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Berkshire 2-8-4 locomotive: When I was a kid, my dad once showed me his childhood Lionel set. He had a Lionel no. 726RR Berkshire set with a few extra pieces stored in a metal crate. I never got to see it set up or operate, unfortunately. I had no idea what a Berkshire was back […]
Union Pacific collector’s set Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $529.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $699.99. Both versions include caboose with dual-mode NCE light decoder. Era: 1969+ Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Electro-Motive Division DDA40X diesel locomotive features: All-wheel electrical pickup Celcon handrails and stanchions Detailed fuel […]
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Norfolk Southern train that derailed Monday in Columbia struck an already derailed industrial switcher on a track adjacent to its main line, according to NS. The newspaper The State reports it was told by NS spokesman Connor Spielmaker that the locomotive — a yellow end-cab switcher visible in some photos of […]
MONTREAL — Averting a strike, VIA Rail Canada and the Unifor union reached a tentative agreement just ahead of the latest in a series of deadlines on Monday. VIA said the agreement will be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022 and runs through Dec. 31, 2024. Both sides said details would be released only upon ratification […]
CHICAGO — The first 10 days of July have seen significant departure and timekeeping issues for Amtrak’s long-distance trains traveling west and south of Chicago, with few passengers able to make planned transfers at the end of their trips. And even those who did make connections often faced significant timekeeping delays. An example: Passengers riding […]
BALTIMORE — CSX Transportation has been cited for nine “serious” violations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and faces more than $120,000 in fines, as a result of an explosion at a railroad coal terminal last December. The Baltimore Sun reports the railroad was cited for allowing workers to enter […]
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The owner of a now-defunct railcar repair company has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, and he and the company have been fined for wire fraud and endangering employees at the facility. John Eldon Rimmasch, 47, of Cheyenne, was sentenced in a July 5 hearing by Federal District Court Judge Alan […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has released its 2021 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report, outlining its efforts to workforce, sustainability, social, and governance issues as well as its economic performance. The report documents the railroad’s progress against its 2030 environmental goals, efforts to build an inclusive workforce, and address its social and governance priorities. “By […]
MONTREAL — The deadline for a strike against VIA Rail Canada by the Unifor union has received a fourth extension beyond the original time. Unifor says in a Twitter post that the deadline is now 11:59 p.m. tonight (Monday, July 11) as talks continue, and says it will remain at the bargaining table “as long […]
Six axle comfort cabs on shortlines: Comfort cabs took North America by storm in the late 1980s with the introduction of the design on EMDs’ SD60M and GE’s C40-8W. While Canadian operators had been using the design since the early 1970s on both four and six-axle locomotives, it wasn’t until the SD60M and C40-8W arrived […]
Canadian National was the only one of the big six railroads to gain traffic in 2022’s second quarter. CN’s traffic was up 0.4%, essentially flat compared to last year’s second quarter. CSX Transportation was flat, too, but its volume was down 0.1%. Canadian Pacific’s traffic was down 1.5%. Union Pacific’s declined 2% for the quarter, […]
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two Norfolk Southern crew members were injured when their train derailed Monday morning, according to the Columbia Fire Department. WIS-TV reports the derailment occurred about 8:20 a.m. and involved three locomotives and three cars of a train en route from Atlanta to Charleston, S.C. Photos show a number of container cars involved. […]
