Siemens to build $220 million railcar factory in North Carolina

LEXINGTON, N.C. — Siemens Mobility officials announced Tuesday on a media call with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Amit Bose that they intend to construct a $220 million passenger railcar manufacturing facility designed to complement the company’s existing Sacramento, Calif., plant. Dr. Roland Busch, CEO of parent company Siemens AG, […]

Read More…

Lake Shore Railway Historical Society and Museum profile

On the grounds of a former New York Central passenger depot, you’ll find a museum that maintains a collection focused on General Electric, Heisler, and Pullman equipment as well as local railroads. Choices At the Lake Shore Railway Historical Society and Museum, the restored New York Central passenger station houses numerous artifacts, and 30 pieces […]

Read More…

Unions sue BNSF over outsourcing of locomotive repairs (updated)

WASHINGTON — A group of unions announced today (Tuesday, March 7) that they have filed suit against BNSF Railway over outsourcing of locomotive inspections, maintenance, and repairs, claiming the railroad is cutting its mechanical workforce to boost profits and failing to act in good faith under its existing labor agreements. The suit by the International […]

Read More…

Wheel bearing expert: To prevent derailments, railroads should equip freight cars with sensors

Installing sensors on freight cars is the only way to prevent another disastrous derailment like the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, a wheel bearing expert says. Constantine Tarawneh, a mechanical engineering professor who heads the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, […]

Read More…

News & Products for the week of March 6th 2023

News & Products for the week of March 6th 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 March 6th 2023. […]

Read More…

Massachusetts senator calls on STB to reject CP-KCS merger

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), in a letter to Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman, has asked that the STB deny the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, saying the merger “would reduce competition in an already highly consolidated market and could cost increased shipping costs.” Warren, in the letter […]

Read More…

NS train derails in Springfield, Ohio (updated)

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Twenty-eight cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed near Springfield on Saturday evening, leading to an initial shelter-in-place order from local authorities before it was determined no hazardous-materials situation was involved. The Associated Press reports that there were no hazardous materials aboard the train and no injuries were involved. Clark County reported […]

Read More…

CN reaches paid sick time agreements with four unions in U.S.

MONTREAL — Canadian National has reached agreements with four mechanical unions in the U.S. regarding paid sick time. The agreements provide workers with four paid sick days plus three personal leave days to be used as sick days, CN said today. The four unions are the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, National Conference […]

Read More…

Class I railroads to join FRA close call reporting program (updated)

WASHINGTON — All seven Class I railroads will join a Federal Railroad Administration voluntary safety reporting program at the urging of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In the wake of the disastrous Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Buttigieg wrote the CEOs of the seven major systems on Monday and asked them to […]

Read More…

What about removing flanges from diesel wheels?

Q: Interesting article on removing the flanges from steam locomotive drivers. So, what about those long diesel engines like the General Electric C44-9W or EMD’s FP45s or SD40? Could removing flanges from diesel wheels help my HO scale Athearn Blue Box diesels go around 19” radius curves? If so, the question becomes what’s the easiest way […]

Read More…

Florida passenger diesels include rarities

Passenger diesels Florida may not leap to mind as a center of passenger railroading — or a hotbed of railroading oddities, for that matter — but the locomotives of the state’s passenger rail operations do include some rarities. And in the winter, you could do worse than spending time trackside at any of these operations. […]

Read More…