GERARD, Saskatchewan — A Canadian National intermodal train has derailed near the Manitoba border after striking a farm tractor, the Canadian Press reports. The incident occurred this afternoon (Oct. 16) at a grade crossing near Gerald, Sask. The driver of the tractor was killed, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, while a CN spokeswoman […]
GATINEAU, Quebec — A VIA Rail Canada train came within about 1,100 feet of a head-on collision with a Canadian National freight train in an April 2023 incident, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said in an investigation report released today (Wednesday, Oct. 16). In the report, the agency renewed its call for Canada to […]
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX faces more than $200 million in reconstruction costs as a result of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and the income impacts of the storms will be felt in both the third and fourth quarters, executives said during the company’s quarterly earnings call today (Wednesday, Oct. 16). Chief Financial Officer Sean Pelkey said […]
WASHINGTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line train that derailed earlier this month ran through a red signal and was traveling at 36 mph in a 10-mph zone immediately before derailing, according to the preliminary investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The derailment occurred when the train reached a switch that […]
Not every hobbyist has a spare room in which to build a layout. You may have limited space for a layout or need to share a room that’s used for other purposes (like a family room). That was my situation, so I decided to build a multi-level shelf layout. Benefits of a shelf layout You […]
WASHINGTON — Seventeen Amtrak employees in the Northeast have resigned in connection with an investigation by Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General into alleged health care fraud. The employees who have resigned are based at New York Penn Station or an Amtrak base in New Jersey. They include two gang foremen, four linemen, three truck drivers, […]
“Less is more,” as the saying goes from the article, How to lubricate your O and S gauge trains. The same applies to regularly lubricating postwar equipment that has stood the test of time. For steam locomotives, that means regular oiling and greasing. Some disassembly required In Classic Toy Trains’ January 2019 issue, Joseph L. […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — Mt. Emily Lumber No. 1, a three-truck Shay locomotive built in 1923, has been moved into the engine house at its new home, the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. The move came Tuesday, Oct. 15, according to a Facebook post from the Friends of the SP&S 700. The center plans to use the […]
NJ Transit recently hired a Customer Advocate — the actual title of the job. This individual is supposed to be solely responsible for representing customer interests, developing goals and objectives around those interests, cultivating relationships between the public — its customers — and the agency, and developing engagement plans that rely on customer feedback. It’s […]
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has received a $67,500 state grant to be used for building improvements on the museum’s Grand Junction campus. The state Capital Maintenance and Improvement funds, administered through the Tennessee State Museum, will be used for window replacement in the 42-year-old Grand Junction Depot, electrical upgrades in the […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Tuesday, Oct. 15, granted Union Pacific a 30-day extension to the mediation period in its effort to reach an agreement with Chicago’s Metra regarding some financial aspects of an agreement to continue commuter rail service on three Metra routes on UP lines. The mediation period was to have […]
Q: Why are the flanges on model steam engine drive wheels so much larger than on the prototypes? Is it because the models don’t weigh very much? Or is it because they have to navigate tight curves? And do larger scales (like G scale and live-steam models) have flanges that are closer to the prototypes? […]
