Lionel’s Magne-Traction

Lionel 681 turbine locomotive

I found this manuscript from the late John Grams in our manuscript files. There was no date on the envelope but it’s likely from the early 1990s. The article discusses 12 Lionel products that, while great inventions, were fraught with problems or didn’t work exactly as advertised. He included the following disclaimer: Lionel trains were […]

Read More…

Menards Cripple Creek Rail Maintenance Office

structure with green base

After a long day of track maintenance or repairing rolling stock, a rail employee needs a place to sit down and catch up on paperwork or perhaps schedule tomorrow’s activities. The Cripple Creek & Western crew can now do just that — Menards has released the Cripple Creek Rail Maintenance Office (No. 275-9491). The ready-to-use […]

Read More…

Early Amtrak GE Locomotives

A gray locomotive with wide red, white, and blue stripes sits in a large and brightly lit factory building. A similar engine is in the background.

Most railfans will not dispute this statement: The most iconic General Electric locomotives to be employed by Amtrak were the Genesis series. These streamlined, monocoque-body (single shell) workhorses have been everywhere along the passenger carrier’s regional and long-distance services since the 1990s. The impact of the Genesis series locomotives can make it easy to forget […]

Read More…

Amtrak stations with both originating/terminating and through services

Two trains at station

Of the more than 500 stations Amtrak serves across its 21,000-mile network, most are pretty straightforward. Some serve as originating/terminating points for the carrier’s trains, while others are stops along the way for through services. But there are more than 30 Amtrak stations with both originating/terminating and through services. These dual-purpose facilities are small depots […]

Read More…

Pennsylvania Senate passes budget including transit funding, but House is unlikely to agree

White trolley car going uphill on street

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate has passed a funding bill that would largely use capital funding to maintain transit operations, a move the state’s governor and Democratically-controlled House say is not a viable solution to the funding shortfall that could lead to major service cuts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Philadelphia-area Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation […]

Read More…

SD units on branch lines

Color photo of HO scale EMD hood unit painted orange and black on scenicked base with sky backdrop.

Q: In the May 2025 Ask MR, the answer to a question about early diesel power for the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy included this statement: “For road power, the MR&T would most likely turn to four-axle units, such as the Alco RS1 through RS3 and EMD GP7 and GP9. It’s possible the MR&T could have […]

Read More…

LIRR adds more customer seating at Grand Central Madison

Seats in corridor-like area of train station

NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road has added more seating on the mezzanine level of Grand Central Madison, responding to customer requests during a period of rising ridership at the two-year-old facility. The station originally had no seating on the mezzanine — the area between the two levels of tracks well below Grand […]

Read More…

UP train derails west of Fort Worth, Texas

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

GORDON, Texas — About 35 cars of a Union Pacific train, including some believed to be carrying hazardous materials, derailed today (Aug. 12, 2025), ABC News reports. Palo Pinto County officials told the network that no leaks have been reported, but that the incident “is being treated as a HazMat situation.” No injuries were reported. […]

Read More…