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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, […]
Locomotives short lines like to use: Shortline railroads have long fascinated me. Perhaps it’s because I had a front-row seat to the startup of one in my hometown in December 1996. Maybe it’s because some are real underdog stories. Seeing a railroad turn a line or lines plagued by years of deferred maintenance into a […]
G&W locomotives to scrap or upgrade: Genesee & Wyoming recently entered into a consent decree with the U.S. Justice Department and the EPA that requires it to disable or upgrade more than 70 locomotives currently operating. The original News Wire article is online. The key parts of that EPA decree read as follows: “Defendants shall […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific on Thursday ended the weather-related embargo it imposed on traffic moving to and from locations in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin on Dec. 29. “We have cancelled Embargo #UP130022 that was related to the severe weather events that impacted our operations across Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. We appreciate your patience while […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway plans to spend $3.96 billion on capital investments in 2023, the railroad announced Thursday — an increase of more than $400 million from its plan in 2022. “Our capital plan reflects our growth mindset and commitment to having the capacity and equipment we need to support our customers,” Katie […]
LOMBARD, Ill. — BNSF Railway’s plans for a major new facility in Barstow, Calif., represent the continuing evolution of the railroad’s efforts to improve the intermodal supply chain, says CEO Katie Farmer. The railroad’s plans for the Barstow International Gateway, a $1.5 billion, 4,500-acre terminal in Southern California, builds on the development of earlier Logistics […]
Railroading and the 1967 Chicago snow storm: My week off, and a visit home to the Detroit area, had been planned. That its timing, at the end of January 1967, turned out to allow me to view the aftermath of Chicago’s heaviest 24-hour snowfall ever, and ride one special train and photograph another, was coincidental. […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — The rail industry is, understandably, embracing the influx of new federal funding for infrastructure projects. But will there be a point where there are so many new projects being funded that the marketplace has trouble delivering the materials and services they need? Kristine Storm, Genesee & Wyoming’s vice president, procurement, certainly […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — When it comes to capital plans, Norfolk Southern is holding steady. The railroad is at a “steady state” in basics such as rail and tie replacement, Ed Boyle, vice president of engineering, said Thursday at the annual NRC Conference, meaning its goals for 2023 are similar to its achievements in 2022. […]
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Ties are a big topic at the annual NRC Conference — just about every railroad mentions how many ties it will replace in the coming year —so it makes sense that Shane Keller, Union Pacific’s vice president of engineering, wanted to highlight UP’s effort to improve the tie-replacement process. Keller was […]
Permanent garden railroads you can visit U.S. garden railroads Alabama Huntsville-Madison County Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave., Huntsville AL 35805, 256-830-4447. Railroad operates from mid-March through December, www.hsvbg.org Arizona Double K Ranch (bed and breakfast with a garden railway), 3930 N. Smokey Topaz Lane, Tucson AZ 85749, 520-749-5345. Gary Martin, 4625 E. Cerro De […]
CHICAGO – Union Pacific is running a small pilot program in Kansas that aims to bring more predictability to engineer schedules. The experiment comes as railroads have been having trouble retaining train crews and hiring new conductors at many locations across their systems — due in part to the unpredictable nature of the jobs. Ongoing […]
