Rochelle council approves funds for railroad park improvements

Covered platform with tables and chairs, with railroad tracks visible in background

ROCHELLE, Ill. — The Rochelle City Council has approved more than $30,000 for the first part of a three-phase plan to upgrade the Rochelle Railroad Park, the popular facility at the crossing of BSNF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad main lines. The Rochelle News-Leader reports that at a Monday meeting, the council approved a $30,750 […]

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Union Pacific train derails in Kansas

Aerial view of derailment on track next to highway

BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. — Twenty-five cars of a Union Pacific train, including some carrying hazardous materials, derailed Friday evening in Bonner Springs. The Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department, which responded, reports nine of the cars were tank cars carrying isobutane, a flammable gas used to make products ranging from aviation gasoline to plastics to food […]

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State will provide funding for Nebraska industrial park

HERSHEY, Neb. — Nebraska officials will provide $30 million toward construction of a rail-served industrial park near North Platte, Neb., backers of the project have learned. The North Platte Telegraph reports the North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp. was informed Wednesday that it has qualified for the state funding by securing local commitments of […]

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How Wall Street holds railroads hostage: Analysis

Man climbing on front steps of orange locomotive

The U.S. Class I railroads’ recurring crew shortages, related bouts of service problems, and a lack of meaningful volume growth are intertwined. You can lay the blame for all three problems at just one place: Wall Street. BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific are in the midst of the mother of all […]

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UP coal train derails in Kansas

Aerial view of derailed hoppers and spilled coal

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Cleanup continued through the weekend after more than two dozen cars of a Union Pacific coal train derailed Friday near Lawrence. Initial reports indicated more than 20 cars were involved in the derailment that occurred shortly after 5 p.m., but drone video of the accident from the Lawrence Police Department indicates the […]

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Alco RS27 failure — a diesel that didn’t

Diesel locomotives lined up in sun

Alco RS27 failure: It’s tough when professional engineers create a decent locomotive that builds on successes, and pitfalls, of the past and still nobody really wants it. That was the Alco RS27, also referred to as the DL640. Its 16-cylinder, 251B prime mover pushed out 2,400 hp. Coincidentally, only 27 were built between December 1959 […]

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