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WASHINGTON — Railroad yardmasters, who supervise traffic moving through rail yards, would receive the same hours-of-service protections as other rail workers under legislation introduced this week. U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) reintroduced the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act, a bill that places yardmasters under the same federal hours requirements that currently cover […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority board has approved a fiscal 2026 budget including a 45% cut in service and a 21.5% fare increase to address a $213 million deficit. “This is a vote none of us wanted to take,” SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. said in a press release following the […]
Jim Gates, founder of the Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA), celebrated his 90th birthday on June 25. Jim began working on the real railroad as a senior in high school in 1953. He worked after school on the Milwaukee Road coal train that ran from Perry to Madrid, Iowa. He finished school at 3:15 […]
WASHINGTON — Members of the Transport Workers Union have ratified a new five-year contract with Conrail including a 17.5% wage increase, the union has announced. Journeyman carmen will make more than $100,000 a year by the end of the contract. TWU International President John Samuelsen called the deal “a big win for TWU railroad workers” […]
ORANGE, Calif. — Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner has introduced a railcar wrapped with a limited-time design celebrating the 70th anniversary of Disneyland, an event the state-supported passenger operation is also marking with special promotions. The wrapped car was unveiled and entered service on Wednesday, June 25. “We are thrilled to be part of the Disneyland Resort […]
KINGSTON, N.Y. — Two pieces of maintenance-of-way equipment for the Catskill Mountain Railroad were damaged in a June 19 incident, the railroad reported this week — an incident the tourist line, embroiled in a disagreement over rail vs. trail use of county-owned right-of-way, is characterizing as “sabotage.” Damage to the equipment includes cutting of electrical […]
Rapido HO Pennsylvania RR H21 hoppers Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $54.95; three-pack, $164.85; and six-pack, $329.70 Era: 1909 to 1970s (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St., Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features on Rapido HO Pennsylvania RR H21 hoppers: AB or K brake systems as appropriate Body-mounted Rapido […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) intermodal group have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract. The tentative agreement, announced on Wednesday, covers 791 employees. BNSF now has reached ratified or tentative agreements with 10 of 13 unions representing 45% of the railway’s workforce. “We are pleased […]
WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s local service in former Kansas City Southern territory, which faltered after a May 3 computer system cutover, improved considerably last week. First- and last-mile performance now stands at or above 80% on three of the four operating divisions that include portions of the former KCS, CPKC told the Surface […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic rebounded slightly in the week ending June 21, 2025, moving narrowly above 2024 levels after two weeks in negative territory. The Association of American Railroads reports total rail traffic for the week was 487,328 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.4% from the same week a year ago. That included […]
WOODBRIDGE, Va. — Virginia Railway Express CEO Rich Dalton, who has led the commuter operation since 2019, has announced plans to retire effective Oct. 3, 2025. Dalton announced his retirement plans at the VRE Operations Board meeting on June 20. Dalton joined VRE in 2009 as Chief Operating Officer, although he had been involved with […]
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved a six-year transportation improvement plan including more than $7 billion for public transi. Some $1.7 billion of that is slated for the Transforming Rail in Virginia project acquiring and developing rail lines for passenger service. Other key rail-related elements of the plan for fiscal years 2026 […]
