Norfolk Southern donates an additional $400,000 for hurricane relief

Norfolk Southern logo

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has donated an additional $400,000 to the American Red Cross to add in relief efforts following Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, the company announced today (Oct. 10). The company had previously donated $100,000 to the organization for Helene relief on Oct. 1 [see “Norfolk Southern donates …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. […]

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Railroads have no choice but to rebuild after Hurricane Helene: Commentary

Rail line dangling along river bank

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Skepticism spread throughout the railroad community after Hurricane Helene’s devastating once-in-a-generation floods wiped out roadbeds, destroyed bridges, and left most of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee unrecognizable. Some in the industry expressed doubt that CSX and Norfolk Southern would invest the dollars needed to repair widespread damages. More than 40 miles […]

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Deciphering railroad lingo

A worker holds a pole next to a steam locomotive moving slowly.

Railroad lingo What is the railroad’s lingo? Utilized mostly by railroaders, it’s a way of speaking among co-workers that involves using railroad terminology, jargon, slang, or argot. Common lingo can vary from one group of individuals to another. Not born of this world, I’ve struggled to understand some of the language the railroad professionals use […]

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Fantasy locomotives

Green and yellow locomotives on freight train

The model railroad industry has featured fantasy-painted locomotives for years. These are locomotive models painted for railroads that never actually owned them. Think Canadian National GP60Ms, Burlington Northern ES44ACs or Monon SD70ACes — designs the railroad either never purchased (Canadiana National), or for which the railroad wasn’t in existence at the time the locomotives were […]

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SMART-MD members ratify contracts with BNSF, CSX, NS

Double-stack container train passing maintenance equipment

WASHINGTON — Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation’s Railroad, Mechanical, and Engineering Department (SMART-MD) has ratified new contracts with BNSF Railway, CSX, and Norfolk Southern, the union announced. Union members voted 69% in favor of the deal at BNSF, 68% at CSX, and 62% at NS. The five-year agreements, […]

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Norfolk Southern donates $100,000 to Red Cross hurricane relief efforts

Norfolk Southern logo

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross to support the organization;s massive, multi-state relief efforts for Hurricane Helene. In addition, the NS Employee Disaster Relief Program is providing affected employees with grants for qualified disaster-related losses and expenses. “Our thoughts are with everyone navigating the aftermath of Helene, and our […]

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Railfanning the last runs of the RoadRailers

track with small white back of train

Last runs of the RoadRailers The RoadRailer era is over. Once extending to a number of railroads — and for several years exclusive to Norfolk Southern — the RoadRailer period came to an end on the weekend of Aug. 24-25, 2024. NS, having previously pared back its offering of Triple Crown-branded routes to a single […]

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