[Ed. — This adventure is excerpted from a story originally appearing in Trains, September 1984. It, along with 45 other railroad stories, can be found in a forthcoming Trains/Classic Train book: Tales of the Rails, due out in March 2026. Visit shop.trains.com to order your copy.] On June 27, 1955, I witnessed a veteran locomotive […]
LOS ANGELES — Commuter rail operator Metrolink will offer additional service on Monday, Nov. 3, for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series victory parade, the agency announced today (Sunday, Nov. 2). LA Metro is also providing special service, including Dodger Stadium Express buses to the ticketed celebration at the stadium; those buses will be free […]
TRENTON, N.J. — NJ Transit has become the latest rail entity to mark the coming 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, wrapping a trainset from its light rail River Line with graphics marking the anniversary in 2026. Photographer Adam Reich captured the trainset testing at the Trenton Transit Center last week. It is one of the […]
MOLINE, Ill. — The transit bill passed early Friday (Oct. 31) by Illinois legislators doesn’t just address the financial needs and governing structure of transit operations in the Chicago area. Tucked into the bill’s more than 1,000 pages are two provisions that legislators say should boost the long-running effort to launch rail passenger service between […]
Broadway Limited HO track inspection car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $139.99 Era: 1975 to present (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Broadway Limited Imports, 9 East Tower Circle, Ormond Beach, FL 32174; 386-673-8900; broadway-limited.com Broadway Limited HO track inspection car features: Compatible with code 70, 83, and 100 rail Era-specific light packages Individually controlled light […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois legislature has passed a package of funding measures to support Chicago-area transit agencies, while also restructuring those agencies. The 1,043-page Senate Bill 2111 will wipe out the collective shortfall of more than $200 million faced by Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, and bus operator Pace, avoiding CTA service cuts that […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Federal Railroad Administration has granted a two-week extension to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority for completion of its FRA-mandated inspections of the 223-car Silverliner IV fleet. SEPTA said that as of today — Oct. 31, 2025, the original FRA deadline — it has met almost all of the actions required under the […]
WASHINGTON — The end may not be near — given Amtrak’s current, chronic capacity shortage, exacerbated by last spring’s sudden withdrawal of the Horizon coach fleet — but the company has begun the lengthy process of selling off its most productive and enduring assets: stainless steel Amfleet coaches and cafes that began arriving from the […]
HARTFORD, Conn. — Full Amtrak and CTRail service on the Hartford Line will resume between Hartford and Springfield, Mass., on Saturday (Nov. 1), following the completion of track projects that led to long-term substitution of buses for some trains. In all, 10 trains will be restored north of Hartford: — Northbound: CTRail train 4400 (departing […]
Santa Fe trains 93, the West Texas Express, and 94, the Eastern Express, were the Amarillo–Lubbock connection for the San Francisco Chief. Between 1955 and 1965, the trains looked like this: an E8M (rebuilt from an E1), baggage-express car, coach, and sleeper. Fred M. Springer photo […]
NEW YORK — The Amtrak-led project to redevelop New York’s Penn Station announced several steps forward on Thursday, most notably a call for the project’s master developer. A 98-page request for letters of interest available at Amtrak’s procurement site describes the project as a “a comprehensive redevelopment … to transform the station into a modern […]
WASHINGTON — An operator’s failure to obey a stop signal was the probable cause of an Oct. 1, 2024, derailment of a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority light rail train in Somerville, Mass., the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final investigation report released this month. The train’s excessive speed was a contributing factor, according […]
