Norfolk Southern, Georgia Tech develop AI-powered wheel defect detector

ATLANTA — When a broken wheel caused a derailment on Norfolk Southern — just a mile after NS received the train through interchange — it prompted the railroad to begin tinkering with new ways to detect wheel defects. “We as a leadership team said there’s got to be a better way,” Chief Operating Officer John […]

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WalthersProto HO EMD NW2 review

Color photo of HO scale end-cab switcher painted yellow and gray with red graphics on scenicked based with a sky blue backdrop.

An Electro-Motive Division NW2 has joined the ranks of the WalthersProto line. The newly tooled HO scale model, based on Phase I through IV prototypes, uses plastic and die-cast metal construction and features railroad-specific details, a factory-installed 11mm x 15mm cube-type speaker in both direct current and Digital Command Control versions, and body-mounted Proto-Max metal […]

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Walthers HO 40-foot double-sheathed boxcar

Color photo showing B end of of brown HO scale boxcar with red, white, and black graphics on white background

Walthers HO 40-foot double-sheathed boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers HO 40-foot double-sheathed boxcar features: 5-5-5 Murphy steel ends 33” turned-metal wheels on plastic axles Detailed AB brake gear Andrews trucks Based on later rebuilds and upgrades of older, wood […]

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Rapido Trains HO Enterprise covered hopper

Color photo showing B end of HO scale two-bay covered hopper painted gray with black graphics on white background

Rapido Trains HO Enterprise covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $54.95; three-pack, $164.85; and six-pack, $329.70 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido Trains HO Enterprise covered hopper features: Designed from original blueprints and field measurements Detailed body and underframe Canadian National and New York Central versions available […]

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New York Central’s jet-powered speed record

On July 23, 1966, New York Central set a new U.S. railroad speed record when jet-powered RDC M-497, dubbed the Pride of the New York Central, hit 183.85 mph on a 24-mile tangent section of 26-year-old joined rail between Butler, Ind. and Stryker, Ohio. The RDC sported cylindrical wheels in place of normal tapered-tread wheels, […]

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