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As the caboose of a Maine Central train passes, the operator resets the ball signals at the Maine Central/Boston & Maine crossing at Whitefield, N.H., in 1979. This was the last surviving ball signal in commercial use on a U.S. railroad. Ben Bachman photo […]
PLUS Celebrating the CP’s centennial The freelanced HO scale Strathcona Division models the Canadian Pacific in British Columbia Modeling C&O’s Kanawha Sub Coal is king on this HO scale Appalachian layout Time well spent An O gauge modeler replaces his three-rail layout with a 1:48 scale granger road New England memories A new version of […]
PLUS Motivation for motive power Introduction Sound for legacy locomotives – F units A little soldering goes a long way How to detail, paint, and decal a locomotive Give a road switcher a new look How diesel facilities work A lot of work goes on behind the scenes between road trips Speed matching for DCC […]
Facts & features Name: Bishop Street Branch Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 10′-6″ x 22′-0″ Prototypes: Guilford/Pan Am Railways Locale: Portland, Maine Era: Late 1980s through the 1990s Style: Walk-in Mainline run: None Minimum radius: 24” Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: None Benchwork: Open grid Height: 51″ Roadbed: 1⁄2″ birch plywood with N scale cork […]
Facts & features Name: Vermont Rail System Scale: HO (1:87) in standard, narrow (3-foot), and dual gauges Size: 22’-103⁄4” x 25’-7” Prototypes: Vermont Rail System, Rutland Railroad Locale: Vermont Era: 1960s to present Style: Walk-in Mainline run: 96 feet point-to-point, 106 feet loop Minimum radius: 24” Minimum turnout: no. 4 (yards), no. 6 (main) Maximum […]
NEW YORK — After a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City Transit’s Holiday Nostalgia Rides on the New York Transit Museum’s fleet of vintage subway equipment resumes for four Sundays beginning Nov. 27. The museum’s “Train of Many Colors” will operate on a new route this year — the 1 line, […]
NORTHUMBERLAND, Pa. — Button Oil & Propane and the North Shore Railroad have opened a rail-fed, 240,000-gallon propane terminal, described as the first of its kind in the region, to offer residential and commercial delivery of propane, as well as butane for manufacturing applications. A grand opening for the facility was held Tuesday, Nov. 22, […]
GLENMONT, N.Y. — Red tape, a gas pipeline utility, and a lawsuit have combined to delay and further threaten the rescue of two historic New York Central electric locomotives stranded for three decades along the Hudson River south of Albany. The Danbury Railway Museum of Danbury, Conn., has been working for nearly a year to […]
BOSTON — A transit advocacy group is calling for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail Lowell Line to be electrified, extended to Manchester, N.H., and otherwise modernized, offering regional rail service with frequent, all-day service. The “Modernizing the Lowell Line” report from the group TransitMatters argues that electrified service, with upgraded track and high-level […]
BUFFALO, N.Y. — After a two-day hiatus while up to 6 feet of heavy lake-effect snow fell in Buffalo, Amtrak trains were moving again today (Sunday, Nov. 20) through western New York even as many area roads remained impassable. Meanwhile, with the Thanksgiving holiday — and its usual heavy ridership — approaching, operating obstacles cropped […]
SCRANTON, Pa. — The Steamtown National Historic Site will close several buildings beginning today (Sunday, Nov. 20) to address mechanical issues with its heating system. These buildings will remain close until heat can be restored through temporary or long-term repairs, but the park will remain open and all scheduled events through December — including the […]
PITTSBURGH — Engineering and consulting firm Michael Baker International will lead program and construction management for projects in the Transforming Rail in Virginia initiative, CSX Transportation has announced. Some $3.7 billion in design and construction projects between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Va., are involved. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is the lead state agency in […]
