Williams by Bachmann E-Z Street vehicles

red and blue model cars

I grew up around cars; my dad managed a tire/repair shop until his retirement. So when Bachmann offered to send a couple of their new E-Z Street vehicles for review, the answer was an easy yes. These vehicles are part of the former K-Line “Super Streets” line, renamed by Williams by Bachmann as E-Z Street. […]

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Influential proxy advisory firm recommends that Norfolk Southern shareholders side with activist investor Ancora Holdings (updated)

Red, white, and black locomotives with train of equipment for training first responders

In a significant boost to activist investor Ancora Holdings, one of the two major proxy advisory firms has recommended that Norfolk Southern shareholders vote in favor of six of its seven dissident board candidates. Glass Lewis made the recommendation in a report issued on Sunday, which concludes that Ancora has made a compelling case that […]

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New York MTA announces plans to begin congestion pricing on June 30

Map of Lower Manhattan

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will begin assessing congestion pricing tolls — the fee for vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street, which will be used to fund transit projects — on Sunday, June 30, the agency has announced. Meanwhile, the news site amNY.com reports that, in concert with the start of the pricing […]

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Can I replace trucks on Walthers HO Horizon cars?

An undecorated silver modern passenger coach

Q: Do you have any suggestions on how to replace trucks on Walthers HO Horizon cars (item No. 932-6073)? — Daniel Kielty A: That part number corresponds to an HO scale Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter car. The Horizon fleet passenger cars, used by Amtrak as well as municipal transit authorities like MBTA, were built […]

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What are you working on?

Color photo of two-story brick railroad office on model railroad.

Through our Trains.com website and the pages of Model Railroader magazine, you get a pretty good idea of what some of the hobby’s well-known names are working on. But not everything they do becomes an article for the website or magazine. In “What are you working on?” I surveyed some of our regular contributors to […]

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Amtrak Indianapolis services through time

Streamlined diesel locomotives with passenger train outside of station train shed

Amtrak Indianapolis services exhibit more than their share of tumult through Amtrak’s five decades. No single train has served the city during this time, and, in fact, the Hoosier State’s capital city had no Amtrak service from October 1979 to October 1980.   Amtrak’s Indianapolis station is, and has been, located at 350 S. Illinois […]

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NS activist investor and engineers’ union reached agreement last week

Industry observers had wondered why the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen — which had vehemently opposed an activist investor’s plans to oust Norfolk Southern’s management team — flip-flopped on Friday and decided to support Ancora Holdings’ calls for change at the railroad. The reason became apparent on Sunday, when the SMART-TD union that represents […]

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Crew members injured as UP train derails in Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — The engineer and conductor of a Union Pacific train were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following a derailment early this morning, the Lee’s Summit Fire Department reports. The fire department responded to a call at approximately 12:45 a.m. of a derailment in the Unity Village area between Rhinehart […]

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Sound Transit launches Bellevue-Redmond light rail service

People taking pictures of light rail trains

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Large crowds turned out Saturday for the opening of the first portion of Sound Transit’s East Link light rail service, an isolated 6.6-mile, eight-station line between Bellevue and Redmond, Wash. The Seattle Times reports hundreds of people were on hand well ahead of the ribbon-cutting that marked the start of service at […]

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MBTA adjusts plans for Red Line maintenance work

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s extended schedule for its current Blue Line track work is having a ripple effect on upcoming plans for the Red Line. The planned shutdown of the Red Line between Park Street and the JFK/UMass stations will now be held May 2-10, beginning one day later than originally planned. […]

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Fire crews aim to extinguish fire at BNSF derailment Saturday night

Burning railroad cars at derailment site

LUPTON, Ariz. — Crews from New Mexico’s McKinley County Fire & Rescue plan to extinguish the burning cars of a BNSF train tonight (Saturday, April 27), the Albuquerque Journal reports. The train derailed and caught fire Friday afternoon, closing Interstate 40 near the Arizona-New Mexico border and leading to evacuation of Navajo Nation residents within […]

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