WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced a new series of cancellations because of a winter storm, this time for today (Wednesday, Feb. 2) and Thursday, Feb. 3, on Midwest state-supported routes and some long-distance trains beginning or ending in Chicago. Trains affected today include City of New Orleans departures from Chicago and New Orleans; the westbound […]
Cody Grivno answers these two questions regarding transporting materials on a train. What determines if lumber is shipped wrapped or unwrapped? Also, what determines if a load goes in a boxcar or a centerbeam flatcar? […]
In every issue News p. 4 The Surface Transportation Board orders railroads to resubmit service plans Preservation p. 44 National Railroad Museum restores a unique hospital car Train-Watching p. 46 Hot spot: The small town of Fort Montgomery, N.Y. on the Hudson River has big-time train action […]
How to rerail a freight car: When things go bang that shouldn’t on the railroad, it usually means trouble and most likely a derailment. Derailments are a fact of life, and when one occurs on a main line of a Class I railroad, it usually results in many cars on the ground with extensive media […]
Second of two parts Two veteran Amtrak employees retired last year after lengthy tours of duty on the New York-Washington-Indianapolis Chicago Cardinal, and a regular on the train reached out to suggest their stories were worth telling. Previously, we spent time with sleeping-car attendant Janice Adams [see “Two ‘Cardinal’ veterans look back …,” Trains.com, Jan. […]
WASHINGTON – Chicago’s Metra will receive a $513.6 million from the American Rescue Plan fund, announced U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The funds will help the commuter agency maintain service and keep workers on the payroll as it continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Public transportation has helped people reach their jobs […]
JOLIET, Ill. — More than a year after making their first test runs, the Siemens Venture equipment built for state-supported Amtrak service in the Midwest made their first revenue trip Tuesday morning on Lincoln Service train No. 303 from Chicago to St. Louis. The equipment is scheduled to return this evening on train No. 306, […]
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — The landmark but long-closed South Shore Line station on 11th Street in downtown Michigan City has been torn down, a casualty of the ongoing project to double-track the line between Gary, Ind., and Michigan City. That project will also see the end of the current street running in Michigan City. The […]
OTTAWA — The Canadian government will create a Supply Chain Task Force to address issues that have developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and will make C$50 million available for projects to address congestion at ports following a national Supply Chain Summit held Monday. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and five other government ministers hosted the summit, […]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Some may take the physical presence of a station agent for granted, especially in a world that has learned to do more with less interaction. But the story of how West Virginia regained its only agent back helps underpin the importance of humanizing the passenger railroad experience. In April 2018, before the […]
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – A group has formed to try to save a 133-year-old former Southern Pacific railroad station in Bakersfield, and is asking the public’s help in convincing the city to extend a lease on the structure while it mounts its preservation efforts. The Bakersfield Californian reports the Save the Sumner Station Working Group […]
BLUEFIELD, Va. — An estimated 30 cars of a Norfolk Southern intermodal train derailed Monday in Bluefield, leading to a response by hazmat teams. The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports the derailment occurred Monday morning, and no injuries were reported. Railroad spokesman Connor Spielmaker told the newspaper that a small number of the cars were categorized […]
