February 2012 – Railfanning.org

LaHood Announces $54.6 Million Loan for Kansas City Southern Railway for 30 U.S.-Made Locomotives

February 23, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a $54.6 million loan to Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR) for the purchase of 30 new General Electric ES44AC locomotives. These diesel-electric locomotives, built in Erie, Pennsylvania, will help KCSR meet increasing economic demand, and are more energy-efficient and produce significantly less carbon emissions than the locomotives they are replacing. “We are seeing President Obama’s commitment to rail boost manufacturing all across America,” LaHood said. “This is the kind of investment in our transportation systems that creates jobs, boosts the economy and improves the flow of goods.” In addition to energy

Take a trip back in time at Nashville railroad museum

February 22, 2012 Todd DeFeo

More than a dozen times on weekends throughout the year, a long string of vintage passenger coaches whisk passengers away from the bustle of Music City and into the rural Middle Tennessee landscape.

FRA Proposes Rule Establishing Training Standards for Railroad Employees

February 8, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Feb. 7 announced a proposal to require railroads to train and qualify employees in safety-related positions on federal railroad safety laws, regulations and orders. “Safety is our highest priority and we will continue to work to create a safer operating environment for employees, passengers and communities,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We have made dramatic progress in improving safety, but there is always more we can do to reduce incidents.” The proposed rule would require each railroad or contractor with safety-related railroad employees to develop a training program designating the qualifications

End of the Line for Famous Athens trestle?

February 7, 2012 Todd DeFeo

For years, the famed “Murmur Trestle” in Athens, Ga., has attracted R.E.M. fans from around the globe. But, time may be running out for the 130-year-old trestle, The Wall Street Journal reported. Athens-Clarke County purchased the trestle, off Poplar Street near Dudley Park, in 2000 for $25,000 after CSX Transportation started to raze the structure. The local government planned to incorporate the bridge into a regional trail system, but in December announced a planned trail would bypass the historic trestle, the Athens Banner-Herald reported. The trestle was built in 1883 and served the Georgia Railroad and later CSX Transportation, according

Southern Museum Gearing Up for Great Locomotive Chase Sesquicentennial

February 7, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

The Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History is gearing up to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Great Locomotive Chase, one of the Civil War’s most thrilling episodes.