Wednesday midday rail news: Fire out at site of BNSF derailment; line expected to reopen tonight The fire at the site of Tuesday’s BNSF Railway derailment in Cameron, Texas, has now been extinguished, the National Post reports, citing information from the railroad. In a customer advisory, the railroad said it anticipates reopening the section of […]
More Wednesday morning rail news: New Jersey budget avoids NJ Transit fare increases, does not address dedicated funding for agency New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy does not plan NJ Transit fare increases as part of his fiscal 2022 budget — the fourth straight year that has been the case — but his budget plan also […]
SEATTLE — A federal appeals court has overturned a Federal Railroad Administration decision on train crew size, saying the agency’s decision to withdraw a proposed rule requiring two-person crews has a “real and intended effect … to authorize nationwide one-person train crews and to bar any contrary state regulations.” Calling that decision “arbitrary and capricious,” […]
Product news 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. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of February 25, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACe diesel locomotive. Tacoma […]
WRI 2021 in Chicago rescheduled to Oct. 18-21 WRI 2021, the annual Wheel Rail Interaction Conference conducted by Wheel Rail Seminars and presented by Trains Magazine, has been rescheduled to this fall. The event will now be held Oct. 18-21; the location, the Loews Chicago O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Ill., remains unchanged. Wheel Rail Seminars […]
Metra to replace aging switchers with Tier 4, electric locomotives Metra will issue a request for proposals to replace its aging fleet of switchers with six new locomotives meeting Tier IV emission standards — as well as zero-emission, all-electric switcher — following approval by the commuter railroad’s board on Wednesday. Funding will come from state […]
Biden Administration change in FTA funding policy could boost Gateway Project The Biden Administration has reversed a Federal Transit Administration policy on funding that originated in the Trump Administration, increasing the prospects of the long-stalled Gateway Project to build new Hudson River tunnels to New York’s Penn Station. NJ.com reports the FTA said it would […]
U.S. rail freight traffic remained ahead of previous-year levels, although barely, in the latest weekly statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Feb. 13, U.S. railroads moved 269,063 trailers and containers, a 6.9% increase over intermodal units for the corresponding week in 2020. The 211,420 carloads, meanwhile, represented a 7% decrease, […]
Large scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F7A and F7B diesel locomotives. Amtrak (F7A in two road numbers, F7B in one number). F7A units have ball-bearing Bühler motors; traction tires; built-in mfx/Digital Command Control decoder with various light and sound functions; and separate, factory-applied details. F7B is unpowered and has built-in speaker that can be powered from […]
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — A Detroit-area company aims to use its patented shipping containers to put loads of auto parts into multilevel railcars that otherwise would return empty to assembly plants. Pro-Tech Group, which has designed containers to fit within the confines of auto racks that carry finished vehicles, has successfully completed pilot runs carrying pallets […]
While hard-hit transit agencies are struggling to find money to keep trains running and undertake construction projects, a Canadian entrepreneur believes he has a new solution. Steve Ostrowski says he’s “in the good idea business.” He’s started companies and developed products ranging from snowmobile shock absorbers to deck awnings, and now he wants to reinvent […]
Wednesday afternoon rail news: Pittsburgh-area railroad expands rail shipping options Allegheny Valley Railroad, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carload Express Inc., received its first rail shipments at its new Glenwood Transload Terminal in Pittsburgh earlier this month. “We are excited to offer this new service to Pittsburgh and look forward to providing continued support for the […]
