In recent months, I have dug deep into the archives to find the shortest Amtrak trains of each decade. Since most of us modelers have limited layout space, if we still want to model prototypical passenger consists, these short trains are a perfect fit. Join me on a tour of Amtrak eras, this time exploring […]
ABOARD THE SILVER STAR — The announcement Amtrak is extending chef-prepared meals and table service for sleeping-car passengers to another New York-Miami train [see “Amtrak returns ‘traditional dining’ to Silver Meteor,” Trains News Wire, June 27, 2023] came a few days after News Wire had a chance to sample that service on the northbound Silver […]
REESEVILLE, Wis. — Twenty-nine cars of a CPKC train were reported to have derailed this afternoon (Tuesday, July 4) in Reeseville, leading to delays for Amtrak’s Empire Builder. WKOW-TV reports the derailment occurred about 1:55 p.m. Chris Abell, deputy chief with Clyman-Lowell-Reeseville Fire & Rescue, told the station the derailed cars were carrying grain and […]
Planning a future train trip with a visit to Chicago’s Union Station as part of the itinerary? The massive terminus is the Windy City’s only intercity passenger station in service today. Hosting all of Amtrak’s Midwest regionals and most of the long-distance trains, plus serving as one of the four hubs for the city’s Metra […]
MOORPARK, Calif. — Pacific Surfliner service will be restored north of Los Angeles today, while Metrolink operations north of Moorpark will resume this afternoon, following the suspensions as a result of Wednesday’s derailment of the Coast Starlight. The Surfliner Twitter feed says track work in Moorpark has been complete, and that while slow orders may […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National says the 10-mph restriction it imposed on Adirondack operation between the Canadian border and Montreal during temperature extremes is a direct result of Amtrak’s unwillingness to pay for the level of track maintenance CN says is necessary to maintain passenger train speeds. That is according to a statement issued in response […]
MOORPARK, Calif. — Scheduled rail service through the site of Wednesday’s derailment of Amtrak’s Coast Starlight remains disrupted while an investigation and clean-up continues. The derailment occurred about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday when the train hit a water truck at private, unprotected grade crossing near Moorpark [see “Coast Starlight derails after hitting truck …,” Trains News […]
MOORPARK, Calif. — Amtrak’s northbound Coast Starlight struck a water truck and derailed Wednesday morning at a rural crossing near Moorpark, Calif., about 60 miles north of Los Angeles. The crossing did not have automatic warning devices. Video from KNBC-TV shows the train was led by Charger ALC42 No. 300, which suffered extensive front-end damage. […]
California can lay claim as one of the nation’s top rail passenger capitals. Amtrak is a key player in the Golden State, with three state-supported regional trains connecting multiple metropolitan areas. From the capital city of Sacramento to the beaches in San Diego, here are some great Amtrak day trips you can take in California. […]
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — Work began Monday on a temporary restraining wall to be built at the site of a landslide that has halted passenger rail service through south Orange County since June 5. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports heavy equipment was being staged at the base of the slope below San Clemente’s Casa Romantica […]
WASHINGTON — “Traditional dining” — with chef-prepared meals, glassware and linen tablecloths, and new meal options — has returned to the Silver Meteor, Amtrak announced today. The announcement means both New York-Florida long-distance trains now offer full traditional full dining-car service — albeit only for sleeping-car passengers — and formalizes the “pilot” of traditional dining […]
NEW YORK — Plans to remodel Penn Station will move forward without being tied to a controversial plan to build adjacent high-rise office buildings, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday. Previously, plans had called for up to $7 billion in funding for the station remodel to come from development of 10 skyscrapers — nine […]
