An eastbound BNSF intermodal train rolls through Western Springs, Ill., on March 7, 2020. A lull in international intermodal traffic is expected to last another four to six weeks. TRAINS: David Lassen Railroad traffic is expected to take a hit from the economic fallout surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. International intermodal volumes have declined since China […]
Metro-North trains meet near the 125th Street station in Harlem. Metro-North’s parent, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is seeking $4 billion in aid because of reduced ridership. TRAINS: David Lassen More coronavirus-related rail news for Wednesday morning: — New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is asking for $4 billion in federal aid in the wake of a […]
Florida’s Brightline has joined the list of rail operators reducing service because of the coronavirus outbreak. TRAINS: David Lassen Wednesday afternoon rail news: — U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, has been defeated in the Democratic primary for Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. Lipinski was defeated by […]
WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board has rejected real estate moguls’ effort to force Union Pacific to sell its mothballed Tennessee Pass line in Colorado. But the board’s ruling leaves open the possibility that KCVN and Colorado Pacific, which proposed buying the Tennessee Pass line and restoring it to service to haul agricultural and mining […]
A Wednesday morning update on rail service changes in response to the COVID-19 outbreak: — After introducing reduced service on Tuesday, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has made some adjustments beginning today, reflecting Tuesday usage. The agency will add morning Blue Line service, additional Green Line E branch service — in part to support workforce […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 14, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 463,017 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending March 14 were […]
Passengers board the Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, Mo., in 2014. A state house committee has voted to overturn a plan which would cut the service from two round trips to one. Bob Johnston More Tuesday morning rail news: — Amtrak says it and its state partners will need $1 billion in assistance as a […]
Intercity, commuter, and local passenger rail systems contine to adjust to the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are the latest service changes as of Tuesday morning: — Amtrak has announced further reductions. Because Amtrak continues to adjust schedules, check Amtrak.com or Amtrak smartphone apps for the latest status. Here are changes as of Monday evening: – Effective […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — In light of the coronavirus situation, Wheel Rail Interaction 2020, scheduled for April 28-May 1 in Vancouver, has been rescheduled to Aug. 31-Sept. 3, presenter Wheel Rail Seminars has announced. Trains Magazine is the presenting sponsor for the event, which will remain at its original site, the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Those […]
ScaleTrains.com HO scale GE C39-8 diesel An HO scale General Electric C39-8 diesel-electric locomotive gets the ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter treatment. As with the N scale version that I reviewed in the August 2019 issue, this HO scale locomotive features roadname- and road number-specific detail. Our review sample also came equipped with an ESU LokSound V.5 decoder […]
MRC Throttlepack 9950 The green plug on the back of the cabinet features terminals for track power and accessories. The Throttlepack 9950 isn’t a new face in the Model Rectifier Corp. power pack lineup. However, the train controller, designed for N, HO, O, and G scales, now has the ability to operate Digital Command Control […]
Walthers 40-foot HO single-sheathed boxcar Modelers of mid-20th century railroading have a new piece of rolling stock to add to their fleets in the Walthers Mainline 40-foot American Railroad Association (ARA) standard single-sheathed boxcar. This ready-to-run car is modernized with AB brakes and has metal ends and doors. An adaptable standard. The 1923 ARA XM-1 […]
