Milwaukee Road’s Viroqua Patrol, with an Alco RSD5 in charge, crosses the Burlington Northern’s ex-Chicago, Burlington & Quincy main line at Grande Crossing in La Crosse, Wis., on Oct. 9, 1971. “Patrol” was the Milwaukee’s name for a local freight and Viroqua was a town on a branch located southeast of La Crosse. J. W. […]
Type of Train: Diesel Locomotives
Double trouble
After doubling its train together at Clare Yard in Cincinnati, train 78 prepares to depart east for Portsmouth, Ohio, over the Peavine in December 1959. Doubling the train blocked the Pennsylvania’s main line diamond at Clare. Tom Smart, J. David Ingles collection […]
As Earth Day turns 50, Wabtec and rail industry tout sustainability improvements NEWSWIRE
Dominique Malenfant, Wabtec chief technology officer Wabtec The railroad industry is increasingly touting its sustainability efforts and using its lower carbon footprint as a selling point as more and more shippers look to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. As the 50th anniversary of Earth Day approaches on Wednesday, April 22, three Class I railroads — […]
New model railroad products for the week of April 23, 2020
Wm. K. Walthers HO scale Electro-Motive Division F40PH diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F40PH diesel locomotive. Amtrak (phase 2, 3, and 4 schemes) and VIA Rail Canada (Renaissance scheme in two road numbers and Canada scheme). Four numbers per scheme (two each in direct current and with dual-mode sound decoder) unless noted. Factory-installed […]
Rapido Trains HO scale MLW RS-18 diesel
The model features separate handrails and other detail parts. For the first time in plastic an accurate, roadname- and roadnumber-specific version of a Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) RS-18 is available as a ready-to-run, HO scale plastic model. The Canadian road switcher is available with a factory-installed LokSound 5 dual-mode decoder, featuring sound files recorded from […]
Progress Rail inks locomotive order with Indonesia NEWSWIRE
BANDUNG, Indonesia — Progress Rail, a Caterpillar company, has signed a contract with PT Kereta Indonesia (PT KAI) for 36 new EMD GT38AC freight locomotives, expanding the public railway operator’s existing GT Series fleet. The new EMD locomotives will go into service for PT KAI’s South Sumatra coal haulage operations and join more than 50 […]
Operating the Santa Cruz Northern, Part 2
In this installment, we’ll take a look at SCN Train 202, the Eastbound Perishable. […]
Operating the Santa Cruz Northern, Part 2
In this installment, we’ll take a look at SCN Train 202, the Eastbound Perishable. […]
Durango & Silverton buys White Pass & Yukon diesels
DURANGO, Colo. — The Durango & Silverton is expanding its locomotive roster, adding four diesels with the potential to be tourist attractions in their own right. The D&S has announced it is acquiring four of the White Pass & Yukon Railway’s distinctive Montreal Locomotive Works DL535C diesels, 1,200-hp C-C locomotives built in 1969 and 1971. […]
New model trains for the week of April 16, 2020
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division FP7 and F3B diesel locomotives. Western Pacific (orange, silver, and black paint scheme). FP7 (California Zephyr service with no wings on nose and freight service renumbers [white or black number boards], one road number each). F3B (California Zephyr service with square herald, one number). FP7 and F3B set (California Zephyr […]
S-Helper Service S gauge diesel freight starter set
Anyone who thinks that S gauge starts and ends with American Flyer should take a look at the S-Helper Service line. For years the crew at S-Helper Service has been in the vanguard of manufacturers rising above postwar levels of detail, regardless of train gauge. Out are the cast-in handrails and roofwalks; in are add-on […]
NMRA national convention and National Train Show cancelled
Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic, the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) has canceled the 2020 National Convention and National Train Show, which had been scheduled for July in St. Louis, Mo. As of yet there are no plans to reschedule. For more information, please see this announcement at the NMRA web site. […]