WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will hear from more than three dozen participants during its two-day hearing next month regarding recent trends and strategies for growth in freight railroad traffic. The hearing, set to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 16 and 17 in the board’s hearing room, will be livestreamed on the STB’s […]
Type of Train: Freight
Port of Virginia completes rail yard expansion
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation double-stack service to the Midwest will benefit from the newly expanded central rail yard at the Port of Virginia. The port recently the expanded yard is fully operational, lifting annual rail capacity to 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs. “Modernizing and expanding the capability at NIT’s […]
Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains up
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was up 5.2% over the same week in 2023, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Aug. 10, 2024, U.S. railroads moved 496,509 carloads and intermodal units. That included 222,039 carloads, down 0.9% compared to the corresponding week a year ago, and […]
Driver killed in collision that derails Wisconsin & Southern train
TOWN OF SHERMAN, Wis. — The driver of a semi truck was killed today in a grade crossing collision that also derailed the locomotive and six cars of a Wisconsin & Southern train, the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Office reports. The collision occurred about 2:05 p.m. on Abbott Drive in the town of Sherman, about 36 […]
Mexico rail group “surprised” at capacity concerns raised by U.S. grain shippers
MEXICO CITY — Pushing back against criticism from American agricultural exporters, the Mexican Railway Association insists that the country’s railroads have the capacity to handle growing cross-border trade with the United States. A coalition of American agricultural shippers told to federal regulators last month that capacity problems — not surges of migrants seeking refuge in […]
Inside a CN caboose
Safe from the frigid weather outside, the conductor of a Canadian National freight train examines his wheel reports as his brakeman takes a break for tea inside their caboose in New Brunswick in 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
CN begins first step toward shutting down in advance of Aug. 22 work stoppage (updated)
MONTREAL — Canadian National has begun refusing certain hazardous materials shipments in preparation for an Aug. 22 work stoppage. CN said the decision was made in light of a lack of progress in negotiations with Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, which represents the railway’s engineers and conductors in Canada. “CN has initiated the first step of […]
BNSF to federal regulators: We’re ready for the grain harvest
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway has told federal regulators that it’s prepared for the upcoming fall grain harvest, but defended its performance last year amid weather-related disruptions to the broader supply chain. Surface Transportation Board Chairman Robert E. Primus requested the update from BNSF, which he said had struggled to handle the fall harvest in recent […]
News & Products for the week of August 12th 2024
News & Products for the week of August 12th 2024 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 August 12th […]
Norfolk Southern sets date for RoadRailer finale
ATLANTA — RoadRailer has reached the end of the line. The last runs of Norfolk Southern Triple Crown RoadRailer trains 255 and 256 are scheduled to depart their respective terminals outside of Detroit and Kansas City on the weekend of Aug. 24-25. The freight the aging equipment carries — auto parts in general and particularly […]
News report: UP seeks changes to engineer scheduling agreement
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific is seeking changes to the quality-of-life scheduling agreement it reached with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen last year, saying it is getting significantly less work than expected out of engineers where it has implemented the new schedule. The BLET has gone to court because the agreement has not […]
Celebrating “Flyer Fest”
Editor’s note: This manuscript was purchased in December 1990 for Model Railroader magazine. Over the years, it made its way around the office and finally landed in my hands last fall. Dave Ingles was a friend of mine, and with his passing and my becoming editor of CTT, it seemed fitting to finally share his […]