Canadian appeals court gives CN Toronto-area intermodal facility the go-ahead

Rendering of proposed rail yard

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s Federal Court of Appeals has overturned a lower-court ruling blocking Canadian National Railway’s development of a Toronto-area intermodal facility, allowing construction of the terminal to move forward. The Canadian Press reports that a three-judge panel ruled on Friday that the federal government’s decision to allow construction of the facility in Milton, […]

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News & Products for the week of October 7th 2024

A blue model locomotive against a white background

News & Products for the week of October 7th 2024   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. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of October 7th […]

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SMART-MD members ratify contracts with BNSF, CSX, NS

Double-stack container train passing maintenance equipment

WASHINGTON — Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation’s Railroad, Mechanical, and Engineering Department (SMART-MD) has ratified new contracts with BNSF Railway, CSX, and Norfolk Southern, the union announced. Union members voted 69% in favor of the deal at BNSF, 68% at CSX, and 62% at NS. The five-year agreements, […]

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What happens if railroads can’t grow? Nothing good — Analysis

View of yard

Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that the Class I railroads cannot successfully shift into growth mode. What happens then? Carload business will slowly wither away, except for the few bulk and dangerous commodities that have no other way to move. Intermodal will remain stuck in neutral, with domestic container and trailer traffic unable […]

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CN Winter Plan outlines seasonal preparedness

Document cover showing train in snowy location

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway this week published its Winter Plan or 2024-25, an annual document required by the Canadian government to address operating plans in the demanding conditions that can develop in the northern climate. Highlights of the preparations, as outlined by the railroad, include: — Air car program: CN has spent more than […]

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Athearn N ACF 2970 Center Flow

Color photo showing B end of N scale covered hopper painted gray with black graphics.

An American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper is now part of Athearn’s Genesis series. The N scale model, which we last reviewed in the June 2010 issue, still features injection-molded plastic construction, body-mounted couplers, and metal wheelsets. Among the product upgrades are rubber train line hoses; separate, factory-applied uncoupling levers; […]

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Port strike ends on third day (updated)

The strike by dockworkers that shut down East Coast ports came to an end today (Thursday, Oct. 3) when the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance announced they had come to a tentative agreement on wages and an extension of the master contract. The agreement ended the strike on its third day. […]

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Train dispatchers ratify new agreement with BNSF Railway

FORT WORTH, Texas — The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) has voted to ratify a new contract agreement with BNSF Railway. The new agreement, announced today, increases wages, accelerates paid vacation accrual, and includes other contractual improvements. The news comes a month ahead of the opening of the next collective bargaining round and provides a […]

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