CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia legislature on Saturday advanced a bill that would allow the state’s Public Service Commission, its regulatory agency for utilities, to investigate and fine Class I railroads for safety and operational violations. On an 89-3 vote, the legislature’s House of Delegates passed HB 3059, sending it to the state Senate. […]
OMAHA, Neb. — A hedge fund, arguing that Union Pacific ranks dead last in every important operating metric, has asked the railroad’s board of directors to replace current CEO Lance Fritz with former Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena. Soroban Capital, which has a $1.6 billion stake in UP and ranks among its top 10 investors, […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has become the fourth of the seven Class I railroads to announce an agreement for paid sick leave with some unionized workers, reaching agreement with the Transportation Communications Union and the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers. The TCU agreement applies to insourced intermodal equipment operators, which represent a […]
Norfolk Southern is inspecting all of its nearly 1,000 wayside hotbox detectors in the wake of the Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that safety investigators say was caused by a wheel bearing failure. NS also has confirmed that detectors in the East Palestine area were all operating properly when merchandise train 32N rolled […]
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has become the third railroad to reach an agreement with some union workers for paid sick leave, announcing a deal with members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The agreement will cover about 3,000 workers. The agreement provides for four days of […]
Class I railroads Class I railroads: If you’re in your car watching a long 100-car freight train roll over a grade crossing, chances are good that the train belongs to one of the Class I systems. The Class Is operate 70% of the total track miles in the U.S., employ 73% of the labor force, […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation will propose a number of new rail safety initiatives on Tuesday in the wake of this month’s fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that was carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio. Trains News Wire has learned that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Feb. 21 will call […]
News & Products for the week of February 20th 2023 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 February 20th 2023. […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has become the second Class I railroad to reach an agreement offering paid sick days to some employees, the railroad has announced. “Union Pacific remains committed to addressing our employees’ concerns and signed a deal with the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (NCFO) and Brotherhood of Railway Carmen (BRC),” […]
Intermodal has long been the rail industry’s growth engine. But it hasn’t been firing on all cylinders in recent years. Yes, 2018 was a record-setting year for volume, and 2021 was intermodal’s second-best year ever. That’s all well and good — except that intermodal hasn’t been keeping pace with economic growth and has lost market […]
Graffiti on O gauge trains typically has a polarizing effect: One either loves or hates it. But there’s no denying the painting on model subways, rolling stock, and even diesel locomotives can make contemporary equipment come to life. Items produced and marketed by Lionel, along with some developed by Atlas O and MTH Electric Trains, […]
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — The Conrail Historical Society will open its $150,000 museum and archive center – housed here in a retired 86-foot hi-cube auto-parts boxcar – on April 1, the anniversary date of the railroad’s founding in 1976. A brief ceremony at noon that day will mark the culmination of several years of the society’s […]
