EDON, Ohio — In its third year with the Indiana Rail Experience, the 2024 Tri-State Scenic steam excursion had new wrinkles for its Father’s Day weekend treks along the Indiana Northeastern Railroad between Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. What hasn’t changed was steam locomotive No. 765 as the star for the all-day trips out of Edon. […]
Orphan Trains The orphan train story does not involve a specific train consist, locomotive, route, or even schedule. The story comes from a period that was socially different from today — 1854 to 1930. Attitudes about the idea of family, how parents cared for children, and the dichotomy between well-off and not, were radically different […]
MOBILE, Ala. — A once-unlikely source — the Alabama State Port Authority — has agreed to provide a share of the funding needed to launch Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. On Tuesday, the Port Authority board, once a vehement opponent of Gulf Coast service on the grounds it might interfere with freight […]
CLEVELAND — Construction of the oil firing system is the latest step in restoration work of Reading Co. T1 4-8-4 No. 2100, the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association reports. “With the funding received this spring, work is well underway in regard to the construction of the oil pan,” Forrest Nace, the non-profit organization’s treasurer and […]
The union representing more than 9,000 CN and CPKC workers is holding a second strike vote amid stalled contract negotiations with the railroads. “It is clear we cannot rely on a timely conclusion to these unfortunate circumstances and must protect our rights regardless of outcome,” the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) said in a press […]
ATLANTA — With the National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the East Palestine, Ohio, hazardous materials wreck due out next week, Norfolk Southern is touting the safety improvements it has made so far this year. The railroad released a midyear safety report on Monday, which outlines strides the railroad has made this year as […]
Microprocessor control New locomotives have largely included some sort of microprocessor control since the 1980s when EMD’s 60-series line and GE’s Dash 8 line were introduced. These advanced systems expanded the ability of new power to basically haul more and break down less than older designs. But the thousands of locomotives built prior to this […]
NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit and partner organizations on Monday hosted a workshop at Rutgers University Newark to prepare for 2026 World Cup events at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, including the international soccer tournament’s championship game. The workshop, in partnership with the International Association of Public Transportion (UITP) and the Rutgers Center for Advanced […]
McRAE, Ark. — A one-mile area near the town of McRae was evacuated today (Monday, June 17) after a railcar on a Union Pacific train released a hazardous material, KTHV-TV reports. No injuries resulted from the incident, which involved nitric acid. State Route 367 was closed for about four hours. Union Pacific said in a […]
SEATTLE — BNSF Railway owes Washington state’s Swinomish Indian Tribal Community $394.5 million for violating an agreement governing railroad operation across tribal land, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik reached that figure after a four-day bench trial, the Seattle Times reports. He had previously ruled the railroad had violated a 1991 […]
Down memory lane Down memory lane: Ever find yourself bumping into the same locomotive over the decades? I have. For me, it is former Southern Pacific’s Electro Motive Corporation SW1 No. 1000. My first encounter was in the 1960s in Northern California, the only model on the roster not working in the greater Los Angeles […]
CASS, W.Va. — Some 3,000 spectators descended on the tiny mountain town of Cass on Saturday, June 15, to see, photograph, and record all five of Cass Scenic Railroad’s operational Shay locomotives in the fifth annual Parade of Steam. Beginning on the inner station track with Shay No. 11 (Construction No. 3221, 1923; Class 90-3, […]
