Shipping container New York Central (and subsidiary Michigan Central) had a large fleet of steel auto cars by the early 1920s. These had 10-foot door openings with 6- and 4-foot platesteel doors. New York Central photo […]
Shipping container
Train Topic: Railroad Operations
Five rail projects among those selected for Department of Transportation INFRA grants
WASHINGTON — Five rail-related projects are among 24 selected to receive $905.25 million in federal grants under the fiscal 2021 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program. The announcement of the proposed awards begins a 60-day period for Congress to review the proposed awards; after that review period, the U.S. Department of Transportation is free to […]
UP service disrupted by fire, weather
OMAHA, Neb. — Fires and extreme weather are disrupting Union Pacific operations in the West and Midwest, the railroad has informed customers. In Northern California, the Lava fire, in Siskiyou Canyon and the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, is disrupting operations between Redding, Calif., and Eugene, Ore. The railroad is assessing damage to infrastructure including the Dry […]
Cleanup continues after NS derailment in Pennsylvania
NEWBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Cleanup continued Tuesday after 33 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed Monday afternoon midway between Harrisburg and York, Pa. The York Daily Record reports plastic PVC pellets spilled from one car, and hazmat teams were part of the initial response to the derailment because some of the cars involved displayed […]
Center of commerce
Center of commerce A Pennsylvania Railroad Geep pulls a string of express cars in front of railroad’s Polk Street freight station near Chicago Union Station. Polk was the country’s largest freight terminal when built in 1918. Ed DeRouin photo […]
Minnesota lawmakers approve funding match required for second Chicago-Twin Cities round trip
ST. PAUL, Minn. — It was only $10 million out of a $7 billion state omnibus transportation package, but the legislation signed into law on Monday by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz adds the last required match to a $31.8 million 2020 Federal Railroad Administration grant that paves the way for a second Amtrak round-trip between […]
Mixed train
Mixed train Internal stairways on some of the Sant Fe’s Hi-Level cars enable them to operate with single-level equipment. Here, a Hi-Level is mated with a sleeping car when the all-Pullman Super Chief and all-coach El Capitan were running as a combined train. Wallace W. Abbey photo […]
BNSF coal train derails on recently reactivated line
BENNET, Neb. — Ten cars of a BNSF coal train derailed Friday evening on a recently reactivated line southeast of Lincoln, Neb. The Lincoln Journal Star reports portions of the train still on the tracks initially blocked traffic on Bennet Road, but crews were able to separate the train to allow traffic flow to resume. […]
‘Broadway’ interrupted
‘Broadway’ interrupted Pennsylvania Railroad K4s Pacific 5369 pauses with the eastbound Broadway Limited at Englewood Union Station on Chicago’s South Side in the late 1920s or ’30s. Singly and later doubleheaded, the K4 was standard power on PRR trains 28 and 29 for a quarter of a century. Andrew Hritz photo […]
Union Pacific derailment in Iowa leads to brief propane leak
AMES, Iowa — Twenty-seven cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Thursday afternoon in Ames, briefly leaking propane from one car. KDSM-TV reports the derailment occurred about 1:30 p.m., with Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins saying he did send an evacuation notice to nearby industrial plants after the propane leak was discovered. A Union Pacific […]
Mail call
Mail call Carts of mail sacks crowd the northeast side of the new New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal in 1954. The stub-end terminal features 12 passenger tracks ending at an open-air concourse. James G. La Vake photo […]
Pandemic accelerates operational changes at BNSF Railway
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway’s increasing use of longer trains is the most visible element of a broader effort to boost efficiency and productivity. Since the onset of the pandemic BNSF has been combining trains, blending different types of traffic in the same trains, and operating more double-length loaded unit trains of grain and […]
