STB grants request for more mediation time in Gulf Coast dispute

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has granted a request by the parties in the Amtrak Gulf Coast dispute to extend board-sponsored mediation for an additional 30 days. Amtrak, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and the Alabama State Port Authority and Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks had filed the request on Aug. 24, saying they agreed […]

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CSX rekindles its relationship with venerable Dash-8 locomotives

Blue standard-cab locomotive operating as second of two units on freight trainFre

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — After selling or retiring its roster of more than 100 General Electric C40-8 locomotives, CSX Transportation once again owns the late-1980s era Dash-8 standard cab locomotive through its June 1 acquisition of Pan Am Railways. The Class I railroad began divesting the 4,000-horsepower six-axle GE several years ago, retiring and selling most […]

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CSX refutes union allegations of problems at Selkirk Yard

Cars moving over hump in yard

WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation is pushing back against allegations a local union official has made regarding operations and safety at the railroad’s hump yard in Selkirk, N.Y. A combination of layoffs, crew shortages, changes to remote-control switching jobs, and CSX’s takeover of New England regional Pan Am Railways has created congestion at the yard near […]

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Baltimore councilwoman calls for CSX coal facility to be shut down

Smoke rising from coal facility

BALTIMORE — A member of Baltimore’s city council has questioned the failure of Maryland’s environmental agency to monitor methane levels at CSX Transportation’s Curtis Bay Coal Piers, and is calling for the immediate suspension of operations at the facility. WJZ-TV reports the comments of Councilwoman Phylicia Porter came Wednesday during a council hearing on the […]

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Freight railroads, Amtrak ask for more time for Gulf Coast mediation

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — The parties in the dispute over Amtrak’s effort to launch Gulf Coast service have asked the Surface Transportation Board to extend the period for board-sponsored mediation by 30 days. In a joint motion filed Wednesday, Aug. 24, by CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and the Alabama State Port Authority, the parties say “an […]

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General Electric ET44 diesel locomotive from ScaleTrains

Red, black, and gray modern diesel locomotive

General Electric ET44 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $174.99; with dual-mode ESU LokSound 5 sound decoder, $269.99 Era: 2014-present (depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 7598 Highway 411, Benton, TN 37307; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com Features: Road-number-specific details Factory-installed details including wire grab irons, m.u. clusters, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, and […]

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CSX Santa Train will not run for third straight year

Business car at end of train crossing bridge

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — For the third year in a row, the CSX Santa Train, a legacy of predecessor Clinchfield Railroad, will be sidelined — this time because of staffing and supply-chain issues. The Kingsport Times News reports the 110-mile trip from Kentucky to Kingsport will miss what would have been its 80th anniversary edition. As […]

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Bachmann HO scale transfer caboose

Red transfer caboose

Transfer caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: To be announced Era: Varies depending on paint scheme Manufacturer: Bachmann Trains, 1400 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19124; 215-533-1600; bachmanntrains.com Features: New and existing tooling E-Z Mate Mark II couplers Blackened metal RP-25 contour wheels Release date: 2023 Paint scheme: CSX (gray, blue, and yellow), Missouri Pacific (red […]

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HO scale AC4400CW from ScaleTrains

Gray and red diesel locomotive

General Electric AC4400CW Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $204.99; with dual-mode ESU LokSound 5 sound decoder, $299.99 Era: 1995 to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: ScaleTrains, 7598 Highway 411, Benton, TN 37307; 844-987-2467; scaletrains.com Features: Road-number-specific details Factory-installed wire grab irons, m.u. clusters, uncoupling levers, windshield wipers, and more […]

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Ohio Supreme Court strikes down blocked-crossing law

Seal of the Ohio Supreme Court

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has struck down a state law prohibiting stopped trains from blocking railroad crossings, citing federal jurisdiction in regulation of railroads. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that in a ruling issued Wednesday, the opinion by Justice Sharon Kennedy acknowledged “the significant danger to the public” created when trains obstruct the […]

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Presidential Emergency Board issues rail contract recommendations meant to avert strike

Man climbing on front steps of orange locomotive

WASHINGTON — The Presidential Emergency Board charged with making recommendations to resolve the longstanding contract differences between the U.S. Class I railroads and their unionized workforce today submitted its report to the White House, railroads, and organized labor. The board recommended a 22% wage increase, along with $5,000 in service recognition bonus payments, over the […]

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