DeLand, Fla., marks opening of SunRail station

Commuter train rounds curve with city skyline in background

DeLAND, Fla. — Ceremonies on Friday, Aug. 9, marked the opening of the DeLand SunRail station, the 17th station on the Orlando-area commuter rail line and the northern endpoint of a 12-mile extension that completes the system as originally envisioned. The West Volusia Beacon reports 300 or more people were on hand for the dedication […]

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Incoming Mexican government will need $4.4 billion to complete Maya Train, Interoceanic rail projects

Train passing through shower of confetti

XALAPA, Mexico — Mexico’s president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, said Thursday it will take an additional 83 billion pesos ($4.4 billion) to complete the Maya Train and Interoceanic rail projects begun under current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Mexico News Daily reports that figure includes about 35 billion pesos ($1.86 billion) for infrastructure to make the Maya […]

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Illinois Railway Museum sets night steam photo shoot

Night photo of steam locomotive

UNION, Ill. — The Illinois Railway Museum will host a night photo shoot featuring Frisco No. 1630, its 1918 Baldwin 2-10-0, on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. The event begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $100 and participation will be limited. No. 1630 will be staged at locations around the property with actors wearing period-appropriate attire. […]

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Lionel Base3 control system unboxing and reveal

man and woman behind counter looking inside of a box

Lionel has released their Base3 control system, and CTT unboxes and tests the product. Editor Rene Schweitzer and Contributing Editor Bob Keller offer some tips and tricks for operation, and demonstrate the Polar Express engine on the CT&T in-house layout. Read a review from Chris Montagna about the Base3. Learn more about this system at […]

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Chicago may ask Union Station to house Greyhound passengers

CHICAGO — The city of Chicago wants Chicago Union Station to provide waiting-room space for Greyhound bus passengers after the expected closure of the city’s Greyhound station in mid-September, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. But Amtrak — Union Station’s owner — says it hasn’t been contacted about any such plan and has reservations about the area’s […]

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Caltrain to place first electric trainsets in service

Caltrain electric trainset passes through station

SAN FRANCISCO — Caltrain will begin public operation of its electrified trainsets this Sunday, Aug. 11, the news site SFGate reports. Agency spokesman Dan Lieberman told SFGate that “a couple” of the electric trains will be in operation, but that Caltrain has decided against announcing which specific trains will be operating with the new equipment […]

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VIA Rail Canada’s public meeting discusses challenges, offers explanations: Analysis

VIA corridor assenger train with heritage HEP cars

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada recaps the company’s forward-looking initiatives and financial performance for calendar 2023 in a 30-minute audio recording of its annual public meeting released on Wednesday, Aug. 7. The session is moderated by Jamie Orchard, VIA’s senior advisor of corporate communication, and features board of directors chair Francoise Bertrand, CEO Mario Peloquin, […]

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MARC, VRE begin cross-honoring passes

Commuter train with two engines and bilevel coaches

BALTIMORE — While through-running operation for MARC and Virginia Railway Express trains beyond Washington, D.C., remains a wish-list items for some passengers and both agencies, the two commuter rail operators are now making it a little easier and less expensive for some riders to make use of both services. A new agreement, announced Thursday and […]

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Going retro with your railroad photography

woman holding camera up to her eye

Railroad photography The retro use of film cameras in our hobby has found a hardcore niche. If you can afford the cost of film these days and tamp down the instant gratification of shooting digital to see what you captured seconds later, you can be rewarded images echoing those from photographers past. Waiting to see […]

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