BLET members at Union Pacific ratify interim raise

Freight train crossing diamond after crossing bridge

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a 3% interim raise while negotiations continue with Union Pacific on a new contract. The agreement covers about 6,000 BLET members at UP. It is effective Sept. 1, 2025, is temporary and will be replaced by wage increases agreed to in […]

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Flooding closes CPKC main line in Wisconsin (updated)

WAUWATOSA, Wis. — CPKC’s main line across Wisconsin has reopened after being closed Satuday night by torrential rains, disrupting freight and Amtrak operations. Locations near Milwaukee reported as much as 14.5 inches of rain between Saturday evening and 2 p.m. on Sunday, according to WISN-TV. Wauwatosa, Wis., just west of Milwaukee, reported 7.15 inches; there, […]

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BNSF passes halfway mark with new Missouri River bridge in North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway has passed the halfway point in construction of its new bridge across the Missouri River in the Bismarck-Mandan, N.D., area on its former Northern Pacific Jamestown Subdivision. The 1,554-foot-long single-track bridge is being built adjacent to the 140-year-old NP bridge that it will replace. The bridge will have generous clearances […]

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Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar

Color photo of N scale boxcar painted dark blue with aluminum roof and red and white graphics on white background

Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar Scale: N (1:160) Price: $30.95 (undecorated, $23.95) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Atlas N ACF Precision Design boxcar features: Diagonal-panel roof Die-cast metal underframe Factory-applied end ladders, crossover handrails, and brake wheel Pin-mounted roller-bearing trucks Plastic wheelsets See-through plastic crossover platforms […]

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Norfolk Southern adds yard goats to its bleet

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has put a different kind of yard goat to work at its Inman Yard in Atlanta. Goats — as in the four-legged domesticated farm animal, not a four-axle switcher — were used to get rid of invasive kudzu, the fast-growing vines that are the bane of the South. Kudzu can grow […]

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Short line track maintenance legislation gathers steam in Congress

WASHINGTON — The bipartisan Railroad Track Maintenance Credit Modernization bill, which supports short line railroad track and bridge projects, passed the 100 co-sponsor mark in the House of Representatives this week. To date, the bill to continue the tax credit that short lines receive for maintaining and improving their physical plants, has 102 sponsors, the […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic remains ahead of 2024 levels

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

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to run ahead of 2024 levels. According to Association of American Railroad statistics, traffic for the week ending Aug. 2, 2025, was 513,529 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.9% increase over the same week a year earlier. That figure included 233,805 carloads, up 6.4%, and 279,724 containers and […]

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