Marking 50 years of the Ntrak modular standard

A pencil sketch on graph paper of several model railroad modules following the Ntrak modular standard

To mark the 50th anniversary of Ntrak, I thought I’d take a look at the Ntrak modular standard and sketch up a sample track plan for a couple modules. Ntrak started at an N scalers’ gathering in Signal Hill, Calif., in 1973, where the modelers were discussing ways to get more people into their favorite […]

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‘Software defect’ caused system outage, Norfolk Southern says

Train passing grain facility

ATLANTA — A “software defect” led to the computer system outage that disrupted Norfolk Southern operations on Monday, the railroad said in a follow-up report. In a statement today, the railroad said during routine maintenance by its data storage vendor, “a leading global technology provider,” this software defect created an error that affected both the […]

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Locomotives We Love: Lionel Santa Fe Alco diesel

Lionel Santa Fe Alco diesel Q: What toy train locomotive means the most to you? A: The locomotive that means the most to me is the Lionel Santa Fe Alco diesel. Yes, that’s right, Lionel only called it an “Alco diesel” with no designation of Alco model. It’s decorated in the attractive Santa Fe “Bluebonnet” […]

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CSX: Norfolk Southern lawsuit over Pan Am matters is now moot

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation says Berkshire & Eastern’s operation of Pan Am Southern, which began today, should moot the concerns that Norfolk Southern raised last month in a lawsuit alleging that CSX was hampering its access to New England. NS asked a Delaware court for an expedited preliminary injunction that would bar CSX and […]

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Michael J. Del Vecchio, editor, writer, railfan, dies at 63

Cropped image of Mike Del Vecchio

DOVER, N.J. – Railroader, editor, and writer Michael Del Vecchio, 63, died Thursday, Aug. 31, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He is best known as an associate editor at Railfan Magazine, and later at the industry publication Railway Age. Prolific at any endeavor he set his mind to, his booming voice and New Jersey […]

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Mid-Continent Railway Museum celebrates milestone, continued progress

Mid-Continent Railway Museum NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — Mid-Continent Railway Museum celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier this year, marking the milestone with special events as well as reminiscences of the Wisconsin museum’s growth from a fledgling museum to one with some 500 volunteer members who share their interest in and knowledge of the “Golden Age of […]

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News Photo: A quiet finale for Pan Am Southern

Train with two blue locomotives passes tower at yard

Pan Am Southern quietly wrapped up operations on Thursday. Shown is one of the final trains, EDBF, making a late-afternoon departure from the former Boston & Maine yard at East Deerfield, Mass., for to Bellows Falls, Vt. Effective today (Sept. 1, 2023), Pan Am Southern lines in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York […]

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