GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The contract worker killed in a maintenance-of-way accident earlier this month on state-owned tracks operated by the Housatonic Railroad has been identified as Rodolfo G. Rocha, 51, of Los Fresnos, Texas, the Berkshire Eagle newspaper reports. Survivors include a wife and son. Rocha was hit by track equipment while working in […]
Railroad: Short Lines/Regionals
Brightline, FEC set several days of work on St. Lucie River drawbridge
STUART, Fla. — Brightline and Florida East Coast Railway will perform additional rehabilitation work on the St. Lucie River drawbridge beginning tonight (Friday, Aug. 25), with extended overnight closures Aug. 27-28 and Aug 28-29, in order to complete the work before the start of Brightline service to Orlando, the two rail companies have announced. To […]
Initial ticket sales strong for upcoming N&W 611 fall excursions
ROANOKE, Va. — Strong sales have followed Tuesday’s release of tickets for the upcoming fall excursions with Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 on the Buckingham Branch Railroad. The Shenandoah Valley Limited will offer twice-daily, 60-mile round trips during October and November weekends between Goshen and Staunton, Va. Traffic was high on the website […]
Brightline says new Stuart, Fla., bridge would cost $218 million, take four years to build (updated)
STUART, Fla. — A new double-track bridge for the Florida East Coast Railway at Stuart would cost about $218 million and take four years to build, Brightline Vice President of Community Relations Ali Soule told Martin County officials on Tuesday. WPTV reports Soule appeared before Martin County Commissioners to ask them to pass a resolution […]
Patriot Rail acquires New Hampshire tourist railroads
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shortline holding company Patriot Rail has acquired two New Hampshire tourist railroads, the Hobo Railroad and the Winnipesaukee Scenic Railroad. The railroads operate a combined total of 54 miles of state-owned former Boston & Maine trackage. The Hobo Railroad is based in the White Mountains tourist town of Lincoln, while the Winnipesaukee […]
Indiana Rail Experience concludes summer schedule out of South Milford and Pleasant Lake, Ind.
SOUTH MILFORD, Ind. — The summer schedule of the Indiana Rail Experience’s 2023 season concluded on Aug. 19-20 with two excursions operating out of South Milford and Pleasant Lake, Ind. The Experience is a multi-year partnership between the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and the Indiana Northeastern Railroad Co. The society’s Nickel Plate Road steam […]
Atlas O PS 4427 high-side covered hopper
A Pullman-Standard 4427 high-side three-bay covered hopper is making its debut in the Atlas O Premier line. The model, acquired when Atlas O purchased select M.T.H. tooling in March 2021, features plastic and die-cast metal construction and a mix of molded and separate, factory-applied detail parts. Prototype history The PS 4,427-cubic-foot capacity three-bay covered hopper […]
Brightline, FEC introduce app, other measures for Stuart bridge
STUART, Fla. — Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railway have launched a schedule app and website for the St. Lucie River drawbridge, offering mariners real-time information on bridge operations. The bridge began operating under a new schedule on Aug. 15 under a new “temporary deviation” announced by the U.S. Coast Guard [see “Coast Guard […]
Genesee Valley Transportation adds to its Alco/MLW six-motor locomotive fleet (updated)
SCRANTON, Pa. – Genesee Valley Transportation, the nation’s largest operator of six-motor Alco and Montreal Locomotive Works diesels, has almost doubled its fleet of the rare locomotives with the acquisition of four M636 units from regional railroad Western New York & Pennsylvania. Rebuilt General Electric AC60CWs idled WNYP’s active fleet of six big MLWs in […]
Two killed in South Dakota when SUV runs through crossing gate, derailing train
ELKTON, S.D. — Two people were killed Friday when their vehicle crashed through a crossing-gate arm and struck a moving train, setting the vehicle on fire and derailing the train into a grain elevator, the Mitchell Republic reports. The incident occurred about 7 p.m. at a grade crossing on the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern […]
Fixing diesel locomotives is all in a day’s work
Fixing diesel locomotives Fixing diesel locomotives: The clang of tools, the whir of grinders, and the smell of diesel exhaust greets you as you walk in the door of an engine shop. People move to and from with equipment both large and small, with the ever-present cadence of idling locomotives just outside the door. This […]
OmniTRAX to take over operations of South Branch Valley Railroad in West Virginia
WASHINGTON – OmniTRAX will take over operations of the South Branch Valley Railroad, a 52.4-mile state-owned short line in West Virginia, on or after Sept. 13, the shortline holding company said in a regulatory filing this week. The former Baltimore & Ohio line is currently owned and operated by the West Virginia State Rail Authority. […]
