Travel with Trains: Alaska 2023

With gray mountain peaks above it, a yellow and blue passenger train pulls in to a station

What’s it like to travel with Trains Magazine? Read Editor Carl Swanson’s day-by-day impressions of the 49th State. Information on all our upcoming tours is posted here. Alaska 2023 Day 1, Sunday 9/10 | Fairbanks Depending on where you live, getting to Alaska can take a while. In my case, it meant waking in time […]

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News & Products for the week of December 4th 2023

Two model freight cars in a red paint scheme

News & Products for the week of December 4th 2023   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 December 4th […]

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The Amtrak ‘Auto Train’ throughout the years

close up of silver Auto Train on tracks

From Auto-Train to Amtrak Auto Train Today’s Auto Train is a stellar option for people looking to travel long distances with their car in tow between northern Virginia and central Florida. Amtrak’s marketing slogan on its website is “Take Your Car on an Auto Train Road Trip.” Those traveling in sleeping cars receive traditional dining-car […]

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Meet Dominic Bourgeois

vintage photo of model train layout

Meet Dominic Bourgeois What was your first train set (or locomotive)? I was only 6 years old and so I don’t quite remember, but I’m reasonably confident that it was a Model Power set that included a Baldwin “Shark” diesel painted in the Canadian National striped scheme and maybe two cars, a caboose, and a […]

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News photo: Amtrak HHP8 tests as cab car

Former double-ended locomotive being tested as cab car

One of Amtrak’s retired HHP8 electric locomotives, with both pantographs removed, is being tested for possible use as a cab car. Amtrak is reportedly looking to bolster or replace its aging fleet of ex-Metroliner cab cars in the Northeast until Siemens’ new Amtrak Airo equipment arrives. The 15 Bombardier-Alstom locomotives, delivered in 2001, were plagued […]

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FTA announces more than $300 million in funding for accessibility improvements at rail transit stations

Federal Transit Administration logo

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has announced $343 million is available in fiscal 2024 for accessibility improvements at rail transit stations under the FTA’s All Stations Accessibility Program. The program, funded for a total of $1.75 bililion through fiscal 2026 under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supports upgrades to subway, light rail, and commuter rail […]

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