HAVRE, Mont. – Amtrak confirms three deaths in the Saturday derailment of the westbound Empire Builder near Joplin, about 50 miles west of Havre. The train, which originated in Chicago on Friday, had 141 passengers and 16 crew members onboard. The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars, with eight of those cars derailing, […]
WASHINGTON — The California High-Speed Rail Authority has filed two petitions with the Surface Transportation Board to reopen proceedings to make changes to two aspects of its high speed rail line under construction in the Central Valley. The first document seeks to reexamine an exemption granted for 65 miles of high-speed line between Merced and […]
Facts & features Name: Montgomery & Cole Subdivision Scale: N (1:160) Size: 10′-0″ x 10′-0″ Prototype: Great Northern, BNSF Ry., and CP Rail Locale: western Montana, eastern Washington Era: 1970s – ’80s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 78 feet Minimum radius: 9″ Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3.5 percent Benchwork: open grid Height: 441⁄2″ Roadbed: […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel and Kansas City Southern CEO Pat Ottensmeyer expressed excitement today about finally being able to combine their two railways into the first system to connect Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Their merger deal, officially announced on Wednesday after Canadian National dropped its pursuit of KCS, came […]
Now that the months-long battle for Kansas City Southern is over and Canadian Pacific has been won, let’s get down to the important part for those of us who cover railroading for a living and those of us who have reverence for great railroad titles: the name of the new company that will carry on […]
LONG BEACH, Calif. — It will take at least six months to alleviate monumental intermodal congestion that stretches from Asian ports, across the Pacific to U.S. ports, and on to railroads and their inland terminals. “The intermodal industry is under unprecedented strain … worse than anything I’ve seen in 41 years that I’ve been in […]
PITTSBURGH — Australian mining company Roy Hill has become the first purchaser of Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive. Wabtec and Roy Hill announced the purchase on Monday. Roy Hill will receive the second-generation version of the FLXdrive locomotive, currently under development for delivery in 2023, which will have an energy capacity of 7 megawatt hours. The […]
CHICAGO –—Climate change provides an opportunity for railroads, even as more frequent extreme weather events take a toll on railroad operations and infrastructure and require investments in new locomotive technology, executives told a shipper conference last week. The increased emphasis on sustainability is a tremendous opportunity for rail carriers, BNSF CEO Katie Farmer told the […]
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 September 16, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP15-1 diesel locomotive. Chicago […]
PITTSBURGH — A rail manufacturer, shortline holding company, and university have announced formation of a consortium that they hope will revolutionize American railroading and eventually reduce the industry’s carbon footprint to zero. Pittsburgh-based Wabtec Corp.; Carnegie Mellon University, known for its engineering curriculum; and shortline and regional railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming announced Friday, Sept. 10, […]
A Union Pacific Railroad map is a valuable resource. The maps often show the route of the first Transcontinental Railroad or a modern version of the railroad. (CLICK ON THE MAP FOR A LARGER VERSION) This Union Pacific Railroad map features the UP as it appeared in 2013 and as illustrated by Trains‘ retired illustrator […]
CHICAGO — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman stepped up his criticism of Class I railroads on Wednesday, saying the industry’s drive for ever-increasing profits resulted in a loss of market share to trucks over the past 15 years and is restraining growth today. Rail rates fell by 27% between 1985 and 2004, as […]
