A U.S. railroad strike now seems inevitable. The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen overwhelmingly rejected their tentative contract agreement with the railroads this week, following in the footsteps...

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans have released a proposed budget for fiscal 2024 that would effectively force Amtrak “to radically reduce or suspend service on various routes across the nation,”...

CSX Transportation CEO Joe Hinrichs showed off the railroad's second heritage locomotive today on LinkedIn: ES44AH No. 1973, a salute to the Chessie System.

One of Amtrak’s retired HHP8 electric locomotives, with both pantographs removed, is being tested for possible use as a cab car. Amtrak is reportedly looking to bolster or replace its aging fleet of...

ORLANDO — A Brightline train has hit speeds of 130 mph in testing on passenger operator’s corridor between Orlando and Cocoa, Fla., the company announced this morning (March 6, 2023), making it the...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States and Canada will work together to develop a common vision for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from locomotives, officials announced today at the...

NORTH WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Metro-North Railroad has unveiled the third in its series of wrapped heritage locomotives to mark its 40th anniversary, this one wearing the classic two-tone gray “lightn...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX’s eighth heritage locomotive is a salute to the New York Central. The ES44AH, which carries No. 1853 for the Central’s founding year, made its debut today. It took the...

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has issued a formal Request for Proposals for replacement of its bilevel long-distance railcar fleet, outlining requirements for what it says will be a multi-billion-dollar order...

A tribute to Atlantic Coast Line is the latest heritage locomotive to emerge from CSX’s paint shop in Waycross, Ga. CEO Joe Hinrichs posted photos of the locomotive on his LinkedIn account this...

CHICAGO — New schedules for Amtrak’s Lincoln Service trains will take effect June 26, and are expected to shave approximately 15 minutes off current travel times to reflect 110-mph operation on...

PHOENIX — A bill to limit the length of freight trains in the state of Arizona has cleared its first legislative hurdle, advancing through the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on...

Amtrak is beginning to give its General Electric locomotive fleet a look in keeping with its newer units. Fresh from an overhaul at the Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility, Amtrak P42 No. 174,...

Norfolk Southern’s heritage locomotive fleet will get a refresh in the coming years, the railroad announced when it shared a video of a shiny Virginian SD70ACe No. 1069 rolling out of the paint shop...

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — South Shore Line commuter train No. 106, the 5:45 a.m. departure from Carroll Avenue station in Michigan City, Ind., makes its way down 11th Street at Franklin Street on Monday...

SILVIS, Ill. — BNSF Railway has donated former Santa Fe B40-8W No. 537 to the non-profit Railroading Heritage of Midwest America (RRHMA). The unit was delivered to the RRHMA shop in Silvis this week....

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will send Big Boy No. 4014 on a “Four Corners” tour of its system in 2024, the railroad announced today, including stops in Oregon, California, Texas, and Illinois. “As we...

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s new Acela trainsets have finally cleared a computer-modeling hurdle that has stalled testing, the New York Times reports. The trains passed computer modeling tests on the 14th...

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — The Brightline West project is about to get its official kickoff. While various surveying and other preparation work has been in progress for several months, a formal groundbreaking...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has passed regulations requiring dramatic measures to reduce diesel locomotive emissions within the state — including all new locomotives to offer zero-emission...

PORTLAND, Maine — The prospect of regular passenger service on a state-owned route between Brunswick and Rockland, Maine, received a big boost last week when Maine’s Department of Transportation...

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Legislature has approved a transportation measure that includes nearly $195 million in funding for the Northern Light Express passenger rail service from the Twin...

RIVER GROVE, Ill. — Metra has recently accelerated testing of its SD70MACH locomotives, with the first test run with one of the remanufactured units leading a train taking place earlier this week....

WAYCROSS, Ga. – CSX Transportation’s third heritage locomotive is No. 1982 honoring the Seaboard System. CEO Joe Hinrichs posted photos of the locomotive today on LinkedIn, with the ES44AH posing...

WASHINGTON — Equal accessibility to onboard amenities for passengers with disabilities is the goal of potential new long-distance railcar designs Amtrak unveiled Wednesday at an in-person and online...

COLUMBUS, Mont. — A bridge collapsed beneath a Montana Rail Link train Saturday morning, sending cars carrying asphalt and molten sulphur into the Yellowstone River and creating drinking-water issues...

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. —Today, June 15, is the last day employees of the recently merged Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern can vote to select one of five new locomotive paint schemes proposed by...

PALESTINE, Texas — The Texas State Railroad, a heritage railway in East Texas, will receive $10 million under the budget passed last month by the state legislature. The Palestine Herald-Press reports...

A former Bangor & Aroostook F3A, which became Canadian Pacific property with the purchase of the Central Maine & Quebec, is on its way to CPKC headquarters in Calgary. A CPKC spokesman confirmed the...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation has released its fourth heritage unit, a salute to Conrail. “Okay rail fans. Here is a sneak peak of the fourth CSX Heritage Locomotive. #1976 celebrates our...

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — The company seeking to start a luxury sleeping car train between downtown San Francisco and Los Angeles Union station says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with...

CHICAGO — Metra has launched use of specially decorated trains for the holidays in regular commuter service, while the Chicago Transit Authority’s Holiday Train is set to begin operation on Nov. 24....

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California State Railroad Museum and its support group, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, have launched an effort to restore Santa Fe steam locomotive No....

BEAR, Del. — President Joe Biden announced that 25 Northeast Corridor projects will receive a total of $16.4 billion in funding in an appearance today at Amtrak’s maintenance facility in Bear, Del.,...

WAYCROSS, Ga. — CSX Transportation took the wraps off its fifth heritage locomotive today, No. 1869 that wears the classic Chesapeake & Ohio passenger scheme, complete with script lettering and the

PUEBLO, Colo. — The driver of a semi truck was killed when a bridge collapsed Sunday as a result of a BNSF coal-train derailment that has closed Interstate 25, Colorado’s main north-south highway,...

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced a $5 million study to consider reviving Denver-Steamboat Springs-Craig passenger rail service, as well as coordinated and connecting...

WAYCROSS, Ga. — CSX Transportation CEO Joe Hinrichs has debuted railroad’s latest heritage locomotive, this one honoring the Family Lines System, in a post on his LinkedIn account. It is the 11th...

CHICAGO — Amtrak will launch a second daily train between Chicago and St. Paul, Minn., the state-sponsored Borealis, on May 21, the passenger operator announced today. The train, using Horizon...

GLENMONT, N.Y. — Two historic New York Central electric locomotives are finally safe after a 4½-hour ballet to lift and shift them 200 feet on a Hudson River island on which they were stranded,...

Tucked in behind P42 No 138 leading the westbound Cardinal, Amtrak P42 No 100 rolled into Chicago on Monday, fresh from repainting into the one-of-a-kind

CALGARY, Alberta – CPKC employees will select the railway’s new locomotive livery through an online survey, a company spokesman says. The SurveyMonkey poll asks the railway’s 20,345 employees to...

DENVER — A Colorado legislative committee has advanced a bill that would limit train lengths within the state and draws other elements from the federal Railway Safety Act, which has failed to pass...

TREGO, Wis. — A rainbow formed in the sky as work neared completion on putting the five-car set of the shovel-nose streamliner Mark Twain Zephyr back on its rebuilt truck sets at the Wisconsin Great...

Metra’s new six-axle power CHICAGO — Metra has used one of its SD70MACH locomotives to lead a revenue service train for the first time, with locomotive No. 507 powering train No. 2135 on the evening...

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General has released a report explaining how the company’s lack of effective parts inventory management is responsible for numerous service failures. The...

WASHINGTON — Infrastructure improvements to accommodate a second daily round trip of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pa., will receive more than $143 million in federal...

RONKS, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road 4-8-0 No. 475, damaged in a Nov. 2 collision with a piece of track maintenance equipment, is back in operation on the railroad’s trains today (Monday, Nov. 7),...

WASHINGTON — Union Pacific’s freight car and locomotive inspection and maintenance practices pose a “significant risk to rail safety,” the head of the Federal Railroad Administration said in a letter...

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state of Washington has joined the list of those considering legislation to limit the length of freight trains. The Columbia Basin Herald reports that state’s House Transportat...

WASHINGTON — Seven routes in North Carolina and four serving Ohio are among those to receive funding to study possible future Amtrak service under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor...

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The mayor of the town of East Palestine has declared a state of emergency as a fire continues to burn, following Friday night's derailment of about 50 cars of a Norfolk...

CROTON-ON-HARMON, N.Y. — The Metro-North Railroad has released the second in its series of heritage locomotives celebrating the railroad’s 40th anniversary and honoring its predecessors, this time...

LOS ANGELES — Santa Fe No. 5704, the SD45-2 locomotive cosmetically restored to its bicentennial paint scheme, will make its California public debut at Los Angeles Union Station’s Train Festival...

Southern No. 722 BRYSON CITY, N.C. — The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad has announced plans to restore operation Southern Railway No. 722, a 2-8-0 built by Baldwin in 1904. Plans are to convert the...

PORT CLINTON, Pa. — Reading & Northern 4-8-4 No. 2102 will mark its return to service following a six-year, $1.45 million rebuild by pulling freight, according to railroad owner and CEO Andrew M....

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 will return to action Aug. 5, beginning a 10-state tour to include Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma,...

BERLIN — The first hydrogen-powered trainset for use in the U.S. has been presented to its owners at the InnoTrans trade fair by manufacturer Stadler — which also announced an order for more of the...

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Metro-North Railroad has unveiled the fourth locomotive in its heritage series, this time wrapping P32AC-DM No. 217 in Penn Central colors. The locomotive made its debut today on...

Electrified freight service Hauling freight in the United States is almost exclusively a diesel locomotive affair today. However, a century ago, pockets of territory existed where freight was pulled...

As the railroad industry searches for ways to reduce and ultimately eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions, Wabtec sees hydrogen as the locomotive fuel of the future, whether it’s burned in internal...

ERIE, Pa. —Wabtec and Australian mining firm Roy Hill have unveiled world’s first 100% battery-powered, heavy-haul locomotive for mainline service in ceremonies today (Oct. 31, 2023) at Wabtec’s Erie...

General Electric locomotives at Arcade & Attica Tucked away in far western New York State a little southeast of Buffalo is the tiny Arcade & Attica Railroad. Known by the public as a tourist operat...

EMD F69PHAC Locomotive builder EMD entered into an agreement with Siemens in 1989 to create the F69PHAC, an experimental four-axle alternating current passenger locomotive for the sole purpose of...

Half-century-old locomotives While Class I railroads continue to receive new locomotive orders from EMD and GE, older EMD GP, or Geep, locomotives that have served for several decades are still being...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Siemens Mobility and Amtrak have unveiled a prototype of the first car for the new Amtrak Airo equipment at the builder’s Sacramento, Calif. The Wednesday event provided the...

Steam locomotives dropped their fires for last time in everyday use in China in mid-January with the end of operations at a coal mine in Xinjiang Province, ending three decades during which the...

NJ Transit has unveiled its latest heritage unit, painted for the Erie Railroad, one of its commuter-rail predecessors. The commuter operator released the photo of GP40PH-2B No. 4210 this weekend in...

PERRIS, Calif. – After sitting dormant for more than 30 years, a rare Fairbanks Morse H12-44 switcher made its public debut on Saturday, Jan. 20, following a multi-year restoration at the Southern...

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...

RIO NEGRO, Argentina — Four  tourists were reported to have been injured — including a British passenger who is now described as “fighting for his life” — when a remote narrow-gauge, steam-powered...

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – CSX today debuted its first hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive, which was converted from a conventional four-axle unit using a kit supplied by Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The...

CHICAGO — Stadler US will build eight two-car battery-electric trainsets for Chicago’s Metra, its first order for such equipment in the United States, the commuter operator and manufacturer announced...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation’s Baltimore & Ohio heritage locomotive, which emerged from the Waycross, Ga., paint shop this week, is the first of several the railroad has in the works. “To...

GLENMONT, N.Y. — Red tape, a gas pipeline utility, and a lawsuit have combined to delay and further threaten the rescue of two historic New York Central electric locomotives stranded for three...

  ATLANTA — A collision between Norfolk Southern and CSX trains led to a derailment and fire this morning at CSX’s Howells Yard in northwest Atlanta. CSX said in a statement that at 6:28 a.m. ET, “a...

HARRISBURG, Pa. — In the first public showing of the combined cab, boiler shell, and prow of its new streamlined steam engine, No. 5550, the Pennsylvania Railroad T1 Steam Locomotive Trust displayed...

ROCKFORD, Ill. — With an 1880s bridge over the Rock River supporting a Metra train as a backdrop, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other officials announced Thursday that Chicago commuter operator Metra...

Labor Day has concluded and so has – unofficially – the 2023 summer. The busy season for museums and tourist railroads may be wrapping up, but as cooler weather begins to roll in you can still add...

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum will transfer ownership of former Canadian National 4-6-2 No. 5288 to the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust in Boyertown, Pa., the...

M.B. Klein, also known as Model Train Stuff, has announced their closure after 111 years in operation. This announcement was released on their website as well as on their social media channels....

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Jim Wrinn, who aspired since his youth to be the editor of Trains magazine and served in the role for more than 17 years, died at home on March 30, 2022, after a valiant 14-month...

ROANOKE, Va. — Norfolk & Western No. 611, the Virginia Museum of Transportation’s celebrated Class J 4-8-4, has gained a new honor: a spot on the National Park Services’ National Register of Historic...

CPKC and CSX Transportation will form a joint venture to build and deploy hydrogen locomotive conversion kits for diesel-electric locomotives, the railroads said today. The first step: CSX will...

DENVER — The Colorado Department of Transportation isn’t prepared to start shopping for passenger trains just yet, but it’s at least ready to look at brochures. The state DOT on Friday issued a...

PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is moving to add service on three Regional Rail lines following the collapse of a bridge today (Sunday, June 11) on Interstate...

Summer has arrived, and so has the busy season for museums and tourist railroads! Mainline steam excursions were once a flourishing tradition around this time. While this summer's schedule is...

BATH, Maine — The first stage of what Midcoast Railservice President Mike Smith says is a “sequential laboratory experiment” he expects to culminate in scheduled passenger service between Rockland...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Premium seating with “cocoons,” as well as pods that wouldn’t be out of place in first-class on a long-distance flight. Play areas with a beach décor. And at least two concepts —...

SILVIS, Ill. — Union Pacific’s hospital train of historic equipment from Cheyenne, Wyo. arrived at the Silvis shops of Railroading Heritage of Midwest America late on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov....

LENOX, Mass. — The three remaining cars of the Roger Williams, the all-RDC passenger train built for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad in 1957, are among five Budd Rail Diesel Cars the...

APOPKA, Fla. — Regional Rail LLC’s Florida Central Railroad soon will receive two rebuilt EMD GP15-1s dressed in a black-with-yellow-stripes image reminiscent of the Seaboard Coast Line. Regional...

SCRANTON, Pa. — Genesee Valley Transportation’s historic American Locomotive Co. PA-model “Nickel Plate Road 190” locomotive will be temporarily displayed at Steamtown National Historic Site after...

CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs today released the first photos of the railroad's Western Maryland heritage locomotive. The unit, No. 1852 in honor of the Western Maryland's founding year, was rolled out of the...

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has acquired seven cars built in 1941 for New York Central’s Empire State Express from New York’s Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad...

CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has signed a long-term lease to acquire the Georges Creek Railway, a dormant short line in Maryland’s southwestern Allegany County, which the...

OTTAWA, Ontario — A member of Canada’s Parliament from British Columbia has introduced a bill to create a right of preference for passenger trains on the nation’s railroads — the lack of which has...

Pere Marquette is the newest heritage unit to join the growing CSX fleet of locomotives honoring its predecessor railroads. “Here is our latest CSX Heritage Locomotive celebrating the Pere Marquette...

CALGARY, Alberta – Mark your calendars for April 2024. That’s when Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 will embark on a celebratory tour of the Canadian Pacific Kansas City system from Calgary to Mexico...