By Todd DeFeo
HarpBlaster.com News Wire
JACKSON, Tenn. – When Casey Jones’ locomotive crashed near Vaughn, Miss., he vaulted into history and American folklore.
The subject of songs and books, Jones, who died on April 30, 1900, has become a larger than life figure in American history in the 11 decades since his death.
But, finding the real Casey […]

HarpBlaster.com News Wire
WASHINGTON — Looking to put an alleged controversy with Rush Limbaugh in the past, Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said he sees “eye-to-eye” with the popular conservative talk radio show host.
“As long as I am in the Congress, I will continue to fight for and defend our sacred values.  I have actively opposed every bailout, […]

Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON –Rail fatalities increased slightly in 2007 from 2006, according to preliminary figures released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Overall, transportation fatalities in all modes totaled 43,193 in 2007, compared to 45,085 in 2006.
“While statistics show that transportation fatalities have declined this past year,” said Acting Chairman Mark Rosenker, “there is still much […]

HarpBlaster.com News Wire
WASILLA, Alaska, Nov. 10, 2008 — In one of her first interviews since the election, Gov. Sarah Palin said the Republican ticket offered too much “status quo”
“I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were […]

Railfanning.org News Wire
NEW YORK — Federal investigators are looking into sweetheart deals that allowed nearly all workers who retire from the Long Island Rrialroad, able-bodied or not, to receive federal disability benefits, officials said.
At least one U.S. senator — Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. — has demanded a comprehensive internal investigation of the federal Railroad Retirement […]

Railfanning.org News Wire
LOS ANGELES – The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the engineer of a Metrolink commuter train that crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train sent and received text messages prior to the crash.
“NTSB investigators asked for records of the Metrolink engineer’s cell phone calls and text messages from the service provider,” […]

Railfanning.org News Wire
LOS ANGELES — Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell has resigned following comments she made to reporters in the wake of a fatal wreck.
A Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train collided on on Sept. 12 near Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 peopel and injuring more than 130 more.
Tyrrell and Metrolink quickly blamed human […]

Railfanning.org News Wire
ZIBO, China – Construction in advance of this summer’s Beijing Olympics is at least partly to blame for a train wreck that killed more than 70 people and injured hundreds more, Chinese officials say.
According to Li Chenggang, Zibo city spokesman, the tracks where the train derailed, are being upgraded in advance of the […]

Railfanning.org News Wire
ZIBO, China — Excessive speed could be to blame for a Monday (April 28) train crash that killed at least 70 people and sent hundreds more to the hospital.
According to a Xinhua news report, an express train traveling to the east China city of Qingdao from Beijing  was traveling 131 kph (81 mph) […]

Special to Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Railroads will be required to route every train carrying the most toxic and dangerous hazardous materials on the safest and most secure route under a new federal rule announced by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters.
“This strong measure better ensures that rail shipments of hazardous materials will reach […]