WASHINGTON – The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which sponsors Amtrak’s Downeaster service between Brunswick, Maine, and Boston, says it backs CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of Pan Am Railways. Amtrak’s Downeaster uses Pan Am trackage from the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border to Portland, Maine, and on to the passenger service terminus at Brunswick. The passenger […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has released its final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Uinta Basin Railway, and selected the Whitmore Park Alternative as the environmentally preferred route for the approximately 85-mile rail line to serve a remote portion of northeastern Utah. The 637-page environmental document, accompanied by more […]
Locomotive flue sheets are an important component in a steam locomotive’s design. The steam-generating part of every conventional steam locomotive consisted of three elements — the firebox where the fuel was burned to provide the heat, the boiler itself where water was converted into steam, and the smokebox where the exhaust from the engine was […]
Locomotive horn introduction Locomotive horns are safety appliances installed on locomotives and used to warn both the public and railroad employees. Outside of special areas, such as quiet zones, trains are required to sound their horn before occupying one of the approximately quarter-million public and private railroad crossings in the U.S. Horns used on new […]
The Fiscal and Management Control Board was formed in response to operational and management failures at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority exposed by a brutal Boston winter in 2015. Joseph Aiello was named chairman and led the FMCB for six years until the board expired on June 30, 2021, having improved the agency’s debt and […]
SEATTLE — Sound Transit’s board has voted to delay most elements of future expansion of its light rail system by two to 10 years to address a projected $6.5 billion funding shortfall. The Seattle Times reports the so-called “realignment” plan, for projects approved by voters under the Sound Transit 3 ballot initiative, does move up […]
CHICAGO – The North American Rail Shippers association annual meeting, scheduled for Sept. 7-9 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, now will feature presentations from five Class I railroad chief executives and the president of Genesee & Wyoming’s North American operations. CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote has been added to the agenda, along with G&W’s Michael Miller. […]
NEW YORK — Craig Cipriano, who previously oversaw the New York City Transit bus system, has become NYCT’s interim president, succeeding Sarah Feinberg. An MTA press release announced that Janno Lieber, who became acting Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman and CEO on July 31, appointed Cipriano to his position. Feinberg stepped down last week after 17 […]
WASHINGTON — On a typical day, BNSF Railway has about 30 international stack trains staged along its main lines, waiting for space to open up at intermodal terminals in Chicago, Memphis, and Alliance, Texas. The terminals are clogged due to an unprecedented combination of record volume and shippers and receivers being slow to pick up […]
ENOLA, Pa. — A 58-year-old Norfolk Southern employee died after falling into a 40-foot-deep pit at NS’s Enola Yard Diesel Shop at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 4. Cumberland County Coroner Charley Hall confirmed that the victim, Stuart Riggs of Mechanicsburg, Pa., lost his balance and fell to his death when a safety rail gave […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Big Boy has begun this year’s Big Trip. Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 left its Cheyenne headquarters today, heading east to Sidney, Neb., on the first leg of a month-long, 10-state journey that will take it to New Orleans and back. Union Pacific offers both a detailed schedule and live […]
WASHINGTON — On the heels of the return of “traditional” meal service on its western long-distance trains, Amtrak is introducing an upgraded menu for Acela First Class passengers on the Northeast Corridor. Breakfast options will include such freshly made items as omelettes, huevos rancheros, and eggs benedict, while lunch and dinner entrees include items such […]
