Rapido HO scale PFE refrigerator cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; six-pack, $359.70 Era: 1957 to 1982 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St., Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features on Rapido HO scale PFE refrigerator cars: 33″ metal wheelsets Body-mounted Lincoln-Washington metal semi-scale couplers Factory-installed and painted wire grab irons Freestanding door rods, […]
Subscription: Metered
NTSB releases preliminary report on SEPTA light rail accident that injured nine
WASHINGTON — A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority light rail vehicle was traveling about 11 mph when it struck an end-of-track bumping post, injuring eight passengers and the operator in a May 11, 2025, incident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB released the preliminary report on its ongoing investigation today (June 4, 2025). […]
Age of Steam museum to present World War II event
SUGARCREEK, Ohio — The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum will host “Steam to Victory,” a World War II-themed event paying homage to the role railroads played in the war, on Father’s Day weekend, Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 14. The event, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, will feature living history reenactors […]
Railroad Development Corp. announces new roles for Posner, Asplund
PITTSBURGH — Railroad Development Corp. has appointed Ida Posner to chief operating officer, and appointed Nate Asplund, president of its Pop-Up Metro affiliate, to lead the integration of the recently announced joint venture between RDC and the UK’s Transport Design International. Posner joined RDC in 2017 and has served as vice president, strategic planning, since […]
Young Guns in Preservation: Logan Heide
Logan Heide’s passion for railroading and rail preservation began close to home. Living in Alamosa, Colo., a town that serves as a terminal for the Colorado Pacific Rio Grande Railroad (formerly the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad) and near the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito, Colo., it was a natural fit for […]
Short film on CPR No. 2816’s 2024 tour to premiere this fall (with video)
CALGARY, Alberta — CPKC will be premiering its short film of Canadian Pacific No. 2816’s 2024 tour this fall. The Calgary International Film Festival, scheduled Sept. 18-28, will set the stage for a public screening of Pulse of the Continent: Final Spike Steam Tour. The 48-minute documentary was produced by the Class I railroad, covering […]
Model Railroader Photo of the Day: Railroads and paper mills
Railroads and paper mills were important industries in Bellows Falls, Vt., in the mid-1800s, and they still are today. Here, a Springfield Terminal SD26 and a Boston & Maine U30C rumble past the Liberty Paper Products mill. Thomas Nordanberg took the photo on Ole Pade’s HO scale New England-themed layout in Sollentuna, Sweden. Model Railroader‘s […]
VIA Rail Canada on-time performance plummets, ridership slips
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada’s on-time performance plummeted in the first quarter of 2025, falling to 30% from 72% in the same period last year, the company said in a quarterly financial report issued on Tuesday, June 3. The company also said ridership also dropped by 2.7% compared to the first quarter of 2024, the […]
Lionel revives its classic Pennsylvania RR S2 Steam Turbine
Lionel has revived its classic O gauge model of the Pennsylvania RR S2 Steam Turbine. I recently shared the story behind the outstanding versions cataloged by Lionel during its golden age of the 1940s and 1950s. Lionel enthusiast Keith Beyer shared some useful information about the Nos. 671, 681, and 682, with special emphasis on […]
Report says California high speed project has ‘no viable path’ to on-time completion (updated)
WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy this morning released a report proclaiming there is “no viable path” to complete the California High Speed Rail project on time or on budget, setting the stage for the cancellation of $4 billion in federal grants. Given that the original plan called for completion in 2020 at a cost […]
Predicting the unpredictable for intermodal
Intermodal analyst Larry Gross says that normally he’d be able to draw on his 45 years of transportation experience to make predictions about freight volume in the months ahead. “Theoretically, it would mean that I would be bringing some long-term insight to the situation that we find ourselves in today: You know, a sense that, […]
A thrilling 90 mph steam locomotive ride
A thrilling ride on a high-steed steam locomotive is featured in this article from June 1950 Trains Magazine by then-Editor David P. Morgan. Engineer Valentine Ureda pulls up the drop seat within the door of his Hudson’s vestibuled cab, wipes it off with cotton waste, then pauses for a logical question: “Ever ride a steam […]
