Workers and investigators swarm Amtrak’s southbound Palmetto in Chester, Pa., on Sunday. The train struck a backhoe causing the shutdown of the Northeast Corridor between Wilmington, Del., and Philadelphia. TRAINS: Brian Schmidt PHILADELPHIA — A backhoe struck by an Amtrak train in a fatal accident Sunday on the Northeast Corridor apparently did not have clearance […]
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Gone, though much beloved. Peru’s Ferrocarril Central Andino recently painted former Conrail C39-8 No. 1031 in a “Tribute” paint scheme. In addition to wearing the South American railroad’s Conrail-inspired logo, the locomotive has been painted in Conrail colors and named the James A. Hagen, in honor of Conrail’s former chairman. Railroad Development Corp. owns share […]
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GOLDEN, British Columbia — Whitewater rafters using Canadian Pacific’s right-of-way to gain access to a section of rapids along the Kicking Horse River in rural British Columbia are now learning that the Class I railroad will enforce its trespassing rules. Locals familiar with the tourist attraction, which draws in more than 40,000 tourists each year, […]
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UNION, Ill. — After years of wishing and hoping, Illinois Railway Museum has finally gotten a turntable as the centerpiece of its long-term plan for a roundhouse to protect and display its not-inconsequential collection of steam locomotives. During the auction on March 24 of Union Pacific’s former Denver & Rio Grande Western Burnham Shops complex […]
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Norfolk Southern maintenance-of-way crews recently severed the rails of its idled West Virginia Secondary. Here, orange spray paint identifies where the rails have been cut near Milepost 116.5 in Middleport, Ohio. CSX Transportation-owned track to the south remains in service, while the NS segment to the north has been mothballed. James C. Trivett III MIDDLEPORT, […]
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A recent screen image of a real estate listing for a Norfolk Southern-owned beach house in Florida. Zillow.com NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern has put its Florida beachfront compound on the market for $12 million as the railroad continues to tighten the corporate belt amid tumbling coal traffic and unwanted merger advances from Canadian Pacific. […]
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Rivarossi Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotive from Hornby Hobbies HO scale locomotives Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotive. Road numbers 4014 and 4018. Five-pole can motor with brass flywheels and improved electrical pickup on all eight drivers. Direct-current model with 21-pin socket for Digital Command Control decoder, $389.99; with LokSound Select sound […]
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Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 Steve Glischinski MINNEAPOLIS — Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 will steam again this spring, pulling a 300-mile round trip over BNSF Railway from Minneapolis to Duluth, Minn., on June 4 and 5. The Minneapolis-based nonprofit Friends of the 261 owns the locomotive. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the […]
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AMTRAK’S GO-TO DIESEL: Lionel is releasing its first model of the venerable Amtrak F40PH diesel. Several hundred of the locomotives dominated Amtrak and commuter trains for more than 20 years, and many are still in service with second or third owners. The O gauge model will be available in Amtrak Phase I, II, or III […]
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E-Z Street trucks from Williams by Bachmann Price: $99.95 (nos. 42734 Hot Joe ‘n Dough food truck, 42736 green pickup truck) Min Curve: 16- or 21-inch E-Z Street curves Cmd Low: N/A Cnv Low: 20.3 smph High: 38.9 smph Drawbar pull: N/A Features: Motor, assorted cargo load Current production road names: Hot Joe ‘n Dough […]
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Union Pacific NW2 from Williams by Bachmann Price: $449.95 (no. 21652) Min Curve: O-27 Cmd Low: N/A Cnv Low: 19 smph High: 38 smph Drawbar pull: 1 lb. Features: Two can-style motors, dual headlights, die-cast metal trucks and couplers, TrueBlast Plus sound Current production road names: Boston & Maine, Pennsylvania RR, Union Pacific, Western Pacific […]
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