Progress Rail to build 54 locomotives for Indonesia

Red and blue six-axle locomotive

ALBERTVILLE, Ala. — Progress Rail will build 54 EMD GT38AC freight locomotives for PT Kereta Indonesia, or PT KAI, for service in South Sumatra, Indonesia, adding to an existing fleet of 91 of the locomotives. “We are excited for this opportunity to once again work with PT KAI to deliver our GT series locomotives, which […]

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Broadway Limited Imports introduces Conductor’s Club membership program

A circular logo depicting the front of a locomotives, with text that reads "Broadway Limited Conductor's Club"

Broadway Limited Imports has announced a new membership program, the Conductor’s Club. This membership program, designed for both HO and N scale model railroaders, includes an exclusive HO and N scale locomotive offering, a quarterly new and upcoming products newsletter, a 10% discount on the Broadway Limited Imports outlet store, members only merchandise and giveaways, […]

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More British High Speed Trains head to Mexico

British High Speed Train trainset at station in Mexico

More former British High Speed Train, or HST, trainsets are now on their way to Mexico. An initial shipment of HST equipment arrived last year for passenger service on the Tehuantepec Isthmus Railway/Ferrocarril del Istmo de Tehuantepec rail line in the south of the country [see “Passenger equipment from Britain, US heads to Mexico,” Trains […]

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Passenger, freight traffic through Gotthard Base Tunnel to increase in March

Interior of concrete tube of rail tunnel with one track

BERN, Switzerland — Freight and passenger traffic will increase through the Gotthard Base Tunnel in March, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) announced on Tuesday, Feb. 7, with tunnel scheduling accommodating additional passenger traffic during the Easter holiday period. Tunnel traffic has been disrupted since an Aug. 10, 2023, derailment that closed one bore of the two-bore […]

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Swiss make commitment to maintain Gotthard Pass line

Passenger train rounds curve after emerging from tunnel

BERN, Switzerland — The long-term future of Switzerland’s historic Gotthard Pass rail line, which has been in question since the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in 2016, has been assured with the decision of the Swiss government and Swiss Federal Railways, or SBB, to spend some 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.16 billion) to renovate […]

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Fire briefly closes Gotthard Base Tunnel

Red three-unit train

FAIDO, Switzerland — Rail traffic through the one functioning tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel was suspended for about six hours today (Monday, Jan. 29) after a vehicle caught fire at the southern tunnel exit near Faido, Swissinfo.ch reports, citing reports from SRF, Swiss public radio. The vehicle, belonging to a security firm, caught fire […]

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Model Train Stuff announces closure

Future of M.B. Klein: a logo featuring a steam train in front of a red circle with a yellow banner bearing text which reads "Model Train Stuff"

M.B. Klein, also known as Model Train Stuff, has announced their closure after 111 years in operation. This announcement was released on their website as well as on their social media channels. Uncertainty has surrounded Model Train Stuff following the closure of Hattons Model Railways, a United Kingdom-based model railways manufacturer and distributor which owned […]

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Conflict in Middle East leads Asia–Europe containers to find new routes

Green European locomotive pulling a container train. Conflict drought containers ships trains

Forces outside the control of shipping firms have caused these companies to move containers from ships to trains around the globe in recent weeks. While drought has spurred the move on the 47-mile Panama Canal Railway [see “Maersk shifts some container traffic …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 11, 2024], the ongoing conflict in the Middle […]

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Future of Model Train Stuff remains uncertain amid Hattons closure

Future of M.B. Klein: a logo featuring a steam train in front of a red circle with a yellow banner bearing text which reads "Model Train Stuff"

Last week, the model railway community was surprised to learn of the closure of Hattons Model Railways, a renowned United Kingdom-based model railways manufacturer and distributor. In the ensuing days, questions have arisen regarding the future of M.B. Klein, also known as Model Train Stuff. It was announced in September of 2023 that M.B. Klein […]

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Baldwin diesels scrapped in France

Predominantly yellow diesel locomotive with some visible rust

PARIS — Four nearly 80-year-old, Baldwin-built diesel locomotives have been scrapped in France after preservation efforts failed. Two of the units were scrapped in December, following the scrapping of two similar diesels earlier in 2023. The locomotives were part of the effort to resupply French Railways (SNCF) following World War II, when it lost more […]

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Maersk shifts some container traffic to Panama Canal Railway due to low water levels

Container train next to body of water

The Panama Canal Railway, which saw a 20% increase in container traffic last summer due to drought conditions affecting water levels in the Panama Canal, got another boost this week. Maersk, the largest container shipping line, announced yesterday that shipments bound to and from Australia and New Zealand are being diverted to the Panama Canal […]

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