NTSB issues final report on 2024 CSX maintenance-of-way fatality

Aerial view of grade crossing where fatal accident occurred

WASHINGTON — A “lack of awareness” by the operator of maintenance equipment, incomplete communication regarding the movement of that machine, and its non-operational change-of-direction alarm have been cited as the probable cause and contributing factors in the death of a CSX maintenance-of-way foreman in a February 2024 incident in North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety […]

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TSB to investigate CPKC derailment in British Columbia

CPKC logo

FIELD, British Columbia — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will investigate the derailment of a CPKC train early this morning near Field, the agency has announced. The TSB said it will send a team of investigators to gather information and assess the occurrence, which occurred about 4:30 a.m. today (May 1, 2025) about 12 […]

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CN’s first quarter earnings grow despite impact of severe weather

MONTREAL — Canadian National reported stronger first-quarter earnings today despite the impact of harsh winter weather across its system, which crimped train length and the railway’s ability to meet demand for intermodal and merchandise service. “We are very pleased today to be reporting strong first-quarter results,” CEO Tracy Robinson said on the railway’s earnings call, […]

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Otter Valley Railroad N scale gondola

Color photo of N scale freight car painted black with white graphics.

Price: Single car, $37.99; six-pack, $219.99 Manufacturer Otter Valley Railroad Inc. 37 Tillson St., Unit E Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada N4G 0B7 ovrtrains.com Road names: American Iron & Metal Co. (20000 and 21000 series), Midwest Railcar Corp., Triple M Metal, and XRMX. Also available painted black with data only. Six to 12 road numbers per paint […]

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Benchwork for the East Troy Industrial Park

Balding older man with gray hair and beard wearing dark-framed glasses holds a bright green power nailer to the top of two wood boards resting on yellow sawhorses in a work room with light blue walls. 

From tabletop, to shelf, to open grid, there are a lot of different methods you can use to build model railroad benchwork. For our HO scale East Troy Industrial Park project layout, we used a combination of two methods, cookie cutter and L-girder, to make solid, stable benchwork. While not exactly framing for a layout, […]

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C&NW No. 1385 return to Mid-Continent museum postponed

Steam locomotive by concrete coaling tower

NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — The move, scheduled to begin May 5, bringing Chicago & North Western 4-6-0 No. 1385 back to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum has been postponed, says Jeffrey Lentz, museum office manager. A statement from the museum indicates that the trucking firm slated to handle the road move withdrew its services “on short […]

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Woodstown Central steam locomotive sidelined (updated)

Black and gray steam locomotive with large smoke plume running in woods.

WOODSTOWN, N.J. — Woodstown Central Railroad steam locomotive No. 9, an Alco 0-6-0, suffered an overheated journal on its central axle during the 12 p.m. excursion on April 18. The railroad’s mechanical team determined the damage was beyond in-house repair capabilities at its South Woodstown, N.J., shop. The wheelset has been removed for repairs at […]

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CPKC says FRA is open to automated and streamlined track and train inspections

Grain train led by red locomotive

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City executives say they are encouraged by discussions with the Federal Railroad Administration about rolling out new track and train inspection technology. It’s a turnabout for the FRA, which during the Biden administration stymied Class I railroad efforts to combine automated track and equipment inspections with traditional visual inspections […]

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Machinists approve national rail contract

Logo of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

ARLINGTON, Va. — Members of the International Association of Machinists have ratified a new national agreement with the National Carriers Conference Committee, bargaining group for the National Railway Labor Conference. The ratification announced today (May 1, 2025) makes the IAM the ninth union to finalize a contract during the current round of bargaining and means […]

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