ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority on Thursday offered the first public look at its new Stadler-built MARTA trainsets, part of a $646 million order to replace the agency’s entire rail fleet. The first CQ400 trainset is one of 56 trainsets ordered in November 2019. The first of the 224 cars were delivered […]
A newly tooled FMC 5,347-cubic-foot capacity 50-foot boxcar has joined the Athearn HO scale freight car lineup. The injection-molded plastic model has railroad-specific doors; many separate, factory-applied details; and body-mounted McHenry scale couplers. Prototype history FMC Corp. produced the 5,347-cubic-foot capacity boxcar at its plant in Portland, Ore., from the late 1970s to the early […]
Q: I was wondering if you could provide me with information on what kind of loads an oyster cannery sends and receives? — Markus Russ A: I cast the net wide (pun fully intended) to help answer your question. I started internally. Trains magazine Associate Editor Bob Lettenberger wrote “Five mind-blowing facts — Stilwell Oyster […]
Railcar and locomotive lessor GATX reported 2024 fourth-quarter net income of $76.5 million or $2.10 per diluted share, compared to net income of $66 million or $1.81 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2023. Chicago-based GATX said utilization of its Rail North America unit’s wholly owned fleet, comprising approximately 111,400 cars, excluding 8,400 […]
News & Products for the week of January 27th 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 January 27th, […]
Lionel and Disney have had a relationship since 1934 with the introduction of the No. 1100 Mickey Mouse Handcar. It’s no surprise that former still offers a number of branded products from the latter today. Lionel sent a sample of their Disney D23 Mickey Mouse boxcar (No. 2401561) for review. For anyone [like me] who […]
THOMASTON, Conn. — The Naugatuck Railroad has purchased three former Santa Fe Hi-Level railcars for its excursion operations, the short line has announced. The cars, two lounges and one coach, were acquired from the Steam Railroading Institute of Owosso, Mich., operator of Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225. The Institute acquired the cars in 2019 and […]
A National Steel Car Corp. Ltd. (NSC) 3,294-cubic-foot capacity mechanical refrigerator car is now available from Rapido Trains. The model, offered in Canadian Pacific’s script and Multimark paint schemes, features injection-molded plastic construction, metal wheels mounted on plastic axles, and body-mounted metal couplers. Prototype history In the late 1960s, NSC built a group of mechanical […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Caltrain’s electrified equipment is performing far more efficiently than expected, the agency announced at its month board meeting, which could result in $3 million annually in electric savings. The regenerative braking on Caltrain’s Stadler trainsets is sending approximately 23% of the energy consumed by the system. Electric use is averaging 207 […]
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Dreamstar Lines, which hopes to launch luxury overnight train service between San Francisco and Los Angeles, has released conceptual renderings of Art Deco-inspired interiors for its equipment. The company commissioned Designworks, a BMW Group company, to create initial concepts for its plan to retrofit cars with four types of accommodations, in […]
Q: Was there ever an article on converting old railcars to accept modern trucks and couplers? I have a few HO Tyco cars that need to be converted. — Jason Trew A: Jim Kelly and Andy Sperandeo co-authored “Kadee couplers” in the May 1981 issue of Model Railroader. The article covered both N and HO […]
News & Products for the week of January 21st 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 January 21st, […]
