Big Boy No. 4014 in the Cheyenne, Wyo., steam shop in March 2017. Trains: Jim Wrinn DENVER – Union Pacific’s restoration of Big Boy No. 4014 enters yet another phase in coming days as the steam shop crew in Cheyenne, Wyo., plans to lift the boiler and roll out the 4-8-8-4’s trailing truck for inspection […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Where diesels go to the doctor
Home for the heaviest rebuild, repair, and repaint work on the Norfolk Southern system is the sprawling former Pennsylvania Railroad Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa. The backshop is the heart of this operation in the Keystone State. Alex Mayes Diesel locomotives are amazing. They are built to withstand the rigors of service, running 24 hours […]
Colored dots on freight cars
Dots painted on trilevel auto racks indicate clearance heights. Rob Burnet Q I have seen colored painted dots on freight cars, mostly multilevel auto rack cars. What do they signify? – Rob Burnet, Etobicoke, Ont., Canada A Colored marks on auto multi-levels are to designate slightly different deck height clearances on trilevels. Orange dots indicate […]
Canadian Pacific to drop Expressway short-haul intermodal service NEWSWIRE
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific will discontinue its pioneering Expressway short-haul intermodal service on June 1, ending a nearly two-decade experiment of luring trucks off Highway 401 between Toronto and Montreal. From its launch in May 1999 as the successor to the Iron Highway concept developed by CSX Intermodal, the Expressway roll-on, roll-off trailer-on-flatcar trains […]
Trains Presents: Peru 2017 tour, day 4
We’ll ride the nose of a GE C30-7 for the trip from LaOroya to Hauncayo, Peru. We were riding on a Ferrocarril Central Andino railroad branch down a gorge that sees about one train a week. We’ll also herd llamas by train, cross bridges, pierce tunnels, see a display steam locomotive, and get a final […]
Norfolk Southern adds crews, reopens through route to ease congestion in South NEWSWIRE
Norfolk Southern terminal dwell times TRAINS; Norfolk Southern data NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern is taking steps to unclog congested areas of its system in Alabama and Georgia, where a combination of traffic growth and bad weather have gummed up yards and single-track main lines. For the year-to-date compared to the first quarter of 2017, […]
Union Pacific to buy Tier 4 intermediate locomotives NEWSWIRE
Union Pacific EMD24B order will look similar to demonstrator PRLX No. 24 built in 2016. Carl M. Lehman PATTERSON, Ga. – Union Pacific is acquiring 10 Progress Rail EMD24B locomotives to be built at the manufacturer’s Patterson, Ga., facility. The locomotive model was previously called PR24B before the consolidation of the Progress and EMD line […]
BNSF Railway’s revenue, profit rise on traffic gains in 2017 NEWSWIRE
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway reported higher revenue and earnings for 2017 amid volume growth and pricing increases. The railroad’s pre-tax earnings rose 11.2 percent last year, to $6.3 billion, as revenue climbed 7.9 percent, to $21.4 billion, BNSF’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, reported on Saturday. BNSF’s operating ratio was 65.7 percent, an improvement […]
Canadian Pacific wins contract for international intermodal traffic NEWSWIRE
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific has wrestled some international intermodal traffic away from congested rival Canadian National. Beginning April 1, CP will begin hauling 85 percent of the Ocean Network Express traffic at the Port of Vancouver, CEO Keith Creel told investor conferences last week. Ocean Network Express, or ONE, is the new combination of […]
Florida educational farm completes rescue of 20 ‘circus train’ cars NEWSWIRE
A crane and crews work to lift former Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus cars from a nearby shortline railroad siding to panel track laid at the Kirby Family Farm in Williston, Fla., on Saturday, Feb. 24. The circus cars are destined for re-use as dormitories for at-risk and special needs youth. Submitted photo A […]
Contractor for 1309 says locomotive brasses part of metal stolen NEWSWIRE
The old cab of Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 in July 2015. Workers built a new cab to replace the old one. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn CUMBERLAND, Md. — Brass components weighing 300 pounds each were pulled off former Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1309 and sold to a local scrap dealer, according to Gary […]
Grafton & Upton standardizes locomotive roster with MP15ACs NEWSWIRE
Grafton & Upton MP15AC No. 1191, one of three such units acquired from CSX, awaits inspection and removal of CSX markings at North Grafton, Mass. G&U’s older EMD power is seen in the background. David Swirk, Grafton & Upton NORTH GRAFTON, Mass. – To help with growing business, Massachusetts short line Grafton & Upton has […]