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The lagging and jacket does not add significantly to the girth of a boiler : ~3" of insulation (which I believe was typically a magnesia-asbestos blend) covered with a 1/32" (+/-) jacket. I believe the PRR decapods had so-called "extended wagon top" boilers, not conical.

...The rub is the fact that the crew shortage has been manufactured... Leaving aside the PSR contribution to the current situation, the genesis of the current shortage is the tried and true practice of railroads furloughing crafts to weather business turn-downs and delaying hiring until it is too l...

I don't have an ORER handy... how many serviceable freight cars remain with PAR/predecessor marks?

I read somewhere that there was a furniture factory in West Ossipee/Mt Whittier that had rail service. In Googlemaps, you can see what looks to be the foundation/remains of a building (and a curious 45-ft diameter circular foundation) just west of the old station. If that was indeed a shipper, it lo...

UK, rr.net is by no means a rail employment site, but if you look through the history of this forum, you'll see a lot more activity in times when railroads were hiring. It's just gone very quiet and I suspect it's a reflection of current prevailing attitudes about such careers. PS: No US road is goi...

Activity on the employment forum has always seemed to ebb and flow with railroad hiring... the more active the hiring, the more active the forum. Roads are desperate for new hires now, yet the board here remains surprisingly quiet. Is the forum's lack of activity a reflection on prevailing attitudes...

I've long wondered: what do homes in e.g. the cold-weather Midwest use to heat their homes? Especially in suburban/rural areas. Depending on the state, Midwest residential heating is 60-80% natural gas. Electricity as a heating source is bigger, as well. Maine/New England is really an anomoly with ...

...The LPG demand in Maine is growing… the home fuel mix is changing and there is a lot of new construction. LPG hot water heaters, boilers, stoves and fireplaces are all popular as they are more efficient than old oil burners, and a good alternative if you don’t have natural gas off the street. In...

Bumping an old thread... given that so many railroaders are pulliing the pin nowadays, I thought I'd post a link to Highball Advisers' Youtube channel. This is not an endorsement of his services, but Mr McNamara's many videos help to answer many of the common (and uncommon) questions you typically h...

As for unit ethanol... actually ethanol for blending. Canada lets provincial rules govern the blends but new laws are starting to push higher ethanol content in gasolines for Canadians. CP already moves E85 (3475) but CN moves E85 plus some 1987 placards. This got me curious about potential. Curren...

CPRS paid 10 time for a railroad (CMQ) that they casted off 25+ years ago. That implies CP actually sold their lines for to Irving and Iron Road in 1995/1996 for $10M... is that accurate? I can't recall. Not quite apples and oranges comparison considering they only bought back Brownville Jct - west...

Further to the strategic chess game commentary, I'll throw this out (and apologies if this has already been posited, but I've not seen this said outright): CP's acquisition of CMQ itself likely was a factor in CSX's interest in acquiring PAR. Consider that CP retreated from the region in the mid-90s...

Thanks for sharing, Greg. Based on the light, it looks like RY-2 could have made it to the Notch before nightfall. Brings back good memories of the Mountain. Happy New Year!

One of the big logistical challenges with reefer traffic is servicing/repair of the reefer units. I assume that MNR has folks to call if a unit needs fuel or konks out.

Backhaul to the West Coast. It would be ironic if the prior load was french fries from Idaho to New England - a carrier's dream!

PS Looks like some other posters beat me to the punch by a day or two... a little more info in on the Pan Am thread (Up North string)