CSX rekindles its relationship with venerable Dash-8 locomotives

Blue standard-cab locomotive operating as second of two units on freight trainFre

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — After selling or retiring its roster of more than 100 General Electric C40-8 locomotives, CSX Transportation once again owns the late-1980s era Dash-8 standard cab locomotive through its June 1 acquisition of Pan Am Railways. The Class I railroad began divesting the 4,000-horsepower six-axle GE several years ago, retiring and selling most […]

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Amtrak Coach-class travel aboard the Empire Builder

Amtrak looks to expand its services and routes across the nation, including the Upper Midwest. In this candid look at Coach-class travel aboard the Empire Builder between St. Paul, Minn., and Milwaukee, Wis., you’ll discover how easy and comfortable it is to travel about the United States by passenger train. First-time traveler Gerry Leone has […]

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Amtrak Coach-class travel aboard the Empire Builder

Amtrak looks to expand its services and routes across the nation, including the Upper Midwest. In this candid look at Coach-class travel aboard the Empire Builder between St. Paul, Minn., and Milwaukee, Wis., you’ll discover how easy and comfortable it is to travel about the United States by passenger train. First-time traveler Gerry Leone has […]

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Athearn Genesis Electro-Motive Division SD90MAC diesel locomotive

Drawing of large yellow diesel locomotive

Athearn Genesis HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD90MAC diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $259.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $359.99. Add $10 for Primed for Grime models. Era: 1996+ to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Electro-Motive Division SD90MAC diesel locomotive features: […]

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Parts of the Electro-Motive Diesel SD70M-2

white, red, and blue diesel locomotive

Parts of the Electro-Motive Diesel SD70M-2. Today is a great time to be a model railroader. The market is filled with a variety of locomotives from different manufacturers in many popular modeling scales. These engines often feature railroad- (and sometimes road-number-) specific details; factory-installed and painted wire grab irons; and sounds recorded from the prototype. […]

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Athearn Genesis Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACU diesel locomotive

Drawing of diesel locomotive decorated in marron and gray scheme

Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACU diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $259.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $359.99. Add $10 for Primed for Grime. Era: 2016 to present Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com SD70ACU diesel locomotive features: Body-mounted McHenry knuckle couplers Celcon handrails Detailed cab interior Die-cast metal […]

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St. Paul Union Depot — Another great Amtrak station

St. Paul Union Depot is a 105 year-old grand structure in the heart of downtown St. Paul, Minn. In the early 20th century, it was the transportation center for this entire area. Then, like many depots in America, it fell on hard times. But today it’s been restored and remodeled. Now, it’s not only a […]

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How to disassemble a locomotive in HO scale

Hands pulling apart a locomotive from its shell.

How to disassemble a locomotive without damaging it and then reassembling it is one of the more advanced tasks of a model railroader. Some people just want to see the inside of the locomotive, while more often, there’s a circuit board that needs repair or replacement, gears that need lubricating, or a faulty wire or […]

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Amtrak Midwest Venture car adventure

In August of 2022, Trains.com staff had a chance to travel from Chicago, Ill., to St. Louis, Mo., along the Illinois Hi-speed Rail corridor. For this trip, riders were treated to the newest equipment operating in the Amtrak Midwest fleet, Siemens-built Venture coaches. Discover some of the major (and subtle ones too!) features these coaches […]

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