No. 390 leads a train in 2005. Tom Danneman LIVINGSTON, Mont. – Just 24 hours after two of the last EMD F45s were sold for scrap, a group of railfans is organizing a last minute effort to save one. Late Wednesday, Dynamic Rail Preservation launched a fundraising campaign to save Montana Rail Link No. 390, […]
Section: News & Reviews
Designer of Conrail “can opener” logo dies NEWSWIRE
Conrail-painted Norfolk Southern heritage unit No. 8098. Tom Danneman NEW YORK — Many never knew his name, but that didn’t change the mark he left on the rail industry. Literally. The designer of the famous Conrail “can opener” logo, Tony Palladino, has died at age 84, the New York Times reports. “People don’t want to […]
New products for July 2014
HERITAGE IN TWO SIZES: MTH Electric Trains’ salute to the Norfolk Southern Heritage paint schemes is well under way, with examples of several road names available in both the RailKing and Premier product lines. Shown on the left is the no. 30-20136-1 RailKing Illinois Terminal SD70ACe. On the right is the no. 20-20273-1 Premier Wabash […]
Lionel LionChief Plus Canadian Pacific 4 6 2 Pacific steam
The LionChief Plus Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 Pacific steamer is a traditionally sized locomotive with a body style familiar to most O gaugers. The resemblance to a postwar classic is purely cosmetic, however, because this version has a full suite of modern operational features and the added flexibility of being able to operate in command or […]
MTH Premier line GP40 locomotive
When I was growing up, the face of the Florida East Coast Ry. was pretty much F units and rusty-around-the-louver GP7s and 9s. Then one momentous day I was at a grade crossing (probably going home from Ernie’s Hobby Shop in Melbourne, Fla.) and it happened: Wham! It was an FEC GP40 blazing down the […]
Watco wins bid for North Carolina branches, famed Saluda route severed
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Watco is the winning bidder for a cluster of Norfolk Southern lines in western North Carolina. The short line holding company has filed a “Certificate Of Compliance” with the Surface Transportation Board. The name of the new operation will be Blue Ridge Southern Railroad LLC. According to the filing, the new railroad will […]
Broadway Limited Imports N scale PA-1 and B units
Broadway Limited Imports N scale PA-1 and B units One of the most striking locomotives of the steam-to-diesel transition era hits the rails in N scale thanks to Broadway Limited Imports’ new release. The Alco PA-1 and PB-1 are offered separately in multiple road names, or as a set of a powered PA-1 with a […]
Athearn Trains HO scale EMD SDP45 diesel locomotive
Athearn Trains HO scale EMD SDP45 diesel locomotives For the first time, a General Motors Electro-Motive Division SDP45 rumbles down HO scale rails as a ready-to-run plastic model. Part of Athearn Trains Genesis series, this HO scale SDP45 rivals the finest brass locomotives in terms of roadname- and road-number specific detail. I tested a version […]
Spring Mills Depot HO scale NACC PD3000 covered hopper
Spring Mills Depot HO scale covered hopper Spring Mills Depot has released an interesting three-bay, 100-ton covered hopper that’s offered in 22 paint schemes. Of particular note, the model comes in numerous variations that have specific detailing to match the prototype paint schemes. Each of the cars is also offered in a variety of correct […]
San Juan Car Co. O scale frameless tank car
San Juan Car Co. O scale frameless tank car Price: $89.95 Manufacturer San Juan Car Co. 190 Turner Drive, Unit C Durango, CO 81303 www.sanjuancarco.com Era: 1910s to mid-1960s Road names: Union Tank Car Lines (UTLX, eight road numbers), Milwaukee Road (four road numbers), Pioneer Oil (four road numbers) Comments: As a follow-on to its […]
Trains News Wire EXCLUSIVE: Georgia Central to retire U23B fleet NEWSWIRE
A Georgia Central freight with two former Norfolk Southern U23Bs passes through Dudley, Ga. Craig Douglas LYONS, Ga. – Georgia Central will begin phasing out its fleet of General Electric U23Bs this spring, a source close to the railroad tells Trains News Wire. The 171-mile Genesee & Wyoming-owned railroad, operated by its Rail Link subsidiary, […]
Trains News Wire EXCLUSIVE: Norfolk Southern begins GP33ECO locomotive program NEWSWIRE
The first GP33ECO begins to take shape at Juniata Shops in late April. Allen Rider – Norfolk Southern ALTOONA, Pa. – Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Locomotive Shop has begun a new rebuild program to convert older four-axle EMD locomotives to modern, low-emissions road switchers. The first locomotive to enter the program was NS GP50 No. 7004 […]