Virtually all the railways in the world employ the same system for moving the vehicles that travel over them: Power is applied to some or all of the wheels that support and guide the vehicle along the rails. Adhesion between the wheels and running rails then allows the vehicle to move along the track, often […]
Rail
Perhaps no part of railroading is as important as that which gave the industry its name: rail. Together with flanged-wheel vehicles, rails allowed the development of a transport system quite distinct from the conventional roadway. Though rails of steel are standard today, iron and even wood found widespread use in the 19th century. Many early […]
Railroad’s traffic control systems
Traffic control systems Running a safe operation is not as simple as you might think. Every train must have authority to occupy the main track before it can begin moving. There are several types of authorities, but usually only one type is in effect on any given piece of track. Maintenance people must also have […]
Trackage and haulage rights
Because shippers’ distribution patterns are rarely congruent with any one rail carrier, railroads have developed two traditional methods of extending their reach over each others’ lines. The first is the joint rate and route. Two railroads, by agreement, establish one rate from an origin on the first to a destination on the second. One of […]
Appalachian & Ohio switching parent companies
GRAFTON, W.Va. – Employees of Watco Companies Inc. were notified in an internal memo on April 20 that CSX has asked the Appalachian & Ohio Railroad – featured in the May 2006 issue of TRAINS Magazine – to turn over operations to Four Rivers Transportation Inc. Watco, based in Kansas, had been negotiating – unsuccessfully, […]
Trains, April 2006
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Trains, March 2006
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Trains, February 2006
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Ask Trains from April 2006
Q Why do automobile rack cars have TTX Co. reporting marks but also bear a logo from a railroad? – Gary Gergye, Marietta, Ga. A This started in the early 1960s when autoracks first came into use. Flatcars, with TTX reporting marks, were pulled from the Trailer Train pool, but the racks were purchased by […]
Trains, January 2006
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Trains, December 2005
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Trains, November 2005
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