WOODSTOWN, N.J. — The Woodstown Central Railroad will see another expansion to its excursion fleet, this time in the form of a favorite among tourist railroad circles: the open air car. Former Lehigh & New England Railroad composite gondola No. 10301 will debut on May 10 as part of the Woodstown Central’s Scenic Rambler between […]
A Union Pacific mail train, with 4-8-4 no. 842 on the point, hustles through Dale Junction. The four Harriman head-end cars are resin kits from Southern Car & Foundry, and the UP diner is a brass model by Soho. The HO scale scene is on Mike Brock’s UP Sherman Hill layout. Mike, of Merritt […]
WITTMANN, Ariz. – BNSF Railway held a contentious community meeting this week in Wittmann, Ariz., regarding its proposed $3.2 billion logistics and intermodal hub. The project spans 4,270 acres and would be BNSF’s first to include an intermodal terminal, warehouse and distribution facilities, and rail-served sites for carload and bulk commodity customers. Many residents, particularly […]
A moribund Norfolk Southern coal-hauling branch in Alabama last month hosted its first train in more than a decade. NS coal train 702 rumbled over the revived Berry Branch, carrying Warrior steelmaking coal to export at the Port of Mobile, Ala., via the railroad’s 3-B Corridor. “Right now it is one train a week, and […]
STRASBURG, Pa. — The Strasburg Rail Road wasted no time unleashing its workhorse, 2-10-0 No. 90 back onto the tourist railroad’s main line through the Amish countryside. The locomotive began 45-minute excursion runs by early April, mechanically fresh from a federally mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection that began in early 2024. Cosmetically, the gold numbers, lettering, […]
Learning how to install roadbed at a turnout, a place where tracks meet or diverge, is a valuable skill for all model railroaders to have. Installing strips of cork or foam roadbed for straight or curved tracks is a straightforward process. Mark the center line, split the roadbed sections into flexible strips, and glue them […]
Recently, I began teaching a series of classes at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania titled Railroad Photography 101. I cover the basics in this two-hour course, beginning with a short digital slide show encompassing more than 60 years of photography. I also provide a list of 10 basic tips — things like making sure batteries […]
Rapido HO MOW flat and camp cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single camp car, $69.95; three-pack (diner, kitchen, and office vans), $199.95; and six-pack (sleeper vans), $399.95. Separate sale camp trailers (dining, kitchen, office, and sleeper), $24.95 each. Conrail F30A MOW flatcar with deck rails: Single car, $54.95; six-pack, $329.70. Era: 1980s to present Manufacturer: […]
ATLANTA – Norfolk Southern has launched a Trades on Track scholarship program to help the railroad attract vocational students to its workforce. The $5,000 scholarships can be used for tuition, computer equipment, tools, and other expenses for people living in any one of the 22 states that NS serves. Atlanta-based SkillPointe Foundation is overseeing the […]
WASHINGTON – Amtrak said today that it has eliminated 450 management positions as it looks to cut costs and reach operational profitability by 2028. The cutback equals just over 10% of Amtrak’s management jobs, the railroad said in a memo to employees. “We took the difficult step of informing about 250 people that their positions […]
U.S. weekly rail traffic for the week ending May 3 totaled 498,693 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.6 percent compared with the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Carloads totaled 225,641 units, up 5.6 percent compared to prior year, and intermodal volume totaled 273,052 containers and trailers, up 9.4 […]
Newark, N.J. — According to a joint May 7 press release, NJ Transit and its largest labor union, the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), have reached a tentative contract agreement. NJ Transit is the nation’s third largest provider of bus, rail, and light rail transit, linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. The […]
