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 […]
WASHINGTON — The Department of Transportation late on Dec. 4 made it official, and rescinded a rule that tank trains carrying flammable commodities must be equipped with electronically controlled pneumatic brakes.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 […]
NEW YORK — Kansas City Southern’s latest growth opportunity — shipping gasoline, propane, and other refined petroleum products to Mexico — is beginning to take off as new distribution facilities open on KCS de Mexico lines. The Mexican government ended the state-run oil and gas monopoly in 2013, opening the sector to private investment and […]
Union Pacific Big Boy-type 4-8-8-4 No. 4004 as it appeared in a Cheyenne, Wyo., park in 2013. The City of Cheyenne is paying to cosmetically restore the locomotive during 2018. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On Monday, Nov. 27, the Cheyenne City Council approved full funding for the cosmetic restoration of Big Boy No. […]
Westbound CSX train Q261 climbs the Sand Patch grade at Foley Overlook, near Fairhope, Pa., on Oct. 9, 2011. Three photos, Alex Mayes Trying to come up with just 10 favorite train-watching spots posed a challenge for me, as I have a lot of favorite spots, all of which have their particular characteristics. For this […]
A westbound BNSF intermodal train leans into the famous elevated curves at Siberia, Calif., in April 2014. Four photos, Drew Halverson I witnessed an endless array of trains while growing up in the Midwest. Despite the diversity of railroads, the surrounding landscape was lacking. I needed mountains and deserts to go with the ubiquitous cityscapes […]
A southbound CSX intermodal train skirts the Hudson River at Bear Mountain, N.Y., on May 12, 2011. Three photos, Matt Van Hattem Every region has fascinating places to watch trains, and working at Trains brought me to locations I had always longed to visit as well as great spots I might not have otherwise come […]
Two Montana Rail Link GP9s head up the Paradise Local as it crosses the Clark Fork River in Paradise, Mont. Three photos, Tom Danneman When I was asked to come up with 10 of my favorite spots to view and photograph railroading, I knew it wouldn’t be difficult. The difficulty was picking just 10 spots, […]
