Blogs

MONTICELLO, IL - The Leviathan, America's newest steam locomotive, will make several appearances at the Monticello Railway Museum, Monticello IL from Sept. 18 through 20, 2009. At 2:30 p.m. on Friday, September 18th, the Leviathan will steam into...

From birth, Amtrak has had more than its share of problems. I've always believed its biggest was a route network whose size falls far short of critical mass. "You can't get there from here" - even in the northeastern U.S. (outside of...

Recently, the Texas Department of Transportation, a.k.a. "TXDOT," republished a three year old study which confirms what most of us have known all along: our system of roadways costs us plenty ! These highways and byways not only cost us...

Yesterday, rail industry constituents and observers were abuzz about billionaire Warren Buffet’s proposal to buyout Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. to the tune of $44 billion. In what would amount to the largest-ever deal for Buffet’s Berkshire...

Passenger trains? So much for the Obama administration's "sense of urgency." The U.S. Department of Transportation has not only solidified its reputation for ineptitude when dealing with railroad matters; they've also proven incapable...

About one week ago, CSX's V.P. for public safety, Howard R. Elliott, told members of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that, based upon information his railroad has "received from federal intelligence sources,"...

Bloomberg TV had economist Mr. Rohaytn on saying that a full infrastructure rebuilding in the USA would easily create 5,000,000 - five million or so jobs! Railroad reconstruction could easily have more than a quarter of the jobs... There are hundreds...

I spent the past two days visiting with senior BNSF Railway Co. executives — including top exec Matt Rose — at the Class I’s Fort Worth, Texas, headquarters. Needless to say, the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. deal was a main discussion topic...

BNSF Railway Co. is trying to push the efficiency-gain envelope by operating longer distributed-power (DP) intermodal and grain trains. In May 2007, the Class I began moving 10,000-foot intermodal trains and since has operated more than 800 of the trains...

Professionally, I am a Railroader, not a writer. I don't always know how to schedule the publishing of a column, or when to give myself a few extra days for anger to subside. I, too, am aware of the Biblical admonition to "Curse not the king...

It may simply be a sign of getting old, I suppose. One believes he knows and understands certain concepts, only to discover that some of the rules have changed whilst he slept (metaphorically, of course). In the 45 years that the F.R.A. has been in...

"Oh! what a tangled web we weave When first we practise to deceive!" Sir Walter Scott Just the other day, an old head asked me to explain the difference between a streetcar and a light rail vehicle. I told him the distinction was far...

THE HUFFINGTON POST has a daily section covering Trains, Trains and more Trains with lots of U-Tube videos. An armchair travelers delight---travel the worlds railways, see photos and videos of the worlds 8 most popular high speed trains; the TGV test...

The documentary about the CANADIAN NATIONAL TURBO TRAIN is an eye-openeng expose of the technical aspects of the turbo power plant, pendolino-type tilting on curves, shared bogies between cars, fully reclining swivel seats, galley, and 'turbo-club'...

A response to Progressive Railroadings article: "Amtrak launches construction on new Auto Train station in Florida" There hundreds of thousands of auto-commuters who travel between Michigan & Florida via Interstate I-75, including the...

Honestly, I was hoping my negativism had been temporarily exhausted! I felt sure the time had come to outline specific improvements, so we could begin making our presumed railroad passenger renaissance something other than a trite catchphrase. Sadly...

During Norfolk Southern Corp.’s fourth-quarter earnings conference held Jan. 27, senior executives mentioned a few dark clouds hovering over their 2010 business prospects, namely domestic coal demand and international intermodal traffic. But Chairman...

Governor Chris Christie was right to have terminated the trans-Hudson tunnel project as currently conceived . In its current state, ARC is purely a local commuter rail connection to Manhattan with a terminus adjacent to Penn Station but not even tied...

"AHSP & FRS---by far the largest nuclear/clean-coal/solar/windmill/electrical network of railroads in the world---close to half a million miles---represents one of the greatest civil, geo-technical, mechanical, electrical and transport technology...

Although the Obama administration has recently shown alarming interest in the idea of expanded F.R.A. oversight, today's rail transit systems remain little more than "kissin' cousins" to our railroad industry. Steel rails, flanged wheels...

As we begin the 21st century's second decade and enter destinations unknown (tempus fugit, man!), I though it might be sobering to create a wish list of sorts: a compilation of, say, the top ten things I'd enjoy adding to our society's growing...

Now--- this is a move in the right direction...FedEx now sees the value of a high-speed-railway package delivery service network across North America? Thousands of unused boxcars are to be converted and painted with a new FedRex logo. Rex stands for...

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood paid a visit on July 1st to Oregon Iron Works plant in Portland. Secretary LaHood said: "I'm not sure I've ever seen a group of workers so proud of what they've built together. If you look below...

The TEA-PARTY is offering this special offer to all supporters of high-speed rail and public transport.

Question: If a commercial airline held some sort of contest and part of their grand prize package included the shipment of freight, would the company specify rail-based transport in the movement of those goods? I think we all know the answer. It would...