JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX wants to create a single, systemwide contract covering conductors represented by the SMART-TD union. The railroad currently has three regional contract agreements with the union. In a notice to conductors, CSX says that consolidating those contracts into one “will allow CSXT to better utilize trainmen employees throughout CSXT’s system, improve train […]
Adding details that make a scene more interesting or increase operating potential can take your layout to a whole new leave of realism. Try one (or all) of the ideas listed below! Share your photos with us at editor@classictoytrains.com. Detail track and add lineside details Adding details to the right-of-way is an easy way to […]
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego area planning agency seeking to develop an inland alternative to the Surf Line rail route along the Del Mar Bluffs has once again broadened the number of prospective routes — with options including a massive relocation project along Interstate 5. The San Diego Association of Governments, or SANDAG, includes […]
DIX, Nebraska — Two Union Pacific trains derailed today about 150 miles apart on the railroad’s Overland Route main line in Nebraska, with a fire resulting from one of the incidents. KNOP-TV reports that several fire departments responded to a derailment in Dix, about 30 miles from the Wyoming state line, at 6:50 a.m. The […]
The Greenbrier 7,550-cubic-foot capacity double-plug-door boxcar is the first N scale freight car from Aurora Miniatures North America Inc. The injection-molded plastic model features many separate, factory-applied parts; metal wheelsets; and body-mounted plastic AuroraJanney plastic knuckle couplers. Prototype history The Aurora Miniatures N Greenbrier 7550 boxcar is based on the 2016 to present version of […]
LAREDO, Texas — Canadian Pacific Kansas City today (Feb. 6, 2025) held the official opening ceremonies for the new Patrick J. Ottensmeyer International Railway Bridge, the second span crossing the Rio Grande at the busiest rail gateway between the U.S. and Mexico. “The name Patrick J. Ottensmeyer will forever be a part of the proud […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) has reintroduced two bills stemming from the East Palestine derailment of 2023 — one broadening the definition of a “high-hazard flammable train” and setting reporting requirements for railroads for derailments involving hazardous materials, and another requiring railroads to reimburse first responders for costs resulting from derailments. Deluzio (D-Pa.), […]
CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Kansas City has reached a tentative four-year agreement with United Steelworkers, which represents approximately clerical and intermodal employees in Canada. “We are very pleased to have reached another collective agreement at the bargaining table, our third tentative agreement this year in Canada,” CPKC CEO Keith Creel said in a press release. […]
Trains.com host David Popp invites you along for this initial overview of Model Railroader magazine’s emerging HO scale (1:87.1) project layout, the East Troy Industrial Park Railroad! To get things started, David shares how 1:1 scale operations of a Class III railroad (as featured in the Trains.com Video Series “Taking Care of Business: SMS Rail […]
CHURCHILL, Manitoba — The Canadian government will provide more than Ca$43 million for rehabilitation of the Hudson Bay Railway, while the province of Manitoba will invest an additional Ca$36.4 million in the railway and the Port of Churchill, the governments announced Tuesday (Feb. 4, 2025). The federal funds will go the Arctic Gateway Group, a […]
EMO, Ontario — Fourteen cars of a Canadian National potash train derailed today (Feb. 4, 2025), the CBC reports. No injuries were reported. The derailment occurred about 7:30 a.m., CN said in a statement to the broadcaster. The railroad said the cause is under investigation. The Township of Emo said in a Facebook post that […]
WASHINGTON — If you thought Federal Railroad Administration grant programs for things like passenger service, shortline track maintenance, and grade crossing elimination projects would be the least likely place to become a front in the culture wars, think again. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Jan. 29 issued a memo ordering Department of Transportation agencies to […]
