MANSFIELD, Conn. — A shelter-in-place order remains in effect today (Friday, Feb. 6) and a local emergency has been declared in the wake of Thursday’s derailment of a New England Central train in the town of Mansfield. Officials told a press conference this morning that there have been no signs of a breach in the […]
For many years Hobbyshop Window was a popular department in the pages of Model Railroader magazine. We’re excited to bring it back as an occasional feature on Trains.com. Here’s a recap of some of the items that arrived at our offices for the week ending February 6th 2026. Keep up to date on the latest […]
DAVIS, W.Va. — The last operating coal mine on the right-of-way of the original Western Maryland Railway, a facility in the mountains of rural northeastern West Virginia, is slated for closure this spring. Mettiki Coal’s Mountain View Mine, owned by Alliance Resource Partners, announced on Jan. 29 its plans to lay off nearly 200 employees […]
WASHINGTON — Republican members of Congress today urged the Surface Transportation Board to conduct a thorough review of the proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern — and to reject the deal if it does not meet the high standards set by the board’s merger rules set in 2001. Rep. Dusty Johnson of South […]
MANSFIELD, Conn. — A shelter-in-place order remained in effect as of 4 p.m. ET near the site of a derailment of a New England Central train today (Feb. 5), but no leaks have been detected among derailed cars carrying liquid propane. The shelter-in-place order was issued shortly after the derailment at 9:22 a.m. in the […]
WHITSON, Ala. — Norfolk Southern’s export metallurgical coal business is getting a significant boost with the completion of Warrior Met Coal’s Blue Creek Mine near Whitson, Ala., northwest of Birmingham. The $1 billion longwall mine and balloon loadout track has the ability to load up to 10 unit trains per week and produce up to […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic showed a significant volume drop during the week ending Jan. 31 — a week in which severe weather had a significant impact on operations in the Midwest and East. Statistics from the Association of American Railroads show total U.S. traffic for the week was 434,361 carloads and intermodal units, a […]
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers, mayors, and union members were among those who gathered on Tuesday, Feb. 3 — the third anniversary of the Palestine, Ohio, derailment and hazardous-materials release — for a press conference pushing for passage of rail safety legislation introduced exactly one year earlier. U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Mike Rulli (R-Ohio), and John […]
In a scene far removed from today’s unit and intermodal trains, a small boy watches as a shipment is loaded aboard the Union Transportation Co.’s daily train at New Egypt, N.J., in September 1958. The short line used locomotives and cabin cars leased from the Pennsylvania Railroad. Aaron G. Fryer photo […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Rail creep was detected and track buckling was likely involved in the derailment of a Canadian National grain train near Devlin, Ontario, in June 2025, according to a Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation report released today (Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026). The track issues reflect the forces exerted by heavy-tonnage traffic, most […]
STOCKTON, Calif. — A derailment at Union Pacific’s yard in Stockton initially knocked out power for about 17,000 customers today (Feb. 2), but by midday most had their electricity restored. The Stockton Record reports the derailment occurred about 8 a.m. A Union Pacific spokeswoman said three cars of soybean oil derailed and knocked over an […]
News & Products for the week of February 2nd 2026 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. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of February 2nd […]
