SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — The community of Spokane Valley has gained the last of the funding it needs for a $38 million grade crossing project with the announcement the Washington State Department of Transportation will contribute $5 million toward an underpass for Pines Road at its intersection with the BNSF main line. The Spokane Spokesman-Review […]
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VANCOUVER, Wash. — The 33-mile Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, owned by Clark County, Wash., and leased to two operators, will receive $4.7 million in state funding for line rehabilitation work, the Columbian newspaper reports. The first $1.5 million will improve the 14-mile section between Vancouver and Battle Ground, Wash., leased to the Portland Vancouver Junction Railroad, […]
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SANDPOINT, Idaho — BNSF has opened its second bridge over Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho, providing a second track at a previously one-track bottleneck nearly a year ahead of schedule. The nearly mile-long bridge, next to a structure built by Northern Pacific in 1904, opened on Sunday, Nov. 20. “We are excited about the […]
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BUFFALO, N.Y. — After a two-day hiatus while up to 6 feet of heavy lake-effect snow fell in Buffalo, Amtrak trains were moving again today (Sunday, Nov. 20) through western New York even as many area roads remained impassable. Meanwhile, with the Thanksgiving holiday — and its usual heavy ridership — approaching, operating obstacles cropped […]
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I recently wrote “Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs” featuring five Electro-Motive Division diesels, including unique paint schemes, rebuilds, and test subjects. This time, I dug through my negative collection and found eight Burlington Northern freight car one-offs. Most of the photos are from family travels throughout northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota between the early 1980s […]
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Former Alaska Gov. Bill Sheffield, who was instrumental in the state’s purchase of the Alaska Railroad from the federal government and went on to serve as the railroad’s president, CEO, and board chairman, has died. Sheffield died on Nov. 4. He was 94. “There are just no words to encompass all that […]
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STEILACOOM, Wash. — Efforts to save Steilacoom’s 1914 Northern Pacific depot, which remains largely intact though closed since 1972, are being revived, KIRO Radio reports, after having been dormant since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Current owner BNSF Railway has been prepared to donate the building for several years, says Gus Melonas, a retired BNSF […]
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Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: large scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era. Description: “Rollin’ By on the Hill” – J&MtZ trains rolling by on the 3% grade at Laurel Jct. Music from YouTube Sound, “Everything Where It Needs To Be” by […]
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For this weekend edition of Underground, only MRVideoPlus.com subscribers get to see how David puts the finishing touches on his O scale laser-cut wood kit. All before installing the structure, plus details and a fully loaded gondola, on the Olympia Logging Co. layout. […]
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After checking the bond of the previously glued components, David moves to the next step — building the laser-cut pieces and parts into an O scale structure for the Olympia Logging Co. display-style layout. Along the way, you’ll see that even David has to make do with the tools and materials he has available at […]
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David Popp is now working weekends to give MRVideoPlus.com subscribers an exclusive episode from his basement bunker. See how the parts and pieces of the wood kit start to come apart…all to come together again! But even in the midst of offering great tips and tricks, our expert builder must still manage a few unexpected […]
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Ready for another Underground update? David Popp hunkers down to take on the challenge of building a fueling stage for his On30 Olympia Logging Co. layout. After a quick overview of his modeling project and the laser-cut wood kit components, you’ll see how David tests and preps parts with stain. […]
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