Tri-Rail gets okay for test trains into Brightline Miami station

White and blue locomotive pushing commuter train

MIAMI — Commuter operator Tri-Rail has received clearance to begin running test trains into Brightline’s MiamiCentral station next week. WLRN public broadcasting reporter Danny Rivero has posted on Twitter a letter from Florida East Coast Railway that grants Tri-Rail’s parent, the South Florida Regional Transit Authority, authorization to run test trains into the Brightline station […]

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South Carolina short line begins construction of new route

Map of planned rail line

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Palmetto Railways, the short line owned and operated by the state of South Carolina, has begun construction of a new rail line to serve the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville and the adjacent Volvo auto plant. The 22.7-mile line will cost $185 million and take about 2½ years to build, Palmetto […]

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Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum cited for fatal accident

Logo of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has been fined $12,000 for safety violations that led to the death of long-time staff member George Walker in January, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. Walker, the museum’s general manager, had been with the museum for nearly 30 years. He died Jan. 4 in what the […]

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Charlotte transit agency fires chief of rail operations

Overhead view of light rail train with city skyline in distance

CHARLOTTE — Deltrin Harris, who had been chief of rail operations for the troubled Charlotte Area Transit System, has been fired, WFAE Radio reports. The station reports Harris’ termination letter says he was fired for unsatisfactory performance and a “lack of confidence in his leadership ability.” Meanwhile, the Charlotte Observer reports CATS violated overtime policy […]

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Aberdeen Carolina & Western E-unit No. 103 | NODA Express

It’s May 25th, 2023, and a test run of the Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railroad’s new NODA Express is heading toward Charlotte, North Carolina. The Aberdeen Carolina & Western is a 150-mile short line, which hosts recently acquired E9A, No. 103, an EMD passenger diesel that was originally built for the Union Pacific Railroad. Come along […]

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Plane makes emergency landing on CSX tracks in Alabama

Airplane on railroad tracks in yard

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Rail line seem to be popular landing strips for small aircraft in distress. Birmingham Fire & Rescue Service reports it responded to the crash landing of a small plane on the CSX Transportation tracks near the 3300 block of Vanderbilt Road at 9:58 p.m. on Tuesday night. A trainer pilot was training […]

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Champion at Richmond

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Having arrived from Washington behind Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac E8s, the Miami-bound East Coast Champion stands at Richmond’s Broad Street Station with a fresh set of Atlantic Coast Line E units. William D. Middleton photo […]

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Great American Steam Locomotives: Articulateds DVD Trailer

Great American Steam Locomotives: Articulateds DVD | 16126 The Articulateds are the largest steam locomotives ever built. Starting as slow speed monsters hauling heavy trains over mountain ridges, they became a regular feature of many of the largest Class 1 railroads, handling everything from slow drag freights, to fast time freights, and even were able […]

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Dave Wendt’s Norfolk & Western in HO scale

Watch trains steaming through the builder’s depiction of coal operations in Virginia and West Virginia in the 1950s. On this layout, mirrors and a cathedral ceiling make the mid-sized HO scale (1:87.1) layout feel much larger! To learn even more about the builder and layout details, be sure to read the July 2023 issue of […]

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Southern Railway No. 722 | Return to steam

A ghost from the past is staging to return! In the spring of 2023, the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad announced that No. 722 would be going into the shops for a return to operational service. Let’s take a look back to see how this historic Southern Railway 2-8-0 steam locomotive arrived at this point. […]

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