CHICAGO — Amtrak has canceled several long-distance trains in and out of Chicago for multiple days because of a forecast of extreme cold weather. The regional Borealis is also affected. The first cancellations begin today (Wednesday, Jan. 21). The eastbound and westbound Empire Builder departures slated for today through Saturday, Jan. 24, have been canceled. […]
The Broadway Limited Imports EMD SD45 HO scale diesel locomotive is the featured model in this latest product review video from Model Railroader magazine. Senior Editor Cody Grivno reviews the unit, which represents the production of 3,600-horsepower prototypes built between 1965 and 1971. The reviewed model is decorated as Great Northern no. 424. This unit […]
MONTREAL — Canada’s high-speed rail project could could involve the construction of lengthy tunnels in Montreal, the company responsible for the project says in a route description on its website — which could greatly increase the cost of the project. A tunnel could also be an option in Toronto. Alto, the Crown corporation that will […]
OAKDALE, Calif. — Sierra Northern Railway has introduced a locomotive honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States, adding a flag motif to the railroad’s latest blue, white, and gold paint scheme. Railpower RP20BD genset locomotive now wears No. 250. The locomotive began life as a Santa Fe GP7, later serving Burlington Northern and the […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — The inescapable topic of artificial intelligence was, well, inescapable at last week’s Midwest Association of Rail Shippers winter meeting, making it one of the few topics to regularly elbow its way onto the event’s otherwise merger-dominated agenda. Speakers throughout the two-day conference talked about the ways AI is already used in a […]
TRENTON, N.J. — Outgoing New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law a bill regulating hazardous-material trains in the state, one of more than 120 bills he approved on his final morning in office. Mikie Sherrill was sworn into office as the state’s new governor later in the day. The bill (A4460/S3389) passed by […]
WASHINGTON — Loss of electrical power and propulsion because of generator issues, and a failure to fully address earlier electrical problems, led a ship to collide with a BNSF taconite loading facility, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report on the July 24, 2024, incident in Superior, Wis. The collision damaged five […]
MIAMI — Florida commuter operator Tri-Rail has ordered seven Siemens Charger locomotives intended to replace the oldest units in its diverse locomotive fleet. Funding from the Federal Transit Administration will assist with the purchase by the South Florida Regional Transporation Authority. Siemens is the only builder currently capable of meeting Tri-Rail’s operational needs and regulatory […]
News & Products for the week of January 20th 2026 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of January 20th, 2026. […]
MIAMI — Brightline last week deferred interest payments on private activity bonds after initially indicating it would draw from financial reserves to make the payments. The company’s just-issued December revenue and ridership report says it elected to defer interest payments on debt due Jan. 15 on 11 bonds issued by the Florida Development Finance Corp., […]
The headliner of the spring 2023 Atlas catalog was the SD70MAC, a classic six-axle diesel electric locomotive. The SD70MAC was produced by General Motor’s Electro-Motive Division (EMD) in the 1990s. The SD70MAC was part of the transition from DC to AC traction motors. These AC powered locomotives would prove to be more efficient while in […]
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — While the CEOs of BNSF, CPKC, and Union Pacific squared off on the pros and cons of the UP-Norfolk Southern merger at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers winter meeting, the fourth Class I representative on the agenda — Janet Drysdale, Canadian National chief commercial officer, took another path. Mostly. “I will not […]
