GALVESTON, TX – On May 10, 1869, two steam locomotives met on a far corner in Utah on freshly laid track. A golden spike was driven into a tie, and for the first time in history the United States was connected coast to coast by the Transcontinental Railroad.

Richard Luckin, noted rail historian, has produced a documentary film, “Journey to Promontory,” to commemorate the 150th anniversary of this historic event. The film will have its Texas premier at the Galveston Railroad Museum March 30 and will be broadcast on PBS nationwide later this year.

Luckin will introduce the film, which is free and begins at 6 p.m., and field questions from the audience afterward. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited. The museum is located at 2602 Santa Fe Place, Galveston, TX 77550.

Luckin is a prominent author and documentarian of railroad history. He wrote “Dining on Rails: An Encyclopedia of Railroad China” and his documentaries include “Amtrak: The First 40 Years: 1971-2011” in 2011, “20th Century Limited: America’s Most Famous Passenger Train” in 2016 and “Selling Sunshine: The Florida Trains” last year. In addition to his work with PBS, Luckin has also produced training and informational films for the United States Air Force’s Air Mobility Command.

High-speed rail in the U.S. appears to be veering off track.

Within two weeks in February, projects in California and Texas were dealt blows. The Federal Railroad Administration intends to cancel grants for the California High-Speed Rail project, and a judge said the Texas Central Railway cannot use eminent domain to acquire land to build a bullet train from Houston to Dallas.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that, effective March 5, the FRA will cancel $929 million in federal grant funds yet to be paid for the California High-Speed Rail project envisioned to connect the Los Angeles Basin with the San Francisco Bay Area.

DOT also announced it is exploring every legal option to recover $2.5 billion in federal funds previously granted for the project. FRA Administrator Ronald L. Batory notified the California HSR Authority (CHSRA) of the FRA’s intent in a letter.

Past and future issues of Cowcatcher Magazine will be included in the collection of the DeGolyer Library and Special Collections at Southern Methodist University, the magazine announced in February.

Publisher Tim Blackwell donated a copy of each issue of the magazine, which began publishing as Cowcatcher Round Up in January 2004, to DeGolyer Library Director Russell Martin on Feb. 26. The library will receive a copy of future issues to maintain a complete set.

DeGolyer Library is the principal repository at SMU for special collections in the humanities, the history of business, and the history of science and technology. The library is well-known for its collection of local and national railroad history. “We are delighted to have a complete file of the Cowcatcher,” Martin said. “Preserving railroad history is part of our mission.”

DeGolyer Library has an extensive repository of railroad photographs, documents and other materials, including the works of Everett Lee DeGolyer, Jr., who lived in Dallas.  His personal collection, the Everett L. DeGolyer, Jr. Collection of United States Photographs, holds some 15,000 photographs and thousands of negatives of railroads that extend far from Texas.

Amtrak will acquire new mainline passenger diesel locomotives from Siemens Mobility to replace its aging National Network locomotive fleet.

Seventy-five Charger locomotives are being built for Amtrak’s Long Distance train service as part of an $850 million order that includes options to purchase more to accommodate use on some state-supported routes and future growth.

“These new locomotives will offer increased reliability, more hauling power, improved safety features and lower emissions,” said Amtrak President & CEO Richard Anderson in December.

The locomotives will offer the latest safety systems including Crash Energy Management and Positive Train Control. Capable of speeds up to 125 mph, the locomotives will be powered by a 16-cylinder Cummins QSK95 diesel engine capable of 4,000 horse power with modern control systems and Alternating Current (AC) propulsion. The diesel engine will come equipped with the latest Tier 4 emissions technology, reducing nitrogen oxide by over 89 percent and particulate matter by 95 percent, and provide an average of 10 percent savings in diesel fuel consumption.

Despite a delayed launch, the first Trinity Metro TEXRail commuter train arrived on time at D/FW International Airport in the wee hours this morning with a handful of riders. The train’s arrival at Terminal B well before dawn marked the end of an 11-year journey to link downtown Fort Worth to the airport.

The first train to run fully across the 27-mile line departed Fort Worth T&P Station at 3:25 a.m. and arrived at the airport at 4:17. The train originated at Fort Worth North Side Station and reached the former Texas & Pacific Station, the western terminus, at 3:14 a.m.

“I think it’s going to be great for the community, great for the airport, great for Fort Worth,” Steve Crum, the train’s first rider, told CBS 11 News. “It’s a long time coming, well deserved.”

The $1 billion commuter line, which runs on the former Cotton Belt railroad through Grapevine and to the airport, was derailed from its planned Jan. 5 start because of a signal issue detected the day before. A problem resulted from a hardware installation by Trinity Metro’s signal contractor, the agency said, and further testing was needed.

By the end of the day the signal was fixed, but Trinity Metro couldn’t get sign-off by the Federal Railroad Administration. TEXRail officials did not blame the delay on the FRA being short-handed resulting from the government shutdown.

Installing Positive Train Control (PTC) on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief was among 11 projects in 10 states that received grants from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) this week to assist with deploying the safety systems.

The FRA awarded $46.3 million for the projects, marking the second time funding was provided in Fiscal Year 2018 for PTC systems deployment projects under the Consolidated Appropriations Act and via the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program. Overall, FRA has awarded $250 million in funding.

All funding will benefit passenger rail, with about 31 percent – or $14 million – benefiting rural projects.