Meet the Modeler: Neal Schorr

A train on Neal Schorr's layout

Neal Schorr’s work has appeared numerous times on the cover of and inside Classic Toy Trains, as well as in our sister publication Model Railroader. He’s an excellent modeler and equally good with a camera. His Pennsylvania RR-themed layout is loaded with scale detail and memorable scenes based on actual locations. Questions & answers My […]

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Norfolk Southern service deteriorates amid crew shortages

Train departs yard as another train waits

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern’s service has deteriorated over the past six weeks amid crew shortages and operational changes, according to shippers and connecting railroads. Some expressed concern that the railroad is teetering on the brink of a meltdown as train speed falls, cars spend more time in yards, and a rising number of trains per day […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, and passenger equipment announcements for November 18, 2021

Burlington Northern Electro-Motive Division F units.

Product news Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of November 18, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F units. F9A and […]

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Analysis: CSX, NS guard status quo in Gulf Coast filing

Freight train with blue and yellow engine leaving main line

MOBILE, Ala. — In a filing with the Surface Transportation Board earlier this month, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern asserted the railroads’ freight operation will suffer a “catastrophic meltdown” if Amtrak is allowed to add two daily passenger round trips between New Orleans and Mobile. Yet the 277-page “opening evidence” document by the two carriers […]

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Railroads’ use of long trains to go under the microscope

Locomotives lead freight train under golden sky from setting sun

WASHINGTON – The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill President Biden is slated to sign into law today (Monday, Nov. 15) contains funding for a study of Class I railroads’ use of ever-longer trains and their impact on safety, grade crossings, freight and passenger service, and the environment. The measure provides up to $2 million for the […]

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Montreal light rail system sees flaws with new railcars

Rail transit vehicle in snow

MONTREAL — Light rail equipment for Montreal’s Réseau Express Métropolitain system shows manufacturing flaws that could put passengers at risk, the Montreal Gazette reported, citing a French-language report by Radio-Canada. The report says the first group of light rail vehicles delivered to Quebec from construction in India shows wiring, assembly, and finishing exhibiting “a breach […]

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New Jersey buys Norfolk Southern right-of-way for linear park

Map showing former rail line to be turned into park

BLOOMFIELD, N.J. — The state of New Jersey is purchasing an abandoned rail right-of-way from Norfolk Southern Railroad to turn it into a linear park, a project Gov. Phil Murphy is comparing to New York City’s landmark High Line Park. WNBC-TV reports Murphy on Friday announced the state’s purchase of the 9-mile-long, 100-foot-wide route from Montclair […]

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Tichy Train Group announces new HO scale structure kit

Tichy Train Group HO scale one-room schoolhouse with picket fence and outhouse on scenicked base.

Tichy Train Group, manufacturer of structure and freight car details, decals, and other products in N, HO, S, and O scales, has added a one-room schoolhouse kit to its HO scale product line-up. The injection-molded styrene schoolhouse includes windows, two different doors, an outhouse, 28” of fancy picket fence, porch railings, a one-piece roof, and […]

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Eastern Seaboard Models enters HO scale market

Eastern Seaboard Models HO scale New Haven & Bangor & Aroostook 40-foot heated, insulated plug-door boxcars.

Eastern Seaboard Models, well-known for its N and Z scale products, announced that it will be entering the HO scale market. The company’s initial offerings will be Magor and Pacific Car & Foundry 40-foot XIH heated, insulated plug-door boxcars. The first cars will be a circa 1950 Bangor & Aroostook boxcar based on a Magor […]

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