ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has tightened its train makeup standards for long, heavy trains in order to reduce the in-train forces that can cause derailments. The new restrictions — part of the railroad’s broader push on safety in the wake of the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio — have caused significant increases […]
DENVER — Infrastructure company Rocky Mountain Industrials Inc has reached agreement with Patriot Rail Co. to provide service at the Rocky Mountain Rail Park, a 620-acre project some 29 miles east of downtown Denver in Adams County, Colo. The development features direct interchange with Union Pacific and is adjacent to Interstate 70. “The RMI team […]
News & Products for the week of April 10th 2023 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 April 10th 2023. […]
JASPER, Ala. — Two crew members were injured Saturday night when a locomotive and 11 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Saturday night, AL.com reports. Also on Saturday, an NS train was involved in a minor derailment in Pittsburgh. In the Alabama incident, the railroad said the locomotive rolled onto its side, spilling some […]
RICHMOND, Va. — The cost of a second rail bridge over the Potomac River — a key part of Virginia’s plan for major expansion of Amtrak and commuter-rail service on the I-95 corridor south from Washington, D.C.— has risen substantially, leading to a $389 million shortfall, the Washington Post reports.= The new two-track Long Bridge […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration on Friday issued a safety advisory calling on railroads to address potential safety risks resulting from the structure of long freight trains, saying it has “noticed a rising trend in recent incidents where train build and makeup have been identified as a potential cause or contributing factor.” Limitations on […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has reached an agreement with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Mechanical Department (SMART-MD) to provide paid sick leave, its ninth such agreement with a union representing CSX workers. “CSX continues to work collaboratively with all of our union partners to find solutions that improve the […]
All the positive freight railroad safety statistics in the world — like more than 99.9% of hazardous materials shipments arriving without incident — can’t overcome that image of a towering column of black smoke rising from East Palestine, Ohio. The toxic cloud from the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment did far more than upend 4,700 […]
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s railways continue to use diesel locomotives supplied new by American builders EMD, GE, and Alco in the late 1950s, with Buenos Aires possibly the only place on the planet where those diesels are working side by side, hauling and switching freight in 2023. More modern Chinese-built locomotives, as well as […]
Of the big six Class I railroads, only Canadian Pacific’s traffic volume was in positive territory for the first quarter. But that was due to favorable comparisons with last year’s first quarter, when a March labor dispute in Canada shut down CP’s operations for two days. The best the other railroads could do during the […]
CARSON CITY, Nevada — The Nevada legislature has become the latest to consider limiting the length of freight trains, through introduction of a bill which would prohibit trains of more than 7,500 feet. AB 456, introduced on March 27, sets penalties for violations beginning at $5,000 and escalating to $25,000. The bill also would set […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was down 7.6% in March compared to the same month in 2022, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, extending and deepening the downward trend so far in 2023. Traffic for the week ending April 1 was down by 7.4%, the AAR reported. The figures for the month […]
