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COATICOOK, Quebec — More than 60 political and business representatives from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border packed the former Coaticook railway station, now a craft brewery, this week to plead for a new night train between Montreal and Boston. Francois Pepin, a retired network planner with Montreal’s transit agency, Société de transport de Montréal […]
CHICAGO — Metra operated a passenger special Saturday, Sept. 3, for members of the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners from Chicago Union Station and return, operating on Metra’s Milwaukee West and Milwaukee North lines. The train’s route took it to Elgin, Ill., on Metra’s Milwaukee West line. The special then retraced most of […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has approved an $811 million contract for new light rail vehicles to be built by CAF USA, the American affiliate of Spanish rail equipment manufacturer CAF (Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles). A CAF news release says the order will be for 102 vehicles, two driving simulators, parts, tools, […]
AUBURN, Maine — An Aug. 25 hearing before a Maine Department of Transportation advisory council heard conflicting proposals to use 25 miles of idle state-owned tracks for a Portland-Auburn commuter rail system, or to remove those tracks to create a trail. Meanwhile, a Canadian-based organization, the Night Trains Foundation, has suggested yet another use: as […]
Lionel’s 1926 Cardinals Train Set was kind of hidden in the pages of the 2021 Lionel Volume I “Big Book” behind the re-release of the 2-10-10-2; the Mohawks and Camelbacks; the Acela sets; and the Asa Packer, New Hope & Ivyland consists. It’s a high-end Legacy outfit that features a newly cataloged 4-6-2 Pacific steam […]
Passenger car fluting style references Passenger car fluting style references: Looking for a certain article or video? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a […]
The 20th century saw a dramatic increase in railroad labor productivity. In 1916, the peak year for U.S. Class I railroad route-miles, those 100-plus carriers employed 1,559,158 people. If we assume 85 percent of those employees, or 1,325,284, were allocated to freight traffic — which totaled almost 339 billion ton-miles — this works out to […]
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Rides on Virginia Railway Express (VRE) trains will be free systemwide for the entire month of September, beginning tomorrow, September 1, the commuter railroad has announced. Passengers will not need tickets to ride between any of VRE’s 19 stations. In a statement, the railroad says suspension of fares is designed to […]
Passengers line up at Pacific Central Station the Vancouver, British Columbia, for that afternoon’s Amtrak Cascades departure. The round-trip that includes this train is to be restored at the end of September. (Bob Johnston) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Amtrak will resume single daily round-trip Cascades service between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, on Sept. 26, two […]
Passengers are seen leaving a Boston Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Orange Line platform. Today, the MBTA received further directives from the Federal Transit Administration regarding additional safety measures to be implemented by the commuter railroad. The MBTA has suffered a number of safety related incidents in recent months that have drawn attention from federal regulators. […]
FULLERTON, Calif. — Santa Fe steam locomotive No. 3751 will return to operation for the first time since 2017 when it travels from its home base in Los Angeles to appear at Amtrak’s Track Safety Community Event, scheduled for Sept. 24 and 25 at the Fullerton Transportation Center. The 4-8-4 is owned by the San […]
WINDSOR, Ontario — Admitting that the government’s focus so far has been on corridor rail improvements east of Toronto, Canada’s transport minister announced Tuesday his agency will explore options to “improve passenger rail frequencies, on-time performance, and shorten travel times in Southwestern Ontario.” Minister Omar Alghabra said Transport Canada “will seek an external advisor, who […]
