This memorial plaque near the accident site recalls the victims of the Chatsworth collision on Sept. 12, 2008. TRAINS: David Lassen The site of the Chatsworth memorial plaque. An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passes in the background. TRAINS: David Lassen CHATSWORTH, Calif. — On Sept. 12, 2008, an engineer on a commuter train received a text […]
A Grizzly Flats volunteer educates attendees about the restoration work being done on the Grizzly Flats Chloe locomotive. Steven Stepanek Chloe’s first class passenger car, No. 7 Stephen van Cleave The LGB 50th anniversary RhB class Ge 4/4 II Electric Locomotive on display. (Look for a review of this product in the December 2018 issue […]
Amtrak’s Auto Train departs Sanford, Fla. The train is among those cancelled because of the approaching Hurricane Florence. TRAINS: David Lassen NEW YORK — Amtrak will cancel much of its service in the southeastern U.S. and modify other schedules beginning Wednesday, in anticipation of the arrival of Hurrican Florence. The following trains have been cancelled […]
A northbound Amtrak Hiawatha passes through the Glen of North Glenview, Ill., Metra station. Glenview’s opposition has led the state of Illinois to slow plans for expanded Hiawatha service. TRAINS: David Lassen CHICAGO — A plan to increase Amtrak Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago has been delayed because of local concerns about noise and […]
A Texas Pacifico crew works at Ballinger, Texas, in 2012. The state of Texas has made major investments in the line operated by Texas Pacifico. Wes Carr AUSTIN, Texas — What could be the loneliest railroad in the United States is getting a facelift. Crews are at work upgrading the South Orient rail line, which […]
A Canadian National train crosses Echo Lake in Burlington, Wis., in May 2018. CN’s CEO says the railroad should pursue other technological opportunities before working on autonomous train operation. TRAINS: David Lassen BOSTON – Canadian National CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest says there’s a whole lot of low-hanging technology fruit that his railroad can pick before moving toward […]
Watco’s Decatur & Eastern Illinois makes its first run on Sunday, between Decatur and Paris, Ill. Steve Smedley DECATUR, ILL. — The Midwest has a new railroad. The Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad made its inaugural run out of Decatur on Sunday, Sept. 9. The first revenue move left the Decatur yards on Sunday morning […]
MISSOULA, Mont. — Tom Walsh, who has been with Montana Rail Link since the railroad’s inception, has announced his retirement as the company’s president. Stacy Posey will become the new Montana Rail Link president, effective Jan. 1, 2019, the company announced Monday. Walsh has been with MRL for 31 years. “My time at Montana Rail […]
Athearn N scale class Z-8 Challenger 4-6-6-4 Even in N scale the class Z-8 4-6-6-4 is an imposing steam locomotive. Like the Athearn Genesis HO Z-8 that I reviewed in the August 2017 Model Railroader, the accurately detailed N scale model is available with a factory installed SoundTraxx Tsunami dual-mode decoder. The model delivered smooth […]
WalthersProto HO scale Jordan Spreader Walthers has added a Jordan Spreader to its HO scale Proto series. But this isn’t an assembled version of the kit from the 1990s. No, this is a newly tooled model that has several features not found on the kit, including positionable wings and slopers, wire grab irons, and railroad-specific […]
Atlas Trainman HO scale GP39-2 with ESU LokSound New road names and factory-installed sound highlight the latest version of the Atlas Trainman Electro-Motive Division (EMD) GP39-2. We first reviewed a direct-current (DC) version of the GP39-2 in the January 2010 issue. This latest release has a dual-mode ESU LokSound Select decoder that provides realistic sound […]
Athearn Ready-To-Roll 40-foot boxcar Price: $27.98 Manufacturer Athearn 1600 Forbes Way, Suite 120 Long Beach, CA 90810 www.athearn.com Era: 1970-1980, as decorated Road names: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Chicago & Illinois Midland; Chicago & North Western; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; Elgin, Joliet & Eastern; Maine Central; Monon; Reading Co.; Southern Pacific; St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton […]
