COLUMBUS, Ohio — Freight rail firm Cathcart Rail has signed an agreement to purchase the railcar repair business of The Andersons, Inc. The purchase is expected to close this summer. “The Andersons railcar repair network aligns perfectly with Cathcart Rail’s strategic goal of offering a broad array of rail services across a national footprint, we […]
Read More…
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic in April fell 5.8% from levels in 2021, marking the third time in four months volume was down over previous-year levels. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads showed carload traffic was down by 31.929 carloads, or 3.4%, compared to April 2021, while intermodal traffic decreased by 90,869 units, or […]
Read More…
TOLEDO, Ohio — A former CSX Transportation crew member dismissed over a social media post is suing the railroad, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and an arbitration board, seeking to overturn his dismissal. Kirk E. Knopp, of Fostoria, Ohio, filed suit in April in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, […]
Read More…
LONDON — The underground portion of London’s long-delayed Crossrail project is scheduled to open May 24, agency Transport for London has announced. Initial plans for the route to offer 12 trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Woods Mondays through Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with continuing work in the off-hours and on […]
Read More…
CHICAGO — Metra on Wednesday unveiled a special paint scheme to honor the city of Chicago on F40PH-3 No. 104, with the commuter agency saying the locomotive will make its debut May 14-15 to move cars to be displayed at Pullman Railroad Days [see “More features added to Pullman Railroad Days,” Trains News Wire, May […]
Read More…
Midday Modeler – 05.04.2022: This week on Midday Modeler, Classic Toy Trains editor Hal Miller hosts a conversation with eminent toy train enthusiast and YouTuber, Chris Raines. Chris talks about his experiences with toy trains and also the hobby’s direction with the younger crowd. Midday Modeler is a new, regular video segment, recorded live and […]
Read More…
What was your first train set (or locomotive)? In the second grade, I started reading Model Railroader in the school library. After a year of heavy lobbying, I got my first Tyco HO train set for Christmas in 1973. It had a powered Santa Fe F7A locomotive with a “dummy” F7B unit painted in the red-and-silver warbonnet […]
Read More…
Midday Modeler – 05.04.2022: This week on Midday Modeler, Classic Toy Trains editor Hal Miller hosts a conversation with eminent toy train enthusiast and YouTuber, Chris Raines. Chris talks about his experiences with toy trains and also the hobby’s direction with the younger crowd. Midday Modeler is a new, regular video segment, recorded live and […]
Read More…
Bay-window caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $36.99 Era: 1970s to 1990s (era varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Bay-window caboose features: Separate, factory-installed smokejack and brake wheel End handrails and ladders Clear window glazing Body-mounted McHenry scale couplers Injection-molded plastic body Caboose trucks Available June 2023 Road […]
Read More…
40-foot flatcar with airplane load Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $46.99 Era: Late 1960s+ Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com 40-foot flatcar with airplane features: Separate, factory-installed brake wheel Removable plane load (plane has spinning propeller and detachable wings) Machined metal RP-25 contour wheels Body-mounted McHenry scale couplers Injection-molded plastic body Available June […]
Read More…
20-foot refrigerated intermodal container Scale: O (1:48) Price: $24.95; eight-pack, $199.60. Era: Present day Manufacturer: Atlas O, 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com Features: International Organization for Standardization Type Code 22R1 Composite materials sandwich-sides design Picture window refrigeration unit with separate parts Road Names: Cosco (white and blue), China Shipping (white and green), “K” […]
Read More…
I thought it would be fun to make a citrus train for the garden railroad. I like to reuse broken hobby items from my junk box, and I had several pieces to build my train inexpensively. Certain livestock trains had a car — usually a converted long caboose — called a drover’s caboose for the drovers (cowboys) to […]
Read More…