Most railfans will not dispute this statement: The most iconic General Electric locomotives to be employed by Amtrak were the Genesis series. These streamlined, monocoque-body (single shell) workhorses have been everywhere along the passenger carrier’s regional and long-distance services since the 1990s. The impact of the Genesis series locomotives can make it easy to forget […]
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Model Railroader Photo of the Day: Innes Brothers Coal & Lumber
Southern Ry. SW9 No. 1136 spots a loaded hopper at Innes Brothers Coal & Lumber Co. Lou Sassi took the photo on Bob Lawson’s HO scale Southern Ry. layout in Danville, Ky. You can read more about Bob’s model railroad in the August 2003 issue of Model Railroader. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the Day features […]
Amtrak stations with both originating/terminating and through services
Of the more than 500 stations Amtrak serves across its 21,000-mile network, most are pretty straightforward. Some serve as originating/terminating points for the carrier’s trains, while others are stops along the way for through services. But there are more than 30 Amtrak stations with both originating/terminating and through services. These dual-purpose facilities are small depots […]
Pennsylvania Senate passes budget including transit funding, but House is unlikely to agree
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate has passed a funding bill that would largely use capital funding to maintain transit operations, a move the state’s governor and Democratically-controlled House say is not a viable solution to the funding shortfall that could lead to major service cuts in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Philadelphia-area Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation […]
SD units on branch lines
Q: In the May 2025 Ask MR, the answer to a question about early diesel power for the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy included this statement: “For road power, the MR&T would most likely turn to four-axle units, such as the Alco RS1 through RS3 and EMD GP7 and GP9. It’s possible the MR&T could have […]
LIRR adds more customer seating at Grand Central Madison
NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road has added more seating on the mezzanine level of Grand Central Madison, responding to customer requests during a period of rising ridership at the two-year-old facility. The station originally had no seating on the mezzanine — the area between the two levels of tracks well below Grand […]
MBTA to offer free night subway service on five fall Fridays and Saturdays
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is expanding service on subways and some bus lines on five Fridays and Saturdays this fall, and will also offer free rides after 9 p.m. on those dates on all forms of transit: rail rapid transit, commuter rail, buses, ferries, and RIDE paratransit. The additional service and free […]
UP train derails west of Fort Worth, Texas
GORDON, Texas — About 35 cars of a Union Pacific train, including some believed to be carrying hazardous materials, derailed today (Aug. 12, 2025), ABC News reports. Palo Pinto County officials told the network that no leaks have been reported, but that the incident “is being treated as a HazMat situation.” No injuries were reported. […]
Goode: UP-NS deal is latest chapter in railroads’ long history of expansion
Union Pacific’s proposed $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern is the logical outcome of nearly two centuries of rail history, retired NS CEO David Goode says. “The story of railroading has always been the story of mergers and expansion,” he says. And creating the first transcontinental railroad is no exception. These days Goode looks at […]
CSX eyes growth, service gains amid merger speculation
Amid merger speculation and ongoing freight doldrums, CSX will continue to focus on its own growth, service, and operations initiatives, Chief Commercial Officer Kevin Boone told an investor conference today. “Despite a trucking market that’s not really helpful right now … we are seeing truck conversions coming in every week,” Boone says. “I think that […]
Lionel releases 2025 Volume 2 catalog
Lionel Trains has released a 2025 Volume II catalog. The 44-page book includes new items in the Legacy, LionChief, Star Wars, and Accessory lines. Highlights include a Santa Fe Super Chief set (No. 2622020), which includes two F3A locomotives, two F3Bs (one unpowered), baggage car, Pullman sleeper car, dome car, diner, three sleeping cars, and […]
Model Railroader Photo of the Day: A curbside view
Motorists in Green Junction have a curbside view of rail activity on the Central Vermont (CV). Today, two Electro-Motive Division GP9s, one leased from neighboring Boston & Maine, bring the CV’s Palmer-to-Brattleboro local through Green Junction. Thomas Nordanberg photographed the scene on Ole Pade’s HO scale layout in Sollentuna, Sweden. Model Railroader‘s Photo of the […]
