Metra CHICAGO – Metra has painted a MotivePower MP36PH into the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad’s red and yellow livery in honor of CEO and Executive Director Don Orseno who is retiring this month. Orseno is retiring after 44 years in railroading and first worked for the Rock Island in the 1970s. Locomotive No. […]
A GE-built 44-ton switching locomotive may be restored to original Great Northern colors in Maryland. David Tunison WALKERSVILLE, Md. — One of the earliest examples of General Electric’s popular 44-tonner switcher produced has been preserved by a private individual and moved to the Walkersville Southern Railroad. Jamie Haislip, an electrical contractor by trade who also […]
WASHINGTON — The increasing length to which Class I railroads build trains has piqued the interest of Congress. For railroads, longer freight trains are a way to cut down expenses: CSX, the third largest American railroad by revenue, has increased its trains by 400 feet to an average length of 6,833 feet in total since […]
Norfolk Southern C44-9W No. 9345 leads train 36T, a Buffalo, N.Y., to Allentown, Pa., manifest train on a new steel arch span on Dec. 11. The arch replaces an iron truss bridge built by the Erie Railroad in 1875 and shown on the right. Norfolk Southern Corp. Portageville (N.Y.) Bridge in context Norfolk Southern Corp. […]
On January 6th, the World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour model railroad show kicks off its 2018 season. The show will visit 4 cities as follows: • Monroeville, PA • January 6 & 7, 2018 – Monroeville Convention Center, Monroeville, PA • Charlotte, NC • January 13 & 14, 2018 – The Park Expo & Conference […]
LOS ANGELES — Caterpillar is on the hook for $25 million in fines and restitution after company officials pleaded guilty on the company’s behalf to defrauding freight car owners on repairs. The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that United Industries, a unit within Caterpillar’s Progress Rail division, accepted a plea deal with federal prosecutors […]
The boiler for White Pass & Yukon 2-8-0 No. 61. Stockton Locomotive Works Stathi Pappas works on White Pass & Yukon 2-8-0 No. 61 at his shop in Antonito, Colo. Stockton Locomotive Works ANTONITO, Colo. — Stathi Pappas is a busy guy. As assistant general manager at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic, Pappas has the […]
A Chicago-bound Canadian National intermodal train passes a CN hopper train stopped on a siding near Theresa, Wis., in November 2017. TRAINS DRONE: Steve Sweeney NEW YORK — Canadian National is in a better position to handle a growing North American economy because it continued investing in infrastructure during the traffic downturn last year, its […]
NEW YORK — Canadian National, alone among the big Class I systems, is expanding its locomotive fleet to handle a surge of traffic and anticipated growth to come. CN is struggling to keep up with stronger-than-anticipated volume amid crew shortages and congestion, particularly on the railway’s key corridor linking Edmonton, Alberta, and Chicago. Locomotives also […]
ROANOKE, Va. — A Norfolk Southern local train once heralded as the future of trash hauling is likely to suspend service this coming summer. Known as the “Waste Line Express,” the train has hauled trash from Roanoke along a 4.5-mile spur to the Smith Gap Landfill for the past 25 years. Now, though, the Roanoke […]
Menards O gauge World Headquarters building Price: $119.95 (No. 279-3792) Dimensions: 13 inches wide, 16 inches deep, 23 inches high Features: Interior illumination, Starbucks has tables, chairs, counter, server, and customers. Base is decorated Power: Requires a 4.5-volt 5000-mA AC to DC power adapter sold separately Order: www.Menards.com/Trains When I was a kid, I knew […]
WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation late on Dec. 4 made it official, and rescinded a rule that tank trains carrying flammable commodities must be equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brakes. The decision seemed inevitable after the Federal Railroad and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety administrations reported in mid-October that the added safety benefits of […]
