Gunderson Auto-Max articulated auto rack from Athearn

Drawing of articulated auto rack car with red "Auto-Max" lettering

Gunderson Auto-Max articulated auto rack Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $74.99 Era: 1999+ to 2016+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Gunderson Auto-Max articulated auto rack cars feature: Separate, factory-applied ladders, brake rigging, stirrup steps, and handbrake details Simulated corrugated roof Full articulation with flexible diaphragm […]

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Custom-decorated refrigerator cars from Three Notch Rail

White boxcar with orange "Sun Belt System" logo on it

Custom-decorated refrigerator cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $50 + shipping Manufacturer: Produced by InterMountain Railway Co., available from Three Notch Rail, HOI@hotmail.com, threenotchrail.blogspot.com Features: Based on Pacific Car & Foundry R-70-15 prototype Etched-metal side screens and roofwalk supports 33” InterMountain metal wheelsets Metal knuckle couplers Minimum radius: 22” Release Date: Available now Road name: Sun […]

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FTA offers $600 million in funding for new transit equipment

A train pulled up to the station

WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has announced the availability of $600 million for new subway, light rail, and commuter railcars under its Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, part of $1.5 billion over the next five years under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “One-third of subway and commuter rail vehicles are more than 25 years old,” FTA […]

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Athearn 200-ton crane and boom car set

Yellow and black crane train car and brown flatcar

200-ton crane and boom car Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $94.99 Era: 1960s+ to 1980s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Rotating boom Boom and blocks raise and lower Flatcar with boom support arms Machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours Body-mounted McHenry knuckle couplers Injection-molded […]

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50-foot Superior plug-door boxcar from Athearn

Drawing of yellow boxcar with brown ends

50-foot Superior plug-door boxcar Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $37.99 Era: 1971+ to late 2000s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Separate, factory-installed brake wheel and ladders 70-ton roller bearing trucks 33” machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours Body-mounted McHenry knuckle couplers Injection-molded plastic body […]

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Carload Considerations: Railcars should make shippers’ lives easier

Freight train snaking through curves in mountains

CHICAGO – Railroading’s intricacies require shippers to get involved in the industry’s nitty-gritty details. A half-hour crash course on Railroading 101 is going to leave someone more confused than confident. It takes commitment to grasp, and predict, the vulnerabilities of railroad logistics. This is why shippers often employ individuals in rail logistics, fleet management, or […]

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ENSCO to test Stadler equipment at Pueblo facility

Illustration of diesel multiple unit trainset

SPRINGFIELD, Va. — ENSCO Rail will conduct operational testing on new Stadler diesel multiple-unit trainsets at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., ENSCO has announced. The new trainsets are being built for Dallas Area Rapid Transit for its Silver Line (also known as the Cotton Belt Corridor), a 26-mile rail line from DFW Airport […]

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City of San Francisco is the latest WalthersProto name train

Model train passing mountainous terrain during a sunset

City of San Francisco The City of San Francisco will be the next train in Walthers’ line of name trains. This offering will feature equipment from the various railroads that jointly operated this streamliner from Chicago to San Francisco, including Southern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Union Pacific, and Texas & New Orleans. Electro-Motive Division E9A and […]

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News photos: Cleanup continues from Sandusky derailment

Train with five locomotives passes cars waiting to be removed after derailment

SANDUSKY, Ohio — Cleanup continues but Norfolk Southern’s main line has been reopened though Sandusky following a derailment that led to reroutes and cancellations for Amtrak service. The Sandusky Register reports that the Columbus Avenue underpass, where derailed tank cars of paraffin wax fell to the railway below, remained closed as of Monday, Oct. 10, […]

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NJ Transit to spend $8 million to replace railcar windows

NEWARK, N.J. — NJ Transit is planning to spend more than $8 million to replace windows on its bilevel passenger cars to address complaints about reduced visibility, NJ.com reports. While passengers often complain the windows are dirty, the problem is actually the use of a polycarbonate glazing which gradually clouds when exposed to ultraviolet rays, […]

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Pacific Surfliner business-class interiors get upgrade

Side view of blue and silver bilevel passenger car

LOS ANGELES — Travelers who choose business class on the Pacific Surfliner route between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, Calif., have always enjoyed more bang for the extra bucks. That’s because Surfliner’s version includes wine, snack packs, and morning pastries as well as soft drinks, coffee, and juice — all served by an attendant […]

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