COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has struck down a state law prohibiting stopped trains from blocking railroad crossings, citing federal jurisdiction in regulation of railroads. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that in a ruling issued Wednesday, the opinion by Justice Sharon Kennedy acknowledged “the significant danger to the public” created when trains obstruct the […]
WASHINGTON — The Presidential Emergency Board charged with making recommendations to resolve the longstanding contract differences between the U.S. Class I railroads and their unionized workforce today submitted its report to the White House, railroads, and organized labor. The board recommended a 22% wage increase, along with $5,000 in service recognition bonus payments, over the […]
American Car & Foundry 50-foot exterior-post boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Era: 1974 to present Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com 50-foot American Car and Foundry exterior post boxcar features: Plate B dimensions 33” turned-metal wheelsets with RP-25 contours Proto-Max metal couplers Road names: Burlington Northern […]
ELKINS, W.Va — West Virginia Central Railroad and its operator, Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, have acquired the five locomotives of the now-closed Elk River Railroad, according to Durbin & Greenbrier Valley President John Smith. The locomotives involved are two GP10 rebuilds and one GP8, along with a pair of GP9s. All are now awaiting […]
The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society has announced pandemic-delayed winners of its Railroad History awards for 2020, as well as one award for 2019. The awards recognize senior achievement, photography, and book and magazine authors. Winners for 2020 are John P. Hankey of Omaha, Neb., Gerald M. Best Senior Achievement Award; Brian Solomon of Center […]
If there’s one thing all railroaders have in common, it’s the ability to complain about anything and everything. They’re world-class grumblers. So when train crews and labor unions bash the railroads for this, that, and the other thing, sometimes you have to wonder if they’re crying wolf. Wonder no more. The union-management pot, which is […]
TUCSON, Ariz. — The Department of Transportation has released a list of 166 projects across the U.S. to receive more than $2.2 billion in funding under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is marking the announcement today by visiting projects in Tucson and Phoenix that are among […]
DESHLER, Ohio — After years of neglect, the former Baltimore & Ohio railroad station in Deshler, the community known as “Crossroads of the B&O,” is coming down. The building last saw a passenger train in 1971, has been closed since the 1990s, and was damaged by a coal hopper in an April 2002 derailment. The […]
CHICAGO — Recent circumstances have shown that coal still plays an important part in worldwide energy, enticing coal producers to try and beef up production. But experts say the U.S. coal industry cut capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that capacity isn’t likely to come back. The U.S. stepped up as a swing supplier of […]
In service cab signals: When you watch trains these days just about any locomotive can show up on the point of a train. From run-through agreements to precision scheduled railroading keeping locomotive rosters lean, you just never know what may show up leading the next train. Over the years, a railfan seeking home road power […]
Model railroading is a multi-faceted hobby What was your first train set (or locomotive)? My first true model train piece was an Athearn Chessie System GP35. Oversized and clunky, that was the acceptable standard back in the early 1980s, much as model railroading then was less about prototype practice and operation than the trains themselves. […]
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman says railroad service is suffering for one simple reason: The big four U.S. Class I systems aren’t paying enough to retain and recruit train crews. BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific are experiencing ongoing crew shortages that since last year have caused widespread congestion and […]
