Norfolk Southern CEO talks East Palestine, rail safety, long trains, and the importance of taking a long-term view

Trains News Wire spoke with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw after the railroad’s earnings call on Wednesday. Railroad safety has been in the spotlight since the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, and subsequent hazardous materials release. The wreck has put the entire industry under scrutiny, including the Precision […]

Read More…

MARTA railcar joins Trolley Museum of New York collection

Brill car moves MARTA car across roadway

KINGSTON, N.Y. — A railcar from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has joined the collection of the Trolley Museum of New York, arriving at the museum on Tuesday, April 25. Car No. 510, built in 1981 by Société Franco-Belge, will be on display when the museum opens for the 2023 season on Saturday, May […]

Read More…

Mt. Rainier Scenic plans excursions in Chehalis, Wash., offers RailCycle trips

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad returns to operation. Steam locomotive with passenger cars

EATONVILLE, Wash. — Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad will resume operation by offering a RailCycle attraction at its Eatonville site, and is finalizing negotiations to operate steam excursions this summer at the Chehalis Centralia Railroad and Museum, Mt. Rainier officials have announced. Mt. Rainier’s plan is to bring its steam engine, Polson No. 70, and several […]

Read More…

U.S. DOT denies permit for LNG-by-rail move

GIBBSTOWN, N.J. — The U.S. Department of Transportation has turned down a request for a permit to transport liquefied natural gas by rail from Pennsylvania to a terminal on the Delaware River, NJ.com reports. DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration on Monday turned down the special permit sought by Energy Transport Solutions, a subsidiary […]

Read More…

North Carolina bill targets broad range of rail issues

The state seal of North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina has joined the list of states introducing new railroad safety legislation in the wake of the East Palestine derailment and toxic chemical release, with a bill addressing train lengths, crew size, wayside detectors, and blocked crossings, among other features. The Railroad Safety Omnibus Act, HB639, was introduced earlier this month […]

Read More…

Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains down

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus total intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic remains down against 2022 figures according to Association of American Railroad Statistics, with traffic for the week ending April 22 showing a 3.5% decline compared to the same week a year ago. U.S. railroads handled 483,457 carloads and intermodal units for the week, including 240,584 carloads, up 5.1%, and 239,874 […]

Read More…

New CPKC Chicago-Mexico intermodal service to debut May 11

Red locomotive with single intermodal car

CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC’s first new service — a pair of intermodal trains linking Chicago and Mexico — will launch on May 11, carrying containers from new customers Schneider and Knight-Swift. Daily hotshots 180 and 181 will link Chicago with Laredo, Texas; Monterrey, Mexico; and Mexico City. With third-day service to Laredo, fourth-day to Monterrey, […]

Read More…

Menards Rocket Launching Tower blasts off

Menards Rocket Launching Tower side view

The Menards Rocket Launching Tower is out and I have to say, it’s a lot of fun. Commencing countdown, engines on.” The words from the David Bowie song Space Oddity got stuck in my head when I saw this accessory.  It harkens back to late 1960s Lionel when the race was on to put satellites […]

Read More…

Built by Others: Dave Foxx’s HO scale Carolina Sandhills Lines layout

Model train set up featuring green hills and trees as well as gray track that forms a large oval

Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader magazine. The Bedford Valley RR appeared in the November 1986 issue of MR. David Foxx built his own version, making an assortment of additions to it using pieces of other MR projects as well. – […]

Read More…

Senators challenge Northeast Corridor tilt of Amtrak board nominees: Analysis

Passenger train stopped at wood-sided station building.

WASHINGTON — A simmering impasse over confirmation of nominees for Amtrak’s board of directors has reached a boil, with both Republican and Democratic senators objecting to the makeup of the group advanced by President Joe Biden. At issue is that only one of the six nominees — Normal, Ill., Mayor Chris Koos — represents an […]

Read More…

Do people wreck train photos?

Do people wreck train photos? A common situation that really irritates a lot of rail photographers is when people get in the way of their picture taking. If you are attempting the perfect “roster shot,” I suppose that could be an irritant. But having railroad employees, passengers, and other fans in your photos should be […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern earnings take hit from East Palestine, Ohio, derailment

Train of hopper cars led by black locomotive approaches curve in mountains

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s first quarter earnings tumbled due to expenses related to the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment and subsequent hazardous materials release in East Palestine, Ohio. The railroad’s operating income declined 34%, to $711 million, due in part to an initial $387 million charge associated with the derailment, the railroad reported today. NS CEO […]

Read More…