Hurry up and wait

The railroaders’ mantra has always been “hurry up and wait” and this CSX crew at Glendale, Ohio, in suburban Cincinnati is living up to their creed. This portion of the former Baltimore & Ohio Toledo to Cincinnati route is paired with the Norfolk Southern New Castle District in directional running; most trains passing Glendale are […]

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Canadian Pacific selling SD9043MACs NEWSWIRE

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Canadian Pacific has put its 58 EMD SD9043MACs up for sale. Built between 1998 and 2000, the 4,300 hp locomotives are available for sale, lease, or lease with buyout option. The locomotive were never popular with CP and often in storage in recent years. Of the 58, four were overhauled and are […]

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White Pass & Yukon Route passes on freight NEWSWIRE

SKAGWAY, Alaska – ClubLink Enterprises, the owner of the narrow-gauge White Pass & Yukon Route, has rejected a plan to recommence freight service on its route between Carcross, Yukon Territory, and the port at Skagway, reports the Skagway News. A month ago, railroad officials told the chamber of commerce at least 40 jobs could be […]

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Intermodal crane at work

Ever wonder how the UPS and FedEx Ground packages you ship travel across the country? They go by train. And in the December 2012 issue of Trains magazine, we take you inside one of the top railroad intermodal yards for FedEx and UPS Ground shipments: BNSF Railway’s Willow Springs terminal outside Chicago. We spent 24 hours inside […]

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Notre Dame University rail spur scrapped NEWSWIRE

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – An industrial branch in South Bend serving Notre Dame University is being scrapped by its owner, Norfolk Southern, reports the South Bend Tribune. The city of South Bend hopes to convert it to a trail. The 3.7 mile line was originally part of a New York Central main line between South Bend […]

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Cold winter’s night

A westbound NJ Transit Main Line train of Comet I cars pulls out of the station at Waldwick, N.J., on Dec. 29, 2008. The Pullman-built cars, delivered to Erie Lackawanna, have since been retired. Photo by Matt Van Hattem […]

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Norfolk Southern’s business cars

Q What happened to the permanently coupled two business cars, the “Virginia” and the “Carolina,” that the Southern Railway provided for its president and chairman?— Bob Sewell, Marysville, Wash. A The Virginia (NS 1) and the Carolina (NS 2) have been paired since they were built in 1928. Pullman originally constructed them for Southern Railway. […]

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Waiting on go

An Amtrak AEM7 rests between assignments at Washington Union Station on Jan. 14, 2009. Those motors don’t stay idle for long, and soon enough she’ll be racing along at up to 135 mph. Photo by Matt Van Hattem […]

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AM radio antenna

AM-radio-antenna

It may look like a tiny handrail, but this is actually an AM antenna installed on some 1940s-era passenger cars. Michael Belcher Q What is the pipe on part of the roof of some 1940s-era diner and lounge cars as shown in Michael Belcher’s photo on page 90 of the April 2011 issue?— Randall Keils, […]

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Track signs

Track-snowplow-sign

The black-and-white sign with dots tells the plow operator to raise flanges prior to crossings, switches, etc. Greg McDonnell Q What does a whiteboard sign with black circles mean? It’s near grade crossings and sometimes has one black circle, and sometimes two.— Mike Cough, Kemptville, Ont., Canada A That board (which can also be black […]

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