SACRAMENTO — The head of the California high speed rail project told state legislators Tuesday that the project looks to be $4 billion to $7 billion short of funds needed to complete the initial Central Valley segment, and may need as much as $100 billion more to build the full Los Angeles-San Francisco route. KCRA-TV […]
By the late 1930s, the Pere Marquette Railway had made a big splash in motive power acquisition. And rightly so, as the tired and second-rate fleet of steam locomotives was not enough to pull the Michigan railroad out of the hardship of the Great Depression. An order of 15 N-class 2-8-4s initially was rolled […]
EMD may be the most famous locomotive manufacturer in the history of railroading. Despite that success, there are models in the the EMD history books which arrived to little fanfare and few orders. The following are six notable examples of EMD locomotives that, for one reason or another, no one wanted. EMD Model 40 The […]
Santa Fe 3460 Hudsons had an impact on the railroad much larger than their class size would indicate. Mention the Hudson steam locomotive and the name “Santa Fe” likely won’t come up right away. To be sure, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway’s roster was light on 4-6-4s, just 16 of them. And they […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Snowy Chicagoland, J. David Ingles Reel 123 – In vintage color footage captured by J. David Ingles, you’ll see that winter’s wrath has arrived in the Windy City! But in the City of Broad Shoulders, a few feet of fresh snow isn’t enough to detour the determined folks from moving […]
The Illinois Central’s EMD SD40A diesel locomotive resulted from the railroad’s desire to increase fuel capacity. “Customer modifications to production units aren’t all that unusual, don’t usually result in more than minor engineering and construction revisions, and seldom are dignified by a separate builder’s class,” wrote former Trains Managing Editor Wally Abbey in the January […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Midwestern and Eastern U.S. cities, J. David Ingles Reel UNK2 – Ride along with J. David Ingles in this first installment of Classic Trains Film Archive! Through his vintage color footage, you’ll see Amtrak action in southeast Wisconsin and central Illinois, then ride along eastbound on the Amtrak National Limited […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Premium seating with “cocoons,” as well as pods that wouldn’t be out of place in first-class on a long-distance flight. Play areas with a beach décor. And at least two concepts — “comfort” or “flex” — for conventional seating. All are contained in a series of renderings released this week by the […]
Five Alco locomotives no one wanted: In the annals of locomotive history, there are a great many success stories. The GP7, the U25B, and the SD40-2 spring to mind for many railfans. But among these successes, there are of course failures, models forgotten to time. This article highlights five locomotives from the famed manufacturer Alco […]
Wabash locomotives were distinctive in both steam and diesel eras. After depending on more than 150 2-8-2s for freights that succeeded typical smaller types, Wabash in 1930 received 50 handsome 4-8-2s and 4-8-4s (25 each) from Baldwin. Perhaps more remembered were seven 4-6-4 Hudsons, rebuilt at Decatur from unsuccessful three-cylinder Mikados in the […]
SACRAMENTO — The CEO of California’s high speed rail project has tendered his resignation, but will stay on while the agency finds a successor. The Fresno Bee reports Brian Kelly, head of the California High-Speed Rail Authority since 2018, announced his departure on Thursday, submitting his resignation to the board’s chairperson, Fresno developer Tom Richards. […]
WASHINGTON — Network Rail Consulting Inc. has received a $73.2 million contract to provide system engineering for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, the company announced. Among services to be supported by the company are asset management, engineering support and oversight, design and construction operations and maintenance oversight, network integration and program compliance, Federal Railroad Administration […]
