WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remained above 2024 levels for the week ending May 24 — but barely. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, traffic for the week was 488,709 carloads and intermodal units, a 0.7% gain over the same week in 2024. It marked the 13th consecutive week where traffic […]
Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Era: 1960s to 2000s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO ACF 5250 covered hopper features: 36” turned-metal wheels on plastic axles All-new tooling from rails to roof Based on prototypes used to haul plastic […]
CARSON CITY, Nev. — The Nevada State Railroad Museum will be hosting its “Star Spangled Steam Up” during the Fourth of July weekend, July 3-6, 2025. The headliner during the event will be a guest appearance by Nevada County Narrow Gauge 2-6-0 No. 5, Tahoe, returning to the museum for the first time since the 2022 […]
The following is a series of edited excerpts from an interview conducted by David Popp with Jason Shron, owner and CEO of Rapido Trains Inc. on May 20, 2025 on the subject of United States tariffs in relation to the model train industry. You can find the complete interview on Trains.com Video by clicking here. […]
The Chesapeake & Ohio was known for its large steam locomotives and tried to head off converting to diesels with three massive M-1 class coal-fired steam-turbine electrics. Here we see one of the turbines taking on coal at Clifton Forge, Va. Jeb Kriigel of Palmyra, Va., scratchbuilt the coal tower and photographed the O scale […]
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — OmniTRAX has added a 30th railroad to its stable, the 8.1-mile Port Muskogee Railroad in the Sooner State. The short line holding company and Port Muskogee today announced that they have signed a railroad facilities operating agreement covering the inland port’s rail network. “OmniTRAX is excited to expand our Oklahoma rail service […]
MONTREAL — A VIA Rail Canada subsidiary paid more than Ca$330,000 to a marketing firm to rebrand itself as part of the effort to shift its high-frequency rail project to high speed rail after discovering little support for the original concept, the Canadian Press reports. Documents obtained by the news service show that the VIA […]
CHICAGO — Union Pacific is seeking to nearly double track access fees for Metra commuter trains on lines in the Chicago area, according to a federal lawsuit. The costs would more than double when other fees are included. In an amended complaint filed Tuesday in a lawsuit filed earlier this year, Metra says it had […]
The Atlas O Spring 2025 Premier catalog was recently published on the manufacturer’s website. Highlights include: New locomotives ET44 E6 New paint schemes SD40-2 Streamlined passenger car 40′ PS1 Boxcar View the catalog at shop.atlasrr.com Read more news in our news section. […]
Elevated crossing gate towers were once common sights at busy road intersections. The compact and fascinating structures faded from the railroad scene during the 1940s and 1950s as automatic crossing gates became more widely used. The role of the towers was simple, yet important. Keeping watch from his lofty perch, the crossing tender warned motorists […]
SAN DIEGO — The effort to relocate the Surf Line rail route through Del Mar, Calif. — or not — is once again soliciting public comment. The San Diego Association of Governments will host a meeting on the latest set of proposals for line relocation — including one option that would leave the route where […]
AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s House of Representatives has killed a proposal to study passenger service between Portland and Orono, Maine, the second straight year that the legislature has opted not to study a potential expansion. LD 487 — presented in both houses by a mix of Democratic and Republican sponsors — called for the Northern […]
