Non railroad freight car uses: a mysterious Mopac hopper

Black and white photo of a railroad hopper made into a truck.

I hope the main picture here demonstrating non railroad freight car uses is sufficiently absurd to indicate why I selected this for an article. In case it is not: A former Missouri Pacific hopper, shorn of trucks and belly gear, modified with sheet metal or plate steel, no doubt, and masquerading as a semi-truck trailer […]

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New Look Bus from Rapido Trains

blue and white and green and white buses

New Look Bus Scale: N (1:160) Price: $34.95 (GO Transit, $39.95) Era: 1960s to 1990s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada, 905-474-3314, rapidotrains.com New Look Bus features: Full underbody detail including fuel tank, cabling, and engine detail Early (5303) rear engine door […]

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Atlas Trainman American Car & Foundry 3,560-cubic-foot-capacity three-bay Center Flow covered hopper

orange covered hopper

American Car & Foundry 3,560-cubic-foot-capacity three-bay Center Flow covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $33.95 (undecorated, $26.95) Era: 1967 to present (era varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com Features: Weighted, detailed underframe Accumate couplers Roller-bearing trucks with metal wheels Available now Road names: […]

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American Z Line Southern Pacific passenger cars

gray Pullman passenger car

Southern Pacific passenger cars Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: 1941 to mid-1950s Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016, 614-764-1703, americanzline.com Southern Pacific passenger cars features: Injection-molded plastic Metal wheels AutoLatch couplers Window glazing Limited quantities available Car types: Cascade 4-compartment, 4-bedroom, 2-drawing-room sleeper with Pullman sublettering (two road numbers); […]

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How to: Install LionChief app on your phone or tablet

Install the LionChief app locomotive and device

Here’s how to install the LionChief app on your smartphone or tablet and get the most out of your Bluetooth-equipped Lionel locomotives. Years ago, there was only one way to run our toy trains, and that was with a transformer. Today, we’re fortunate to have a lot of options to control our trains, including remotes […]

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Drone whirs through East Broad Top tunnels

Man in orange high-visibility clothing inspects drone on ground

ROCKY RIDGE, Pa. — Flying a 21st-century drone to plot the future of two 19th-century tunnels, the East Broad Top Railroad took a step forward Thursday, May 26, by revisiting its past. Specialists set up, calibrated, and flew a drone through the Ray’s Hill (some spell it Wray’s Hill) and Sideling Hill tunnels, nestled in […]

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Oil leak from derailment near Pittsburgh closes river (update)

Map showing area near Allegheny River

HARMAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — An oil spill from a Norfolk Southern derailment on Thursday has led to the closure of the nearby Allegheny River to boating for the Memorial Day weekend as well as an ongoing road closure. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Thursday afternoon’s derailment in Harmar Township, on the northwestern edge of Pittsburgh, […]

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Federal grants announced for rail projects in Pennsylvania, Kentucky

Federal Railroad Administration logo

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have begun announcing Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant awards from the Federal Railroad Administration, with funding for projects in Pennsylvania and Kentucky announced Thursday. Two awards announced in Pennsylvania U.S. Sen Bob Casey (D) announced CRISI awards of $14.7 million for the Berks County Rail Project […]

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More bolt issues found in MBTA railcars

Rapid transit trainset in factory

BOSTON — Seven more of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s newest rapid-transit railcars have been found to have improperly installed bolts in brake assemblies, the agency’s board of directors learned Thursday. The Boston Herald reports MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak told the board that six Orange Line cars and one Red Line car had the […]

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CN train derails in Saskatchewan (updated)

Canadian National logo

EDGELEY, Saskatchewan — A Canadian National train derailed after striking a road grader near the community of Edgeley on Thursday afternoon, CKRM radio reports. The CBC reports the driver of the vehicle, a 57-year-old man from the rural municipality of Lajord, Sask., was pronounced dead at the scene. Global News reports officers from three detachments […]

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Family of victim sues transit agency over San Jose mass shooting

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority logo

SAN JOSE, Calif. — One year after a disgruntled employee killed nine Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority light rail coworkers and himself, the family of one of the victims has filed suit against the transit agency, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, and a private security firm for failing to prevent the mass shooting. Courthouse […]

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