News & Products for the week of October 30th 2023

A model locomotive in a white and orange paint scheme

News & Products for the week of October 30th 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 October 30th […]

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Attorneys General call for additions to federal proposal on hazardous-material information (corrected)

Aerial view of derailment cleanup and track work

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry and 12 of her counterparts have indicated their support for a rule requiring railroads to make hazardous-material information available to first responders, and are calling for the rule to be expanded to strengthen aspects of its communications requirements. Henry said in a Friday press release that the […]

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SEPTA, Transport Workers Union avert strike with tentative agreement

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority on Friday averted a strike that would have shut down trolley, subway, and bus service, reaching an agreement with its largest union, Transport Workers Union Local 234. The one-year agreement was reached about 4:30 a.m. Friday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, and must be ratified by a majority of […]

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Virginia Railway Express seeks to add Saturday service

Two commuter trains side by side

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Virginia Railway Express is in discussions with its host railroads over plans to launch Saturday service for the first time in the commuter operator’s 31-year history, the Washington Post reports. The move is part of VRE’s effort to lure riders back to the system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The […]

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News photo: Montreal commuter cars delivered to museum

Two passenger cars and diesel locomotive

MONTREAL — The last two remaining Bombardier MR-90 commuter railcars have been delivered to Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec, on Saturday, Oct. 28, following donation by commuter railroad Exo. They are shown heading south on the CPKC Adirondack Subdivision in LaSalle, Que. These MU cars served on the Deux-Montagnes line from 1995 […]

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Locomotive schemes: Painted power worth noting

red and yellow locomotives with white intermodal containers

Locomotive schemes After publishing a list of paint schemes last month called “Five of the worst locomotive paint schemes,” I was asked what schemes from the 1980s to today I find attractive. This is my list, and it’s in no particular order. Some I was fortunate to experience in-person during their prime, while others I […]

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News photos: ‘Rocket’ debuts at Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Man speaking at podium gestures toward antique locomotive in background.

STRASBURG, Pa. — The Rocket, the 185-year-old former Reading Co. steam engine which had long been displayed at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, made its debut Friday at its new home, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. About 60 people were on hand for a ribbon-cutting of the new display, a ceremony featuring Patrick Morrison, the museum’s executive […]

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New Amtrak fare structure takes effect

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has launched the simplied fare structure announced earlier this month, moving from three categories of fares to two, the company said today (Friday, Oct. 27). The company had previously announced the new fare plan, but had not specified when it would take effect [see “Amtrak to implement two-tier fare structure: Analysis,” Trains […]

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