• HOME
  • NEWS
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
    • Info & Updates
    • Subscribe/Renew with PayPal
    • Subscribe/Renew with Credit Card
    • Back Issues
    • Retrospectives
  • CONTACT US
  • AVAILABLE AT

All about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm

Cowcatcher Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Top News
    • Class 1 Railroads
    • Short Line Railroads
    • Light Rail / Commuter
    • Model Railroading
    • Railroad in Focus
    • Up Close
    • Heritage
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Information & Updates
    • Subscribe or Renew with Paypal
    • Subscribe or Renew with Credit Card
    • Back Issues
    • Retrospectives
  • Contact Us
  • Available At

BNSF to order ‘Next Generation’ tank cars as railroad industry gets tougher on crude transport

March 5th, 2014

BNSF Railway announced in February it is soliciting bids for the construction of 5,000 strengthened “Next Generation” tank cars to haul oil and ethanol.

Cars to be built are to exceed the stronger new standards the industry voluntarily adopted in October 2011 for the CPC-1232 jacketed tank car and will add new safety requirements. The tank car body shell and head ends will be built of thicker steel and, will have half-inch thick steel shields on either end to help prevent cracking during an accident. Cars also will have pressure-relief valves that could withstand an ethanol-based fire.

BNSF’s plans are a little unusual, because railroads don’t typically own tank cars.

“This BNSF tank car RFP represents a significant voluntary commitment that may help accelerate the transition to the Next Generation Tank Car and provide tank car builders a head start on tank car design and production, even as the Department of Transportation, railroads and shippers continue to engage in the formal rulemaking process,” the company said in a statement recently. “BNSF believes that the RFP process will provide market participants more certainty, sooner.”

The safety of rail transport of crude and natural gas has come under the microscope since last July. A Montreal, Maine & Atlantic train carrying crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, killing 47 people. Lawsuits have been filed against the Canadian government as well as the railroad, the company’s president, train operator and others. The MM&A filed for bankruptcy.

Policymakers and railroad officials have huddled since the first of the year to address growing concern over how to safely move crude oil by rail.

In February, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Association of the American Railroads (AAR) agreed to institute  new voluntary operating practices for trains with 20 or more cars of crude oil.

Among the initiatives are increased track inspections, equipping trains with distributed power or two-way telemetry end-of-train devices, use of rail traffic routing technology and lower speeds.

By no later than July 1, railroads will operate trains that include at least one older DOT-111 car no faster than 40 miles per hour in the 46 federally designated high-threat urban areas. Until then, railroads will operate trains with 20 or more carloads of hazardous materials, including crude oil, at the industry self-imposed speed limit of 50 miles per hour.

Also, effective March 25, at least one additional internal-rail inspection will be performed each year above those required by new FRA regulations on main line routes over which trains moving crude oil travel. Railroads will conduct at least two high-tech track geometry inspections each year.

Railroads will also begin using the Rail Corridor Risk Management System (RCRMS) to aid in determining the safest and most secure rail routes.

In January, following derailments in North Dakota and Canada, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx challenged leaders from top rail industry organizations and CEOs of the nation’s largest railroads to analyze the routings of trains carrying crude oil to determine and then reduce any risks.

The meeting, which was also attended by representatives of the nation’s leading oil and natural gas producers, was sandwiched between two of the most recent derailments. About a week before, a Canadian National train hauling oil and natural gas derailed near a northwestern New Brunswick village. In mid-February, 21 cars of a 120-car Norfolk Southern train carrying heavy Canadian crude derailed and spilled 3,000-4,000 gallons in western Pennsylvania.

“The (rail) industry … can undertake preventative steps that will enhance the safety of these materials across the country,” Foxx said.

According to the Energy Information Administration, U.S. crude oil production will reach 8.5 million barrels per day by the end of 2014 – up from just five million barrels per day in 2008.

U.S. freight railroads transported nearly 234,000 carloads of crude in 2012, up from 9,500 carloads in 2008. Early data suggest that rail carloads of crude surpassed 400,000 in 2013.

More on this story in the March/April issue of Cowcatcher Magazine.

 

  • Class 1 Railroads, News
  • Current Issue: March/April 2023

     

     

    INSIDE THIS ISSUE

  • General Purpose

    Nearly 75 years after the first General Purpose locomotive rolled off the assembly line at General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division, the workhorse diesel is still doing the job it was meant to do. The four-axle “Geep” is making main line moves, switching industries and doing short road work on mostly secondary railroads. Introduced in 1949 as the “ugly duckling” GP7, it has settled into a comfortable role and is always in demand, whether by lease or purchase. The Cowcatcher looks at the locomotive’s rise and some of its popular variations.

  • NRail Celebrates 50 Years

    NTRAK is a household name in model railroading and has something to celebrate. NTRAK and T-TRAK organizations within NRail have blossomed in the last 50 years to become the glue or common thread of modular model railroading and promote N scale in most areas of the U.S. and Canada and other countries.

     

     

  • M.T.H. Regaining Footing

    Its future once uncertain, O model maker M.T.H. Electric Trains is moving forward with a new business plan making new model train products sold exclusively within the company’s dealer network.

     

  • PLUS…

    Columnist Michelle Kempema goes behind the scenes with an O-scale model railroad club looking to change its image. …

     

    BNSF goes BIG on intermodal plans to build a massive facility in Barstow, CA, to expedite container shipments. …

     

    The Rock Island’s Memphis-Californian went west to El Paso and took a lot of good company. …

     

     

    THESE STORIES AND MORE, PLUS A FULL CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS AND THE BUSINESS PULSE OF THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY!

     

  • Order Issue

    PURCHASE THE CURRENT ISSUE TODAY!

    JUST $6.95, includes shipping (U.S. only)!

    Allow 3-5 business days for delivery upon placement of order.

    ** Email us for international shipping rates**

     

  • Back Issues

    Miss the January/February 2023 issue or other Cowcatcher editions? Be sure to check out our Back Issues page for any issues you may have missed. We have expanded descriptions for issues published beginning in 2007. Click here to order.

     

    See our most recent issues and order today!

     

  • Product News & Review

    InterMountain HO ADM Corn Syrup Car

     

    The Cowcatcher reviews InterMountain Railway Co.’s newly released HO-scale Trinity Industries 19,600-gallon corn syrup car. The tank car is one of several in the company’s second release.

     

    More product reviews!

     

    See product news!

     

  • Railroad in Focus

    Cowcatcher Magazine routinely features short lines and regional railroads that roam the Midwest and Southwest. Features include color photographs and maps, but an overview of operations and latest business trends.

     



    Like us on Facebook!  
  • Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad





    UPDATED! Visit the new N-scale Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, the official model railroad of the Cowcatcher Magazine, and track progress. All aboard!
  • Don’t Miss an Issue

    Click here to subscribe to Cowcatcher Magazine, the model railroad magazine and rail enthusiast magazine all about the community of model railroading and rail enthusiasm, today!
  • Article & Photo Submissions

    We encourage readers to submit articles and photos. For details, visit our guide here .

© 2022 Cowcatcher Magazine | No content from this site may be copied or re-used without permission | 2023 Cowcatcher Magazine. Site powered by Josh Sims