Action may be required on your Trains.com account in order to continue accessing content. Click here to learn more.
CORINTH, N.Y. — The Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway has introduced its newest piece of equipment, a flatcar that proved to have an extensive and significant history. SC&H car No. 16151 was unveiled on June 3 for the Alco Historical & Technical Society’s annual “Alco Adventure” day. During restoration for use as an open-air excursion […]
WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads on Tuesday issued a report calling for government policies it says can address climate change through “economically grounded solutions” as a partnership with the rail industry. The nine-page white paper report, “Freight Railroads & Climate Change: Reducing Emissions, Enhancing Resiliency,” says policies “must leverage market-based competition, be grounded […]
PITTSBURGH — Metro-North Railroad and Portland’s Tri-Met each were honored twice when the American Public Transportation Association announced its 2023 Rail Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Awards on Teusday. The awards recognize transit organizations for innovative and proactive safety and security programs, and beginning this year include a category to recognize excellence in the management […]
PHILADELPHIA — The three SEPTA Regional Rail Lines most closely paralleling Interstate 95 saw a 12% increase in ridership on Monday, the first day the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority offered increased service and capacity following Sunday’s collapse of a bridge on I-95. WHYY Radio reports ridership on the Trenton, West Trenton, and Fox Chase lines […]
AMSTERDAM — Despite objections from international high speed rail operator Eurostar and passenger groups, the Dutch government has agreed to a plan by state-owned infrastructure operator ProRail to suspend all Eurostar services in the Netherlands for up to a year beginning next summer. Separately, Eurostar has also dropped its service between London and Disneyland Paris. […]
CHICAGO — A trio of recent Union Pacific agreements with rail labor unions, combined with ongoing volume and expense challenges, likely will make the railroad’s operating ratio rise this year. Previously UP expected the operating ratio to improve this year compared to 2022’s 60.1%. Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Hamann, speaking at an investor conference today, […]
NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — BP’s Whiting Refinery in Whiting, Ind., has donated a sanding tower once used by the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern to the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, solving the museum’s problem in sanding four larger locomotives recently added to its collection. The tower had been built in 1954. Museum member John Eagan contacted […]
ABILENE, Kan. — Santa Fe steam locomotive No. 3415 officially debuted for its 2023 operating season on June 10, heading the regular excursion and dinner trains on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad. This comes after the railroad’s 104-year-old 4-6-2 was temporarily sidelined right before the Memorial Day weekend due to unforeseen repairs needing to […]
The story of Mad Dog and the volcano starts on March 20, 1980. At 3:47 p.m. on that day, Mount St. Helens rumbled to life with an earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale. It was mostly unnoticed. Earthquakes often occur in Washington State, most are light enough not to be felt. Within a week […]
SACRAMENTO — California legislators have agreed to a deal that would provide more than $3 billion to aid state transit agencies such as Caltrain and Bay Area Rapid Transit that say they are facing a “fiscal cliff”as a result of low ridership since the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The deal would […]
ORANGE, Calif. — The Orange County Transportation Authority board has declared an emergency as a result of ongoing landslide issues in San Clemente, Calif., a move the board says will allow agency CEO Darrell E. Johnson to take steps to protect the rail line below the unstable hillside. That will likely mean design and construction […]
Helper locomotives Helper locomotives are an essential part of modern railroading. It is an additional locomotive (or locomotives) added to a train in order to provide sufficient horsepower when the train is working through steep inclines (or grades), or must keep up a specific speed. Many routes with stiff grades will have specifically designated “helper […]
