Funding released for completion of Springfield, Ill., rail project

Illustration of new Springfield, Ill., train and bus station

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has obligated more than $157 million in funding, allowing construction to move forward on the final phase of the Springfield (Ill.) Rail Improvements Project. The project involves relocating some rail lines from Third Street to 10th Street in the state capital, as well as several grade-crossing separations. The […]

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Some Class I railroads take a fresh look at mergers

It’s been two years since CPKC CEO Keith Creel drove the ceremonial final spike at Knoche Yard in Kansas City to celebrate the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. The symbolic event marked what rail executives, regulators, and analysts all expected would be the last merger involving two Class I railroads. But now […]

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News & Products for the week of May 12th 2025

A black model freight car

News & Products for the week of May 12th 2025   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 May 12th, […]

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Walthers HO 40-foot single-sheathed boxcar

Color photo of HO scale boxcar painted brown with black and white graphics on white background.

Walthers HO 40-foot single-sheathed boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $31.98 Era: 1920s to 1950s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO 40-foot single-sheathed boxcar features: Newly tooled model 33” turned-metal wheelsets with RP-25 contour Body-mounted Proto-Max metal couplers Factory-applied plastic running boards with molded corner grab […]

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House subcommittee considers federal rail funding reform

Freight train against a background of trees

A House subcommittee hearing on May 6 focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of federal rail grants as U.S. Department of Transportation officials grapple with thousands of awarded-but-unobligated grants. Industry experts testified that reliable funding and faster regulatory processes are critical to infrastructure development. “We need reliable, predictable funding to plan decades’ worth of […]

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Layoffs hit BNSF technology services staff amid restructuring

Freight train at a grade crossing

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has laid off a portion of its technology services staff as part of a departmental restructuring effort, per the Forth Worth Star Telegram. While BNSF did not disclose specific numbers, the cuts are believed to have affected between 140 and 175 workers. The Fort Worth-based carrier is creating a […]

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