GREELEY, Colo. — Union Pacific’s Big Boy began its only scheduled trip of 2025 today (July 17), heading from its home base in Cheyenne, Wyo., to Denver as part of a round trip for the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. The 4-8-8-4 is accompanied by the railroad’s Abraham Lincoln diesel, No. 1616. Today’s servicing stop […]
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NEW YORK — New York police are seeking a woman who allegedly broke into a parked New York City Transit subway train today (Thursday, July 17) and took it for a one-stop joy ride — at least the fourth such incident since January 2024. The news site Gothamist reports the incident occurred about 4:30 a.m. […]
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CHANHASSEN, Minn. — Former Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 will make its first extended excursion in three years in October, powering “Harvest BBQ Express” trains on the Twin Cities & Western Railroad, Oct. 4-5. Trips along a portion of the route of Milwaukee’s Olympian Hiawatha will originate at Chanhassen, Minn., with six classes of accommodations […]
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I found this manuscript from the late John Grams in our manuscript files. There was no date on the envelope but it’s likely from the early 1990s. The article discusses 12 Lionel products that, while great inventions, were fraught with problems or didn’t work exactly as advertised. He included the following disclaimer: “Lionel trains were […]
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WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s merger-related traffic grew 18.8% during the six-month period covered in its latest report to federal regulators. The July 15 report, which is required as part of the STB’s ongoing monitoring of the merger, covers the period from Nov. 1, 2024, through April 30 and compares traffic levels to the […]
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Union Pacific is working with Morgan Stanley investment bankers to provide guidance on the potential acquisition of another Class I railroad, the online publication Semafor reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. UP and Morgan Stanley declined to comment to the media outlet. CSX and Norfolk Southern stock prices surged on the news, […]
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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday (July 15) announced some $488 million in grants under the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program. While 77% of the funding is for road and bridge projects, two projects totaling $3.2 million are designated as rail projects and at least two others […]
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PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota’s Railroad Board has terminated its lease agreement with the Dakota Southern Railway on a section of state-owned track for failure to make an annual payment. KELO-TV reports the railroad board terminated the lease on the state-owned Napa-Platte line in the southeastern portion of the state, where Dakota Southern stored railcars. […]
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WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic was once again up in the week ending July 12, the Association of American Railroads reports. AAR statistics show volume of 496,188 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.6% compared to the same week a year ago. That included 223,968 carloads, up 4.1%, and 272,220 containers and trailers, up 1.4%. After […]
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Athearn HO 20-foot ISO tank container We recently received a pre-production sample of the Athearn HO 20-foot tank container. This is a hand-assembled model. Details on production models may vary slightly. Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Two-pack, $47.99 Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO 20-foot ISO tank container features: […]
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy faced bipartisan grilling Wednesday questioning the slow pace of his department’s release of funding for already-approved infrastructure grants, as well as the reduction of Department of Transportation personnel to approve them. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, “Oversight of the Department of Transportation’s Policies and Programs and […]
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WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has terminated some $4 billion in federal funding awarded to but not spent by California’s high speed rail program, following through on a longstanding goal of the Trump administration. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the move “illegal” and vowed to fight the decision. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in […]
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