Partnership to restore D&RGW No. 223 C-16

Black and white Denver & Rio Grande Western 2-8-0 steam locomotive.

OGDEN, Utah — The City of Ogden, the 223 Locomotive Foundation, and the Colorado Railroad Museum have announced plans for an operational restoration of Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 223. The 2-8-0 locomotive is one of three remaining C-16 class engines built in 1881. It is the only remaining C-16 built by Grant Locomotive […]

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New York MTA orders 378 additional subway cars

Subway train on curve in open-air segment

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has approved purchase of 378 R268 subway cars from Kawasaki Railcar under a contract valued at $1.507 billion. The approval came during the board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 30. Tim Mulligan, the MTA’s chief of rolling stock, said the purchase would complete replacement of R68 and R68a […]

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Amtrak urges passengers to book early for Thanksgiving

crowds in station

WASHINGTON — Amtrak is advising passengers to book early for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday period to get the best prices and ensure seating, saying it is expecting record-breaking ridership based on early bookings. Last year, the company saw 1.2 million riders during the Thanksgiving season. The company will add cars to Northeast Regional routes between […]

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UP and NS seek faster merger review as rivals turn up pressure

Yellow and black locomotives leading train of tank cars

Eager to tie the knot, Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have asked federal regulators for a faster review of their proposed transcontinental merger, Trains has learned. The Surface Transportation Board in September proposed a roughly 390-day schedule to review the railroads’ $85 billion deal. The calendar includes wiggle room that would allow the board to […]

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SMART-TD ratifies new five-year national agreement

Logo of SMART-TD union

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division has ratified the five-year collective bargaining agreement reached with railroads represented by the National Carriers Conference Committee. The tentative deal had been announced in September [see “SMART-TD reaches national tentative agreement …,” Trains.com, Sept. 16, 2025]. The agreement, covering SMART-TD […]

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Sunset for a Union Pacific branch line train

Three yellow diesel locomotives roll through green fields at sunset

This Union Pacific branchline  train heads home at sunset near Platte Center, Nebraska on Aug. 22, 1988. The train — the Norfolk local returning to Columbus with a little bit of everything in tow — was a common enough sight at the time. The well-maintained motive power includes three, four-axle locomotives. The lead unit is […]

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Athearn HO Berwick bathtub gondola

Color photo showing B end of HO scale bathtub gondola painted faded black with simulated scrap metal load and red, white, blue, and yellow graphics on white background.

Athearn HO Berwick bathtub gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $36.99 to $41.99; three-pack, $99.99 to $114.99 Era: 1977+ to 2020+ (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO Berwick bathtub gondola features: Body-mounted McHenry plastic scale couplers Machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours […]

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Andersen EMD SW1 operationally restored

Black, white, and orange diesel locomotive on a turntable.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Transportation Museum volunteers have returned a 1949 EMD SW1 diesel locomotive to operation. The unit was built for the Wabash Railroad and later sold to window-maker Andersen for switching at its Bayport, Minn., plant. “It started with a hinge,” says Tim Nelson, one of the volunteers who led the project, […]

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US weekly rail traffic continues downward trend

Weekly table showing U.S. carload rail traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume. This week's stats show an overall decline of 3.8%

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remains below 2024 levels for the third straight week — and the sixth time in eight weeks — with both carload and intermodal traffic showing declines. According to figures from the Association of American Railroads for the week ending Oct. 25, total traffic was 499,688 carloads and intermodal units, […]

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