BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt assist in Wreaths Across America, remembering fallen veterans

Locomotive and JB Hunt vehicle as backdrop for motorcyclists

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — To honor fallen veterans during the holidays, a number of companies regularly partner with Wreaths Across America to deliver wreaths for placement on headstones. Among them are BNSF Railway and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Wreaths Across America has a mission to “Remember, Honor, and Teach,” and every year since 2007 the […]

Read More…

News photo: Viewliner sleeper returns in new paint scheme

Side view of passenger car

Amtrak has returned one of its stored Viewliner I sleeping cars to service — and introduced a new passenger-car variant of the Phase VII locomotive paint scheme at the same time. Sleeper No. 62032, the Iroquois River, was caught by photographer Nathan Richters on the southbound Floridian at Fredericksburg, Va., on Saturday, Dec. 14. The […]

Read More…

Port Authority approves fare discount for PATH riders with disabilities

Two rapid-transit trainsets side by side at station

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Port Authority Trans-Hudson rail passengers with disabilities will receive a 50% fare discount beginning in 2025, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey board of commissioners has decided. The board on Dec. 12 approved the program, which had been proposed in November by the governors of the two states […]

Read More…

ChatGPT use cases for the model railroader

Using the same prompt, "Model railroad layout trackplan, birds eye view, HO scale, mountainous, with tunnel, mining operation and city," demonstrates the progress made in the field of LLM image generation over the course of one year. The difference in the level of detail between 2023 and 2024 is self-evident, and upon closer inspection, one notices clearer delineation between locomotives and buildings on the image at right as opposed to its predecessor. Mitch Horner image

Whether we like it or not, AI isn’t going away. The adoption of this technology across all major tech companies and many industries has cemented its place in our contemporary culture, at least for the time being. We as modelers may as well make our peace with it, and learn how to make it work […]

Read More…

Reminiscing on five prolific narrow gauge railroads in Colorado

Smoking steam locomotive in front of station

The silver and gold bonanza of the late 19th Century led to a boom in narrow gauge railroad startups across Colorado. But out of the plethora that’ve come and gone, which left an impact in the Centennial State and sparked our enthusiasm to visit what’s left today? Let’s find out by reminiscing about five prolific […]

Read More…

Burlington Route diesel locomotives remembered

Burlington Route diesel locomotives showed a strong loyalty to Electro-Motive Division, located in the online community of LaGrange, Ill. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy was a diesel pioneer with its Zephyr passenger trains in the 1930s, and the railroad began dieselizing mainline freight trains with EMD FTs in 1943. The CB&Q continuing dieselizing with a […]

Read More…

Pullman Foundation acquires first railcar for display at National Historical Park

Black and white builder's photo of passenger car.

CHICAGO — The Pullman National Historical Park and State Historic Site has secured its first Pullman railcar for display at the site of the factory that produced rolling stock for decades. The Historic Pullman Foundation announced in November that it has completed a Letter of Intent to Donate with owner David Hoffman for a wooden […]

Read More…

Stadler, Caltrain sign technical support agreement

Low-angle view of commuter train in San Francisco

SALT LAKE CITY — Stadler and Caltrain have signed an agreement covering technical support for the commuter operator’s fleet of Stadler-built electric multiple-unit trainsets, the manufacturer has announced. The Technical Support and Spare Supply Agreement, or TSSSA, covers on-site technical support, maintenance management software, material management for preventive and corrective maintenance, and diagnostic assists. It […]

Read More…

Jim Mahon, ‘The Bear,’ kept the SP rolling

Man looking at snow from window of rail equipment

Railroaders in charge of fixed plant — often carrying the “roadmaster” title — rarely attract much fame, but a significant exception is James C. Mahon, the longtime Southern Pacific official who won some of SP’s most significant battles against nature and along the way developed legions of fans, especially in California. Mahon, known across the […]

Read More…

Legislators urge Amtrak, CN, Metra, UP to reach deal on grant application

Man speaking at podium

CHICAGO — Speaking today at an event to celebrate new grants for Chicago’s CREATE project, U.S. Sen. Dick Durban (D-Ill.) called on passenger carriers and freight operators to reach an agreement wrapping up details of a federal grant application for the Chicago Hub Improvement Program, which would involve infrastructure work in the region as well […]

Read More…

Chicago event marks latest CREATE federal funding, touts program’s national significance

Group photo at rail yard

CHICAGO — If there were two messages hammered home during a press conference to celebrate the latest federal funding for the CREATE project, they were these: CREATE may be a local program, but it has national implications. And it is the textbook example of public-private partnership. The event today (Friday, Dec. 13) was to mark […]

Read More…