Rapido Trains Inc. has released an updated version of its highly detailed HO scale model of United Aircraft’s TurboTrain. The firm is calling this release TurboTrain 2.0. Much like the real high-speed train sets developed and built in the late 1960s and then upgraded through their service lives, Rapido’s own HO scale model of the […]
Section: News & Reviews
MP15CC pressed into service on the Richmond Pacific
Richmond, CA — The Richmond Pacific Railroad, a division of Levin Richmond Terminal that serves the Port of Richmond and surrounding industries, announced that its active roster now meets full Tier IV emissions standards. This milestone in environmental compliance was achieved through the recent commission of a MP15CC that was repowered by Western Rail, Inc. […]
Norfolk Southern adds yard goats to its bleet
ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has put a different kind of yard goat to work at its Inman Yard in Atlanta. Goats — as in the four-legged domesticated farm animal, not a four-axle switcher — were used to get rid of invasive kudzu, the fast-growing vines that are the bane of the South. Kudzu can grow […]
Union Pacific to launch faster service linking Inland Empire with Chicago
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific will launch faster domestic intermodal service next month linking California’s Inland Empire with Chicago. UP says the new high-priority Z-train service between its Inland Empire Intermodal Terminal and Global 2 in Chicago will be up to 20% faster “than current industry options,” with a transit time of just over three […]
Union Pacific celebrates opening of new Kansas City Intermodal Terminal
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Union Pacific dedicated its new Kansas City Intermodal Terminal with a ribbon-cutting today — and high hopes for boosting volume in a key intermodal market. The facility, located in Armourdale Yard, has twice the capacity as the old terminal in Neff Yard. It’s located in an expanding regional logistics hub, with […]
Amtrak NextGen Acela debut set for Aug. 28
WASHINGTON — Amtrak announced today that the first five Next Generation Acela trainsets will begin operating over its Boston-Washington Northeast Corridor on Thursday, Aug. 28. Information regarding which departures will be new Acelas and when they can be booked was not initially revealed. “As the official launch date approaches, customers should look for more information […]
Short line track maintenance legislation gathers steam in Congress
WASHINGTON — The bipartisan Railroad Track Maintenance Credit Modernization bill, which supports short line railroad track and bridge projects, passed the 100 co-sponsor mark in the House of Representatives this week. To date, the bill to continue the tax credit that short lines receive for maintaining and improving their physical plants, has 102 sponsors, the […]
Minneapolis to end Northstar commuter service in January
MINNEAPOLIS — Metro Transit will pull the plug on its Northstar commuter rail service in January due to a lethal combination of low ridership and rising costs. More frequent bus service will replace the trains beginning Jan. 5, 2026, Metro Transit officials said during a Metropolitan Council meeting yesterday. The last weekday Northstar trip will […]
Kato HO scale GE P42
Kato HO scale GE P42 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current models, $210 to $220; with pre-installed ESU LokSound sound decoder, $398 to $420 Era: 1996 to present (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com Kato HO scale GE P42 features: Both trucks have coreless motor, […]
California Zephyr’s many plusses impacted by staffing: Amtrak trip report
CHICAGO — A text and email alert received overnight by passengers ticketed on Amtrak’s eastbound California Zephyr departing Denver Monday, July 28, warned, “Train 6 will have reduced seating capacity due to unplanned equipment maintenance needs. Passengers may have difficulty finding seats. Passengers are encouraged to rebook travel if possible. We apologize for any inconvenience.” […]
BNSF sets all-time low terminal dwell record
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF set an all-time monthly record for terminal dwell in July, with cars spending an average of 21 hours in its major yards. Terminals that set new marks for low dwell include Barstow, Calif.; Belen, N.M.; Northtown, Minn.; and Pasco, Wash. BNSF’s intermodal and automotive terminal in Pearland, Texas, which serves […]
Infrastructure fund to acquire Ohio-based regional Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway
NEW YORK — The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway — at 840 miles the largest independent regional railroad in the U.S. — is being acquired by FTAI Infrastructure in a billion-dollar deal, the companies announced today. FTAI, which owns short line and terminal switching operator Transtar, will pay The Wheeling Corp. $1.05 billion to acquire […]
