Rail yard basics What are rail yard basics? Think of a yard as a giant sorting machine. It’s a place where freight trains are put together and taken apart. In the railroad industry, freight pays the bills. The faster cars are sorted and back on the road the sooner the cargo is delivered and an […]
Builder’s plate Imagine walking around all of your life with your birth certificate attached to your forehead. Anyone could walk up to you and in one glance (assuming they understood your birth certificate’s cryptic codes) ascertain your age, lineage, weight, maybe how many legs you should have, and possibly how much work you can do. […]
Winter affects locomotives Diesel locomotives have many components and systems that can be negatively affected during periods of cold and snow if not maintained properly. From tap water to electrical systems, these features need to be able to handle the often-harsh conditions to which locomotives are assigned. Locomotives have traditionally idled year-round, and in the […]
Railroading with pride Pride. It’s a simple word with a multitude of meanings. Just look it up in a dictionary. To railroaders, it usually has just one definition: Doing the job well. It’s something that’s not always easy to do. Railroaders, like other professionals that spend more time outside than in, are constantly presented with […]
EGR and SCR locomotive systems EGR and SCR locomotive systems are just two ways locomotives meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emission regulations, specifically Tier 4, standards implemented for new locomotives built for service in the United States. The emission regulations are designed to reduce the amount of nitrous oxide, particulate matter, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide […]
Traveling Dallas-Fort Worth by rail During my recent trip to Fort Worth for the Railway Supply Institute conference, my brother, a Fort Worth resident, suggested taking part of a day to make a loop by rail around the Dallas-Fort Worth area by rail transit. Come along as we’re traveling Dallas-Fort Worth by rail. Such a […]
Railroad snow plow methods Railroad snow plow methods in North America: Railroads do use some of the same tools as the rest of us for clearing sidewalks and driveways. But, when it comes to clearing the tracks, the tools get significantly larger. The idea of what to do with the snow remains fairly similar: Get […]
Railroad signs Railroads, like highway systems, use a variety of signs, signals, and identification markers to convey information to railroaders along a route. Railroads have established mileposts – identified by signs, markers, or displays – to give the crew and dispatcher a quick method for identifying their location on a railroad in all weather conditions […]
Traveling through the mountains Having never visited Canada before September and thus never having an opinion of the Canadian Rockies, except visualizing something like Colorado, my first brush with Canada revealed I frivolously misperceived the legitimacy of its mountain railroad scene. New realizations Prior to several realizations, this experience brought me to Calgary on Canadian […]
Making of a holiday train The excitement of a special holiday train might be lost in the eyes of adults, but not in a child. Especially, if he or she believes in Santa Claus. As adults — we may not admit it — but we can still get caught up in the magic of seeing […]
Cabooses It’s been roughly 40 years since cabooses were a regular occurrence on the end of any mainline train. Cabooses were a critical part of railroad operations, coordination, and logistics. Since the beginning of railroads in the 1830s, train crews would routinely work from one end of the train to another via roof walks and […]
Chicago-area pedestrian crossing disappears I have no idea how long pedestrians have been crossing the railroad right-of-way at the gated crossing on BNSF Railway’s triple-track main line at Central Avenue in Western Springs, Ill., but it’s safe to assume it’s been quite a while. But the way that crossing quickly disappeared is another reminder of […]
