One of the North Shore Line’s two Electroliner trains pauses at the North Chicago station on a southbound run one snowy night in the 1950s. William D. Middleton photo […]
‘Electroliner’ at night
Tag: Electric Locomotives
B&O midget electric
Baltimore & Ohio box-cab electric No. 10 shifts cars on the constricted trackage near the Baltimore waterfront in September 1949. In 1954, after B&O shut down its trolley system, the little fellow retired to the B&O Railroad Museum. H. N. Proctor photo […]
HO locomotives Amherst 2022 in review
Featured HO locomotives Amherst 2022: These HO Scale locomotives are what manufacturers tell Model Railroader that they are featuring at the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show Jan. 29 and 30. Athearn Electro-Motive Diesel/Progress Rail SD70ACU diesel locomotive Electro-Motive Diesel/Progress Rail SD70ACU diesel locomotive. Canadian Pacific (Army Arid Regions and Navy schemes in one road […]
Union Pacific orders 20 battery-electric locomotives for yard service (second update)
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will purchase 20 battery-electric locomotives to test in yard service, the largest commitment to date for the technology by any rail operator. In separate announcements Friday, the railroad announced purchase of 10 Wabtec FLXdrive locomotives and 10 of Progress Rail’s EMD Joule locomotives. The railroad said the cost of the […]
Pacific Electric “Blimps”
Three of Pacific Electric’s big interurban cars, known as “Blimps” for their great size, lay over at Long Beach circa 1950. Linn H. Westcott photo […]
ScaleTrains four-axle locomotive announcement at Amherst 2022
ScaleTrains four-axle locomotive announcement is set for this weekend. Officials with ScaleTrains say they’ll unveil the new HO Scale model during the Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show at 10:50 a.m. Eastern time, January 29. Attendees will be able to see the unveiling live at booth BLC No. 34A. More details will be available from […]
Watco to convert two switchers to battery-electric power
SCOTTSVILLE, Texas — Add shortline company Watco to the list of those exploring battery-electric locomotive technology. Watco is teaming with Medha, an India-based manufacturer of locomotives and rail-related electronics, to convert two end-cab switchers into battery-electric units. The SW1200 and SW1500, based in Texas, had been out of service for repairs, according to an article […]
Australia’s BHP to buy battery-electrics from Wabtec, Progress Rail
BHP Western Australia Iron Ore has placed orders for battery-electric locomotives from both Wabtec and Progress Rail, becoming the first company to order battery-electric units from both major North American manufacturers. BHP will purchase two of Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives, becoming the second Australian firm in a week and third overall to purchase those units, […]
Second Australian firm orders Wabtec battery-electric locomotives
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec has secured its largest order to date for its FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives, with Australian mining company Rio Tinto ordering four of the units for use in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The locomotives will help Rio Tinto’s effort to reach a 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by […]
Australia’s FMG purchases battery-electric locomotives from Progress Rail
PERTH, Australia — Fortescue Metals Group announced today it has purchased two new battery-operated locomotives from Progress Rail to haul ore from mine to port in northwest Australia. The new eight-axle locomotives will have an energy capacity of 14.5 megawatt-hours and will be built at Progress Rail’s facility in Sete Lagoas, Brazil. Fortescue Chief Executive […]
UP nearing purchase of battery-electrics for yard tests, CEO says
PHOENIX — Union Pacific is nearing agreements to purchase battery-electric locomotives for tests in yard use, CEO Lance Fritz says, with plans to try the locomotives in one cold-weather location and one warm-weather site. “We think you can get an 8-hour shift out of a properly designed [battery-electric],” Fritz said during a short conversation with […]
Work to electrify Mexican railroad begins
MEXICO CITY — Work to supply electric power to the Mérida-Cancún stretch of Mexico’s Maya Train will begin this month at an estimated cost of $73.7 million. Mexico’s Environment Ministry said the electrification project would require the construction of three substations from which all the electricity necessary to feed the line will be supplied. The […]
