EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Authorities are once again warning those near the site of a Norfolk Southern derailment to leave the scene, this time because they plan a “controlled release” this afternoon of the toxic chemical vinyl chloride from five derailed tank cars. “We are ordering you to leave,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said at […]
Type of Train: Freight
Sheriff warns of arrests for those ignoring evacuation order near derailment (updated)
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Authorities in Columbiana County, Ohio, have said they will arrest those ignoring the evacuation zone near a Norfolk Southern derailment and fire that occurred on Friday, citing the “high probability of a toxic gas release or explosion.” The announcement on the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page follows Sunday night’s evacuation […]
CP sets grain record in January
CALGARY — Canadian Pacific moved 2.29 million metric tons of Canadian grain in January, setting a record for the month, the company said last week. The railroad has now moved more than 15 million metric tons in the 2022-23 crop year, an increase of more than 45% over the same point in the 2021-22 crop […]
“Big Emma” helping a coal train
Louisville & Nashville M-1 2-8-4 1954 (a “Big Emma”) pushes behind the caboose of a northbound coal train on the big Red River bridge south of Winchester, Ky., in May 1952. Ed Theisinger photo […]
Ohio governor issues new evacuation order for East Palestine, warning of possible tank car explosion (updated)
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and officials in Columbiana County have issued a new evacuation order tonight (Sunday, Feb. 5) for those within a mile of the site of Friday’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern train, warning of a possible tank car explosion, WHIO-TV reports. Also, National Transportation Safety Board investigators have […]
Vinyl chloride involved in fire from NS derailment, village says
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The chemical burning in the fire resulting from Friday’s derailment of a Norfolk Southern train is the flammable gas vinyl chloride, a potentially carcinogenic substance. The village of East Palestine identified the material in a news release Saturday afternoon, NBC News reports. The Environmental Protection Agency says “cancer is a major […]
Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio continues to burn (updated)
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — The mayor of the town of East Palestine has declared a state of emergency as a fire continues to burn, following Friday night’s derailment of about 50 cars of a Norfolk Southern train near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state line. WKBN-TV reports Mayor Trent Conaway issued the emergency declaration just before 9:30 a.m. […]
The Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train
The Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train is finally out, and as an aerospace engineer formerly employed by NASA, this set hit home! I knew I had to have it the second I saw it advertised in the Lionel 2022 Volume 1 catalog! The set isn’t a work of science fiction, either. The prototype Rocket […]
Operating the layout — State Line Route in N scale, Episode 26
Operating the layout | In the previous Episode 25 (Car routing with JMRI OperationsPro), you saw the crew prepare the State Line Route N scale model railroad for an operating session. Now, host David Popp walks you through the prototypical actions as they transpire over the simple, yet engaging layout! Enjoying this coverage of our […]
Union Pacific Silvis Donation Special
In November 2022, a special train left Cheyenne, Wyo., bound for the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America’s steam shops in Silvis, Ill. The move marked the end of one era and the beginning of a new one, as the Union Pacific, the only Class I railroad in North America with a steam program, decided to […]
Union Pacific named to Fortune’s most admired company list
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has been named to Fortune magazine’s list of the World’s Most Admired Companies for the 17th time in 21 years. UP is the highest-ranked railroad in the magazine’s Trucking, Transportation, and Logistics category. The annual list is compiled through a survey conducted by global consulting firm Korn Ferry. Executives, directors, […]
Significant intermodal drop keeps January rail traffic below 2022 figure
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic began 2023 in sluggish fashion, with overall volume for January down 3.2% from the first month of 2022, according to the Association of American Railroads. Weekly traffic for the week ending Jan. 28 was also down compared to the corresponding week a year earlier. The January figures included a 2.2% […]