Swiss Spectacular, Part 10: Steam and a summit

Cog railway train rounds curve with clouds in background

ZERMATT, Switzerland — Finally getting back up to date on events on the Trains/Special Interest Tours “Majestic Switzerland” tour: Sunday, Sept. 17 This was our longest day, leaving Chur at 6:25 a.m. and getting to Zermatt at 6:14 p.m. Those times were dictated by our trip on the Furka Cogwheel Steam Railway, the all-volunteer steam […]

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Swiss Spectacular, Part 9: Bernina and beyond

Stone viaduct seen through train windows

ZERMATT, Switzerland — The last couple of days on the Trains/Special Interest Tours “Majestic Switzerland” tour have been long but memorable, so it’s going to take a bit of time to catch up. Today, let’s look back on our activity from Saturday, Sept. 16: If you built a model railroad with track like the route […]

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Chemical shippers complain that railroads aim to shift liability to manufacturers

TankCars_ElmwoodPark_Lassen

WASHINGTON – Railroads are trying to shift liability for the shipment of hazardous materials to chemical producers, a trade association says in a letter to federal regulators. The American Chemistry Council, which represents chemical manufacturers, raised concerns about railroad liability and insurance requirements in a letter this week to the Surface Transportation Board. “Railroads leverage […]

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J.B. Hunt to acquire part of BNSF Railway’s logistics subsidiary

J.B. Hunt will acquire the brokerage operations of BNSF Logistics, which provides third-party logistics services for trucking operations, the companies announced today. A unit of BNSF Railway, BNSF Logistics handles logistics services for full truckload, flatbed, temp-controlled, drayage, expedited, and less-than- truckload movements to a large group of the railway’s customers. Not included in the […]

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PCC cars return to the streets of Philadelphia (updated)

Cream, green and maroon PCC trolley car running in street. PCC cars return to the streets of Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA — Fans of the Presidents’ Conference Committee trolley car, we direct your attention to Route 15 on the SEPTA system. This fall six refurbished PCC cars will return to the route occupied by buses since 2020, according to an AXIOS Philadelphia story. The PCC cars were to begin operating this week, however, SEPTA is […]

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Safety consultant identifies ways Norfolk Southern can improve

ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern’s independent safety consultant has made 11 recommendations the railroad should follow in order to improve its safety culture. Atkins Nuclear Secured, in its first report since being hired in May to assess the railroad’s safety efforts in the wake of the disastrous Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, says NS […]

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Enthusiasts are cut from the same cloth

Two people, holding cameras and wearing hats under a gray sky

Meet the Enthusiasts We are not alone, although it sure can feel that way. Many of us have, at one time or another, may have felt we needed to explain why we like trains and railroading. If we didn’t get the “look,” it was usually “Oh, you still play with trains?” After a while you […]

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A lengthy UAW strike would curb railroads’ US auto volumes

UAW strike A potential United Auto Workers strike against the Big Three automakers would put a dent in railroads’ motor vehicle and parts volume – the traffic segment that’s shown the most growth this year as overall rail volume has declined. The UAW has set a midnight deadline tonight for a strike at Ford, GM, […]

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Swiss Spectacular, Part 7: Cogs and gauges

Two trains at station

ZERMATT, Switzerland — Today was largely a work and transit day — interviews in Montreux for a feature, and a great deal of travel getting from Gstaad to Zermatt — so I’m going to backtrack a bit to talk about part of Tuesday’s trip, the prelude to the GoldenPass Express, our journey on Zentralbahn’s Luzern-Interlaken […]

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