RailroadForums.com - Railroad Discussion Forum and Photo Gallery

Royal Gorge Scenic in the Snow

  • 23,031
  • 4
Snowy North Pole
Some snowy scenes from the Holiday Trains on the Royal Gorge Scenic Railroad.
We didn’t really get a ton of snow from this last storm - maybe a few inches at best.
And though the high today was only 32, a fair bit melted off with the sun. Still, it was quite pretty even so.

130570683_10220995256745483_8656813680453314922_o.jpg
130593307_10220995257305497_6588746803761329433_o.jpg
130765363_10221002511246841_949545981262686112_o.jpg
131301202_10220995258425525_6428861763361462941_o.jpg

U.S. Senators announce pandemic relief plan, with funding for Transit and Amtrak

  • 1,619
  • 0
A bipartisan group of lawmakers announced a package of $45 billion in transportation assistance, and the offices of Senators Mitt Romney and Mark Warner said the plan includes $15 billion for transit systems, $4 billion for airports, $8 billion for private buses and $1 billion for passenger railroad Amtrak.

CSX's Foote receives Railroad Innovator Award

  • 1,845
  • 0

This morning, CSX President and Chief Executive Officer James Foote received the 2020 Railroad Innovator Award in recognition of his outstanding achievement in the rail industry.

Foote will be presented the award during today's session of the 2020 RailTrends® conference, which is being held virtually.

A longtime railroader, Foote joined CSX in October 2017 as the railroad's executive vice president and chief operating officer. As COO, he aligned the Class I's operations and sales and marketing departments to advance the precision scheduled railroading (PSR) model introduced at CSX by the late E. Hunter Harrison.

NJ Transit train derailment suspends North Jersey Coast Line. No injuries reported.

  • 2,066
  • 1
Nov 24, 2020


Train No. 3292, due to arrive at New York Penn Station at 1:18 a.m. derailed about 12:20 a.m. near Woodbridge Station, according to NJ Transit. News12 reported eight cars of the train remained upright. None of the seven passengers or crew were hurt.

Moynihan Train Hall in Manhattan to Open in January

  • 1,947
  • 0
The Moynihan Train Hall in the former Farley Post Office Building across from Penn Station in Manhattan is set to open in January, providing passengers with space that's a major improvement over the network of subterranean corridors that have served as Penn Station since the building was demolished in the 1960s.

Clock is ticking for 110-year-old Hudson River rail tunnel

  • 1,816
  • 0
NEW YORK (AP) — Myriad problems in the Hudson River rail tunnel must be addressed in the next few years to avoid what officials say are potentially catastrophic failures before a new tunnel is finally built, a soon-to-be-completed study by Amtrak spells out in stark detail.

The study by Amtrak, reviewed by The Associated Press, pinpoints a litany of problems in the 110-year-old tunnel, many stemming from saltwater inundation from Superstorm Sandy eight years ago.

Washington Metro to advance safety-critical work on Blue Line during historically low ridership

  • 1,740
  • 0
November 13, 2020

Metro today announced plans to accelerate major capital work on the Blue Line in Virginia that will modernize the signal system in the Alexandria Rail Yard, resulting in improved safety, reliability and on-time performance. Taking advantage of the historically low ridership during the pandemic, Metro will consolidate the project into a shorter series of outages that will close two stations – Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St.

The work will take place over 10 weekends beginning Friday, November 27 and ending Sunday, March 14. In addition, a two-week shutdown will take place during the winter holiday period when ridership typically drops even further. During those times, local and express shuttle bus service will replace train service at Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn St. Blue Line trains will operate between Huntington and Largo Town Center. The schedule includes a break in work during Wreaths Across America (December 19), Inauguration week (January...

Rocky Mountaineer Will Launch A New Train Journey In The USA For 2021

  • 26,825
  • 6
Rocky Mountaineer brings its luxury train journeys to a new route in the Southwest United States in 2021.

VANCOUVER, B.C., Nov. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rocky Mountaineer plans to bring its luxury train journeys to a new route in the Southwest United States in 2021. The Rockies to the Red Rocks route will be a two-day rail journey between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, with an overnight stay in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

[IMG alt="Rocky Mountaineer brings its luxury train journeys to the Southwest United States in 2021 with the Rockies to the Red Rocks route, a two-day rail journey between Denver, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, with an overnight...

Trial accusing Durango railroad of starting 416 Fire to take place in Denver

  • 2,369
  • 1
D&SNG attorneys pushed to have hearings held locally


A federal judge has ruled that a trial in which the U.S. government seeks to recover an estimated $25 million from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad for fighting the 416 Fire will take place in Denver.

U.S. District Judge Robert E. Blackburn issued an order this week for a jury trial to start Sept. 13, 2021, at the Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse in Denver.

The U.S. government filed the lawsuit in July 2019...

Norfolk Southern gifting historic Marco Polo railcar to Southeastern Railway Museum

  • 34,911
  • 0
Norfolk Southern gifting historic Marco Polo railcar to Southeastern Railway Museum
November 9, 2020 Southeastern Railway Museum

1605028446830.png

Exterior view of Marco Polo office car.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is gifting the historic Marco Polo rail car, a car President Franklin D. Roosevelt used while in office, to the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia.

The Pullman Company built the Marco Polo in 1927 as part of a small fleet of cars named for world explorers, reserving them for VIPs who chartered their own railcar. Roosevelt traveled in the car when he was governor of New York and later as president, using it on trips to and from Warm Springs, Georgia.

The car is scheduled to arrive at the museum at 11 a.m. on Nov. 14, and a brief unveiling ceremony will follow.

The museum plans to display the car on its 35-acre campus alongside the Superb, a Pullman car used by President Warren G. Harding.

“The Marco Polo is a...

Amtrak Welcomes Midwest Thanksgiving Travelers Onboard with New Safety Measures in Place

  • 2,013
  • 0
1604979673176.png
NOVEMBER 9 2020

Customers should book early due to limited bookings on reserved trains to promote physical distancing
CHICAGO – Amtrak continues to deliver on a new standard of travel by helping customers travel safely and comfortably throughout the Midwest this Thanksgiving. Passengers on Amtrak MidwestSM corridor and interregional trains can experience Amtrak’s newly enhanced safety and cleaning measures, with available seats added on many routes to maintain distancing.

As part of Amtrak’s partnership with experts from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, this includes required face coverings...

Amtrak Welcomes Thanksgiving Northeast Corridor Travelers Onboard with New Safety Measures in Place

  • 2,046
  • 0
1604979523387.png


NOVEMBER 9 2020

Customers should book early due to limited bookings on reserved trains to promote physical distancing
NEW YORK – Amtrak continues to deliver on a new standard of travel by helping customers travel safely and comfortably on the Northeast Corridor this Thanksgiving. Travelers on the Acela (Boston – Washington, D.C.), Northeast Regional (Boston – Virginia), additional services on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), including the Keystone Service, Pennsylvanian and Empire Service, and...

Statement from Amtrak President & CEO Bill Flynn on Biden Administration

  • 1,980
  • 0
1604979391789.png


NOVEMBER 7, 2020

“Amtrak looks forward to working with President-elect Biden and Congress. To get the economy moving and help Amtrak and our employees through this unprecedented situation, Congress must act now on pandemic relief and economic stimulus funding which enables Amtrak to recall furloughed employees, restore service frequency on long-distance and state-supported routes, and make investments that will advance critical capital projects such as bridges and tunnels on the Northeast Corridor and new equipment, infrastructure improvements and major station upgrades throughout our network.

“As we look to the future, expanded Amtrak service is essential to decarbonizing our transportation network, which generates roughly 28% of the U.S. annual carbon emissions. With cars and trucks responsible for nearly 82% of those emissions, we need passenger rail alternatives throughout the nation. As we enter our 50th year of service, we stand...

Virgin Hyperloop first hyperloop test run with actual passengers inside

  • 2,002
  • 0
For the first time, Virgin Hyperloop has successfully completed a test run of its high-speed hyperloop system with passengers inside.


Virgin Hyperloop gave the first ride on its test track Sunday in Las Vegas, but it will be years before the public can potentially take a high-speed ride on a hyperloop.

Virgin Hyperloop's pod only reached 100 mph on the track, according to the company, rather than the 600 mph that hyperloop advocates have long promised. Virgin Hyperloop says its track is 500 metres long, limiting how fast the pods can go.

Still, Virgin Hyperloop executives view the test as a major milestone and a step toward commercializing hyperloop technology.

Full story:

NS Derailment in Panama, IL 11/9/20

  • 2,012
  • 0
Panama, Ill. (WAND) - The Chris-Mont Emergency Agency is reporting a train derailment that occurred Sunday morning.

At approximately 6:46 a.m., the Shoal Creek Fire Protection District responded to a Norfolk and Southern train loaded with coal derailed at the southern end of Depot Street. Chris-Mont EMA said 24 cars were thrown off the track. There were no injuries reported.

Onboard analysis: Scheduling logistics, limited help hobble 'Zephyr'

  • 2,012
  • 0
The second in a series of in depth reports on current passenger service from Trains magazine.

Onboard analysis: Scheduling logistics, limited help hobble 'Zephyr'
Reduced frequencies and staffing add to crew costs, take toll on passenger experience

In final days, Miami-Dade commission taking up $12M rail payment to Brightline

  • 1,942
  • 0
An outgoing Miami-Dade commission may instruct the incoming county mayor to continue pursuing a commuter-rail deal with a track access fee of $12 million a year.


The nonbinding Brightline resolution would establish a framework for a final deal that could come months later if the new administration agrees. It’s part of the Monday agenda for the commission’s final scheduled meeting before five newly elected commissioners and Mayor-elect Daniella Levine Cava take office.

At stake is a long-sought agreement with the for-profit companies that control the private tracks to launch a commuter rail system between Miami and Aventura, and then on to Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Cape Cod Railroad Tracks Damaged By Sinkhole

  • 2,098
  • 0
EAST SANDWICH — After a neighbor heard a noise overnight coming from the nearby train tracks off Old County Road early last week, they realized something was amiss.


The next morning, Oct. 27, the neighbor called the administrator of Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, who relayed the message to the owner of Mass Coastal Railroads. The company decided to stop a trash train that was carrying empty containers on its way back from the Southeastern Massachusetts Resource Recovery Facility (SEMASS) out of caution, roughly 5 miles before the site in question.

Chicago Metra debuts Bike Car on MD-N Line

  • 2,151
  • 0
(November 5, 2020) -

Metra on Saturday, Nov. 7, will introduce its first Bike Car, answering the call from bike enthusiasts to have more room for bicycles on its trains. The car can carry 16 bicycles instead of the usual five allowed on Metra’s accessible diesel railcars and will be deployed on the Milwaukee District North Line as part of a pilot program that will last into the spring of 2021.

In addition, beginning on Monday, Nov. 9, Metra will temporarily relax its bikes on trains policy and allow bikes on all trains across all 11 lines. There will still be limits to the number of bicycles allowed and cyclists should be advised there is no guarantee that bikes or e-scooters can be accommodated on an initial or return trip (particularly on rush-hour trains), and crews have the right to refuse bikes or e-scooters in the event of overcrowding or depending on the needs of customers with disabilities.

1604616851024.png

“We’re committed to...

Amtrak in Tukwila, WA NOW AND THEN... AND THEN!

  • 2,424
  • 1
NOW AND THEN...............AND THEN!
2020 - 2014 - 1990
The last Amtrak Seattle to Portland train of the day pass through Tukwila, Washington as viewed from the Grady Way Overpass.

1604463410120.png

2020 - Cascades 505 slips by at just before 3:00 in the afternoon. Following the cabcar, five Horizon coaches and a Siemens SC-44.
2014 - Cascades 509 is through at about 5:45 in the evening. It is a Talgo Series 8 trainset pushed by a GE P42.
1990 - Mount Rainier 1796 also came through just before 6:00 in the evening. Two Superliner coaches and an EMD F40PH probably means this was a midweek train. The consist was often adjusted to accommodate fluctuations in demand. The train could get quite long on the weekends or when there were games. It was before Amtrak switched to a "one size fits all" method of operation.
Top