BERLIN —The InnoTrans trade fair in late September brought together almost all major manufacturers, large and small, serving the global rail industry. Every InnoTrans edition has one or more overall themes in terms of new technology, and in 2024 the buzz words were AI (Artificial Intelligence) and alternative power sources for trains. In both cases, […]
BERLIN — The global InnoTrans trade fair closed Friday evening, and the organizers have reported record numbers of visitors: at least 170,000 from 133 countries, according to provisional figures, visiting the 2940 exhibitors from 59 countries. Organizers report that about 600 new exhibitors took part – some representing countries never previously never represented, such as […]
BERLIN — InnoTrans provides the opportunity for the world’s railway operators to meet the leading train manufacturers in one place, and this works for the media, as well. Trains News Wire has spoken to the two leading European train builders who also are very active in North America at the show in the last two […]
MORGAN, Minn. — If you’ve attended a railroad hobby show or flea market in the Midwest in the past few decades, you couldn’t help but see the signs and tables for Perry’s Hobbies. Based in tiny Morgan, Minn., southwest of the Twin Cities, owner Perry Becker established the business in 1966. Becker, 90, died of […]
BERLIN — A number of European manufacturers have unveiled new locomotive designs, several shown in public for the first time, at the InnoTrans trade fair. Stadler presented the first of its new six-axle freight locomotives for the British market, the dual-mode Class 99, which will be used by the UK’s largest rail freight company, GB […]
ABOARD SWISS FLIGHT 8 — I left my heart in Graubünden. It’s unlikely anyone will ever pen an entry in the Great American Songbook with that title — probably not even in the Great Swiss Songbook, if such a thing exists — but it’s true. While my 16-day trip to Switzerland will eventually yield three […]
BERLIN — InnoTrans – the largest rail trade fair in the world, held every two years in the German capital city opened its doors for its 2024 edition on Sept. 24. Exhibitors number 2,940 representing 59 countries are occupying the entire exhibition grounds at the Berlin trade fair exhibition centre which is also equipped with […]
Editor’s note: This article was submitted to Garden Railways in 2015. In contacting the author recently to inquire about publication, we learned that he passed away in 2023. We offer our condolences to the family and are honored to present this article in his memory. See the author’s original railway story in the August 2001 […]
PONTRESINA, Switzerland — On the home stretch now in this very busy trip. The groundwork has been done for all three of the features I plan to write, but I’m back in Rhätische Bahn territory this weekend. I’ll be spending a little time on the Bernina Line, which I did not get to on my […]
SPIEZ, Switzerland — At the midpoint of this busy Swiss trip, I have — for the time being — moved on from working on my article on the Rhätische Bahn to work for an article on the long-delayed plans to complete the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, another of the massive rail infrastructure projects that help define […]
Model railroaders have often espoused the health benefits of the hobby. Now, they have numbers to back up their claims thanks to a new study by Hornby. The U.K.-based model manufacturer and retailer announced the results of a study it commissioned through London-based marketing company Disrupt Insight. The study, which surveyed 2,000 adults in the […]
SCUOL-TARASP, Switzerland — It’s cold and wet tonight in the Alps — the rain I’ve been contending with for most of the day has turned to snow at the higher altitudes — so it’s a good evening to get up to date on the senior editor’s 2024 Swiss Saga: Tuesday, Sept. 11: The second day […]
