Western Maryland Scenic No. 1309 set to return to operation in May

Steam locomotive under large cloud of smoke and steam

CUMBERLAND, Md. — Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 is slated to return to operation beginning May 3, powering “Frostburg Flyer” excursions on Saturday and Sundays, the railroad said in an email to customers on Tuesday (April 8, 2025). Plans also call for the locomotive, built by Baldwin in 1949 for the Chesapeake & […]

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Reading & Northern: Mining success in anthracite country

Gray and black diesel locomotives roll through a railroad yard.

The Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad (RBMN), also marketed as Reading & Northern, has evolved from a humble 13-mile short line into a significant 325-mile regional freight and passenger carrier in Pennsylvania. Its origin traces back to 1983 when Andrew Muller Jr., a retired businessman, leased a segment of the former Pennsylvania Railroad between […]

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Central Oregon & Pacific to take over Union Pacific operations in Eugene, Ore., this weekend

WASHINGTON — Genesee & Wyoming short line Central Oregon & Pacific can take over local operations from Union Pacific in Eugene, Ore., as soon as Saturday, federal regulators have ruled. In a unanimous decision today, the Surface Transportation Board denied the SMART-TD union’s request to scrutinize and reject the lease deal. The decision also denied […]

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Northwest Territories seek federal action to restore CN service to Hay River

Map of northern Alberta and Northwest Territories

HAY RIVER, Northwest Territories — The Government of the Northwest Territories has asked Canadian federal regulators to examine Canadian National Railway’s decision not to repair its damaged rail line to Hay River, which had been the northernmost point on the North American rail network. Vince McKay, infrastructure minister for the Northwest Territories, said on Monday […]

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CSX updates storm issues in Southeast

Yellow CSX letters with web address on side of locomotive

New issues continue to develop while other problem areas are improving, CSX Transportation said in an update today (April 7, 2025) on storm recovery efforts. Also, BNSF has provided an update on one of two weather-related derailments that closed the Thayer South Subdivision in Arkansas. CSX had highlighted three areas as especially problematic in a […]

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March incident at Port of Stockton saw worker pinned between railcar, loader

Aerial vew of industrial area with railroad tracks, with inset photo of railcar and wheeled loader

WASHINGTON — A Hulcher Services employee was seriously injured when he was pinned between a rubber-tire loader and a railcar during a rerailing operation at the Port of Stockton, Calif., the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary investigation report released today (April 7, 2025). The incident occurred March 11 at about 3:03 p.m., […]

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Hinrichs appeals to CSX train crews for help clearing congestion

Train with blue and yellow locomotive in yard

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs has asked train crews to pitch in to help the railroad dig out of congestion. “When I joined CSX, I said it clearly, our front-line railroaders are the ones who create the value our customers pay for,” Hinrichs wrote in a system notice sent to employees on Friday […]

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Reviewed: Railroader railroad simulator (2024, Giraffe Labs)

Screenshot from Railroader, a railroad simulator

It’s early morning in the rolling hills of North Carolina. The silence is broken by the shotgun sound of a steam locomotive. The engine, a hulking Baldwin decapod, is panting and straining against a heavy train of building supplies and coal empties, bound for the junction with the Alarka Branch a few miles distant. With […]

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Amtrak announces more storm-related cancellations

CHICAGO — Storm-related cancellations will continue today (Monday, April 7) for Amtrak’s Texas Eagle and City of New Orleans, the fourth such day for such disruptions. In posts on the Amtrak Alerts social media feed late Sunday night, the company said today’s departures of the City of New Orleans from Chicago and New Orleans would […]

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CSX cars derail, fall onto Indianapolis street

Derailed freight cars as viewed from under bridge

INDIANAPOLIS — Six cars of a CSX train derailed on the southeast side of Indianapolis on Sunday evening (April 6), with five cars falling off a bridge onto a street below and covering it with cornstarch. The Indianapolis Star reports that the derailment occurred about 6:35 p.m., according to CSX. Indianapolis Fire Department spokeswoman Rita […]

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Storms impact CSX, Norfolk Southern service

CSX logo

Both CSX and Norfolk Southern are reporting operational impacts from the severe weather that has hit the Ohio Valley and the South since Friday. CSX, in a customer advisory issued today (Sunday, April 6), says it has implemented “network-wide measures” to address the weather situation. Its South West Region has been most affected, with the […]

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Amtrak weather cancellations continue (updated)

Passenger train on curve

CHICAGO — Amtrak weather cancellations are continuing today (Sunday, April 6) as the center of the country continues to deal with a storm system leaving widespread flooding and other damage. According to the Amtrak Alerts social media feed, The City of New Orleans, which had been cancelled outright on Friday and Saturday, today will not […]

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