Walthers HO 40-foot single-sheathed boxcar

Color photo of HO scale boxcar painted brown with black and white graphics on white background.

Walthers HO 40-foot single-sheathed boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $31.98 Era: 1920s to 1950s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO 40-foot single-sheathed boxcar features: Newly tooled model 33” turned-metal wheelsets with RP-25 contour Body-mounted Proto-Max metal couplers Factory-applied plastic running boards with molded corner grab […]

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House subcommittee considers federal rail funding reform

Freight train against a background of trees

A House subcommittee hearing on May 6 focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of federal rail grants as U.S. Department of Transportation officials grapple with thousands of awarded-but-unobligated grants. Industry experts testified that reliable funding and faster regulatory processes are critical to infrastructure development. “We need reliable, predictable funding to plan decades’ worth of […]

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Layoffs hit BNSF technology services staff amid restructuring

Freight train at a grade crossing

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has laid off a portion of its technology services staff as part of a departmental restructuring effort, per the Forth Worth Star Telegram. While BNSF did not disclose specific numbers, the cuts are believed to have affected between 140 and 175 workers. The Fort Worth-based carrier is creating a […]

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Union Pacific President Beth Whited stepping down

Woman with glasses

OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific President Beth Whited will step down on July 1 after a 37-career at the railroad. She will shift to a strategic advisor role through early 2026, the railroad said today. “Beth’s dedication to Union Pacific for more than three decades, leading multiple functions and teams while seeing the railroad through […]

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Bluford Shops N scale mill gondola

Color photo showing B end details of N scale gondola.

A 52’-6”, 15-panel gondola with factory-dented sides is now available from Bluford Shops. The N scale injection-molded plastic model, offered with light, medium, and heavy denting, features metal wheelsets, body-mounted couplers, and railroad-specific end and hand brake options. Prototype history The Bluford Shops model is based on a  design developed by the Erie RR and […]

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Residents oppose BNSF plans for massive intermodal and logistics center near Phoenix

Plan for BNSF logistics center in Arizona

WITTMANN, Ariz. – BNSF Railway held a contentious community meeting this week in Wittmann, Ariz., regarding its proposed $3.2 billion logistics and intermodal hub. The project spans 4,270 acres and would be BNSF’s first to include an intermodal terminal, warehouse and distribution facilities, and rail-served sites for carload and bulk commodity customers. Many residents, particularly […]

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Norfolk Southern revives Alabama coal branch

A moribund Norfolk Southern coal-hauling branch in Alabama last month hosted its first train in more than a decade. NS coal train 702 rumbled over the revived Berry Branch, carrying Warrior steelmaking coal to export at the Port of Mobile, Ala., via the railroad’s 3-B Corridor. “Right now it is one train a week, and […]

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