50-foot Superior plug-door boxcar Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $37.99 Era: 1971+ to late 2000s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Separate, factory-installed brake wheel and ladders 70-ton roller bearing trucks 33” machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours Body-mounted McHenry knuckle couplers Injection-molded plastic body […]
Railroad: BNSF
Maintenance of way employees reject national contract with Class I railroads
NOVI, Mich. – Members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees union have rejected the tentative national agreement that was reached last month with the U.S. Class I railroads. Some 56% of the rank and file voted against the contract, the union announced on Monday. Union leaders and the National Carriers Conference Committee that […]
BNSF’s new Sandpoint, Idaho, bridge nears opening
SANDPOINT, Idaho — BNSF Railway’s nearly mile-long second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint is now structurally complete and tracklaying has begun. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent says, “The new bridge will have trains operating over it by the end of November.” Initially, the second main will be laid from a point near the northwest […]
After seven days, STB hearings on CP-KCS merger conclude
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board hearings on the proposed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger concluded Friday, Oct. 7, after seven days of testimony from shippers, communities, public officials, and other railroads. CP and KCS said the merger is a perfect fit, will increase competition, create new single-line routes, and provide their customers […]
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 […]
BNSF 2022 Model Railroad Photo Contest
BNSF 2022 Model Railroad Photo Contest Model railroaders, it’s time to show off your layouts featuring BNSF or predecessor trains! Post photos or short videos of your model railroad to your Instagram account or in the Friends of BNSF Facebook group no later than midnight Central time on Sunday, Oct. 16. Be sure to include […]
Lenox Tower project complete, Illinois DOT announces
MITCHELL, Ill. — A $10.1 million project to reconfigure and modernize rail operations at Lenox Tower, a key rail junction northeast of St. Louis, has been completed, the Illinois Department of Transportation has announced. The joint federal and state project, also funded by Amtrak and freight railroads, was announced more than a year ago […]
Montana Rail Link’s BLET employees ratify contract with BNSF Railway
Montana Rail Link employees represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a contract agreement with BNSF Railway, a key step in BNSF taking over operations of the regional railroad. The union announced Tuesday that “an overwhelming majority of participating BLET members ratified an implementing agreement and Oregon Short Line Protective Agreement […]
Athearn Genesis General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive
General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $259.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $359.99. Add $10 for Primed for Grime models. Era: 1994+ to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive features: Trainline and […]
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 […]
STB gets an earful about KCS-NS Meridian Speedway joint venture
WASHINGTON – Surface Transportation Board members appear skeptical about CSX Transportation’s bid to force its way on to the Kansas City Southern-Norfolk Southern Meridian Speedway. The Meridian Speedway — which runs from Meridian, Miss., to Shreveport, La., — is the shortest, fastest route between the Southeast and Southwest. NS and KCS formed the Meridian Speedway […]
BNSF’s Truxton Flyover: improving traffic flows on Southern Transcon
BNSF’s Truxton Flyover project Truxton, Ariz., is not exactly one of the metropolitan centers of the American Southwest. “Population: very small,” says Craig Rasmussen, BNSF Railway assistant vice president, engineering services and structures. Officially, as of the 2020 census, 104 people live in the hamlet 42 miles northeast of Kingman, Ariz., on U.S. Route 66. […]