Friday evening rail news in brief: Amtrak suspends service to, from New Orleans because of Cristobal Amtrak will suspend service to and from New Orleans for several days because of the forecast landfall of Tropical Storm Cristobal along the Gulf Coast, cancelling the City of New Orleans while abbreviating service on the routes of the […]
Wednesday morning rail news in brief: Miami-Dade OKs negotiations over Brightline commuter operation While the area’s commuter railroad and mayor voiced opposition, Miami-Dade county commissioners have endorsed negotiations with Virgin Trains USA for proposed commuter-rail service on the southern end of Brightline’s route between Miami and West Palm Beach, Fla. The Miami Herald reports that […]
More Tuesday morning rail news: — The city of Jackson, Miss., is suing Canadian National over a long-disputed underpass beneath the railroad’s right-of-way, demanding CN pays the full cost of reopening the once heavily-used route. The Jackson Clarion Ledger reports the city says the closure of Walter Dutch Welch Drive in west Jackson — shut […]
More Tuesday morning rail news: — The Wilmington, N.C., City Council is scheduled to vote today on a $2.5 million contract for engineering work on a plan to relocate a CSX Transportation rail line out of the city and turn the existing right-of-way into a light rail system, a concept which could cost $1 billion. […]
Disney via YouTube. First reported by LaughingPlace.com ORLANDO, Fla. — As part of its virtual tour of rides and attractions at its properties in Florida, Disney uploaded a new video of one of its long-enduring rides at the Magic Kingdom — Thunder Mountain. The 1-minute, 57-second video gives viewers a front-row seat in the roller […]
Two Geeps (center left) bring a train into Chesapeake & Ohio’s sprawling coal storage yard at Newport News, Va. Cars are stored here until needed at the nearby port facilities where they are mixed with various other grades of coal while loading into oceangoing vessels. Chesapeake & Ohio, John B. Corns collection […]
Gainesville Midland 2-10-0 No. 207 switches tank cars at Oconee Height, Ga., in April 1957, just northwest of Athens. The 1924 product of Baldwin was involved in a serious derailment in 1954, turning over in the incident. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Kansas City Southern’s flagship, the Southern Belle, is ready to depart New Orleans for Kansas City behind an EMD E6 in August 1950. The train, the first such direct service between the points, is the result of the railroad’s acquisition of the Louisiana & Arkansas in 1939. James G. La Vake photo […]
A Missouri Pacific Mountain-type 4-8-2 rolls an 83-car train under the coaling tower at Gurdon, Ark., in 1952. Soon, diesels would render the locomotive, and coaling tower, obsolete. The railroad had 29 such MT-73 class engines, Nos. 5308–5316 and 5335–5344, built by Alco between 1921 and 1930. All were retired by the end of 1956. […]
Arrival and departure boards at New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal’s main entry are chock-full of trains in the mid-1950s. The $25.5 million facility had 12 tracks and opened in May 1954. James G. La Vake photo […]
A blue lantern hanging by the pilot of E7 No. 539 at Florence, N.C., indicates that the train is not to be moved during its 5-minute station stop. William D. Middleton photo […]
An Atlantic Coast Line laborer uses a long-handled brush to clean the windshield of E6 No. 520 at Florence, S.C. The locomotive is leading train 375, the Washington–Jacksonville Everglades. William D. Middleton photo […]
