Wisconsin Northern SD45 No. 43 virtually sparkles in new paint. The locomotive is one of two recently refurbished and purchased by the railroad. Steve Smedley CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. — Add Progressive Rail Inc.’s Wisconsin Northern Railroad to the list of operators of rebuilt SD45R carbodies with the addition of twin units Nos. 43 and 45. […]
Freshly painted Pan Am Railway C40-8 No. 7635 rolls west in the consist of Waterville-to-Portland train WAPO on Feb. 10, 2018, near New Gloucester, Maine. Chris Guss WATERVILLE, Maine — Pan Am Railways’ second C40-8 rolled out of the paint booth last week. MEC No. 7635, formerly a CSX Transportation locomotive of the same road […]
CHICAGO — Ed Burkhardt says jurors in the Lac-Mégantic trial made the right call by finding three former Montreal, Maine & Atlantic railroaders “not guilty” of killing 47 people in July 2013. “None of these three accused meet the standard of criminal negligence, which is very tight,” Burkhardt, former chairman of the Canadian short line […]
Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western SD60F No. 5544 leads a train at Falkirk, N.D., on Jan. 4. Erich Linser BISMARCK N.D. — Two Midwest railroads have acquired a handful of retired cowl locomotives from Canadian National. Following CNs decision to retire its fleet of 60 EMD SD60F locomotives in 2017, the 5500 series locomotives were […]
Florida East Coast CEO Nate Asplund Florida East Coast Railway ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Florida East Coast Railway’s new CEO is a railroad and transportation industry veteran. CEO Nate Asplund took over Jan. 1 from former chief Jim Hertwig, who retired as of Dec. 31, 2017. Before joining FEC, Asplund served as president and CEO […]
Tourist railroad lines threatened by conversion to rail-trails, as of July 2016. TRAINS Illustration: Rick Johnson KINGSTON, N.Y. — A contractor has begun removing track along the Ashokan Reservoir, effectively ending a years-long effort by a tourist railroad to access the scenic area. A recreational trail will replace the track. In November, the Ulster County […]
Wahpeton, N.D. Google Maps WAHPETON, N.D. — Red River Valley & Western Railroad is pleased to announce that effective Jan. 1, 2018, it will be led by the new executive leadership team of Victor Meyers as president and Mark Wegner as CEO. Meyers most recently served as vice president of operations of the Twin Cities […]
A Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay passenger special departs the Santa Cruz boardwalk in December 2012. Elrond Lawrence SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Chicago-based Iowa Pacific Holdings is seeking to end its contract as the operator of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. Iowa Pacific subsidiary Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay […]
A westbound BNSF intermodal train leans into the famous elevated curves at Siberia, Calif., in April 2014. Four photos, Drew Halverson I witnessed an endless array of trains while growing up in the Midwest. Despite the diversity of railroads, the surrounding landscape was lacking. I needed mountains and deserts to go with the ubiquitous cityscapes […]
An aerial view of charred freight train in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, following the July 2013 derailment and fire. Transportation Safety Board of Canada SHERBROOKE, Quebec — The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic’s use of one-person crews in the months before the fatal Lac-Mégantic oil train wreck that killed 47 people has become the focus of the criminal […]
Churchill, Manitoba Google Maps OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canadian federal government has launched an $18-million dollar lawsuit against Omnitrax, the U.S.-based shortline operations company. The lawsuit alleges that Omnitrax allowed tracks leading to the isolated community of Port of Churchill, Manitoba, to fall into disrepair after flooding washed away portions of the tracks. If proven […]
On June 20, 1950, seven months after the Nickel Plate Road leased the 500-mile Wheeling & Lake Erie, W&LE Berkshire 6430 rolls 75 cars toward Toledo along the Sandusky River north of Fremont, Ohio. Soon NKP would renumber the Wheeling Berks into its 800 series. Bob Lorenz photo […]
