ORLANDO, Fla. — The James E. Strates Shows carnival train will return to the rails this summer for the first time since 2019. The train — the last of its kind — was sidelined by the pandemic. Strates shifted its traveling midway show entirely to trucks as fairs gradually reopened. This year Strates officials had […]
PENINSULA, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad announced it has acquired an Alco FPA4 and an FPB4 from the Grand Canyon Railway, and aims to purchase one more of each unit from the Grand Canyon. The two diesels will join three FPA4 units already on the Cuyahoga Valley roster and are part of what […]
WASHINGTON —Weekly U.S. rail traffic continued to show overall gains compared to 2023 in the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads, thanks to the strength of intermodal volume. For the week ending June 15, overall traffic was 493,138 carloads and intermodal units, a 3.4% increase over the corresponding week a year ago. That […]
EDON, Ohio — In its third year with the Indiana Rail Experience, the 2024 Tri-State Scenic steam excursion had new wrinkles for its Father’s Day weekend treks along the Indiana Northeastern Railroad between Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. What hasn’t changed was steam locomotive No. 765 as the star for the all-day trips out of Edon. […]
Orphan Trains The orphan train story does not involve a specific train consist, locomotive, route, or even schedule. The story comes from a period that was socially different from today — 1854 to 1930. Attitudes about the idea of family, how parents cared for children, and the dichotomy between well-off and not, were radically different […]
MOBILE, Ala. — A once-unlikely source — the Alabama State Port Authority — has agreed to provide a share of the funding needed to launch Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. On Tuesday, the Port Authority board, once a vehement opponent of Gulf Coast service on the grounds it might interfere with freight […]
CLEVELAND — Construction of the oil firing system is the latest step in restoration work of Reading Co. T1 4-8-4 No. 2100, the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association reports. “With the funding received this spring, work is well underway in regard to the construction of the oil pan,” Forrest Nace, the non-profit organization’s treasurer and […]
The union representing more than 9,000 CN and CPKC workers is holding a second strike vote amid stalled contract negotiations with the railroads. “It is clear we cannot rely on a timely conclusion to these unfortunate circumstances and must protect our rights regardless of outcome,” the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said in a press […]
ATLANTA — With the National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the East Palestine, Ohio, hazardous materials wreck due out next week, Norfolk Southern is touting the safety improvements it has made so far this year. The railroad released a midyear safety report on Monday, which outlines strides the railroad has made this year as […]
Microprocessor control New locomotives have largely included some sort of microprocessor control since the 1980s when EMD’s 60-series line and GE’s Dash 8 line were introduced. These advanced systems expanded the ability of new power to basically haul more and break down less than older designs. But the thousands of locomotives built prior to this […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit and partner organizations on Monday hosted a workshop at Rutgers University Newark to prepare for 2026 World Cup events at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, including the international soccer tournament’s championship game. The workshop, in partnership with the International Association of Public Transportion (UITP) and the Rutgers Center for Advanced […]
McRAE, Ark. — A one-mile area near the town of McRae was evacuated today (Monday, June 17) after a railcar on a Union Pacific train released a hazardous material, KTHV-TV reports. No injuries resulted from the incident, which involved nitric acid. State Route 367 was closed for about four hours. Union Pacific said in a […]
