BNSF train derails in Oklahoma (updated)

Derailed cars of railroad ties

WYANDOTTE, Okla. — An estimated 20 cars of a BNSF Railway train derailed Saturday (April 13) in Wyandotte, blocking the railroad’s main line on the Cherokee Subdivision, the route between Springfield, Mo., and Tulsa, Okla. KOAM-TV reports the derailment occurred about 7:40 p.m. and blocks Main Street and East 153rd Road in Wyandotte, a community […]

Read More…

Railroads file suits to block two-person crew law

BNSF crew change

Four railroads have filed lawsuits in federal court to block the Federal Railroad Administration’s requirement for two-person crews for most freight trains, the Associated Press reports. Union Pacific, BNSF Railway, the Indiana Rail Road, and Florida East Coast Railway filed individual suits this week in different appellate courts, all saying the rule is arbitrary, capricious, […]

Read More…

BNSF highlights customer investments in 2023

BNSF Railway logo

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF customers made more than $4.1 billion in investments in 2023, the railroad reports, with BNSF projects from these and other rail-served customers supporting creation of more than 4,200 jobs. The figures are the largest the railroad’s customers and local economic development organizations have made in new or expanded facilities in […]

Read More…

T-TRAK Project Part 7: Gravel, ground foam, and static grass

Small model train set up with gray and black track, green grass and trees, dark gray roads, miniature vehicles, and two buildings of different sizes.

Modelers David Popp, Brian Schmidt, and Bryson Sleppy continue the scenery process on their T-TRAK modules by adding gravel, ground foam, and static grass in an attempt to make them look more like the prairies of Colorado. T-TRAK is a modular N scale railroading system that uses foot-wide boxes plugged together to build tabletop layouts. […]

Read More…

BNSF, CPKC say they won’t pay new Minnesota safety fee

Firefighters watching burning railcars

ST. PAUL, Minn. — BNSF Railway and CPKC, the two largest railroads in Minnesota, do not plan to make payments of approximately $1 million to the state required by a law passed last year, saying the state legislation is “pre-empted by federal law.” KSTP-TV reports the two railroads notified the Minnesota Department of Public Safety […]

Read More…

Foam-coated freight cars

Black-and-white image of three-bay covered hopper.

Today, home insulation is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you hear people talk about spray-on foam. But in the 1960s and ’70s, railroads wanted to see if the material’s insulating properties could be leveraged on rolling stock. Would foam-coated freight cars change the way perishable materials were transported by rail? Might […]

Read More…

BNSF continuing cleanup after Monday derailment in New Mexico

BNSF Railway logo

SOCORRO, N.M. — BNSF Railway is estimating it will reopen its main line at approximately 7 a.m. local time Wednesday after a Monday, March 25, derailment of an undetermined number of railcars near Socorro. The railroad indicated in an advisory to customers that the derailment occurred about 10 p.m. KOB-TV reports that no one was […]

Read More…

Work to begin on Del Mar Bluffs stabilization

Passenger train next to ocean

DEL MAR, Calif. — Construction will begin this month on a three-year, $78 million project to stabilize the Del Mar Bluffs along the Surf Line rail line, the Times of San Diego reports. The segment along the Pacific Ocean has long been a source of erosion and occasional line closures on the route used by […]

Read More…

BNSF eliminates management jobs amid uncertain freight outlook

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway eliminated several hundred management positions at its headquarters and across the system last week as part of a belt-tightening move. The railroad did not disclose how many jobs were affected, but people familiar with the matter say that BNSF cut 8% of its management workforce. That would translate into […]

Read More…

BNSF train derails in Nebraska after grade-crossing collision

BNSF Railway logo

EXETER, Neb. — One crew member was transported to a hospital with minor injuries after a BNSF intermodal train struck a semi-truck and derailed today (Friday, March 1) near Exeter, Neb., KOLN-TV reports. Fifteen to 20 railcars derailed, according to the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office. The collision occurred about 10 a.m. , just west of […]

Read More…