Operations on the Delaware Lackawanna

TRN_locomotive_video_power_chapter_53_0121

This video was originally published by Trains as part of the Locomotive 2017 DVD.   The northeast United States continues to be an Alco and MLW stronghold. The largest percentage of active units from these two builders call many short line railroads in this region home. Two of these railroads, Western New York & Pennsylvania […]

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Operations on the Delaware Lackawanna

TRN_locomotive_video_power_chapter_53_0121

This video was originally published by Trains as part of the Locomotive 2017 DVD.   The northeast United States continues to be an Alco and MLW stronghold. The largest percentage of active units from these two builders call many short line railroads in this region home. Two of these railroads, Western New York & Pennsylvania […]

Read More…

Rolling stones: rock, stone, sand — aggregates that railroads make money hauling

  At first glance, aggregates — stone, sand, and gravel — are unlikely darlings among railroad commodities. They’re low-value and they tend to move only short distances. But even though their revenue per car is low, they are nearly perfect freight: indestructible and relatively harmless if spilled. In fact, stones and sand not only make […]

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Rolling stones: rock, stone, sand — aggregates that railroads make money hauling

  At first glance, aggregates — stone, sand, and gravel — are unlikely darlings among railroad commodities. They’re low-value and they tend to move only short distances. But even though their revenue per car is low, they are nearly perfect freight: indestructible and relatively harmless if spilled. In fact, stones and sand not only make […]

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Ann Arbor Railroad freight trains remembered

Diesel switch engine switching railroad car ferry

  Ann Arbor Railroad freight trains and car ferries were the life blood of this Michigan-based shortline railroad, which is Classic Trains’ Railroad of the Month for December 2020. We hope you enjoy each of these freight train images from the David P. Morgan Library at Kalmbach Media. If you enjoy this gallery, you may […]

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Digest: Transport Canada plan to require more rail data begins comment period

Transport Canada logo

Transport Canada opens consultation on collection of Class I freight data Transport Canada has begun the consultation period on a proposal to collect new data from Class I freight railroads, including service and performance information that would be available to the public. In addition to the weekly service and performance data, the proposal would require […]

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Freight forecasters expect intermodal growth, slow going for carload traffic in 2021

Red-and-black painted CN locomotive leads an intermodal train beside a soybean field.

  BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Intermodal traffic will grow in 2021 but carload traffic will continue to struggle to recover from the pandemic in the new year, according to a freight forecasting firm’s outlook. Todd Tranausky, vice president of rail and intermodal at FTR Transportation Intelligence, projects that intermodal volume will grow by 5.4% next year. […]

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NTSB report finds train building method, use of hand brakes on empty cars led to 2017 CSX derailment (updated)

Overhead shot of several freight cars derailed and burning.

 WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a half-dozen safety recommendations as a result of its investigation into an Aug. 2, 2017, CSX Transportation derailment in Hyndman, Pa. Thirty-three cars of a 178-car train derailed, resulting in an evacuation order covering about 1,000 residents and damage estimated at $1.8 million. The report […]

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Railroads ride intermodal surge, with strong demand expected to continue

A blue-and-yellow painted locomotive leads an intermodal train through a truss bridge and over a double-diamond.

BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, and Union Pacific all set intermodal volume records in November as imports surged, retailers continued to restock depleted inventories, and consumer spending and e-commerce remained strong. The other big Class I systems — Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, and Norfolk Southern — were handling intermodal volumes at near-record levels. “It’s a perfect […]

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U.S. rail carload gap narrows in weekly AAR stats; intermodal remains strong

Table of U.S. freight rail traffic for the week ended Dec. 5, 2020.

WASHINGTON — Total carload traffic is inching toward 2019 levels as 2020 nears its conclusion, while intermodal volume continues to boost overall rail traffic above same-week levels for 2019, according to the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. For the week ending Dec. 5, 2020 — the 49th week of the year — […]

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Digest: Stockton Diamond project receives $100 million California grant

Stockton_Diamond

More Friday morning rail news Stockton Diamond gets $100 million grant from California The Stockton Diamond project, which seeks to replace a busy at-grade Central California rail crossing with a flyover, has received a $100 million grant from the California Transportation Commission. The Manteca Bulletin reports the grant will help fund a $237 million project that plans […]

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