Prototype News

SEPTA’s board of directors voted on June 26 for what has been called “doomsday” cuts as the agency grapples with a $213 million budget deficit. The cuts are expected to lead to a 45 percent reduction in service and a 20 percent increase in fares. 

Officials said they remain hopeful that the state legislature will step in to help, but so far that hasn’t happened, ABC 6 in Philadelphia reports. Cuts will begin to take effect on August 24, when 32 bus routes and special train services (like post-game express runs) will be eliminated. Then, in September, a 21.5 percent fare increase will occur. And finally, on January 1, five regional rail routes will be closed, including the Cynwyd Line, Chestnut Hill West Line, Paoli/Thorndale Line, Trenton Line, and Wilmington/Newark Line.

“This is a vote that none of us wanted to take. It does not have to happen if an agreement is met in Harrisburg,” said SEPTA Chairman Kenneth Lawrence, according to ABC. 

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

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The Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society and Maine Central Railroad Historical Society recently received thousands of historic documents as donations from CSX Transportation. CSX obtained the documents after its 2022 purchase of Pan Am Railways. 

The historical societies said the donations were significant and included priceless, one-of-a-kind artifacts, some dating back to the early 19th century. The documents had been stored in buildings at Rigby Yard in South Portland, Maine, and at Iron Horse Park in North Billerica, Mass. 

Just some of the documents that were recently donated to the Maine Central and Boston & Maine historical societies. 

“The documents include vast quantities of engineering, mechanical, property, and signal records, maps, drawings, files, and indices. The old B&M vault includes early handwritten volumes from the B&M and predecessor companies dating to as early as 1804,” the B&MRHS wrote on social media. 

The two groups are currently trying to move as much of the material as possible before the building where some of it is stored is remodeled later this year.

—Justin Franz 

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Portland’s transit agency is preparing to donate one of its “trailblazing” Type 1 light rail vehicles to the Oregon Electric Railway Museum. The donation coincides with TriMet’s retirement of the cars that helped establish its inaugural service back in 1986.

Type 1 101 has been chosen for preservation and is currently being repainted at TriMet’s shop in Gresham. This week, the agency announced it will host a “farewell” party at the Ruby Junction facility for invited guests on July 8. TriMet is holding a contest to give away eight spots to attend the event. The contest runs through June 27 at 9 a.m. 

TriMet purchased 26 Type 1 cars from Bombardier. The cars were based on cars used in Brussels, Belgium and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While Bombardier tried to market the cars elsewhere, they were the only ones ever built and became the backbone of TriMet’s fleet for nearly four decades. TriMet began retiring the cars a few years ago as new Siemens SD700s (known as Type 6s on TriMet) began to arrive on the property. Presently, there are three to five Type 1s still running daily.

—Justin Franz

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While Metra officially took over operating responsibility for Union Pacific’s three commuter lines in the Chicago area in May, the transit agency and Class I are still battling over the fees the latter will charge the former for using its tracks. 

Shortly after Metra took control on May 16 of the UP North, Northwest, and West lines, UP issued a press release urging the commuter agency to accept its terms for a new contract that will take effect on July 1. UP officials stated that the “market-based rates” are consistent with other passenger agreements it has in Illinois, Colorado, and California. 

“For more than a decade, Metra has paid rates that are significantly below commercial market value for the use of Union Pacific’s assets,” said Liisa Stark, Vice President for Public Affairs for Union Pacific. “It is our hope these new rates will resolve the issue without further expensive litigation or regulatory appeals that has no benefit to Metra, Union Pacific nor Chicago taxpayers.”

But in a filing with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, Metra officials wrote that the rates would result in a 100 percent increase in its costs to use UP’s facilities. To maintain service after the current agreement expires, Metra has asked the STB to grant it trackage rights on the Class I’s trackage. UP responded that the federal government could do no such thing because it can only regulate interstate commerce and Metra’s “essential character” is that it only serves Illinois. Metra replied that it has at least one station in Wisconsin on the UP North line. —Justin Franz

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The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is bringing in new management following a tumultuous start to the 2025 season. 

On June 19, the historic narrow gauge railroad announced that Eric Mason, who previously served as CEO and general manager, would return as interim general manager, replacing Ed Beaudette. Beaudette is now the strategic programs officer. Steven Butler, who was the general manager in 2023, will return as chief mechanical officer. Additionally, Merrill Gutierrez, who has been with the railroad for four years, has been promoted to shop manager in Chama. 

In a press release, the railroad’s commission attributed the shake-up to a rocky start to the 2025 season, which included canceled trains due to a lack of operating locomotives. However, the railroad has seemingly experienced a revolving door of leadership in recent years, with multiple general managers. Additionally, in 2023, four former employees sued the railroad and its managing commission, alleging that it was a “toxic and hostile workplace.” That suit is ongoing. Officials with the C&TS said the management transition was not related to the litigation. 

“It’s been a disappointing start to the season,” Commissioner Scott Gibbs stated in a press release about the cancellations this season due to mechanical issues. “The good news is that the Cumbres & Toltec is going to be in a much better position as key repairs have been made. We’ll be back to running two trains a day, six days a week, ensuring we can meet the demand from passengers who travel from all over the world to experience the thrill of historic steam railroading.”

In the same press release, Mason said that he was looking forward to a successful season and encouraged people to come out and ride. 

The C&TS is owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, and is managed by a four-person commission. The railroad was founded in 1970 to preserve one of the most scenic and rugged sections of the famed Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow gauge system. 

—Justin Franz 

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It’s a big day for fans of the American Locomotive Company. On June 23, Delaware-Lackawanna announced that it had completed the operational restoration of its Alco PA — the only operating one in the world — and that it had repainted one of its RS-3s into the iconic lighting stripe livery of the Delaware & Hudson. 

RS-3 4068 was painted last week at DL’s Scranton, Pa., shop, and the engine made its public debut on Monday morning. The locomotive was built in March 1952 for the D&H. In the 1970s, it was sold to the Lamoille Valley Railroad in Vermont, where it became that railroad’s 7801. In the 1990s, the locomotive was briefly used by the New Hampshire Central before being sold to the York-Durham Heritage Railway in Canada. Eventually, the locomotive made its way to the DL, one of the last Alco strongholds in North America. For years, it sported D&H’s original black and yellow livery, alongside two other RS-3s, numbers 4103 and 4118. Those units were sold in 2024 to the Saratoga, Corinth & Hudson Railway. 

The DL operates on several county-owned rail lines in Northeastern Pennsylvania, including the former D&H line to Carbondale, Pa.

Photo by Otto Vondrak. 

Posed alongside 4068 on Monday morning was “Nickel Plate Road” PA-4 190, which the DL had acquired from preservationist Doyle McCormack back in 2023. The engine was originally built for the Santa Fe, gained notoriety on the D&H in the 1970s, before being sold to Mexico. In the 2000s, McCormack brought the engine back north and restored it as a Nickel Plate Road locomotive (his favorite railroad growing up). Since acquiring it, the DL has been completing the operational restoration that McCormack began. 

On Monday morning, DL officials said the engine would make its public debut in passenger service on July 11 and 12, with McCormack at the throttle. Additional public excursions are planned for later in the year. 

—Justin Franz and Otto Vondrak  

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Flash floods that spread across the area surrounding Rochester, N.Y., on the evening of June 18 caused extensive damage to the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum right-of-way. The storm, which dumped more than seven inches of rain in less than three hours, also washed out tracks on the neighboring Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad near Avon, temporarily stranding the daily road freight just a mile south of the museum until the tracks could be cleared the next day.

While the full extent of flood damage is still being assessed by museum volunteers, several areas of the railbed appeared to be compromised enough to warrant the cancellation of public train ride events through the end of July. According to museum officials, there was no damage to locomotives, rolling stock, or the restored 1909 Erie Railroad depot at Industry. Museum volunteers are partnering with engineering firms and New York State DOT to plan a course of action to effect repairs so the museum can resume train rides as soon as possible. The museum’s railroad is built on a mile-and-a-half of private right-of-way in the rural town of Rush, just 12 miles south of Rochester.

“As a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, we rely on ticket sales to support our mission. However, the safety of our guests, volunteers, and equipment must always come first,” the museum said in a prepared statement, “We appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support as we work to restore operations and preserve Rochester’s rich railroading heritage for generations to come.”

Founded in 1971, the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is the largest operating railroad museum in New York State. Donations can be made at www.rgvrrm.org/donate

—Railfan & Railroad staff

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Amtrak’s newest trains are set to debut on the Cascades route between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., in 2026, according to the railroad. Amtrak recently shared images showcasing both the interior and exterior of the new trains being constructed by Siemens Mobility in California.

Siemens is currently constructing 83 dual-powered train sets for the Northeast Corridor and state-supported services nationwide. These new trains will replace Amtrak-owned Amfleet, Metroliner, and state-owned equipment across the country, which is now nearly 50 years old. The trainsets will be paired with Siemens Charger locomotives. The first units will enter service in the Cascades, which will receive eight new trainsets and two new locomotives next year. —Justin Franz 

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