• May 05, 2022
• Class I

Unrehearsed, Unpolished, Inexperienced

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE MAY 2022 ISSUE: Sports journalists say they don’t root for teams; they root for stories. At “Financial Edge,” the circumstance is the same. There always needs to be something to write about. Nonetheless, at its heart, “Financial Edge” roots for the railroads. The North American rail system should be an unfailing anchor for the nation, for its survival, growth and economic stability. Unfortunately, North American rail continues to look like a first-time performer at “open mike” at the logistics theater: unrehearsed, unpolished and inexperienced.

• April 05, 2022
• Finance/Leasing

REF 2022: High-Fives, Hugs and Handshakes!

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE APRIL 2022 ISSUE: After a 2020 Rail Equipment Finance Conference that more or less shut off the lights heading into the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 Rail Equipment Finance Conference set a tone for normalcy in a rail market finding its footing heading into an uncertain future. The 330 attendees at the REF 2022 conference were treated to a full roster of 37 speakers over two and a half days.

• March 08, 2022
• Regulatory

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE MARCH 2022 ISSUE: Occasionally when the world is in chaos, someone steps up to remind everyone to try not to take themselves too seriously and remember what really matters.

• February 09, 2022
• Finance/Leasing

When the Going Gets Tough, the Toughs Blame the Railroads

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE FEBRUARY 2022 ISSUE: Sometimes the news cycle creates so many opportunities that a monthly column feels like it needs conversion to a blog. A couple of recent events emphasize how North American rail is perceived and often victimized in politics and the media.

• January 12, 2022
• Freight Cars

First Thing We Do Is Automate All the Trains

FINANCIAL EDGE, JANUARY 2022 ISSUE: It might be the meme of all memes, at least for the COVID-19 pandemic: Al Pacino’s iconic “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” right before collapsing from a diabetic stroke, sums up what Omicron feels like (collapse included).

• December 06, 2021
• Finance/Leasing

World Energy: ‘Chaos’ Is Just About Right

FINANCIAL EDGE, DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE: Now that the drama around the CP-KCS merger has finally subsided, the rail market has to occupy itself with other more mundane issues, such as the forward trajectory of coal loadings. Representing 12% of railcar loadings (even in its diminished state), coal remains a critical industry issue.

• November 05, 2021
• M/W

NIMBYs, YIMBYs and the Political Moonscape

FINANCIAL EDGE, NOVEMBER 2021 ISSUE: In 2015, following a 2014 Amtrak derailment, The Economist published an article on the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel calling for replacement while noting that any planned replacement

• October 08, 2021
• Finance/Leasing

Buyers and Sellers, Enjoy the Show!

RAILWAY AGE OCTOBER 2021 EDITION: Welcome to the 2022 Railroad Financial Desk Book. The rail market has had a hot summer—Donna Summer “Hot Stuff” hot. However, this year’s Desk Book is not another article

• September 08, 2021
• Regulatory

The Board Pieces Clearly Favored Canadian Pacific

RAILWAY AGE, FINANCIAL EDGE, SEPTEMBER 2021 ISSUE: For investors, industry watchers and rail consumers, August was either the most interesting or frustrating month to date in the reality dating show, “I Want to Buy a Class I Railroad.”

• August 24, 2021
• Freight

Dancing With the Flames of Success and Failure

For investors, industry watchers and rail consumers, August has been either the most interesting or frustrating month to date in the reality dating show, “I Want to Buy a Class I Railroad.”