BNSF main line shut down by North Dakota derailment

BNSF Railway logo

MINOT, N.D. — BNSF’s northern transcontinental main line is currently blocked after an early-morning derailment of an intermodal train near Des Lacs, N.D., approximately 14 miles west of Minot. A customer advisory on the BNSF website says the derailment occurred about 3:36 a.m. CDT today (Friday, Feb. 24). The Dakotan website quotes Karter Lesmann, chief […]

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State bill advances for project to rebuild South Dakota short line

Map of the Twin Cities & Western Railroad and its two related rail lines

PIERRE, S.D. — A state legislative committee has endorsed funding for a project to help rebuild the Sisseton-Milbank Railroad, moving the appropriation bill forward, KELO-TV reports. The Senate Transportation committee unanimously approved the bill that would provide $6.25 million from the state’s general fund to help rebuild the railroad from its current state, which limits […]

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N scale General Motors Diesel Division GP40-2W from Atlas

Screen capture of product review video.

An N scale General Motors Diesel Division GP40-2W from Atlas recently toured our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route layout. Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno talk about the features on the locomotive and take it for a tour of the “Mini Myrt.” Paint schemes on the four-axle road unit […]

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Five Burlington Northern kitbashes

Color photo of caboose painted light gray with small windows and rooftop air conditioners.

Kitbashing is a facet of the hobby many model railroaders enjoy. Full-size railroads modify equipment, too. As I was combing through my photo collection and images in our David P. Morgan Memorial Library, I found five Burlington Northern kitbashes. Hopefully one or more of these cars will inspire your next modeling project. Want more Burlington […]

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CPKC offers plan to address traffic issues in Chicago-area suburbs

Passenger train passing wooden passenger station

WASHINGTON — As part of their merger, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern will work with a group of Chicago-area communities on voluntary measures to address traffic concerns in those communities, the railroads say in the final Environmental Impact Statement released today (Friday, Jan. 27) by the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis. The […]

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Santa Fe’s wheat kingdom

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Several boxcars await loading at three classic wooden elevators along the Santa Fe at Dumas, Texas, in late summer 1936. In spite of the Dust Bowl, there’s still wheat to be loaded. Arthur Rothstein, Library of Congress photo […]

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Empire Builder fights weather, congestion, track issues

Passenger train with two blue locomotives with red trim

MINOT, N.D. — With winter storm warnings in effect across the northern plains from a windy, frigid blast that has already barreled through the Sierra Nevada and Colorado mountains, there is always the possibility that service on Amtrak’s long-distance network will be disrupted. As was the case during a blizzard last month [“Westbound Empire Builder […]

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BNSF gets state permit for Bismarck bridge project

BNSF train crossing river bridge in winter

BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway’s plans to replace a more than century-old bridge across the Missouri River took another step forward Monday, while a preservation group’s effort to stop the bridge project sustained another setback. The Bismarck Tribune reports the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality issued the water quality certification necessary for BNSF to […]

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