Weekly rail traffic stats remain below 2021 figures

Table showing weekly U.S. rail traffic by carload commodity, plus overall intermodal numbers

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remains below 2021 levels on a weekly and year-to-date basis according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Figures for the week ending May 21 show overall traffic of 506,976 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.1% from the corresponding week a year earlier. That figure includes 233,244 […]

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Southern Railway history remembered

Southern Railway history: Black locomotives pulling a freight train.

Southern Railway history: The earliest portion of the Southern Railway was the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company, which was chartered in 1828 to build from Charleston, S. C., to Hamburg, S. C., on the north bank of the Savannah River. Its purpose was to bring trade to the port of Charleston from inland […]

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Menards’ Cripple Creek Crossing switch tower

brown tower

Menards’ Cripple Creek Crossing switch tower really struck a chord with me for an odd reason – it’s weather-worn and looks like it’s been on the losing end of a battle with railroad management for maintenance. Anyone who did railfanning in the 1970s or ’80s knows what I mean. These places might have seen their […]

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HO scale 53-foot plate wall highway trailers from Bowser

illustration of white trailer

53-foot plate wall highway trailers Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $29.95 Era: Mid-1990s to present Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co., Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754, 570-368-2379, bowser-trains.com HO scale highway trailers features: Injection-molded plastic Plastic wheels and mudflaps Landing gear Pre-orders due June 30, 2022 Scheduled for release in summer 2023 Road names: Crete, Dart, […]

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HO scale Pennsylvania RR class H-43 100-ton three-bay hopper from Bowser

black hopper

Pennsylvania RR class H-43 100-ton three-bay hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $29.95 Era: 1971 to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co., Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754, 570-368-2379, bowser-trains.com HO scale 100-ton three-bay hopper features: 36” metal wheelsets Roller-bearing trucks Interior and slope sheet braces Knuckle couplers Pre-orders due May […]

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HO scale Pennsylvania RR class X-31 round roof boxcars from Bowser

green boxcar

Pennsylvania RR class X-31 round roof boxcars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $29.95 Era: 1943 to 1962+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Bowser Manufacturing Co., Inc., 1302 Jordan Ave., Montoursville, PA 17754, 570-368-2379, bowser-trains.com HO scale Pennsylvania RR class X-31 round roof boxcar features: Injection-molded plastic body Metal wheels Knuckle couplers Pre-order deadline June 30, […]

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DC Metrorail will return some 7000-series cars to service

Logo of the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission

WASHINGTON — DC Metrorail will return 64 of its long-sidelined 7000-series railcars to service this summer as it continues work to automate wheel inspections that would allow use of all 748 of the Kawasaki-built cars, easing the agency’s equipment shortage. The Washington Post reports the independent Washington Metrorail Safety Commission will accept Metro’s plan for […]

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Becker named CEO of National Railway Equipment

Logo of National Railway Equipment

MT. VERNON, Ill. — Merritt Becker is the new CEO of National Railway Equipment Co., the rail, marine, and power company has announced. Becker joins NRE from engine and power generation company Cummins Inc., where he has spent the last 12 years, effective June 1. He was most recently president and managing director of Cummins […]

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STB resumes accepting paper filings

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — After more than two years, the Surface Transportation Board is again accepting filings and other submissions in paper form. The board had limited filings to electronic form beginning in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying only the electronic filings would be accepted until further notice. While paper filings are now accepted, […]

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