RONKS, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road’s first-ever all-female steam engine crew will run all trips for the Pennsylvania tourist line this Saturday, March 6. The assignment coincides with International Women’s Day (March 8) and Women’s History Month. In the cab will be Andrea Biesecker as engineer and Shelley Hall as fireman. They will run the […]
Section: News & Reviews
New Hope Valley Railway returns to action with ‘Hop Into Spring’
The North Carolina Railway Museum, which lost most of its 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic, will begin 2021 operations of the New Hope Valley Railway with a new event later in March. The all-volunteer, non-profit railway, will host “Hop into Spring,” with rides Saturday and Sunday, March 27-27. The event will feature socially distant […]
Digest: Schneider to double intermodal operations to address environmental objectives
Schneider plans to double intermodal operations as part of sustainability efforts Intermodal, logistics, and trucking firm Schneider plans to double its intermodal operations by 2030 as part of its Environmental, Social, and Governance objectives, a move the Green Bay, Wis., company says will reduce carbon emissions by an additional 700 million pounds per year. […]
Digest: Railway Interchange postponed to 2023
Railway Interchange trade show and conference postponed to 2023 Railway Interchange, the biennial rail conference and exhibition that is the largest event of its kind in North America, has been postponed to 2023. The event had been set for September 2021 in Indianapolis. In a message on its website, organizers say they have made the […]
The Home Depot looks to boost rail’s role in bulk shipments
The Home Depot is in the midst of a five-year, $1.2 billion expansion of its distribution network that will allow railroads to increase their share of inbound bulk items sold in the retailer’s 2,200 stores. The expansion, which includes larger buildings with more rail spots, is an opportunity for railroads to convert freight from the […]
February rail traffic shows impact of severe weather
WASHINGTON — February’s severe weather across the nation drove rail traffic downward for the month, but traffic showed recovery during the week ending Feb. 27, according to the Association of American Railroads. In a press release, AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said the weather wrecked “havoc on all forms of transportation, including rail. […]
Rail infrastructure gets best mark in Civil Engineers’ report card
It is both the best of times and worst of times for transportation infrastructure in the United States, according to the just-released 2021 report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Rail infrastructure, which for the ASCE’s report includes Class I, II, and III railroads, and Amtrak, gets a B. That’s the best grade […]
Pan Am Southern employment to fall in CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways will have a significant impact on employment levels at Pan Am Southern, the joint venture it will share with Norfolk Southern. Genesee & Wyoming, which has been designated the neutral operator of Pan Am Southern, estimates that it can run the railroad […]
Digest: BNSF train derails in California desert, spilling alcohol
BNSF derailment leads to spill of denatured alcohol Some 25 to 35 cars of a BNSF train derailed Wednesday near the remote San Bernardino County, Calif., community of Ludlow, spilling “several thousand gallons” of denatured alcohol from a leaking tank car, according to a county fire department spokesman. The Victor Valley Daily Press reports the […]
Digest: North Carolina to restore third ‘Piedmont’ round trip in April
North Carolina to add third ‘Piedmont’ round trip The North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division will restore a third round trip of Piedmont service between Charlotte and Raleigh as of April 5, according to schedules on the NC By Train website. Southbound train No. 77 will depart Raleigh at 3 p.m., arriving at Charlotte […]
BNSF is bouncing back from harsh winter weather as service, volume recover
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway is recovering quickly after blasts of extreme winter weather raked the system last month. BNSF has turned the corner on restoring fluidity to its network as volume recovers after the weather shocks, John Miller, the railroad’s group vice president of industrial products, told the Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers […]
Digest: New funding plan for FrontRunner, other Utah projects
Utah legislators change funding plan for transit projects Utah legislators have changed plans for funding a series transit projects, although the projects — including double-tracking sections of the Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner commuter rail route — will still get the money they need. The Salt Lake Tribune notes that instead of borrowing more than $1 […]