Classic Toy Trains new products for January 2025

boxcar on layout

Locomotives & rolling stock E-Z Catch, 5 Tysen St., Staten Island, NY 10301, is selling a custom-run MTH C30-7 as part of the RailKing line (30-21271-1). The engine features Proto-Sound 3.0 and requires O-31 curves for operation. Expected delivery in February 2025. Price: $429.95. Website: e-zcatch.com The New Jersey Hi-Railers are offering a custom-run MTH […]

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Exclusive Layout Extra | Farewell to the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy

Farewell to the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy | As hosted by Senior Editor Cody Grivno, this salute to Model Railroader magazine’s renowned MR&T (a.k.a “Myrt”) 28 x 54-foot model railroad (Mark II) in HO (1:87) scale, captured historic insights from several influential modelers with firsthand experience working on the treasured layout. Enjoy exclusive clips of the […]

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News Wire top stories of 2024, No. 1: Turmoil at Norfolk Southern

Front view of black locomotive entering curve

For Norfolk Southern, 2024 was the second turbulent year in a row that the railroad probably would like to forget. As the year began, NS executives held private meetings with a Cleveland-based activist investor that sought seats on the company’s board and wanted the railroad to improve its lagging financial performance in the wake of […]

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CPKC train derails in eastern North Dakota

CPKC logo

CUBA, N.D. — No injuries were reported when 17 cars of a Canadian Pacific Kansas City train derailed Monday (Dec. 30, 2024) near the town of Cuba. The derailment occurred just before noon. Barnes County Emergency Manager Jessica Jenrich told KFGO Radio that the cars involved were either empty or carrying sand. Cuba is about […]

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News & Products for the week of December 30th 2024

A black and red model locomotive

News & Products for the week of December 30th 2024   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 30th […]

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Top stories of 2024, No. 2: Federal infrastructure spending

Illustration of double-track bridge with lift span in middle

  For the second straight year, federal infrastructure spending lands on our review of the year’s top stories (last year, it was tied for No. 6). Some of the dollars awarded in 2023 are part of the 2024 story, as big-ticket projects began moving forward after long waits for financial support, with impacts that will […]

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CN sets open house on proposed Chicago Logistics Hub

Map of proposed CN intermodal facility southwest of Chicago

CHANNAHON, Ill. — Canadian National has scheduled an open house for Jan. 14 at Minooka High School South Campus in Channahon to discuss its proposed Chicago Logistics Hub intermodal facility, an approximately 900-acre facility in Channahon and unincorporated land adjacent to Minooka. CN describes the event, from 4-7 p.m. as an open forum, with no […]

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CN coal train derails in southern Illinois

Canadian National logo

THOMPSONVILLE, Ill. — Nineteen cars of a Canadian National coal train derailed Friday near Thompsonville in Southern Illinois, WPSD-TV reports. No injuries were reported. Brian Burgess, director of the Williamson County Emergency Management Agency, told the station that the derailment occurred in a remote area of the county. “It’s just a slip off the track […]

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U.S. weekly rail traffic again up compared to 2023

Weekly table showing U.S. rail carload traffic by commodity type, plus overall intermodal volume.

WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remains ahead of 2023 levels for the week ending Dec. 21, 2024. According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, overall traffic for the week was 523,912 carloads and intermodal units, up 7.8% from the same week a year ago. That includes 230,857 carloads, up 0.3%, and 293,055 […]

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