Reading & Northern plans to upgrade new line for 40-mph operation, will look to begin passenger excursions Reading & Northern owner Andy Muller plans to spend $4 million to $5 million to upgrade the 19.5-mile line he is purchasing from Carbon County, Pa., with the goal of raising track speed from the current 25-mph limit […]
Hippo Pennsylvania 2-10-0 4414 races north along Route 14 north of Williamsport, Pa., at 40 mph. The locomotives’ lumbering appearance gave rise to the nickname “Hippo.” Jim Shaughnessy photo […]
Cracks in Hitachi high speed trainsets cause disruption of British rail service High speed rail service in the United Kingdom is facing major disruption this weekend after cracks were found in two Hitachi-built trainsets. The Guardian reports the hairline cracks were found in brackets that are part of a device that helps stabilize the trains, […]
SOUTH ELGIN, Ill. — Jeff Bennett is sprawled across a new wood floor working with a voltage meter trying to trace an electrical short in a Chicago Transit Authority 4000-series “Plushie” steel rapid transit car. He wants the 1925 Chicago L car ready for Mother’s Day — the Fox River Trolley Museum’s opening day this […]
Well, it’s an exciting day in the workshop. We’ve got a brand new HO scale kit from Accurail. It’s the American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper. Let’s take a closer look at the model. This is an easy-to-build injection-molded plastic kit. It features a mix of molded and modeler-installed parts. […]
The Amtrak passengers who come and go from train No. 7 at Havre, Mont., are likely on their way out the parking lot long before they notice the statue at the foot of Third Avenue. That’s a shame. Virtually everything they see, in all directions, can be traced to that stout Canadian immigrant standing sentinel. […]
Investigators say Beech Grove shops fire was intentionally set A fire that destroyed two storage sheds at Amtrak’s Beech Grove, Ind., Heavy Maintenance Facility appears to have been intentionally set, according to investigators. WXIN-TV reports James Pierce, operations chief for the Beech Grove Fire Department, notes the two buildings that burned and collapsed were not […]
Santa Cruz commission declines to revisit vote on rail proposal The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has elected to delay further action on the California coastal county’s proposed 32-mile rail-and-trail project, a reflection of the strong divisions that have developed over the possibility of building a rail transit system on the former Southern Pacific […]
ROANOKE, Va. — Norfolk & Western Class J 4-8-4 No. 611 will again return to Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road for excursions and other special events, the Virginia Museum of Transportation and Strasburg have announced. The Strasburg visit will begin later this month and continue through October 2021. Events will include opportunities to ride behind the […]
Produced by the MR staff in 1940, this home movie shows how things were done to make the model railroading hobby’s premier publication back in the “good old days.” […]
Allegheny Foundation grant will aid East Broad Top rehab of picnic area Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to the East Broad Top Foundation to support rehabilitation of the Colgate Picnic Grove, the turnaround point for EBT steam excursions since 1961. The wye at Colgate Grove originated as a spur serving a clay […]
Brian Gorton named as Conrail president, chief operating officer Conrail has named Brian E. Gorton as its president and chief operating officer, succeeding the retired Timothy Tierney. The move, announced Thursday, was effective April 19. Gorton, who began his railroad career as a conductor for Conrail in 1987, was most recently the general manager of […]
