Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails returns to Eiteljorg Museum

model train display with Christmas tree

One of Indianapolis’ favorite Hoosier holiday traditions returns this season when the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art presents the 14th annual Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure. Running from Nov. 18 through Jan. 15, the family favorite Jingle Rails model railroad display will also be open late on eight […]

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Amtrak-VIA proposal for through Chicago-Toronto service revealed (updated)

WINDSOR, Ontario — The mayor of Windsor, Ontario, released a “fact sheet” to local media last week which outlines a $44 million plan to convert a daily Wolverine Corridor Amtrak round trip and a Southwest Ontario VIA Rail Canada round-trip from Toronto into a Chicago-Toronto train. First reported in an interview with radio station CKLW […]

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Ohio Rail Development Commission approves funding for two rail infrastructure projects

Men working in steel plant

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Rail Development Commission has approved grants to support a pair of rail infrastructure projects in the state. In a Nov. 9 meeting, the commission approved $1 million in support for $5.1 million in rail projects at the JSW Steel USA facility in Mingo Junction, Ohio, and a $125,000 grant for […]

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Amtrak Cincinnati services through time

Current station for Amtrak Cincinnati services at Cincinnati Union Terminal

Amtrak Cincinnati services arose from the need to move people between the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Amtrak moved from Cincinnati Union Terminal to a new station, its first new-built station on its vast network, located on River Road west of downtown on Oct. 29, 1972.     On July 29, 1991, Amtrak returned to the monolithic […]

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Metra approves 2024 budget with simplified fare structure

Commuter train at station

CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors has approved a 2024 budget that significantly revises the commuter rail agency’s fare structure and eliminates some discount passes introduced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The board on Friday approve a $1.1 billion operating budget, a 4.9% increase over the 2023 budget (excluding $65 million to be […]

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Spaces to Places IV | A flash of finishing flourishes, part 7

Host Gerry Leone may be dangerously close to finishing off the town of Westcott, but he’s still found plenty more to do with scenery, structures, lighting, and those little details that help turn a space into a definitive place on his HO scale model railroad. But at the end of this episode, Gerry’s efforts come […]

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Regional Rail adds two Midwestern short lines to portfolio

Green and yellow locomotive with freight train on trestile

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. — Shortline holding company Regional Rail LLC is expanding its holdings, having agreed to acquire Indiana Eastern Railroad and the Ohio South Central Railroad, the company announced today (Friday, Nov. 10). Indiana Eastern is a 43-mile short line headquartered in Liberty, Ind., operating between Richmond, Ind., and Fernald, Ohio. It was established […]

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Spaces to Places IV | A flash of finishing flourishes, part 7

Host Gerry Leone may be dangerously close to finishing off the town of Westcott, but he’s still found plenty more to do with scenery, structures, lighting, and those little details that help turn a space into a definitive place on his HO scale model railroad. But at the end of this episode, Gerry’s efforts come […]

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Cleveland-area short line introduces battery-electric locomotive

Green and yellow locomotive with six people standing in front.

CLEVELAND —Newburgh & South Shore Railroad, an OmniTRAX short line serving the Cleveland area, has introduced its first battery-electric locomotive, the first electric locomotive operated by an Ohio short line. The locomotive, an AMPS Traction G9, is intended to reduce fuel consumption by half and NOx emission and particulate matter by 77%. The locomotive was […]

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Pere Marquette No. 1225 returns to service after wheel and running gear rebuild

Steam locomotive running on a fall, cloudy day.

OWOSSO, Mich. — Pere Marquette steam locomotive No. 1225 completed a series of test runs and break-in trips in late October and early November, marking the locomotive’s first return to service since December 2021. The Berkshire-type 2-8-4 underwent a multiyear rebuild of the drivers and running gear in a partnership with Owosso’s Steam Railroading Institute […]

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Canadian National donates former Illinois Central E9 to Monticello museum

Green, yellow, and black E unit next to building

MONTICELLO, Ill. — Canadian National Railway has donated a former Illinois Central E9 to the Monticello Railway Museum in central Illinois. The locomotive arrived at the museum via Norfolk Southern earlier this month. The unit wears a variation of CN’s classic 1950s green-and-black paint scheme — most notably with the CN “noodle” logo in place […]

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