Atlas HO NSC newsprint boxcar

Color photo of HO scale boxcar painted green and black on white background

The National Steel Car Corp. 50-foot newsprint boxcar is the latest addition to the Master Line from Atlas Model Railroad Co. The model, based on tooling the manufacturer acquired from True Line Trains in 2020, features molded and separate, factory-applied detail parts; 33” metal wheelsets; and body-mounted Accumate couplers. Prototype history Between 1967 and 1971, […]

Read More…

Parallel Systems begins testing autonomous car on G&W short line

Parallel Systems and Genesee & Wyoming short line Heart of Georgia Railroad this week began the first phase of testing of Parallel’s autonomous, battery-electric flat car. The initial round of testing of Parallel’s container car is being conducted near Glenwood, Ga., in conjunction with the Federal Railroad Administration. The equipment has already been put through […]

Read More…

First new CPKC locomotives hit home rails

CALGARY, Alberta— CPKC took delivery of five new Wabtec ET44AC locomotives over the weekend, the first batch of a 100-unit order. All of the Tier 4 locomotives, which are being built at Wabtec’s assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas, are scheduled for delivery by the end of the year. CPKC released a video yesterday showing […]

Read More…

R.J. Corman chief executive steps down

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — R.J. Corman Railroad Group CEO Ed Quinn is stepping down after nearly nine years at the helm of the short line and railroad services company. Quinn will remain on board during a transition period, the company announced yesterday, noting that it has launched a search for a new chief executive. “We very […]

Read More…

BNSF reopens main line in Iowa after derailment

BNSF Railway logo

ARGYLE, Iowa — Service was restored on BNSF’s main line in the Fort Madison area on Wednesday after the Tuesday evening derailment of a train that blocked both tracks of the railroad’s Southern Transcon. KHQA-TV reports the derailment occurred while the train was stopped because of a tornado warning, according to a BNSF representative. No […]

Read More…

CSX rebounds from service problems and sluggish operations

Intermodal train with single engine passes maintenance vehicle next to tracks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX has fully bounced back from a bout of operational challenges that began with hurricanes last fall and worsened after the Feb. 1 closure of the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore, CEO Joe Hinrichs tells Trains. The railroad’s on-time performance in May, measured by trip plan compliance for intermodal and carload shipments, […]

Read More…

U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to beat 2024 levels

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to run ahead of 2024 levels, even as intermodal traffic experiences a decline tied to recent U.S. tariff moves. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, volume for the week ending May 31, 2025, was 459,884 carloads and intermodal units, a 2.2% increase over the same […]

Read More…

Rapido HO scale PFE refrigerator cars

Color photo of HO scale freight car painted orange, black, and silver on white background

Rapido HO scale PFE refrigerator cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; six-pack, $359.70 Era: 1957 to 1982 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St., Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features on Rapido HO scale PFE refrigerator cars: 33″ metal wheelsets Body-mounted Lincoln-Washington metal semi-scale couplers Factory-installed and painted wire grab irons Freestanding door rods, […]

Read More…

Railroad Development Corp. announces new roles for Posner, Asplund

Logo of Rail Development Corp.

PITTSBURGH — Railroad Development Corp. has appointed Ida Posner to chief operating officer, and appointed Nate Asplund, president of its Pop-Up Metro affiliate, to lead the integration of the recently announced joint venture between RDC and the UK’s Transport Design International. Posner joined RDC in 2017 and has served as vice president, strategic planning, since […]

Read More…

Predicting the unpredictable for intermodal

Two trains work with container lifts for ships in distance

Intermodal analyst Larry Gross says that normally he’d be able to draw on his 45 years of transportation experience to make predictions about freight volume in the months ahead. “Theoretically, it would mean that I would be bringing some long-term insight to the situation that we find ourselves in today: You know, a sense that, […]

Read More…

Mongeau resigns as chair of Norfolk Southern board

MongeauClaude

ATLANTA — Claude Mongeau, the former Canadian National Railway CEO, has resigned as chair of the Norfolk Southern board of directors, the company announced today (June 3, 2025). The resignation is for personal reasons, the railroad said. The board will elect a new chair at its next scheduled meeting later this month. “We are deeply […]

Read More…