RailModeller Pro, v. 5.1.2 Layout-design software Isle of the Kakapo Price: $39.99 Website: www.railmodeller.com Size: 9.2MB Railmodeller Pro, from Isle of Kakapo, is a downloadable layout-design program for Macintosh computers (OSX 10.8 or higher), intended to aid in designing track layouts using commercial sectional track. The program offers over 200 track libraries, from 1:450 scale […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is contracting with Alstom to produce 28 next-generation high-speed trainsets that will replace the equipment used to provide Amtrak’s premium Acela Express service. The contract is part of $2.45 billion that will be invested on the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor as part of a multifaceted modernization program to renew and expand the […]
New York’s Penn Station hosts liquid crystal display or simulated Solari-style or sign board that will soon be replaced with more advanced electronic signs. Philadelphia’s 30th Street station is among the last in the U.S. to have an electro-mechanical Solari board. Joseph M. Calisi WASHINGTON — Sorry, Bob Dylan, the signs they are a-changing. Those […]
CHRISTMAS CHEER – LCCA STYLE: The Lionel Collectors Club of America shares the holiday spirit with the new “Share the Joy” 2016 Christmas boxcar made by Lionel. The 10½-inch boxcar has die-cast metal trucks and operating couples, a metal frame, and jovial Santa and snowman Christmas graphics. Orders must be received by November 30, 2016, […]
Earlier in the year I watched Matt at Sommerfeld’s Trains in Butler, Wis., control MTH locomotives on the store’s test track using his cell phone and an MTH no. 50-1034 Wi-Fi Interface Unit, or WIU. It was pretty nifty, but my warning lights came on. Would this be another DIVX? Still, I was intrigued when […]
An artist’s rendering of a nightclub scene at the proposed “Headwaters Junction” waterfront development that will be the centerpiece of new development in Fort Wayne, Ind., and a home for Nickel Plate Road No. 765. Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society crew members unveil the Nickel Plate Road No. 765’s new […]
NS AC44C6M No. 4004 at the Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa. Norfolk Southern Corp. ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern’s latest DC to AC conversion locomotive has been released from the railroad’s Juniata shops in Altoona in a paint scheme slightly different than previous rebuilds. NS AC44C6M No. 4004 is part of the railroad’s DC to […]
WASHINGTON — Operation Lifesaver, Inc. is reaching out to top leadership at Subaru and its advertising agency on a new commercial that shows a woman and a man illegally riding in a boxcar. The national non-profit rail safety education group recently sent a letter to Subaru’s vice president of marketing asking the car manufacturer to […]
A recent photograph of a Swiss-built Stadler bilevel EMU that the rail supplier will begin making for Caltrain commuter rail services. Stadler U.S. Swiss railcar building Stadler says it received the contract to design and manufacture 16 six-car KISS bilevel electric multiple-unit trains for Caltrain in California. The contract, with an option for an additional […]
MTH HO scale DM&IR 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone The MTH HO scale DM&IR Yellowstone features many separately applied detail parts. One of the last giants of the steam era, a Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 2-8-8-4 “Yellowstone,” comes to life in HO scale complete with sound, smoke, and pulling power that does its prototype proud. The MTH […]
Used in speakers, smartphones, and many other devices, Bluetooth is a technology that allows electronic devices to wirelessly communicate with one another. BlueRail Trains uses Bluetooth technology to allow model railroaders to control trains using an Android or Apple iOS smartphone or tablet. I reviewed a BlueRail-equipped Bachmann HO scale E-Z App Alco RS-3 in […]
ScaleTrains.com HO scale UP water tenders Both ends of the ScaleTrains.com tenders feature independently controlled lights. Union Pacific’s steam excursion program began almost as soon as the use of regular steam power ceased on the railroad in 1960. Over the years, the UP has operated FEF-3 4-8-4 no. 844 and Challenger 4-6-6-4 no. 3985 in […]
