News & Products for the week of October 9th 2023

Three model cabooses in various paint jobs

News & Products for the week of October 9th 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 9th […]

Read More…

Lionel E8/E9 AA unit set

turquoise engine on layout

The Lionel E8/E9s were one of several amazing announcements coming out the Volume 1 2023 catalog.  If you’re into passenger trains, these engines are definitely for you!  With speeds of up to 117 mph thanks to 2,250 hp [2,400 hp for the E9s—Ed.] , these E units were a staple for leading passenger trains over […]

Read More…

Playmobil and kids in the garden railway

boy in red shirt smiling next to garden railway

The Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana Railroad (a.k.a. the Triple O) operates across eras and continents on a small piece of land on Oahu’s windward coast (see Garden railroading in Hawaii – Trains). We have employed the German toy line Playmobile) to bring it to life in all its incarnations, whether European, Wild West, or Hawaiian […]

Read More…

Meet Andrew Dodge

black model steam engine next to structure and boxcar on model railroad

What was your first train set (or locomotive)? I was four or five when I got my first train set, which included a wooden steam locomotive with four or five cars that ran on wooden track. When I was nine, I got my first HO electric Snap-Track set with a Varney F3 diesel and a […]

Read More…

Engineers’ union backs sale of Cincinnati Southern to Norfolk Southern

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Ohio State Legislative Board is backing the proposed sale of municipally owned Cincinnati Southern Railway to Norfolk Southern. The board’s executive committee announced on Friday that it voted unanimously to back the $1.6 billion sale, which will go before Cincinnati voters on Nov. 7. Norfolk […]

Read More…

California governor signs legislation requiring LOSSAN agency to assess impact of climate change on rail route

Amtrak passenger train moves along tracks on coastal bluff in light fog.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed legislation requiring the organization overseeing Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains to assess the effects of climate change on its operations as part of its annual business plan. SB677, introduced by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), requires the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency to identify projects to increase resiliency […]

Read More…

News photo: NJ Transit’s latest heritage locomotive

Black and yellow diesel locomotive

NJ Transit has unveiled its latest heritage unit, painted for the Erie Railroad, one of its commuter-rail predecessors. The commuter operator released the photo of GP40PH-2B No. 4210 this weekend in Erie’s black-and-gold paint scheme, noting the railroad “held a large presence in the North Jersey commuter rail scene” and operated on what are now […]

Read More…

Canadian National releases Winter Plan

Document cover with aerial photo of train operating through forest in snow

MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway has released its 2023-24 Winter Plan, a document required by the Canadian Transportation Act in which the railroad details plans for operations during the winter months. “The plan serves as our compass, providing clear direction and objectives,” CEO Tracy Robinson says in an introductory statement. “It will enable us to […]

Read More…

Operation Toy Train sets schedule for 2023

Passenger cars pulled by black and white locomotive

DINGMANS FERRY, Pa. — New stops in western Connecticut, eastern Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey will highlight the 15th season of Operation Toy Train, the special train collecting toy donations for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots Foundation to benefit underpriviledged children. The train will operate for more than 200 miles across seven […]

Read More…