U.S. grain sales to China spur record rail traffic

While intermodal’s role in boosting North America rail volume has been in the spotlight, grain traffic has also been impressive. Canadian National and Canadian Pacific have set a series of records for Canadian grain tonnage [see “CP, CN continue string of records for grain movement,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 4, 2021], but global trade in U.S. grain, particularly […]

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Washington project rebuilding GN caboose from the frame up

TENINO, Wash. — Over the last year, the residents of the small western Washington town of Tenino have become accustomed to the sounds of saws and hammers coming from 1920s-era Great Northern caboose X549. The caboose restoration is a joint venture between the town of Tenino and the Tenino Historical Depot. The caboose was purchased […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, paint, decal, and tool announcements for February 4, 2021

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 February 4, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division MP15DC diesel locomotive. New […]

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Digest: MTA survey finds near-total mask compliance

More Thursday morning rail news: MTA survey finds 97% compliance with mask rule on subways New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says 97% of subway passengers were complying with the agency’s mask order during a survey conducted Jan. 11-22, while 99% of those on buses were complying during a survey Jan. 4-8. The figures were released […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, passenger car, structure, and tool announcements for January 28, 2021

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 January 28, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F45 diesel locomotive. Wisconsin […]

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Digest: Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority elects first president

Friday afternoon rail news: Montana’s Bky Sky Passenger Rail Authority elects Strohmaier as president Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier, the driving force behind the effort to create Montana’s Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, will serve as first president of the organization, the Missoula Current reports. In its second official meeting on Wednesday, the organization learned that […]

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Class I earnings expected to rise

The publicly traded Class I railroads will begin reporting their fourth-quarter and full-year financial results Thursday, when Union Pacific and CSX Transportation release their earnings. As a group, earnings for the six Class I systems are expected to rise 5.5%, according to I/B/E/S consensus estimates. That’s far better performance than is anticipated for the large […]

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News Photos: Amtrak testing on the Point Defiance Bypass

For the first time since a fatal derailment in December 2017, Amtrak trains ran on Washington’s Point Defiance Bypass, the intended passenger-only route to shift trains off the coastal line shared with BNSF Railway freight traffic. Test trains on Saturday and Sunday on the 14-mile line between Tacoma and Nisqually Junction are for familiarization and […]

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