Phoebe Snow – passenger train advertising icon

Brochure cover showing rear of passenger train

Phoebe Snow as a person was an invention by advertising men a half century before the streamliner. A new management led by William Haynes Trues­­dale had taken charge of Lackawanna in 1899 and was turning the sys­tem from a 19th-century pike into a 20th-century railroad. The makeover included the passenger service. DL&W’s passenger engines used […]

Read More…

New York MTA takes first step toward extension of Second Avenue Subway

Rendering of two trains in subway station

NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun the process of extending the Second Avenue Subway, announcing Wednesday that it was soliciting the first contract for construction to 125th Street in Harlem. The initial contract will cover utility relocation, setting the stage for construction of three stations and system infrastructure. With the solicitation posted, […]

Read More…

Delaware & Hudson history remembered

Blue-and-gray diesel locomotives with freight train of Delaware & Hudson history

Delaware & Hudson history dates from 1823, when the Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. was chartered to build a canal from Honesdale, Pa., to Rondout, N. Y., on the Hudson River. The canal would carry anthracite coal from mines near Carbondale, Pa., to New York City. The mines would be served by a gravity railroad […]

Read More…

Meet Nancy Norris

woman and boy watching man adjust live-steam locomotive model

What are some of your favorite parts of the hobby? Community is the best part of this hobby. I’ve been active in three California clubs, and now, in New England, I’m helping out with Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine garden railways. In 2007, after 10 years helping northern Californians build garden railways through my business, […]

Read More…

Amtrak eras tour: the 1990s

In recent months, I have dug deep into the archives to find the shortest Amtrak trains of each decade. Since most of us modelers have limited layout space, if we still want to model prototypical passenger consists, these short trains are a perfect fit. Join me on a tour of Amtrak eras, this time exploring […]

Read More…

Dining experience worthy of Viewliners is back: Trip review

Interior of dining car with linen tableclothes and cloth napkins on tables

ABOARD THE SILVER STAR — The announcement Amtrak is extending chef-prepared meals and table service for sleeping-car passengers to another New York-Miami train [see “Amtrak returns ‘traditional dining’ to Silver Meteor,” Trains News Wire, June 27, 2023] came a few days after News Wire had a chance to sample that service on the northbound Silver […]

Read More…

Delaware & Hudson locomotives remembered

Silver-and-blue diesel Delaware & Hudson locomotives in yard

Delaware & Locomotive locomotives demonstrated some of the greatest variety for a railroad its size.     Steam locomotives on the D&H were distinctive. Its roster was dominated by 2-8-0 and 4-6-0 types, but it also had notable fleets of 4-6-2s, 4-8-4s, and 4-6-6-4s. After World War I, the road stuck with the 2-8-0 long […]

Read More…

The MTH VO1000 diesel is a solid switcher

MTH VO1000 diesel

The MTH VO1000 diesel is a  good-running, heavy, and well detailed model of the Baldwin switcher. The latest run features Protosound 3.0 with freight sound effects, LED lighting, and a fan-driven smoke unit. In addition to the four road names produced by the manufacturer, there have also been several other special runs commissioned. Read more […]

Read More…

VRE opens new maintenance facility

Interior of new shop building with locomotive and bilevel passenger car

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Railway Express has opened its new Lifecycle Overhaul and Upgrade maintenance facility, or LOU, at its Crossroads Yard in Fredericksburg. The 33,500-foot, two-track structure features a drop table for removing locomotive and railcar trucks and wheelsets; a wheel truing machine; and an overhead bridge crane with two lift points, one with […]

Read More…

New York offering more than $100 million for rail, port projects

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York State is offering $121.6 million in funding for rail and port projects within the state under its Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program, with applications for funding accepted through Oct. 6. Eligible projects include track and bridge rehabilitation; yard, terminal and siding construction; grade crossing resurfacing; wayside detectors; and other […]

Read More…