Digest: BNSF train derails in California desert, spilling alcohol

BNSF derailment leads to spill of denatured alcohol Some 25 to 35 cars of a BNSF train derailed Wednesday near the remote San Bernardino County, Calif., community of Ludlow, spilling “several thousand gallons” of denatured alcohol from a leaking tank car, according to a county fire department spokesman. The Victor Valley Daily Press reports the […]

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Athearn N scale PS 4427 covered hopper

A Pullman-Standard (PS) high-side 4,427-cubic-foot-capacity three-bay covered hopper is now available from Athearn Trains. The N scale model features an injection-molded plastic body, wire and etched-metal details, and screw-mounted roller-bearing trucks with 36″ metal wheelsets. The prototype. Pullman-Standard introduced the 4,427-cubic-foot-capacity covered hopper in 1964. For the first two years of the production run, the […]

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Digest: CP sets January grain record

Monday afternoon rail news: CP sets January record for Canadian grain movement Canadian Pacific set a record for Canadian grain movement in January, transporting 2.22 million metric tons to better the record set a year earlier by 6%. The railroad has now shipped 16 million metric tons so far in the 2020-21 grain season, an […]

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Digest: NTSB issues preliminary report into Illinois short line death

More Thursday morning rail news: NTSB issues preliminary report on fatal Decatur & Eastern Illinois accident The National Transportation Safety Board has released its preliminary report into the death of a Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad employee in November [see “Digest: Illinois short line conductor killed in accident,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 12, 2020], setting […]

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Digest: CP, controllers union reach tentative agreement on three-year contract

Monday midday rail news: Canadian Pacific, rail traffic controllers reach agreement on three-year contract Canadian Pacific and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Rail Canada Traffic Controllers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract. The union represents approximately 300 rail traffic controllers in Canada. “This is positive news for these important members of our […]

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Intermodal and the Long-Haul Market

    Yes it is, Brian. In fact, intermodal passed coal in 2013 as railroads’ biggest revenue source. In 2014, U.S. railroads tacked more than a half million intermodal loads onto their 2013 totals, notching a record 13.5 million shipments. Intermodal is likely to become even more significant in coming years as the industry spends […]

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Intermodal and the Long-Haul Market

    Yes it is, Brian. In fact, intermodal passed coal in 2013 as railroads’ biggest revenue source. In 2014, U.S. railroads tacked more than a half million intermodal loads onto their 2013 totals, notching a record 13.5 million shipments. Intermodal is likely to become even more significant in coming years as the industry spends […]

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Digest: Refrigerator car firm Cryo-Trans purchased by cold-storage specialist Lineage

Wednesday morning rail news: 

Lineage buys refrigerator car firm Cyro-Trans in $500 million deal
 Cold-storage specialist Lineage Logistics announced it is purchasing Cryo-Trans, which has more than 2,200 refrigerated and insulated railcars, North America’s largest privately owned fleet, and manages more than 40,000 annual rail shipments. Lineage, a real estate investment trust based in Novi., […]

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