BLET members ratify new contract on Metra UP lines

Commuter train led by cab car passes intermodal train

CHICAGO — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen who operate on Metra’s Union Pacific lines have ratified a new contract, the BLET said on Friday (Oct. 10, 2025). The contract, which calls for a 3.5% wage increase, was ratified by a 60-1 vote. The pay increases will take effect no later than […]

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BLET claims Mexican train crews pose border security risk

Train on bridge approaching small building covering tracks

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is sounding the alarm bell about the potential for Mexican railroad crews to smuggle people and contraband into the United States. The warning comes as the union opposes Union Pacific’s efforts to use Ferromex crews to deliver northbound interchange trains to its yard in Eagle Pass, Texas, some […]

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BLET ratifies new five-year contract with Union Pacific

Freight train crossing diamond after crossing bridge

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a new five-year contract with Union Pacific by a wide margin, the union announced today. The agreement, which includes raises totaling 18.8%, compounded, over the life of the contract, covers almost 6,000 BLET members at UP. It was ratified by a […]

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UP and SP at LAUPT

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Union Pacific 4-8-4 803 and a Southern Pacific E7 wait outside Los Angeles Union Passenger terminal in the late 1940s, ready to back down to their respective trains. The E7 is for the Golden State, while the 4-8-4 is likely for the Los Angeles Limited. Herbert Johnson photo […]

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WalthersProto HO EMD NW2 diesel locomotive

In this product review video, Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno takes a deep dive into the WalthersProto HO scale (1:87.1) EMD NW2 diesel locomotive. Cody starts with the prototype history of the NW2, which was produced by the Electro-Motive Division from February 1939 through December 1949. The review sample is decorated as Union Pacific […]

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WalthersProto HO EMD NW2 diesel locomotive

In this product review video, Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno takes a deep dive into the WalthersProto HO scale (1:87.1) EMD NW2 diesel locomotive. Cody starts with the prototype history of the NW2, which was produced by the Electro-Motive Division from February 1939 through December 1949. The review sample is decorated as Union Pacific […]

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WalthersProto HO EMD NW2

Color photo showing cab end of HO scale switcher. Model is painted yellow, gray, and silver with red graphics and shown on a white background.

WalthersProto HO EMD NW2 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct current with factory-installed speaker, $219.98; with ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder, $319.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersProto HO EMD NW2 features: All-new tooling Association of American Railroads Type A sideframes Cab interior with seats and crew […]

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STB proposes schedule for review of UP-NS merger (corrected)

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today proposed a procedural schedule it will follow as part of its review of Union Pacific’s $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern. The schedule the board is proposing slightly tweaks the schedule that UP and NS outlined in July. The railroads had proposed reducing the amount of time the […]

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