Power company donates locomotive to Michigan heritage railway

Yellow center-cab diesel

OLIVE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The Friends of the Coopersville & Marne Railway Co., a non-profit heritage rail operation, on Monday accepted the donation a GE 125-ton center cab diesel locomotive from Michigan power company Consumers Energy at its West Olive facility Built in 1979, the locomotive was repowered in approximately 2010 with two 600-hp Caterpillar […]

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News & Products for the week of February 13th 2023

News & Products for the week of February 13th 2023: an image of a model structure

News & Products for the week of February 13th 2023 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. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of February 13th 2023. […]

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Silvis update: UP passenger cars being repaired

Steam locomotive under repair

SILVIS, Ill. – Railroading Heritage of Midwest America reports it is making significant progress on repairs to former Union Pacific passenger rolling stock at its Silvis, Ill., shop complex. In an email to donors, RRHMA President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Sandberg said in the coming weeks former Southern Pacific business car Stanford will be sandblasted […]

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News photo: New look for Alton & Southern’s SD60s (updated)

Blue and yellow locomotives on bridge with Gateway Arch in the background

SD60s from parent railroad Union Pacific, which have retained their prior numbers, show off the new paint scheme of operator Alton & Southern on Feb. 4, 2023. Photographer Nick Goedecke reports the railroad will be repainting at least six units, including some SD40Ns, and that plans are to modify this paint scheme to include bolder […]

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N scale General Motors Diesel Division GP40-2W from Atlas

Screen capture of product review video.

An N scale General Motors Diesel Division GP40-2W from Atlas recently toured our Milwaukee, Racine & Troy State Line Route layout. Model Railroader editor Eric White and senior editor Cody Grivno talk about the features on the locomotive and take it for a tour of the “Mini Myrt.” Paint schemes on the four-axle road unit […]

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News & Products from the 2023 Railroad Hobby Show

An image of a model caboose

News & Products from the 2023 Railroad Hobby Show With the 2023 Railroad Hobby Show wrapping up, we thought it would be a perfect week to showcase the multiple new products released throughout the show. Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more […]

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The Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train

Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train

The Lionel Union Pacific Rocket Booster Train is finally out, and as an aerospace engineer formerly employed by NASA, this set hit home! I knew I had to have it the second I saw it advertised in the Lionel 2022 Volume 1 catalog! The set isn’t a work of science fiction, either. The prototype Rocket […]

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Operating the layout — State Line Route in N scale, Episode 26

Operating the layout | In the previous Episode 25 (Car routing with JMRI OperationsPro), you saw the crew prepare the State Line Route N scale model railroad for an operating session. Now, host David Popp walks you through the prototypical actions as they transpire over the simple, yet engaging layout! Enjoying this coverage of our […]

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Union Pacific Silvis Donation Special

In November 2022, a special train left Cheyenne, Wyo., bound for the Railroading Heritage of Midwest America’s steam shops in Silvis, Ill. The move marked the end of one era and the beginning of a new one, as the Union Pacific, the only Class I railroad in North America with a steam program, decided to […]

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News & Products for the week of January 30th 2023

An image of a model caboose

News & Products for the week of January 30th 2023 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 January 30th 2023.   […]

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Lehigh Valley locomotives remembered

Lehigh Valley Railroad steam locomotive seen at low angle below power lines

Lehigh Valley locomotives were known by the road’s early Cornell red and black paint scheme. Later, units carried gray-and-yellow and white-and-black colors. The Lehigh Valley dieselized with EMD FTs and F3s and Alco FAs (the last steam ran in 1951), and remained a prolific Alco customer through the 1960s. For a small railroad, the LV […]

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EMD NW3 locomotive: A diesel that didn’t

EMD NW3 locomotive in rail yard

The EMD NW3 locomotive was the builder’s first entry into the eventually lucrative road switcher category, although it was intended as a passenger terminal switcher.     Locomotive builders can be inconsistent when it comes to aesthetics. EMD, which on one hand could create stylish, wind-splitting passenger units would, if the situation warranted, produce some […]

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