Patriot Rail names Sexhus as president, chief operating officer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sam Sexhus, a veteran of more than 25 years in Class I railroading, has been named as president and chief operating officer of short line company Patriot Rail. “Patriot Rail is experiencing tremendous growth, and Sam Sexhus’ leadership will enable the company to further solidify our shortline railroad footprint in the U.S.,” […]

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Unions declare impasse in negotiations with railroads, will file for arbitration

The group representing rail unions in bargaining with railroad over a new general agreement says the negotiations have reached an impasse, leading them to file for arbitration. A brief letter today (Thursday, Jan. 20) from Jeremy R. Ferguson, president of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) informed other […]

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Lionel Legacy Genset locomotive is a winner

The new Lionel Legacy Genset locomotive is a nice-looking O gauge model of an innovative and environmentally conscious prototype. The full-sized versions get the job done while saving fuel and producing lower emissions. Simply put, the units are equipped with multiple small diesel engine-generator combinations rather than one large one. The number of power sets […]

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Union Pacific CEO signals interest in autonomous intermodal cars

CULVER CITY, Calif. — Union Pacific has expressed interest in a new autonomous battery-electric intermodal car concept developed by a group headed by three former Space X engineers. The concept under development by Parallel Systems would see intermodal containers carried by pairs of powered battery-electric wheelsets, moving in “platoons” of cars, but capable of splitting […]

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Union Pacific lands Schneider intermodal contract

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Transportation and logistics firm Schneider will shift its primary western U.S. rail service to Union Pacific from BNSF Railway in January 2023, the companies have announced. “Schneider’s intermodal business is a great fit for Union Pacific’s diverse network,” Union Pacific CEO Lance Fritz said in a press release. “We look forward […]

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We need transcontinental railroad mergers — Analysis

Railroads fall short of trucks in so many ways. The inability to offer seamless service from Point A to Point B shouldn’t be among them. But the Surface Transportation Board has said, in so many words, that Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern will be the last merger of Class I railroads. That’s a colossal mistake. Why? […]

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Colorado Joint Line short train

Modelers with small spaces, please consider the above Colorado Joint Line short train as one prototype you might want to model. Back in 2017, I was chasing trains from Denver south to Colorado Springs and Pueblo along Colorado’s famed Joint Line before a rail industry conference began. I was told something like “trains run like […]

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Federal court strikes down Oklahoma blocked-crossing law

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A federal appeals court has struck down a state law prohibiting railroads from blocking grade crossings for more than 10 minutes, the latest state effort to run afoul of the federal government’s authority to regulate rail carriers. The Oklahoman newspaper reports that the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier […]

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