Rail Cars

In the 19th-Century factory where George Pullman built the world's first sleeping car, the only domestic manufacturer of new rail cars is trying to reclaim U.S. dominance in the industry. Morrison Knudsen Corp., recognized for construction projects such as Hoover Dam and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, is following Chairman Bill Agee's vision of trains recovering the place in the transportation industry that they lost to planes and trucks. Some industry watchers share that vision.

Resolving a key issue in a $890-million transit contract, federal officials announced Wednesday that a Japanese firm's plan to build up to 235 cars for Los Angeles-area light-rail lines complies with requirements that American workers be used for final assembly. In its decision, the Federal Transit Administration rejected assertions by local labor organizations, community activists and two competing companies that Kinkisharyo International's production plan would violate "Buy America" requirements by climate-testing a few rail cars in Japan and not the United States.

Train fans like to say that nobody waves at a jet. Classic private railroad cars — ones designed last century for the railroad's corporate executives and their most important clients, ones with Art Deco styling or elegant flourishes? Those are something to wave at or, better yet, travel in. You can grab your trunk and hunker down in a chartered rail car attached to almost any Amtrak train rolling through the U.S. These rail cars were the corporate jets of the early 20th century.

Re "Japanese firm wins Metro job," May 1 With our economy so fragile, how dare L.A. County transportation planners award a contract to build rail cars to a Japanese company? We need to have the good people of California working. This was a great opportunity to employ people in our state. Those at the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority who made this decision need to be replaced. As a longtime resident and taxpayer, I'm sickened by their low regard for our workforce.

Rail Cars Scottish Thistle. Business car. Day trip: 20 people. Overnight: Six people. Based in Southern California; (714) 544-5779, http://www.scottishthistle.com Overland Trail. Lounge car. Day trip: 39 people. Overnight: Three people. Based in Southern California; (714) 546-6923, http://www.overlandtrail.com Colonial Crafts. Sleeper-lounge. Day trip: 33 people. Overnight: Nine people. Based in Los Angeles; (818) 951-1800, http://www.colonialcraftsrailcar.com Pacific Sands.

Negotiations heated up Monday between Los Angeles County transportation officials and an Italian firm seeking to extend its contract so it can build 100 light-rail cars, a deal worth $300 million. With a decision by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board expected Thursday, agency CEO Art Leahy released a memo recommending against exercising AnsaldoBreda's contract options for the 100 cars.

You wouldn't expect to find George Deukmejian on the cutting edge of technology. In his eight years in the Capitol, he earned a reputation as "Governor No." No to spending. No to taxes. And no to new ideas. But that was then and--as the old saying goes--this is now. Now, Deukmejian, partner in the law firm of Sidley & Austin, is representing the Sumitomo Corp. of America, which wants to build the rail cars for the Metro Green Line from Norwalk to Los Angeles International Airport.

With more than 100 light-rail cars needed to expand lines around Los Angeles County, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's chief executive has recommended -- for the third time -- that the agency's board seek new competitive bids to build the cars and refurbish others in the fleet. In a memo this week, Art Leahy advised board members to reject contract options with Italian rail firm AnsaldoBreda, which is manufacturing 50 cars for the MTA under its base contract and has options to build 100 more cars.

A storm bearing hail and possible tornadoes struck central Nebraska, damaging businesses, derailing train cars, felling trees and disrupting power to thousands. A possible tornado touched down near Aurora, about 70 miles west of Lincoln, damaging a few businesses and at least one house. There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries. Tornadoes were also reported in Kearney, about 60 miles west of Aurora, where 90 rail cars were blown off the tracks.

In an effort to roll in more business downtown, the city plans to add a track at the railroad station. The track would be used for storing privately owned rail cars. How much rent would be charged, how long the cars could remain in storage and whether people could live in them are details that are being worked out, city officials said. The City Council this week agreed it does not want people to take up residence in the rail cars, but temporary stays might be acceptable.

It is in the nature of politicians to keep making the same mistakes over and over again, especially if they're the kind of mistakes favored by the lawmakers' key financial backers. So the award of an important rail car contract Monday by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board to a company that submitted the best bid for the job - but isn't the most politically connected - was a rare and encouraging event. Rail cars are a touchy subject in Los Angeles. That's because in 2009, the MTA board awarded a $300-million contract for 100 cars to AnsaldoBreda, an Italian company with a terrible track record.

In a break with Los Angeles' powerful organized labor movement, county transportation leaders on Monday awarded a crucial $890-million rail car contract to a Japanese firm that unions complained would create fewer jobs than a competitor and might violate federal requirements to use American workers. Officials of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority say the contract with Kinkisharyo International to build 235 cars is critical for opening new light rail lines on time and replacing aging equipment on existing systems.

Hong Ji-min cannot forget that crowded, morning rush-hour commute when she felt someone groping her. "I knew that someone did it on purpose, but it had happened so fast," the 25-year-old nurse recalled. "I couldn't do anything but look around with angry eyes. But there was no way I could identify the person in that sea of people. " Seoul city officials now may have a solution for victimized female commuters: women-only subway cars. South Korean officials next month will begin a program offering the exclusive train coaches, reviving an idea that was abandoned two decades ago. Reaction to the plan has been so mixed, however, that the city is going to test those cars only late at night to see how it goes.

Three days after a horrific crash involving an Amtrak train and a big rig outside Reno left at least six people dead, investigators had more questions than answers Sunday. National Transportation Safety Board member Earl Weener said the number of missing had been "whittled down" from an earlier estimate of 28, but further information would have to come from local officials — who referred questions back to the NTSB. Amtrak analyzed the westbound California Zephyr's manifest and determined that 196 passengers had been aboard when it was struck by the truck Friday morning.

The two rail cars sit side by side, neither here nor there. Stopped midway along the 298-foot route up the face of Bunker Hill between Hill and Olive streets, the historic Angels Flight railway cars have been forced to halt after inspectors determined that their 15-year-old wheels need replacing. The California Public Utilities Commission concluded Thursday that the wheels' flanges — rims added for strength — were worn down to less than a quarter of an inch, one-third of what is deemed safe.

The fourth National Train Day , a kind of grass-roots celebration of all things rail , will kick off Saturday with more than 200 exhibits and displays nationwide. The biggest events will take place at Amtrak stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. These activities had been planned well in advance of news Thursday about the discovery of documents indicating that Al Qaeda last year may have considered terrorist attacks on rail networks . In an email, Amtrak said its employees remain at "a heightened state of vigilance.

The developer of four luxury homes in Calabasas is using two 14-ton flatbed rail cars as a bridge over a stream, an innovation that designers tout as a cost-cutting move, as well as a good use of recycled materials. The two rail cars, turned upside down and custom welded, are part of the first such project in the greater San Fernando Valley area, said Richard Schoen, architect for the development.

If you go: Rail cars Scottish Thistle. Business car. Day trip: 20 people. Overnight: Six people. Based in Southern California; (714) 544-5779, http://www.scottishthistle.com Overland Trail. Lounge car. Day trip: 39 people. Overnight: Three people. Based in Southern California; (714) 546-6923, http://www.overlandtrail.com Colonial Crafts. Sleeper-lounge. Day trip: 33 people. Overnight: Nine people. Based in Los Angeles; (818) 951-1800, http://www.colonialcraftsrailcar.

Train fans like to say that nobody waves at a jet. Classic private railroad cars — ones designed last century for the railroad's corporate executives and their most important clients, ones with Art Deco styling or elegant flourishes? Those are something to wave at or, better yet, travel in. You can grab your trunk and hunker down in a chartered rail car attached to almost any Amtrak train rolling through the U.S. These rail cars were the corporate jets of the early 20th century.