CHICAGO — Upgrading speeds and capacity or simply keeping tracks well-maintained for passenger trains has tradeoffs that often compromise a rail corridor’s ability to provide meaningful mobility while the work is going on. An example will occur in Michigan beginning May 6, when Amtrak and the state of Michigan jointly made the decision to suspend […]
Read More…
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — Caltrain’s electrification process took another step forward the weekend of March 9-10, with successful testing of trains and catenary on the commuter line’s Redwood City-Mountain View segment, the agency announced Monday. Test runs beginning at 20 mph and increasing to the 79-mph speed limit were conducted, with a total of 25 […]
Read More…
BOSTON — Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority work on the rapid transit Green Line in February and March removed 11 speed restrictions and made unnecessary a planned suspension of service on the C Branch this fall, the MBTA said on Monday. The C Branch outage this fall is no longer needed because work eliminated a slow […]
Read More…
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Metro-North Railroad has unveiled the fourth locomotive in its heritage series, this time wrapping P32AC-DM No. 217 in Penn Central colors. The locomotive made its debut today on a Hudson Line train departing Croton-Harmon at 7:58 a.m. and arriving at Grand Central Terminal at 8:55 a.m. “Every new wrapped locomotive reminds […]
Read More…
News & Products for the week of March 11th 2024 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of March 11th […]
Read More…
WASHINGTON — Fourteen major transit projects in 11 states would receive almost $4 billion under President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2025 budget request to Congress, according to recommendations from Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Primary funding would come under the Capital Investment Grants and Expedited Project Delivery Pilot programs. “FTA looks forward to working with these communities to […]
Read More…
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway eliminated several hundred management positions at its headquarters and across the system last week as part of a belt-tightening move. The railroad did not disclose how many jobs were affected, but people familiar with the matter say that BNSF cut 8% of its management workforce. That would translate into […]
Read More…
WASHINGTON — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman says he’s disappointed that executives from Ancora Holdings, the activist investor firm engaged in a proxy battle with Norfolk Southern, have yet to schedule a meeting to discuss its goals for the railroad. Ancora Holdings Group Chairman and CEO Frederick DiSanto and Ancora Alternatives President James […]
Read More…
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has awarded a contract for construction of a 2.4-mile extension of its light rail system in East San Jose, despite a contract more than one-third higher than the agency’s original estimate. The VTA’s board last week unanimously approved the extension from the Alum Rock station […]
Read More…
When it comes to detail parts, often we find ourselves sourcing the same buildings, fences, or houses. If you’re not confident in your model building skills developing a unique scene without premade structures can be a challenge. Recently, Mr. Muffin’s Trains (Atlanta, Ind.) has started selling Schomberg Scale Structure kits, formerly sold under the Schomberg […]
Read More…
Jim Providenza—garden railway edition How did you get started in the hobby? I’ve been an HO scale model railroader since I was 12. After we moved to our current home in 1988, I started planning to build a garden railway, but one that would further my longtime interest in operations. In this case, would focus […]
Read More…
PALESTINE, Texas — Efforts by the city of Palestine and Anderson County, Texas, to require Union Pacific to maintain jobs at its Palestine car shop have suffered another setback, with a Texas appeals court declaring a 1954 agreement between the city and UP predecessor Missouri Pacific is unenforceable. The Palestine Herald-Press reports the 12th Court […]
Read More…