ST. LOUIS – Gary Bensman walks through Continental Fabricators in St. Louis, holding a washout plug for the boiler of Pennsylvania Railroad T1 No. 5550. Bensman grips the plug much like a judge would hold a gavel, as he holds court over the fabrication of the boiler for a locomotive class whose last member of […]
ENFIELD, N.C. — Four auto racks on Amtrak’s southbound Auto Train derailed Wednesday night, delaying the train and leading to altered schedules for several Amtrak trains through North Carolina. WTVD-TV in Raleigh, N.C., reported the derailment occurred about 11:30 p.m. None of the 394 passengers or crew were injured. The derailed cars remained upright and […]
Three Amtrak GE P42DCs lead the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners’ Chattanooga Limited convention train across the James River near Lynchburg, Va., in September 2012. AAPRCO’s annual convention and mid-year specials are at risk with Amtrak’s new policy. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON — The two organizations representing the private-car industry say they’re doing their […]
Nickel Plate Road No. 765 inches closer to the platforms at Metra’s LaSalle Street Station in Chicago on June 17, 2017, as it leads the Joliet Rocket. Organizers are holding off on ticket sales pending clarification of Amtrak’s recent announcements regarding private passenger cars and excursions under Amtrak’s common carrier umbrella. TRAINS: Steve Sweeney FORT […]
Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale AEM-7 electric locomotive HO scale locomotives AEM-7 electric locomotive. New road numbers: Amtrak (as delivered or Acela) and NJ Transit. Three numbers each. New fictional paint schemes: Milwaukee Road, Pennsylvania RR, and Reading Co. Two road numbers each. Operating pantographs, separately applied wire grab irons, and Accumate couplers. Direct-current […]
The Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society’s 2017 New River Train rolls through Sandstone, W.Va., with 30 private cars in tow. A new Amtrak policy could mean the end of this and all other excursions using the passenger railroad’s equipment. Chase Gunnoe WASHINGTON — Special trains and certain private varnish moves will no longer be […]
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — BNSF Railway announced this week that its 2018 capital expenditure program in California will be approximately $230 million. This year’s plan in California includes several capacity expansion projects in addition to scheduled maintenance projects to ensure BNSF continues to operate a safe and reliable rail network. BNSF operates a 2,000-mile network […]
It is still unclear precisely how railroads will fare amid a trade dispute between the U.S. and China, but railroad executives and analysts say rail traffic benefits from free trade. Last week, the Trump administration said it would impose $60 billion-worth of tariffs on Chinese goods, including electronic products, shoes, and clothing. The measures are […]
CHICAGO — Rising intermodal volumes in Chicago have prompted Canadian Pacific to revive its Schiller Park intermodal terminal for inbound loads. CP consolidated its Chicago intermodal operations at its terminal at Bensenville Yard in 2012. The former Soo Line facility at Schiller Park remained in use as a container storage yard, spokesman Andy Cummings says, […]
WalthersMainline HO scale Norfolk Southern SD70ACe A modern-era mainstay, the SD70ACe diesel-electric locomotive is back on HO scale rails from Wm. K. Walthers Inc. in a selection of new prototypical road names and paint schemes from Walthers Trains. First reviewed in the June 2016 Model Railroader, the HO scale locomotive is part of the value-priced […]
National Park Service volunteer Dan Jerome demonstrates Native American traditions through Montana on the Empire Builder in 2008. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — The National Park Service “Trails and Rails” volunteer lecture program has been cancelled on five Amtrak trains and shorteneed on three others this year. The changes are the result of the result Amtrak’s […]
Grandt Line, a manufacturer of architectural details, structure kits, and freight cars in several popular modeling scales, will close in June after more than 60 years in business. The company was founded by the late Cliff Grandt in the San Francisco bay area. His children Dave, Liz, and Phyllis operated the business after Cliff’s passing […]
