Railcar movers Railcar movers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but when it comes down to it, they all do the same thing; move railroad locomotives and cars. While many consider such contraptions sacrilege, equipped with rubber tires as well as steel wheels, an experienced operator can move equipment around many times faster, […]
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A broken wheel is the likely cause of last week’s derailment in the Gotthard Base Tunnel, public broadcaster SRF reported Sunday, citing information from the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB). A Google translation of the SRF report says automatic equipment showed the train was “sound” as it entered the 35.5-mile tunnel from the south […]
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SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s light rail No. 1 Line will see significant service disruptions through a seven-station stretch between downtown and the SoDo area this week as workers a section of sinking track related to soil conditions. Work began over the weekend, with rail service halted Saturday and Sunday and replaced by shuttle buses between […]
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OTTAWA, Ontario — Twenty-eight days after service was abruptly halted, Ottawa’s light rail Confederation Line light rail was slated to resume operation today at 5 a.m. EDT, using shorter trainsets while work continues to address axle bearing issues. CTV News reports plans call for 11 single-car trains to provide service on 5-minute headways over the […]
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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said this week it has been in “sustained compliance” with policy changes addressing time off and scheduling for workers at the Operations Control Center for its rail transit system, closing out directives issued by the Federal Transit Administration last year. The MBTA moves ensure that dispatching employees have […]
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WASHINGTON — The independent organization that oversees DC Metrorail safety issues says the rail transit system is not yet ready to return to the use of its automated operating system. WRC-TV reports that the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission observed significant issues during recent overnight testing of Automatic Train Operation, which has been disabled on the […]
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NEW YORK — A misaligned switch — incorrectly shown to dispatchers as being correctly aligned for a straight-ahead move — was the cause of last week’s derailment of a Long Island Rail Road train at Hall Interlocking in Queens, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said today (Aug. 11). Thirteen people were injured, two seriously, in the […]
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Railfanning in North Dakota North Dakota is usually synonymous with the high plains of flat, rolling fields of wheat, corn, and soybeans, not railroad infrastructure such as bridges. One may be surprised that in a few places around the state, railroads required impressive bridges to cross wide river valleys and coulees. These structures were constructed […]
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STUART, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard has issued new rules for a Florida East Coast Railway drawbridge, removing a requirement to open the bridge for up to 15 minutes twice each daylight hour and striking a compromise between boating and rail traffic. The change is crucial for the planned start of Brightline passenger service […]
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THOMASTON, Conn. — Former 20th Century Limited observation car Hickory Creek and New York Central tavern-lounge car No. 43 will return to Connecticut’s Naugatuck Railroad for a series of upcoming holiday excursions including this year’s Northern Lights Limited and Santa Express trips. Tickets for those trips are now on sale; information is available at the […]
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WASHINGTON — In the wake of the East Palestine derailment, U.S. Class I railroads pledged to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System, which allows employees to report near accidents and other safety violations. But the New York Times reports that five months later, the railroads have not yet done so and […]
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COURTENAY, British Columbia — An effort to launch a class-action lawsuit against CPKC, Canadian National Railway, and other parties over the wildfire that destroyed the Village of Lytton, B.C., in 2021 was turned down Wednesday by the British Columbia Supreme Court. But the Vancouver Sun reports Chief Justice Christopher E. Hickson left room for the […]
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