CSX becomes first railroad to reach sick time deal with conductors’ union

Man throwing switch as train with blue and yellow locomotive waits

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has reached a tentative agreement with the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division B&O union to provide trainmen and conductors with paid sick leave benefits. Pending ratification by SMART-TD B&O members, the agreement will increase the number of CSX operating employees with paid sick leave benefits to more […]

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News & Products for the week of April 3rd 2023

News & Products for the week of April 3rd 2023: An image of a model locomotive

News & Products for the week of April 3rd 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 3rd 2023. […]

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25 cars of Montana Rail Link train derail (updated)

Logo of Montana Rail Link

PARADISE, Mont. — Another day, another derailment. Or so it seems. Some 25 cars of a Montana Rail Link train derailed west of the town of Paradise, with some of the cars entering the Clark Fork River, CNN reports. The derailment occurred about 9:20 a.m., with no injuries reported. Photographs suggest the train was a […]

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My favorite caboose: MR staff picks

Model of a red caboose follows a yellow boxcar

My favorite caboose: The MR staff picks their favorite caboose model and explains why it’s their favorite. What’s your favorite caboose? Leave a comment and let us know!   Mitch Horner International Car Co. I-18 steel bay window caboose I’ve been enamored recently by Tangent’s Chessie System “’73+ Repaint Version 2” International Car Co. I-18 […]

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Minnesota legislators consider rail safety legislation

Firefighters watching burning railcars

ST. PAUL, Minn. — On Friday, the day after a derailment and fire involving hazardous materials in the south central part of the state, Minnesota legislators heard testimony on a rail safety bill in the state Senate Transportation Committee. Unlike recent legislation elsewhere, however, SF 3187 focuses more on emergency preparedness than railroad regulation. The […]

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Meet Mark Bottrill

blue model train on a garden railway

Meet Mark Bottrill In a paragraph, how did you get started in the hobby? Despite being a lifelong railfan, I had no knowledge of large scale or US garden trains prior to 2003. This changed when I saw a screensaver on the computer monitor of a USAF Major I met while serving in the military […]

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Industries in northern Ohio

a model train on track on garden railway

Industries in northern Ohio: The track and buildings are relatively level, but the walking area follows the contour of the ground. The entrance at the east is the highest, with the track and buildings being about one foot higher than the path. As you proceed to the west end, the path descends a little, so […]

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Kansas City Southern locomotives remembered

Red, yellow, and black streamlined diesel locomotive with passenger train

Kansas City Southern locomotives were full of surprises in both the steam and diesel fleets.     Steam locomotives saw a gradual evolution, from 2-8-0 to articulated 0-6-6-0s (an oddball in the industry for road service) and 2-8-8-0s and eventually the much-vaunted 2-10-4s of 1937. The 0-6-6-0s were the largest group of the type built […]

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