Montana Rail Link employees represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a contract agreement with BNSF Railway, a key step in BNSF taking over operations of the regional railroad. The union announced Tuesday that “an overwhelming majority of participating BLET members ratified an implementing agreement and Oregon Short Line Protective Agreement […]
Type of Train: Short line regionals
Railroads need to cooperate and think long term if they are to grow, short line executive says
PITTSBURGH — Railroads need to collaborate and take a long-term view if they are to make the most of their traffic growth opportunities, Michael Miller, president of Genesee & Wyoming’s North American operations, told a shipper conference on Wednesday. “We as an industry have always looked at it as ‘What’s in it for me? What’s […]
Livonia, Avon & Lakeville acquires controlling interest in Ontario Midland Railroad
LAKEVILLE, N.Y. — The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad Corp. has completed acquisition of a controlling interest in the Ontario Midland Railroad Corp., operator of 52 miles of track in New York’s Wayne and Monroe counties. The LA&L now owns 55% of Ontario Midland stock, giving it ownership or control of four railroads, the others […]
Patriot Rail completes acquisition of Pioneer Lines
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail Co. has completed its acquisition of Denver-based Pioneer Lines, nearly doubling the company’s short line operations. The transaction closed Wednesday following regulatory approval, Patriot said. It will expand the company from 16 to 31 railroads, with operations in 23 states. “We are pleased to bring Pioneer Lines railroads into Patriot […]
Shippers ratchet up warnings about impact of potential rail strike
WASHINGTON – The National Industrial Transportation League, the largest and oldest group of rail shippers, has asked congressional leaders to prevent a railroad strike or lockout that could begin as early as 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, the Class I railroads today reached a tentative agreement with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU, […]
‘Narrow Gauge in the Tropics’ book review
The 310-page book Narrow Gauge in the Tropics is a thorough examination of the railroads in the tropical islands of the Dutch or Netherlands East Indies, capturing the story behind the first railroad in Java where construction began in 1864. Java is the most populous and economically developed of the thousands of the Indian archipelago. […]
Fast-food uniform helps identify suspect in signal-tampering case
TILDEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man on his way to work at a fast-food restaurant has been charged with risking a catastrophe after allegedly tampering with a Reading & Northern railroad crossing signal, the Reading Eagle reports in a paywalled article. The article was also posted on the Tilden Township police Facebook page. Ryan M. […]
Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway remembered
Four events highlight the history of the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway: two spectacular accidents, a visiting steam locomotive, and a murder. Remarkable is that the TP&W rebounded from the negative incidents to last through 1983, when it was merged into the Santa Fe Railway. After three years, though, Santa Fe wanted out, and the […]
Working mountain Alco locomotives from the WNY&P
Working mountain Alco locomotives: Nestled in the wide rolling hills on the western edge of New York’s Southern Tier lies the formerly two-railroad town of Olean, N.Y. A quaint, unsuspecting town of 13,000 residents located along the placid Allegheny River was once a railfanning destination, that is — until the formation of Conrail. Dozens of […]
Alberta pension fund to acquire Cando Rail & Terminals
BRANDON, Manitoba – Alberta’s provincial pension fund will acquire Cando Rail & Terminals from a Canadian private equity firm. Cando, which operates more than 40 industrial switching facilities, nine owned terminals, and one short line, experienced rapid growth while under the control of TorQuest Partners. The deal, announced today (July 20), is the latest in […]
Livonia, Avon & Lakeville to take controlling interest in neighboring New York short line
WASHINGTON – The Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad family is growing. Next month the New York state railroad will acquire a controlling interest in neighboring short line Ontario Midland Railroad, it said in a July 13 filing with the Surface Transportation Board. Ontario Midland operates 47 miles of trackage east of Rochester, N.Y., and connects […]
Belt Railway of Chicago locomotives
Belt Railway of Chicago locomotives: I recently photographed an ex-Belt Railway of Chiacgo Alco in, of all places, Olean, N.Y., on the Western New York & Pennsylvania. That old Alco and I go back to the mid 1980ss when I first laid eyes on her and a stable of other exotic beasts at BRC’s Clearing […]