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An Association of American Railroads (AAR) 50-ton flatcar is the latest body style from Kadee Quality Products Co. The newly tooled HO scale model features injection-molded plastic construction, a detailed underbody, and No. 158 whisker couplers. Prototype history The AAR recommended three 50-foot flatcar designs in 1941. In his book Freight Cars of the ’40s […]
WASHINGTON — The Rail Customer Coalition, which represents the manufacturing, agriculture, and energy industries, has told federal regulators that Union Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern will stifle rail competition and drive up costs. “Past rail mergers have shown what happens when consolidation goes unchecked: service suffers, costs increase, and jobs disappear,” the coalition wrote […]
Parallel Systems has begun the second phase of testing its autonomous, battery-electric railcars on Genesee & Wyoming short line Heart of Georgia Railroad. The first phase of testing was performed on a 2-mile section of track on the Heart of Georgia. The Parallel vehicle was operated for a total of 90 miles and passed all […]
ST. LOUIS — Intramotev, the technology company building autonomous battery-electric freight cars, announced on Tuesday that Watco will begin using Intramotev’s TugVolt system, starting at its transload terminal in Wood River, Ill., in January. “At Watco, we’re always exploring new ways to support our customers,” Aaron Jensen, Watco’s senior vice president of operations solutions and […]
MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA — Demolition experts wasted little time in dismantling the top of the former Michigan Central coaling tower that straddles Amtrak’s Michigan line, which normally hosts Wolverine and Blue Water trains. The process of crushing this fortress and another one on Michigan-owned track west of Augusta, Mich., between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, has […]
WASHINGTON — “See Tracks? Think Train Week,” which runs Sept. 15–21, is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of staying safe around railroad tracks. The campaign highlights Federal Railroad Administration statistics showing that more than 95% of rail-related deaths involve drivers going through grade crossings or pedestrians trespassing on tracks. “Every three hours in […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Carriers Conference Committee today announced it has reached a national tentative agreement with SMART-TD, the nation’s largest rail union. “This tentative national agreement with SMART-TD will extend the benefits established by the industrywide pattern — including wage increases and improved benefits — to thousands more freight rail employees,” Jeff Rodgers, […]
News & Products for the week of September 15th 2025 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 September 15th, […]
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern today became the latest railroads to partner on new interline intermodal service. UP and NS today said they would launch domestic service linking Louisville, Ky., with Los Angeles and Lathrop, Calif.; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City and Houston beginning in mid-October. The railroads will exchange the traffic via steel-wheel […]
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — U.S. railroad traffic levels have been stagnant over the past 15 years because the Class I railroads were obsessed with profit margins while neglecting growth opportunities, CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs says. Hinrichs, speaking at an investor conference last week, was asked why railroads have struggled to grow, even setting aside the […]
John G. Kneiling, by profession a consulting engineer, wrote Trains Magazine’s Professional Iconoclast column for many years. His column called out perceived problems with the rail industry and suggested new ways of thinking about solutions. Fifty years ago, in the September 1975 issue, Kneiling took aim at the government-supported Conrail, then newly created from several […]
WalthersMainline HO 68-foot Railgon gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersMainline HO 68-foot Railgon gondola features: 36” metal wheels on plastic axles Based on prototypes in service from 2010 to present day Body-mounted Proto-Max metal couplers Detailed brake gear New paint […]
