Summit USA modern IHOP restaurant

IHOP restaurant

IHOP restaurant Price: $110 Manufacturer: Summit USA LLC, 512A Ford St., Lake Charles, LA 70601, 337-436-8481, summit-customcuts.com IHOP restaurant features Unpainted milled styrene, laser-cut acrylic, and self-adhesive micro-plywood parts Parts may require light sanding in joints for cosmetic reasons Photo-illustrated instructions Measures 11½” x 7-3/8” x 3¾” Available now Company Information: Summit Customcuts is a […]

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Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers’ O gauge layout

Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers' O gauge layout

Facts & features Name: Nassau Lionel Operating Engineers’ O gauge layout Dimensions: 35 x 80 feet Track: GarGraves flextrack (maximum diameter is 120 inches) Switch: Curtis Hi-Rail, Ross Custom Switches Motive power: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (postwar and modern), MTH, Weaver, Williams Rolling stock: Atlas O, K-Line, Lionel (postwar and modern), MTH, Weaver, Williams Accessories: […]

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The Professionals Filming Location in California

Men standing on the pilot of a steam locomotive.

The Professionals filming location. The Professionals is a perfect Saturday afternoon popcorn picture. Four mercenaries in the waning days of the wild American West dive deep into Mexico to rescue the abducted wife of a multi-millionaire railroad tycoon. Along the way are bandits, memories of yesterday’s glory days, and plot twists that make what looks […]

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BNSF modifies controversial train crew attendance policy (corrected, updated)

Man climbing on front steps of orange locomotive

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway has modified its controversial Hi-Viz train crew attendance policy in response to employee feedback, but officials at two unions say the changes fall far short of what is needed. The changes, which take effect June 1, were announced in a video released on Friday. BNSF launched the policy in […]

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Is removing the flanges from locomotive drivers a good idea?

A short steam locomotive rolls around a curve alongside a water tank in a Western scene

Q: I have a new HO scale 2-6-0 steam locomotive that has trouble negotiating my layout’s 18-inch radius curves. My 4-4-0 locomotive runs fine on the layout. I’ve read that on longer wheelbase locomotives, the center drivers have their wheel flanges removed for tight radius layouts. Is removing the flanges from locomotive drivers a thing to do? Or […]

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BNSF Ry. business cars from Wm. K. Walthers Inc.

silver diner and dormitory cars

BNSF Ry. business cars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Pullman-Standard 36-seat diner BNSF no. 11 (Fred Harvey): standard, $94.98; lighted, $104.98. Budd Big Dome bar-lounge dormitory no. 31 (Bay View): standard, $99.98; lighted, $109.98. Era: late 1990s to mid-2000s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218, 414-527-0770, walthers.com Features: 36” turned-metal […]

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Amtrak Cascades service to Canada pushed back to December

Train approaching bridge

SEATTLE — Transportation officials in Washington state and Oregon are protesting an announcement by Amtrak that it does not plan to restart Amtrak Cascades service between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, before December 2022. The Associated Press reports Ray Lang, Amtrak vice president of state-supported services, informed the rail directors in both states that the […]

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Report says Amtrak will see few projected benefits from office-building purchase

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s purchase of a Wilmington, Del., office building will see few of the cost savings and personnel consolidation efforts the company envisioned because it failed to verify its plans, according to a new report from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General. The report, released Friday, is available in full here, although with some […]

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SEPTA seeks proposals to replace trolley cars

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

PHILADELPIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority has begun the process of replacing its 40-year-old Kawasaki trolley cars, issuing a request for proposals for 100 new rail vehicles. WHYY reports the agency seeks larger vehicles, with a capacity of 65 as opposed to the current 45, and will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities […]

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BNSF joins agency seeking to restore passenger service in southern Montana

Map of Montana showing counties involved in Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

MISSOULA, Mont. — BNSF Railway has joined the group seeking to restore passenger rail service in southern Montana, a move welcomed because of the railroad’s role as primary host railroad for the proposed service. The Missoula Current reports the railroad is now an ex officio member of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, which seeks […]

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NTSB report says slack action led to fatal fall for KCS conductor

Diagram of railyard with notations showing switching moves by train

WASHINGTON — A Kansas City Southern conductor killed in a December 2020 accident in Tupelo, Miss., fell in front of the train during switching because of unexpected slack action, the National Transportation Safety Board has determined in its final report. The report says that during a shoving move in the Tupelo yard on Dec. 23, […]

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