Superliner dining on Amtrak

Amtrak Empire Dining

A significant part of the Amtrak long-distance service centers around the onboard dining experience. Rightfully so, as there’s nothing better than enjoying a good meal paired with stunning scenery! When traveling on Amtrak’s premier long-distance trains, sleeping car passengers are provided with complimentary meals in the dining car, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Amtrak’s website […]

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Amtrak Superliner roomettes adventure

When riding aboard an Amtrak long-distance train, you’ll find that reserving a sleeping car accommodation is a great way to make your trek more relaxing and enjoyable! The most economical of sleeping car options is a Superliner Roomette. By day, this space features two facing seats. By night, a Roomette converts into two berths, an […]

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LGB Santa Fe F7 locomotive review

LGB F7 Santa Fe large scale

These LGB Santa Fe F7 locomotives are nice looking and good runners, too. The powered A unit (no. 21576) has many separately applied details and cab doors that can be opened. Both trucks are driven by Bühler motors with ball bearings and the wheels have traction tires. The locomotive has a built-in mfx/DCC decoder with […]

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Amtrak Hiawatha service highlights

Amtrak locomotive at passenger station

Amtrak Hiawatha service highlights Amtrak runs daily trains called the Hiawatha Service between Milwaukee and Chicago. This service provides easy access for those living in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois to the downtown centers of both cities. There are six daily trains in both directions, an additional train at peak morning commute times during weekdays, […]

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Amtrak LionChief 2.0 Genesis shines in traditional O gauge

Lionel LionChief 2.0 Genesis

National passenger carrier Amtrak recently turned 50 years old. To mark the occasion, Lionel has released a LionChief 2.0 version of its P42 Genesis locomotive. These engines will run on O-31 curves and they’re loaded with detail. They feature operating couplers front and rear, a nice pilot with MU detail, ditch lights, headlights, a spectacular […]

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Amtrak roomette experience on the Empire Builder

Man sitting in a roomette.

Amtrak roomette experience While I’ve ridden a lot of trains, until this summer, I’d never tried any of Amtrak’s sleeping car services. So when my wife and I recently traveled to Minnesota to visit friends, we decided to book a roomette on Amtrak’s Empire Builder between Chicago and St. Paul as a test, before considering […]

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Fuel freight trains to be given priority in Germany

Black electric locomotive hauling unit train of black coal hoppers

German rail network operators will be able to override existing contracts to prioritize the transport of oil and coal for power generation — potentially delaying passenger and other freight service — under a draft emergency law published last week by the German government. The rule also covers moves of heavy equipment, such as transformers, needed […]

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Fourteen states and five steaks on Amtrak

Amtrak diesel engine in front of freight train at night

Fourteen states on Amtrak I’ve been riding on trains since I was 2 years old. Although those trips were short and on scenic railroads, my love for trains increased as I got older. From watching high-speed Acela and Northeast Regional trainsets fly by while visiting the Northeast Corridor to watching videos of the stunning views […]

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SEPTA opens new station, introduces new Regional Rail schedules

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has begun service to its newest Regional Rail Station, at the same time it has introduced new schedules. The new Wawa Station at 1490 W. Baltimore Pike in Media, Pa., is the southwestern endpoint of what is now the Media/Wawa line (formerly Media/Elwyn), and carries the […]

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Environmental report approved for California high speed rail segment to San Francisco

California High Speed Rail Authority logo

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California High-Speed Rail Authority has completed environmental clearance for the Northern California portion of its route — and for 420 miles of the entire 500-mile route from San Francisco to Los Angeles and Anaheim — after certifying the environmental documents for the San Francisco-San Jose section. The final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental […]

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