Bachmann HO Sound Value Baldwin 2-8-0 Removing the plastic tender shell reveals the Sound Value decoder and speaker. A wiring harness connects the decoder to the locomotive’s electronics. The Bachmann locomotive includes working front and rear knuckle couplers. Details include well-defined rivet seams, a coal load, and a separately applied tender ladder. A steam-era freight […]
PIKO America SmartControl WiFi DCC system Touchscreen train control via a Smartphone app over a WiFi connection has been around for several years now. What I miss when using my smartphone as a throttle, though, is that my smartphone isn’t a throttle. PIKO America has taken the app-control concept to the next level with its […]
Walthers N scale EMD SW1200 diesel Electro-Motive Division’s SW1200 was its last switcher powered by the 567-series diesel engine, and Walthers has re-released the model in N scale in seven paint schemes. The direct-current (DC) models are equipped with Micro-Trains couplers and are upgraded to accept Digitrax or Train Control Systems Digital Command Control (DCC) […]
Kato HO scale Amtrak Superliner II transition sleeper Price: $90 Manufacturer Kato USA Inc. 100 Remington Rd. Schaumburg, IL 60173 www.katousa.com Era: 2002 to present (as decorated) Road name: Amtrak (Phase 6 [also known as phase 4b] paint scheme). Comments: Kato has released a new run of HO scale Amtrak Superliner II passenger equipment, including […]
In mid-July, Amtrak announced it had added a hot-meal option to the pre-packaged lunch and dinner service on the Lake Shore Limited and Capitol Limited, where it replaced full dining-car service. The original form of that service, as sampled on the Lake Shore, was examined in “Amtrak debuts cold ‘contemporary’ meals” [“Passenger, September 2018 Trains] […]
A Durango & Silverton locomotive pauses at Silverton, Colo. Soon 2,000-hp diesel locomotives will replace certain 2-8-2 steam locomotives on the historic narrow gauge line. TRAINS: David Lassen DURANGO, Colo. — The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is purchasing two new three-foot gauge diesel locomotives for $3.2 million from Motive Power & Equipment Solutions […]
An Amtrak ACS-64 locomotive in a digital rendering from Dovetail Games Train Sim World. Contributed photo Amtrak wants you to run a train across the Northeast Corridor with an Xbox controller. British video game company Dovetail Games went to the railroad for help creating the route in their game Train Sim World, available on PC, […]
A SunRail train heads north from downtown Orlando. SunRail opens a four-station extension to its route today. TRAINS: David Lassen ORLANDO, Fla. — SunRail, the Orlando-area commuter rail system, will open its four-station, 17.2-mile “Southern Extension” today, expanding the system to 48.9 miles and 16 stations. The four new stations are Poinciana, Kissimmee, Tupperware, and […]
Blockchain technology may be the way of the future for railroads looking to minimize costs and streamline operations. More than 230 transportation and freight companies — including BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, and Canadian National — have joined the Blockchain in Transportation Alliance, known as BiTA, an organization seeking to develop blockchain standards for the freight […]
Former Kalmbach Publishing Co. president James J. (Jim) King died on July 20. He was 95 years old. Al Kalmbach hired Jim to serve as the company’s controller in July 1954. In 1963, he was named Kalmbach’s executive vice president. Two years later, he became company president, a position he held for 22 years. Jim […]
Norfolk Southern CEO James Squires Norfolk Southern NORFOLK, Va. — There’s more than one way to run a railroad. That sums up Norfolk Southern’s response to Wall Street analysts’ questions on why it has not closed a widening operating ratio gap with its Eastern rival, CSX Transportation. NS CEO Jim Squires on Wednesday took his […]
Canadian National MONTREAL — Canadian National is updating its operating plan to reflect surging volumes and the new track capacity, locomotives, and crews that are coming online to handle it over the next few months. “How we work is not going to change. Precision railroading is our gold standard,” Chief Operating Mike Cory told investors […]
