November 13, 2014 | BNSF, Headlines, Technology
(Source: International Railway Journal, November 13, 2014) LONDON — BNSF is testing an SD40 locomotive which has been modified by National Railway Equipment (NRE) to increase its tractive effort and adhesion. Full story: International Railway...
October 20, 2014 | FRA, Headlines, Technology
(Source: Progressive Railroading, October 17, 2014) The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approved Caltrain’s plan to begin implementing and testing its positive train control (PTC) system, the agency announced yesterday. Known as interoperable...
August 14, 2014 | Headlines, Oil Train, Technology
(Source: Reuters, August 13, 2014) LONDON — Gas-fueled locomotives are not a new idea. Plymouth Locomotive Company built the first propane-fueled rail engine as early as 1936. Full story: Reuters
August 13, 2014 | Headlines, Technology
(Source: Reuters, August 12, 2014) WASHINGTON, D.C. — From modest beginnings in the Barnett shale beneath the city of Fort Worth, unnoticed by most energy analysts, horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing spread across North America and transformed all aspects of...
August 6, 2014 | Headlines, Oil Train, Technology
(Source: Watertown Daily Times, August 6, 2014) WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Safety rules for railroad carriers have been toughened as trains continue to ship more crude oil — a trend New York Air Brake will capitalize on by launching new locomotive brake products. Full story:...
July 28, 2014 | Headlines, Technology
(Source: Hearst Newspapers, July 27, 2014) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Faced with a huge increase in hazardous oil-carrying trains, California is urging quicker implementation of technology that would prevent train accidents caused by human error. But after pushing back...
June 13, 2014 | Headlines, Technology
(Source: Omaha World-Herald, June 13, 2014) OMAHA, Neb. — Mandated by a 2008 federal law, positive train control has been beset by delays, expense and trouble. Originally slated to be partially finished by next year, pending legislation seeks to extend the deadline,...
May 27, 2014 | BNSF, Headlines, Technology
(Source: The Forum, May 23, 2014) BISMARCK, N.D. — As a North Dakota company prepares to fire up the state’s first production facility for liquefied natural gas, the nation’s largest railroad is pursuing a switch from diesel-powered to LNG-powered locomotives,...
May 23, 2014 | Headlines, High Speed Rail, Technology
(Source: Gizmodo, May 22, 2014) NEW YORK — To get up to top speed, bullet trains have to pull a huge amount of electrical current from the grid. typically through unsightly overhead power lines. But this newly debuted train prototype from South Korea sucks up...
May 21, 2014 | Headlines, Technology
(Source: Railway Age, May 20, 2014) NEW YORK — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced yesterday that it had entered into an agreement with the seven Class I railroads to address the pre-May 31, 2013, construction of positive train control (PTC)...
