CHICAGO — Metra commuters suffered evening rush-hour delays, while Amtrak also halted operations for a time, because of tornado warnings and other severe weather warnings in the Chicago area. WMAQ-TV reports one tornado touched down at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, damaging some warehouses, and that the National Weather Service confirmed this morning (July 13) that […]
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan has enacted legislation creating a program within the state’s Department of Transportation to fund grade crossing separation projects. Michigan Public Radio reports the legislation prioritizes projects closer to locations such as schools, trauma treatment facilities, and manufacturing sites. It would require local governments to cover matching funds covering up to 20% […]
Bound for the main line at Gorham, Ill., Missouri Pacific 2-8-2 1498 slogs uphill out of DeSoto, Ill., with coal loads in September 1954. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Rail preservation efforts often can come full circle. For 29-year-old Aaron Farmer, his career has circled back to the Steam Railroading Institute (SRI) in Owosso, Mich. From the beginning as a young volunteer to now being employed as the Master Mechanic of Rolling Stock for the non-profit organization, his journey involves understanding the value of […]
SILVIS, Ill. – Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA) continues to make progress on several projects at its former Rock Island shop in Silvis. The group is planning to return to service former Union Pacific Challenger No. 3985, 2-10-2 No. 5511, and “Centennial” DDA40X diesel No. 6936. National Railway Equipment, which shares the Silvis shop complex […]
CLEVELAND — Siemens Mobility will build 24 light rail vehicles to replace the equipment currently operationg on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Red Line, the manufacturer announced today (July 10). The GCRTA board had previously given preliminary approval to the Siemens proposal but needed to complete funding before finalizing the order [see “Cleveland RTA […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City’s streetcar line will be shut down at least another two to three weeks after service was halted because of a track issue last week. KC Streetcar offered that timeline on Sunday as it continues to repair tracks on the Main Street Bridge over Interstate 670, reporting on Twitter that […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Association of American Railroads has filed suit to overturn an Ohio law requiring two-person crews for freight trains, saying federal law preempts the state action, the Associated Press reports. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court on June 29, argues that the state’s crew-size law “cannot be squared” with several federal […]
Chicago & North Western 3-foot-gauge Mogul No. 279 stands at Fennimore, Wis., in 1925. Known as “The Dinky,” the North Western’s narrow-gauge line ran 16.4 miles from a C&NW standard-gauge connection at Fennimore to Woodman, on the Milwaukee Road’s Madison–Prairie du Chien, Wis., line. One of the last slim-gauge lines in the Midwest, The Dinky […]
In this episode of The Hills Line, host James McNab is making plans to build a portable layout that complements his HO scale Hills Line layout. He explains where the idea came from and sorts out the goals, givens and druthers that go along with this project. […]
ROCKFORD, Ill. — With an 1880s bridge over the Rock River supporting a Metra train as a backdrop, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other officials announced Thursday that Chicago commuter operator Metra had been selected to partner with Union Pacific to provide two daily rail roundtrips between Rockford and Chicago by 2027. The estimated $275 […]
REESEVILLE, Wis. — CPKC tracks have reopened through the site of Tuesday’s derailment in Reeseville, with Amtrak’s Empire Builder returning to its normal route as of Wednesday evening. Plans had been for the westbound Builder to hold in Milwaukee until the derailment site on CPKC’s Watertown Subdivision reopened. But the train, which arrived in Milwaukee […]
