Union Pacific President Beth Whited stepping down

Woman with glasses

OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific President Beth Whited will step down on July 1 after a 37-career at the railroad. She will shift to a strategic advisor role through early 2026, the railroad said today. “Beth’s dedication to Union Pacific for more than three decades, leading multiple functions and teams while seeing the railroad through […]

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Previewing Trainfest 2025 with NMRA President Gordon Robinson

Wide view of train show booth

Trainfest will return to Downtown Milwaukee’s Baird Center Nov. 1-2, 2025. The National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), celebrating its 90th anniversary, will take over as this year’s event producer. NMRA President Gordon Robinson previews the upcoming show with Trains.com Staff Writer Lucas Iverson, while also discussing plans for the future of the event. Watch the […]

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Trains.com Insider Interview | NMRA President Gordy Robinson talks Trainfest 2025

Hear directly from National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) President Gordy Robinson, just how enthused the organization is to now host the world-renowned Trainfest 2025 event in downtown Milwaukee, Wisc., November 1 & 2! When Trains.com staff writer Lucas Iverson recently chatted with Gordy, the conversation revealed numerous insights into the NMRA’s immediate and long-term objectives […]

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Bluford Shops N scale mill gondola

Color photo showing B end details of N scale gondola.

A 52’-6”, 15-panel gondola with factory-dented sides is now available from Bluford Shops. The N scale injection-molded plastic model, offered with light, medium, and heavy denting, features metal wheelsets, body-mounted couplers, and railroad-specific end and hand brake options. Prototype history The Bluford Shops model is based on a  design developed by the Erie RR and […]

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Amtrak returns Talgo set to Cascades service

Two cab cars of single-level train on adjacent tracks at station

SEATTLE – Starting today, the Mount Bachelor, the Talgo Series 8 trainset that has been out of service since its cab car was impaled by a tree in a November storm, is back in service with the other Talgo, the Mount Jefferson, on Cascades service linking Vancouver, British Columbia, and Eugene, Ore. The move will […]

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Amtrak unveils Crayola locomotives as part of crayon promotion

WASHINGTON – Amtrak has wrapped a pair of ACS-64 locomotives in Crayola-inspired “Creativity on the Go” schemes in a nod to the iconic crayon manufacturer. ACS-64 No. 621 wears a violet blue livery that features eight crayon colors that Crayola recently brought out of retirement. No. 620 is wrapped in Crayola’s dandelion, a golden yellow […]

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A look back: CTT’s first cover

cover of magazine

Each week, I will pick a random page from a back issue of Classic Toy Trains and talk a little about it. I’ll kick off this series with the very first cover. It was one of the few covers to feature a person, Richard Kughn, next to part of his collection. You’ll also notice the […]

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Restored open air gondola to debut on Woodstown Central

Restored vintage gondola with seats

WOODSTOWN, N.J. — The Woodstown Central Railroad will see another expansion to its excursion fleet, this time in the form of a favorite among tourist railroad circles: the open air car.  Former Lehigh & New England Railroad composite gondola No. 10301 will debut on May 10 as part of the Woodstown Central’s Scenic Rambler between […]

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Residents oppose BNSF plans for massive intermodal and logistics center near Phoenix

WITTMANN, Ariz. – BNSF Railway held a contentious community meeting this week in Wittmann, Ariz., regarding its proposed $3.2 billion logistics and intermodal hub. The project spans 4,270 acres and would be BNSF’s first to include an intermodal terminal, warehouse and distribution facilities, and rail-served sites for carload and bulk commodity customers. Many residents, particularly […]

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Norfolk Southern revives Alabama coal branch

A moribund Norfolk Southern coal-hauling branch in Alabama last month hosted its first train in more than a decade. NS coal train 702 rumbled over the revived Berry Branch, carrying Warrior steelmaking coal to export at the Port of Mobile, Ala., via the railroad’s 3-B Corridor. “Right now it is one train a week, and […]

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