Worker killed at NS track project was struck by spike machine

Orange maintenance-of-way machine

WASHINGTON — A contract employee working with a Norfolk Southern track gang was standing between the rails when he was struck and killed by a piece of maintenance-of-way equipment in a December 2021 accident in Pennsylvania, according to a preliminary report released this week by the National Transportation Safety Board. The accident occurred Dec. 8, […]

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Amherst 2022 product walk

A blue passenger locomotive with red highlights sits on gray and black plastic track with another similar model in the background.

Amherst 2022 Product Walk: The Amherst Railway Society’s 2022 Railroad Hobby Show at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Mass., was held January 29-30. Although a blizzard cut attendance to Saturday’s show, the Sunday show saw large crowds that came close to pre-pandemic levels. Saturday gave us a chance to get around to many […]

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BNSF train derails in Minnesota, hits second train

BNSF Railway logo

FRAZEE, Minn. — Clean-up is under way after a BNSF train derailed and hit a second train on an adjacent track Thursday morning near Frazee. BNSF said in a statement the accident occurred about 9 a.m. No injuries were reported. Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander told KVRR-TV that the second train appeared to have been […]

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Carload Considerations: Keep an eye on soybeans

Freight train passing grain elevator

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Dry weather in South America is negatively affecting global soybean supply, driving up prices and putting more pressure on U.S. farmers. This could be an opportunity for soybean-hauling railroads to seem carload gains months from now as farmers plant more soybeans this spring. These circumstances are building on momentum from an already […]

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Bill passed by Washington senate includes high speed rail funding

Map of proposed high speed rail route in Pacific Northwest

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington state Senate has passed a proposal that would provide $150 million in funding for the creation of a high speed rail line connecting Vancouver, British, Columbia, to Portland, Ore. KING-TV reports the funding is part of a $16 billion transportation bill, Senate Bill 5974. That legislation passed by a 29-20 vote […]

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California railroad to fire up steam locomotive for tourist-train test

Black steam tank engine

FOLSOM, Calif. — For the first time since a 1957 farewell excursion, a steam-powered locomotive will operate in the community of Folsom. The Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad, a non-profit organization based in Folsom, about 20 miles northeast of Sacramento, Calif., plans to fire up Santa Cruz Portland Cement No. 2, an oil-burning 0-4-0T locomotive […]

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AAR seeks signatures for letter opposing reciprocal switching

Association of American Railroads logo

WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads is asking for public support for its position opposing the reciprocal switching proposal to be considered by the Surface Transportation Board. The AAR, on its website, is asking people to sign a letter to the STB in which it says the reciprocal switching rule — which it has […]

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TTCI introduces Technology Digest e-library

Logo of Transportation Technology Center Inc.

PUEBLO, Colo. — Transportation Technology Center, Inc., the research and testing affiliate of the Association of American Railroads, is for the first time offering access to three decades of research conducted under the AAR’s Strategic Research Initiatives program. Technology Digest, a weekly publication which highlights research findings and reports industry-related projects, is available through TTCI’s […]

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