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Q: I have two HO scale steam engines that both have the same problem. Their front trucks are always derailing. They are very light. Do you have any ideas how to fix this? – Ted Zieger A: Your locomotives’ front trucks should want to stay on the track of their own accords. If they’re derailing, […]
At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Class I railroads furloughed train crews as volume sank at its fastest rate ever. When volume rebounded, crew members were not called back to work at the same rate as traffic returned because railroads were moving their tonnage on fewer but longer trains. Then three things happened […]
Few years pass without railroads facing disruptions from natural disasters. This year was no different, with events including flooding that caused a Union Pacific derailment in Utah in July, Hurricane Ida hitting rail operations from New Orleans to New England in August; and devastating tornadoes in December, including one that derailed a CSX train. But […]
In the October 2000 issue of Classic Toy Trains, photographer William Zuback and I photographed performer Mandy Patinkin’s layout. We spent a couple of days with he and his family. Joining us was Rich Roman, whose highly successful layout building firm, East Coast Enterprises, was responsible for much of the design and look of Mandy’s […]
Industrial switcher locomotives add realism to any layout. Don’t believe me? OK, time for a show of hands. When you pass by a rail-served industry, do you take a quick glance to see if there’s a switcher on the property? That’s what I thought. I’m guilty of this, too. Today, thanks to satellite images on […]
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Amtrak cited the COVID-19 pandemic as justification in October 2020 when it cut most long-distance train frequencies to triweekly, furloughed employees, and began sidelining cars and locomotives. But in 2021, as the market began signaling the services it sought — with business and commuter travel languishing while shorter consists on national-network trains continued to sell out. […]
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman ended 2021 the way he began it: By criticizing Wall Street’s influence on the publicly traded Class I railroads. Oberman addressed several shipper and rail industry conferences during the year and sharpened his message each time he spoke. Wall Street’s demands for lower operating ratios have prompted railroads […]
LONDON — Activist investor TCI Fund Management has asked Canadian National to delay the selection of its next chief executive until after the special shareholder meeting in March. CN on Monday said it would name a new CEO in January, when CEO JJ Ruest is scheduled to retire. TCI’s request for a pause in the […]
What has been railroading’s top story in 2021? Today, we begin the process of answering that question, as determined in balloting by the Trains editorial staff, Classic Trains editor Brian Schmidt (who spent most of the year on our staff), and key News Wire contributors. Balloting concluded on Dec. 10. We’ll be recapping stories each […]
HOUSTON — Union Pacific will continue work on upgrading Englewood Yard in Houston in early 2022, with two projects in January and February. The railroad informed customers it will install a new signal system throughout the yard Jan. 9-13. While UP says it will have additional staff on hand to mitigate delays, it says some […]
WASHINGTON — Carload traffic remains up while intermodal moves continue to lag behind 2020 levels in the latest weekly statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Dec. 18, 2021, U.S. railroads moved 234,704 carloads, an increase of 1.7% over the same week in 2020, while the 269,395 containers and trailers represented […]
