UXBRIDGE, Ontario — After nearly 30 years of operation, the York-Durham Heritage Railway is shutting down for good. The railroad said it is ceasing operations immediately and has filed for insolvency protection. The announcement came just days after President and CEO John Perks resigned. The railroad opened Sept. 14, 1996 and operated on 12 miles […]
WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Bison Transport has reached an agreement with Canadian Pacific Kansas City to provide cross-border intermodal service linking Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. “Our relationship with CPKC positions Bison to be the leading multimodal freight solutions provider that can service Canada, the United States, and Mexico,” Rob Penner, Bison Transport President and CEO, […]
Menards fictional city of Cripple Creek has expanded to include Sooty’s Coal Tipple (275-9271). Historically, coal tipples were located near mines. Small loads of coal would be brought up from the mines and dumped into a larger hopper car. Coal would be carried up into the tipple via a conveyor belt. Many tipples had a […]
One of the common drawbacks of tubular track, particularly older pieces, is inconsistent electrical conductivity. This is caused primarily by corrosion inside the rails interfering with the flow of power through the track pins. I tried a number of solutions, including soldering track together (bad idea), running jumper wires from center rail to center rail, […]
There are many track choices available to the O gauge hobbyist, but for the traditional enthusiast Lionel tubular track has great appeal. This is the track we grew up with, and for many of us it is still the track of first choice. It’s toy-like, and many of us like it that way. However, […]
In the less technologically complex postwar era, the two most popular ways to activate such trackside devices from Lionel as grade crossing lights and block signals were the nos. 145C, 153C, and 1045C contactors (devices that used a train passing over the contactor to power a circuit) and the insulated track section. Over time, the […]
People collect almost everything imaginable — bottle caps, Cadillacs, pieces of string, sheet music to sing — and of course, toy trains. There are almost as many answers as to why we collect as there are collectors, but the reasons generally fall into two major categories: love of the object and expectation of financial reward. […]
WASHINGTON – The $12 billion Brightline West high-speed passenger rail project got a boost today in the form of $2.5 billion in private activity bonds, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced. Brightline West aims to build a 218-mile dedicated passenger railroad between Las Vegas and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Trains would operate at speeds of up […]
A friend to many model railroaders and a leader in operations, track design, and the history of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Bill Neale passed away on December 28,2023 after a brief illness. He was 74. Bill started his model railroad career at an early age. He became a lifelong member of the National Model Railroad Association […]
WASHINGTON — Through this Thursday, Jan. 25, travelers seeking to visit multiple destinations on Amtrak’s route system over a 30-day period — and who don’t mind riding coach all the way to do it — can buy a USA Rail pass for $449. That’s a $50 saving from the regular $499 price but $150 more […]
DURANGO, Colo. — Passenger excursions are the meat and potatoes for the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s (D&SNGRR) overall business. However, logging has been another venture that has returned the former branch line of the Denver, Rio Grande & Western to its common carrier roots. Nearly six years after the 416 Fire [See “Fires […]
SALT LAKE CITY – Southeast Farmers Coop has donated former Denver & Rio Grande Western SW1200 No. 133 to the Promontory Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, according to the Facebook post by Derrick Klarr, Promontory Chapter preservation officer. The South Dakota-based D&I railroad assisted in the donation. Rio Grande No. 133 was built in […]
