Prototype News

by Ken Edmier/photos by the author

French journalist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr coined the phrase, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” The ownership of one of the most beautiful subdivisions of any railroad may have changed on January 1, 2024, but the trains still run along the same towering mountains, cross rivers and streams on majestic bridges, and move freight through scenic vistas as they have for more than 140 years. Welcome to BNSF’s 4th Subdivision along the Clark Fork River in Western Montana.

Northern Pacific Heritage
The Clark Fork River runs almost 350 miles from Warm Springs, Mont., to Lake Pend Oreille, just west of the town of Clark Fork, Idaho. Northern Pacific construction crews arrived at Clark Fork in 1882 and built east along the Clark Fork River to Paradise, Mont. From Paradise, the line followed the Flathead and Jocko rivers and then down Evaro Hill, reaching Missoula, Mont., in summer 1883.

In 1891, NP built a branch line from Missoula to reach the mining town of Wallace, Idaho, following the Clark Fork River from Missoula to St. Regis, Mont. The 2.2 percent grade of Evaro Hill became a headache for NP, so a new connecting link between St. Regis and Paradise was surveyed. The new main line to Paradise via St. Regis was opened in 1909, often referred to as the river line.

ABOVE: A westbound manifest crosses the Clark Fork River near Donlan, Mont., on September 28, 2020. Additional support bridge members were added in 1990 to strengthen the bridge to handle increased railroad tonnage.

This new route was 20 miles longer, but excellent engineering limited the grade to 1 percent westbound and 0.5 percent eastbound. The new route also required five more crossings of the Clark Fork River, most through rugged mountain terrain. NP utilized the river line for most freight trains while still using the Evaro Hill line for passenger trains. The lines became part of Burlington Northern in 1970 and were leased to Dennis Washington in 1987 to become part of Montana Rail Link. In early 2022, BNSF and MRL announced the early termination of the lease agreement, bringing these lines under BNSF control in 2024.

Heading to St. Regis
Interstate 90 roughly follows the 4th Sub between Missoula and St. Regis. Leaving Missoula, the control point at DeSmet allows access over Evaro Hill via the 10th Subdivision. At Schilling, Mont., 13 miles west of Missoula, the remnants of a paper mill remain. Before closing in 2010, the mill was a major source of traffic for the railroad.

Continuing west, the railroad crosses the Clark Fork River at Huson, Mont., and follows the southern bank of the Clark Fork River until St. Regis. Of interest, the old roadbed of The Milwaukee Road’s Pacific Extension can be seen in many places along the north side of I-90. Located approximately 41 miles west of Missoula near Rivulet, Mont., the tracks cross over Fish Creek. This dramatic 576-foot-long trestle, located in the Fish Creek State Park, crosses over Fish Creek right before it flows into the Clark Fork River. Hiking the surrounding hillside affords spectacular views of the bridge and surrounding mountains.

ABOVE: On a wintry January 28, 2022, a westbound loaded coal train crosses over Big Beaver Creek as it flows into the Clark Fork River at Trout Creek.

At St. Regis, both the railroad and the Clark Fork River turn north, passing under I-90 and the old Milwaukee Road railroad bridge; this is where the new line to Paradise left the original branch line to Wallace. In 1933, NP abandoned its own branch line between St. Regis and Haugan, Mont., after flooding took out major portions of the line, in favor of trackage rights on the parallel Milwaukee Road, and a new connection was built at St. Regis. The branch line from St. Regis to Wallace was abandoned by BN on September 2, 1980.

New Line to Paradise
The new 21-mile line from St. Regis to Paradise travels through the Lolo National Forest and was designed to the highest engineering standards, featuring five bridges over the Clark Fork River, three tunnels, and a maximum grade of 0.5 percent. For westbound trains, the line actually heads geographically northeast to Paradise.

Montana State Highway 135 parallels much of the railroad, with numerous vistas and pull-offs to view the line. The Peninsula Dispersed Campground and Recreation Area allows water level viewing of two of the five bridges over the Clark Fork River. The Muchwater Campground and Recreation Area allows for camping along the Clark Fork River with the railroad located just across the riverbank.

ABOVE: On September 24, 2021, an eastbound empty coal train crosses the Trout Creek causeway on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Paradise is the junction of the 4th Subdivision via St. Regis with the 10th Subdivision via Evaro Hill. Trains enter the junction over the last of the five bridges over the Clark Fork River. Today, the station is used by maintenance-of-way crews and the small yard is used to store idle freight cars, usually empty tank and Boeing flatcars. Paradise was also home to a tie plant built by NP in 1910, which continued in operation until it was destroyed by fire in 1982…

The post BNSF Along the Clark Fork River appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

After just shy of one year on the job, Railway Supply Institute (RSI) President Jim Riley on Feb. 13 unexpectedly was dismissed, RSI Board Chair and Progress Rail Executive Vice President Freight Car Services Greg Dalpe announced to members.

“Over the past year, our industry has faced a volatile period defined by uneven economic recovery, complex geopolitical trade topics, industry consolidation and upcoming surface transportation legislation. During this period, the Board of Directors has been revisiting strategic priorities and have come to the decision that there is the need for a leadership change to better support our short and long-term goals. We are appreciative of Jim’s leadership and contributions over the past year and wish him the best in future endeavors.”

RSI Vice President Government & Public Affairs Ashley Shelton became Acting President, effective immediately.

“RSI has achieved a lot over the past five years with our focus and work on advocacy and effectively supporting a wide range of technical committees to deliver on our mission to proactively advance safety, innovation, technology, and sustainability within the rail industry,” Dalpe said Now is the time for RSI to advance our strategic priorities to be able to continue our work and ensure we are supporting all of the constituents we serve and represent in our industry. I am working closely with the Board of Directors and Smithbucklin to search for a permanent replacement. We will share updates on this process and remain fully committed to sustaining RSI’s current momentum throughout this transition.”

 RSI is managed by Smithbucklin, a professional services company serving non-profits and industry associations.

The post Riley Departs RSI appeared first on Railway Age.

Virginia leaders from Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, and Manassas along with Maryland leaders from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and cities of College Park, Greenbelt, and Rockville recently endorsed the DMVMoves Task Force recommendations “to increase regional funding to WMATA’s annual capital budget by $460 million and to index the new funding to grow at 3% annually to address inflation and support a revolving bond program.”

The DMVMoves initiative brought leaders in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia together in May 2024 to develop a unified vision for the region, “delivering a more efficient, reliable, and seamless experience for transit users across all three jurisdictions,” according to the agency. After concluding 18-months of work groups and meetings, a historic vote in November by Washington WMATA and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) boards endorsed future dedicated funding for the agency and recommendations to better integrate the region’s 14 transit operators, including WMATA, MARC, VRE, and local bus systems. 

“We appreciate Virginia and Maryland leaders’ collective show of support to ensure America’s Metro System continues to deliver the world-class service our region deserves,” said WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “Metro’s future is bright, and I am confident with this new dedicated funding indexed to grow, we will continue to deliver the service this region deserves.”  

All jurisdictions are now working through their governing boards and legislative sessions to identify how to advance the DMVMoves recommended capital funding investment.

The DART Board of Directors on Feb. 10 voted on a resolution that “proposes a new governance and funding model for its 13 member cities,” according to a KERA report.

Under the new model, according to the report, “each city would get a seat on the board as opposed to some seats being shared by a single member. That would reduce the city of Dallas’ majority on the board to 45%. It would also implement a program that would return sales tax contributions to member cities over the course of six years.”

“For our organization to try to be a regional organization, and not just our services, but how we address the concerns of our 13 cities, I felt it would be best that for both governance and for funding that we approach both problems with a regional solution,” said DART Board Chairman Randall Bryant.

The resolution on the new funding model passed in a 14 to 1 vote, with Dallas and Cockrell Hill representative Enrique Macgregor voting against it, according to the KERA report.

The vote comes after Plano’s City Manager announced Feb. 9 that the city is “considering DART’s proposal.” The Plano City Council tabled a decision on a rideshare service that would have replaced DART if voters chose to withdraw in the May 2 election, according to the report.

The new proposal, KERA reports, “also calls for DART and the North Central Texas Council of Governments to create a new transit authority for all commuter rail lines in North Texas. That authority would then operate DART’s Silver Line, Trinity Metro’s Trinity Railway Express, TEXRail and Denton County Transit Authority’s A-Train.”

The Regional Transportation Council (RTC), which represents various local governments and entities on transportation matters, would also provide funding to cities under the new model, according to the report.

DART, KERA reports, “is also going to seek additional funding through a local effort for a new vehicle registration fee, depending on state legislation. The board will vote on specific language in an interlocal agreement later this month.”

The RTC was expected to vote on its participation in the new funding model with DART on Feb 12.

Withdrawal elections in six member cities—Addison, Farmers Branch, Highland Park, Irving, Plano and University Park—are still scheduled for May 2. Cities have until March 18 to rescind the elections.

After news of a recent MOU, which was signed Jan. 20, between Canada’s Building Trades Unions, the Building Trades of Alberta and Friends of CABR, Mayor Morgan Nagel said, “he is excited about the [C$2.6 billion] project and what it could mean for Cochrane,” according to a Cochrane Eagle report.

“The Calgary–Banff rail project presents a truly transformational opportunity for Cochrane,” Nagel said. “Essentially, this train would mean Cochrane suddenly has a real and thriving tourism industry. From there, I think the world may realize that Cochrane’s unique western identity can provide an experience that nowhere else can offer.”

According to the report, Nagel said the project “could create opportunities for hotels, restaurants and entertainment businesses, attracting visitors not only from neighboring communities but from across Canada and internationally.”

“One of our top priorities in Cochrane is supporting local businesses and attracting new major job creators,” he said. “If we can get a train connecting Cochrane to the Rockies, it will unlock a new paradigm for our tourism industry.”

Friends of CABR Executive Director Bruce Graham said the Calgary-Banff proposal “stands out among rail projects in Canada due to its relative affordability and readiness to proceed,” according to the Cochrane Eagle report.

Graham, according to the report, added, that the key advantage of the Calgary–Banff proposal “is its use of an existing Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) rail corridor.”

“There’s a lot of added cost and time involved in creating a new corridor,” he said. “What we’re doing is adding a rail line within an existing, disturbed rail corridor that CPKC already has secured.”

Despite that advantage, including only building 20 of the 150-km-proejct, Graham said “the province appears to be leaning toward a high-speed express option that would bypass several communities, including Cochrane,” the Cochrane Eagle reports.

For now, the Cochrane Eagle reports, “project proponents and Friends of CABR are awaiting an announcement from the province on which direction it will take. Meanwhile, the Town of Cochrane continues to advocate for the Calgary–Banff rail proposal.”

“When it comes to Cochrane, our first focus is making sure it happens,” Nagel said. “We’re doing everything we can to encourage stakeholders and decision-makers to get behind this project, and it’s something we’re talking about and working toward on a weekly basis.”

The post Transit Briefs: WMATA, DART, CABR appeared first on Railway Age.

HNTB on Feb. 12 reported hiring Alicia Leite as a senior associate to help expand the firm’s transit planning practice, as well as its client relationships across the Northeast and nationally.

With experience in public transportation planning, customer experience, transit service planning, and organizational strategy, Leite served most recently at WSP as Assistant Vice President, Advisory Services. She also spent more than ten years at the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), where she held several senior leadership roles within the Bureau of Public Transportation.

While at CTDOT, Leite oversaw customer experience, marketing, and planning functions across rail, bus and paratransit services statewide. She led the creation of the department’s Customer Experience (CX) Unit and directed development of the Statewide Customer Experience Action Plan, working closely with transit districts, rail operators, advocacy organizations and community stakeholders. Her work focused on improving rider satisfaction, accessibility, equity and consistency across Connecticut’s multimodal transit network. Leite also played a key role in advancing mobility innovation and transit technology, including authoring and helping to secure a SMART grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Connecticut Integrated Transit Mobility Project. This initiative supported open payments, unified fare strategies, and the identification of a statewide mobility application, positioning Connecticut as a leader in customer-focused transit modernization, according to HNTB. In addition, Leite managed and supported bus service planning, service expansion, fare equity analysis and federal transit programs.

Leite’s background also includes work on rail start-up support, bus rapid transit, grant-funded pilot programs and public engagement for major transit initiatives.

She is a graduate of the American Public Transportation Association’s Emerging Leaders Program and serves as a national mentor. Recently, Leite was appointed to a two-year term on the APTA Emerging Leaders Program committee. She is an active member in the Connecticut chapters of WTS and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO).

Now as HNTB’s senior associate in transit planning, Leite will “partner with transit agencies to deliver strategic transit planning, customer experience programs, service planning, organizational assessments, and mobility innovation initiatives that enable agencies to meet evolving rider expectations and long-term operational goals,” according to the firm.

“Alicia brings a rare combination of public-sector leadership, customer experience expertise and hands-on transit planning experience,” said Jake Argiro, Connecticut Office Leader and Vice President at HNTB. “Her work at CTDOT, including statewide customer experience initiatives and federal innovation grants, aligns directly with what our clients need as they modernize systems and respond to changing customer expectations. She will be instrumental in growing our transit planning capabilities.”

“Joining HNTB gives me the opportunity to continue working alongside transit agencies and improve how people experience public transportation,” Leite said. “My career has focused on putting riders first through thoughtful planning, customer experience and innovation. HNTB’s collaborative approach and strong transit practice create an ideal platform to help agencies deliver meaningful, lasting improvements.”

Separately, earlier this year, Kimberly Lesay joined HNTB as Transportation Planning Practice Consultant, and HNTB Senior Vice President Michael Mangione became the firm’s New York Office Leader.

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The firm reported that U.S. container import volumes totaled 2,318,722 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in January, down 6.8% year-over-year but slightly above the six-year average for the month and posting modest gains over December. U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports increased their share of total imports to 40.8%, up from 39.3% in December, “reflecting the ongoing return of freight volumes to the East Coast as Red Sea trade routes reopen and imports from Europe, Africa, and South America increase.” China-origin imports increased 9.3% from December but remain approximately 22% below 2025 levels. While the largest percentage gains of China-origin imports were observed at the Port of Houston, multiple West Coast gateways, including Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma, and Seattle, recorded month-over-month gains.

Industry analysts interpret muted pre-Lunar New Year demand to be the result of “ongoing tariff uncertainty, hesitant consumer sentiment, and a return to typical seasonal demand patterns,” according to the Nevada-based third-party logistics (3PL) firm. Volumes are therefore forecasted to continue declines from late January through early February before rebounding as freight that was loaded just prior to the Lunar New Year lands in the U.S.

“While forecasted container volumes year-over-year are flat to slightly up from 2025, it is important to acknowledge that volume last year was exceptionally strong due to frontloading ahead of anticipated tariffs,” said ITS Logistics Vice President of Global Supply Chain Paul Brashier. “Expect this volume to impact the U.S. West Coast throughout February and subside by March.”

Outside of the ports, severe winter weather has created challenges for truckload transportation, according to the ITS Logistics report. While January disruptions in port-to-rail service and linehaul operations have largely returned to normal, carriers continue to report downstream bottlenecks and major delays across inland terminals in Chicago, Cincinnati, and Memphis, according to the Journal of Commerce. Ongoing winter weather continues to impact inland transportation across the Central and Eastern U.S., extending transit times and disrupting supply chains.

“Inland transportation lanes longer than 30 miles should be closely monitored in weather-affected areas, as increased transit times will reduce the number of deliveries a driver can turn,” Brashier added.

Evolving non-domiciled carrier regulations also continue to shape domestic transportation capacity, specifically with regard to English-language proficiency (ELP), the firm noted. In Oklahoma, roadside ELP checks are being reported along the I-35, a key cross-border corridor. The joint enforcement effort between OHP and federal ICE agents, known as Operation Guardian, “has resulted in multiple arrests stemming from immigration violations and failure to meet ELP standards,” per Fox News. Across the state line, Texas has issued 1,381 ELP out-of-service violations since June of last year, according to analysis by researcher Danielle Chaffin. In contrast, its domiciled carrier base has received more than 3,300 citations nationwide, including roughly 500 carriers identified as “repeat offenders.”

ITS Logistics each month releases the ITS Logistics U.S. Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index, which forecasts port container and dray operations for the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf regions. Ocean and domestic container rail ramp operations are also highlighted in the index for both the West Inland and East Inland regions.

The post ITS Logistics Issues February US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index appeared first on Railway Age.

IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) District 19, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) on Feb. 12 reported that they have “invoked federal mediation after more than a year of stalled contract talks with Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC).”

According to the three unions, they have been bargaining as a coalition since February 2025 under 19 collective bargaining agreements with CPKC, which was created in 2023 through the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern (KCS), forming the first single-line, transnational railway connecting Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. “While the parties are in accord on wage increases consistent with agreements with the other Class I railroads and have agreed to nationally negotiated health care changes, significant issues remain unresolved,” they said. “CPKC’s DM&E [Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern] employees remain excluded from the railroad industry’s National Health and Welfare Plan and earn about 10% less than [CPKC-subsidiary] Soo Line workers and more than 12% less than nearby Kansas City Southern employees, despite performing the same work. They are the only U.S. craft employees at any Class I railroad without coverage under the national plan or an equivalent plan. Additionally, CPKC’s proposed sick leave agreement is more restrictive and conditioned than the sick leave agreements the unions have with the other Class I railroads, and CPKC’s Delaware and Hudson employees are also underpaid.”

The three unions reported that when Canadian Pacific reacquired the DM&E, whose lines run primarily through Iowa and Missouri, and later merged with KCS, “executives promised DM&E employees their wages would be brought up to Soo Line rates,” but noted that “those commitments have not been honored.”

Because talks have stalled, the unions said, they have requested mediation services from the National Mediation Board under the Railway Labor Act.

“We are prepared to work through the Railway Labor Act process,” the unions said. “But fairness for DM&E employees is not optional; respect and dignity are long overdue.”

In a Feb. 13 statement to Railway Age, CPKC said: “In recent months, CPKC has reached and seen ratified 17 new collective bargaining agreements (with two other tentative agreements reached and pending ratification) covering hundreds of employees working in 11 states across the CPKC network in the United States. We will continue to pursue agreements through direct engagement with IAM District 19, BRS and BMWED, with the assistance of mediators from the National Mediation Board. CPKC remains committed to bargaining in good faith with all our union partners.”

• 16 U.S. Contracts Ratified, 2 Tentative Agreements Reached at CPKC (part of Class I briefs)
• BLET Teamsters at SEPTA, CPKC Soo Line Ratify New Contracts
• CPKC Reaches Tentative U.S. Labor Agreements

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