Rebuilt Montana Rail Link bridge over Yellowstone River opens to traffic

Montana Rail Link’s main line was put back into service on Saturday after the rebuilt Reed Point bridge over the Yellowstone River was reopened more than a week ahead of estimates. The bridge collapsed on June 24, sending 10 cars into the river and derailing an additional seven cars. Asphalt was released into the river […]

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11 cars of BNSF train derail in Montana

BNSF Railway logo

HAVRE, Mont. — Eleven cars of a 25-car BNSF intermodal train derailed Friday afternoon about 8 miles east of Havre, blocking the railroad’s Northern Transcon route. The derailment occurred at 4:39 p.m., the Havre Daily News reports, quoting a BNSF spokeswoman. Hill County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel said one car was carrying […]

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Montana Rail Link main line, severed by bridge collapse, won’t reopen this month

Locomotive pulling flatcars with airplane bodies

WASHINGTON — Montana Rail Link’s main line will remain severed through the end of July, BNSF Railway told federal regulators last week. The former Northern Pacific route has been shut down since the June 24 bridge collapse and hazardous materials derailment in the Yellowstone River in Reed Point, Mont. Bridge construction began once the last […]

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Locomotives We Love: Lionel Vision Line Big Boy

Lionel Vision Line Big Boy

Chris Montagna is a Contributing Editor of Classic Toy Trains and operates the Chris’s Trains and Things channel on YouTube. What Toy Train Locomotive Means the Most to You? When I reflect on the locomotives in my collection it’s difficult to pinpoint just one that I love above the rest. I was recently asked this […]

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Utah DOT chooses gondola to serve ski resorts

A Utah DOT map shows (in purple) the proposed route of a cog railway

SNOWBIRD, Utah — The Utah Department of Transportation has chosen an 8-mile-long gondola system as the way to serve the Snowbird and Alta ski resorts, ending a lengthy process that also included a cog railway among the options. The Salt Lake Tribune reports UDOT made its final decision public on Wednesday, after releasing a preliminary […]

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UP coal train derails in Wyoming

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

BILL, Wyo. — Twenty-one cars of a Union Pacific coal train derailed today (July 10), blocking UP’s route to ship coal out of the Powder River Basin. Cowboy State Daily reports the derailment occurred about 6:30 a.m. approximately 4 miles southeast of Lusk, Wyo., which is 130 miles north of Cheyenne. No injuries were reported. […]

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Montana Rail Link main line still closed, with no estimate for reopening

Container removed from boat by tractor

REED POINT, Mont. — The Montana Rail Line main line remains closed at the site of the June 24 bridge collapse and derailment that sent 10 freight cars into the Yellowstone River, but work is continuing “around the clock” to restore normal operations as soon as possible, according to the latest update from the Unified […]

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Norfolk & Western 611 Update

After almost twenty years on static display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Va., Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 returned to operation in 2015.  Her time on the mainline was very brief though, lasting only three years.  Since then, new venues have been needed to operate the large engine.  Let’s get […]

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Big Boy’s story continues

Large steam locomotive pulling a passenger train around a curve. More of the Big Boy story.

Big Boy’s story We all know the old tried and sometimes true saying, “bigger is better.” Yes, a significantly enlarged bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day is better. Finding out that your car repair bill is larger than anticipated … well, not so good. In the eyes of the Union Pacific Railroad, […]

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Denver City Council votes down proposed ordinance on development near rail lines

Commuter trains at station platform with multi-story buildings in background

DENVER — The Denver City Council has voted down a proposed ordinance that would have prohibited development within 100 feet of rail lines without safety measures to address possible derailments. In a Monday meeting, the council voted 7-5 against the proposal by Councilwoman Debbie Ortega. It would have required construction within 100 feet of rail […]

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MRL and BNSF detour trains as Yellowstone River bridge derailment cleanup progresses (updated)

Aerial view of collapsed bridge and railcars in river

REED POINT, Mont. — The Montana Rail Link bridge over the Yellowstone River, which collapsed on Saturday, passed inspections in November 2022 and last month, railroad President Joe Racicot said at a unified command news conference on Monday evening. “We feel confident that this bridge was suitable for stream flows,” Racicot says. A combination of […]

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