Pacific 2119 leads Northern Pacific train 288 east in Silver Bow Canyon, a dozen miles west of Butte, Mont., in the late 1940s. Linn H. Westcott photo […]
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News photos: Genesee & Wyoming releasing America 250th anniversary locomotives
Genesee & Wyoming has unveiled the latest in a series of locomotives honoring America’s 250th anniversary — and the first in a modified paint scheme reflecting changes after two units were originally painted with a lighter blue as the primary color. The Buffalo & Pittsburgh locomotive, C44-9W No. 4434, features a Liberty Bell design. It […]
FTA reports significant growth in transit-related fatalities, calls for examination of hazards
WASHINGTON — Rail trespassing and suicide fatalities increased by 70% between 2016 and 2025, and now account for 50% of all fatalities reported to the National Transit Database, the Federal Transit Administration said in a safety advisory issued Monday, Nov. 24. Advisory 25-1 calls on state agencies overseeing rail transit operations to direct those operators […]
MBTA, Keolis complete rail replacement on Fairmount Line
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has completed more than 28 miles of rail replacement on its Fairmount Line, part of work in preparation for the eventual launch of battery-electric train service on the 9.2-mile, nine-station commuter line between South Station and Readville, Mass. Service on the route, which has been modified since the […]
Governor’s move provides SEPTA with $219.9 million to address infrastructure, safety issues
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will receive an extra $219.9 million in state funding to address infrastructure work and safety issues, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced today. The money will come from the state’s Public Transit Trust Fund, the source of money for capital projects that was also used to keep SEPTA at […]
News photos: CSX Santa Train makes annual gift-giving journey (with video)
KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The CSX Santa Train distributed more than 15,000 toys, 6,000 train safety books, and 5,700 backpacks filled with gifts, gloves, and hats on Saturday (Nov. 22) as part of part of its 83rd trip on a 110-mile route through Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. “The CSX Santa Train embodies the best of what […]
GoFundMe effort seeks to complete Wichita museum’s funding for restoration of Santa Fe FP45
WICHITA, Kan. — Discovery of hidden damage on former Santa Fe FP45 No. 93 has prompted the locomotive’s owner, the Great Plains Transportation Museum, to launch an effort to raise an additional $50,000 for repairs needed before the locomotive’s cosmetic restoration can be completed. The locomotive, donated to the museum in June 1999 by BNSF […]
Union Pacific, boilermakers union reach agreement guaranteeing jobs in event of UP-NS merger
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers have reached an agreement guaranteeing job security for union members if the UP-Norfolk Southern merger is approved, the fourth such agreement involving the railroad. It will cover current UP and NS workers at the time a merger occurs. “The Boilermakers union looks forward to […]
International crews help UP, Ferromex speed flow of traffic at Eagle Pass gateway
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Union Pacific last week began using international crews to handle interchange with Grupo Mexico’s Ferromex at the Eagle Pass gateway, the No. 2 U.S.-Mexico rail border crossing. The move shifts the interchange from the International Railway Bridge over the Rio Grande to UP’s Clark Park Yard in Eagle Pass, 7 rail […]
Berkshire & Eastern proves good service drives growth: Analysis
Pat Ottensmeyer, the late Kansas City Southern chief executive, had a favorite saying: Service begets growth. It’s not the most catchy phrase you’ll ever hear. But it’s true. And nowhere is that more apparent than in New England, where Genesee & Wyoming’s Berkshire & Eastern is growing a bumper crop of freight in the middle […]
NYC’s Commodore Vanderbilt Hudson
New York Central class J-1e 4-6-4 No. 5344 received sheet-metal shrouding in 1934, making it the first streamlined steam locomotive in America. Carl F. Kantola of NYC’s equipment engineering department created the design. The Hudson was named Commodore Vanderbilt after the NYC’s famous early leader, but initially displayed no road number. Glenn Grabill photo […]
Capacity pinch points trigger Thanksgiving Amtrak sellouts, high fares
CHICAGO — As expected, shortened consists and surging holiday demand are responsible for Amtrak sellouts across the country, notably on segments of virtually every long-distance train nearest population centers, as well as on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades, New York State’s Empire Service, and Midwest corridors. Repeating their analysis earlier this year for the Labor Day […]
