TACOMA, Wash. — A federal jury has awarded $8 million in damages to a woman injured in the fatal 2017 derailment of an Amtrak Cascades train in DuPont, Wash., the latest in a series of large jury awards resulting from the accident that killed three people. The Seattle Times reports the jury awarded $2.5 million […]
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Report cautions Amtrak of challenges with funding windfall
WASHINGTON — The unprecedented funding windfall available to Amtrak under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will challenge the company’s ability to manage projects related to the new funds while continuing to oversee current operations, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General says in a new report. The challenges will come in four areas, the report […]
Start of Gulf Coast hearing brings questions about STB’s ability to order improvements
WASHINGTON — Monday’s first day of a Surface Transportation Board hearing on Amtrak’s request to initiate service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., moved so slowly that some attorneys speculated that the four days this week allotted for the hearing may not be enough. In almost eight hours, the hearing barely progressed past opening statements […]
Court blocks rail union’s bid to seek local bargaining on key issues
ARLINGTON, Va. — A federal court has shot down a union’s effort to negotiate wages, health care, and other key issues at a local, rather than national, level, according to the organization representing railroads in national labor bargaining. The National Railway Labor Conference said in a press release that the U.S. District Court for the […]
Delaware Lackawanna and Western locomotives remembered
Delaware Lackawanna and Western locomotives: All through March, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. Please enjoy this photo selection of DL&W locomotives selected from the image archives of Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library. Lackawanna steam locomotives were top-notch among Northeast coal-hauling roads. The railroad’s last steam locomotive ran in […]
Ask MR: What does an oil field scene need?
Q: I’m planning to model Farmington, N.M., on my HOn3 model railroad. I’ve studied the article “Railroading in the Oil Fields” in the January 1960 Model Railroader to learn as much as possible about creating a realistic model of an oil field. The article has some very detailed information. An Internet search for Farmington gave me a photo of the […]
A rural farmhouse for your garden railroad
When I started my garden railroad, around 1994 or 1995, I built structures from drawings printed in old Model Railroader issues. At the time, I was looking for something to build for the contest at the National Garden Railway Convention in Orlando, Fla. (mid 1996). I found drawings in the January 1992 issue (p. 124) […]
Union blames train crew shortage on cutbacks related to Precision Scheduled Railroading (updated)
WASHINGTON — Ongoing service problems related to crew shortages on the U.S. Class I railroads are entirely self-inflicted due to the implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading, the SMART Transportation Division labor union has told federal regulators. “The freight rail network is at a breaking point,” union President Jeremy Ferguson wrote in an April 1 letter […]
News & Products for the week of April 7, 2022
Product news 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. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 7, 2022. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP9 diesel locomotive. […]
Cargo thefts decline in 2021
While thefts from Union Pacific intermodal trains in Los Angeles made national headlines early this year, overall cargo thefts last year decreased by 15% from 2020 levels, Insurance Journal reports, citing CargoNet’s annual Supply Chain Risk Trends report. The company, which provides cargo theft solutions, reported 1,285 cargo thefts in the United States and Canada, […]
Owner of Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 2-8-0 seeks restoration funding
When Lori Lindsey bought The Mineshaft Tavern in Madrid, N.M., in 2007, she acquired the restaurant, museum, and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe No. 769. After consulting with restoration experts, Lindsey is seeking funding to restore the 2-8-0. With encouragement from Santa Fe, N.M., resident Andrew Delgado, Lindsey consulted with steam restoration experts. She has […]
C&O Historical Society begins effort to restore business car Chessie 29
CLIFTON FORGE, Va. — The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society has begun fundraising for what it calls one of the most ambitious projects in its 53-year history, the restoration of business car Chessie 29 used by C&O President Walter Tuohy. Initial fundraising efforts will be boosted by a matching gift from an anonymous donor. Built […]
