CHICAGO — Preliminary figures for the first month of Amtrak’s state-supported Borealis show the train is averaging about 300 passengers each way daily, or more than 18,500 people in the first month, according to Amtrak. The second train on the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul portion of the route also served by the Empire Builder launched on May […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Against the backdrop of a long, busy, and hot holiday weekend, it was business as usual for Grand Canyon Railway No. 4960. The 2-8-2 Mikado-type led a July 6 round trip from Williams to the national park’s South Rim as part of the railway’s “First Saturday” steam excursion. Coinciding with the Fourth […]
MELROSE PARK, Ill. — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death of a Union Pacific railroader who was fatally injured in Proviso Yard over the weekend. WFLD-TV reports that the worker has been identified by the Cook County coroner as 27-year-old Justin Pender. “Preliminary information indicates on July 6, at approximately 1:59 a.m. […]
Union Pacific and BNSF Railway shut down their operations in the Houston area Sunday in preparation for Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall today (Monday, July 8) as a Category 1 storm. Beryl, which was downgraded to a tropical storm this morning, came ashore at Matagorda, Texas, about 90 miles southwest of Houston. Beryl is expected […]
We at Garden Railways regret to announce the passing of Albert Kramer on June 24, 2024. Al was long a part of many aspects of the hobby. For many years he owned San-Val Discount Trains hobby store. In more recent years, he developed a line of products that included Roll-EZ wheels and Brite-Blok track cleaning […]
CHICAGO — A series of hearings to consider the future of public transit in the Chicago area — including a proposal to merge the four boards overseeing three transit systems and the umbrella agency overseeing them — is set to begin Tuesday in Chicago. The six hearings of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee have been […]
How fast ya’ going? The legendary John Luther “Casey” Jones forever linked the heroic railroad engineer with speed. He was the lone casualty when his train crashed in an attempt to get his “Cannonball” back on schedule. For the most part, steam engines lacked speedometers. Skill and a trusted pocket watch worked aptly for safe […]
“Less is more,” as the saying goes from the article How to lubricate your O and S gauge trains. The same applies to lubricating modern O scale steam locomotives, big and small. Though much like their real-life counterparts, there will be a few more components to attend to in contrast to lubricating diesels and rolling […]
Q: I have heard of some of the uses for alcohol in model railroading, such as cleaning parts, removing paint, and track cleaning. Are there other uses I’m not aware of? And at what strengths would be used? — Ron Buddemeier A: Isopropyl alcohol is a fairly strong solvent, and as such, there are a […]
Please enjoy this photo gallery of Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis passenger trains, originally published online in November 2017. […]
GIBBON, Neb. — Approximately 15 cars of a Union Pacific coal train derailed today (Sunday, July 7) in Gibbon, KGFW Radio reports. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported to the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Office about 2:24 a.m., according to KVRN Radio, and occurred at the intersection of U.S. Route 30 and Pawnee Road […]
BORDULAC, N.D. — The fire at the site of a CPKC derailment in North Dakota has mostly been extinguished, with cleanup and infrastructure repair work continuing today (Sunday, July 7). KFGO Radio reports first responders remain on scene as the fire occasionally flairs up as the derailed railcars are moved. The process is now underway […]
