What do you do when a mile isn't actually a mile? Or when two rail mileposts are labeled with the same number but located in different places? These are just some of questions Railinc faces as it works to build a map of the Chicago Gateway, the busiest rail hub in the U.S. In this guest post, Railinc Data Architect David Weinberg considers the curious case of Milepost 21 and how data that seems simple can get complicated in a hurry.
I…
As the workplace goes, coworkers come and go. Companies grow, more people join. People grow and people go. It’s the natural course in the life of a business. But there are those who join, work hard, make good things happen and stick around for a while. Maybe even for most of their career. They grow a following, a friend base of people they work with, customers and vendors they get to know over the years. When they leave the company—for…
When Jim Moran started his railroad career in 1958 as a clerk in the machine room of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the industry had not yet embraced data processing. A discipline like car hire—the calculating and disbursing of the compensation paid for the use of a railcar—wasn't done through sophisticated technology systems like the ones Railinc manages today.
"If you could have seen what we did with car hire," Moran said. "It was unbelievable…
The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads decreased by 1 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were down from 360,369 in September 2014 to 356,011 in September 2015.
Chemicals led commodity gains with an 8 percent increase, followed by food and kindred products and coal, up 7 and 6 percent, respectively. The most significant declines were observed in metallic ores, down 46 percent, metals…
Chemicals led commodity gains with an 8 percent increase, followed by food and kindred products and coal, up 7 and 6 percent, respectively. The most significant declines were observed in metallic ores, down 46 percent, metals…
The total size of the North American rail equipment fleet once again held steady during third quarter 2015. The total equipment count was 2,056,726 compared to 2,048,067 during second quarter 2015, resulting in a 0.4 percent increase from the previous quarter.
The three largest segments this quarter were covered hoppers (26 percent), tank cars (20 percent), and gondolas (12 percent).
Group increases…
The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads increased slightly by 1.5 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were up from 355,680 in August 2014 to 360,936 in August 2015.
Trailer or container led gains with a 31 percent increase, followed by grain mill products and food and kindred products, up 13 percent and 9 percent, respectively. The most significant declines were observed in metallic ores, down 58…
Every year, Railinc employees come together to celebrate fall with a fun, companywide event. It's a great chance to unwind with our colleagues outside the office for an afternoon.
Recently, we took the short walk from our office to North Cary Park to enjoy a lunch prepared from the back of a vintage fire truck by Barry's Cafe. After lunch, employees competed in some classic…
The number of carloads moved on short line and regional railroads increased by 2.2 percent in year-to-year comparisons. Total carloads were up from 357,763 in July 2014 to 365,509 in July 2015.
Trailer or container led gains with a 46 percent increase, followed by food and kindred products and nonmetallic minerals, up 12 and 11 percent, respectively. The most significant declines were observed in metallic ores, down 45 percent…
Trailer or container led gains with a 46 percent increase, followed by food and kindred products and nonmetallic minerals, up 12 and 11 percent, respectively. The most significant declines were observed in metallic ores, down 45 percent…