Remembering the C&NW in Madison

Running left-handed per C&NW practice, E-class Pacific 1634 skirts Lake Monona as she departs Madison with the evening local to Chicago. Frank Rogers Back in the days when there were enough railroad companies to make train-watching really interesting, Madison, Wis., was served by three: the Milwaukee Road, the Chicago & North Western, and the Illinois […]

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New model trains for the week of July 28, 2016

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division E8Am and E9A diesel locomotives. E8Am: Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Four road numbers (two each in DC and Digital Command Control). E9A: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (post-1959 repaint). Three road numbers (one in DC, two in DCC). Both models feature metallic finish, railroad-specific details, die-cast metal underframe, and Proto-Max […]

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2016 National Train Show report, part 1

Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division GP40P-2 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP40P-2 diesel locomotive. Southern Pacific (American Revolution Bicentennial scheme in one road number, scarlet and gray in two numbers). Single rear headlight, detailed cab interior, long hood with steam generator, split fuel tank with steam generator water tank, and train indicator number […]

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My memorable summer of 1959

CP Consolidation 3422, pictured at North Bay, Ont., in October 1954, was among the engines author Quastler came to know during his 1959 summer at London, Ont. Mert Leet In that memorable summer, I was 18 and about to enter my sophomore year in college. My father worked for a Detroit firm that had a […]

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Bowser HO scale GMDD SD40-2

Bowser HO scale GMD SD40-2 diesel locomotive Bowser Trains HO scale GMDD SD40-2 diesel More than a generic Electro-Motive Division SD40-2 painted in Canadian railroad colors, this newly tooled HO scale SD40-2 from Bowser Trains is detailed to match its CP Rail prototype. Our review sample, CPR no. 6038, is part of the first run […]

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Locomotive formulas

A Fort Worth & Western mixed freight ascends a grade near Cresson, Texas, in May 2013. Steve Sweeney Q Do railroads have formulas managing the length or tonnage of a train based on how many engines are pulling it? What factors would be in such a formula? — Doug Gard, McCordsville, Ind. A Each railroad […]

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New model trains for the week of April 21, 2016

HO scale locomotives General Electric U33B and U36B diesel locomotives. U33B: Penn Central, Reading & Northern (two road numbers), and Rock Island (maroon and yellow). U36B: Auto Train and Seaboard Coast Line (American Revolution Bicentennial scheme in one number and yellow and black). Four numbers per scheme unless noted; undecorated models also available. Prototype-specific details, […]

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Vacation like a railroad exec … for $12 million NEWSWIRE

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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New model trains for the week of March 3, 2015

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40-2 diesel locomotive. Canadian National (North America scheme with Grand Trunk Western reporting marks), Illinois Central (black), Milwaukee Road (Hiawatha scheme), Missouri Pacific (Jenks Blue with screaming eagle), Soo Line (red and white), and Union Pacific (modern scheme). Four road numbers per scheme. Road-number-specific details, wire grab irons, and see-through […]

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Head-on

  With a fresh crew on board, a westbound Canadian Pacific freight departs Portage, Wis., and chases the setting sun on June 21, 2014. Photo by Matt Krause […]

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