BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced plans for a special rail schedule as part of the Massachusetts 250 celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. The celebration is set for Patriots Day weekend, April 19-20. “The Commonwealth has a rich history, and ‘Massachusetts 250’ is just one […]
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — A H.K. Porter diesel acquired from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has arrived at the East Broad Top Railroad to provide backup power for EBT operations and support expansion efforts. The 80-ton, 3-foot-gauge engine was built in 1946 and operated on US Gypsum’s railroad in Plaster City, Calif., until […]
AUGUSTA, Maine — The April 2023 derailment of a CPKC train in rural Maine, which led to injuries to three crew members and a fire, was caused by a washout resulting from a beaver dam, a state agency has been told. The April 15, 2023, incident occurred when the train was traveling at about 35 […]
RONKONKOMA, N.Y. — The state of New York will spend $150 million to connect the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma station with a proposed new terminal at Long Island MacArthur Airport, a facility served by four commercial airlines. The project, announced Wednesday, Feb. 12, by Gov. Kathy Hochul, will include purchase of 48 acres of […]
Franconia Paper Co. 0-4-0T No. 3, built by Porter in 1917 for the Watertown (Mass.) Arsenal, putters about the paper company’s plant at Lincoln, N.H., in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
I constructed my first N scale layout in a coffee table in 1976 based on the East Glasstop project railroad series that appeared in Model Railroader from December of 1970 to April of 1971. However, it was not until I retired in 2016 that I completed my second layout, a 5 x 5 foot square […]
WASHINGTON — Matthew Lane, general manager of Pinsly’s Pioneer Valley Railroad in Massachusetts, has been named Safety Person of the Year by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. Lane joins Herman Crosson, Anacostia Rail Holdings’ chief safety and compliance officer, in earning the ASLRRA’s top individual safety awards. Crosson was previously announced as […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is modifying operations for the Super Bowl championship parade on Friday, Feb. 14 — and will offer free rides on two rail routes thanks to a Philadelphia Eagles sponsor. The parade is set to begin at 11 a.m. at the Eagles’ stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, with a ceremony […]
NEWARK, N.J. — An Amtrak employee in New Jersey has become the latest to plead guilty to participation in a health-care fraud scheme that led more than $11 million in fraudulent claims against the passenger carrier’s insurance. Anthony Saloka, 44, of Elizabeth, N.J., pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Feb. 11, to conspiracy to commit health care […]
WENDELL, Mass. — Eight cars of an intermodal train operated by the Berkshire & Eastern Railroad derailed today (Feb. 11), the Greenfield Recorder reports. No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved; a Genesee & Wyoming spokesman told WWLP-TV that the train was carrying a mix of commodities. Wendell Police Sgt. Steven Gould […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has expanded its list of train cancellations because of approaching winter storms, adding one train to the list for today (Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025) and planned cancellations and increasing the list for Wednesday, Feb. 12, from seven to 14. The original group of cancellations was announced Monday at 4:20 p.m. ET [see […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has agreed to pay $505 million to gain control of Washington Union Station, the Washington Post reports. The agreement, reached last week and subject to approval by a federal judge, will settle a lengthy battle over the passenger operator’s efforts to control the commercial space at the station. Amtrak had gained control […]
