Capacity pinch points trigger Thanksgiving Amtrak sellouts, high fares

Large crowds waiting for trains in Chicago

CHICAGO — As expected, shortened consists and surging holiday demand are responsible for Amtrak sellouts across the country, notably on segments of virtually every long-distance train nearest population centers, as well as on the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades, New York State’s Empire Service, and Midwest corridors. Repeating their analysis earlier this year for the Labor Day […]

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Rebrand just part of Gold Runner’s path forward

Train and bus with multicolored striping parked at right angles

  STOCKTON, Calif. — The transportation menu of trains and buses running between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California via the state’s Central Valley didn’t change following a Nov. 14 ribbon-cutting ceremony for what is now known as Gold Runner service. But that event at the Altamont Corridor Express maintenance facility in Stockton, […]

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Rapido HO Magor 54-foot DODX flatcar

Color photo showing B end of HO scale flatcar painted United States Army Green with white graphics, painted wood deck, and black six-axle trucks with metal wheels on white background.

Rapido HO Magor 54-foot DODX flatcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; three-pack, $179.85; and six-pack, $359.70 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido HO Magor 54-foot DODX flatcar features: Body-mounted metal knuckle couplers Buckeye three-axle trucks (solid bearing or retrofitted roller bearing as appropriate) Drawn from original blueprints, […]

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Coalition of rail, environmental advocacy groups asks STB to ensure public role in UP-NS merger proceedings

WASHINGTON — A coalition of rail and environmental groups has submitted comments to the Surface Transportation Board on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, asking the board to clarify whether “substantive filings” from stakeholders other than parties directly involved would be part of the review process. The organizations — the Rail Passengers Association, Southern Rail […]

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Sunset Models | 3rd Rail Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotive

Trains.com Staff Writer Lucas Iverson reviews the highly-anticipated Sunset Models | 3rd Rail precise O scale (1:48, 2-rail & 3-rail options) Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotive, Amtrak Midwest No. 4630! This video review features an up-close workbench inspection of the model’s incredible prototype fidelity, from the well-detailed cab interior to the iconic cooling grills to the […]

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Anatomy of a long delay on the City of New Orleans

Passenger train at platform at night

CHICAGO — Getting stranded on a long-distance train can be a maddening experience. Passengers have little recourse but to endure the delay, uncertain of its duration and knowing that appointments and connections will be missed. As Trains.com has frequently reported, there have been many instances where highway crossing collisions, debris strikes, and especially “mechanical assessments” […]

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