Transportation Safety Board releases report on fatal Montreal yard accident

Diagram showing site of fatal switching accident

MONTREAL — A jerk caused by slack action, following a sudden brake application, resulted in a railroad crewman falling from a car he was riding in a fatal January accident at Canadian National’s Pointe-Saint-Charles Yard in Montreal, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada determined in a report released Monday. The Jan. 6, 2021, accident killed […]

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Norfolk Southern reports some headway against congestion, crew hiring

Man in orange vest climbing onto black locomotive

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern is working to hire conductors to fill its depleted crew ranks in key areas of the system, railroad President Alan Shaw has told federal regulators. “We recognize our current service levels do not meet our customers’ or our expectations. We also understand the critical role we play in supporting our customers’ […]

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Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern receive A-minus environmental ratings

CDP logo

LONDON — Norfolk Southern and Kansas City Southern have received A-minus ratings from global environmental non-profit CDP for their efforts to address climate change. Earlier, Canadian National and CSX had been recognized as among 200 companies worldwide named to CDP’s “A list” [see “Canadian National, CSX  named …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 7, 2021]. Norfolk […]

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Canadian government to fund Port of Vancouver improvements

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Canadian government will help fund an engineering study of capacity improvements for a Canadian Pacific rail line in Vancouver as part of a series of projects to improve container traffic in and around the Port of Vancouver. The study will look at improvements on the CP line connecting intermodal and […]

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News Photos: Train derailed by tornado in Kentucky

Aerial view of train derailed by tornado

EARLINGTON, Ky. — Photos of today’s tornado-caused derailment of a CSX train near Earlington, Ky., show the train caught in widespread devastation resulting from the overnight storm. CSX says 28 cars derailed shortly after midnight today [see “Tornado derails train in Kentucky, Trains News Wire, Dec. 11, 2021]. An initial report said the cars were […]

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Federal regulators schedule public hearing on CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways

CSX logo

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a virtual public hearing next month on CSX Transportation’s proposed acquisition of New England regional Pan Am Railways. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 13 and will continue on Jan. 14 if necessary, the board said today. The hearing is part of the board’s […]

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KCS shareholders back merger with Canadian Pacific

Logos for Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern shareholders today overwhelmingly approved the railway’s proposed merger with Canadian Pacific. Some 99.6% of shareholders who voted at a special meeting today approved the $31 billion deal. The transaction is expected to close on Dec. 14. After closing, KCS stockholders will receive $90 in cash and 2.884 CP […]

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NTSB to investigate SEPTA-CSX collision

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

DARBY, Pa. — The National Transportation Safety Board said it will send a team of four investigators to the site of Thursday’s accident between a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley and CSX freight train at a diamond in Darby, Pa. Updated information from a SEPTA spokesman, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, reports the trolley’s […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic continues to lag compared to 2020

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic by commodity, plus intermodal units

WASHINGTON — The months-long trend in U.S. rail traffic — with increased carload volume more than offset by lagging intermodal movements — continues in the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Dec. 4, 2021, railroads originated 255,044 carloads, a 3.9% increase over the same week in 2020, but the […]

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Visit an amazing 4′ x 8′ O gauge layout featuring Lionel, MTH, and K-Line trains

John Cunius' O gauge layout and the cover of Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces.

John Cunius is truly the “Chairman of the Board” when it comes to his O gauge layout. The display, in a corner of his train room, puts the “fun” in “functional.” It has shelves underneath that hold his collection of locomotives, cars, and other equipment. See this and many other space-saving designs in Classic Toy […]

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Visit an amazing 4′ x 8′ O gauge layout featuring Lionel, MTH, and K-Line trains

John Cunius' O gauge layout and the cover of Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces.

John Cunius is truly the “Chairman of the Board” when it comes to his O gauge layout. The display, in a corner of his train room, puts the “fun” in “functional.” It has shelves underneath that hold his collection of locomotives, cars, and other equipment. See this and many other space-saving designs in Classic Toy […]

Read More…