History of the Northern Pacific Railway In 1864 Abraham Lincoln signed the charter of a railroad to be built from the Great Lakes to Puget Sound — the Northern Pacific Railroad. The Philadelphia banking house of Jay Cooke & Co. undertook to sell the bonds, which were to yield 7.3 percent interest, and sold $30 […]
WAUKESHA, Wis. – Meet the Turlans, a Connecticut family of three participating in the Walthers National Model Railroad Build-off. Entering in the HO-scale adult team category, this talented trio is on a mission to show the world that modeling isn’t just for the experts. When quarantine first struck back in March 2020, Xavier and Lindsay […]
Initial test of Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive have concluded, with both the manufacturer and testing partner BNSF Railway saying the locomotive’s revenue testing in Southern California — which covered more than 13,000 miles — indicate the promise of the technology. During Wednesday’s quarterly earnings call — as the locomotive was making its way back to […]
While the Russians were staging their annual parade in Moscow’s Red Square on May Day 50 years ago, Amtrak was born at Washington’s L’Enfant Plaza. The company came into the world under a death sentence known only by a select few in the railroad industry and the Nixon White House. The plan was to create […]
We recently received Tangent Scale Models’ HO scale Pullman-Standard 40-foot combination-door boxcar. From the roof to the trucks, this is a detail-rich freight car. Click on the video above to see for yourself! […]
CHICAGO — The Amtrak next-generation Acela trainset that has been testing at the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., is due in Chicago this morning as it returns to Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., plant following the completion of that testing. The train is currently due to arrive at Chicago Union Station at 11:59 a.m., but is […]
West Virginia fails to fund MARC service, placing future in doubt The future of MARC commuter rail service to West Virginia is again in doubt after the state legislature failed to include service for the funding in its 2021-22 budget. The Martinsburg Journal-News reports state Senate President Craig Blair said he struck the commuter train […]
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — Regularly scheduled passenger service at the East Broad Top Railroad is set to resume June 11, the first time the railroad has operated regularly since 2011, according to the nonprofit EBT Foundation Inc., owner of the historic narrow gauge line in central Pennsylvania. One-hour, diesel-powered excursions will take place on alternate […]
ST. JACOBS, Ontario — Canadian National has retired its final two GMD1 locomotives as of April 28, but at least one will be preserved. As many as 14 were on the roster until recently, with fewer actually in service. But the numbers for the Winnipeg- and Toronto-based locomotives dwindled quickly, as CN parked the venerable […]
Senators’ legislation would provide $500 million annually for grade-crossing separation, other improvements U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) have introduced legislation to provide $2.5 billion — $500 million annually for five years — for grade-crossing separation projects and other track relocation projects to improve safety or reduce congestion. “Too many people are […]
Sunset Limited station stop Southern Pacific 4-8-2 4326 has just entered Arizona from California as it brings the Sunset Limited into the station at Yuma sometime in the 1940s. Seated on the platform are local Indians with souvenirs to sell to passengers. Classic Trains collection […]
WASHINGTON — Three members of Congress have introduced legislation to give Amtrak the ability to take host railroads to court over on-time performance issues. The Rail Passenger Fairness Act, introduced by Senate Majority Whip Dick Durban (D-Ill), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-N.J.), addresses one of the facets of […]
