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Join the Trains.com staff visiting the Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The club, established in 1934, boasts the country’s longest-running model railroad in the same location. Housed in a former train station built around 1917, the club’s O scale (1:48) layout, largely unchanged since 1950, operates as a “living museum”. Members once included a […]
WASHINGTON — An R.J. Corman Railway Gorup conductor suffered a serious injury to his left foot when he was pinned between couplers on two railcars, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its preliminary report on an accident that occurred during switching in Guthrie, Ky., on June 26, 2025. The accident occurred about 5 p.m. […]
Pacific Fruit Express class R-40-27 and R-40-28 ice cooled refrigerator cars are now available in HO scale from Rapido Trains. The models, offered for the first time in plastic, are scaled from prototype blueprints and field measurements. Product features include wire grab irons; prototype-specific brake wheel, running boards, and cooling fan housings; and body-mounted Lincoln-Washington […]
GOLETA, Calif. — A 16-day project to replace a Union Pacific bridge beginning Aug. 1 will shut down the route used by two Pacific Surfliner round trips that extend to San Luis Obispo, Calif., as well as Amtrak’s Los Angeles-Seattle Coast Starlight. Replacement of the 127-year-old La Cañada Honda Bridge over Honda Creek in northern […]
Combining Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern into the first transcontinental railroad in the U.S. would create a 52,215-mile colossus that could offer seamless service from coast to coast, bypassing longtime interchange choke points in Chicago and at gateways along the Mississippi River. The two railroads confirmed today that they are in advanced merger discussions. The […]
I found this manuscript from the late John Grams in our manuscript files. There was no date on the envelope but it’s likely from the early 1990s. The article discusses 12 Lionel products that, while great inventions, were fraught with problems or didn’t work exactly as advertised. He included the following disclaimer: “Lionel trains were […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland’s TriMet has become the latest U.S. transit agency to announce plans for significant service cuts to address a funding shortfall, announcing plans to reduce frequency on some bus lines this November in the first phase of a process that would eventually include an 18% reduction in MAX light rail service. The […]
When railfans travel, they dream of finding a hotel that overlooks the tracks. Ken Kirkwood found such a place in El Roble, Calif., and took this interesting photo of a passing mixed train (freight and passenger) from his hotel room window. Ken, of Yucaipa, Calif., photographed the scene on his freelanced HO scale Ma & […]
In 2020, I purchased Lionel’s No. 2028310 Milk Car With Platform. Unfortunately, I was never happy with this car’s operation. It kept shorting circuiting on my layout, especially when going through switches. I sent it to several repair centers, but the problem was never found. After running the car at a low speed around the […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported record second quarter financial results this morning as surging coal volumes led the railroad’s traffic gains. “We are delivering on our strategy and our results demonstrate our commitment to leading the industry as we set new standards for safety, service, and operational excellence,” CEO Jim Vena told investors and […]
Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern confirmed this morning that they are engaged in advanced merger discussions that would create the first U.S. transcontinental railroad. “There can be no assurances as to whether an agreement for a transaction will be reached or as to the terms of any such transaction,” the railroads said. UP and NS […]
Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger Scale: N (1:160) Price: Direct-current models, $150; with pre-installed Digital Command Control motor decoder, $250; with pre-installed DCC and sound decoder, $350 Era: 2021 to present Manufacturer: Kato USA Inc., 100 Remington Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60173; 847-781-9500; katousa.com Kato N Siemens ALC-42 Charger features: All-wheel electrical pickup Blackened wheels Body-mounted […]
