NEWARK, N.J. — Almost two years after voting to do so, NJ Transit locomotive engineers launched a strike today (Friday, May 16) at 12:01 a.m., leaving some 350,000 daily riders without their normal way to and from work. The strike shut down the agency’s 12 commuter rail lines, serving some 166 stations. Buses and light […]
Interested in riding the railroad? One of the best windows on the railroad world are passenger trains, and you have plenty of options. Amtrak, a government corporation that took over nearly all U.S. intercity passenger trains from private railroads in 1971, today operates a 21,000-mile network that includes 500 stations in 46 states served by […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and its contract operator, Keolis Commuter Services, have begun a pilot program using renewable diesel fuel for some locomotives on the MBTA commuter rail network. The program, announced earlier this week, involves locomotives that layover at Newburyport, Mass., facility at the end of Newburyport branch on the MBTA’s […]
WILMINGTON, Calif. — Pacific Harbor Line, the Anacosta Rail Holdings railroad serving the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, has been named as the recipient of the Bob Kleist Leadership Award for 2025 during the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s World Trade Week celebration. The award named for Kleist, a leader in international […]
The Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 is the latest HO scale commuter diesel from Rapido Trains. The four-axle unit uses plastic and die-cast metal construction and has numerous factory-applied detail parts and an assortment of lighting functions. Prototype history Electro-Motive Division produced the F40PHM-2 between October 1991 and December 1992. Initial assembly was done in London, Ontario, […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Metropolitan Council, which oversees transit and other governmental functions in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, has approved a plan to lease surplus Northstar commuter rail equipment to Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Amtrak. The Minnesota Star Tribune reports that the council, at a May 14 meeting, agreed to lease […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is seeking input from tunneling firm Boring Co., founded and controlled by Elon Musk, regarding construction of a new Northeast Corridor rail tunnel in Baltimore for which Amtrak has already begun construction activities. The news comes shortly after Amtrak’s decision to eliminate or not fill 450 managerial positions. Earlier […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX was able to repair flood damage to former Baltimore & Ohio main lines in the Cumberland, Md., area overnight, allowing freight and Amtrak service to resume. The CSX routes sustained damage during heavy rainstorms on Tuesday [see “Flooding knocks out key CSX routes …,” Trains News Wire, May 15, 2025]. “We’re […]
ROANOKE, Va. — Norfolk & Western No. 611 will be turning 75 this month, and Roanoke’s Virginia Museum of Transportation is gearing up for a celebration: May 30, 4-8 p.m.; and May 31, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The J-class 4-8-4 was built in May 1950 by N&W at Roanoke’s East End Shops. “This milestone not only […]
NEW YORK — Union Pacific, Canadian National, and CPKC executives are expecting a quick rebound in Chinese exports to the U.S. thanks to the temporary tariff reductions announced this week. U.S. importers had largely paused their orders from China after the Trump administration raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% last month. This created a […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway plans to spend Ca$3.4 billion ($2.43 billion U.S.) under its capital spending plan for 2025, including Ca$2.9 billion ($2.07 billion) for maintenance and infrastructure improvements. “At CN, we believe investing in our network is investing in the future of North American supply chains,” CEO Tracy Robinson said in a press […]
Union Pacific Electro-Motive Division SD40-2s lead a manifest freight over the 160-foot-high Kyte River Bridge. Daryl Kruse of Rochelle, Ill., photographed the scene on his N scale layout, featured in Great Model Railroads 2004. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the Day features images from our archives, celebrating decades of model railroad heritage and excellence. […]
