CSX, UP trains derail in yard incidents

CSX logo

CSX Transportation and Union Pacific both had trains derail Friday morning, with no injuries in either incident. An estimated 12 to 15 cars of a CSX train derailed at the CSX yard in Augusta, Ga., the Augusta Chronicle reports. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office reported no hazardous materials were involved. A CSX release said the […]

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STB grants Amtrak access to NS, CSX data, orders mediation

Passenger station with wooden platform

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will allow a limited number of Amtrak personnel access to raw train data used by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern so the passenger operator can run its own Rail Traffic Controller capacity modeling study. In a decision issued Friday, the STB also ordered board-sponsored mediation to address the differences […]

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Norfolk Southern warns that CP-KCS merger would hurt service on Meridian Speedway

NS9656

WASHINGTON — The Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger threatens to degrade intermodal service on the Meridian Speedway that serves as a shortcut between the Southeast and Southwest, Norfolk Southern told federal regulators this week. NS and KCS currently operate interline intermodal trains over the Meridian, Miss.-Shreveport, La., joint venture. KCS handles the NS trains over […]

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FRA releases new rule on fatigue management

Federal Railroad Administration logo

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued its new rule on railroad fatigue management, set for formal publication on Monday, and at least one rail union leader has offered a positive response. The final rule, “Fatigue Risk Management Programs for Certain Passenger and Freight Railroads,” is available here for public inspection. Following its publication […]

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Athearn HO scale Ford F-850 boom truck

yellow truck

Ford F-850 boom truck Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.99 Era: 1960 to 1980+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Ford F-850 boom truck features: Factory-assembled injection-molded plastic model Positionable boom and outriggers Molded cab interior with separate, factory-applied steering wheel Clear window glazing Rubber tires Available […]

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Ways to turn a train

A pencil sketch on graph paper lists pros and cons of using a wye, a turnback loop, and a turntable to turn trains

Unless you’re content with watching your trains go around and around a simple loop, eventually you’re going to be looking for ways to turn a train. Don’t get me wrong, it’s entirely possible to go through your entire train-operating career and never have to turn a train; maybe you always play the yardmaster, or your […]

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Union Pacific sued over thefts from trains in Los Angeles

Pink and white intermodal containers, with tractor lifting one box in center of photo

OMAHA, Neb. — A Singapore-based shipping firm, Ocean Network Express, is suing Union Pacific over the thefts of packages it says were stolen from UP trains during a widely reported series of break-ins to intermodal trains in Los Angeles. The Omaha World Herald reports ONE has filed suit over the theft of $166,000 worth of […]

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Pittsburgh introduces new name, color scheme for transit system

Logo of Pittsburgh Regional Transit

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s public transit has a new name. The Port Authority of Allegheny County has rebranded itself as Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the agency announced in a Thursday press conference at its Gateway light rail station in downtown Pittsburgh. Along with the new name comes a new logo: the letters PRT in yellow circles. The […]

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Amtrak unveils infrastructure plan to transform Chicago operations

Passenger train runs on single track with Chicago skyline in the background

CHICAGO — Amtrak is seeking more than $200 million in federal funding, along with money from state and local sources, in an attempt to fix a series of long-standing deficiencies, capacity limitations, and how trains from the south and east enter Chicago. The passenger operator is competing for a portion of $5 billion available between […]

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FRA weighs railroads’ request for wheel temperature detectors instead of manual inspections

Inspection equipment mounted next to rail on test track

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration could soon rule on a petition that would allow a pair of freight railroads to use wayside wheel temperature detectors for inspections currently performed by workers. But a union representing railroad employees says granting such a request would be dangerous. Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific jointly petitioned the FRA […]

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Broken rail likely cause of 2020 UP derailment, fire, bridge collapse in Tempe, Ariz.

Aereal view of derailment and damaged bridge

TEMPE, Ariz. — A broken rail is the probable cause of a derailment of a Union Pacific train on a Tempe bridge in July 2020, which led to a fire, collapse of part of the bridge, and a release of hazardous material, according to a report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The […]

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Workers protest after employee death at Canadian railcar plant

National Steel Car logo

HAMILTON, Ontario — Workers at a railcar manufacturing plant in Hamilton staged a protest on Thursday, seeking a police investigation after the third workplace death at the factory in 21 months. The CBC reports members of United Steelworkers Local 7135 led the rally outside the National Steel Car plant in response to Monday’s death of […]

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