KANONA, N.Y. — Alstom and Norfolk Southern are collaborating on a project that converts two locomotives from traditional diesel engines into battery-powered hybrid locomotives that rely on a smaller Tier 4 diesel engine for battery charging. The project is made possible by a $15.9 million grant from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and […]
Illinois Terminal locomotives included steam, electric, and diesel over its existence. The Illinois Terminal was an electric interurban line serving western Illinois down to the St. Louis area. In the mid-1950s the railroad abandoned its electric operations, moving to all-diesel operation — the last steam ran in 1950, and dieselization had begun with […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — The first full month of electrified service on Caltrain’s San Francisco-San Jose route spurred significant ridership growth, the commuter rail operator says. All-electric operations began Sept. 21. In October, Caltrain carried more than 753,000 passengers, a 54% increase from October 2023. That included average weekday ridership of about 27,000, up 38%, […]
CROTON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Friday introduced the first of its newest locomotive for Metro-North Railroad, a dual-power variant of the Siemens Charger. Siemens SC42-DM locomotives Nos. 301 and 302, the first of 33 units, were unveiled in a ceremony at the Harmon Shops in Croton-on-Harmon. The locomotives feature a 4,200-hp diesel […]
Also in this issue: Showroom out west Rare Lionel photos from 1940 take us inside First decade at the Gilbert Hall of Science The company thrilled New York City in the 1940s Tribute to a forgotten showroom display Where Lionel ran accessories in 1945 Lionel builds a hub for the Midwest The Chicago showroom handled […]
Join Trains.com staff member Sean Kirby as he rides onboard a Renfe Alvia high-speed train for the first leg of his return trip from Spain. Under the first light of the day, you’ll venture with Sean to the modern Segovia Guiomar station, 40 miles north of Madrid. After scanning your ticket, you’ll descend to the […]
Not every hobbyist has a spare room in which to build a layout. You may have limited space for a layout or need to share a room that’s used for other purposes (like a family room). That was my situation, so I decided to build a multi-level shelf layout. Benefits of a shelf layout You […]
MONTREUX, Switzerland — The Montreux Overland Bernois Railway (MOB) has ordered six new locomotives from Stadler for the meter-gauge rail line, four of which will be used on the gauge-changing GoldenPass Express passenger train. The other two locomotives are intended for rail services and infrastructure maintenance. The dual-cab, B-B locomotives will be hybrid electrics, able […]
BERLIN —The InnoTrans trade fair in late September brought together almost all major manufacturers, large and small, serving the global rail industry. Every InnoTrans edition has one or more overall themes in terms of new technology, and in 2024 the buzz words were AI (Artificial Intelligence) and alternative power sources for trains. In both cases, […]
BERLIN — A number of European manufacturers have unveiled new locomotive designs, several shown in public for the first time, at the InnoTrans trade fair. Stadler presented the first of its new six-axle freight locomotives for the British market, the dual-mode Class 99, which will be used by the UK’s largest rail freight company, GB […]
CHUR, Switzerland — I’m baack … For the second year in a row and third time since joining Trains Magazine, your senior editor is wandering Switzerland by train, developing some stories for the magazine. While this is my first blog post from this trip, it’s actually day three of my 2024 visit. I’ve been on […]
After a Aug. 10 event involving Gov. Gavin Newsom and other elected officials and VIPs, public service using Caltrain’s electric multiple-unit trainsets began on a limited basis on Sunday, Aug. 11, between San Jose, Calif., and San Francisco [see “Caltrain to place first electric trainsets in service,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 9, 2024]. Two of […]
