Menards Santa Fe diesel program launched a little more than a year ago with its first beta test. The company has released several more iterations of its F units, which it markets as “Santa Fe Diesel Locomotive,” soliciting customer feedback. The latest iteration, beta 4.0, is an A-A set in Santa Fe’s “bluebonnet” paint scheme […]
A 1944 photo shows an eastbound Santa Fe freight on the horseshoe curve east of Welch, Ariz. FT diesel 126 (foreground) is on the head end; a steam helper (background) is shoving hard on the caboose. Charles W. Lindenberg photo […]
SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — Ceremonies to mark a new workforce training center funded through a grant from Union Pacific are set for Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Dona Ana Community College in Sunland Park, near Santa Teresa, N.M., and El Paso, Texas. The ribbon-cutting will be held at 10 a.m. The Las Cruces Bulletin reports the Union […]
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe depot Scale: HO (1:87.1) and N (1:160) Price: HO, $195; N, $130 Era: 1934+ Manufacturer: Custom Model Railroads, 3937 Keswick Rd., Baltimore, MD 21211; 410-889-0010; cmrtrain.com Santa Fe depot features: Laser cut acrylic parts Based on an Art Deco-style depot served by the Texas Chief Includes main building and annex […]
BNSF’s Truxton Flyover project Truxton, Ariz., is not exactly one of the metropolitan centers of the American Southwest. “Population: very small,” says Craig Rasmussen, BNSF Railway assistant vice president, engineering services and structures. Officially, as of the 2020 census, 104 people live in the hamlet 42 miles northeast of Kingman, Ariz., on U.S. Route 66. […]
Amtrak will suspend seven more long-distance trains as of today (Wednesday, Sept. 14) as it prepares for a possible interruption of national freight rail service. Also, the three regional operations in California — the San Joaquins, Capitol Corridor, and Pacific Surfliner — are preparing for service disruptions to begin Thursday and take full effect on […]
These LGB Santa Fe F7 locomotives are nice looking and good runners, too. The powered A unit (no. 21576) has many separately applied details and cab doors that can be opened. Both trucks are driven by Bühler motors with ball bearings and the wheels have traction tires. The locomotive has a built-in mfx/DCC decoder with […]
Bi-level commuter cars Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: Coach, $99.95; cab car, $119.95; coach three-pack, $299.95; three-car set (two coaches and cab car), $319.95. Era: Mid-1970s to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Features: Body shell designs with or without […]
Magor 4948 “Big John” covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $59.99 Era: 1960s to 1990s (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: ExactRail, 525 E. 1860 S., Provo, UT 84606; 866-945-1701; exactrail.com Features: Wire coupler uncoupling levers, grab irons, brake rods, and level hangers Narrow-style draft box featuring key detail, shank wedges, striker castings, and nut and […]
SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter-train service has extended a fare discount that began in April, as well as announcing a forthcoming service expansion. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Gov. Michelle Luhan Grisham announced Wednesday that the 75% fare reduction — which lowered tickets to $2.50 for a day pass […]
In 1960, the Santa Fe opened a 44-mile line between Williams and Crookton, Ariz., to reduce grades and curvature. This view shows one of the new line’s deep cuts from the fireman’s seat on an F unit. Donald Sims photo […]
TEMPE, Ariz. — A broken rail is the probable cause of a derailment of a Union Pacific train on a Tempe bridge in July 2020, which led to a fire, collapse of part of the bridge, and a release of hazardous material, according to a report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The […]
