Guide to North American Diesel Locomotives By Jeff Wilson Kalmbach Books; 350 pages, 400+ photos, softcover, 8.25 x 10.75 inches; $27.99. www.kalmbachhobbystore.com Back in the late 1950s/early 1960s, many “old guard” railfans held the opinion that the hobby of train watching would gradually die out concurrently with the demise of steam. In 1963, Lucius Beebe, […]
Type of Train: Diesel Locomotives
Pan Am paints second GE locomotive NEWSWIRE
Freshly painted Pan Am Railway C40-8 No. 7635 rolls west in the consist of Waterville-to-Portland train WAPO on Feb. 10, 2018, near New Gloucester, Maine. Chris Guss WATERVILLE, Maine — Pan Am Railways’ second C40-8 rolled out of the paint booth last week. MEC No. 7635, formerly a CSX Transportation locomotive of the same road […]
Knoxville Locomotive Works units start service in California NEWSWIRE
Richmond Pacific SE15B No. 2016 shoves down Wright Avenue with a fresh swing shift crew on board, beginning chores in the Levin Terminal port area of Richmond, Calif., on Feb. 3, 2018 Davis Strench RICHMOND, Calif. — In late 2017, the Richmond Pacific Railroad Corp. took delivery of two Knoxville Locomotive Works SE15Bs. These locomotives […]
New model trains for the week of February 8, 2018
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive. CSX (Norfolk Southern patchout), Pennsylvania RR (four road numbers), Southern Pacific (no. 7342 in orange and Daylight Red and orange), and Southern Ry. (as-delivered scheme and Norfolk Southern heritage unit no. 3170). Three numbers per scheme unless noted. Prototype-specific details, factory-installed and painted wire grab irons, and […]
In Memoriam: Bill (William) Miller 1939-2018
Bill Miller demonstrates a swing bridge on he and his wife’s Colorado & Southern Ohio Creek extension for the article in Great Model Railroads 2009. Noted narrow gauge modeler Bill Miller died in Hagerstown, Md., on Jan. 29. He was 78 years old. Bill and his wife, Mary, both National Model Railroad Association Master Model […]
Report: Progress Rail may move engine production from hallowed La Grange plant NEWSWIRE
LA GRANGE, Ill. – The end may be near for a locomotive plant that was once at the top of the industry. Progress Rail parent Caterpillar Inc. is considering closing the famed La Grange facility, splitting the remaining engine production between a plant in North Carolina and outside suppliers, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The 850,000-square-foot […]
GE’s Brazil factory debuts modern moving assembly line NEWSWIRE
A view of a new modern moving assembly line at a GE Transportation factory in Brazil. The line is similar to ones used in aviation that move large and heavy components several feet per hour based on production demands. GE Transportation CONTAGEM, Brazil – GE Transportation’s plant in Contagem unveiled today a new approach to […]
Extreme Trains at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum – The Oil Cans
The January 2018 Extreme Trains event at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum starred the Southern Pacific “Oil Cans.” This was the famous train that hauled crude oil from Shell Oil Company’s Belridge field to its refinery near Carson, California. […]
Extreme Trains at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum – The Oil Cans
The January 2018 Extreme Trains event at the Colorado Model Railroad Museum starred the Southern Pacific “Oil Cans.” This was the famous train that hauled crude oil from Shell Oil Company’s Belridge field to its refinery near Carson, California. […]
CSX rolls out distributed power on unit coal trains in Appalachia NEWSWIRE
A 220-car loaded CSX Transportation coal train with mid-train distributed power rolls into St. Albans, W.Va., on Jan. 27, 2018. Chase Gunnoe HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Unit coal trains in Appalachia are now running with distributed power less than two weeks after CSX Transportation officials indicated the increased use of the mid-train technology. Ed Harris, CSX’s […]
2018 Railroad Hobby Show report
Athearn Trains HO scale Altoona, Pa.,-rebuilt SD60E diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Altoona, Pa.,-rebuilt SD60E diesel locomotive. Norfolk Southern with Crescent cab. Four road numbers, including “Honoring First Responders.” Detailed cab interior, standard cab roof or Positive Train Control antenna array as appropriate, and railroad-specific long-hood detail. Direct-current model, $219.98; with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control […]
In Memoriam: Steve Rodgers, 1952-2018
Steve Rodgers of Iuka, Ill., died Jan. 22, 2018. Steve was a veteran of the model railroad industry, starting with Micro Engineering in 1986. A decade later he became general manager of DeLuxe Innovations. In 2007 he co-founded Bluford Shops LLC, a manufacturer of HO and N scale products, with Craig Ross. […]