Alaska by Rail Day 5 — Riding the ‘Turn’

Deep mountain gulch with river at bottom. Alaska by rail.

Welcome aboard the Trains–Special Interest Tours 2024 Alaska by Rail adventure. Please join us as we travel on the Alaska Railroad for 9 days from Sept. 8 to 17, heading south from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska. We begin with an Alaskan vocabulary lesson. Today’s term: termination snow. Dial back to the Day 4 entry when […]

Read More…

Broadway Limited HO scale EMD GP35

Screen capture from Product Review video showing HO scale diesel painted orange and green.

A sample from the latest run of Broadway Limited HO scale EMD GP35 diesel locomotives paid a visit to our Winston-Salem Southbound layout. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he shares a brief history of the four-axle road locomotive and Burlington Northern No. 2510, points out the details on the plastic and die-cast […]

Read More…

Broadway Limited HO scale EMD GP35

Screen capture from Product Review video showing HO scale diesel painted orange and green.

A sample from the latest run of Broadway Limited HO scale EMD GP35 diesel locomotives paid a visit to our Winston-Salem Southbound layout. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he shares a brief history of the four-axle road locomotive and Burlington Northern No. 2510, points out the details on the plastic and die-cast […]

Read More…

Colorado’s San Luis Central reopens line

Green-and-yellow diesel locomotive on five culverts over waterway with pink railcar

MONTE VISTA, Colo. — The San Luis Central reopens its main line running the first train to operate since May 24, 2024. Here, it crosses an irrigation canal on newly installed culverts that repaired a washout on this section of line on Sept. 9, 2024. Electro-Motive SW8, No. 70, with General Manager Tom Tancula at […]

Read More…

Alaska by Rail trek Day 4 — Traveling from winter to fall

A yellow and blue passenger train rest beside a rain-soaked platform. Alaska by Rail adventure

Welcome aboard the Trains–Special Interest Tours 2024 Alaska by Rail adventure. Please join us as we travel on the Alaska Railroad for 9 days from Sept. 8 to 17, heading south from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska. Jump back to yesterday when we were bounding along Park Road inside Denali National Park and Preserve observing wildlife […]

Read More…

Alaska by Rail journey Day 3 — Meeting the Great One

A yellow and blue passenger train rest beside a rain-soaked platform. Alaska by Rail adventure

Welcome aboard the Trains–Special Interest Tours 2024 Alaska by Rail adventure. Please join us as we travel on the Alaska Railroad for 9 days from Sept. 8 to 17, heading south from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska. Today it was time to encounter the Great One — Denali — the tallest mountain peak in North America. […]

Read More…

Alaska by Rail trip Day 2 — Traveling to Denali

A yellow and blue passenger train rest beside a rain-soaked platform. Alaska by Rail adventure

Welcome aboard the Trains–Special Interest Tours 2024 Alaska by Rail adventure. Please join us as we travel on the Alaska Railroad for 9 days from Sept. 8 to 17, heading south from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska. Flying into Fairbanks two days ago the view from above made it appear as if modern Alaska is literally […]

Read More…

Alaska by Rail adventure Day 1 — Welcome to Fairbanks, Alaska

A yellow and blue passenger train rest beside a rain-soaked platform. Alaska by Rail adventure

Welcome to Fairbanks, Alaska, aboard the Trains–Special Interest Tours 2024 Alaska by Rail adventure. Please join us as we travel on the Alaska Railroad for the next 9 days heading south from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Alaska — its official nickname is The Last Frontier. Considering its size and wilderness nature, the name fits. The 49th […]

Read More…

Memorable train rides: VIA Rail Canada ‘Ocean’

Trains.com Kent Johnson’s pick: VIA Rail Canada Ocean Name of train: Ocean, Train No. 14 The route: Montréal, Quebéc to Halifax, Nova Scotia Duration: ~22 hours (one night, one day), tri-weekly service Waylaid by wet leaves on the rails, VIA Rail’s No. 14 eastbound Ocean arrives hours late into Moncton, N.B., Canada, on Oct. 19, […]

Read More…

Why do railroads use signals?

A train passes in front of a large mountain in the background

A common question newcomers to model railroading ask is “Why do railroads use signals?” The quick answer is to keep trains moving safely. But the topic of railroad signals deserves more of an explanation. The evolution of railroad signals When trains are running in the same direction on the same line, in opposite directions on […]

Read More…

Jacksonville Terminal N scale container flatcar

A 60-foot intermodal container flatcar has joined Jacksonville Terminal Co.’s growing N scale freight car lineup. The newly tooled car features Very Real Knuckle (VRK) couplers and insulated metal wheelsets. Prototype history The sample we received is decorated as Trailer Train car VTTX 91927. The proto­type VTTX cars were a mix of Pullman-Standard 60-foot bulkhead […]

Read More…