Oddball diesels in North America: Oddball diesel locomotives are the exception, not the rule. For the most part, North American railroads are interested in performance and reliability when it comes to motive power. And why not? A disabled locomotive at the point of a freight train going nowhere is not something – from the people […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway executives have thanked customers for their patience regarding the limited embargo on carload traffic bound for California that began on June 27 and is now set to expire next month. “Beginning Monday, Sept. 5, shipments may move into California without a permit. We recognize the embargo has led to […]
BETHESDA, Md. — Work on Maryland’s long-delayed Purple Line light rail project should resume in earnest after Labor Day, WTOP radio reports. Laborers’ International Union of North America has signed a collective bargaining agreement with Maryland Transit Solutions, the new contractor set to finish the line, with the union’s business manager, Steve Lanning, telling the […]
KEYTESVILLE, Mo. — A Missouri circuit court judge has denied requests to delay lawsuits over the June derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief while the National Transportation Safety Board investigation into the accident remains active. KOMU-TV reports Judge Terry Tschannen ruled Monday that, while certain information may not be disclosed while the NTSB is investigating, the […]
PARSONS, Kan. — Watco will become the rail operator for the Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, a 6,800-acre facility with more than 26 miles of rail line, following the transportation company’s selection by the Great Plaines Development Authority. Watco will provide switching, transload, warehouse, material handling, truck, and logistics services for rail and non-rail […]
TULSA, Okla. — OmniTRAX has been named excusive rail partner for the Tulsa Port of Catoosa, an inland port which provides barge access to the central U.S. The long-term agreement became effective Aug. 18. The new Port of Catoosa Industrial Railroad becomes the second OmniTRAX property in Oklahoma, and in the Tulsa area, joining the […]
Amtrak Capitol Limited adventure My family roots run deep in Wisconsin. For the last three or four generations, virtually all my relatives have been born and raised in Wisconsin. Only a few have slipped in from Illinois or out to Iowa and Ohio, but that’s alright. The college years and beyond In my youth, […]
“The Lionel Acela exposed” was originally published in the May 2013 Classic Toy Trains. Noted Kalmbach illustrator Rick Johnson produced numerous cutaway illustrations for various brands during his career, but few were this detailed. Along with text by toy train mechanical expert Matt Troester and based on photography by Bill Zuback, this is a […]
Arrow stick board kit Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $30 Manufacturer: East Coast Circuits LLC, P.O. Box 25412 Providence, RI 02905; 401-400-0668; eastcoastcircuits.com Features: Seven selectable patterns Circuit remembers pattern if power is lost On/off pattern switch included Works on 9-12V AC or DC power Vehicle not included Release date: October 2022 News & Products is a regular feature of […]
American Z Line diesel locomotive announcements for August 2022 Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: St. Louis-San Francisco (Frisco) Electro-Motive Division SW1500 diesel locomotive, October 1968 to 1980s. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Alco PA-1 diesel locomotive, 1947-48 to 1960s Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com EMD SW1500 features: AutoLatch couplers Prototype-specific details […]
American Car & Foundry PD3500 Flexi Flo hopper Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $44.95; two-pack, $89.90; three-pack, $134.85; and six-pack, $269.70 Era: 1964 to 2010s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features Early and late body styles 125-ton Barber S-2 […]
Romance aboard Amtrak’s Capitol Limited: A bit of background is in order to set the stage for this romance aboard Amtrak’s Capitol Limited. For 27 years, my wife, Julie, worked as a children’s librarian. I met her in the library. Yes, you could say I went there to check her out. That was early in […]
