News & Products for the week of May 19th 2025

A yellow and gray model locomotive

News & Products for the week of May 19th 2025   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. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of May 19th, […]

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CN continues work to expand capacity and fluidity in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian National aims to squeeze as much capacity as possible out of the Port of Vancouver, where a combination of water, development, and terrain make it difficult to physically expand. CN CEO Tracy Robinson says coordination is essential to getting the most out of the British Columbia port, which last year […]

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Metra assumes operation of trains on UP commuter lines

Commuter train passing freight train

CHICAGO — Metra has taken over operation of the three Union Pacific lines previously operated by the freight railroad under a Purchase of Service Agreement, the commuter operator has announced. The changeover took place on Friday, May 16, according to a recent filing with the Surface Transportation Board. That it occurred without fanfare was intended, […]

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Model Railroader Photo of the Day: Pont-Rouge station

Sometimes rail photography is all about being in the right place at the right time. Pierre Dion photographed this five-unit consist of CP Rail C-630Ms and C-424s in front of the Pont-Rouge station. The crew of the westbound freight is waiting for a relief crew to arrive. Pierre took the photo on his freelanced HO […]

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BNSF yardmasters ratify new contract

FORT WORTH, Texas — Members of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division (Yardmasters) have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with BNSF Railway. The five-year agreement, covering more than 320 yardmasters at BNSF, follows the national pattern along with other work rule/process modernization. “This ratification is affirmation of all […]

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Lionel’s No. 671 Pennsylvania RR S2 Steam Turbine

vintage black model steam locomotive

Lionel’s No. 671 Pennsylvania RR S2 steam turbine is one of the classic O gauge locomotives of the postwar era. Lionel released it for the first full product line of the post-World War II era in 1946. But the brilliant minds in the Engineering Department at Lionel were almost certainly taking their first steps in […]

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Improve sound in your steam locomotive

close up of model steam locomotive

Steam locomotive manufacturers and aftermarket sound companies have come a long way in producing realistic sound, to a point. These systems usually have a single speaker mounted face down in the floor of the tender. Projecting sound downward and bouncing it off the track and ballast results in heightened bass and low definition between the […]

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Steam cab ride on the Mt. Rainier Scenic

Two men in locomotive cab

It’s 7:30 a.m. and our Trains crew has arrived at the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad and Museum in Mineral, Wash. for a steam engine cab ride. It’s about a two-hour plus drive from Carnation, Wash. where I run, own and operate my own short line electrified private railway. Today though, I’m a guest crew member […]

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