Brightline delays new Miami-Orlando ticket sales to Sept. 15

Yellow and white passenger train at station

ORLANDO — Brightline is no longer selling tickets for Sept. 1-14 trips between West Palm Beach and Orlando, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the first day of revenue service will be Sept. 15. Responding to a Trains News Wire inquiry, Brightline issued the following statement late today (Monday, Aug. 7): “We’re working through the final […]

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CPKC train derails in Louisiana

CPKC logo

CHOUDRANT, La. — Twenty-four cars of a westbound CPKC train derailed Wednesday afternoon east of Choudrant, the Ruston Daily Leader reports. The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved, according to law enforcement officers on the scene. Cleanup was underway as of Wednesday evening; no information was […]

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N&W 611 to run on Buckingham Branch’s Virginia Scenic Railway

NW611JamestownNCWrinnSept2018

Norfolk & Western No. 611 has a new place to run. The Virginia Museum of Transportation and Virginia Scenic Railway — the excursion operation of the short line Buckingham Branch Railroad — have announced the Class J 4-8-4 will run weekend excursions this fall on the Virginia Scenic Railway. The steam-powered Shenandoah Valley Limited will […]

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Regional Rail acquires North Carolina’s Clinton Terminal Railroad

Green and white end-cab switcher with one car and caboose

CLINTON, N.C. — Short line owner and operator Regional Rail has acquired the Clinton Terminal Railroad, a 3.5-mile switching railroad in Clinton that interchanges with CSX Transportation. Carolina Coastal Railway, a Regional Rail operation in northeastern North Carolina, will become the new owner and operator of the Clinton Terminal assets, operating the line as its […]

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Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation to host 2023 Whistle Blow

Row of steam whistles next to tank engine.

IRVIN, Ky. — The sound of dozens of steam whistles will echo across Estill County as the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation is set to host the 2023 Whistle Blow on Oct. 7. This free-admission event will take place at the non-profit organization’s campus in Irvin, which is currently home to the ongoing restoration of steam […]

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Amtrak Floridian service remembered

Red-and-black diesel locomotive with Amtrak Floridian passenger train in street

Amtrak Floridian service provided direct service between Florida and the Midwest for almost a decade. The train was first known as the South Wind, a name inherited from predecessors Pennsylvania Railroad, Louisville & Nashville, and Seaboard Coast Line. With the issuance of Amtrak’s first in-house timetable on Nov. 14, 1971, the name was changed to […]

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Brightline testing set for Melbourne, Brevard County area

Train approaches after passing through small S curve

MELBOURNE, Fla. — Brightline testing at speeds up to 110 mph will move into the Melbourne area as soon as this Friday, July 28, as the passenger operator continues preparations to launch service between Orlando and South Florida later this summer. Testing will take place on approximately 41 miles of track and include a total […]

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Lawsuit filed in collision that derailed Silver Star

Amtrak logo.

LAKELAND, Fla. — A national injury law firm has filed suit against three trucking companies and a driver over the collision that derailed an Amtrak train July 14 in Lakeland, sending eight people to the hospital for treatment of injuries. WFLA-TV reports the suit was filed against Lastre Auto Transport, M&L Auto Transport, and Betan […]

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Lionel The Chessie Legacy Greenbrier

Lionel The Chessie Greenbrier front

The Lionel The Chessie Legacy Greenbrier is big. It’s colorful. It’s a steam engine. Should steamers be colorful? Like it or not, fantasy paint schemes on them seem to be an attractive alternative to the prototypical (mostly) black models. This one was featured in 2022’s Volume 2 catalog. A look back at previous offerings indicates […]

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Florida Gulf & Atlantic crew members vote to join BLET

Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Train and engine service workers on the Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad have voted to join the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the BLET announced Friday. Roughly 75% of employees at the railroad signed authorization cards in April indicating they would like to be represented by the BLET, leading the National […]

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