Swiss Spectacular, Part 3: Finding freight

Red electric locomotive with short train of refrigerated containers

OLTEN, Switzerland — Just about every railfan knows what it’s like to have one of those days when you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time. So it was for me today in Olten. This is not a city high on the must-see list for most vacationers. It doesn’t even warrant a mention in […]

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How can I make a coupler height gauge for TT scale?

A diagram shows how to measure coupler height with a gauge

Q: Way, way back in the 20th century, I think in the 1980s (though I’m probably wrong), Model Railroader ran an article about making your own coupler height gauges in the various scales, including TT scale. Can you advise which issue that was? None are available in TT today, and I could use a couple on […]

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NJ Transit provides educational programing to teach children transit safety

NJ Transit logo

Transit safety NEWARK, N.J. — To start the 2023 school year, NJ Transit has introduced three safety programs for children of various ages and educational needs. “Special SEAT (Safety Education Awareness Training),” “Protecting our Pedestrians (POP),” and “Safety Rules!” These initiatives have different goals and are designed to “foster a culture of safety and vigilance […]

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Reading FP7 sold to SMS Lines

black and green locomotive

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society has sold former Reading Co. FP7 No. 903 to SMS Rail Lines for use on their Woodstown Central tourist railroad in New Jersey. No. 903 and sister 902, owned by the Reading Co. Technical & Historical Society, have been stored at Steamtown in Scranton, […]

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The mystery of the overhead bunker reefer car

A model of a brown wood-sided reefer car with ice hatches along the length of the roof

Q: I was given an older model of a reefer car that has hatches across the whole roof instead of on each end (see photo above). Is this a special type of reefer for handling a specific cargo? – Wes Barteck A: Though that kind of refrigerated car is more common north of the border […]

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France to launch German-style low-cost monthly rail pass

Trains Magazine logo

PARIS — In an effort to encourage greener travel, Clément Beaune, France’s transport minister, announced a new reduced-price monthly rail pass to be introduced in summer 2024 across the country, according to a story in the Guardian. The pass, modeled after the similar and highly successful program offered in Germany, will cost around €49 (US […]

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CSX names CN veteran Mike Cory as its new chief operating officer

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation today named Mike Cory as its chief operating officer, a role he held at Canadian National from 2016 until his retirement in 2019. “Mike Cory is one of the rail industry’s leading operations executives, respected for his wealth of operations knowledge and his success as a leader who understands the […]

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