Clean BNSF Railway locomotives, clean ballast, and clean freight cars, match a clean, crystalline blue sky at the lower portion of “Sullivan’s Curve” in this October 2013 shot in California’s famed Cajon Pass. Photo by Steve Sweeney […]
Clean cut
Type of Train: Freight
Sunshine no more
Even the Sunshine State sees the occasional rainstorm, which has caught southbound Florida East Coast train No. 101 on Jan. 12, 2015, just north of St. Augustine. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]
Blue bearing caps
Two blue end caps for bearings made by Amsted Rail’s Brenco Inc. appear on a freight car truck at the Union Pacific’s Butler Yard in Wisconsin. Steve Sweeney Q What is the significance of the blue paint that I see on the rotating bearing caps on freight car wheelsets? – Tito Porfiri, Olney, Md. A […]
Homefront supply line
Railroads were the primary means of moving men and materiel within the United States during World War II. Here a freight conductor walks beside flatcars loaded with M3 Lee tanks at an unknown location. U.S. Army Signal Corps photo […]
The big picture
A westbound Union Pacific manifest freight works its way toward Los Angeles in October 2013 in the “Blue Cut” section of California’s famed Cajon Pass. With the lead locomotives a mile away in the distance, you gain a better perspective of magnitude of the San Gabriel Mountains and the challenges railroads overcame more than […]
MR Insider: Charlie’s Trackside Conversation with Richard Foster, Editor of Model Rail
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page On a recent trip to the United Kingdom, MRVP Contributing Editor Charlie Conway enjoyed a delightful trackside chat with Richard Foster, Editor of Model Rail magazine. While a cavalcade of British trains raced by, Charlie and Richard discussed a number of modeling and […]
Coal trains on the rise in southwest Virginia NEWSWIRE
BIG STONE GAP, Va. — Within a year of mothballing a section of its former Clinchfield line between Frisco, Tenn., and McClure, Va., CSX Transportation has witnessed a notable upswing in coal traffic over the past two weeks. Newly-formed Contura Energy LLC is now leading the way to increased rail traffic out of southwestern Virginia. […]
Steel makin’ train
Taconite pellets roll south through Marion, Ohio, on Oct. 19, 2014, bound for AK Steel in Ashland, Ky. Photo by Brian Schmidt […]
Virginia may buy portion of CSX’s S-Line for passenger service NEWSWIRE
An Amtrak Northeast Regional train departs downtown Richmond, Va. Chase Gunnoe RICHMOND, Va. — The state of Virginia’s Atlantic Gateway Project is getting a major funding boost. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced this week that the project has been selected as a recipient of a federal FASTLANE grant of $165 million. The federal grants will […]
Winston-Salem Southbound Series: Weathering freight cars, Part 2
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page For part two of the composite car weathering mini-series, David first shows how to use an airbrush to apply additional realistic effects. He then returns to the workbench to complete the weathering process using weathering powders. Watch to the end to see how […]
Winston-Salem Southbound Series: Weathering freight cars, Part 2
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page For part two of the composite car weathering mini-series, David first shows how to use an airbrush to apply additional realistic effects. He then returns to the workbench to complete the weathering process using weathering powders. Watch to the end to see how […]
Winston-Salem Southbound Series: Weathering freight cars, Part 1
Having trouble viewing this video? Please visit our Video FAQ page Now that we’ve marshaled the locomotive and rolling stock for our HO scale Winston-Salem layout, it’s time to make them look like they’ve been busy haulin’ freight! In this initial video, David Popp shows how to apply realistic weathering effects to composite freight […]
