Q: In the November Ask Trains video, you were standing in front of a display case filled with Milwaukee, Racine & Troy freight cars. Some featured the familiar square MR&T herald. Other models looked to be from an earlier era. What can you tell me about those cars? — Bert G. A: Alan Cerney, an […]
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Twelve rail-related projects in California among those to receive federal grants
WASHINGTON — A dozen rail-related projects in California are among those to receive funding through three U.S. Department of Transportation grant programs, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla has announced. In all, 25 projects will receive more than $258 million in federal funds through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE); Reconnecting Communities pilot, and […]
Add an industrial siding to your layout
Whenever children visit my O gauge layout, the operating accessories attract their attention more than any other feature. To accommodate them, I locate the controls for these toys nearby in the molding around the edge of the table, rather than on a central control panel. I have several industrial sidings, all close to viewers. Each […]
Built by Others: Jeffrey Damerst’s Winston-Salem Southbound layouts
Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its related products. The HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch layout project layout first appeared in the pages of Model Railroader in January of 2018, as well as the 2017 issue of […]
Britt Allcroft, ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ TV producer, dies at 81
Britt Allcroft, best known for her television adaptation of Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s Railway Series characters, which introduced a new audience to characters such as Thomas the Tank Engine, has passed away at age 81. Born Hilary Allcroft in West Sussex, England, Allcroft was a successful television producer prior to her involvement with the Thomas the […]
ASLRRA names three new members of Short Line Hall of Fame
WASHINGTON — Ron Batory, K. Earl Durden, and Henry Posner III will be inducted into the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame at this year’s American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association Annual Conference, the organization has announced. The induction will take place April 8, 2025, in Denver. Durden’s induction will be posthumous. “The […]
Norfolk Southern awards more than $6 million in community grants
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has awarded more than $6 million to 408 organizations during 2024 as part of two grant programs launched in 2023, the railroad has announced. The Safety First grant program awarded $2.2 million to 184 organizations in 19 states. These awards are to enhance emergency response capabilities and promote community safety. The […]
CSX coal train derails in Virginia (updated)
BREMO BLUFF, Va. — No injuries have been reported after a derailment involving a CSX coal train early today (Jan. 7, 2025), the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office reported. The sheriff’s office said in a press release that “multiple cars” have overturned in the incident reported at approximately 4:53 a.m. Also responding were the Fluvanna Volunteer […]
Wabtec hybrid locomotives approved for full use in New York subway system
PITTSBURGH — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved the use of new Wabtec battery-diesel hybrid locomotives for maintenance operations across its subway network, the manufacturer has announced. The MTA ordered 25 of the R255 locomotives in 2020 to replace diesel locomotives built in the 1960s and ’70s; to date, four have been delivered, beginning […]
Ceremony marks start of track laying for California high speed route
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri joined local officials and workers just outside of Bakersfield on Monday, Jan. 6, to mark the start of track laying on a 22-mile stretch of the state high-speed project. The event — which included officials driving spikes into a ceremonial […]
Norfolk Southern grant to help with restoration of Lehigh & New England diesel
SOUDERTON, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Railroad & Industrial Preservation Society Inc. for its restoration of the last intact diesel from the Lehigh & New England Railroad. The funds will be used to rehabilitate the traction motors of Alco S2 No. 611, built in September 1948 and operated by […]
Amtrak adds to Tuesday storm cancellations
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has expanded its list of train cancellations for Tuesday, Jan. 7, as a result of the winter storm currently moving across the nation’s midsection. In a service advisory today (Jan. 6, 2025) at 5 p.m. ET, Amtrak announced these Tuesday schedule changes: — Acela Nos. 2103, 2107, 2121 (Boston-Washington) and 2108, 2122, […]
