WASHINGTON – Members of Congress from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have asked federal regulators to order Union Pacific to lift a weather-related embargo on rail traffic in their states before it has “devastating effects” on shippers. UP imposed the 14-day embargo on Dec. 29 and on Jan. 11 extended it another 14 days, saying ongoing […]
CHICAGO — It’s no surprise travelers attempting to book Amtrak’s Capitol Limited in January either face sold-out trips or are confronted with record high fares for a coach seat or sleeping accommodation. Inventory is scarce, pushing prices up for what little capacity remains. Trailing two P42 locomotives on the Capitol into Chicago on Jan. 15 […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — Attendees at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting could be excused on Wednesday if they occasionally thought they had wandered into a job fair. Attracting and retaining workers was one of the recurring themes of the first day of the two-day meeting. It’s been a huge issue for railroads, of […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — The two Class I CEOs who addressed the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers on Wednesday took different approaches to the same addressing the same concerns for the audience filling a hotel ballroom, which is to say providing assurances that railroad service is improving and will continue to do so after the rail […]
Mineral Range Railroad summary The Mineral Range Railroad (MRA) is a short line railroad that operates in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’s owned by Mineral Range Incorporated, a privately held corporation founded by an upper Michigan family. Headquartered out of a newly constructed engine house in Ishpeming, the railroad owns a portion of former Chicago & […]
WASHINGTON — The head of the Federal Railroad Administration has warned Class I railroads that it will take enforcement action if they don’t make recommended improvements to their engineer and conductor training and certification programs. Administrator Amit Bose, in a Jan. 5 letter to the chief executives of the Class I systems, said the FRA […]
Rapido Electro-Motive Division E8 executive units Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: A-A two-unit set, DC, $459.90; DC/DCC, sound, $669.90. Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Electro-Motive Division E8 executive units feature: Correct HEP muffler and hatch Roof-mounted cooling coils, non-skirted fuel tanks Heavy die-cast chassis Numerous road-specific […]
Canadian National 4-6-2 No. 5125 departs Burlington, Ont., with a Hamilton–Allandale local in March 1957. The Pacific and two cars are pinch-hitting for the usually assigned gas-electric car on this run. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Railroading and the 1967 Chicago snow storm: My week off, and a visit home to the Detroit area, had been planned. That its timing, at the end of January 1967, turned out to allow me to view the aftermath of Chicago’s heaviest 24-hour snowfall ever, and ride one special train and photograph another, was coincidental. […]
Tangent Illinois Central Centralia Shops caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $119.95 Era: 1960s+ (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886; tangentscalemodels.com Illinois Central Centralia Shops caboose features: IC-specific interior Era-specific body details for each scheme, including multiple body, side vents and side window combinations Three different era and […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Implementing positive train control was a long, costly process for the railroad industry. Now that it’s in place, the people who know it best — the communications and signal specialists — are finding there are a lot of benefits to the technology beyond its primary purpose of accident prevention. “As a […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — It is probably no surprise that, as Kansas City Southern’s north-south main line becomes a focal point in its pending merger with Canadian Pacific, that route is also front and center in its capital spending plans for 2023, as well. A number of capacity projects on that route figured in the […]
