LATORNELL, Alberta — A bridge fire in northwestern Alberta has put a Canadian National rail line out of service for at least a week, halting shipments for farmers involved in what is expected to be an exceptional grain harvest. Real Agriculture reports the fire occurred early on Wednesday, Oct. 5, on CN’s Grand Cache Subdivision […]
Railroad: Canadian National
CP and KCS defend merger, rebut claims of critics including other Class I lines and Metra
WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern made closing arguments for their proposed merger on Thursday, telling regulators that their combination was in the public interest and that critics either didn’t do their homework or were seeking conditions that would stifle competition. They also said that the CP-KCS merger would not lead to operational […]
CN 4-6-0 in Winnipeg
Canadian National Ten-Wheeler 1357, pulling an express reefer and heavyweight baggage car and coach, has just arrived at the Fort Rouge yard from the CN station in downtown Winnipeg in September 1958. Franklin A. King photo […]
Train dispatchers ratify Class I railroad contract agreement
WASHINGTON — Train dispatchers today became the fourth union to ratify their contract agreement with the Class I railroads. The American Train Dispatchers Association, which represents 1,500 dispatchers, voted in favor of the deal by a 64%-36% margin, the union said in a statement. The agreement follows the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board, which […]
CN releases 2022-23 Winter Plan
MONTREAL — Canadian National has published its 2022-23 Winter Plan, which outlines measures by the railroad to meet operating needs during winter weather as required by the Canada Transportation Act. The railroad says those measures include an increase of 850 employees between the start of 2022 and the end of June, with 500 additional conductors […]
Canadian National locomotive roster
Canadian National 2022 locomotive roster Canadian National 2019 locomotive roster […]
Canadian National warns regulators that CP-KCS merger could hurt service and competition
WASHINGTON — Canadian National, which lost the battle for Kansas City Southern to rival Canadian Pacific last year, tried to plant seeds of doubt about the CP-KCS merger in lengthy testimony before federal regulators on Thursday. CN was critical of the operating plan CP and KCS prepared, telling the Surface Transportation Board that it was […]
CN train derails in Michigan
WARREN, Mich. — Twelve cars of a Canadian National train derailed about 7:30 a.m., creating traffic issues during the morning rush hour in the Detroit suburb while first responders assessed the damage. The Detroit Free Press reports Warren Mayor Jim Fouts said 12 cars of a 151-car train derailed. While three of the cars involved […]
Accurail HO scale freight car kits
HO scale freight car kits Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: See individual cars below Era: Varies depending on car type Manufacturer: Accurail, P.O. Box 278, Elburn, IL 60119; 630-365-1173; accurail.com Features: Injection-molded plastic construction Plastic wheelsets Solid-or roller-bearing trucks as appropriate Steel weight(s) Screws for trucks and draft-gear box covers Accumate couplers with modeler-installed trip pins […]
CP and KCS tout and defend their merger on first day of regulatory hearings
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday’s first day of public hearings regarding their proposed merger, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern sought to blunt criticism of their $31 billion combination by preemptively addressing concerns raised by other Class I railroads, Chicago-area commuter railroad Metra, and lineside communities in the Midwest. Merger opponents — including Metra and communities […]
Machinists’ union reaches second tentative agreement with railroads
WASHINGTON – The machinists’ union has reached a second tentative agreement with Class I railroads, just under two weeks after the rank and file rejected the union’s first tentative deal. “We are pleased to announce that the nation’s freight railroads have reached a tentative agreement with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM),” […]
Looming power-plant retirements to put coal traffic back into decline over next five years
NEW YORK – Coal is enjoying a day in the sun amid low stockpiles at power plants and high natural gas prices. Overall railroad coal volumes have improved since the second quarter of 2021 and the trend is expected to continue into next year. But then a wave of coal-fired power plant retirements will put […]