KANSAS CITY — The 40 or so union rail employees picketing outside the site of the National Rail Shippers Conference, unhappy over their lack of a new national contract, might have been surprised by the message delivered inside by CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote. They might have welcomed it, too, if not for the adversarial […]
Model Realistic Freight Car Loads Book: Model Realistic Freight Car Loads Author: Keith Kohlmann Price: $21.99 Publisher: Kalmbach Media, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612, 262-796-8776, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Features: Prototype photos Drawings showing how full-size railroads secure loads to cars Modeled examples of freight car loads Farm machinery and heavy equipment loads Steel […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The prospect that the Surface Transportation Board will require specific, operational moves by the rail industry to address its ongoing service issues appears unlikely, and board member Patrick Fuchs spells out why it is not the regulators’ preferred option. “To the board, carriers are clearly in the best positions to identify […]
SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Two construction barges broke loose on the flood-swollen Potomac River, with one of them striking the 1904 Norfolk Southern deck truss bridge here before hanging up further east. Both runaway vessels were engaged in work at a section of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park to the north along the […]
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The new seasonal rail service between Pittsfield, Mass., and New York City is scheduled to operate during summer weekends this year and again in 2023. Amtrak and local transportation officials will evaluate the demand, determining if the pilot project should be continued. “We are pleased to work together with our partner agencies […]
BISMARCK, N.D. — The state of North Dakota has declined for a second time to issue an opinion on the ownership of the Bismarck-Mandan rail bridge, and the U.S. Coast Guard is indicating it will move ahead with the process which would allow BNSF Railway to demolish and replace the bridge. The Bismarck Tribune reports […]
Johnstown America BethGon coal gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Five-pack, $234.99 Era: 1990s to 2000s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Features: Injection-molded plastic body Separate, factory-installed brake wheel, wire grab irons, and etched-metal crossover platforms 36” machined metal RP-25 contour wheels Body-mounted McHenry scale couplers […]
40-foot high-cube intermodal container Scale: O (1:48) Price: $26.95; eight-pack, $215.60 Era: Present day Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com Features: Detailed door rods, landing pads, and corner posts Based on International Organization for Standardization Type 45G1 Available fourth quarter 2022 Road Names: ZIM (Z Factor, brown and […]
Guide to Electro-Motive E and F units Book: Guide to Electro-Motive E and F units Author: Jeff Wilson Price: $27.99 Manufacturer: Kalmbach Media, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612, 262-796-8776, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Topics covered: How E and F units came to be Introduction to freight Post-war passenger boom Freight dieselization Demise of E […]
OTTAWA, Ontario – Class I railroads operating in Canada would be required to report additional performance and staffing metrics under a proposal Canadian regulators unveiled on Friday. Transport Canada’s move was announced on the same day that the Surface Transportation Board said it will temporarily require the big railroads to provide more detailed operational and […]
Big Boy locomotive models: Union Pacific’s 25-strong fleet of 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotives evoke images of fast freight, vast Western scenes, and the pinnacle of steam railroading in North America during and just after World War II. Model makers over the years have helped model railroaders capture the essence of that special 1940s to […]
PUEBLO, Colo. — The new operator of a half-century-old Colorado rail testing facility has begun the transition to full operations at the site. In March 2021, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded ENSCO a 20-year contract to operate and maintain the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado. Perhaps confusingly, another company, previously named TTCI, owned […]
