oysters. Five mind-blowing facts — Stilwell oyster car

Combine culinary style of the late 1800s, the taste of one railroad magnate and the inspiration of another plus throw in a touch of crazy. The result is an attempt to satisfy a national craving for oysters. The old saying stands that necessity is the mother of invention. In this case, the need was finding […]

Read More…

Swiss Saga, Part 4: The Centovalli Railway

Two-car electric train on high bridge

PONTRESINA, Switzerland — On the home stretch now in this very busy trip. The groundwork has been done for all three of the features I plan to write, but I’m back in Rhätische Bahn territory this weekend. I’ll be spending a little time on the Bernina Line, which I did not get to on my […]

Read More…

Canadian National to move operations from Jasper

JASPER, Alberta — Canadian National plans to move operations from Jasper 60 miles east to Hinton, Canada’s Global News reports. A wildfire burned through Jasper in July 2024, burning about one-third of the city and displacing thousands of residents. Caught in the fire was CN’s crew bunkhouse, which the railroad has since rebuilt. On Monday, […]

Read More…

RTA to assume ownership of Detroit QLine streetcar

Advertising-wrapped blue streetcar on city street

  DETROIT – The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan will acquire ownership and control of the Detroit QLine streetcar, Detroit Free Press reports. The deal was approved on Sept. 19 and will be effective Oct. 1.   The QLine began as M-1 RAIL, a non-profit organization formed in 2007 to lead the design, construction, and […]

Read More…