S scale gained popularity during the 1940s and ’50s because of American Flyer toy trains, and the scale is still going strong today. Here we see New York Central 4-8-4 no. 6008 passing Tower SM with a milk train on Ed Loiseaux’s NYC Valley Division layout. Andy Sperandeo took the photo. Model Railroader‘s Photo of […]
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WASHINGTON — The federal cybersecurity agency issued an advisory last week regarding a vulnerability in end-of-train devices that could allow an attacker to gain control of a train’s air brake system. “Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to send their own brake control commands to the end-of-train device, causing a sudden stoppage […]
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline has petitioned the Florida Development Finance Corp., seeking to have the state agency issue up to $400 million of private activity bond funding to advance design and planning for its long-sought extension to Tampa, as well as improvements to existing routes. The request for more debt financing comes as the company […]
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WalthersProto HO Budd 73-foot baggage car Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $105.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com WalthersProto HO Budd 73-foot baggage car features: Factory-installed formed-wire grab irons Factory-printed road numbers (two cars per paint scheme) Freestanding roof vents Limited edition, one-time run of these road numbers […]
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Athearn Genesis N acid tank car Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $44.99; three-pack, $124.99 Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn Genesis N acid tank car features: Based on 13,000-gallon prototype Body-mounted McHenry Type F double-shelf couplers Car operates on codes 40, 55, and 80 track Etched, stainless steel […]
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NORTH FREEDOM, Wis. — The long wait for Chicago & North Western steam locomotive No. 1385 to return to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum is over. The Alco 4-6-0 returned home Saturday, July 12, after 12 years at Spec Machine LLC in Middleton, Wis., and a multi-day move from Middleton, sparking a homecoming celebration at the […]
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The union representing Canadian Pacific Kansas City conductors is polling members on a possible strike, claiming the railroad took advantage of a service crisis to make workplace job changes on the former Kansas City Southern. The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) Local 457’s General Committee of Adjustment is […]
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Our wide-ranging latest installment of News Wire Recommended Reading includes articles on a Wyoming landmark; a massive space under San Francisco built for currently nonexistent train service;, and how things went wrong for a deal to involve German’s Deutsche Bahn to remake Toronto’s GO Transit commuter rail operations. — You may be familiar with the […]
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SILVIS, Ill. — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America will operate two days of fundraising trips Sept. 20-21 with Union Pacific DDA40X No. 6936, with proceeds benefiting nonprofit organizations promoting rail safety, as well as the organization restoring two Chinese-built 2-10-2 locomotives that have previously been part of fundraising efforts. The “Quad Cities Rocket” trips will […]
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Christmas means so much to Jerry and Cathy Landsman, dedicated O gaugers and builders of this terrific three-rail layout at their home in Boonsboro, Md. Electric trains are a big part of their holiday celebration, and so they’ve combined their talents to assemble this 4 x 24-foot display. Department 56 figures almost begin breathing when […]
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It might be a warm summer morning in the early 1950s on the Illinois Central near Clinton, Ill.; or maybe a cold January day along the Pere Marquette outside of Grand Rapids, Mich. There’s the sound of a fast-running steam locomotive in the distance … the railroad’s in a hurry with something today. Shortly an […]
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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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