BUTTE, Mont. – Turn off Harrison Ave. into the parking lot of the Butte Civic Center and there between the asphalt and the Town Pump gas station next door sits Northern Pacific No. 25, one of 13 2-8-0s built in 1899 by the Schenectady Locomotive Works for the railroad. No. 25 lugged freight and passenger […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Activist investor Ancora Holdings, which recently announced it had taken an increased stake in CSX, is increasing pressure on the railroad to pursue a merger. The hedge fund today released a letter it had sent to the CSX board on Aug. 6, saying the board “needs to announce in the near term […]
Refrigerated intermodal company C.R. England Trucking and transloading and logistics firm The Transload Group on Monday announced their support for the Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, citing the benefits of a transcontinental rail operator. The Salt Lake City-based C.R. England said it offered “strong support” for the merger, saying it believes the “coast-to-cost integration marks a […]
The Sail & Rail is a popular spot with sailors, railroaders, and dock workers on the south side of Milwaukee, Wis. Like many of the buildings on the late John Franzen’s 28 x 28-foot no. 1 gauge (1:29 and 1:24 proportion) layout, the corner tavern represents an actual Milwaukee business. William Zuback took the photo. […]
Light snow started falling in the middle of the afternoon and finally let up after everyone dwelling on Will Rothfuss’ compact O gauge layout went to sleep. Now with the sun about to rise over Stroudsburg, Pa., a newsboy prepares to sell copies of the morning express to travelers. The solitary man impatiently waiting for […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania Congressman says he has been told that Amtrak’s Keystone Service — the Harrisburg-Philadelphia-New York route offering 13 weekday round trips — could be in jeopardy if state legislators don’t address the funding crisis that has the Southeastern Regional Transportation Authority planning major service cuts. The online news site Pennsylvania Capital-Star […]
BAY SAINT LOUIS, Miss. — Perhaps no community along Amtrak’s Mardi Gras route has been more enthusiastic about the launch of the two daily round trips than townspeople at the first stop east of New Orleans. So on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, the first day of revenue service, it was not surprising a crowd showed […]
Lionel Trains continued celebrating their 125th anniversary with the release of their Volume 2 catalog in mid July. First, an interesting note: the second Lionel catalog has typically been called Volume 2. This one was called “July Release.” I wonder if there will be another catalog release before the end of the year? Stay […]
ENFIELD, N.C. — Some Amtrak cancellations will continue today (Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025) following the Sunday evening derailment of a CSX coal train near Enfield, but a majority of the trains cancelled Monday will operate as scheduled. According to the Amtrak Alerts social media feed, trains that will not operate today are both directions of […]
CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has acquired former Conemaugh & Black Lick Railroad SW7 locomotive No. 111, a fully functional EMD end-cab switcher which the railroad plans to use on some of its seasonal excursion trains. The locomotive built in 1949 is the last of 25 such locomotives that served the railroad […]
MEXICO CITY — Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize plan to create a working group to study the creation of rail connections between the three nations, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday. The plans were announced following a Friday, Aug. 15, meeting between Sheinbuam, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and Belizean Prime Minister John Briceño. The business news […]
LOS ANGELES — Tom Schamber has been named as chief financial officer of Los Angeles-area commuter rail operator Metrolink. The appointment, announced Monday, Aug. 18, is effective immediately. Schamber, who has more almost three decades of management experience in accouting, audit, and financial operations, has been with Metrolink since 2016 and has led the financial […]
