WASHINGTON – The track circuit for a California siding where Union Pacific had stored empty well cars for more than eight months shifted between occupied and unoccupied nearly two dozen times in the nine hours before a stack train was routed into the siding with fatal results [see “UP train in fatal collision hit cars […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety bulletin to ensure that railroads are aware of a Sept. 1 switching accident that resulted in the amputation of a conductor’s leg. The FRA is investigating the incident, which occurred on a railroad that the agency did not identify. “A switching crew, comprised of a […]
LUCERNE, Switzerland — Measured strictly by height, Mount Rigi is not one of Switzerland’s great mountains. Measured by view, it’s another story. Our Swiss Tourism group trekked to the top of Mount Rigi today, which is an interesting trip from a railroading standpoint because the trip to the top of the 1,798-meter (5,988-foot) summit is […]
Progress Rail has filed an antitrust suit against Wabtec, arguing that the rival locomotive maker has engaged in anticompetitive behavior and should have to divest its acquisition of GE Transportation. The 2019 GE acquisition, Progress Rail says in its lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Delaware last week, tipped the competitive balance in […]
CASS, W.Va. — Former Western Maryland Railway geared steam locomotive No. 6 (“Big Six”) has recently completed its FRA 1,472-day inspection and boiler recertification. According to the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad (DGVR), the massive Shay-type will undergo final break-in runs and adjustments before returning to excursion service on the Cass Scenic Railroad. “Big Six” […]
With remarkable timing — the process had been underway for years — but the Gotthard Base Tunnel derailment may have convinced any remaining doubters, the Swiss government announced on Aug. 16, a week after the tunnel was shut following a derailment, that it had approved the completion of the other major Swiss alpine rail crossing […]
Canadian National and Norfolk Southern have teamed up for new cross-border domestic interline intermodal service that will link Atlanta with six Canadian locations and Kansas City, Mo., with Toronto and Montreal. The service, announced today, will launch on Oct. 2 with new steel-wheel interchanges in Detroit and Chicago, the railroads said. The service will connect […]
ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has begun shipping old rapid transit MU cars to the Georgia coast and eventually the Atlantic Ocean. MARTA is partnering with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Reef Project to contribute cars from MARTA’s original fleet as they are replaced by new CQ400 railcars in coming […]
NEW DELHI, India – A rail and ports deal linking the Middle East and South Asia was announced Saturday at the G20 Summit meeting in New Delhi. The United States, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, United Arab Emirates and other G20 partners agreed to explore a shipping corridor project to augment trade flows between Europe […]
CHICAGO – The Federal Transit Administration has committed $1.947 billion in federal funding for the Chicago Transit Authority’s Red Line Extension Project. The 5.6-mile extension of the CTA’s Red Line to Chicago’s southern border is the first rail transit extension since the Orange Line, running southwest to Midway International Airport from the Loop opened in […]
Builder: Baldwin Locomotive Works Wheel arrangement: 2-8-2 Mikado Build date: March 1923 Why it’s important: Grand Canyon Railway’s 4960 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. The O-1A class 2-8-2 Mikado No. 4960 was ideally suited for powering fast freight trains across Burlington’s mostly level Midwest routes. With the arrival […]
Last month Trains sat down with Stefan Loeb, Norfolk Southern’s vice president of first and final mile markets, to discuss how local service can help the railroad grow. The position was created in April, when Loeb joined NS from shortline holding company Watco, where he was chief commercial officer [see “Norfolk Southern names intermodal and […]
