Big Boy’s Home Run Replay (with video)

Big Boy steam locomotive rounds curve on a sunny day.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 made its 2023 debut in June and July with the Home Run Express to the NCAA Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Though a tradition for the Class I railroad to showcase its various equipment at the 12th Street display site outside Charles Schwab Field, […]

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Tour the Abraham Lincoln railcar

Three-quarters view of passenger car with observation platform

Abraham Lincoln railcar In early 2023, I had the unique opportunity to take a step back in time, experiencing a short ride on a privately owned railcar. I was able to see what it might have been like to be a railroad president inspecting his territory. The car, the Abraham Lincoln, with owners in the […]

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NTSB issues preliminary report on CSX conductor trainee death

Aerial diagram of rail accident site with notations

WASHINGTON — A CSX Transportation conductor trainee was killed when he fell from a railcar during a shoving move and was hit by the train, according National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on a fatal accident June 26 at the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore. The accident occurred about 8:05 p.m. and involved a yard […]

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No timeline set for reopening of Ottawa light rail line

Red and white light rail trainset in station

OTTAWA, Ontario — No timeline has been set for resuming service on Ottawa’s light rail Confederation Line, officials said during a Tuesday press conference. The line was shut down Monday afternoon because of equipment concerns [see “Ottawa light rail line shut down …,” Trains News Wire, July 18, 2023]. Discovery of a bearing issue on […]

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MBTA completes repair work at Tufts Curve, long-time trouble spot on Orange Line

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed work on a section of the Orange Line known as the Tufts Curve, concluding one of the Corrective Action Plans addressing issues raised by the Federal Transit Administration in 2022 and eliminating a long-running speed restriction. The FTA officially closed the corrective plan in writing, confirming […]

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BNSF appeals STB decision ordering railroad to haul more coal for Montana mining company

WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway is seeking a judicial review of the Surface Transportation Board’s preliminary injunction that orders the railroad to haul more export coal from a Montana mine to tidewater in British Columbia. Last month in a 3-2 decision the STB ordered BNSF to handle 23 trains per month from Navajo Transitional Energy Co.’s […]

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Track classifications

track1

Track classifications are among the most basic — and essential — operating considerations in railroading, and an army of workers keep watch over the rails. You’ve seen them out there nearly every day in their hi-rail trucks, motoring quietly up and down the main and not-so-main lines of America. Perhaps you’ve waited for them to […]

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Union Pacific to begin industry-first pilot program comparing conductors to ground-based positions

TOPEKA, Kan. — Union Pacific next month will begin a pilot program in Nebraska that will compare how quickly conductors and truck-based railroaders can respond to problems that trains encounter en route. The railroad disclosed the first of its kind Class I railroad test program Monday during a public hearing on the Kansas Department of […]

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