New model trains for the week of December 3, 2020

Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP38 diesel locomotive

Electro-Motive Division GP38 and GP40 diesel locomotives. New numbers. GP38: Norfolk Southern (thoroughbred scheme, two numbers) and RJ Corman (red, silver, and white scheme). GP40: Baltimore & Ohio (blue and yellow) and Southern Pacific (speed lettering). New paint schemes. GP38: Conrail (American Revolution Bicentennial scheme in one road number, blue with white sill stripe in […]

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Hydrogen train plans announced for Germany, Italy

Siemens first hydrogen-powered train

Plans have been announced for Siemens to debut a hydrogen-powered trainset in German, while Alstom will introduce its hydrogen equipment to Italy. Siemens and German national passenger operator Deutsche Bahn will test the manufacuture’s first foray into hydrogen power, a two-car trainset based on its Mireo Plus regional train. A Siemens press release reports the […]

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Rail equipment firm Linsinger introduces hydrogen-powered milling train

Linsinger hydrogen-powered rail milling train.

In a press release, the company says the new MG11 H2 machine is a variant on its MG11 milling train, developed for the smallest tunnel clearances and short work windows. That milling train used the latest generation of electric drive and milling technology, facilitating the conversion, and is capable of working a full shift on […]

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Class I railroad executives tout growth prospects, customer focus

A Norfolk Southern train heads west through Otis, Ind

Top executives from Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern last week touted the industry’s growth prospects and the ways they are working to make railroads better able to compete against trucks. Their remarks, made at the RailTrends 2020 conference, came a day after consulting firm Oliver Wyman released a survey that showed […]

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Pike’s Peak Railway getting new snow blower

The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway's new snow blower

MANITOU, Colo. — New railroad snowfighting equipment is relatively rare, but there’s a new snow clearing tool on its way to Colorado.   The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Railway has ordered a new snow blower as part of its $100 million renovation project. The new snow blower, produced by Zaugg in Eggiwil, Switzerland, will […]

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Milwaukee, Racine & Troy 45th anniversary HO scale boxcar kit

Milwaukee, Racine & Troy 45th anniversary HO scale boxcar kit

An HO scale injection-molded plastic boxcar kit commemorating the 45th anniversary of the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy, Model Railroader’s staff layout, is now available from the Kalmbach Hobby Store. The kit, produced by Accurail, features a one-piece body, separate doors, and roller-bearing trucks. Though our model is decorated in a fictional paint scheme, the Accurail […]

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Digest: NS donates historic car ‘Marco Polo’ to Georgia museum

office car

Tuesday morning preservation and museum news:

 NS donates historic ‘Marco Polo’ to Southeastern Railway Museum
 Norfolk Southern is donating private car Marco Polo, used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt while in office, to the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Ga. The car is scheduled to arrive at the museum at 11 a.m. on Nov. 14 […]

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Metra debuts new bike car, will allow bicycles on all trains

CHICAGO — Metra will introduce its first bike car — a coach with room for 16 bicycles, instead of the usual five — on Saturday on the Milwaukee District North Line, and will relax its bicycle policy to allow bikes on all trains across its 11 lines as of Monday, Nov. 9. There will still […]

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Fleet fillers: The inexpensive and versatile Lionel 6424 flatcar

Lionel 6424 postwar O gauge flatcar

Consider how many things need to be moved on a railroad. Now think about how many of them are transported (or could be) on flatcars. Lionel’s postwar No. 6424 is really a no-brainer for Fleet Filler status. It comes in a number of iterations, plain or with racks affixed for the lading of various items. […]

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New model trains for the week of November 5, 2020

Accurail HO scale Milwaukee Road 40-foot ribbed-side double-door boxcar

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Diesel/Progress Rail SD70ACU diesel locomotive. Canadian Pacific (red with monochrome beaver herald and maroon-and-gray heritage scheme with script lettering in two road numbers each; Army Arid Regions and Navy schemes in one number each) and Norfolk Southern (Thoroughbred scheme, four numbers). Prototype-specific details, light-emitting-diode headlights, and wire grab irons. Direct-current model […]

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New model trains for the week of October 29, 2020

Wm. K. Walthers HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP7 diesel locomotive

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP7 diesel locomotive. Great Northern (Empire Builder scheme); Belt Ry. of Chicago (1950s to 1970s scheme); Chessie System (Chesapeake & Ohio reporting marks); Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (black-and-gray scheme); Erie Lackawanna (gray, maroon, and yellow scheme); and Reading Co. (yellow-and-green scheme). Four road numbers per scheme (two each in direct […]

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