A string of coal hoppers crests the hump at Chesapeake & Ohio’s yard in Clifton Forge, Va., in June 1955. The cars are bound for C&O’s Atlantic Ocean docks at Newport News. W. A. Akin Jr. photo […]
Clifton Forge hump yard
Type of Train: Freight
Volume growth and expense reductions boost BNSF operating profits
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway boosted operating profits in the second quarter thanks to a combination of cost control and traffic volume gains. The railway on Saturday, Aug. 3, said its operating income increased 1%, to $1.8 billion, as revenue declined 2%, to $5.7 billion. The operating ratio, at 68.2%, was flat compared to […]
Why do railroads use catenary?
When you think about electrified rail lines today, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. But in the first half of the 1900s, before the start of the diesel era, railroads used electrified lines to move freight and passengers. Examples in the east included the New York, New Haven & […]
Runaway car on short line strikes Norfolk Southern train, causing derailment in Michigan
ADRIAN, Mich. — A runaway freight car from a short line struck a Norfolk Southern train this morning in Adrian, derailing 10 cars of the NS train, the Class I railroad told a local TV station. The incident occurred at about 8 a.m. at a crossing of the NS and the Adrian & Blissfield railroad. […]
James E. Strates Shows carnival train makes a celebratory last run
HAMBURG, N.Y. — The James E. Strates Shows carnival train made a triumphant final trip Thursday (Aug. 1) when it delivered midway attractions to the Erie County Fair via shortline Buffalo Southern. The nine-car train — which made its way from Strates headquarters in Taft, Fla., to Buffalo, N.Y., in CSX merchandise service last month […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Tehachapi Loop, California, J. David Ingles Reel 4005
Classic Trains Film Archive | Tehachapi Loop, California, J. David Ingles Reel 4005 – From the vintage film collection of J. David Ingles, you’ll see trains of Southern Pacific Railroad and Santa Fe Railway climb, conquer, and descend south-central California’s venerable Tehachapi Loop. Dave rises for the opportunity to trek trackside in the Tehachapi Mountains…all […]
NTSB releases preliminary report on July CPKC hazardous-material derailment in North Dakota
WASHINGTON — A CPKC freight train was traveling about 45 mph when 29 cars derailed on July 5 near Bordulac, N.D., leading to a fire involving methanol and anhydrous ammonia, the National Transportation Safety Board said in the preliminary investigation report released today (Thursday, Aug. 1). The fire burned for two days, leading to a […]
Fourteen cars of UP train derail at North Little Rock yard
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Fourteen cars of a Union Pacific train derailed and overturned this morning (Thursday, Aug. 1) in North Little Rock, KATV-TV reports. No injuries were reported in the incident that occurred about 7:45 a.m.; all of the cars involved were empty, a UP representative told the station. The incident occurred on […]
Norfolk Southern announces $200 million expansion projects on key Alabama corridor
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern is making more than $200 million worth of capacity improvements on its line between Birmingham and Mobile, Ala., to support traffic growth at the Port of Mobile. The 3-B Corridor improvements, announced today, involve building 21 miles of new track, including passing siding projects and expansion of the yard in Wilton, […]
U.S. grain shippers say Ferromex lacks capacity to handle traffic growth in Mexico
WASHINGTON — A number of U.S. agricultural shippers are raising concerns about inadequate capacity on Mexican railroad Ferromex, which they say has struggled to handle grain trains since late last year as cross-border rail traffic has grown. A coalition of agricultural groups yesterday asked Surface Transportation Board Chairman Robert Primus, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and […]
FreightCar America to begin tank car conversions
CHICAGO — Manufacturer FreightCar America will enter the tank car conversion market, having entered into an agreement to upgrade more than 1,000 DOT-111 cars to DOT-117R cars over the next two years, the company announced today. The cars will receive new exterior valve jackets, thermal protection, full-height head shields, top fittings protection, and upgraded bottom-outlet […]
Buttigieg: Justice Department lawsuit necessary to get freight trains out of Amtrak’s way
MILWAUKEE — The Justice Department needed to file a lawsuit against Norfolk Southern for its poor handling of Amtrak’s Crescent because Class I railroads routinely ignore the law that gives passenger trains preference over freight traffic, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Trains on Wednesday. The suit, filed Tuesday, July 30, in the U.S. District Court […]
