Atlas N scale General Electric B36-7 diesel

Atlas N scale B36-7 diesel Packing 3,600 hp under its hood, the General Electric B36-7 was just what Seaboard System wanted when it placed an order for 120 units in 1985, more than doubling the production total of the locomotive. Now, Atlas Model Railroad Co. has re-released its line of B-B truck Dash-7s in new […]

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B&O’s Keyser tower

The former Baltimore & Ohio tower at Keyser, W.Va., seen here in 2004 under CSX ownership, was a classic “armstrong” mechanical interlocking plant. The pipes travel along the tracks, where levers and cranks transfer the motion to switches, locks, and derails. Concrete pedestals support the pipe lines and other hardware. Historic American Engineering Record photo […]

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Anatomy of an Amtrak delay and recovery* (updated) NEWSWIRE

FULL SCREEN Bob Johnston It took more than two hours for CSX track personnel to secure cutting tools, get to Connersville, and make the right-of-way passable. The train then backed into the station and passengers were allowed to get off. Here onlookers watch as two engineers and the assistant conductor rectify minor damage to the […]

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N scale Bone Valley

Name: Bone Valley Layout owner: Alex Marchand Scale: N (1:160) Size: 4 x 7 feet Prototype: CSX/Seaboard System Locale: West-central Florida Era: late 1980s Style: gallery Mainline run: 18 feet Minimum radius: 12″ Minimum turnout: none Maximum grade: none Benchwork: Homasote on open-grid Height: 59″ Roadbed: Woodland Scenics Track: Micro Engineering code 55 Backdrop: Printed […]

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Toledo’s circular railroad

Toledo, Ohio, has long been a center of industry. Nicknamed the “Glass City” for its prominence in glassmaking, the city is also home to the iconic Jeep brand and a busy Great Lakes port. Toledo Terminal Railroad used its circular route to connect the city’s industrial base with national and world markets. One can still […]

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2016 Trains Photo Contest Winners: Water

FULL SCREEN Brandon Townley A Loram crew sprays water to prevent fires from forming, following the rail-grinding process on Norfolk Southern’s Sandusky District in Chatfield, Ohio. FULL SCREEN David Honan Westbound manifest train M-LAUPAS passes through this dramatic scene on Montana Rail Link’s 4th Subdivision at Hope, Idaho, on Aug. 31, 2014. FULL SCREEN Mitch […]

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Blue bearing caps

Two blue end caps for bearings made by Amsted Rail’s Brenco Inc. appear on a freight car truck at the Union Pacific’s Butler Yard in Wisconsin. Steve Sweeney Q What is the significance of the blue paint that I see on the rotating bearing caps on freight car wheelsets? – Tito Porfiri, Olney, Md. A […]

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Early Amtrak trains in color

FULL SCREEN John F. Bjorklund, Collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art In its early days, Amtrak relied solely on equipment provided by its member railroads. The passenger carrier is barely two months old in this Independence Day view from Chicago in 1971, where train No. 18, the eastbound Super Chief-El Capitan, still […]

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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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Coal trains on the rise in southwest Virginia NEWSWIRE

BIG STONE GAP, Va. — Within a year of mothballing a section of its former Clinchfield line between Frisco, Tenn., and McClure, Va., CSX Transportation has witnessed a notable upswing in coal traffic over the past two weeks. Newly-formed Contura Energy LLC is now leading the way to increased rail traffic out of southwestern Virginia. […]

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