HAVRE, Mont. — No injuries were reported Monday after one car of the eastbound Empire Builder derailed Monday afternoon near Havre, Mont. Amanda Frickel, Hill County coordinator for disaster and emergency services, told MTN News that the next-to-last car derailed but remained upright, confirming what appeared to be the case, based on an image posted […]
Montana Rail Link’s main line was put back into service on Saturday after the rebuilt Reed Point bridge over the Yellowstone River was reopened more than a week ahead of estimates. The bridge collapsed on June 24, sending 10 cars into the river and derailing an additional seven cars. Asphalt was released into the river […]
Track classifications are among the most basic — and essential — operating considerations in railroading, and an army of workers keep watch over the rails. You’ve seen them out there nearly every day in their hi-rail trucks, motoring quietly up and down the main and not-so-main lines of America. Perhaps you’ve waited for them to […]
TOPEKA, Kan. — Union Pacific next month will begin a pilot program in Nebraska that will compare how quickly conductors and truck-based railroaders can respond to problems that trains encounter en route. The railroad disclosed the first of its kind Class I railroad test program Monday during a public hearing on the Kansas Department of […]
WASHINGTON — Montana Rail Link’s main line will remain severed through the end of July, BNSF Railway told federal regulators last week. The former Northern Pacific route has been shut down since the June 24 bridge collapse and hazardous materials derailment in the Yellowstone River in Reed Point, Mont. Bridge construction began once the last […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has published Requests for Qualifications for maintenance facilities in Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, part of a program build or upgrade more than 20 sites nationally for new trainsets. Two requests are currently active. One is for Seattle, where Amtrak is hoping to gain permission to close a street, […]
Schnabel car One may think 89-foot auto racks are large while standing trackside, but they can be dwarfed by specialized railcars called upon for heavy-duty service where shipping by truck isn’t available, practical, or affordable. These are Schnabel railcars, which feature the ability to carry heavy loads. With up to 22 axles, these cars used […]
WASHINGTON — Responding to an Amtrak request from late last year, the Surface Transportation Board announced today (July 11) it will open an investigation into Sunset Limited timekeeping issues. Today’s board decision also outlines the framework for the process — a detailed procedure that will continue well into 2024. Establishment of that framework is necessary […]
News & Products for the week of July 10th 2023 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 July 10th 2023. […]
The agreement Canadian Pacific Kansas City and CSX Transportation reached last month to create a new corridor linking the Southeast with Texas and Mexico via Meridian, Miss., is not a new idea: More than two decades ago Kansas City Southern CEO Mike Haverty sought to tie his cross-border railroad to CSX by having the companies […]
ATWATER, Calif. — The California State Transportation Agency, or CalSTA, has awarded Merced County a $49.6 million grant for buildout of an inland port at the Castle Commerce Center, a 1,900-acre freight transportation hub at the site of the former Castle Air Force Base. The grant, one of the largest in the history of the […]
REESEVILLE, Wis. — CPKC tracks have reopened through the site of Tuesday’s derailment in Reeseville, with Amtrak’s Empire Builder returning to its normal route as of Wednesday evening. Plans had been for the westbound Builder to hold in Milwaukee until the derailment site on CPKC’s Watertown Subdivision reopened. But the train, which arrived in Milwaukee […]
