Monon Railroad diesel locomotives showed a variety of models from four builders. The Monon began dieselizing after World War II in 1946. It opted for EMD F3 units for mainline freight and passenger service and with EMD BL2s and Alco RS2s for locals. An A-B-A set of F3s started as EMD demonstrators. The […]
Choosing model rail sizes is one of the things modelers often spend time on when building their second layout. We often start with whatever came in the train set we began with, but then we start to hear about rail “codes,” and how they can differ. Regardless of scale, model rail sizes are specified […]
Whether you need more blue on your locomotive roster or want to add Conrail units in other paint schemes to your layout, this is a comprehensive list of Conrail models you can buy. This list just focuses on locomotives and cabooses. Mixing Conrail freight cars into your rolling stock roster will also add some colorful […]
BRADENTON, Fla. — Seven cars of a Seminole Gulf Railway train — two of them carrying propane — derailed this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 28, near Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, the Bradenton Herald reports. One of the propane cars was among six cars that ended up on their side; the other five cars were carrying sheetrock. The other […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has activated its third train inspection portal, the railroad said today (Tuesday, Feb. 28). The three inspection portals — which use advanced imaging and analysis technology — are all located on lines that radiate out from CSX’s yard at Waycross, Ga. “CSX strategically positioned the three TIPs near Waycross as […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration today encouraged railroads to improve the way they collect and use data from wayside hotbox detectors in order to prevent catastrophic derailments like the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio. “Preliminary investigation of recent train derailments indicates the cause of, or contributing factor to, […]
CHICAGO — Amtrak says “forecasted inclement weather conditions” are prompting it to cancel the Southwest Chiefs departing Chicago and Los Angeles today (Feb. 28) and continue truncation of the California Zephyr as a Chicago-Salt Lake City train that began Monday. Meanwhile, more Amtrak locomotive failures, along with host railroad track problems and freight train interference, […]
Three types of staging yards: Staging serves the role of representing a model railroad’s connections to the rest of the world. Different kinds of staging, though, perform differently. Using staging yards to represent “beyond the layout” connections is widely accepted among model railroad operators. There’s no better way to foster the illusion that a model […]
Add depth to structures using mirrors: In working on the addition to my On30 Olympia & Sand Creek layout, I’d decided to add a building flat at one end to represent a warehouse. The flat is about 3” deep and angles away from the viewer slightly so it can sit 90-degrees to the track that […]
Distributed power In North America, the railroad network is firmly entrenched with operating longer trains. Technology such as distributed power, which places engine consists at different points in a train, has made longer trains safer and easier to handle from an engineer’s point of view. Maintaining reliable constant communication to control these unmanned remote locomotives, […]
TACOMA, Wash. — A project to connect Tacoma to Seattle by light rail has been pushed back by at least three years to 2035, the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Sound Transit says the planned 10-mile extension to connect the existing Tacoma light rail line to the full Seattle-area network at Federal Way, Wash., needs additional […]
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The City of Binghamton is moving to hire a firm to inspect at least 28 railroad bridges in the city, citing concerns increased by the recent Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. WBNG-TV reports that Mayor Jared Kraham said concerns about aesthetic and structural deficiencies predate the Feb. 3 derailment, but […]
