NEWTON, Iowa — If there wasn’t enough going on in August 2021 for the steam locomotive enthusiast, here’s one more special event to keep an eye on, or maybe even attend: An Iowa-based Chinese-built QJ 2-10-2 is starting its public tour. On Friday, Central States Steam Preservation No. 6988 made a deadhead freight move from […]
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Illinois DOT announces project to unsnarl junction near St. Louis
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Transportation has announced a $10.1 million project to improve rail operations in Mitchell, Ill., northeast of St. Louis. The project will reconfigure rail lines and replace a 97-year-old interlocking tower, with funding from six sources: $5.1 million from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvments […]
Union Pacific to boost biofuel blend used in its EMD locomotives (updated)
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will boost the biodiesel fuel blend in its EMD locomotives as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Progress Rail has approved the use of 20% biodiesel blend in the railroad’s EMD locomotives with 710 and 645 engines, up from 5%. Progress subsequently announced it had given similar approval for […]
CSX train derails in Indiana (updated)
FOUNTAINTOWN, Ind. — Fourteen cars of a CSX train derailed this morning in an unincorporated area near Greenfield, Ind., blocking a state highway and knocking down some local power lines. CSX says in a statement that the derailment occurred about 8:11 a.m., and involved six empty cars and eight loaded cars. No hazardous materials were […]
Norfolk Southern service slowed by two derailments
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern has issued customer advisories informing shippers of delays because of two derailments on its system. On Wednesday, the railroad reported a derailment near Meridian, Miss., would lead to delays of at least 24 hours on several routes, including its Meridian Speedway interchange with Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific interchange traffic, […]
Woman who lost home in Lytton fire files suit against CN, CP
LYTTON, British Columbia — A woman who lost her home in the fire that destroyed most of Lytton, B.C., in June has filed suit against Canadian National and Canadian Pacific, saying the railroads “caused or contributed” to the fire by operating when the heat made it unsafe to operate trains. Global News reports Carel Moiseiswitsch […]
Weekly rail traffic shows intermodal drop, but carloads lead to slight overall increase
WASHINGTON — Intermodal traffic slipped below same-week levels for 2020 in the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads, as Class I railroads continue to deal with congestion in the international supply chain. U.S. railroads moved 269,799 trailers and containers for the week ending Aug. 14, a 3% decrease from the figure for the […]
New Caltrain schedule to exceed pre-pandemic service levels
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Bay Area commuter rail operator Caltrain will expand service on Aug. 30 while cutting fares by 50% in September. The new schedules, with 104 trains on weekdays, exceed pre-pandemic levels. The new schedule will see four trains per hour during peak hours (6-9 a.m and 4-7 p.m.) with service every half-hour […]
Grain, the old-fashioned way
Grain, the old-fashioned way Through the end of the 1800s, a lot of grain was shipped in 100-pound sacks. Here, workers load grain sacks into wood boxcars in Minneapolis around 1900. Minneapolis Public Library collection […]
BNSF reopens Arkansas intermodal facility to address Memphis-area demand
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has reopened its Harvard Intermodal Facility in Marion, Ark., to address Memphis-area demand and increase capacity. In a press release, the railroad reports international intermodal shipments originating at Pier T of the Port of Long Beach, Calif., will now terminate at the Harvard facility. The Harvard Intermodal Facility is […]
Savage, KCS partner on new Louisiana transload, storage facility
MOSSVILLE, La. — Infrastructure and supply-chain firm Savage and Kansas City Southern have announced they will build a transload and railcar storage facility on property leased from KCS’s Mossville, La., yard. Savage’s Mossville multi-commodity railport will help serve Lake Charles area refineries, chemical plants, and other businesses. “Savage has a longstanding relationship with KCS and we’re […]
Union Pacific says service is improving after wildfires closed routes in California
OMAHA, Neb. — It will take several more weeks for Union Pacific to fully recover from California wildfires that disrupted service on its I-5 and Feather River corridors. “Everyone here is focused on ensuring that we can get the system ramped back up,” says Eric Gehringer, UP’s executive vice president of operations. “It is not […]