CHICAGO — The heads of Chicago’s four transit agencies argued Tuesday at a legislative hearing that financial support, not structure, is the key issue they face in trying to serve the region’s passengers. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the top officials at Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, bus operator Pace, and the overarching Regional Transportation […]
Zone & Region: Midwest
Amtrak may be planning to combine Capitol Limited and Silver Star: Analysis (updated)
WASHINGTON — Circumstantial evidence gleaned from Amtrak’s booking site portends mid-November changes to the operation of the Chicago-Washington, D.C. Capitol Limited and the New York-Miami Silver Star. A Trains News Wire review of ticketing availabilities on the two trains indicates tentative plans to combine their operation as a single-level Chicago-Miami train. Doing so would allow […]
Metra Electric service to see changes July 13-20 for construction
CHICAGO — Metra’s Electric District will see some service disruptions July 13-20 to accommodate construction work adding a fourth track in downtown Chicago. On Saturday, July 13, and Saturday, July 20, Electric service will operate on a Sunday schedule to reduce the number of trains in the construction zone, while midday service will change on […]
Spaces to Places VI | Fixing a wayward waterway, part 1
In this ongoing mini-series, host Gerry Leone works on a fixer-upper-decker! In simpler terms, he’s looking to correct a mistake he made when initially constructing the top tier of his all-new Bona Vista HO scale model railroad. There’s no doubt–Gerry has amazing vision and power to re-route a wayward river into something more impressive than […]
Milwaukee Road hostler
A hostler at the Milwaukee Road’s engine terminal near 35th Street in Milwaukee uses a water crane to top off the tender of a steam locomotive. The Fairbanks-Morse diesel on the next track hints that steam is on borrowed time in this April 1951 photo. Linn H. Westcott photo […]
Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner derails; no injuries reported (updated)
WASHINGTON, Mo. — No injuries were reported when Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner derailed this evening (Monday, July 8), KSDK-TV reports. All cars remained upright. Amtrak said in a statement that the train hit a tree on the tracks at about 4:55 p.m. CT, derailing the locomotive’s rear axle. There were 124 passengers and five crew […]
‘Borealis’ carries more than 18,500 in first month, Amtrak says
CHICAGO — Preliminary figures for the first month of Amtrak’s state-supported Borealis show the train is averaging about 300 passengers each way daily, or more than 18,500 people in the first month, according to Amtrak. The second train on the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul portion of the route also served by the Empire Builder launched on May […]
Union Pacific worker killed in Proviso Yard (updated)
MELROSE PARK, Ill. — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the death of a Union Pacific railroader who was fatally injured in Proviso Yard over the weekend. WFLD-TV reports that the worker has been identified by the Cook County coroner as 27-year-old Justin Pender. “Preliminary information indicates on July 6, at approximately 1:59 a.m. […]
First hearing on future of Chicago transit set for Tuesday
CHICAGO — A series of hearings to consider the future of public transit in the Chicago area — including a proposal to merge the four boards overseeing three transit systems and the umbrella agency overseeing them — is set to begin Tuesday in Chicago. The six hearings of the Illinois Senate Transportation Committee have been […]
Mail catch on the fly
Great Northern mail clerk Ben Russell grabs the pouch from the catcher after making the catch at Bethel, Minn., while working the Duluth & St. Paul Railway Post Office in fall 1968. This was one of the few RPOs to survive the big cutbacks of 1967. Don Hofsommer photo […]
Designing two HO scale modules on a hollow core door
When people think about building a model train layout on a hollow core door, they most often envision an N scale layout, like our Red Oak project (which was published starting in MR’s January 2015 issue). Admittedly, hollow core doors are a convenient size for small N scale layouts, since nested 9.5” and 11” radius […]
Video: The Empress in Iowa
Trains contributor Steve Smedley put together this video of Canadian Pacific Hudson No. 2816 in Iowa on the return leg of the Final Spike Steam tour to accompany his earlier photo gallery of the July 1 move from Davenport to Dubuque, Iowa [see “‘The Empress’ and its train make the trip back to Canada,” Trains.com, […]