Amtrak’s Maple Leaf overtakes a freight train

Passenger train approaches on track next to passing freight

Amtrak’s Maple Leaf catches a CSX intermodal train   With vehicle-train collisions near the top of the issues list following the Southwest Chief derailment at a Missouri roadway earlier in the summer, Trains News Wire scouted an appropriate photo location in western New York during a recent trip to capture an Amtrak train at a […]

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What are the duties and responsibilities of a trainmaster?

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What are the duties and responsibilities of a trainmaster? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions on model railroading or full-size railroads? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where editors answer the questions […]

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Why do some of the major railroads use concrete ties while others don’t?

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Concrete ties are gaining in popularity. But what’s the difference between the two? Cody answers this question in this video of Ask Trains. Do you have questions on model railroading or full-size railroads? Send us an email at: AskTrains@trains.com ………………………………… Ask Trains is a regular video feature of Trains.com for magazine subscribers and Trains.com members, where […]

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The Lionel Acela exposed

The Lionel Acela exposed

  “The Lionel Acela exposed” was originally published in the May 2013 Classic Toy Trains. Noted Kalmbach illustrator Rick Johnson produced numerous cutaway illustrations for various brands during his career, but few were this detailed. Along with text by toy train mechanical expert Matt Troester and based on photography by Bill Zuback, this is a […]

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Amtrak Hiawatha service highlights

Amtrak locomotive at passenger station

Amtrak Hiawatha service highlights Amtrak runs daily trains called the Hiawatha Service between Milwaukee and Chicago. This service provides easy access for those living in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois to the downtown centers of both cities. There are six daily trains in both directions, an additional train at peak morning commute times during weekdays, […]

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Amtrak roomette experience on the Empire Builder

Man sitting in a roomette.

Amtrak roomette experience While I’ve ridden a lot of trains, until this summer, I’d never tried any of Amtrak’s sleeping car services. So when my wife and I recently traveled to Minnesota to visit friends, we decided to book a roomette on Amtrak’s Empire Builder between Chicago and St. Paul as a test, before considering […]

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Amtrak Empire Builder dining

Plated chocolate dessert with fork.

Amtrak Empire Builder dining is among the more pleasant experiences on passenger trains these days. Join David Popp for a look at eating on a moving train in Summer 2022. When traveling on Amtrak’s premier long-distance trains, sleeping car passengers are provided complementary meals in the dining car, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Amtrak’s website […]

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