Illinois grain elevator acquires ex-C&NW GP50

Yellow and black GP50 locomotive

DEWEY, Ill. — Premier Cooperative in Dewey, in east central Illinois, has purchased a former D&I Railway GP50 to serve its large grain elevator. GP50 No. 2512 was built for the Chicago & North Western as its No. 5054 in May 1980, spending most of its early life speeding “Falcon Service” piggyback trains between Chicago […]

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Report cautions Amtrak of challenges with funding windfall

Logo of Amtrak Office of Inspector General

WASHINGTON — The unprecedented funding windfall available to Amtrak under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will challenge the company’s ability to manage projects related to the new funds while continuing to oversee current operations, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General says in a new report. The challenges will come in four areas, the report […]

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Delaware Lackawanna and Western locomotives remembered

Black and white image of a steam locomotive passing a depot.

Delaware Lackawanna and Western locomotives: All through March, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Please enjoy this photo selection of DL&W locomotives selected from the image archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Lackawanna steam locomotives were top-notch among Northeast coal-hauling roads. The railroad’s last steam locomotive ran in […]

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Ask MR: What does an oil field scene need?

An HO scale scene of tank cars spotted at a loading rack, with storage tanks and an oil well nearby.

Q: I’m planning to model Farmington, N.M., on my HOn3 model railroad. I’ve studied the article “Railroading in the Oil Fields” in the January 1960 Model Railroader to learn as much as possible about creating a realistic model of an oil field. The article has some very detailed information. An Internet search for Farmington gave me a photo of the […]

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A rural farmhouse for your garden railroad

garden railroad farmhouse front

When I started my garden railroad, around 1994 or 1995, I built structures from drawings printed in old Model Railroader issues. At the time, I was looking for something to build for the contest at the National Garden Railway Convention in Orlando, Fla. (mid 1996). I found drawings in the January 1992 issue (p. 124)  […]

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Union blames train crew shortage on cutbacks related to Precision Scheduled Railroading (updated)

Logo of SMART-TD union

WASHINGTON — Ongoing service problems related to crew shortages on the U.S. Class I railroads are entirely self-inflicted due to the implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading, the SMART Transportation Division labor union has told federal regulators. “The freight rail network is at a breaking point,” union President Jeremy Ferguson wrote in an April 1 letter […]

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News & Products for the week of April 7, 2022

Illustration showing nose, side, and back of HO scale EMD GP9 painted blue, white, and gray with white graphics.

Product news Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 7, 2022.   HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP9 diesel locomotive. […]

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Cargo thefts decline in 2021

Man in baseball cap carrying empty boxes

While thefts from Union Pacific intermodal trains in Los Angeles made national headlines early this year, overall cargo thefts last year decreased by 15% from 2020 levels, Insurance Journal reports, citing CargoNet’s annual Supply Chain Risk Trends report. The company, which provides cargo theft solutions, reported 1,285 cargo thefts in the United States and Canada, […]

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Owner of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 2-8-0 seeks restoration funding

woman stands next to black steam locomotive

When Lori Lindsey bought The Mineshaft Tavern in Madrid, N.M., in 2007, she acquired the restaurant, museum, and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe No. 769. After consulting with restoration experts, Lindsey is seeking funding to restore the 2-8-0. With encouragement from Santa Fe, N.M., resident Andrew Delgado, Lindsey consulted with steam restoration experts. She has […]

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