CUMBERLAND, Md. — Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 will operate for Polar Express rides in December, if not sooner, the railroad’s new executive director says. Wesley Heinz told the Cumberland Times-News that “Sometime between today and Polar Express [rides scheduled for Dec. 17], No. 1309 will make it out onto the line. We […]
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority resumed limited light rail service on Sunday, more than three months after service was shut down following a mass shooting at the agency’s Guadalupe rail yard. “As we continue to bring back employees safely and compassionately,” the agency said in a statement on its website, […]
ATLANTA — Planning work is beginning on the final segment of Atlanta’s Beltline project, which is using inactive rail rights-of-way for most of its 22-mile route. But, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, no such route exists for its 4.4-mile northwestern segment, while an active railroad yard is one of the major barriers to be faced. […]
DUNSMUIR, Calif. — Twenty cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Friday in Northern California’s Siskiyou County near the site of a 1991 derailment that spilled chemicals into the Sacramento River, leading to a massive kill-off of fish and health problems for those who responded to the accident. The Sacramento Bee reports no spills were […]
WASHINGTON — As the last two of 25 Viewliner II sleeping cars departed carbuilder CAF USA’s Elmira Heights, N.Y., factory this week, an Amtrak official has confirmed that some of the new cars will replace original Viewliners on the New York section of the Lake Shore Limited after Labor Day. “I’m happy to share that […]
NEW ORLEANS — Amtrak has cancelled all service in and out of New Orleans beginning early Saturday in advance of Hurricane Ida, which is expected to make landfall this Sunday. This is necessary so railroad flood gates adjacent to levees can be closed and sealed to prevent any possible storm surge from entering the city. […]
CHICAGO — The man killed by Amtrak police in a shootout at Chicago Union Station on Tuesday had allegedly shot and killed a man in Oakland just four days before. Jamar Jason Taylor, 33, of San Leandro, Calif., died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after being shot in an exchange of gunfire with police on a […]
FRISCO, Texas — A critical part in the restoration of Santa Fe Alco PA 59L at the Museum of the American Railroad has arrived in Texas. The cab roof and front windshield from a FP4A arrived Aug. 16 and was set down next to the legendary locomotive. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Ohio provided […]
In Europe, a widespread consensus has developed among politicians and national governments that climate change is a real and present danger, and that it is primarily caused by human activity, both historic and now. Addressing this concern could spell major changes for railway activity across the continent. While much of the historic climate damage from […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to the site of a Wednesday collision involving Canadian Pacific, Union Pacific, and BNSF Railway trains. The Associated Press reports the accident occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday, with a Canadian Pacific spokesman saying it led to the derailment of two CP locomotives, one […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has announced it will make available almost $362 million for rail projects through its Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant program. The funding is for projects that reduce congestion, improve shortline and regional rail infrastructure, relocate rail lines or improve multi-modal coordination at locations such as […]
CARY, N.C. — A new unit of rail information technology firm Railinc offers railcar owners and users a new tool for predictive maintenance of wheelsets, determining their optimal time for replacement. The new TransmetriQ unit has launched Wheelset Intelligence, which predicts wheelset failures. The company says it will allow maximum mileage between repairs, minimize operational […]
