Gaspe peninsula Canadian National train 119 is at the division point of New Carlisle, 104 miles into its 202-mile trip from Gaspe to Matapedia in 1975. Bill Linley photo […]
Gaspe peninsula
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Railfanning Chicago at Lisle, Illinois
Railfanning Chicago at Lisle, Illinois, is good for those hard winter days. You know, the ones that sometimes feel like it requires all the preparation, gear, and endurance of the Amundsen South Pole expedition. This is what makes Lisle, on BNSF Railway’s triple-track main line between Chicago and Aurora, Ill., is a good place to […]
Tangent HO scale Greenville 86-foot high-cube boxcars
High-cube boxcars seemed to be everywhere in the 1970s, and thanks to Tangent Scale Models, highly detailed models of Greenville Steel Car Co. 86-foot high-cubes can roll on your HO layout, as well. These monster cars were products of the 1960s, when bigger was better and efficiency was the watchword of corporate America. Earlier methods […]
Chinese-built 2-10-2 makes last runs in Iowa before entering storage
NEWTON, Iowa — Fifteen years have flown by for Chinese-built QJ 2-10-2 No. 6988, and it is making its last runs today and Saturday before going into storage. The locomotive is at the point where it is required to have a 15-year inspection per Federal Railroad Administration. It and sister No. 7081 were brought to […]
Micro-Trains N scale NSC 60-foot high-cube double-door boxcar
A contemporary 60-foot high-cube double-door boxcar with exterior posts is the latest N scale body style from Micro-Trains Line Co. The model, based on a National Steel Car (NSC) prototype, has body-mounted couplers, metal wheels, and a mix of molded and separate, factory-applied details. Exterior Our sample is decorated as TBOX no. 667101, part of […]
WalthersProto HO scale EMD FP7 and F7B
Walthers has reissued its HO scale Electro-Motive Division FP7 and F7B diesel locomotives with new tooling and a LokSound 5 Digital Command Control sound decoder. And wow, is it a brute. The pair of locomotives together mustered almost 2⁄3 of a pound of drawbar pull in our benchwork test and wrestled 30 cars up a […]
MBTA conductor sues over injuries, blaming defective car door
BOSTON — A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority conductor is suing the operator of MBTA commuter trains, saying a defective door caused the partial amputation of one finger. The Quincy (Mass.) Patriot Ledger reports the suit by Quincy resident Allen Chin is one of eight against contract commuter operator Keolis over the last six years over […]
Siemens demonstrates driverless trains and streetcars in Germany
HAMBURG, Germany — Rail equipment firm Siemens has launched two types of driverless train operations in Germany, introducing a commuter train in the northern port city of Hamburg and a fully autonomous streetcar in Potsdam, just west of Berlin. The company is working toward making both technologies commercially available within a few years, as is […]
Brightline West announces partners in Rancho Cucamonga extension
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — With environmental planning completed for construction of a 200-mph electrified railroad from Las Vegas, Nev., only as far as Victorville, Calif., Brightline West has entered into a memorandum of understanding with California transportation authorities to explore extending tracks to an existing Metrolink commuter rail station in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., where passengers […]
Cleveland RTA train separates while in motion
CLEVELAND — One person required transport to a hospital after a Regional Transit Authority Red Line train separated while in motion on Thursday afternoon, WKYC-TV reports. The incident involved a westbound train heading for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, with the uncoupling occurring between the Cudell and West 117th Street stations. Police and Cleveland Fire first […]
Wabtec wins contract for Metra car components
PITTSBURGH — Wabtec will supply components for a Metra order for new passenger cars, the company announced today. Included are brakes; passenger doors; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; and event recorders. The 200-car order for new bilevel cars is being built by Alstom under a contract approved by the Metra board earlier this […]
Utah official to become new Sonoma-Marin general manager
PETALUMA, Calif. — Current Utah Transit Authority official Eddy Cumins will become the new general manager of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, the agency has announced. KPIX-TV reports Cumins, UTA’s chief operating officer, will join SMART on Nov. 29. “This is a terrific hire for SMART,” the agency’s board of directors said in a statement. “Eddy […]
