Amtrak selects Siemens to build replacements for Amfleet I cars, other aging equipment Amtrak has selected Siemens to build a fleet of 83 intercity trainsets for use on the Northeast Corridor, Palmetto, and various state-supported services. The selection of Siemens as the “preferred bidder” — which is currently building cars for use on state-supported trains […]
WASHINGTON — If Canadian National’s rival bid to acquire Kansas City Southern succeeds, Canadian Pacific would be forced to set off the final wave of railroad consolidation by seeking a merger partner. CP provided this warning in a letter to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on Wednesday, a day after CN announced that it, too, […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation’s profits and revenue fell during the first quarter as merchandise and coal traffic declines offset strong intermodal growth. But executives remained optimistic about overall traffic growth this year as the economy continues to recover from the pandemic. “We entered the year projecting volume growth in excess of GDP and still expect […]
Oakland ballpark plan creates grade crossing issues, memo says The head of the agency operating California’s Capitol Corridor Amtrak service has voiced concerns about grade-crossing issues new a proposed new ballpark for the Oakland Athletics. The Waterfront District Ballpark adjacent to Jack London Square will require stadium visitors to cross a busy Union Pacific line […]
Canada’s federal budget includes funds for VIA high-frequency rail, other infrastructure projects Canada’s federal budget unveiled on Monday includes $4.4 million for continued planning work on VIA Rail Canada’s proposed “high frequency rail” project, which would provide a separate, passenger-only route for part of the corridor between Toronto and Quebec City. Global News reports the […]
Steam superlative The Rock Island had a fleet of 85 4-8-4s, largest in the United States. Here, No. 5058 leads a westbound freight near Lawrence, Kans., in January 1952. Photo by Robert Olmsted […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific says Canadian National’s competing bid for Kansas City Southern would reduce competition, raise significant regulatory concerns, and upset competitive balance in the North American rail network. CN’s unsolicited $33.7 billion offer, announced Tuesday morning, tops the $29 billion deal CP reached last month to acquire KCS. The KCS board says […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National argues that its proposed combination with Kansas City Southern will offer shorter, faster, and more efficient routes than tying together the Canadian Pacific and KCS networks. And that less complicated route structure, CN contends, will enable a CN-KCS system to successfully gain north-south traffic that currently moves by truck between Mexico, the […]
There are dozens of methods used to clean the rails in the garden. There are track-cleaning locomotives, track-cleaning cars, polishing wheels you can fit to the underside of a truck, blocks, poles with pads on the end—enough innovation to make a mousetrap inventor think his job is simple. These can be broken down into “manual” […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Last year, a pair of infrastructure funds sought to take Kansas City Southern private. Last month, Canadian Pacific struck a $29 billion deal to acquire KCS. And today Canadian National topped that with an offer worth $33.7 billion. What’s next in the battle to acquire the smallest but fastest growing Class […]
CHICAGO — Union Pacific will resume collecting fares on the three routes it operates for Metra on June 1 — about a year after the rest of the Metra system began doing so, and more than six months after Metra sued UP over its fare collection policies. Streetsblog Chicago reports that UP conductors began informing […]
In this Workbench Minute Hal Miller shows how to remove the motor from a Lionel no. 97 coal elevator, clean the brushes, and lubricate the gearing. Then he puts it back together and gets the venerable accessory running again. […]
