Athearn HO Johnstown America BethGon Coalporter Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $49.99; five-pack, $239.99 Era: 2006+ to 2014+ (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO Johnstown America BethGon Coalporter features: 36” machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours Body-mounted McHenry scale lower shelf couplers […]
The ScaleTrains Electro-Motive Division SD38-2 HO scale (1:87.1) diesel locomotive is featured in this latest product review video from Model Railroader magazine. Senior Editor Cody Grivno reviews the unit, which is part of the manufacturer’s Rivet Counter line. The reviewed model is decorated as GATX no. 1245. This 2,000-horsepower unit has a rich history, originally built […]
WILLARD, Ohio — CSX Transportation has added merchandise capacity at its Willard, Ohio, rail yard after phased improvements helped convert the idled hump yard to a flat switching facility. Railroad officials say the former Baltimore & Ohio terminal can now handle 600 railcars per day, up from 300 two years ago. CSX shut down the […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific, in coordination with supply chain technology group Blume Global, has added GPS tracking to its fleet of 53-foot EMP and UMAX intermodal containers assigned to domestic intermodal service. The containers, owned in partnership with other Class I railroads, now represent the largest GPS-equipped, rail-owned container fleet in North America. The […]
News & Products for the week of January 12th 2026 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of January 12th, 2026. […]
WASHINGTON — The Union Pacific brakeman killed in a grade-crossing incident in Ontario, Calif., last month was riding the lead car on a shove move when his train struck a truck that had entered the crossing while warning lights were flashing, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report released today (Jan. 12, 2026). […]
NEW YORK — A five-union coalition representing Long Island Rail Road workers has formally requested that President Donald Trump appoint a second Presidential Emergency Board to address its long-running contract dispute with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The move will add another 120 days to the process outlined by the Railway Labor Act for commuter rail […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — STG Logistics, the nation’s fourth-largest asset-based intermodal marketing company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New Jersey federal court today (Monday, Jan. 12). The pre-negotiated plan wipes out 91% of the company’s nearly $1 billion debt load and gives it $150 million in new capital to support core business operations […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway’s bid to have federal regulators review Union Pacific’s compliance with conditions imposed as part of the 1996 UP-Southern Pacific merger is nothing more than a publicity stunt, UP told the Surface Transportation Board last week. On Nov. 28 — three weeks before UP and Norfolk Southern submitted their merger application — […]
It’s my pleasure to tell you, our devoted readers of Classic Toy Trains, about our brand-new colorful and informative 100-page special-interest publication: Great Layouts You Can Visit! Packed with photos and filled with stories and details, it offers toy train enthusiasts of every age, background, and level of interest and experience something enjoyable and useful. […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are withholding key documents that are needed for rival railroads, shippers, and regulators to properly evaluate their transcontinental merger proposal, BNSF Railway and Canadian National have told the Surface Transportation Board. In separate filings, BNSF and CN say the STB cannot properly assess the merger’s potential impacts on […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has failed to enact a majority of recommendations from National Transportation Safety Board accident investigations over the last decade, even though human errors and track defects led to more than 3,000 accidents, 23 deaths, and nearly 1,200 injuries during that time, according to an analysis from the Howard Center […]
