JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Now that E. Hunter Harrison is calling the shots at CSX Transportation headquarters, he faces the same daunting problem that former CEO Michael Ward had to grapple with: How to replace nearly $2 billion in coal revenue that vanished over the past five years and is likely gone for good. Ward’s answer […]
Trains Presents: West Chicago
Join Trains Magazine Assistant Editor Brian Schmidt for a day trackside at West Chicago, Ill., in July 2016. We’ll see Canadian National and Union Pacific freight action, along with ubiquitous Metra commuter trains. We’ll also look at JB Tower, which guards the junction of the two freight carriers. […]
Iowa Pacific claims unfair business dealings in court documents NEWSWIRE
DURANGO, Colo. — Iowa Pacific attorneys claim the company that licenses Polar Express trains in the U.S. authorized other railroads to use the Polar Express name too close to Iowa Pacific’s own railroad operations. Iowa Pacific’s claim is part of its response to a Jan. 11 lawsuit filed by Rail Events Inc. in Colorado District […]
Hunter Harrison named CEO at CSX Transportation NEWSWIRE
E. Hunter Harrison Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — E. Hunter Harrison was named the CEO of CSX Transportation today, less than seven weeks after stepping down early from the top job at Canadian Pacific. Harrison, 72 — widely regarded as the industry’s best operations CEO — will begin immediately, CSX said today. He transformed Illinois […]
New Idaho short line to acquire segment of Great Northwest Railroad NEWSWIRE
Konkolville, Idaho Google Maps WASHINGTON — BG & CM Railroad will acquire the easternmost 27.5 miles of Watco’s Great Northwest Railroad this month. BG & CM will acquire the line between Konkolville and Jaype, Idaho, according to regulatory filings with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. The transaction is scheduled to close on March 15. The […]
What holds railroad track in place?
Spikes are part of a system that keeps rails in service. Redundant numbers of spikes are present in most tracks. Bob Johnston Q During a recent trip to the U.S., I visited rail lines in Chicago used by both freight and passenger trains. I noticed how many spikes are torn out or completely missing in […]
Trains Presents: Georgetown Loop No. 111
Join Trains for the first run of Georgetown Loop Railroad 2-8-0 No. 111 in October 2016. The locomotive was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1926 for the International Railway of Central America in El Salvador. […]
UPDATE: CSX management layoffs to save company $175 million annually NEWSWIRE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation expects to save at least $175 million annually by laying off more than 20 percent of its management employees, the railroad said in a regulatory filing on Monday. The reduction of up to 1,000 management positions, announced last week, is expected to be complete by the middle of March, the […]
New Union Pacific mother-slug sets coming NEWSWIRE
Locomotives lined up in East St. Louis, Ill., to become mother-slug sets for Union Pacific. Kevin Burkholder EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Union Pacific is embarking on a program to modernize its hump yard locomotives system-wide as the first in a new generation of mother-slug sets take shape. The railroad already uses two SD38-2s or […]
Ringling Brothers to auction off passenger cars, equipment NEWSWIRE
Two cuts of Ringling Bros. circus train passenger cars sit side-by-side in Charleston, W.Va. Chase Gunnoe PALMETTO, Fla. — Managers at Feld Entertainment say they’ll auction the fleet of more than 120 railcars and other assets that make up the two Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus train consists. Passenger car collectors, tourist railroads, […]
Polar Express license holder sues Iowa Pacific NEWSWIRE
DURANGO, Colo. — Rail Events Inc., the company which licenses Polar Express events, is suing Iowa Pacific Holdings for unpaid royalties. Attorneys for Rail Events allege in court filings in Colorado that Iowa Pacific has failed to pay royalties on events hosted on several of the railroads that it operates as subsidiaries, including the Texas […]
Union Pacific’s Feather River Canyon route still closed NEWSWIRE
Union Pacific’s former Southern Pacific rotary snow plow SPMW 207 is back to work sending snow skyward over Donner Pass in California on Feb. 25. The plow last operated over the pass in 2016, when it returned from rebuilding. Mike Haire SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Union Pacific’s route through the Feather River Canyon is still closed […]
