MENDON, Mo. — The Southwest Chief was traveling at 87 mph — just under the track speed of 90 mph — when it struck a dump truck and derailed Monday in the accident that killed four people, including three passengers on board the Amtrak train. National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy provided that information […]
MR&T Jenks Blue diesel locomotives: The Milwaukee, Racine & Troy, Model Railroader’s staff layout, has been around for more than 45 years. Similar to many full-size railroads, the freelanced MR&T changed paint schemes on its diesel locomotives over the years. The railroad’s third – and current – paint scheme is Jenks Blue, which was introduced […]
MENDON, Mo. — National Transportation Safety Board investigators spent their first day on the scene of Monday’s fatal Southwest Chief derailment worked to gather information on train speed and other data from the locomotive event recorder, NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Tuesday evening. The NTSB also sought to examine video from the P42 […]
DULUTH, Minn. — After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and necessary repairs, the Federal Railroad Administration has approved the return to service of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway 2-8-0 No. 332. The locomotive was fired up this week and inspected, including setting its three sets of safety valves. […]
ROCHELLE, Ill. — The Rochelle City Council has approved more than $30,000 for the first part of a three-phase plan to upgrade the Rochelle Railroad Park, the popular facility at the crossing of BSNF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad main lines. The Rochelle News-Leader reports that at a Monday meeting, the council approved a $30,750 […]
MENDON, Mo. — A fourth person, and third train passenger, has died as a result of Monday’s grade crossing accident and collision involving Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, the Missouri State Highway Patrol has reported. USA Today reports that 150 people were injured in the accident, receiving treatment at 10 area hospitals for injuries ranging from minor […]
MENDON, Mo. — The location where Amtrak’s Southwest Chief hit a dump truck in a collision and derailment that killed three and injured dozens was on a list of grade crossings recommended for safety upgrades, the Kansas City Star reports. The Monday afternoon accident involving eastbound train No. 4 led to the deaths of two […]
MENDON, Mo. — Three people are dead after Amtrak’s Southwest Chief hit a dump truck and derailed Monday afternoon, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. NBC News reports two people from the train and one person in the truck were killed, according to Highway Patrol Corporal Justin Dunn. A significant number of others were […]
HOMEWOOD, IIl. — Bringing Amtrak’s more than 500 stations into compliance with 1990’s Americans with Disabilities Act has been on Amtrak’s to-do list since the legislation was passed, but only with recent, specifically designated funding has the company prioritized the transformations. One such project was celebrated Saturday, June 25, in Homewood, Ill., with Amtrak brass […]
Join me in early mid-March, beside Amtrak City of New Orleans at Chebanse, Ill., a few weeks ahead of farmer’s spring planting — about 70 miles south of Chicago. It’s a breezy, crisp early morning before sunrise. The camera’s ISO is notched up to 2500. A lamp brightens the interior of the Chebanse depot, but […]
CHICAGO — The family of a Metra passenger killed in a May 11 grade-crossing accident has filed suit against the commuter agency and BNSF Railway, as well as the moving company whose truck was involved in the accident and the driver of the truck. The Daily Herald reports the suit filed Wednesday in Cook County […]
CHICAGO — CSX Transportation has begun work on expansion of its Chicago intermodal facilities, breaking ground earlier this week on a container storage facility at 63rd Street in the city’s Englewood neighborhood. When completed, the project, projected to cost more than $25 million, will provide additional storage for the railroad’s 59th Street and Bedford Park […]
