Digest: Virgin sues Brightline over end of licensing agreement

A streamlined passenger train on a double-tracked mainline with palm trees in the background.

  Virgin sues Brightline for $251 million over end of ‘Virgin Trains’ name Virgin Enterprises, the corporation headed by Sir Richard Branson, is suing Brightline over the rail operator’s decision to drop the “Virgin Trains” name. The BBC reports Virgin is suing for $251 million, saying Brightline is reneging on a 20-year licensing deal by […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, detail, and decal announcements for March 11, 2021

Bay-window caboose

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 March 11, 2021. HO scale freight cars American Car & Foundry 5,250-cubic-foot-capacity […]

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Amtrak says it will pay for platform work on Gulf Coast

Glass-backed Amtrak observation car alongside a station platform.

MOBILE, Ala. — Pending approval from the Federal Railroad Administration, Amtrak intends to pay for repairs to station platforms to be used by the Gulf Coast service Amtrak plans to launch in 2022. Vice President of Stations and Accessibility Dr. David Handera told members of the Southern Rail Commission, holding their quarterly meeting on Friday, […]

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Kentucky steam group gains ownership of three former Indiana museum pieces

Cranes and a truck moving a piece of railroad equipment.

In a landmark deal, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation has acquired a historic water tender and accompanying former-Pennsylvania Railroad Railway Post Office car from the Indiana Transportation Museum. Both cars, along with a former-Pennsylvania Railroad baggage car, were transported from Indiana to the KSHC property in Irvine, Kentucky, in late 2018. The cars were part […]

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All-female steam crew to help Strasburg Rail Road mark International Women’s Day

Two women railroaders pose near the pilot of a steam locomotive.

RONKS, Pa. — Strasburg Rail Road’s first-ever all-female steam engine crew will run all trips for the Pennsylvania tourist line this Saturday, March 6. The assignment coincides with International Women’s Day (March 8) and Women’s History Month. In the cab will be Andrea Biesecker as engineer and Shelley Hall as fireman. They will run the […]

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New Hope Valley Railway returns to action with ‘Hop Into Spring’

A person rides the steps of a caboose on the back of a train in a green forested landscape.

The North Carolina Railway Museum, which lost most of its 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic, will begin 2021 operations of the New Hope Valley Railway with a new event later in March. The all-volunteer, non-profit railway, will host “Hop into Spring,” with rides Saturday and Sunday, March 27-27. The event will feature socially distant […]

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Digest: Schneider to double intermodal operations to address environmental objectives

A single orange shipping container in an intermodal well car.

  Schneider plans to double intermodal operations as part of sustainability efforts Intermodal, logistics, and trucking firm Schneider plans to double its intermodal operations by 2030 as part of its Environmental, Social, and Governance objectives, a move the Green Bay, Wis., company says will reduce carbon emissions by an additional 700 million pounds per year. […]

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Digest: Railway Interchange postponed to 2023

Railway Interchange Logo

Railway Interchange trade show and conference postponed to 2023 Railway Interchange, the biennial rail conference and exhibition that is the largest event of its kind in North America, has been postponed to 2023. The event had been set for September 2021 in Indianapolis. In a message on its website, organizers say they have made the […]

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The Home Depot looks to boost rail’s role in bulk shipments

View of a Home Depot distribution center. Wide-angle image.

The Home Depot is in the midst of a five-year, $1.2 billion expansion of its distribution network that will allow railroads to increase their share of inbound bulk items sold in the retailer’s 2,200 stores. The expansion, which includes larger buildings with more rail spots, is an opportunity for railroads to convert freight from the […]

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February rail traffic shows impact of severe weather

Complex table of freight traffic for the week ended Feb. 27. The article text has more details.

WASHINGTON — February’s severe weather across the nation drove rail traffic downward for the month, but traffic showed recovery during the week ending Feb. 27, according to the Association of American Railroads. In a press release, AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray said the weather wrecked “havoc on all forms of transportation, including rail. […]

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