Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose from Tangent Scale Models

Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $106.95 Era: 1965 to 1986+ Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816, 828-412-3886, tangentscalemodels.com Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose features: Era-specific body details, including bay windows and marker lights Kadee scale couplers Wire grab irons, ladder rungs, […]

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East Broad Top begins restoring main line south

Two men talking on bridge with work on rail line in background

SALTILLO, Pa. – The long-awaited restoration of the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad’s main line south – dormant for nearly seven decades – is under way. A three-pronged approach involves EBT Foundation, Inc., full-time staff; a volunteer track gang led by Gene Tucker of the Friends of the East Broad Top; and a crew […]

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Railroads’ automotive carloads show signs of improvement: Analysis

Train passing below red rock formations

CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Class I railroads are hauling more automotive carloads, a possible sign that the auto sector’s supply chain is improving. Association of American Railroads’ weekly carload report reveals in recent weeks that shipments of motor vehicles and parts are exceeding 2020 and 2021 weekly volumes. This could ease a multi-year carload deficit dragged […]

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Engineer concerned about balloon before crash with train

Man with safety gear near a locomotive.

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Bruce Rogers says that when a hot air balloon with people in it was caught in his train Wednesday evening in southeastern Wisconsin, he felt helpless. “The worst thing is watching it unfold and not being able to do something about it,” Rogers tells Trains News Wire. What Rogers says he saw […]

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Atlas Electro-Motive Division SD26 diesel locomotive

Santa Fe blue-and-yellow warbonnet locomotive

Electro-Motive Division SD26 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with factory-installed speaker, $189.95 to $199.95 (undecorated, $179.95); with dual-mode ESU LokSound sound decoder, $299.95 to $309.95 (undecorated, $289.95) Era: January 1973 to 2000s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com Electro-Motive Division […]

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Athearn N scale 40-foot Pfaudler milk car

green milk car

40-foot Pfaudler milk car Scale: N (1:160) Price: $29.99 Era: 1920s to 1950s Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Features: Screw-mounted trucks Machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours Body-mounted McHenry couplers Injection-molded plastic body Minimum radius: 11” Available July 2023 Road names: Pfaudler, Alderney Dairy Co., Chicago & North Western, Merkle […]

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Florida receives $15.875 million engineering grant for Brightline route

platforms with train in distance

ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline’s plan to extend its passenger route past the Orlando Convention Center, Disney World, and down the wide median of Interstate 4 to Tampa got a public boost Wednesday with the announcement that the U.S. Department of Transportation would release a $15.875 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant. The […]

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Athearn Genesis HO scale General Electric U50 diesel locomotive

illustration of yellow diesel locomotive

General Electric U50 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $369.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $469.99 Era: late 1960s to 1970s+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Features: Illuminated truck lights, number boxes, and classification lights All-wheel drive and […]

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Trails and Rails volunteers return to Amtrak trains

Man with glasses handing small object to pre-teen girl

WASHINGTON — The National Park Service has relaunched its informative Trails and Rails program on Amtrak trains for summer 2022 after a two-year hiatus, but some previously featured segments will no longer be covered. Volunteers apply through the National Park and National Historic sites that sponsor the lecturers, who board trains and talk to travelers […]

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Siemens leaves Russian market as result of Ukraine war

Two high-speed trainsets in shop building

Multifaceted manufacturing firm Siemens has announced plans to leave Russia after over 170 years. The move is part of the continuing response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine [see “War in Ukraine sees massive rail destruction …,” Trains News Wire, June 1, 2022]. Siemens Chief Executive Officer Roland Busch said in a May press statement: […]

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