Watco announces executive leadership changes

Watco logo, new version as of 2022

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Watco has made several executive leadership changes that the short line holding company says will refine its focus and simplify its mission. “This new structure will better support Watco’s focus on ensuring we have the best possible solutions for our customers and that our team is armed with the tools necessary to […]

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Maine enacts new law on rail hazardous-material transportation

View of damaged track and derailed train

AUGUSTA, Maine — Railroads in Maine face new requirements for reporting the transport of hazardous materials in the state after Gov. Janet Mills signed an emergency bill into law on Friday, the Portland Press Herald reports. LD1937 was introduced last year following a Rockwood, Maine, derailment and fire that saw three crew members injured [see […]

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Steve Miazga’s N scale Missabe Junction operating session

Enjoy an insider’s look at an informal operating session hosted on Steve Miazga’s N scale (1:160) model railroad, set in northern Wisconsin. While you can read about the construction of this 14 x16-foot basement layout in Trains.com bonus articles and Model Railroader magazine’s September 2018 issue, the real thrill comes from seeing Steve and his […]

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AFL-CIO urges Norfolk Southern shareholders to vote against activist investor’s proposals

WASHINGTON — The AFL-CIO today became the latest organization to oppose an activist investor’s bid to gain control of Norfolk Southern. “In our view, Ancora’s business plan to reduce Norfolk Southern’s operating ratio while improving safety and service is not realistic. Railway labor unions, shippers, and federal regulators have warned that Ancora’s plans may jeopardize […]

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CSX debuts its first hydrogen-fuel cell locomotive (updated)

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – CSX today debuted its first hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive, which was converted from a conventional four-axle unit using a kit supplied by Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The locomotive, GP38H2 No. 2100, was built at CSX’s Huntington Locomotive Shop in West Virginia, which is handling hydrogen fuel cell conversions under a partnership with CPKC. […]

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Activist investor’s chief operating officer candidate would strip Norfolk Southern ‘down to the studs’

Crew member walks across front of locomotive as another train passes on adjacent track

Jamie Boychuk, the activist investor candidate aiming to lead operations at Norfolk Southern, says improvements the railroad has made in recent weeks under new Chief Operating Officer John Orr — like increasing train velocity, reducing dwell, and removing 75 locomotives from active service — are low-hanging fruit that will help reduce the operating ratio by […]

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News & Products for the week of April 15th 2024

A model passenger car in a green paint scheme

News & Products for the week of April 15th 2024   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 15th […]

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Three injured as CSX trains collide in Folkston, Ga. (updated)

Locomotive and badly damaged railcar

FOLKSTON, Ga. — Three CSX crew members have been taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after an intermodal train struck a standing rock train in Folkston, the railroad said in a statement this afternoon. The collision occurred about 1:24 p.m. Two locomotives, two intermodal cars, and two rock cars derailed as a result, and […]

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UP intermodal train derails in Nebraska

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

CHAPPELL, Neb. — Approximately 30 cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed Sunday in the town of Chappell, leading to the short-term evacuation of a few residents as a precautionary measure and closing U.S. Route 30 for about two hours. KNOP-TV reports the incident was reported about 5:30 p.m., and that an evacuation of […]

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