Kansas City Southern locomotives were full of surprises in both the steam and diesel fleets. Steam locomotives saw a gradual evolution, from 2-8-0 to articulated 0-6-6-0s (an oddball in the industry for road service) and 2-8-8-0s and eventually the much-vaunted 2-10-4s of 1937. The 0-6-6-0s were the largest group of the type built […]
Canadian National U-class 4-8-4 locomotives proved to be the most versatile of the type operated in North America. It’s generally accepted that the ultimate in steam power was the 4-8-4 Northern type, if defined by criteria that includes speed, power, technology, and, perhaps most importantly, versatility. A lot of railroads capped off the steam […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Gov. Mike DeWine today (Friday, March 31) signed Ohio’s $13.5 billion transportation bill, which includes new rail safety requirements as well as a provision crucial to the city of Cincinnati’s plan to sell the Cincinnati Southern Railway to the Norfolk Southern Railway. House Bill 23 requires two-person crews on freight trains within […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Norfolk Southern over the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, seeking recovery of costs and civil penalties for pollution from the release of toxic chemicals as a result of the Feb. 3 incident. The suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern […]
Explore Gregg Condon’s HO scale (1:87.1) model railroad based on 1950s-era Milwaukee Road operations along the Shullsburg Branch in Wisconsin! You’ll enjoy following the action over the rails, plus all the realistic scenes, structures, and details modeled around and about the right-of-way. All of this is a pre-cursor to even more in-depth coverage of the […]
CHICAGO — Union Pacific is working with commuter rail operator Metra to “safely and seamlessly transfer its commuter operation in Chicago, including the employees who perform the work,” UP announced today (Thursday, March 30), setting the stage for an exit from the commuter rail business long sought by the freight operator. UP said Metra will […]
Explore Gregg Condon’s HO scale (1:87.1) model railroad based on 1950s-era Milwaukee Road operations along the Shullsburg Branch in Wisconsin! You’ll enjoy following the action over the rails, plus all the realistic scenes, structures, and details modeled around and about the right-of-way. All of this is a pre-cursor to even more in-depth coverage of the […]
RAYMOND, Minn. — Evacuated residents have begun returning home after an early morning derailment of approximately 22 cars of a BNSF Railway train, some carrying ethanol, and subsequent fire. The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office reported at midday that the evacuation for Raymond, ordered after a derailment about 1 a.m., had been lifted, and said there […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Legislation setting the stage for the Cincinnati Southern Railway passed the Ohio House and Senate on Wednesday, sending the bill to Gov. Mike DeWine. HB23, the state transportation bill, passed the state House by a 93-2 vote and the Senate by a 30-1 vote. A conference committee on Tuesday reconciled differences between […]
FOLEY, Minn. — A 41-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for climbing aboard a BNSF Railway train last year and attacking the engineer with a knife. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports Samuel D. Hohman of Sauk Rapids, Minn., was sentenced Wednesday in Benton County District Court after pleading guilty in February […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The city of Cincinnati’s plan to sell the Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern — which had been in jeopardy — has been revived by the state legislature. WXIX-TV reports that, after the state House and Senate passed versions of a transportation bill with conflicting language regarding the sale, a conference committee […]
CHICAGO — The Illinois Commerce Commission found violations on just 1.3% of the 8,549 railcars inspected in 2022, the commission said in its annual report on accidents and hazardous-material incidents, released last week. When the inspections began in 1981, violations exceeded 12%. “The disaster in East Palestine has rightfully turned attention to our nation’s rail […]
