CSX eyes growth, service gains amid merger speculation

Intermodal train navigating switches

Amid merger speculation and ongoing freight doldrums, CSX will continue to focus on its own growth, service, and operations initiatives, Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Boone told an investor conference today. “Despite a trucking market that’s not really helpful right now … we are seeing truck conversions coming in every week,” Boone says. “I think that […]

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Lionel releases 2025 Volume 2 catalog

catalog page with locomotive set

Lionel Trains has released a 2025 Volume II catalog. The 44-page book includes new items in the Legacy, LionChief, Star Wars, and Accessory lines. Highlights include a Santa Fe Super Chief set (No. 2622020), which includes two F3A locomotives, two F3Bs (one unpowered), baggage car, Pullman sleeper car, dome car, diner, three sleeping cars, and […]

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Americold cold storage facility opens at CPKC’s Kansas City intermodal terminal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Americold today opened its $120 million cold storage Import-Export Hub at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City intermodal terminal in Kansas City, Mo., clearing the way for higher volume single-line, cross-border temperature controlled intermodal service linking the U.S. and Mexico. “This is more than infrastructure — it’s a fully integrated solution that […]

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Evett joins Patriot Rail as vice president of design and construction

Head shot of smiling man

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Patriot Rail has named Anthony Evett as vice president of design and construction. The appointment of Evett, who has more than two decades of experience in transportation, maritime, and freight infrastructure, was effective as of Monday (Aug. 11, 2025). “Tony Evett brings a rare combination of technical expertise, strategic vision, and collaborative […]

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News & Products for the week of August 11th 2025

A blue, white and red model locomotive

News & Products for the week of August 11th 2025   Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of August 11th, […]

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Rail intermodal boasts strong value proposition: SONAR

The SONAR data product offers numerous angles to get a read on the freight markets, primarily pertaining to the truckload, rail intermodal, and ocean sectors. One of the major trends in the data this year has been lackluster truckload demand, which SONAR measures as a volume of tenders, or electronically-submitted requests to move loads, directed […]

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East Troy Industrial Park, Ep. 18 | Shaping the roadway right-of-way

Host David Popp continues to make progress on the roadway scenery he started in Episode 17 of the HO scale (1:87.1) East Troy Industrial Park project layout series. In this episode, David shares techniques for working with the foam material he selected to create sloped landforms along the inclined roadway. Then it’s back to the […]

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BLET members at Union Pacific ratify interim raise

Freight train crossing diamond after crossing bridge

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a 3% interim raise while negotiations continue with Union Pacific on a new contract. The agreement covers about 6,000 BLET members at UP. It is effective Sept. 1, 2025, is temporary and will be replaced by wage increases agreed to in […]

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Detouring CN train derailment involved misaligned track: NTSB preliminary report

Aerial view of derailed train

WASHINGTON — A Canadian National train detouring on the Grenada Railroad encountered misaligned track as it crossed a 130-foot bridge, leading to the derailment of 21 cars near Sardis, Miss., on July 6, 2025, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary investigation report released last week. Four cars of hazardous materials were among those […]

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Flooding closes CPKC main line in Wisconsin (updated)

WAUWATOSA, Wis. — CPKC’s main line across Wisconsin has reopened after being closed Satuday night by torrential rains, disrupting freight and Amtrak operations. Locations near Milwaukee reported as much as 14.5 inches of rain between Saturday evening and 2 p.m. on Sunday, according to WISN-TV. Wauwatosa, Wis., just west of Milwaukee, reported 7.15 inches; there, […]

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How would UP+NS and BNSF+CSX transcontinental systems compare?

Train rounding curve in mountains

Analysts widely expect that BNSF Railway and CSX will seek to merge in the wake of last month’s announcement that rivals Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern would combine in an $85 billion deal to create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. “The question around BNSF remains not if but when they will announce a deal to […]

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BNSF passes halfway mark with new Missouri River bridge in North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway has passed the halfway point in construction of its new bridge across the Missouri River in the Bismarck-Mandan, N.D., area on its former Northern Pacific Jamestown Subdivision. The 1,554-foot-long single-track bridge is being built adjacent to the 140-year-old NP bridge that it will replace. The bridge will have generous clearances […]

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