Classification lights on Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern SD40-2 No. 6090. David C. Schauer Question: When a train displays color flags on the engine indicating “Extra” or “Second” section, how is that information used in the operation of the railroad? — Robert Miller, Hernando, Fla. Answer: A complete answer is available in Trains’ online “ABCs of […]
BNSF Railway ES44C4 No. 8338 works at the lead of a freight train. The locomotive’s C4 trucks have only two powered axles in the three-axle trucks arranged in a powered-unpowered-powered arrangement known as A-1-A. Tom Danneman Question: What is the purpose of the A-1-A C4 truck on the BNSF Railway Evolution Series diesels, and how […]
What appears to be an Omaha Orange and Pullman Green Great Northern Railway EMD SD9 in 2017 actually is a BNSF Railway unit that had been built in 1959 for Chicago, Burlintgon & Quincy subsidiary Colorado & Southern. For several years, BNSF has assigned Great Northern “GN” reporting marks to some older diesels generally assigned […]
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Surface Transportation Board Vice Chairman Patrick Fuchs says the independent agency is ready to tackle several issues that have been languishing for years, including how reasonable rates are determined and shipper requests for reciprocal switching. The board also is closely watching Class I railroad transitions to Precision Scheduled Railroading and wants […]
BNSF Railway CEO Carl Ice Bill Stephens SAN ANTONIO, Texas — BNSF Railway CEO Carl Ice refused to criticize Precision Scheduled Railroading at a shipper conference on Thursday, saying it inevitably leads to the misperception that his railroad doesn’t care about efficiency. “That’s not true. We do,” Ice says. “And our history shows we care […]
Union Pacific BOSTON — Union Pacific Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena wants to reset the discussion about hump yards and Precision Scheduled Railroading. Converting hump yards to flat-switching facilities was a key element of E. Hunter Harrison’s PSR strategy at Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and CSX Transportation. And at CSX, where Harrison idled eight of […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 11, 2019. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 529,263 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.7% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending May 11 […]
BNSF Railway distributed power pushes an eastbound empty coal train at Hathaway, Mont., in June 2014. Tom Danneman Q In two recent issues, Trains stated that distributed power helps maintain trainline air for brakes. How can this be without giving up lead unit control of the brakes? – Jay Noyes, Lowell, Ind. A In distributed […]
A southbound Kansas City Southern merchandise train with a distributed power unit on the tail end passes the joint customs inspection station in Laredo, Texas, as it crosses the International Railway Bridge over the Rio Grande in November 2017. Bill Stephens BOSTON — Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific have worked together to improve the […]
A BNSF oil train heads west through the Columbia Gorge in Washington. Washington state and North Dakota are sparring over a Washington law that would block the transport of Bakken oil by rail. Lance Lassen OLYMPIA, Wash. — The legislative debate over a Washington law limiting crude oil shipments by rail from North Dakota’s Bakken […]
WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern say their higher demurrage charges will encourage shippers to load and unload freight cars more quickly, which will reduce the number of cars online, make their networks more fluid, and ultimately improve service. But a mom-and-pop lumber yard in southern New Jersey says the charges are diverting freight […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Bowing to opposition from the communities of Glenview and Lake Forest, the Illinois Department of Transportation will no longer support plans for two sidings that are part of a plan to increase Amtrak Hiawatha service between Chicago and Milwaukee. Patch.com reports that acting IDOT Secretary Omer Osman said in a letter, released […]
