Trains LIVE — Season two begins — 1-31-2024 — No big fanfare, please. This is premier week for season two of Trains LIVE. We have a few changes coming down the line, in addition to new episodes taking you behind the scenes of railroading. Change No. 1 — Our video production team has been working […]
Magazine: Trains Magazine
Freight traffic resumes through San Clemente; passenger moves still halted
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — BNSF Railway has resumed freight operations through the location of the latest landslide on Southern California’s Surf Line, which remains closed to passenger traffic following a Jan. 24 incident near the San Clemente Pier. The Orange County Register reports BNSF began freight movements with a 10-mph speed restriction between 9 p.m. […]
Minnesota museum announces steam-up dates for 2-8-0
DULUTH, Minn. — Following successful test runs and a single excursion in autumn 2023, the Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 2-8-0 No. 332 will be pulling a number of trips in 2024. The museum announced the 2-8-0 will be under steam on four weekends during the upcoming season on the museum’s North […]
Ford seeks to add hotel to Michigan Central project
DETROIT — The landmark Michigan Central Station, undergoing revival by the Ford Motor Co. as a technology hub, could also become the home of a hotel, the Detroit Free Press reports. A spokesman for the Ford subsidiary overseeing the station’s redevelopment said Monday that the company is seeking a zoning change from the current heavy […]
CPKC reports higher volume, revenue, and profits for fourth quarter
CALGARY, Alberta – Canadian Pacific Kansas City bucked the industry trend by posting fourth-quarter gains in volume, operating income, and revenue. “I am proud of how our team of incredible railroaders finished this transformational year with a strong fourth quarter, allowing CPKC to deliver volume growth and best-in-class earnings growth in 2023,” CEO Keith Creel […]
Canal disruptions could help railroads gain international intermodal traffic
Will the persistent low water levels in the Panama Canal and ongoing attacks on ships bound to and from the Suez Canal wind up diverting international container traffic to West Coast ports? Railroad executives think so, although most say a shift in international intermodal volume has yet to materialize. The drought in Panama has prompted […]
STB rules against CN in Chicago interchange dispute with CP
WASHINGTON — In the latest twist in a long-running Chicago interchange dispute, federal regulators yesterday ruled that it’s unreasonable for Canadian National to unilaterally designate the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard as the location where it will exchange traffic with rival Canadian Pacific Kansas City. It’s the second time that the Surface Transportation Board […]
RailPulse gains first rail shipper as a member of the telematics joint venture
Bunge, an agricultural company, has become the first shipper to join the RailPulse freight car telematics joint venture. “By joining RailPulse as the first railcar-owning shipper, we are taking a proactive step toward driving positive change and digital transformation within the rail shipping industry,” Terry McDermott, director of supply chain – North American Rail at […]
Who has new locomotive power in 2024?
Locomotive power 2024 Someone turned on the new locomotive faucet, but its just a slow drip right now. For several years no new six-axle freight locomotives have been built for North America’s Class I railroads. Now, there are some signs of life. Last year saw orders from Canadian National and BNSF Railway — Canadian National […]
News photo: New paint for an Amtrak veteran
Amtrak is beginning to give its General Electric locomotive fleet a look in keeping with its newer units. Fresh from an overhaul at the Beech Grove Heavy Maintenance Facility, Amtrak P42 No. 174, manufactured in 2001, sports a variation of the paint scheme the company uses on its new Siemens Charger locomotives as it leads the […]
FRA report outlines results of nationwide inspections conducted after East Palestine wreck
WASHINGTON — The 180-day nationwide safety blitz that the Federal Railroad Administration conducted in the wake of the Feb. 3, 2023, hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, found that railroads’ track, equipment, and processes were generally in compliance with federal regulations. But the FRA, outlining its findings in a report released last week, did […]
Understanding brake horsepower in diesel locomotives
An EMD AR20 alternator from CSX SD70MAC 4549 at the railroad’s Huntington, W.Va., shop. Chris Guss Understanding brake horsepower: Diesel engines, like all engines, are built to perform a specific function. In a locomotive, that role is to provide power to move freight cars from one place to another. When buying locomotives, one thing management […]