Digest: 51 new cars for Amtrak built or under construction

Monday morning rail news in brief: Equipment update reports 51 cars for Amtrak regional service built or under construction; first Charger due in early 2021 Fifty-one Siemens cars in the order for Amtrak state-supported service in California and the Midwest have either been completed or are under construction, according to the end-of-June report by the […]

Read More…

Investigations begin into cause of UP derailment, explosion

Monday morning rail news in brief: Investigations begin into UP derailment, explosion, fire Investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration, Union Pacific, and Wyoming Department of Transportation have all begun work to determine the cause of Saturday’s derailment, explosion, and fire involving a Union Pacific train near Rock Springs, Wyo. SweetwaterNow.com reports the fire involving cars […]

Read More…

AAR pans House transportation proposal

More Thursday morning rail news in brief: AAR ‘extremely disappointed’ in transportation bill The Association of American Railroads is voicing its disapproval of the transportation bill unveiled Wednesday by Democratic members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. AAR CEO Ian Jefferies says in a statement that “America’s railroads are extremely disappointed in the […]

Read More…

House committee releases new five-year transportation legislation

WASHINGTON — Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure have released the text of a new surface transportation bill, the “INVEST in America Act,” which would authorize almost $500 billion for infrastructure. It includes $60 billion for rail projects, but would also impose significant regulations, including requiring two-man crews for most freight trains. […]

Read More…

Tips for identifying modern diesel locomotives

Moderndieselidentification

Many readers have asked how we identify the current crop of big, modern road diesels. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy, as many locomotive designs have evolved into a family of similar looking locomotives. This means modelers have to study the details to figure out what locomotive is represented by a specific scale model. Comparing the model […]

Read More…

HO scale St. Louis Junction RR Co.

HOscaleStLouisJunctionRRCo

The layout at a glance Name: St. Louis Junction Layout designer: John Schindler Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 30 x 60 feet Prototype: BNSF Ry., CSX, Norfolk Southern, Terminal RR Association of St. Louis, and Union Pacific Locale: St. Louis area Era: 2010 Style: multi-deck walk-in Mainline run: 275 feet Minimum radius: 32″ Minimum turnout: no. […]

Read More…

N scale Four Corners & Five Lakes Ry. track plan

NscaleFourCornersFiveLakesRy

Click on the image or link below to download a PDF of this track plan. The layout at a glance Name: The Four Corners & Five Lakes Ry. (a business unit of FCFL Transportation) Scale: N (1:160) Size: 20 x 30 feet Theme: freelanced Locale: Four Corners region of U.S. Era: modern Style: around the […]

Read More…

Cody’s Workshop: Ep. 42, SW8 Photo-etched details

Cody Grivno’s Workshop Part 42

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page In this episode, Cody shows how to add photo-etched metal parts to his HO scale EMD SW8 diesel switcher. Follow along to learn his tips and tricks for working with these small details that make a big difference in the realistic appearance of […]

Read More…

Cody’s Workshop: Ep. 42, SW8 Photo-etched details

Cody Grivno’s Workshop Part 42

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page In this episode, Cody shows how to add photo-etched metal parts to his HO scale EMD SW8 diesel switcher. Follow along to learn his tips and tricks for working with these small details that make a big difference in the realistic appearance of […]

Read More…

MRVP Layout Visit: Matt Snell’s Conrail NJ Division in HO Scale

Matt Snell's HO scale Conrail New Jersey Division

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Model Railroader magazine readers will recognize Matt Snell’s skills from the numerous articles highlighting his modeling efforts. Now you can also enjoy an exclusive tour of his HO scale (1:87) Conrail New Jersey Division layout. Follow along Matt’s mainline route, hosting contemporary motive […]

Read More…