Missile strike on Ukraine rail station kills 57

blue foreign passenger train

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine – A station in Kramatorsk, packed with refugees waiting for trains to take them westward, was hit by a Russian missile attack on April 8. The death toll updated by the Ukrainian government on April 10 stands at 57 with 109 injured. Pictures from the scene depict abandoned belongings and children’s toys, in […]

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News & Products for the week of April 14, 2022

Photo of HO scale Greenville 86-foot quad-door boxcar painted orange, silver, black, and white with black graphics.

Product news Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 14, 2022.   HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40T-2 diesel locomotive. […]

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CP doesn’t expect traffic data issue to change KCS merger timeline

Train with red locomotives and covered hopper cars

BALTIMORE – Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel doesn’t expect a traffic density data issue to delay the overall timeline for regulatory review of the CP-Kansas City Southern merger. The Surface Transportation Board on March 16 suspended its review of the CP-KCS deal pending resolution of a discrepancy in the baseline traffic figures the railroads used […]

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CSX testing Florida-Northeast perishables market with premium intermodal service

BALTIMORE – If you buy a Florida-grown watermelon in the New York City area, there’s a good chance that it rode a CSX Transportation intermodal train from the Sunshine State to the Northeast. CSX has become the largest hauler of Florida watermelons to the Northeast thanks to a year-old experiment dubbed CSX Greenway, a premium […]

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Ethanol producers complain about snarled rail service

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON – The trade group representing ethanol producers has told federal regulators that its members are experiencing significant rail service delays and disruptions that could lead to higher gasoline prices. “While we certainly understand that a variety of factors have contributed to these rail disruptions, it is imperative that all possible actions be taken by […]

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Conrail passenger trains: A small chapter for a big blue railroad

Conrail passenger trains: Conrail and Burlington Northern passenger trains in a Chicago rail yard.

Conrail passenger trains are probably the least known of all the aspects of the big blue railroad’s operations over time. As Conrail is the Fallen Flag Railroad of the Month for April 2022, please enjoy these Conrail passenger trains images from Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Conrail started operations April 1, 1976 taking over […]

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South Shore freight labor deal good for five years

South Shore Freight Logo

MICHIGAN CITY, Imd. – The Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad (CSS) & SMART TD (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers) successfully approved a new five-year contract for the line’s transportation employees. Ratified March 18, 2022, the pact runs from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2026. Currently represented are […]

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Modelers supporting Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Model railroad organization logo.

Modelers supporting Ukrainian refugees: The HUB Division of the National Model Railroad Association, a 501(c)3 organization, has set up a fund to help our fellow model railroaders and prototype steam railroaders in their support of the Ukrainian refugee families who have arrived in Wolsztyn Poland. 100% of all funds donated go directly to this support. […]

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FRA administrator sees longer trains as rationale for two-person crews

Crew member riding on locomotive steps

BALTIMORE — Autonomous trucks are beginning to roam highways with the blessing of the Department of Transportation, yet the Federal Railroad Administration wants to mandate two-person train crews. Why is the regulatory playing field different for trucks and trains, FRA Administrator Amit Bose was asked at a shippers’ conference on Thursday. “We think having a […]

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Moonlight extra on the snowy Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway

Snowy garden railway with lit train approaching

Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: G scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era. Description: Moonlight extra – Gas Electric M-2 “Sadiebug” runs an extra passenger service on the Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway on a cold and snowy evening. Music from Epidemic […]

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Sale of Saratoga & North Creek trackage in jeopardy

SNC

TAHAWAUS, N.Y. — The bankruptcy sale of a portion of the former Saratoga & North Creek Railroad is jeopardy after the buyers failed to submit a deposit in timely fashion, according to the bankruptcy trustee. The Adirondack Explorer news site reports buyers Carol McLean-Wright and John Wright, operating as Doc N Duchess Railway, did not […]

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Railroad executives outline train crew hiring challenges, promise service improvements

BALTIMORE – CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern are working to improve their service amid ongoing crew shortages and supply chain disruptions, executives told shippers on Thursday. “We’re aware that it’s been a tough two years. Clearly we haven’t shown our best self,” Farrukh Bezar, CSX’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer, told the North […]

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