Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, weathering supplies, and magazine announcements for October 7, 2021

Great Northern Electro-Motive Division GP7 diesel locomotive.

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 October 7, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP7 diesel locomotive. Great […]

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Surfliner, Metrolink service to resume in south Orange County

Heavy equipment moving rocks along rail lline at beach as train waits in distance

LOS ANGELES — Metrolink commuter rail service in south Orange County, and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner operations between LA and San Diego, were scheduled to resume this morning (Monday, Oct. 4) following the conclusion of emergency repairs to tracks near San Clemente, Calif. Service was halted Sept. 16 after a landslide pushed the rail line out […]

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East Broad Top continues steady progress

Red and green diesel pulling open-air cars for passengers

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — Almost two years into its revival, the East Broad Top’s return is moving forward at a rapid pace, with thousands of new crossties, work on the historic shop complex, and, progress on steam locomotive restoration. In February 2020, the famed narrow gauge railroad was sold to the newly formed EBT Foundation. […]

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Ottawa light rail system faces extended shutdown

Red and white light rail equipment

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Confederation Line, a 7.8-mile, 13-station light rail operation in Canada’s capital city — shut down since a Sept. 19 derailment — faces an extended closure as repairs from that derailment are made, investigations continue into the cause, and an independent consultant is brought in to develop a return-to-service strategy. The Ottawa […]

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Two suffer burns when container on UP train catches fire

Firemen standing near double-stack container cars

PALM DESERT, Calif. — Two people suffered what were described as “critical burn injuries” after a container on a Union Pacific train caught fire Friday, leading to a temporary halt to traffic on the rail line as well as closure of one direction of adjacent Interstate 10 for about two hours. The Desert Sun newspaper […]

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‘Hollywood’

People seated in railroad lounge car with porthole windows

Hollywood Round windows marked the 1941 City of Los Angeles’s swank lounge car Hollywood. The train operated over Union Pacific and Chicago & North Western between its namesake city and Chicago. Classic Trains collection […]

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Wood-burning steam locomotive special event

4-4-0 Eureka and 2-6-0 Glenbrook doublehead on a mixed train for fans. The location is Ferguson’s trestle. Jim Wrinn

Wood-burning steam locomotive event in 2021 Wood-burning steam locomotive trains were the highlight of a September 2021 celebration of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad that is automatically a step back in time to the 1920s. With the inclusion of the older locomotives, the clock turned back further, to about 1900. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed […]

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Unions begin legal action against Norfolk Southern

Logo of SMART-TD union

CLEVELAND — Two major rail unions have begun legal action against Norfolk Southern, saying the railroad has been forcing locomotive engineers to work conductor positions, which is prohibited by their labor agreements with the railroad. The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Art, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and Brotherhood of Locomotive […]

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Southern Rail Commission awards grants for stations

Logo of the Southern Rail Commission

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Birmingham and three Mississippi communities will receive Federal Railroad Administration funds from the Southern Rail Commission for station work in preparation for the resumption of Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. Birmingham will receive $250,000, while Gulfport, Miss., will receive $246,500; Bay St. Louis, Miss., will receive $270,000; and Pascagoula, […]

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