Saved by the beep

train on bridge above water with mountains

BC Rail In May 1996, during the long Canadian weekend celebrating Victoria Day, a national holiday, there was a crew shortage in Lillooet, British Columbia, on BC Rail. Normally, Lillooet had a fairly quiet joint conductors spare board — one could sit second-out for the better part of a week! That weekend, most of the […]

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CSX contributes $100,000 to Hurricane Helene recovery efforts

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE — CSX Corp. will donate $100,000 to American Red Cross relief and recovery efforts in communities hit by Hurricane Helene, the company has announced. The company will also provide a dollar-for-dollar match for donations by employees to the Red Cross. “The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene has deeply impacted the communities where our employees, […]

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InnoTrans show wraps up in Berlin with record numbers

Red and gray passenger car inside building

BERLIN — The global InnoTrans trade fair closed Friday evening, and the organizers have reported record numbers of visitors: at least 170,000 from 133 countries, according to provisional figures, visiting the 2940 exhibitors from 59 countries. Organizers report that about 600 new exhibitors took part – some representing countries never previously never represented, such as […]

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Thinking about Appalachia’s railroaders: Commentary

CSX train passing through small town

ERWIN, Tenn. — Railroaders take pride in the work they do. They provide for their families. They play an irreplaceable role in the movement of goods in the U.S. economy and they re-invest their hard-earned wages into the communities they live and work — building homes, shopping local, and supporting small communities where railroads have […]

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Union requests conciliation in negotiations with Canadian National

Logo of Canadian union Unifor

MONTREAL — Unifor, the union representing about 3,600 Canadian National Railway mechanical, clerical, and intermodal employees in Canada, has filed a Notice of Dispute with the Canadian government regarding its negotiations with the railroad, CN has announced. The move on Friday, Sept. 27, came just three days after Unifor — Canada’s largest private-sector union, with […]

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Herrmann named as Amtrak’s general counsel

Man in suit with white shirt and tie

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has named Byl Herrmann as execute vice president and general counsel, responsible for the long-term priorities and annual operating plan for the company’s legal department. “Byl has helped guide the evolution of Amtrak’s Law department and corporate development over many decades and brings a comprehensive and deep knowledge of all facets of […]

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From the Cab: Amtrak calendar paintings

picture of calendar watercolor of train

Gil Reid’s prized Auto Train watercolor Wall calendars have always been an effective business advertising tool, and some of the most memorable and collectable have been products of the public relations departments of America’s railroads. Anxious to make establish the branding of its role as the newly formed National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak began producing […]

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Brian Barr named chief mechanical officer at Norfolk Southern

ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern yesterday named Brian Barr as its chief mechanical officer. Barr joins Norfolk Southern from Union Pacific, where he held the positions of general manager Great Lakes Services and senior vice president transportation. Barr started his career as a craft dispatcher in 1998 working at Conrail and, later, CSX. During his 26-year […]

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Mt. Rainier Scenic acquires cars from North Carolina museum

Side view of green heavyweight passenger car

ELBE, Wash. — The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad has purchased three ex-Reading Co. passenger cars from the North Carolina Transportation for use in its steam heritage rail operations. Mt. Rainier Scenic said in a press release that the museum determined the cars, built between 1922 and 1927 by the Standard Steel Car Co. and Bethlehem […]

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