After seven days, STB hearings on CP-KCS merger conclude

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board hearings on the proposed Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern merger concluded Friday, Oct. 7, after seven days of testimony from shippers, communities, public officials, and other railroads. CP and KCS said the merger is a perfect fit, will increase competition, create new single-line routes, and provide their customers […]

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Transkentucky Transportation Railroad photo gallery

Transkentucky Transportation Railroad Inc. Mention Eastern Kentucky railroading, and what comes to mind may be coal trains and manifests threading their way through needle-like tunnels and across generous rivers on Norfolk Southern’s “Rathole” or CSX Transportation’s Corbin Division. Or you might think of spiderwebs of branch lines serving hundreds of coal producers. Eastern Kentucky was […]

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Samuel Rea Shops G41A coil steel gondola from Tangent Scale Models

Samuel Rea Shops G41A coil steel gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: With hoods, $58.95; without hoods, $50.95 Era: 1966+ to 2005+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886; tangentscalemodels.com Samuel Rea Shops G41A coil steel gondola features: Kadee scale couplers Road-specific details for each scheme, including […]

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Design firm selected for CREATE Pullman Junction project

CHICAGO — Engineering and design firm Benesch has been selected by Norfolk Southern to handle final track design for Segment B of CREATE’s EW3 project, the Pullman Junction project on the city’s South Side. The project will involve track infrastructure in a 2-mile segment from the Belt Railway of Chicago’s Commerical Yard, in the vicinity […]

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Athearn Genesis General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive

General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $259.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $359.99. Add $10 for Primed for Grime models. Era: 1994+ to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive features: Trainline and […]

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Train dispatchers ratify Class I railroad contract agreement

WASHINGTON — Train dispatchers today became the fourth union to ratify their contract agreement with the Class I railroads. The American Train Dispatchers Association, which represents 1,500 dispatchers, voted in favor of the deal by a 64%-36% margin, the union said in a statement. The agreement follows the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board, which […]

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STB gets an earful about KCS-NS Meridian Speedway joint venture

WASHINGTON – Surface Transportation Board members appear skeptical about CSX Transportation’s bid to force its way on to the Kansas City Southern-Norfolk Southern Meridian Speedway. The Meridian Speedway — which runs from Meridian, Miss., to Shreveport, La., — is the shortest, fastest route between the Southeast and Southwest. NS and KCS formed the Meridian Speedway […]

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Class I railroads’ chemical carload growth continues amid economic uncertainty: Analysis

CHICAGO — U.S. Class I railroads continue hauling more chemicals than before, an area of growth even though higher interest rates are raising fears that the U.S. economy could begin contracting. Railroads’ diverse chemicals portfolio supports manufacturing, automotive, energy, and a hodgepodge of other industries, indicative that growth within this carload segment is generally a […]

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UP, BNSF say CP-KCS merger traffic will melt down Houston terminal

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern executives say there’s plenty of capacity in Houston to handle the eight additional trains per day they’ll run through the busy terminal within three years after their merger. But Union Pacific and BNSF Railway told federal regulators, in testimony Thursday and Friday, that they have grave concerns […]

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