Canadian National to acquire Iowa Northern Railway

  MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway will acquire Iowa Northern Railway, which operates approximately 253 route-miles and 275 track-miles, primarily between Cedar Rapids and Manly, Iowa, CN announced today. Iowa Northern was founded in 1984 on a portion of the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. The Class III short line serves 19 counties in […]

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Canadian National train derails in rural Wisconsin

STANLEY, Wis. — Approximately 10 cars of a Canadian National Railway train derailed early this morning (Wednesday, Nov. 1), the Stanley Police department said in a press release posted on Facebook. The derailment occurred about 1:07 a.m. No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved, police said. Stanley, population 3,378, is about 30 […]

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Canadian National releases Winter Plan

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway has released its 2023-24 Winter Plan, a document required by the Canadian Transportation Act in which the railroad details plans for operations during the winter months. “The plan serves as our compass, providing clear direction and objectives,” CEO Tracy Robinson says in an introductory statement. “It will enable us to […]

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Canadian National donates ‘Draper Taper’ unit to museum

EDMONTON — Canadian National has donated a former British Columbia Railway C40-8M locomotive — a wide-cab locomotive featuring the “Draper Taper” design behind the cab for improved rearward visibility — to the Alberta Railway Museum. CN retired its fleet of the 4,000-hp General Electric locomotives earlier this year, but set aside No. 4618 for the […]

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Canadian National MLW RSC24 diesel locomotives

  Montreal Locomotive Works RSC24 diesel locomotives were “conceived of cannibalism.” So went a claim in the April 1977 issue of Trains. Montreal Locomotive Works had encouraged Canadian National to upgrade its older, 1,600 hp road switchers with new 12-cylinder, 251-type prime movers. Four of its 244-type prime movers were recycled into the new RSC24 […]

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Canadian National releases 2023-24 grain plan

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway this week released its 2023-24 Grain Plan, outlining its initiatives for handling Canada’s upcoming grain harvest. Efforts to handle grain traffic include deliver of another 750 new grain hoppers in 2024 and the recently announced expansion of the railroad’s locomotive modernization program [see “CN orders 60 more modernized diesels …,” […]

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Canadian National main line to Halifax washed out by flooding

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Canadian National’s main line to the Port of Halifax, Canada’s fourth-largest port, has been washed out as a result of flooding that caused “unimaginable” damage, according to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston. Reuters reports a storm that arrived on Friday left more than 10 inches of rain in a 24-hour period […]

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Unifor ratifies contract with Canadian National

MONTREAL — Members of the Canadian union Unifor have ratified a two-year contract with Canadian National Railway, the union announced Friday. The union and railway had announced an agreement March 20. The deal covers more than 3,000 mechanical, intermodal, facility management, and clerical positions represented by Unifor’s Local 100 and Council 4000 [see “Canadian National, […]

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