One of the Chicago & Illinois Midland’s distinctive green-and-red cabooses trails 85 empty coal hoppers heading south at Atterbury, Ill., in May 1952. Edward Theisinger photo […]
Type of Train: Freight
CSX grain train derails in Ohio
WEST MANSFIELD, Ohio — Twenty-eight cars of a CSX train carrying grain derailed Saturday afternoon (June 1), the Mercer County Outlook reports, leading to the closure of an adjacent county road. No injuries were reported in the derailment that occurred about 5:15 p.m. The Logan County Sheriff’s Office reported County Road 142 was closed Saturday […]
TSB to investigate CN derailment in Alberta
HINTON, Alberta — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will investigate a Canadian National Railway derailment that occurred today (Saturday, June 1) west of Edmonton, Global News reports. TSB spokesman Liam MacDonald said an estimated 20 cars were involved in the derailment that occurred about 5:30 a.m. in Hinton, 51 miles east of Jasper on […]
Rail safety experts question conclusions of long-train derailment study
Railroad safety experts are questioning the conclusions of a study released this week that found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train. The study, by researchers from Brigham Young University, Georgetown University, and Virginia Tech, analyzed Federal Railroad Administration rail equipment accident data from 2013 through 2022. The […]
Classic Trains Film Archive | Pacific Northwest and California, J. David Ingles Reel 103
Classic Trains Film Archive | Pacific Northwest and California, J. David Ingles Reel 103 – Through the lens of J. David Ingles, you’ll see the Canadian Pacific, Great Northern, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific; and other roads as he ventured into the Pacific Northwest and California too. Dave rides along Puget Sound with his sights set […]
University of Illinois celebrates opening of National University Rail Center of Excellence
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign officially opened the National University Rail Center of Excellence with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday (May 29). The center is the first academic rail research and education center of excellence to be supported by the Federal Railroad Administration with the help of […]
CN notes support for Iowa Northern acquisition, urges regulators to reject CPKC request for haulage rights
WASHINGTON — Canadian National has agreed to some of the conditions sought by a grain shipper group and the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of its proposed $230 million acquisition of Iowa Northern Railway. CN says it will allow IANR customers to arbitrate gateway disputes, a condition that the National Grain and Feed Association […]
CN to get a boost from LPG export terminal set to open at Prince Rupert in 2026
PRINCE RUPERT, British Columbia — The CN-served Port of Prince Rupert received a major boost today when AltaGas and Vopak decided to move forward with their $1.35 billion liquefied petroleum gas and bulk liquids terminal on Ridley Island. The first phase of the Ridley Island Energy Export Facility, which is scheduled to open by the […]
Record number of short lines earn Jake Safety Awards
A record number of short lines qualified for the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Jake Safety Award this year, with 340 railroads earning the “with distinction” honor for having zero reportable injuries for 2023. Overall, 385 railroads qualified for the safety award program, the industry group said yesterday. Nineteen member railroads will be […]
CN expands firefighting fleet with addition of two improved train sets
MONTREAL — Canadian National has beefed up its ability to battle wildfires with the addition of two new firefighting trains. The Trident and Neptune trains, unveiled yesterday, will join CN’s original firefighting train, Poseidon, in combating fires along the railway’s right of way, particularly in isolated areas. “Our priority is to maintain the integrity of […]
U.S. weekly rail traffic again shows small gain
WASHINGTON — Carload traffic remains down while intermodal volume is up, leading to an overall gain in U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 25, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. U.S. railroads reported total traffic of 485,232 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.2% over the same week in 2023. That […]
Norfolk Southern short line project leads to carload volume growth
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern and 40 of its shortline connections have produced outsized growth in carload traffic this year through a program that aims to improve interchange consistency and reliability. The Short Line Performance Project, which began as a pilot with a handful of railroads last July, has seen interchange volume grow 9% since March […]