BRUNSWICK, Maine — Maine Switching Services on Monday (April 28) finalized a lease agreement with Maine’s Department of Transportation that will allow freight operations to resume on the 56.6-mile, state-owned former Maine Central branch between Brunswick and Rockland, Me. The operating entity will be known as the Cumberland & Knox Railroad (CKRR), named for the […]
WASHINGTON— Federal regulators will determine whether BNSF Railway can use its trackage rights over Union Pacific to reach a new short line railroad in Utah. The Surface Transportation Board yesterday rejected Union Pacific’s request to dismiss the case regarding the Savage Tooele Railroad. Savage held a groundbreaking ceremony in November for the railroad [see “Groundbreaking […]
In this special episode, hosts David Popp and Bryson Sleppy take a moment to address a few questions from viewers like you! As the work on the HO scale East Troy Industrial Park (ETIP) project layout has forged ahead rapidly, we’ve certainly appreciated the wide assortment of inquires you’ve submitted in the Comments field. Keep’em […]
News & Products for the week of April 28th 2025 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 April 28th, […]
Frank Hornby, British businessman and inventor born in 1863, is a name known across the globe for model trains and toys alike. This book, Hornby: Book of Collectable Toys, takes a deep dive into the history of the Hornby manufacturing company and its many subsidiaries. This book isn’t just about model trains–it includes all of […]
ASHBY, Neb. — A tornado is being blamed for derailing an empty BNSF coal train on Sunday evening (April 27, 2025) near the town of Ashby, News Channel Nebraska reports. The derailment was reported about 6:27 p.m. CT, and involved the derailment of about 130 cars. The lead locomotive was not affected, and the two […]
SACRAMENTO — California legislation that would limit train lengths and require wayside detectors cleared its first hurdle in the state legislature last week, advancing through the Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Communications. The bill, which advanced by a 12-4 vote on April 21 with one committee member not voting, was introduced in February by […]
Running behind three Rio Grande GP40s and a GP30, this eastbound was working up the west side of Tennessee Pass near Red Cliff, Colo., on April 30, 1967. Out of sight are two F7 helpers on the rear. In the late 20th century Tennessee Pass had eight or more heavy trains climbing its 13 miles […]
CHICAGO — Manufacturer FreightCar America received orders for 1,250 railcars with a value of approximately $141 million during the first quarter of 2025, the company has reported. The orders represent about 25% of all new railcars in the quarter and about 36% in its addressable market. That represents the company’s largest market share of new […]
Since late last year BNSF Railway and Union Pacific have been busy handling a surge of containers from West Coast ports as U.S. companies pulled forward their imports in order to beat potential tariffs. But now with a trade war under way — and tariffs as high as 145% on goods made in China — […]
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — GATX, the rail equipment leasing company that owned one of the railcars in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, will not have to pay a portion of Norfolk Southern’s $600 million settlement with residents. After a trial that lasted more than three weeks, a federal jury in Youngstown on Wednesday found GATX Corp. […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported flat quarterly earnings today (April 24, 2025) as a decline in fuel surcharge revenue offset record freight revenue that flowed from industry-leading volume growth. “We had a solid start to the year … we delivered record first quarter operating performance,” CEO Jim Vena told investors and analysts on the […]
