Discover how SoundTraxx has spent 35 years revolutionizing model railroading, from pioneering onboard sound systems to the app-controlled, Bluetooth-based Blunami decoder. Join Model Railroader magazine’s Cody Grivno and Trains.com’s Lucas Iverson as they sit down with product authority George Bogatiuk III to explore the history of this Colorado-based manufacturer. You’ll learn how their commitment to […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army has weighed in on the Surface Transportation Board’s proposal to revise its rules regarding reciprocal switching, saying such agreements would serve national defense interests. The STB in January announced plans to repeal regulations that it says have prevented captive carload and bulk shippers from gaining access to a second railroad […]
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A bill introduced in the Illinois legislature would establish “aspirational service frequencies” of every four hours or less on 18 regional or long-distance passenger routes radiating from Chicago. HB4279, the Passenger Rail Planning Act, was introduced in January by state Reps. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan) and Kam Buckner (D-Chicago). It does not include […]
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — CSX has reduced cargo theft in the Memphis area by more than 80% from a year ago through a task force targeting the issue as well as operational changes, the railroad says. Following a pandemic-era increase in criminal activity, the task force was formed in 2024 to address concerns for customer shipments, […]
Wabtec and Progress Rail said today that they have reached a settlement in the antitrust case that Progress Rail brought against Wabtec in 2023. In the suit, Progress Rail argued that its larger rival engaged in anticompetitive behavior and should have to divest its acquisition of GE Transportation. The 2019 GE acquisition, Progress Rail said […]
WASHINGTON — There were plenty of signposts warning that building Superliner replacements would be a tall order. The decision to throw in the towel on that procurement [see “Amtrak ends plans for new bi-level cars,” Trains.com, Feb. 26, 2026] could have been made years earlier if candid discussions had taken place with potential manufacturers before […]
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A Georgia city’s lawsuit claiming ownership of most of a Norfolk Southern rail yard landed in federal court on Wednesday (Feb. 25), where a judge will now determine if that is the proper venue for the dispute. Neither the railroad nor the City of Columbus believe it is. WRBL-TV reports Judge Clay […]
LINCOLN, Neb. — Legislation designed to provide tax incentives to keep Union Pacific’s headquarters in Omaha faced no opposition during a hearing in the Nebraska Legislature on Wednesday, Feb. 25. While Legislative Bill 1165 does not mention UP, its sponsor, state Sen. Brad von Gillern (R-Elkhorn), told the Revenue Committee hearing that it’s no secret […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is scrapping plans for a new generation of bi-level passenger equipment to replace its aging Superliner fleet, announcing that it will instead move ahead with developing a single-level fleet for use across its system. The company said in a press release that the move reflects “extensive analysis of the challenges associated with […]
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. — OmniTRAX has signed a long-term lease to operate a new multimodal logistics hub in the city of Blue Island, the company announced today (Feb. 26). The 90-acre parcel is just southwest of Chicago, bordering 119th and Division streets within the Blue Island Commercial Center. Operation of the new hub will begin […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have asked the Federal Railroad Administration to waive cab-signal requirements that otherwise would restrict where UP’s 4-8-8-4 Big Boy No. 4014 could operate on its historic eastern swing this summer. In Feb. 10 letters to the FRA, the railroads sought permission to operate the Big Boy in cab-signal […]
The latest product sample from Athearn Trains sent me on a nostalgia trip. Inside was Burlington Northern Santa Fe Dash 9-44CW 960. The HO scale model, from the manufacturer’s Genesis series, was decorated in the railroad’s Heritage I paint scheme. I immediately flashed back to the second half of 1996 when these units were making […]
