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A Trinity Industries 5,161-cubic-foot capacity three-bay covered hopper is now part of Bachmann’s growing lineup of modern HO scale freight cars. The injection-molded plastic model features screw-mounted roller-bearing trucks, metal wheelsets, and body-mounted E-Z Mate Mark II couplers. Prototype history The 5161 covered hopper has been part of the Trinity Industries (now TrinityRail) catalog since […]
PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has completed inspections of its Silverliner IV electric multiple-unit railcars, the agency says, but the amount of Regional Rail equipment available will remain significantly constrained until cars can be repaired. SEPTA originally faced an Oct. 31 deadline for inspection of the 233-car fleet following a series of fires, […]
CHICAGO — Some projects of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency, or CREATE, program are begun and completed with relatively limited fanfare. That is certainly not the case with the Forest Hill Flyover, which carries the tracks of CSX Transportation over lines used by Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, the Belt Railway of Chicago, and […]
The New York Central System was a vast and legendary railroad, connecting the East Coast to the Mississippi River. A key component — let alone multiples — to its long-lasting status as a powerhouse was the subsidiary railroads. Though operating under the Class I system, many of these New York Central components maintained distinct identities […]
There’s nothing quite like that feeling of running a “first train” on a new model railroad. Although the scenery is still bare benchwork, the look and sound of those first wheels rolling under their own power along nickel-silver rails produces a thrill that never gets old. By the time we reach the conclusion of this […]
Let’s be frank, not all of us have the luxury of immense space for a massive model railroad empire. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the hobby, even in the most cramped room. By turning the pages of past issues and books by the Model Railroader staff, here are five recommendations for compact track […]
PHILADELPHIA — The owner of an Indiana masonry firm has been sentenced to 7½ years in prison for his part in a long-running case involving bribery and fraud in the renovation of Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Mark Snedden, 70, of Munster, Ind., was sentenced on Oct. 1 to 90 months in prison, a […]
The idea of a custom run product — a manufacturer creating a special item for a retailer not sold in its catalog — is nothing new. Custom toy train products have existed for more than 100 years. “Custom run cars filled a gap in the market,” said Contributing Editor Bob Keller. “Manufacturers generally [produced products […]
ATLANTA — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern today cleared their first merger hurdle as shareholders overwhelmingly backed their deal to create the first transcontinental railroad. In separate votes, nearly 99% of NS shareholders and 99.5% of UP shareholders approved UP’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of NS. “The approval of our shareholders marks a key milestone […]
WASHINGTON — A coalition of rail and environmental groups has submitted comments to the Surface Transportation Board on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, asking the board to clarify whether “substantive filings” from stakeholders other than parties directly involved would be part of the review process. The organizations — the Rail Passengers Association, Southern Rail […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City has reached a tentative five-year agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen for engineers on the former Soo Line in the United States. The agreement announced Thursday, Nov. 13, would cover approximately 300 engineers on the former Soo Line in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, and […]
CHICAGO — Big railroad mergers have often been plagued by problematic computer cutovers that lead to service meltdowns, most recently this spring when CPKC extended its system to the legacy Kansas City Southern network in the U.S. Union Pacific pledges to avoid the same fate if its proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern wins […]
