WASHINGTON — Five of the seven Class I railroads operating in the U.S. last year were revenue adequate in 2022, the Surface Transportation Board said today. Being revenue adequate means a railroads achieved a rate of return equal to or greater than the board’s calculation of the average cost of capital to the freight rail […]
As of Sunday, Sept. 3, multiple delays of the Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink trains were reported by Amtrak and transit officials over the Labor Day weekend. A variety of causes were to blame including “unforeseen track closures,” signal issues, and police activity due to the death of a man struck by a northbound Coaster train […]
WASHINGTON – Federal regulators have suspended a rule that would have allowed the shipment of liquefied natural gas in railroad tank cars. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in coordination with the Federal Railroad Administration, last week said the rule adopted in 2020 would be shelved until whichever comes first: June 30, 2025 or […]
WATERLOO, Ontario — On Sept. 3, heritage operator Waterloo Central Railway (WCR) officially launched their Sunday Dayliner Service with RDC1 No. 9114. The trains are scheduled to operate between the Northfield station in north Waterloo, Ontario, and the town of Elmira on the Waterloo Spur. RDC1 No. 9114 last operated under its own power in […]
Q: Reading Jerry Dziedzic’s essay on “Turning waybills into dollar bills” (August 2023) made me realize that I don’t know anything about how prototype railroads handle the inspection and shopping of freight cars. Are cars sent in for inspection, paint, and maintenance at fixed times, or after a certain number of miles, or only when a […]
Mind-blowing facts — cabooses Cabin, cabin car, waycar, brake van, van, crummy, crum box, birdcage, boneshaker, brain box, shack, shanty, parlor, hack, zoo, or caboose, regardless of what you name the car that concluded American freight trains from the 1830s until the mid-1980s, it remains a railroading icon. The first caboose can be traced to […]
I’m heartened to see Amtrak intends to explore a 200-mph Dallas-Houston passenger rail service in cooperation with Texas Central Partners. Having driven I-45 between the two megacities, I can vouch for its clear need and likely success. Not all of Amtrak’s plans have succeeded as envisioned, unfortunately. One, in particular, comes to mind: the short-lived […]
First of two parts EFFINGHAM, Ill, —What happens when electrical current connected with signal systems doesn’t reliably travel from one rail to another when a train passes? Dispatchers “lose” the train — it disappears from their screens — and warning lights don’t flash or gates don’t lower at highway crossings as the train approaches. The […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Officials in Florida’s Orange County will be asked to approve a special development district to help pay for an 11-mile rail line that would link Brightline and SunRail service to Orlando International Airport, the county’s convention center, and theme parks, the Orlando Sentinel reports in a paywalled article. Universal City Development Partners, […]
SCRANTON, Pa. — Tickets for Steamtown National Historic Site’s upcoming schedule of autumn excursions are now available for purchase online. Selected days in September and October will see diesel-powered, full-day trips depart from the National Park to Gouldsboro, Carbondale, Tobyhanna, or Cresco. Autumn excursion schedule includes these dates. Tickets can be purchased at recreation.gov: Sept. […]
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The Atlas HO scale EMD GP40 is back for another run, this time with ditch lights on select road names. Join Model Railroader senior editor Cody Grivno as he points out the features on the four-axle road switcher, demonstrates some of the light and sound features, and switches cars on the Jones Island section of […]
