Athearn 48-foot intermodal containers

Drawing of six white and yellow intermodal containers

48-foot intermodal containers Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $89.99 Era: 1990s+ Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: New road numbers Injection-molded plastic construction Fully assembled Stackable Each container is individually numbered Release date: November 2023 Road names: Conrail (white with “Conrail Mercury” lettering); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (white with […]

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Carload Considerations: Railcars should make shippers’ lives easier

Freight train snaking through curves in mountains

CHICAGO – Railroading’s intricacies require shippers to get involved in the industry’s nitty-gritty details. A half-hour crash course on Railroading 101 is going to leave someone more confused than confident. It takes commitment to grasp, and predict, the vulnerabilities of railroad logistics. This is why shippers often employ individuals in rail logistics, fleet management, or […]

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CN, IBEW finalize new contract in Canada after arbitration

Canadian National logo

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway announced Tuesday that it had reached a new three-year agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Canada after concluding arbitration with the union. The new contract, retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year and running through the end of 2024, includes 3% raises each year. The union represents […]

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News photos: Cleanup continues from Sandusky derailment

Train with five locomotives passes cars waiting to be removed after derailment

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Cleanup continues but Norfolk Southern’s main line has been reopened though Sandusky following a derailment that led to reroutes and cancellations for Amtrak service. The Sandusky Register reports that the Columbus Avenue underpass, where derailed tank cars of paraffin wax fell to the railway below, remained closed as of Monday, Oct. 10, […]

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48-foot intermodal container and chassis sets from Athearn

White container on black chassis

48-foot intermodal container and chassis Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $39.99 Era: 1990s+ Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Injection-molded plastic construction Chassis feature mudflaps and rolling wheels Release date: November 2023 Road names: Conrail (Conrail Mercury container on black BNZ chassis); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (white container with […]

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Burlington Northern and the Grain Industry

A train going past a grain site

    Sure thing, Angela. Since the Baltimore & Ohio began hauling flour from Ellicott’s Mills to Baltimore in 1830 — grain, flour, and seeds have been an important part of railroading. Grain moved in boxcars for decades, but in the early 1960s, Southern Railway’s new, 100-ton — Big John — covered hopper revolutionized grain […]

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BNSF’s new Sandpoint, Idaho, bridge nears opening

Front view of train crossing bridge with second bridge under construction at left

SANDPOINT, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s nearly mile-long second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint is now structurally complete and tracklaying has begun. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent says, “The new bridge will have trains operating over it by the end of November.” Initially, the second main will be laid from a point near the northwest […]

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Rail bridge linking Crimea and Russia damaged in major explosion

Train at arches on bridge in golden hour

The nearly 12-mile-long railway bridge connecting Russia with the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014, was seriously damaged Saturday, Oct. 8, by an explosion that destroyed part of the parallel road bridge. The explosion occurred just after 6 a.m. local time. The exact cause of the explosion remains unclear although it appears […]

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News photos: Aerial views show extent of Seminole Gulf damage

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Aerial photos from Trains News Wire contributor Sol Tucker provide some indication of the extent of the damage sustained by southwest Florida’s Seminole Gulf Railway as a result of Hurricane Ian. The photos were taken Friday (Oct. 7). Railroad officials said earlier this week that at least a half-dozen bridges on […]

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After seven days, STB hearings on CP-KCS merger conclude

Train with red, yellow, and black locomotives

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board hearings on the proposed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger concluded Friday, Oct. 7, after seven days of testimony from shippers, communities, public officials, and other railroads. CP and KCS said the merger is a perfect fit, will increase competition, create new single-line routes, and provide their customers […]

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