Norfolk Southern claims CSX violations of Pan Am Railways agreements hurt competition and service in New England

Train at rail yard with tower in background

ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern, in a lawsuit filed this week in Delaware, accuses CSX Transportation of hampering its access to New England by repeatedly violating the operating agreements related to CSX’s 2022 acquisition of regional Pan Am Railways. The agreements became conditions for the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the June 1 Pan Am acquisition. […]

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Design of crossing contributed to fatal Southwest Chief accident, NTSB says

Aerial view of accident site with debris of truck hit by train

WASHINGTON — The design of the grade crossing, which made it difficult for a driver to see an approaching train, was a contributing factor in last year’s fatal collision and derailment involving Amtrak’s Southwest Chief in Mendon, Mo., the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final accident report released today (Aug. 2, 2023). The […]

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CPKC issues annual grain service outlook

Two red locomotives with train of hopper cars

CALGARY — Recovery from British Columbia’s port strikes could last into 2024, potentially impacting grain movements, CPKC said this week in issuing 2023-24 Grain Service Outlook Report. The annual report outlines plans to handle Canada’s grain harvest for export. “As we look toward the upcoming 2023-2024 crop year, CPKC is once again well prepared to […]

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More important than ever: NS First Responders Train

People listen to instructor while standing inside of tank car

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Now in its eighth season, Norfolk Southern’s First Responders Train continues its mission of training 5,000 firefighters, emergency medical technicians, police and dispatchers each year at cities around NS’s 19,000-route-mile, 22-state system. From March to October, the eight-car train circulates among 12 to 15 cities, offering free training in emergency procedures to […]

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Heartland Flyer’s challenging connections with the Southwest Chief

Time-exposure photo of passenger train blurred as it passes station building at night

NEWTON, Kan. — Extending the Heartland Flyer 198 miles to connect with the Chicago-Los Angeles Southwest Chief at Newton, Kan., has been a goal of passenger rail advocates ever since the state-funded train between Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City debuted in June 1999. In the meantime, passengers wishing to travel between these north-south and […]

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CN moves retired GE units in ‘funeral train’

Train with long string of dead locomotives

WELLAND, Ontario — A Canadian National “funeral train” of 18 Dash 8 locomotives, part of an auction and sale in June 2023, arrived in Welland, Ont, on July 29, concluding a trip from Iowa. The locomotives will be handed off to the GIO Rail Trillium operation, which will deliver them to SLM Recycling of Welland. […]

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Diesel assists steam on the Central

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Two Fairbanks-Morse diesels, a five-axle “C-Liner” and an older “Erie-built,” doublehead with J-1 Hudson 5273 on eastbound mail train 32 at Millbury Junction, Ohio, 7.5 miles east of Toledo on New York Central’s old LS&MS main line, in September 1955. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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Ask Trains.com July 2023 compilation part two

Ask Trains.com July compilation part two: An image of a man standing behind a workbench

Ask Trains.com July 2023 compilation part two: Cody Grivno answers viewer questions regarding weathering freight car trucks, accurately scratchbuilding a switcher locomotive interior using prototype references, passenger train departure and arrival announcement recordings, and more! Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? We’d love […]

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