CSX Santa Train will not run for third straight year

Business car at end of train crossing bridge

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — For the third year in a row, the CSX Santa Train, a legacy of predecessor Clinchfield Railroad, will be sidelined — this time because of staffing and supply-chain issues. The Kingsport Times News reports the 110-mile trip from Kentucky to Kingsport will miss what would have been its 80th anniversary edition. As […]

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Carload Considerations: The short-haul hustle

Blue locomotive with white nose stripes pulling hopper cars through woods

CHICAGO — Railroads have an advantage over trucks when customers’ shipments have to travel a great distance. Long-haul business is preferred by railroads, aligning with the industry’s focus of moving carloads across the network as efficiently as possible on fewer, longer trains. Shorter moves require the same amount of switching, but don’t necessarily produce the […]

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Superliner dining on Amtrak

Amtrak Empire Dining

A significant part of the Amtrak long-distance service centers around the onboard dining experience. Rightfully so, as there’s nothing better than enjoying a good meal paired with stunning scenery! When traveling on Amtrak’s premier long-distance trains, sleeping car passengers are provided with complimentary meals in the dining car, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Amtrak’s website […]

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Amtrak Superliner roomettes adventure

When riding aboard an Amtrak long-distance train, you’ll find that reserving a sleeping car accommodation is a great way to make your trek more relaxing and enjoyable! The most economical of sleeping car options is a Superliner Roomette. By day, this space features two facing seats. By night, a Roomette converts into two berths, an […]

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Fuel freight trains to be given priority in Germany

Black electric locomotive hauling unit train of black coal hoppers

German rail network operators will be able to override existing contracts to prioritize the transport of oil and coal for power generation — potentially delaying passenger and other freight service — under a draft emergency law published last week by the German government. The rule also covers moves of heavy equipment, such as transformers, needed […]

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Fourteen states and five steaks on Amtrak

Amtrak diesel engine in front of freight train at night

Fourteen states on Amtrak I’ve been riding on trains since I was 2 years old. Although those trips were short and on scenic railroads, my love for trains increased as I got older. From watching high-speed Acela and Northeast Regional trainsets fly by while visiting the Northeast Corridor to watching videos of the stunning views […]

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SEPTA opens new station, introduces new Regional Rail schedules

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has begun service to its newest Regional Rail Station, at the same time it has introduced new schedules. The new Wawa Station at 1490 W. Baltimore Pike in Media, Pa., is the southwestern endpoint of what is now the Media/Wawa line (formerly Media/Elwyn), and carries the […]

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News photos: Reading & Northern 4-8-4 sees freight action

Steam locomotive passing "North Reading Junction" sign with freight train

READING, Pa. — As promised, Reading & Northern’s restored Reading Co. T-1 4-8-4, No. 2102, saw action in freight service on Friday, Aug. 19, hauling a 28-car train (plus caboose) from Tamaqua to Reading after a light-engine move from Port Clinton, Pa., to Tamaqua. Photographer Gary Pancavage provides two shots of the action. […]

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FRA looking into Southern California tank car incident

Aerial view of tank cars

PERRIS, Calif. — The Federal Railroad Administration is investigating last week’s incident involving a leaking tank car that led to evacuations and closure of an interstate highway for about a day. The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports the FRA’s Hazards Materials Division will look at preparation and loading of the tank car, the car’s move from origin […]

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