News photo: Former Fillmore & Western cars bound for Pennsylvania

Green heavyweight passenger car being lifted by crane onto flatcar

FILLMORE, Calif. – The dispersal of equipment from Southern California’s defunct Fillmore & Western Railway continues. Two heavyweight passenger cars from the railroad have been sold to Everett Railroad in Duncansville, Pa. The Powhatan Café Parlor car was built by Pullman for the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad; the Rancho Sespe — named for a […]

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Brookville completes first trainset in Tacoma light rail order

Whiute and blue light rail trainset

BROOKVILLE, Pa. — Brookville Equipment Corp is preparing to send the first of five new light rail vehicles to Tacoma, Wash., for the expansion of Sound Transit’s Tacoma Link, set to open in 2023. The new equipment, 66-foot-long Liberty NXT Light Rail Vehicles, are being built under a $26.5 million contract. They will support the […]

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Tourist railroads have a workforce issue: Analysis

Man holding child watching crew member work on steam engine

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It is currently not uncommon for small businesses to be short of workers to cover basic functions. This is true in the tourist rail industry, which was drastically affected by the pandemic, where some railroads are struggling to fill jobs as their season approaches. According to the U.S. Travel Association, leisure and […]

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Track defect went unrepaired before CN derailment, investigation finds

Photo of track with notations on derailment details

GATINEAU, Quebec — A “near-urgent” track defect was detected but not repaired several days prior to the June 2021 derailment of a Canadian National train at a remote location on the railroad’s Chetwynd Subdivision in British Columbia, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an investigation report released Monday. Thirty-eight cars of a two-engine, […]

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Union Pacific train derails in Colton, Calif.

Union Pacific logo with Building America slogan

COLTON, Calif. — Three locomotives and 12 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Monday morning, leading to a brief fire and a spill of diesel fuel from the locomotives. The derailment occurred near the Colton Flyover, where UP’s tracks cross those of BNSF Railway. The San Bernardino Sun reports the derailment occurred shortly after […]

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Amtrak sued over fatal onboard shooting

Amtrak logo.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The family of a man shot and killed aboard an Amtrak train is suing the passenger railroad and the suspect in the killing for at least $100 million, the Kansas City Star reports. Richie Terell Aaron Jr., 30, was shot aboard the Missouri River Runner on Jan. 14, 2022. His family […]

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Nine hurt in vehicle-light rail accident in East St. Louis, Ill.

Logo of St. Louis Metro and MetroLink

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Nine people were injured, two critically, in a collision between a St. Louis MetroLink train and a vehicle near the Washington Park station on Sunday afternoon. The driver of the vehicle and one person on the train were in critical condition, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. The car caught fire after […]

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Congressman seeks Amtrak service connecting San Antonio to Mexico

Head shot of man outdoors wearing white shirt

AUSTIN, Texas — A Congressman is asking Amtrak to consider service that could give the passenger carrier a connection to Mexico. KSTA radio reports that U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) met with Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and Chief Financial Officer Tracie Winbigler about the possibility of Amtrak resurrecting long-discontinued service between San Antonio and Laredo, […]

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Durango & Silverton owner to take over Arizona tourist attraction

Logo of American Heritage Railways

TUCSON, Ariz. — The parent company of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is set to broaden its interests by taking over Old Tucson Studios, a tourist attraction which closed in 2020. The Arizona Daily Star reports that Pima County, Ariz., has recommended that American Heritage Railways receive an operating agreement for Old Tucson. […]

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