Engineer faces manslaughter charge in fatal Alabama collision

Locomotive and maintenance equipment following collilsion

MOBILE, Ala. — A former Alabama Export Railroad locomotive engineer has been charged with reckless manslaughter in the Nov. 17, 2020, death of a Mississippi man who was killed when his track maintenance equipment was struck by the engineer’s train at Prichard, Ala., just outside Mobile. The Associated Press reports that James Jeffery Elder, 49, […]

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Virginia’s new tourist railroad sells out rest of 2022 season

Logo of the Buckingham Branch Railroad

STAUNTON, Va. — Hauling freight isn’t the Buckingham Branch Railroad’s only forte, as the Virginia short line’s newly launched tourist train has shown. The Virginia Scenic Railway has sold out all of its seats through Thanksgiving after launching its tourist operation a month ago. The Staunton-based railroad recently shared on social media that both of […]

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News Photo: Merchants Bridge gets final span

Aerial view of steel structure being moved by boats

ST. LOUIS — The final span for the rebuilding of the Terminal Railroad Association’s Merchants Bridge, the key Mississippi River crossing dating to 1889, was moved into place as scheduled on Friday, Aug. 26. The $222 million project to rebuild the 4,340-foot bridge began in 2018, and will double the capacity of the double-track structure […]

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STB grants request for more mediation time in Gulf Coast dispute

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted a request by the parties in the Amtrak Gulf Coast dispute to extend board-sponsored mediation for an additional 30 days. Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority and Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks had filed the request on Aug. 24, saying they agreed […]

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CSX rekindles its relationship with venerable Dash-8 locomotives

Blue standard-cab locomotive operating as second of two units on freight trainFre

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — After selling or retiring its roster of more than 100 General Electric C40-8 locomotives, CSX Transportation once again owns the late-1980s era Dash-8 standard cab locomotive through its June 1 acquisition of Pan Am Railways. The Class I railroad began divesting the 4,000-horsepower six-axle GE several years ago, retiring and selling most […]

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News photos: Completing the Merchants Bridge

Aerial view of bridge with missing span, with old span on barge in foreground

ST. LOUIS — The third span of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis’ Merchants Bridge, the Mississippi River crossing which has been undergoing rebuilding since 2018, is slated to be floated into place today (Friday, Aug. 26). Trains News Wire will provide updates as photos become available. As of midday, as shown in these […]

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Parts of the Electro-Motive Diesel SD70M-2

white, red, and blue diesel locomotive

Parts of the Electro-Motive Diesel SD70M-2. Today is a great time to be a model railroader. The market is filled with a variety of locomotives from different manufacturers in many popular modeling scales. These engines often feature railroad- (and sometimes road-number-) specific details; factory-installed and painted wire grab irons; and sounds recorded from the prototype. […]

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St. Louis Merchants Bridge project reaches final major milestone

Red crane hovers over bridge truses in front of St. Louis Arch

ST. LOUIS — The culmination of the Merchant’s Bridge rebuild project, which began in 2018, is scheduled to take place today (Friday, Aug. 26), with the third and final new span being floated into place on the Mississippi River. Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) owns the bridge. The 4,340-foot-long bridge, completed in 1889, […]

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Watco to provide rail, logistics services at Kansas industrial park

Watco logo, new version as of 2022

PARSONS, Kan. — Watco will become the rail operator for the Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, a 6,800-acre facility with more than 26 miles of rail line, following the transportation company’s selection by the Great Plaines Development Authority. Watco will provide switching, transload, warehouse, material handling, truck, and logistics services for rail and non-rail […]

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