Conway Scenic RR in N scale

A model railroad trackplan

Facts & features Name: Conway Scenic RRScale: N (1:160)Size: 6 x 12 feetPrototype: freelancedLocale: New Hampshire’s White Mountain regionEra: modernStyle: islandMainline run: 45 feetMinimum radius: 36″Minimum turnout: No. 8Maximum grade: 3.5%Benchwork: open gridHeight: 36″Roadbed: CorkTrack: Peco code 80 flextrackScenery: extruded-foam insulation boardBackdrop: painted on wallsControl: SCADA automation system     Download this trackplan! Buy the […]

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Pittsburgh-Harrisburg route improvements to receive $143.6 million federal grant

Passenger train with blue and red locomotive passes freight train

WASHINGTON — Infrastructure improvements to accommodate a second daily round trip of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pa., will receive more than $143 million in federal funding, the state’s two U.S. senators have announced, while the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia corridor is among those selected for the Corridor Identification and Development program for a study of increased […]

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MBTA completes Green Line work, eliminating 12 speed restrictions

Maintenence workers in tunnel

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has eliminated 12 speed restrictions on the rapid-transit Green Line following nine days of maintenance that began Nov. 27 and concluded on Tuesday, Dec. 5, the agency announced Wednesday. The total of 12 restrictions eliminated is two more than had been planned. Another two restrictions were reduced in […]

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Service cuts on Connecticut’s Shore Line East to begin Dec. 18

Electric trainset crosses bridge

NEWINGTON, Conn. — Planned service cuts for Connecticut’s Shore Line East commuter service, which have been delayed during an Amtrak maintenance project, will take effect Dec. 18, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has announced. Previously, Shore Line East service had included 23 trains per day; under the new schedule it will see 16 trains per […]

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North Carolina, Ohio corridors lead list of those receiving FRA grants for possible new Amtrak routes

Blue locomotive with star on nose at passenger station

WASHINGTON — Seven routes in North Carolina and four serving Ohio are among those to receive funding to study possible future Amtrak service under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program, according to announcements today (Tuesday, Dec. 5) by members of Congress, as well as one mayor. At least 14 corridors have been […]

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NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex line disrupted by catenary damage

Portion of NJ Transit commuter rail map

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex Line is facing modified operations for an unknown period as a result of extensive catenary repairs near Mount Tabor, N.J., the transit agency reports. As of this morning (Tuesday, Dec. 5), and continuing until further notice, three eastbound trains and four westbound trains are cancelled each day; […]

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DC Metrorail begins wheel replacement on 7000-series cars

Two men with wheel for railcar

WASHINGTON — DC Metrorail has begun replacing the wheels on all its 7000-series railcars, the latest step in the long-running effort to fully return the newest cars in the Metrorail fleet to service in the wake of problems that have limited their availability for more than two years. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said […]

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For a New York Central fan, the Oyster Bar is sacred

Interior of restaurant with no windows and white tablecloths under arched ceiling

I don’t keep bucket lists, but one thing I’d been hoping to visit one day was the famed Oyster Bar, the historic restaurant that’s been operating in the catacombs of New York City’s Grand Central Terminal nearly continuously for 110 years. I finally got my chance a couple of weeks ago during a short research […]

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Lionel brass hybrid Strasburg 90 2-10-0

black model steam engine on layout

Lionel brass hybrid Strasburg 90 2-10-0 The history of Strasburg RR No. 90 starts with the Great Western RR, which purchased the standard light 2-10-0 Decapod from Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1924. After 40 years of traveling through the mountains of Colorado, the steam engine was sold to the Strasburg RR in 1967 for $23,000, […]

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NTSB to investigate death of NYC Transit track worker

National Transportation Safety Board logo

NEW YORK — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate a Wednesday accident in the New York Subway system that killed a track worker, the agency said in a social media post. Hiliarian Joseph, 57, was serving as the flagger at a track project near the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station when he was struck […]

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Model trains in The White House this holiday season

For the first time in many years, model trains are in The White House this Christmas. In a press release from The White House, First Lady Jill Biden announces the 2023 holiday theme, “The Magic, Wonder, and Joy of the holidays.” “In this season of reflection and goodwill, we hope you will embrace your inner […]

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Harrisburg NRHS Chapter opens PRR Power Director’s Office

Room with dispatching-center-type track diagrams

HARRISBURG, Pa. — After a long lease negotiation and a year of restoration and cleanup, the Harrisburg Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society has opened the former Pennsylvania Railroad 1937 Power Director’s Office for public visits by arrangement. Situated on the second floor of the 1887 PRR passenger station, the 60-by-60-foot room governed the […]

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