Union files lawsuits challenging Canadian government order that sent CN, CPKC contract talks to binding arbitration

Red locomotives of CN and CP in yard

MONTREAL — The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference is refusing to take no for an answer. The union, which represents 9,300 locomotive engineers and conductors on Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, has filed appeals challenging the decisions that led to binding arbitration being imposed on their failed contract talks with the railways. The union […]

Read More…

Young Guns in Preservation: Cameron Stefan

Young individual leaning out of the cab of a steam locomotive.

Cameron Stefan serves as the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s operations mechanic with vast responsibilities: Diesel engineer, conductor, dispatcher, fireman and track laborer when out on the main line, plus craftsman at the shop facility in Ridgeley, W.Va. From this prosperous position at the tourist line has been growth in confidence and family for the 25-year-old. […]

Read More…

Residents seek to fight BNSF plan for Phoenix-area logistics hub

WITTMANN, Ariz. — Residents of the unincorporated communities of Wittmann and Circle City say they oppose BNSF Railway’s efforts to build a new intermodal and carload logistics hub northwest of Phoenix. BNSF said earlier this year it would build the project on more than 4,300 acres in northwest Maricopa County, 36 rail miles from downtown […]

Read More…

East Broad Top 2-8-2 No. 16 is back in service

Steam engine in yard area

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – After being out of service for eight months, East Broad Top Railroad narrow-gauge 2-8-2 Mikado engine No. 16 (Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1916) will resume hauling tourist passengers tomorrow (Friday, Aug. 30). The engine will pull regularly scheduled EBT trains on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through Oct. 27, plus additional special runs […]

Read More…

CN renames Woodcrest Shops in honor of two-time COO Ed Harris

HOMEWOOD, Ill. — Canadian National has named its Woodcrest Shops after former Chief Operating Officer Ed Harris, who began his railroad career at the Illinois Central facility outside Chicago. “We were thrilled to welcome recently retired CN COO and railroading veteran Ed Harris back for a very special visit and surprise, as we renamed our […]

Read More…

Train engineers agree to deal in long-running British dispute

Black and white British diesel multiple unit trainset at station

LONDON — A breakthrough in the long-running series of British rail engineer strikes was announced in mid-August, when talks led by the new government agreed a pay raise of around 5% for each of the last three years for engineers at 16 English passenger rail companies which have government contracts. The trade union representing train […]

Read More…

Tornado derails cars of BNSF train in North Dakota

BNSF Railway logo

STEELE, N.D. — More than 40 cars of a stopped BNSF Railway train were derailed when struck by a tornado near Steele, N.D., on Wednesday night. A BNSF spokeswoman told KFYR-TV that 43 cars empty coal gondolas were derailed at approximately 8:19 p.m. The train had been stopped because of reported tornado activity in the […]

Read More…

U.S. weekly rail traffic climbs again

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic saw another surge in the week ending Aug. 24, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. U.S. railroads handled 516,807 carloads and intermodal units, a 9.5% increase over the same week in 2023. That included 228,858 carloads, up 1.2%, and 287,949 containers and trailers, up 17.1%. This followed […]

Read More…