Digest: DC Metro proposal could cut 22 stations

WMATA/DC Metro logo in black and white.

DC Metro proposal would see 22 stations closed, rail service reduced as of January 2022 The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority would could close 22 Metrorail stations, reduce rail service to 30-minute intervals on all routes, and shut down nightly at 9 p.m. instead of the current 11 p.m. under the rail component of a […]

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Digest: Brightline, Florida DOT resume negotiations on Orlando-Tampa route

Brightline logo

Still more Tuesday morning rail news:

 Brightline, FDOT resume negotiations on Orlando-Tampa route Brightline has resumed negotiations with the Florida Department of Transportation on a route for Tampa-Orlando service, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports in a paywalled article, which says negotiations had halted in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The railroad has proposed building […]

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Digest: Fire damages BNSF Mississippi River bridge

Fire and smoke billowing in the distance

Additional Tuesday morning rail news: Fire damages BNSF bridge in Bemidji, Minn. A BNSF Railway bridge across the Mississippi River in Bemidji, Minn., suffered “moderate damage” in a Monday afternoon fire, the Bemidji Pioneer reports. The fire was reported about 4 p.m., with Bemidji firefighters working about two hours to extinguish the blaze. The cause […]

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Remembering the Seaboard Air Line Railroad

Stainless-steel streamliner crossing bridge.

History of the Seaboard Air Line The Seaboard’s beginnings date to 1832, when the Portsmouth & Roanoke was chartered to build from Portsmouth, Va., to Weldon, N.C. Opened in 1834 the companies’ backers saw great potential to link the North with the South’s agricultural and forest products and with its developing potential for industry. P&R […]

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Class I operating ratios reach another new low despite pandemic

Train passing under a bridge in the winter

Canadian Pacific won the Class I railroad operating ratio crown for 2020, the first year that three of the big seven systems reported operating ratios below 60%. CP’s operating ratio, the closely watched measure of railroad efficiency, improved 2.8 points compared to 2019. Following closely behind CP were Union Pacific, at 58.5%, and CSX Transportation, […]

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Paint yellow boxcars

Weathered HO scale Railbox 50-foot sliding-door boxcar with Burlington Northern reporting marks.

Several years ago, I purchased some undecorated Athearn HO scale 50-foot Railbox boxcar kits at a local hobby shop. Wanting to add some variety to my rolling stock fleet, I decided to model the cars in Railbox colors but with Burlington Northern reporting marks, 1. Easy enough, right? Well, not so fast. As most veteran […]

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