SAN FRANCISCO — Wells Fargo will sell its rail leasing equipment business to a newly formed joint venture of GATX Corp. and Brookfield Infrastructure, the financial company announced Thursday (May 29, 2025). The joint venture will purchase approximately 105,000 railcars for $4.4 billion; Brookfield will separately acquire the Wells Fargo rail finance portfolio of approximately […]
The first step in building a freight train is understanding what railroaders mean by “compliance.” A freight train is said to be “in compliance” when it’s assembled properly and is operating according to the railroad’s rules. In practice, crews need to devote as much attention to the big picture of compliance as they do to […]
MONTREAL — After announcing its overall 2025 capital spending plan earlier this month, Canadian National has now released province-by-province plans for the Canadian portion of that plan. British Columbia, where the railroad is working to improve fluidity to and from Vancouver and add capacity to the Port of Prince Rupert, will receive the largest investment, […]
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board’s environmental review of the proposed Uinta Basin Railway was proper, the U.S. Supreme Court said today in an 8-0 decision that overturns a lower court’s order that blocked construction of the 88-mile Utah railroad. The STB in December 2021 approved the project, noting that the transportation merits of the […]
While U.S. logistics providers wait out the post-trade war lull in import shipments, BNSF Railway is setting up its network to handle an expected surge following a pause in tariffs between China and the United States. “I guess probably the most overused words in logistics is this ‘air pocket’ that hit us the last couple […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remained above 2024 levels for the week ending May 24 — but barely. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week was 488,709 carloads and intermodal units, a 0.7% gain over the same week in 2024. It marked the 13th consecutive week where traffic […]
Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Era: 1960s to 2000s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper features: 36” turned-metal wheels on plastic axles All-new tooling from rails to roof Based on prototypes used to haul plastic […]
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — OmniTRAX has added a 30th railroad to its stable, the 8.1-mile Port Muskogee Railroad in the Sooner State. The short line holding company and Port Muskogee today announced that they have signed a railroad facilities operating agreement covering the inland port’s rail network. “OmniTRAX is excited to expand our Oklahoma rail service […]
The Atlas O Spring 2025 Premier catalog was recently published on the manufacturer’s website. Highlights include: New locomotives ET44 E6 New paint schemes SD40-2 Streamlined passenger car 40′ PS1 Boxcar View the catalog at shop.atlasrr.com Read more news in our news section. […]
SAN DIEGO — The effort to relocate the Surf Line rail route through Del Mar, Calif. — or not — is once again soliciting public comment. The San Diego Association of Governments will host a meeting on the latest set of proposals for line relocation — including one option that would leave the route where […]
Q: What website is best for finding prototype photos of freight cars to help with realistic weathering? — Jim Veronico A: Though some websites are certainly better than others, I’m reluctant to declare a single website as the “best” for finding prototype freight car photos. Over the years, I’ve found that using multiple sites helps […]
WASHINGTON – Nearly 400 railroads earned Jake Safety Awards from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association – including 357 that had zero reportable injuries in 2024. To achieve a Jake Award, an ASLRRA member railroad must perform better than the average Federal Railroad Administration reportable injury frequency rate per 200,000 person-hours worked at […]
