WASHINGTON — None of Amtrak’s three business segments achieved the target of 80% customer on-time performance in the second quarter of 2025, the fourth consecutive quarter that has been the case. The quarterly on-time performance report was released last week by the Federal Railroad Administration. State-supported trains fared best in statistics released by the Federal Railroad […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF set an all-time monthly record for terminal dwell in July, with cars spending an average of 21 hours in its major yards. Terminals that set new marks for low dwell include Barstow, Calif.; Belen, N.M.; Northtown, Minn.; and Pasco, Wash. BNSF’s intermodal and automotive terminal in Pearland, Texas, which serves […]
GREEN RIVER, Wyo. — OmniTRAX has been selected as the switching partner for Tata Chemical Soda Ash Partners’ mine in Green River, one of North America’s largest soda ash mines and home of one of the world’s largest reserves of trona ore. The agreement, effective as of Aug. 1, will provide dedicated shipping and track […]
I found this manuscript from the late John Grams in our manuscript files. There was no date on the envelope but it’s likely from the early 1990s. The article discusses 12 Lionel products that, while great inventions, were fraught with problems or didn’t work exactly as advertised. He included the following disclaimer: Lionel trains were […]
NEW YORK — The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway — at 840 miles the largest independent regional railroad in the U.S. — is being acquired by FTAI Infrastructure in a billion-dollar deal, the companies announced today. FTAI, which owns short line and terminal switching operator Transtar, will pay The Wheeling Corp. $1.05 billion to acquire […]
CHAMA, N.M. — The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic will host a five-day celebration Aug. 13-17 marking the 100th anniversary of the Denver & Rio Grande Western’s K-36 steam locomotives, delivered from Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1925. Nine of the 10 locomotives still exist; five are at the C&TSRR, with four still in regular operation. A […]
Facts and features Name: Brush Creek & Western Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 21 x 45 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: St. Louis, Mo., to Oklahoma City, Okla. Era: 1935 to 1975 Style: peninsula Mainline run: 300 feet Minimum radius: 28″ Minimum turnout: No. 5 Maximum grade: 2% Benchwork: open grid Height: 16″ to 72″ Roadbed: lauan […]
CLEWISTON, Fla. — Chris Starnes has been hired for the newly created position of sales, marketing, and revenue manager, short line South Central Florida Express has announced. The company says he will lead efforts to drive business development, expand its customer base, and increase the value of SCFE rail services. Starnes’ nearly 20 years of […]
A century can seem like a long time, especially given the accelerating rate of change that oppresses all of us. At the same time, 100 years is one long lifetime. Almost 100,000 now-living Americans were on this Earth in 1925, the year a group of Black Pullman employees organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters […]
Q: What was the western terminus of the MR&T, your HO scale staff layout? — Phil Stead A: Jim Kelly explained the concept behind the Milwaukee, Racine & Troy in “Meet the MR&T” in the December 1989 Model Railroader. “You may have already guessed that the initials in MR&T stand for Model Railroader and Trains, […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is now offering a single-visit pass to coach passengers at its Metropolitan lounge, for $50 at New York’s Moynihan Train Hall and $35 at other stations where the lounge is offered. Access to the lounge is free for Acela First Class or sleeping-car patrons, and is available for 1,500 points (redeemed online […]
HYDE PARK, Mass. — Damage from a fire caused by a downed Amtrak catenary wire could disrupt service on three Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail lines for several weeks, the MBTA’s contract commuter rail operator said this week. The Aug. 1 incident set fire to a “key signal bungalow” at Read Interlocking, where the […]
