WASHINGTON — The merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern may be a union of two freight railroads, but it is likely to matter for passenger railroading, as well. Amtrak had formally supported the railroads’ merger application before the Surface Transportation Board. That reflected CP’s backing for passenger operations between New Orleans and Baton […]
Type of Train: Freight
Metra, Chicago suburbs see few concerns addressed in merger decision
WASHINGTON — Commuter rail operator Metra and a group of Chicago suburbs received few of the conditions they had sought when the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger was approved on Wednesday. But that doesn’t mean their concerns couldn’t be addressed later, Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman said during a Wednesday press conference, thanks […]
Regulators approve Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger (updated)
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators today gave the green light to the historic merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. Their $31.6 billion deal — thought to be the last merger between two Class I railroads — redraws the North American rail map by creating the first railroad linking Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. The […]
Senator calls for NTSB to expand NS safety investigation to include all Class I railroads
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has asked the National Transportation Safety Board to expand its planned investigation into Norfolk Southern safety practices to cover all Class I railroads, the website Politico reports. The NTSB announced its plan to conduct a special investigation of NS — the first of a railroad since 2014 […]
Auto racks derail at UP yard in Wyoming
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved when 12 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Monday night at UP’s yard in Cheyenne, Cowboy State Daily reports. UP spokesman Make Jaixen told the news site that the cause of the derailment is under investigation. Cleanup was continuing on Tuesday. […]
Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over East Palestine derailment
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The state of Ohio is suing Norfolk Southern over the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, claiming the incident was “entirely avoidable and the direct result of Norfolk Southern’s practice of putting its own profits above the health, safety, and welfare of the communities in which Norfolk Southern operates.” The 58-count, […]
Norfolk Southern reaches sick-time agreements with two more unions
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has reached agreements for paid sick time with members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, bringing to eight the number of unions to reach sick-leave agreements with the railroad. The latest agreements cover more than 1,350 employees. As with earlier agreements, they provide […]
STB schedules Wednesday announcement on CP-KCS merger
WASHINGTON — A decision appears to be at hand in the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger. The Surface Transportation Board has announced a Wednesday press conference at 11 a.m. EDT in which board Chairman Martin Oberman will deliver remarks “regarding the agency’s decision on the proposed acquisition” of KCS by CP, followed by a Q&A […]
Broken wheel believed to have caused UP derailment in Kansas
McPHERSON, Kan. — A broken wheel is believed to have caused Sunday’s derailment of a Union Pacific train in McPherson, leading to a spill of denatured alcohol, the Associated Press reports. The derailment Sunday morning ignited a small grass fire in addition to causing the alcohol spill [see “Union Pacific train derails …,” Trains News […]
Union Pacific names CSX Transportation executive to senior operations position
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific today named longtime CSX Transportation executive Brian Barr as its senior vice president of transportation. Barr, who is currently senior vice president of network planning and services at CSX, will join UP on April 15. He will report to Eric Gehringer, UP’s executive vice president of operations. “Union Pacific has […]
General Electric’s B23-7 locomotive
General Electric’s B23-7 GE’s best-selling four-axle unit still hauls freight today. General Electric, now Wabtec, has been out of the intermediate horsepower market for decades now, but beginning in the late 1970s, the company newly introduced Dash 7 line made a mark on the industry. Part of the “second generation” of General Electric’s locomotive portfolio, […]
News & Products for the week of March 13th 2023
News & Products for the week of March 13th 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 March 13th 2023. […]