Lionel has revived its classic O gauge model of the Pennsylvania RR S2 Steam Turbine. I recently shared the story behind the outstanding versions cataloged by Lionel during its golden age of the 1940s and 1950s. Lionel enthusiast Keith Beyer shared some useful information about the Nos. 671, 681, and 682, with special emphasis on […]
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WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy this morning released a report proclaiming there is “no viable path” to complete the California High Speed Rail project on time or on budget, setting the stage for the cancellation of $4 billion in federal grants. Given that the original plan called for completion in 2020 at a cost […]
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Intermodal analyst Larry Gross says that normally he’d be able to draw on his 45 years of transportation experience to make predictions about freight volume in the months ahead. “Theoretically, it would mean that I would be bringing some long-term insight to the situation that we find ourselves in today: You know, a sense that, […]
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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers did not include funding for Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer in a budget bill passed last week, placing the future of the train between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City in jeopardy after a year that saw a 11% increase in ridership. The Texas Department of Transportation had sought $3.53 million for the […]
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BRUNSWICK, Maine — New short line Cumberland & Knox made its debut last weekend, running its first train over a 56-mile, state-owned former Maine Central branch that hadn’t seen any freight action at all in eight months. The move saw locomotive LTEX 1555, an ex-Canadian Pacific GP9u, pick up 12 covered hoppers from the CSX […]
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WASHINGTON — A fire that had been extinguished earlier reignited, leading to smoke-related injuries to five Port Authority Trans-Hudson employees, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on its investigation into a May 8, 2025, incident in a PATH tunnel in Jersey City, N.J. The report was released today (June 3, 2025). […]
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Atlas has continued the slow drip style of releasing their acquired Premier Line toolings from MTH. Over the past two years, their style of regular catalog drops created an almost consistent arrival of models to the market. In their Summer 2024 catalog, they announced today’s spotlight: the Premier GP38-2. A partial shipment of the GP38-2s […]
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CHICAGO — Chicago-area transit agencies will begin planning for massive service cuts in the wake of the legislature’s failure to address the region’s funding shortfall — but there could still be a chance to avoid a 40% reduction in service. Legislators could still pass a bill in a special session or a fall veto session […]
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MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — A worker in a Metrolinx rail yard in Mississauga was killed Monday (June 2) after becoming trapped in a machine at the facility, CityNews Toronto reports. Police were called to the incident about noon. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Additional details have not yet been reported. Canada’s Ministry of […]
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ATLANTA — Claude Mongeau, the former Canadian National Railway CEO, has resigned as chair of the Norfolk Southern board of directors, the company announced today (June 3, 2025). The resignation is for personal reasons, the railroad said. The board will elect a new chair at its next scheduled meeting later this month. “We are deeply […]
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DENVER — The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has lost a land-use fight stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic before the Colorado Supreme Court. The court, in a group of decisions announced May 27, upheld a ruling that LaPlata County had the right to regulate the railroad, as the Colorado Public Utilities Commission had previously […]
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HORNELL, N.Y. — Rail equipment company Alstom has opened a new facility for producing railcar bodies, expanding its existing manufacturing capacity in Hornell. The 135,000-square-foot Plant 4 will produce stainless steel carbody shells, work previously performed in Brazil. Its first project will be 200 new multilevel commuter cars for Chicago-area operator Metra ordered in 2021 […]
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