J.B. Hunt adding transload locations in Laredo, Pacific Northwest

LOWELL, Ark. — J.B. Hunt Transport Services will open new transload facilities to transfer cargo between international and domestic 53-foot containers in Seattle and Laredo, Texas, giving it facilities at four of the nation’s largest ocean ports as well as the largest land port of entry into the U.S. “The complexities of international shipping continue to […]

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Mt. Rainier Scenic to return in 2024 or 2025, museum official says

Logo of Western Forest Industries Museum

ELBE, Wash. — The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Museum, shut down by owner American Heritage Railways in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, will resume operation in 2024 or 2025, according to the executive director of the Western Forest Industries Museum. The Centralia Chronicle reports Forest Industries Museum Executive Director Bethan Maher […]

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Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs

Black-and-white photo of end-cab switcher at diesel servicing track

Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs. Burlington Northern (BN) had more than 2,000 diesel locomotives on its roster. With a fleet of that size, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there were more than a few Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs. Paint scheme variations, wreck rebuilds, and test subjects were among the examples I found when searching […]

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More Amtrak services set to be suspended

Passenger train runs on single track with Chicago skyline in the background

Amtrak will suspend seven more long-distance trains as of today (Wednesday, Sept. 14) as it prepares for a possible interruption of national freight rail service. Also, the three regional operations in California — the San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor, and Pacific Surfliner — are preparing for service disruptions to begin Thursday and take full effect on […]

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BNSF drawbridge in Seattle receives federal grant

BNSF Railway logo

WASHINGTON — A landmark BNSF Railway drawbridge in Seattle will receive a $25 million for mechanical upgrades under the federal Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced the funding on Friday for the Salmon Bay Bridge, which handles up to 40 BNSF, Amtrak, and Sounder trains per day, as well […]

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UP main line to California closed by fire in Oregon

Map of Union Pacific rail lines in California and the Pacific Northwest

OMAHA — Union Pacific’s main line between California and the Pacific Northwest has been shut down in central Oregon today (Sunday, Sept. 11) as firefighters deal with a wildfire near Oakridge, Ore. In an advisory to customers, UP says a curfew on train movements has been imposed from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time […]

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The runaway train that didn’t

Streamlined, double-ended electric locomotive with passenger train

Mountain railroading always gave the opportunity for a runaway train. In 1949, I was working out of the small town of Avery, Idaho, on the Milwaukee Road. The railroad crossed the Bitterroot Mountains on a 1.7% grade through St. Paul Pass. The grade began just east of the Avery depot. Avery was a crew-change, engine-change, […]

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