June 2007 – Page 2 – Railfanning.org

FreightCar America Builds New Design Ballast Cars for BNSF

June 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — FreightCar America, Inc. has delivered 162 electrically operated all-steel ballast cars to BNSF Railway from its railcar production facility in Johnstown, Pa. These are the first ballast cars BNSF has acquired in over 20 years. They have higher capacity at 110 tons and feature a new technology operating system for the discharge doors. The cars are designed with a new electric, solar-powered activation system, whereby ballast can be dumped remotely by radio control. Their air-operated doors from W. H. Miner Enterprises function like traditional ballast cars, capable of distributing ballast either on the inside or outside of the

NTSB to Release Factual Reports on Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Collision

June 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will release a factual report June 11 into a January Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority passenger train collision that left two workers dead and injured two others. At 1:38 p.m. Jan. 9, southbound MBTA passenger train No. 322, traveling at 60 mph, struck track maintenance equipment near Woburn, Mass. Six track employees were working on or near the equipment at the time. Two employees were fatally injured, two employees were seriously injured and two employees were unhurt. Emergency responders treated and released ten passengers at the accident scene. The information being released is factual

Washington Metro to Install More Red Platform Edge Lights

June 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — It’s going to get a lot easier for Metrorail riders to know when the next train is arriving. The transit authority is installing new red platform edge lights at the Fort Totten, L’Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, Smithsonian, Union Station, Stadium-Armory and Eisenhower Avenue Metrorail stations during the next several weeks. In late February, Metro installed new red LED (light-emitting diode) platform edge lights on the Red Line platform at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metrorail station as part of a pilot program. “As we continue the next phase of installation of the new LED lights, we hope our customers will

The Carlyle Group Acquires Majority Ownership of Atlanta-based RMI

June 6, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA — RMI has announced that global private equity firm The Carlyle Group has acquired a majority stake in the company. Financial terms were not disclosed. Founded in 1979, RMI provides critical web-based transportation and logistics solutions for a variety of participants in the transportation industry, including short-line, regional, Class I and terminal switching railroads, railcar leasing companies, rail shippers and barge operators. RMI’s mission-critical, integrated services assist customers with many aspects of managing their operations, including transportation, equipment, freight and revenue management services. “Now is the right time to re-capitalize the company by bringing in a new equity investor,

Trains delayed by sabotage in south Thailand

June 6, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

Train service in south Thailand is suspended until Friday, while State Railway of Thailand officials inspect tracks after sabotage was discovered on Wednesday in Yala. Two days earlier, a passenger train bound for Pattani derailed after tracks were removed by suspected Muslim insurgents. Twenty people were hurt in the wreck. Also on Wednesday, a Muslim man was fatally shot in Narathiwat, and a school was burned in Yala. — Wikinews

RailAmerica Goes Green: Dallas, Garland & Northeastern Line First to Utilize Environmentally-Friendly Locomotives

June 6, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

BOCA RATON, Fla.– RailAmerica, Inc. announced that its Dallas, Garland & Northeastern Railroad (DGNO) is the first of its 42 roads to put the new N-ViroMotives to work on the line. The DGNO purchased two N-ViroMotives from National Railway Equipment Co. to help reduce fuel costs and lower emissions. Each locomotive is powered by two diesel engine-generator sets that produce 700 horsepower each; if they sit idle for more than 20 minutes, the engines shut down and can be restarted automatically by positioning the reverser lever, which controls the locomotive’s direction of movement. “We are quite happy to be the first

TCRC-MWED and Canadian Pacific reach tentative contract agreement for maintenance of way workers

June 6, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

OTTAWA — The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC-MWED) and Canadian Pacific reached a tentative three-year contract settlement. The agreement follows a national strike which began on May 15th. Workers could be back in their positions over the next few days. The Memorandum of Settlement will be sent to the union membership for ratification over the next few days. TCRC-MWED represents 3,200 maintenance of way workers — PRNewswire-FirstCall

Ten Killed in Australian Crash

June 5, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

VICTORIA, Australia — At least ten people have been killed, and more than 50 injured, when a V/Line passenger train and a semi trailer collided at a grade crossing on the Murray Valley Highway in northern Victoria, Australia. At least 13 more are still missing and are believed to be trapped in the wreckage. The collision, which occurred at 1:40 p.m. local time, was about 6 miles north of the town of Kerang, on the Swan Hill railway line. The train involved in the accident was a service from Swan Hill, which departed at 1:00 p.m. from Swan Hill railway

On Its Anniversary, Norfolk Southern Thanks Supporters

June 1, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corporation today marked the 25th anniversary of its formation, thanking the customers, shareholders, employees and communities that the railroad serves. “Any success we claim is a result of their support and willingness to be true partners,” said Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman. “No company serves a better group of stakeholders.” Norfolk Southern was formed June 1, 1982, from the consolidation of two of the country’s most successful railroads, Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railway, which traced their beginnings respectively to 1827 and 1836 and the earliest days of railroading in North America. A top