SANTA PAULA, Calif. — Sierra Northern Railway, partnering with nonprofit Operation Toy Train, ran a pair of Santa trains Saturday, Dec. 7, on its Ventura Division between Ventura and Piru, about 30 miles. The first train, consisting of Genset locomotive No. 2666, an open-air car, and heavyweight business car No. 409, left Ventura at 10:30 […]
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Rail Road Santa Train begins its annual journey across the railroad today (Friday, Dec. 6), with stops scheduled in 12 communities over a three-day period. The Santa Train, launched in 1989, is an all-volunteer event providing cold-weather gear to families in need. At all stops but today’s initial location, in Bargersville, […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation, caretakers for Portland-owned steam locomotives Southern Pacific No. 4449 and Spokane, Portland & Seattle No. 700, will purchase Portland-area short line Oregon Pacific Railroad, the foundation has announced. Foundation President Rick Franklin said in a press release that the acquisition “honors Dick Samuels’ remarkable legacy while securing […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian National, Genesee & Wyoming Canada, Metrolinx, and VIA Rail Canada are recipients of the Railway Association of Canada’s 2024 Safety Awards, which honor innovations and proactive measures by the nation’s railways to maintain and improve safety. “Safety is at the heart of everything we do,” Marc Brazeau, president and CEO of […]
WASHINGTON — One year ago this week Canadian National announced its $230 million deal to acquire the 218-mile Iowa Northern Railway. Today CN should be 100 days into integrating Iowa Northern into its 18,800-mile system, assuming regulatory approval of the acquisition. Or CN should be licking its wounds, in the unlikely event that the Surface […]
BENTLEY, Alberta — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. today celebrated the launch of its first railroad in western Canada, the 43-mile Red Deer Railway Limited. RDR runs from Jackson, Alberta, to Homeglen, Alberta, and uses operating rights over Canadian Pacific Kansas City from Red Deer, Alberta, to Chigwell, Alberta, and to Prentiss, Alberta. A direct interchange […]
WASHINGTON — Kristin Bevil, general counsel and chief legal officer of Pinsly Railroad, has been named to the board of directors for the Short Line Safety Institute. Tom Murta, the institute’s executive director, said in a press release that Bevil’s “experience in guiding short line railroad management in issues as diverse as litigation, governance, regulatory […]
As railroad fans, we are in one form or another, closet historians. “The station used to be right there. You can still see the foundation if you look carefully,” we point out to neophytes to a particular area. “The railroad used to have a switcher based here to service the local industries. Today, there is […]
Okay let me be the first to say, I am childless. However when a friend of mine told me that he and his wife were expecting, I immediately started to wonder what they would name the child. The next day I brought up the idea to a colleague and said that I thought Norfolk would […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen at the Florida, Gulf & Atlantic Railway have ratified a five-year agreement, their first since joining the union last year, the BLET has announced. The agreement, ratified Nov. 21 and announced this week, establishes such work rules as a seniority roster, grievance procedures, […]
SAGINAW, Mich. — Two locomotives and five cars of a train derailed on Lake State Railway trackage Sunday afternoon, Nov. 24, spilling corn into the Saginaw River, WWJ Radio reports. The incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. Images on the Detroit News website show one covered hopper ended up on its side at the edge of […]
REGINA, Saskatchewan — Grain and pulse crop processor AGT Food & Ingredients has sold its MobilGrain short lines and its rail and port terminal operations to an infrastructure fund. The sale to GCM Grosvenor, announced Wednesday (Nov. 20), includes MobilGrain’s two Saskatechewan short lines, Last Mountain Rail and Big Sky Rail, both of which connect […]
