0-6-0 on a name train

20160628

Ferrocarril Mexicano 0-6-0 No. 619 departs El Paso Union Station with the three through cars of Nacionales de Mexico train 8, El Presidente Juarez, in June 1950. The train will use Santa Fe tracks to the border bridge. At Juarez, an NdeM road engine will take over and more cars will be added. R. S. […]

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Six cars, locomotive of CPKC train derail in North Dakota

Derailed container flat cars

BALFOUR, N.D. — Six cars of containers and one locomotive at the end of a CPKC freight train derailed near Balfour, N.D., on Tuesday evening, a railroad representative told KMOT-TV. No injuries were reported. Three of the cars were carrying some items classified as hazardous, including lithium batteries, airbags, and four small drums of methanol, […]

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Unexpected repairs briefly sideline Abilene & Smoky Valley 4-6-2

Steam locomotive with passenger car and gondola for riders in field with trees in background.

ABILENE, Kan. — Fans who were looking forward to enjoying an extra season of steam-powered trips on the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad will have to wait a little longer for those trips to begin. Trains powered by Santa Fe No. 3415, the railroad’s 104-year-old 4-6-2 locomotive, were to have begun operation Memorial Day weekend, […]

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Union Pacific announces Big Boy trip to Omaha

A Big Boy locomotive leads a yellow passenger train through the Great Plains.

Big Boy trip 2023 OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 will travel to Omaha, Neb., for 11 days of display during the NCAA College World Series baseball championship tournament, the railroad announced today. The locomotive and its train of heritage passenger cars will depart Cheyenne, Wyo., on the “Home Run Express Tour,” […]

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Texas court again rules against UP’s effort to close car shop

MP Machinist catching red hot rivet

  PALESTINE, Texas — A Texas judge has ruled for the city of Palestine and Anderson County and against Union Pacific in the railroad’s efforts to close a car repair shop in the city, continuing an ongoing legal battle underway on two levels. The Palestine Herald-Press reports that in a May 15 ruling, state District […]

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New BNSF intermodal service to link Port Houston with Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver

Locomotive and train of orange and yellow containers

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway will add service from the port of Houston to Alliance, Texas, and Denver next month. “As part of our continued commitment to adjusting to our customers’ and the marketplace’s needs to enable growth and the efficient movement of shipments, BNSF is expanding our network of lane offerings with new […]

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Clean-up under way after 31-car BNSF derailment in Texas

BNSF Railway logo

DACUS, Texas — Clean-up is in progress following the weekend derailment of 31 cars of a BNSF Railway train of crushed limestone in the small town of Dacus. No injuries were reported. There is some disagreement between the railroad and local officials over the reporting of the incident. BNSF told KTRK-TV on Monday that it […]

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Preservation group goes to court over Bismarck bridge

Steam-powered passenger train on large truss bridge over water

BISMARCK, N.D. — The preservation group seeking to block demolition of a 140-year-old BNSF Railway bridge has taken its effort to court. The Bismarck Tribune reports that the group Friends of the Rail Bridge has filed an appeal with the state’s South Central District Court seeking to overturn a decision by the state Department of […]

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UP train was going 35 mph when it hit parked train in April accident in Texas

Two aerial photos of collision of two trains in Texas

WASHINGTON — A Union Pacific train was going about 48 mph when it was sent onto a yard track from the main line and 35 mph when it hit a parked train at a yard in Chico, Texas, on April 16, according to a preliminary report released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. Two […]

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Kansas governor calls for regulation requiring two-person crews

Freight train with five locomotives from three railroads on bridge

TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is seeking a regulation which would require two-person crews for trains operating within the state, calling it a “commonsense, necessary measure” for the safety of communities and crew members. Kelly, a Democrat, said in a press release that she has directed the state’s Department of Transportation to propose […]

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BNSF gets final regulatory approval for new Bismarck bridge

Train coming off bridge on broad curve

BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway has received the final regulatory clearance for its long-delayed effort to replace its aging bridge over the Missouri River in North Dakota, and has begun preparatory work. A group that wants to save the bridge as a pedestrian and bike path, however, indicates it may take its effort to court. […]

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UP train derailed in Kansas grade-crossing accident

Derailed hopper cars, including several stacked above the right-of-way

YATES CENTER, Kan. — Five locomotives and approximately 24 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Monday morning after a grade-crossing accident with a tractor-trailer truck, a railroad spokesman told KOAM-TV. The train’s crew was not injured, UP said. The truck driver was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Woodson County Sheriff Jeffrey McCullough. The […]

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