Wabtec’s Trip Optimizer surpasses the billion-mile mark

PITTSBURGH – Wabtec’s Trip Optimizer has reached a new milestone: Railroads have racked up more than a billion miles using the locomotive smart cruise control system that was introduced in 2009. “This billion-mile accomplishment is a tribute to our customers and our team of innovators,” Nalin Jain, president of Wabtec Digital Intelligence, said in a […]

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Piggyback on the Prospector

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Beginning in 1964, the Rio Grande began attaching a car or two of piggyback trailers to the rear of the Salt Lake City–Denver Prospector in order to boost the train’s bottom line, as seen here at East Rocky, Colo., in April 1964. Nevertheless, the train was discontinued in 1967. Richard Steinheimer photo […]

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CSX trained more than 6,000 first responders in 2023

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX trained more than 6,000 first responders in communities across its network last year. The railroad held more than 60 sessions covering hazardous materials handling and incident response tactics, ensuring that first responders, contractors, and local government officials are informed and prepared to handle potential emergencies on and around railroad property. “CSX […]

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Broken rail led to CN derailment, TSB tells news site

Canadian National logo

LA BROQUERIE, Manitoba — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada reports a broken rail at a grade crossing has been confirmed as the cause of last week’s derailment of a Canadian National train near La Broquerie, the website Steinbach Online reports. The 27-car derailment occurred Thursday, Jan. 11, at about 7:15 p.m. There were no […]

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FRA seeks public comment on proposed autonomous railcar test program

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is seeking public comments on Genesee & Wyoming short lines’ request to test Parallel Systems autonomous, self-propelled battery-electric freight cars. The FRA, in a decision published in the Federal Register today, said it has accepted the Georgia Central Railway and Heart of Georgia Railroad petition for a test program […]

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News & Products for the week of January 15th 2024

A set of two model boxcars in an orange paint scheme

News & Products for the week of January 15th 2024   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 January 15th […]

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Lionel postwar No. 3562 barrel cars and blister packs

John Truckenbrod and Roger Carp with a small set of red wooden barrels.

Transcripted from the CTT video series Truck’s Toy Trains. Trains.com members can watch it here.  The Lionel Corp. released its first operating barrel car in 1954, which was two years after it brought out the No. 362 barrel loader. Contents of the box included the car and an insert that held a box of barrels […]

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Senate to schedule vote on Railway Safety Act: media report

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WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised to schedule a vote on the stalled Railway Safety Act, the political website The Hill reports, but Republican leader Mitch McConnell opposes the legislation and may block it or delay it. The bill introduced in reaction to the East Palestine derailment includes provisions requiring two-person crews, […]

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MARS notebook: CPKC’s blending of cultures

Man at podium

LOMBARD, Ill. — One final batch of notes from this week’s Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting, marking the organization’s 100th anniversary: Blending cultures Merging railroads can be difficult, simply as a matter of blending cultures. The Penn Central merger famously was hindered by the clashing views of longtime competitors Pennsylvania and New York […]

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