Bangor & Aroostook locomotives remembered

Six red, gray, and black diesel Bangor Aroostook locomotives on train in wilderness

Let’s celebrate the variety and color of Bangor & Aroostook locomotives! The Bangor & Aroostook didn’t purchase its first diesels (EMD F3s) until 1947, but dieselization then came quickly, with the last steam operations in 1949. The railroad kept its older diesels in good shape for a long time, supplanting them with GP38s in the […]

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News Photo: NJ Transit’s ‘Bluebird’ diesel

Two GP40 locomotives in heritage paint schemes

KEARNY, N.J. — NJ Transit has unveiled its newest heritage locomotive, GP40PH-2 No. 4101, repainted into the “Bluebird” paint scheme used by New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Commuter Operating Agency, a predecessor of the current transit agency. The locomotive is one of 13 3,000-hp EMD GP40P units specifically designed for the Central Railroad of New […]

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ENSCO to test Stadler equipment at Pueblo facility

Illustration of diesel multiple unit trainset

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — ENSCO Rail will conduct operational testing on new Stadler diesel multiple-unit trainsets at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., ENSCO has announced. The new trainsets are being built for Dallas Area Rapid Transit for its Silver Line (also known as the Cotton Belt Corridor), a 26-mile rail line from DFW Airport […]

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News photos: Metra unveils first SD70MACH (updated)

Three-quarter view of locomotive in shop building

CHICAGO — Metra has provided a sneak peek at the first of its new SD70MACH locomotives, providing photos Tuesday on its social media channels of locomotive No. 500 being unwrapped by shop personnel. The locomotive will also wear the newest Metra heritage paint scheme, honoring the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Regional Transportation […]

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City of San Francisco is the latest WalthersProto name train

Model train passing mountainous terrain during a sunset

City of San Francisco The City of San Francisco will be the next train in Walthers’ line of name trains. This offering will feature equipment from the various railroads that jointly operated this streamliner from Chicago to San Francisco, including Southern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Union Pacific, and Texas & New Orleans. Electro-Motive Division E9A and […]

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NJ Transit to spend $8 million to replace railcar windows

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit is planning to spend more than $8 million to replace windows on its bilevel passenger cars to address complaints about reduced visibility, NJ.com reports. While passengers often complain the windows are dirty, the problem is actually the use of a polycarbonate glazing which gradually clouds when exposed to ultraviolet rays, […]

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Bangor & Aroostook passenger trains

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Bangor & Aroostook passenger trains Bangor & Aroostook passenger trains: All through October 2022, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, heritage, spirit, and grit of the Bangor & Aroostook, also known as the BAR by some. Please enjoy this photo gallery first published in January 2016 from images selected from Kalmbach Media’s David P. […]

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Amtrak Wolverine to Chicago delayed more than 13 hours

Passenger train approaching grade crossing

CHICAGO — Some details have emerged from an ill-fated Friday, Oct. 7, trip of Amtrak Wolverine No. 351, the morning departure from Pontiac, Mich., which arrived in Chicago more than 13 hours late. The trip, scheduled for a trip of 5 hours, 49 minutes with a 10:32 a.m. arrival finally reached Chicago Union station at […]

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Advocacy group says MBTA Orange Line service is slower than before maintenance shutdown

People on station platform next to subway train

BOSTON — Service on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s rapid-transit Orange Line is slower than it was prior to a 30-day shutdown for major repairs, the Boston Herald reports, citing data from Boston-area advocacy group TransitMatters. Combined with service cuts reflecting the agency’s shortage of dispatchers — a response to directives from the Federal Transit […]

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BNSF’s new Sandpoint, Idaho, bridge nears opening

Front view of train crossing bridge with second bridge under construction at left

SANDPOINT, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s nearly mile-long second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint is now structurally complete and tracklaying has begun. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent says, “The new bridge will have trains operating over it by the end of November.” Initially, the second main will be laid from a point near the northwest […]

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Rail bridge linking Crimea and Russia damaged in major explosion

Train at arches on bridge in golden hour

The nearly 12-mile-long railway bridge connecting Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014, was seriously damaged Saturday, Oct. 8, by an explosion that destroyed part of the parallel road bridge. The explosion occurred just after 6 a.m. local time. The exact cause of the explosion remains unclear although it appears […]

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