It was deja vu all over again this year as the Federal Railroad Administration adopted its final rule mandating a crew size of two for most trains. The FRA in April issued its final, 233-page rule that generally requires two-person crews. Less than two weeks later four railroads – BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, the Indiana Rail […]
International railroad news in 2024 saw the end of commercial steam operation in China and a threat to the continued use of steam on Germany’s premier narrow-gauge steam network. The year also saw new train technology entering service in many countries, with hydrogen and battery power becoming more widespread. In Saudi Arabia an entire metro […]
In June 1955, Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 No. 1498, built in 1923, shoves two empty hoppers toward a mine near Barrett, W.Va., for loading. W.A. Akin Jr. photo […]
PECOS, Texas — The truck struck by a Union Pacific train in a fatal grade-crossing collision and derailment was on the grade crossing for just over 1 minute before the collision occurred, the National Transportation Safety Board said today (Dec. 22). In an update on its investigation into the Dec. 18 accident that killed two […]
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said he has selected David Fink to become administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. In a post today (Saturday, Dec. 21) on Truth Social, Trump said Fink is a “fifth-generation railroader” who “will bring his 45+ years of transportation leadership and success, which will deliver the FRA into a new […]
Several freight rail business developments did not rank among our Top 10 stories of the year — but were still important in the grand scheme of things. They include: New Southeast-Mexico corridor CSX and Canadian Pacific Kansas City on Dec. 1 began service over the former Meridian & Bigbee short line that serves as a […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a new final rule on freight car safety standards including limitations on cars or parts from China or another “country of concern.” The rule, released Thursday, Dec. 19 and effective Jan. 21, 2025, fulfils a requirement of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The rule requires railcars […]
KEARNY, N.J. — Amtrak has awarded contracts for another major Northeast Corridor project, the Sawtooth Bridge replacement, the company announced Thursday, Dec. 19. A Skansa, Walsh & Herzog joint venture received the contract for pre-construction activities, with future contract opportunities for the project’s full construction. A joint venture of AECOM and STV also received a […]
The Trinity Industries “Pullman-design” 4,750-cubic-foot capacity three-bay covered hopper is now available from Tangent Scale Models. Features on the HO scale car, designed from Pullman-Standard plans and field measurements, include road-specific details, Barber S-2 100-ton trucks with rotating bearing caps and separate brake beam detail, and Kadee scale couplers. Prototype history The Tangent model is […]
In the February 2025 issue of Model Railroader, readers got to learn more about Ted Van Pelt’s Sn3 Rio Grande Southern. The 22 x 22-foot layout, set in Colorado in 1930, features narrow gauge freight and passenger action, many scratchbuilt structures, and photo backdrops of prototype locations in the Centennial State. The walk-in layout has […]
In the February 2025 issue of Model Railroader, readers got to learn more about Ted Van Pelt’s Sn3 Rio Grande Southern. The 22 x 22-foot layout, set in Colorado in 1930, features narrow gauge freight and passenger action, many scratchbuilt structures, and photo backdrops of prototype locations in the Centennial State. The walk-in layout has […]
PECOS, Texas — Two crew members have died after a Union Pacific train collided with a tractor-trailer truck on Wednesday (Dec. 18) and derailed, sending railcars into a trackside building. The second death, of an individual who had been transported to Odessa, Texas, in serious condition, occurred this morning, officials said during a press conference […]
