News & Products for the week of April 22, 2021

Electric locomotive

Large scale locomotives  RailAdventure VI BR 103 electric locomotive. Spring-loaded metal pantographs (not equipped for overhead pickup); two five-pole can-type ball-bearing motors; molded and separately applied details, including lights; windshield wipers, handrails, horn, bumpers, and more; red and white directional lighting; dual-mode Digital Command Control sound decoder (locomotive will run on analog DC, but sound […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, train set, and tool announcements for April 22, 2021

Twelve tank cars in different paint schemes

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 April 22, 2021. HO scale locomotives North County Transit District Sprinter articulated […]

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Monticello Railway Museum debuts RS1325 at Throttle Time event (video)

Orange locomotive pulling seven cars crosses wooden bridge

MONTICELLO, Ill. — Illinois & Midland RS1325 No. 31 made its operating debut at the Monticello Railway Museum during this past weekend’s sold-out Throttle Time event, pulling a vintage freight train while run by “student engineers” who purchased a ticket for the opportunity to run the rare locomotive. The museum acquired the RS1325, one of […]

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Digest: Families sue Canadian Pacific, Transport Canada over fatal 2019 derailment

Derailed rail cars in snow

Families sue CP, Transport Canada over 2019 derailment that killed three The families of two of the Canadian Pacific crew members killed in the derailment of a runaway CP train in February 2019 are suing the railroad, officials including CEO Keith Creel, police department, and federal agency Transport Canada. The CBC reports the families of […]

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Digest: Long Beach to save early LA Metro light rail car

Light rail train breaking through banner

Long Beach, Calif., to preserve light rail car that launched service in 1990 The Long Beach, Calif., city council is expected to accept a donated light rail vehicle from LA Metro to be preserved for a yet-to-be-determined use. The Long Beach Post reports the Nippon Sharyo P865 car, No. 100, was used to launch Blue […]

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Conrail society, Danbury museum combine to save hopper car

Rusting gray hopper car

DANBURY, Conn. — The Conrail Historical Society and Danbury (Ct.) Railway Museum have combined to preserve a “Flexi-Flo” hopper car built in 1966 for the New York Central by ACF Industries. One of 220 such cars, the order represented the first pressure differential cars constructed, which allowed easy unloading of the contents by applying air […]

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Digest: VIA operations continue despite new provincial travel restrictions

VIA Rail Canada logo

VIA says operations will continue despite new travel restrictions While new restrictions on travel in and out of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec begin today, VIA Rail Canada says in a notice on its website that it will “continue all scheduled services,” adding, “Passengers are responsible to comply with provincial restrictions.” The CBC reports […]

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Digest: C&NW historical society archives coming to Illinois Railway Museum

Illinois Railway Museum logo

Chicago & North Western Historical Society archives bound for IRM The archives of the Chicago & North Western Historical Society are bound for the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill. The archives will be located at a new building, to be formally known as the C&NWHS Archives Research Center, to be located on the museum’s […]

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Hoosier Valley museum to restore ‘decapitated’ locomotive

Monon50cabdestroyed

NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum will restore a Monon SW1 which was badly damaged while being moved by truck in 2018.  The museum will restore Monon DS-50, which had its cab destroyed when it hit a low bridge in Logansport, Ind. [see “Monon’s first diesel decapitated …,” Trains News Wire, Dec. […]

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Meet Walthers Open Class Contestant DJ Arlia

A CSX train sits in the middle of a track, the scene is partially covered by a bush

WAUKESHA, Wis. — It’s mid-April and the second-annual Walthers National Model Railroad Build-off is well-underway. Across the country, modelers are hard at work on their layouts. With four different categories and hundreds of contestants, the judges are sure to see no shortage of talent from this year’s submissions. “Open class” contestant Domenic Joseph Arlia, otherwise known […]

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Flying on the Carolina Special

Two steam locomotives "meet" on track.

Around 1940, give or take a little, I was firing Southern Railway Ps-4 Pacifics heading the eastern leg of the Carolina Special between Charlotte and Greensboro, N.C. This little rural train served towns like Mocksville, Cooleemee Junction, Woodleaf, Bear Poplar, Davidson, Mooresville, and the tobacco center of Winston-Salem. We met the Special’s Asheville connection at […]

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