The new WheelStar-UFPE from GE Measurement & Control is described as “a purpose-built, automated ultrasonic inspection system that allows for comprehensive non-destructive examination of railcar wheels during maintenance without the need to remove the wheelset from the railcar.”
Rep. Brad Ashford (D-NE-2) joined representatives from NMC Railway Systems for a tour of the company’s Omaha facility and discussion of public policy priorities for the local business and rail communities.
In reporting weekly U.S. rail traffic as well as volumes for August 2015 and the first eight months of 2015, the Association of American Railroads said that traffic is beginning to show some signs of growth.
Norfolk Southern unveiled on Sept. 1, 2015 its new GP33ECO switcher locomotive during ceremonies at Inman Yard in Atlanta, Ga.
Holland LP has been chosen to perform wheel truing services for a Class I railroad at the railroad’s field locations in Texas and New Mexico, the company announced Aug. 31, 2015.
Railway Systems Suppliers, Inc. (RSSI), is a trade association made up of 300 member companies that supply Communications, Signal and IT products and services to rail and transit industry.
The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) on August 28, 2015 approved an updated set of rules for transporting hazardous materials by rail. Combined with Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) addition of four Federal Railroad Administration-certified rail inspectors, the rules “aim to improve the state’s ability to prevent incidents and respond to them if they occur,” OTC said.
Irving Oil Ltd., operator of Canada’s largest crude oil refinery, has stopped importing crude oil sourced from the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota and shipped by rail in favor of cheaper crudes from such producers as OPEC, “reflecting a shift in crude costs affecting East Coast refiners during a global slump in oil prices,” the Wall Street Journal recently reported.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded Siemens Industry Inc. and Thales Transport & Security two 67-month contracts worth a total of $205.8 million to install communications-based train control (CBTC) on a portion of the New York City Transit (NYCT) Queens Boulevard Line (QBL).
Aside from unconfirmed reports of isolated tie damage to one Idaho short line, and moments of suspended service on both short lines and Class Is, the dozens of wildfires raging throughout the Northwest have, so far, caused no widespread damage to railway property. That’s remarkable considering the fact that one of the fires, the more than 280,000-acre Okanogan Complex in north central Washington, has been deemed that state’s largest wildfire in recorded history and is currently considered the number one fire priority in the nation. More than 1,200 firefighters are tackling that blaze alone, coming from as far away as Arizona, the East Coast, Australia, and New Zealand.
