Why do Vanderbilt tenders have round tanks?

A Southern Pacific 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive with a Vanderbilt oil tender is seen in a 1916 builder’s photo

Q: Why do Vanderbilt tenders have round tanks?  It seems to me that with the same principal dimensions, a Vanderbilt tender would contain less water than a rectangular tank. – Chuck Moore A: The answer is hydrodynamics. Vanderbilt tenders have round tanks because they have to hold a lot of water. The radial bands of […]

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NEWS VIDEO: New Brightline route drawbridge now operating

blue river bridge opening

Video by Mark Elias, Mark Elias Media Services JUPITER, Fla. — Florida East Coast Railway’s new Loxahatchee River drawbridge that will begin carrying frequent Brightline passenger trains in early 2023 is now being raised for boat traffic and lowered for trains. Dismantling of the former 96-year-old bridge on the site began in mid-April, when accommodations […]

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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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