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An ad-hoc rail workers’ group is calling for informational picketing on Wednesday to address what it calls “the staffing shortages and lack of a decent quality of life” for employees as railroads, employees, and customers wait to see if unions will ratify tentative agreements that averted a strike last week. Meanwhile, the International Association of […]
Amtrak’s Maple Leaf catches a CSX intermodal train With vehicle-train collisions near the top of the issues list following the Southwest Chief derailment at a Missouri roadway earlier in the summer, Trains News Wire scouted an appropriate photo location in western New York during a recent trip to capture an Amtrak train at a […]
WASHINGTON — The trade group representing coal mining operators has asked federal regulators to take action regarding erratic rail service, particularly in the east on CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern. Mines have had to curtail production due to poor rail service that’s only getting worse even as demand for coal rises, the National Mining Association […]
40-foot Ortner 100-ton aggregate hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $44.98 Era: 1970s to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com 40-foot Ortner 100-ton aggregate hopper features: Air-equipped door details as appropriate Factory-installed wire grab irons and end railings Removable load Detailed brake […]
BERLIN — The world’s biggest rail industry trade fair, InnoTrans, has returned after a four-year gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The show opened its doors in Berlin today (Tuesday, Sept. 20), with 2,834 exhibitors from 56 countries using the entire Messe Berlin exhibition grounds, which includes 26 buildings covering more than 1.7 million square feet, […]
ALBERS, Ill. — Twenty-six cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Monday morning between the towns of Albers and New Baden, leading to an extensive response from authorities that included a hazardous-materials team as a precautionary measure. No injuries were reported. The Belleville News-Democrat reports the derailment was reported at 11:22 a.m., leading a response […]
Club cars from the Illini Chapter of the Professional Car Society Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $23.98 plus shipping (one car, $9.45; multiple cars, $10.35 to USA addresses; $22.10 for foreign orders of any size) Era: Varies depending on car type Manufacturer: Produced by Accurail, available from Illini Chapter PCS, 918 W. Colfax St., Palatine, IL […]
Lehigh Stone three-bay offset-side hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Kit, $30; assembled with Kadee couplers, $35. Add $6 shipping per car. Manufacturer: Produced by Accurail, available from Kankakee Model Railroad Club, 197 S. East Ave., Kankakee, IL 60901 Features: Injection-molded plastic kit Plastic wheelsets Steel weight(s) Release Date: Available now Road name: Lehigh Stone (red […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation expected train crew availability to improve at its Selkirk, N.Y., hub after Labor Day as the summer vacation season wound down. But it appears crew shortages at Selkirk and elsewhere on the former Water Level Route across New York are getting worse, not better. In system notices sent last week, […]
WASHINGTON — Ratification of the tentative agreement between railroads and a dozen unions remains in limbo while final contact language is being formalized, according to a message from one of the operating unions to its members. A final version of the tentative agreement not expected until sometime this week at the earliest, the International Association […]
Anyone who spent much time at all as an “excepted” (non-union) employee could expect, sooner or later, to be required to work railroad strike duty. This was especially true if he was a supervisor in the mechanical, engineering, or operating departments. Your personal feelings were inconsequential when these events occurred–you did what you had to […]
New York Central’s Pacemaker merchandise service debuted in 1946, with specially equipped and painted (vermillion and gray) boxcars. The railroad even painted five cabooses for the service, one of which trails this consist assembled for publicity photos. NYC photo […]
