NTSB to investigate SEPTA trolley incident that injured 11

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate an incident on Thursday, Sept. 25, that injured all 11 people aboard a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley in Springfield, Pa. The NTSB announcement says the incident involving a trolley on the Media-Sharon Hill line “resulted in the pantograph assembly separating from the trolley and penetrating […]

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Rapido HO Southern Pacific ¾ dome lounge

Color photo showing side and end of HO scale 3/4 dome lounge passenger car painted orange, red, silver, and black on white background.

Rapido HO Southern Pacific ¾ dome lounge Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $159.95 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido HO Southern Pacific ¾ dome lounge features: Designed from original blueprints and field measurements Flicker-free, track-powered interior lighting Free-rolling trucks Lighting in dome roof Metal magnetic knuckle couplers Multi-color interior decoration […]

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Opening of additional Montreal light rail lines faces more delays

Map of Montreal area light rail system

MONTREAL — The firm building Montreal’s Réseau express métropolitain light rail system has announced additional delays in opening more of the system. CDPQ Infra said in a Thursday (Sept. 25) press release that the RM’s Deux-Montagnes branch will open sometime in November, while the Anse-à-l’Orme branch will not open until spring 2026. A year ago, […]

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Metra to begin testing Cafe Car prototype

Commuter train with Chicago skyline in background

CHICAGO — Metra will be putting its prototype Café Car into service this fall, rotating it across most of its busiest lines and stations and asking riders to take a survey about whether they like the concept and about what amenities and features they would like to see. The car will make its debut in […]

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Trains in the UK: A pause in the action

Trains at station with large arching glass cover

SLOUGH, England — File this under “knowledge I could have done without:” home COVID-19 tests are far less expensive in the UK than the U.S. I know this because I needed to take one, tested positive, and am now self-quarantining on the outskirts of London while the Trains/Special Interest Tours UK Steam trip moves on […]

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WalthersProto HO scale test car

Color photo of HO scale test car painted green and yellow on white background

WalthersProto HO scale test car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $49.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersProto HO scale test car features: 33” metal wheels Covered or exposed wheel bearings Die-cast metal body Factory-installed wire grab irons Multiple photo-etched brass placards as appropriate Road-name-specific reporting marks, stencils, […]

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Columnist, author Don Phillips dies

Of all the bylines to grace Trains magazine’s pages over its 85-year history, likely none matches the record of transportation journalist and railfan Don Phillips, whose monthly column ran in the publication in two separate stints between 1977 and 2018, and whose feature stories covered everything from the creation of Amtrak and Conrail to Staggers […]

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Intermodal leads weekly U.S. rail traffic decline

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic declined 2.2% in the week ending Sept. 20 compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads reported today. Total carloads were down 1.8% compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was down 2.5% compared to 2024. Two of the 10 […]

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Lac-Megantic, Quebec, bypass inches forward with regulatory filing

Map of Lac-Megantic Bypass

OTTAWA — Transport Canada and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have submitted their final application to the Canadian Transportation Agency related to construction of a proposed bypass around Lac-Megantic, Quebec, the site of a 2013 Montreal, Maine & Atlantic oil train runaway and derailment that killed 47 people. The application includes technical documents, reports, and monitoring […]

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