Starting its nearly half century of service, EMD GP15-1 locomotives are still going strong on regional short lines around the country as proof that old EMDs can still pull todays manifest traffic. Built by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division between 1976 and 1982, the four-axle GP15-1 was a way for railroads to purchase new power instead […]
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Electro-Motive Division tunnel motor diesels Electro-Motive Division tunnel motor diesels solved a tricky problem. Locomotives operate in all climates, from scorching desert heat to frigid Canadian winters. An ample supply of fresh air is always required for cooling and combustion purposes but when trains operate through long tunnels or snowsheds at slow speeds, the ability […]
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WASHINGTON — Independent North Carolina short line Aberdeen Carolina & Western will acquire the 104 miles of track it has leased from Norfolk Southern since 1989. The Piedmont Subdivision runs from milepost 282.63 in Gulf, N.C., to milepost 386.91 in Charlotte. The deal, outlined in a regulatory filing with the Surface Transportation Board, is expected […]
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BREDA, Netherlands — Alstom says it has demonstrated fully autonomous operation for a switching locomotive in the Netherlands — with starting, movement, stopping, and handling of unexpected obstacles without involvement of on-train staff. The company says this week’s announcement concludes a series of tests that are part of a partnership with Dutch infrastructure manager ProRail and […]
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OTTAWA, Ontario — City officials and the companies that built Ottawa’s problem-plagued light-rail Confederation line were guilty of “egregious violations of public trust” that included instances of “deliberate malfeasance,” according to the 664-page report from a public inquiry into the light rail project released Wednesday. The CBC reports that the document from Justice William Hourigan, […]
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NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to spend more than $1 billion on accessibility projects at New York subway stations and on the Long Island Railroad, the website amNY.com reports. In a series of contracts valued at $965 million, the agency will install 21 new elevators to make eight subway stations fully […]
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REGINA, Saskatchewan — Canadian National Railway has made a C$100,000 donation to Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service, which provides emergency medical car to remote locations in Western Canada. The donation will help fund STARS’ operations in Saskatchewan, providing direct support to communities along CN’s network. “The service STARS provides often means the difference between life […]
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WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic showed a significant drop for the week ending Nov. 26, a week including the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Overall traffic was 413,305 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.1% drop from the corresponding week in 2021. That included 206,792 carloads, a 1.1% […]
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MONTREAL — Information technology and business consulting firm CGI will manage a new online reservation system for VIA Rail Canada to be launched in 2023, the companies announced Wednesday. Under a long-term agreement, CGI will manage critical business applications, building on the business relationship that began in 2020 when CGI was selected to build VIA’s […]
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Infrared photography Photography is a wonderful way to document your life. Whether you take pictures of your family, animals, landscapes, or trains, after a while the “seeing it like it is” or untouched photo can leave something to be desired. It may even eventually make you put the camera down. I was in such a […]
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MANALAPAN, Fla. – Union Pacific, which has come under fire for its increased use of embargoes, has not fully shut down service to any customers as it grapples with congestion related to ongoing train crew shortages. “It really is a tool of last resort for us. As a common carrier, we don’t have other mechanisms […]
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WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives has approved legislation imposing the tentative agreement between railroads and unions, which would block a rail strike that could begin as early as Dec. 9. CNN reports the House passed the measure by a 290-137 vote, with 79 Republicans joining Democrats in voting for the bill, while eight Democrats […]
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