In this week’s news round-up, Trains Digital Editor Steve Sweeney talks briefly about a contract for Talgo, California High Speed Rail, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014. […]
Section: News & Reviews
Atlas N scale GP39-2 diesel locomotive
Atlas N scale GP39-2 diesel locomotive Sound or no sound has been one of the basic questions when buying new locomotives. If you bought an engine without sound, but later wanted to add a Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoder, one of the hurdles was finding a place for the speaker, especially in N scale. […]
Athearn Ready-to-Roll HO scale SD40T-2
Athearn Ready-to-Roll HO scale SD40T-2 More prototype-specific detail and a dual-mode SoundTraxx Econami decoder highlight this HO scale SD40T-2 “tunnel motor” diesel from Athearn Trains. The plastic model has many enhancements compared to the previous Athearn Ready-to-Roll SD40T-2 that we reviewed back in the January 2008 issue. Prototype. In 1972, General Motors Electro-Motive Division and […]
Quick Look: Kadee HO scale early PS-1 boxcar
Kadee HO scale early PS-1 boxcar Price: $39.95 Manufacturer Kadee Quality Products Co. 673 Ave. C White City, OR 97503-1078 www.kadee.com Era: 1947 to 1980s Road names: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; New York Central; New York, New Haven & Hartford (with 7-foot door); Southern Ry.; and Union Pacific Comments: Kadee has released an early-production […]
Walthers Cornerstone N scale bridge kits
Wm. K. Walthers, which added easy-to-build HO scale railway bridges to its Cornerstone line a few years ago, is now doing the same in N scale. The single-track arched Pratt truss bridge kit is the latest in that line. I assembled and painted the bridge along with its matching pier and abutment kits, which are sold […]
Quick Look: WalthersMainline HO scale Budd 85-foot dome coach
WalthersMainline HO scale Budd 85-foot dome coach Price: $39.98 Manufacturer Wm. K. Walthers Inc. 5601 W. Florist Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53218 www.walthers.com Era: 1954 to present Road names: Amtrak (phase 3); Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Southern Ry.; Union Pacific; and VIA Rail Canada. Also available undecorated. Comments: Wm. K. Walthers Inc. has added an […]
MBTA to add late-night service on three lines NEWSWIRE
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will add late-night trains on three South Shore commuter lines this fall, responding to a long-running request from residents who wanted the option to use transit to attend concerts, sporting events, and other evening activities. The Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth and Middleboro/Lakeville lines will all add trains leaving Boston at […]
Amtrak ‘San Joaquins’ introduce revised schedule NEWSWIRE
FRESNO, Calif. — Amtrak’s San Joaquins will introduce a new schedule on May 20, returning service to seven full-corridor round trips and offering service every two hours. Five of the trains will operate between Bakersfield and Oakland, while two will run between Bakersfield and Sacramento. In a media release, David Lipari, marketing manager for the […]
Big Boy brings big boost to local businesses along Union Pacific main line NEWSWIRE
No. 4014 lays over at Evanston, Wyo., eastbound on May 12. The city brought in extra resources to handles the expected crowds. Michael D. Harding ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. – The thousands of people that have been following Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 across Utah and Wyoming this month are a welcome sight for hotel […]
Big Boy stubs its toe with derailment NEWSWIRE
UP steam program manager Ed Dickens hammers home wood blocking to rerail No. 4014. The locomotive derailed Thursday afternoon in the Rawlins, Wyo., yard. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn The UP steam crew walks No. 4014’s two derailed drivers back onto the rail at Rawlins, Wyo. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn RAWLINS, Wyo. — The world’s largest operating steam […]
Diesel No. 4014 gets new number ahead of Big Boy debut NEWSWIRE
The former UP No. 4014, an SD70M, departs Yermo, Calif., in April 2014 with Big Boy No. 4014 in tow. Behind the steam locomotive is appropriately numbered SD70M No. 4884. Brian Schmidt OMAHA, Neb. – With the pending return of 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 to the roster in early May, many observers seemed to […]
FRA officially pulls the plug on California high speed rail grant NEWSWIRE
WASHINGTON — The federal government is officially pulling out of a nearly $1 billion-deal with the state of California over building a high-speed rail network. A 25-page letter to the California High Speed Rail Authority’s CEO, Brian Kelly, lays out problems with the project including: the authority “consistently and repeatedly failed in its management and […]
