Amtrak’s move to Miami airport station still in limbo

Blocked-off platform at passenger station

MIAMI—South Florida commuter operator Tri-Rail will begin expanding its ridership base by initiating service to Brightline’s center-city Miami terminal next Saturday, Jan. 13, but Amtrak continues to delay moving its long-distance Silver Star and Silver Meteor from an isolated facility 80 blocks north of downtown at Hialeah to a modern Miami International Airport station that […]

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Inglewood, Calif., to receive more than $1 billion for Transit Connector project

Rendering of elevated transit station

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The city of Inglewood will receive more than $1 billion in federal funds for the Inglewood Transit Connector project, a planned 1.6-mile, three-station elevated “automated people mover” rail line connecting three major sports and entertainment facilities to the LA Metro light rail system. The grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment […]

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Former LIRR FA2 awaits scrap in Northeast Ohio

Aerial view of locomotive

LIRR FA2 It’s an unusual sight — what looks almost like a diesel B unit, resting on the cold ground in an Ohio scrapyard. A closer look reveals that this wasn’t always a B unit — it had a cab at one point, removed with significantly greater care than any scrapyard could give. On its […]

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Locomotives We Love: MTH Premier Santa Fe No. 2926

O scale model steam locomotive

What toy train locomotive means the most to you? It’s a locomotive that’s not a childhood treasure, let alone having been part of my O-gauge collection for only 8 months now. And while being on my general radar for some time, it wasn’t a particular model I prioritized in searching for. Perhaps it was ultimately […]

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Kitbash large-scale sugar cane cars

model of sugar cane car

After finishing “Rosy,” my sugar cane train saddle tank engine, I decided to kitbash large-scale sugar cane cars. I started with Hartland Locomotive Works (HLW, now out of business—Ed.) flatcars and added solid square posts (Evergreen Styrene #196) into the holes in the car. I also added a small piece .10” flat styrene into the […]

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Meet Bill Clark

view of toy train layout and room

My first train set (or locomotive) was…? I got my first train set for Christmas in 1948 — I was 3 years old. I had no idea I was going to get a train. I remember my mom coming into my bedroom and waking me up not too long after I went to bed. She […]

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Answers to questions about steam locomotive power

Black-and-white image of a steam locomotive in 3/4 view

Q: My father, who gave me my first train set in 1974, asked me a couple questions about steam locomotive power that I didn’t know the answers to, so I’m directing them to you. Which wheel configurations are better for pulling a train up a hill versus long freight loads a long distance, and why? Also, […]

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