Railroads take steps to ease intermodal congestion

Two container ships at port

Pockets of congestion and overall high volumes are slowing most railroads’ intermodal networks, prompting BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, and Norfolk Southern to take steps to manage capacity. BNSF, the largest intermodal carrier, announced several changes designed to ease congestion at key terminals beginning next week. BNSF will implement day-of-week in-gate windows at its Hobart terminal […]

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Kansas City, Mo., is one of America’s top rail hubs

Locomotive hauls a train on yard tracks under a bridge backlit by low angle sunlight.

  Who realizes that Kansas City is one of the U.S.’s main rail hubs, the second busiest and second by annual tonnage? Chicago wins by a small margin. While declines in coal shipments have likely ended Kansas City’s three-decade dominance in rail tonnage, the difference between the two cities remains about 3%, says the Association […]

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Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range: Locomotives

2-10-4 steam locomotive

All through April 2021, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the history, heritage, and grit of the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railroad. Please enjoy this photo gallery of DM&IR locomotives selected from the files of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Only from Classic Trains! […]

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News & Products for the week of April 22, 2021

Electric locomotive

Large scale locomotives  RailAdventure VI BR 103 electric locomotive. Spring-loaded metal pantographs (not equipped for overhead pickup); two five-pole can-type ball-bearing motors; molded and separately applied details, including lights; windshield wipers, handrails, horn, bumpers, and more; red and white directional lighting; dual-mode Digital Command Control sound decoder (locomotive will run on analog DC, but sound […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, train set, and tool announcements for April 22, 2021

Twelve tank cars in different paint schemes

Product news 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. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 22, 2021. HO scale locomotives North County Transit District Sprinter articulated […]

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Digest: Long Beach to save early LA Metro light rail car

Light rail train breaking through banner

Long Beach, Calif., to preserve light rail car that launched service in 1990 The Long Beach, Calif., city council is expected to accept a donated light rail vehicle from LA Metro to be preserved for a yet-to-be-determined use. The Long Beach Post reports the Nippon Sharyo P865 car, No. 100, was used to launch Blue […]

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Conrail society, Danbury museum combine to save hopper car

Rusting gray hopper car

DANBURY, Conn. — The Conrail Historical Society and Danbury (Ct.) Railway Museum have combined to preserve a “Flexi-Flo” hopper car built in 1966 for the New York Central by ACF Industries. One of 220 such cars, the order represented the first pressure differential cars constructed, which allowed easy unloading of the contents by applying air […]

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Wide open spaces

Smoking steam locomotive with freight train framed under tree

Wide open spaces Great Northern 2-8-2 No. 3117 is westbound at Richmond, Minn., in 1955. The railroad’s territory was sparsely populated, with one city over 100,000 between its endpoints. Photo by James Kreuzberger; Steve Glischinski collection […]

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