Price: $49.99 Manufacturer Menards 5106 Menard Dr. Eau Claire, WI 54703 menards.com/trains Era: 1930s to present Comments: Kids on the porch swing, a dog in the front yard, and a neatly manicured yard. Those are just some of the highlights of Grandma’s House, a new HO scale structure from Menards. The two-story house has laser-cut […]
Section: News & Reviews
Report: CSX talks with investment bank about merger options
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX has declined to comment on a Bloomberg report that it has engaged Goldman Sachs to advise it about potential merger options. Today’s news comes in the wake of this week’s announcement that Union Pacific will acquire Norfolk Southern in an $85 billion deal that would create the first transcontinental railroad. Industry […]
Influential shipper group: No rail mergers without better service, pricing, and competition
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Industrial Transportation League said today that rail shippers will not support a transcontinental railroad merger unless it’s accompanied by improvements in service, pricing, and competition. “Despite the promises that rail customers would benefit from mergers through more efficient service, in reality captive rail customers must pay increasingly higher prices for […]
First production AC-traction diesel donated to Illinois Railway Museum
UNION, Ill. — The first U.S. production AC-traction locomotive, BNSF Railway SD70MAC No. 9400, has been donated to the Illinois Railway Museum, IRM has announced. The 4,000-hp EMD locomotive was the first unit in an order for 350 locomotives built between November 1993 and mid-1996, following several years of testing of diesels with AC traction […]
Amtrak names Corneanu as chief financial officer
WASHINGTON — Costin Corneanu has been named as Amtrak’s executive vice president, chief financial officer, effective Aug. 4. The Amtrak board approved the appointment today (July 31, 2025). Corneanu will succeed Tracie Winbigler, who will retire on Jan. 1, 2026. Until then, she will remain in her executive vice president role as chief transformation officer. […]
Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society asks for grade crossing closure
ANGOLA, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society is asking commissioners in Steuben County, Ind., to close a grade crossing to accommodate its operations and upgrades as part of the Indiana Rail Experience. The Angola Herald Republican, in an article republished by the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, reports the society is seeking closure of […]
Iowa Interstate, county partner on new rail industrial park in Newton, Iowa
NEWTON, Iowa — Iowa Interstate Railroad and Jasper County, Iowa, on Wednesday announced the launch of the Newton Rail Park, a 367-acre industrial park to feature biofuel and manufacturing industries and offering rail-related logistics. The public-private partnership between the railroad and county has invested $10 million in property acquisition and infrastructure planning, reports the Business […]
Activist investor may target CSX, citing slumping financial performance
Ancora Holdings, the activist investor that waged a proxy battle for control of a beleaguered Norfolk Southern in 2024, now may have CSX in its crosshairs. “We’ve been a growing shareholder in CSX and I think that company finds itself at the crossroads … of whether it wants to find a merger partner or whether […]
DART light rail service remains disrupted after Wednesday fire
#UPDATE: @DARTAlerts says it plans to work through the night to repair the damage after this afternoon’s train fire. No word yet if service will be back online in time for the morning commute. https://t.co/HUuDjImpUS @CBSNewsTexas pic.twitter.com/2mmfNR3Fvy — Giles Hudson (@CBS11Giles) July 31, 2025 DALLAS — Dallas Area Rapid Transit light rail service remains disrupted […]
Hobby Trax USA DCC Spike Busters
Hobby Trax USA DCC Spike Busters Price: Two-pack, $6.99 Manufacturer: Hobby Trax USA, 1237 Victoria Ave., No. 310, Oxnard, CA 93035; 518-727-2009; hobbytrax.us Hobby Trax USA DCC Spike Busters features: All-new surface-mount design Designed to fit as a pair to the ends of a Digital Command Control bus (no more than two are needed, regardless […]
US weekly rail traffic remains above 2024 levels
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remained ahead of 2024 levels, albeit slightly, for the week ending July 26, 2025. Total rail traffic for the week was 524,279 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.1% over the same week a year ago. That included 231,029 carloads, up 0.9% compared to the corresponding week in 2024, and […]
CPKC’s Creel warns of issues from UP-NS ‘endgame’ merger (updated)
CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific Kansas City CEO Keith Creel today teed off on the proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, raising a host of questions and concerns about the $85 billion deal that would reshape the railroad industry. Creel, speaking on CPKC’s earnings call, issued a series of warnings about the transcontinental […]
