NEWARK, N.J. — The first of 25 new ALP-45A locomotives for NJ Transit has arrived at Port Newark, N.J. The Tier IV-compliant locomotives, built by Bombardier in Germany, was offloaded at the port’s Berth 17. The new engines will replace some of NJ Transit’s older locomotives, as well as some PL42s, according to the NJ […]
More Friday rail news: MARC to suspend operations Jan. 17-20 because of inauguration security Maryland’s MARC Train commuter rail service will suspend operations on all three of its routes — the Penn, Camden and Brunswick lines — beginning Sunday, Jan. 17, in response to expanded security efforts associated with the upcoming Presidential inauguration, the Maryland […]
Friday morning Canadian rail news: Metrolinx announces service cuts for GO Transit, UP Express Toronto-area transit agency Metrolinx will make changes to GO Transit and UP Express schedules effective Jan. 23 as Ontario begins a state of emergency and stay-at-home order because of increasing COVID-19 cases. The website Daily Hive reports buses will replace trains […]
This video was originally published by Trains as part of the Locomotive 2017 DVD. BNSF Needles Subdivision stretches from the Arizona/California state line at Needles west to Barstow, California across almost 170 miles of desert that tests man and machine every day in the struggle to keep the railroad moving. For the majority of its […]
This video was originally published by Trains as part of the Locomotive 2017 DVD. Canadian Pacific’s transcontinental mainline across Canada traverses a wide range of terrain, from the Rocky mountains in the west, across the plains in its midsection to the Canadian Shield in the east. One of the most beautiful and inaccessible locations is […]
Originally, cars didn’t have it so good. They went in boxcars. They went on flatcars, stacked one on top of the other. Trains were important in making cars, too, and auto-parts special trains with nicknames like the *Sparkplug* began to appear. It didn’t take long to realize that something better had to come […]
This video was originally published by Trains as part of the Locomotive 2017 DVD. Natural gas as a locomotive fuel has been around for decades. Testing in the 1980s and 1990s on several railroads failed to yield the interest and scope of testing the fuel has enjoyed in the past several years. Six of the […]
This video was originally published by Trains as part of the Locomotive 2017 DVD. The northeast United States continues to be an Alco and MLW stronghold. The largest percentage of active units from these two builders call many short line railroads in this region home. Two of these railroads, Western New York & Pennsylvania […]
At first glance, aggregates — stone, sand, and gravel — are unlikely darlings among railroad commodities. They’re low-value and they tend to move only short distances. But even though their revenue per car is low, they are nearly perfect freight: indestructible and relatively harmless if spilled. In fact, stones and sand not only make […]
WASHINGTON — Thanks to the ongoing strength of intermodal traffic, U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 9 was up 4.7% over the comparable week a year earlier. The latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads show 525,253 carload and intermodal units moved for the week. The 235,404 carloads represented a 1.6% decrease […]
WASHINGTON — Media outlets are reporting that President-elect Joe Biden’s planned arrival by train for his inauguration — widely anticipated but never officially announced — will not happen in light of security concerns in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building. The Associated Press reports the move reflects increased concerns about […]
Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn has joined the call by two labor unions for increased security for Amtrak passengers and railroad workers, especially in the Washington, D.C., area, in the wake of last week’s violence at the Capitol building. “There is nothing more important than the safety of our employees,” Flynn said in a statement. “Since […]
