GATINEAU, Quebec — With the threat of a national strike looming, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference will resume negotiations on Wednesday, Aug. 8, with the assistance of federal mediators, Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon said today. MacKinnon and Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez today met with CN, CPKC, and Teamsters […]
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LAKE CITY, Fla. — Eastern railroads have marked the beginning of another hurricane season, as Hurricane Debby hit the made landfall between Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Fla., today (Monday, Aug. 5) and subsequently was downgraded to a strong tropical storm. The storm brought 70-mph winds and heavy rains across Pinsley Railroad Corp.’s Florida Gulf & Atlantic […]
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New Tracks Modeling and O Scale Resource magazine have announced an O scale animated series of models, produced by CatzPaw Innovations LLC and Brennan’s Model Railroading. Preorders for the first model will be taken at the March 2025 O Scale Meet in Chicago, Ill. David Schultz is the chairman of the Modelers Advisory Committee for […]
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Early model railroaders used wood, wire, and paper to create rolling stock. Today’s scratchbuilders can choose from myriad detail parts and use sophisticated laser cutters and 3-D printers. Sometimes it’s fun to explore old-school materials and techniques. To make this little G scale tender, I used a hybrid approach — mixing the old and the […]
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As a collector of scale models, I typically focus on Lionel Legacy or MTH/Atlas Premier models. However, the MTH RailKing line also provides a great deal of scale (and non-scale) models at a lower price point. Announced in June of 2023 with six “livery configurations,” the USRA 0-6-0 arrived in July of 2024, a few […]
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MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Thirty-eight cars of a Union Pacific coal train derailed about 2 miles east of Marshalltown on Sunday evening, Aug. 4, KCCI-TV reports. The derailment occurred about 5:30 p.m. No injuries were reported. Marshalltown is about 148 miles west of Clinton, Iowa, on UP’s Clinton Subdivision. It is about 70 miles west of […]
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What was your first train set (or locomotive)? I remember as a small child being fascinated with all types of transportation. Cars, trucks, ships, planes and trains, but I can definitely recall getting bitten by the model train bug when I was 6 years old. I distinctly remember visiting one of my father’s co-workers, who […]
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Traffic in petroleum products is on the rise across North America’s Class I rail networks, as five of the six Class I railroads see an uptick in petroleum product carloads compared to last year. Association of American Railroads data shows shipments of petroleum products are up 8.6% for the year, the biggest […]
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has approved purchase of a new $137 million cruise ship port in Seward, to be built by a local developer and funded through a combination of loans and bonds. The facility could be completed in time for the 2026 cruise season. The Anchorage Daily News reports the railroad’s board […]
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The current era of transition for Amtrak’s roster harkens back to motive power that shaped the passenger rail carrier — for better or for worse. Excluding EMD F40PHs, as they’re in a league of their own, here are five memorable Amtrak locomotives. SDP40F Initially rolled out in 1973, the SDP40Fs became the […]
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FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway boosted operating profits in the second quarter thanks to a combination of cost control and traffic volume gains. The railway on Saturday, Aug. 3, said its operating income increased 1%, to $1.8 billion, as revenue declined 2%, to $5.7 billion. The operating ratio, at 68.2%, was flat compared to […]
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Rail excursion operator Rocky Mountaineer has rerouted passengers booked for its two itineraries that formerly terminated or originated in Jasper, Alberta, for the rest of the 2024 tour season. Meanwhile, VIA Rail Canada’s Canadian departing Toronto on Aug. 7 is tentatively slated to be the first train to pass through Jasper. […]
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