Raymond Burton, former TTX CEO, dies at 86

Man smoking pipe in outdoor setting

CHICAGO — Former TTX president and CEO Raymond C. Burton Jr. has died, the company has announced. Burton, 89, died June 19 in New York City. He was the company’s president and CEO from 1982 until his retirement in 2000, and is credited with modernizing the company, helping strengthen its financial condition and meet growing […]

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Parallel Systems begins testing autonomous car on G&W short line

Parallel Systems and Genesee & Wyoming short line Heart of Georgia Railroad this week began the first phase of testing of Parallel’s autonomous, battery-electric flat car. The initial round of testing of Parallel’s container car is being conducted near Glenwood, Ga., in conjunction with the Federal Railroad Administration. The equipment has already been put through […]

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Wells Fargo to sell rail leasing business

Black GATX railroad tank car

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 […]

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Baun joins Greenbrier, will become chief commercial officer

Head and torso photo of smiling man in suit

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. — Ted Baun has joined the North American commercial team of The Greenbrier Cos. as senior vice president, and will become chief commercial officer in January 2026, the railcar manufacturer and rail services provider has announced. Baun will succeed Tim Schitter, retiring at the end of this year, as chief commercial officer. […]

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FreightCar America Q1 net better than half of revenue

Logo of FreightCar America

CHICAGO — FreightCar America said net income totaled $50.4 million in the first quarter while revenue of $96.3 million fell 40.2% from the year-ago period. The Chicago-based railcar builder (NASDAQ: RAIL) delivered 710 units in the quarter ended March 31, down from 1,223 units in the previous-year quarter. Adjusted net income was $1.6 million, or 5 […]

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Failure to set hand brakes likely caused wreck that killed Norfolk Southern engineer, NTSB says

National Transportation Safety Board logo

WASHINGTON — The probable cause of a yard collision that fatally injured a Norfolk Southern engineer in January 2024 was a conductor’s failure to ensure that hand brakes were set on a cut of cars, which allowed them to roll away and strike the engineer’s locomotive, the National Transportation Safety Board says. The incident occurred […]

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Visiting and operating Ken Rodig’s Gunnison City Old Town Line layout

Low-angle shot of steam locomotive in front of a white building

Ken Rodig’s Gunnison City Old Town Line layout is fascinating for many reasons. The 22 x 36 Gn3 (1:22.5 proportion) model railroad was built on the benchwork of his former HO scale Ironwood System. The indoor large scale layout is set in southwestern Colorado and features industrial narrow gauge railroading in the 1950s. Steam locomotives of […]

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Autonomous intermodal cars to begin testing this month

LOS ANGELES — Parallel Systems, the company developing battery-electric railcars that operate autonomously, will launch testing this month on two Georgia railroads, Parallel said on Monday (April 14, 2025). The company also announced it had raised an additional $38 million in funding, bringing its total to date to about $100 million. “Federal Railroad Administration approval […]

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Intramotev names industry veteran Harry Zander as chief commercial officer

ST. LOUIS — Intramotev, the startup company that converts conventional freight cars to battery-electric, self-propelled vehicles, has named rail industry veteran Harry Zander as its chief commercial officer. Zander brings more than 30 years of experience to Intramotev. Most recently, he served as chief revenue officer at shortline railroad holding company Patriot Rail. Zander previously […]

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