Amtrak National Limited service began operation on May 1, 1971, linking New York City and Washington, D.C., with Kansas City. It carried Nos. 30-31. The route roughly paralleled that of Interstate 70, which links Baltimore and Kansas City. The name was a nod to a Baltimore & Ohio train serving Washington and St. Louis, but […]
Although a latecomer to the hood unit market, EMD became the dominant builder of road switchers with the GP7. Dynamic brakes are indicated by a protruding housing (“blister”) with grids atop the middle of the long hood, with rooftop cooling fans above it. The radiators are at the end of the hood, with an intake […]
DALLAS — Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail service was disrupted today (Sunday, July 21) after a Dallas Fire Rescue truck skidded off a rain-slick elevated section of highway onto the light-rail line below, the Dallas Morning News reports. The incident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. on Interstate 345 near South Good Latimer Expressway. Four firefighters […]
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — A series of garages were damaged Saturday night when a CSX freight train derailed Saturday night in central Fredericksburg, WRIC-TV reports. The incident was reported to Fredricksburg police about 8:50 p.m. No injuries were reported, but five railcars struck a large wall separating the Cobblestone Square development, a commercial and residential complex, […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Tickets for Reading & Northern’s 40th season of Fall Foliage passenger excursions will go on sale at 9 a.m. ET on Monday, July 22. Five weekends of excursions — featuring diesel and steam power — will run to Jim Thorpe, Pa., originating from Reading, Pittston, and Pottsville, from Saturday, Oct. 5, […]
The ScaleTrains HO scale EMD GP30 is the subject of our latest product review video. Join Editor Eric White as he discusses the history of the Electro-Motive Division four-axle road switcher and Conrail No. 2229; highlights the various separate, factory-applied details on the Rivet Counter line model; and demonstrates the sound and light functions. Then […]
Q: Did short line railroads use timetables for such loads as logs, lumber, cattle, grain, merchandise, and the like for short distances such as 100 miles or less? For example, is a timetable necessary for a train running back and forth between a log landing site and a small lumber mill? — Russell Brenchley, Cottage […]
The ScaleTrains HO scale EMD GP30 is the subject of our latest product review video. Join Editor Eric White as he discusses the history of the Electro-Motive Division four-axle road switcher and Conrail No. 2229; highlights the various separate, factory-applied details on the Rivet Counter line model; and demonstrates the sound and light functions. Then […]
BNSF Railway is working to clean up a pair of derailments that occurred early today (Saturday, July 20). No injuries or hazardous materials situations resulted from either. The first was reported at approximately 12:46 a.m. near Ottawa, Kan., on BNSF’s Emporia Subdivision, blocking both main tracks. The only cargo spilled was a large amount of […]
More than any other region in the United States, the Northeast arguably provides the best experiences and opportunities for intercity travel by rail. Travelers can avoid heavy traffic congestion as well as the hassle of air travel, plus Amtrak offers multiple daily frequencies between key cities in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states. Whether you’re […]
Of all the mainline steam locomotives running these days — and there is an uncanny amount of them — I can’t think of one with as many distinct transitions as Reading 4-8-4 No. 2102. By my count, she’s a cat with at least five lives, with four more to go, if you believe that sort […]
U.S. and Canadian railroads appear to be relatively unaffected by the global tech outage that grounded flights and disrupted businesses today, although Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Kansas City did experience some computer issues. “The CrowdStrike software outage has had varying levels of impact across Union Pacific’s network,” spokeswoman Clarissa Beyah said on Friday morning. […]
