Big Skies & Iron Rails, Hauling Freight

With our intrepid railfan Tom Danneman behind the camera, even a seemingly mundane manifest or general merchandise freight train stands out amidst the beautiful backdrop of the American West. Enjoy the striking natural views, complemented by the various sizes, shapes, and colors of modern freight trains traversing Big Skies & Iron Rails! Be sure to […]

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CN reaches paid sick time agreements with four unions in U.S.

Train with red locomotive approaching curve

MONTREAL — Canadian National has reached agreements with four mechanical unions in the U.S. regarding paid sick time. The agreements provide workers with four paid sick days plus three personal leave days to be used as sick days, CN said today. The four unions are the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, National Conference […]

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Class I railroads to join FRA close call reporting program (updated)

Head and shoulders short of man in coat and tie

WASHINGTON — All seven Class I railroads will join a Federal Railroad Administration voluntary safety reporting program at the urging of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. In the wake of the disastrous Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Buttigieg wrote the CEOs of the seven major systems on Monday and asked them to […]

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NTSB expresses concerns about protective covers on tank cars

An "energetic pressure release" from a vinyl chloride tank car at East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 4, 2023. NTSB.

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board says it is “looking closely” at aluminum protective covers on tank cars involved in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, over concerns those covers melted on three of the cars, which may have hampered the performance of pressure relief devices. The issue occurred on three of the five cars […]

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Canadian National sets grain tonnage record for February

Canadian National set a grain volume record for February by moving 2.4 million metric tons out of Western Canada for the month, topping the record set last year by 200,000 metric tons. CN attributes February’s performance to increased collaboration between supply chain partners, which helped the railway bounce back from a period of extreme cold. […]

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U.S. rail traffic down again in February

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was down again for the month of February, showing a 5.2% decline compared to figures for the same month in 2022. The overall drop included a 1.6% decrease in carload traffic and an 8.4% decline for intermodal volume, according to the Association of American Railroads. It followed a 3.2% drop […]

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CP nominates former FRA administrator as KCS trustee

Batorymug

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific has asked federal regulators to approve the appointment of former Federal Railroad Administration administrator and longtime railroad executive Ron Batory as trustee of the CP-Kansas City Southern voting trust. The move comes after former KCS CEO Dave Starling, who had been serving as trustee, died last month. “Mr. Batory is eminently […]

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Classic Conrail from Canaseraga

Green-and-yellow locomotive leads three blue locomotives in a classic Conrail scene with snow

When created in 1976, lowering the flags of several once-proud but troubled Northeastern railroads, it was shockingly new. But that was 44 years ago. Moreover, it’s been more than two decades since Conrail itself became a fallen flag.   Here is a photo of classic Conrail. The train is eastbound at Canaseraga, N.Y., 13 miles […]

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Summertime era-swapping on the White River Division

A blue model diesel engine and train in rural New England

It’s been more than a decade since Lou Sassi photographed my HO scale White River Division for a feature in the March 2009 Model Railroader. A lot has changed since then. The track plan has been altered to better view and photograph scenes. I also eliminated the duckunder. Now a point-to-point layout, there’s a yard […]

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Conrail models you can buy

Model of blue diesel locomotive

Whether you need more blue on your locomotive roster or want to add Conrail units in other paint schemes to your layout, this is a comprehensive list of Conrail models you can buy. This list just focuses on locomotives and cabooses. Mixing Conrail freight cars into your rolling stock roster will also add some colorful […]

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