WASHINGTON — For the second time in a month, Brightline West has filed “Expedited Action Requested” documents with the Surface Transportation Board, seeking approval of the company’s plans for building a 186-mph electrified rail line between Las Vegas, Nev., and Southern California. On Tuesday, Aug. 15, Brightline West urged the STB to rule favorably on […]
Read More…
ERIE, Pa. — An official in Erie County says that Wabtec may be preparing to close its locomotive plant in Erie if it does not reach a new labor agreement with 1,400 striking workers. County Executive Brenton Davis said in a statement Wednesday that he had confirmed that “Wabtec was visited by representatives of a […]
Read More…
BALTIMORE — Amtrak is going to court to acquire four small pieces of land in West Baltimore it says it needs for the project to replace the aging Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel, one of the most significant bottlenecks on the Northeast Corridor. The Washington Post reports the company has filed suit to acquire the properties […]
Read More…
WASHINGTON — Carload traffic showed more of a downward tick for the week ending Aug. 12, leading to a larger overall drop than has been the case recently for weekly U.S. rail traffic. The weekly figure of 472,498 carloads and intermodal units represented a 4.2% decrease from the same week in 2022, after several weeks […]
Read More…
CUMBERLAND, Md. — John Helmstetter, the third-generation owner of the farm from which Helmstetter’s Curve on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad takes its name, has died at age 81. Helmstetter died Aug. 15. His family’s farm at Corriganville, Md., about 5 miles west of Cumberland, was a popular photo site almost from the time the […]
Read More…
The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO today urged all six Class I railroads to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System. The Association of American Railroads on March 2 said the Class I freight railroads would join the program, which allows railroaders to report “close call” safety incidents without fear of […]
Read More…
BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who attempted to derail a train on the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson tourist railway, the Albany Times Union reports. At a press conference today (Aug. 16), Janeen DiGuiseppi, […]
Read More…
Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands — 8-16-2023 — It was a good idea, no great idea, at first. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2016, the Merrill (Wis.) Historical Society began gathering books and ephemera, for a railroad library within its local history collection. The library was unique in North Central Wisconsin […]
Read More…
SEATTLE — Amtrak and the Washington State Department of Transportation have introduced the first electric bus used as part of the Amtrak network, providing service on the Amtrak Cascades route between Seattle and Bellingham, Wash. Mid-day buses help fill the gap between the morning and evening trains on the Cascades route between Seattle and Bellingham; […]
Read More…
Trains LIVE — National Railroad Museum library expands — 8-16-2023 — It was a good idea, no great idea, at first. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2016, the Merrill (Wis.) Historical Society began gathering books and ephemera, for a railroad library within its local history collection. The library was unique in North Central Wisconsin […]
Read More…
KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The CSX Santa Train will return for its 81st year on Nov. 18, the railroad announced today in a video on the Santa Train Facebook Page. “The Santa Train is an integral part of CSX history, and we are proud to be a part of this longstanding tradition,” CEO Joe Hinricks said […]
Read More…
Midwest tourist railroads you must visit include massive museums, mainline steam excursions, and everything in between. From Trains Magazine’s Tourist Trains Guidebook, here’s our list of tourist railroads, museums, and displays to experience across the region. Midwest Tourist Railroads and Museums Illinois Illinois Railway Museum – 7000 Olson Road, Union The Illinois Railway Museum certainly […]
Read More…