The simplicity of operating with a DC power pack like this MRC Tech7 is just one of several reasons to use DC block control on your model railroad. Though Digital Command Control may be the wave of the future, DC has its advantages and die-hard adherents. MRC photo Digital Command Control’s fervent fans to the […]
LOS ANGELES – Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains will now operate on renewable diesel fuel, the LOSSAN rail agency, which manages the service, announced Oct. 3. Renewable diesel is chemically similar to fossil diesel but made from renewable raw materials such as used cooking oil, instead of crude oil. The Pacific Surfliner operates between San Diego, […]
RUSSIAVILLE, Ind. — For the first time since 1940, Union Traction Co. of Indiana interurban car No. 429 has moved under its own power. The 83-year-old vehicle is currently being restored by the Hoosier Heartland Trolley Co. No. 429 was built in 1925 by the St. Louis Car Co. and designed to hold 44 passengers. […]
Canadian Pacific Kansas City has imposed an 8,500-foot train length restriction on the Meridian Speedway, the shortcut between the Southeast and Southwest that is a joint venture with Norfolk Southern. The move affects just one train: The daily eastbound domestic intermodal train that CPKC receives from Union Pacific at Shreveport, La., and delivers to NS […]
Bellevue Yard It’s over 5 miles long. It’s capable of serving a hundred trains a day. It’s the center point of five of Norfolk Southern’s busiest lines. Officially known as Moorman Yard, Norfolk Southern’s Bellevue hump yard is one of the largest in the railroad’s system. Centrally located in the northern Ohio heartland, it’s a […]
Host Bryson Sleppy takes train watching in a different direction, as he examines the world of “Train Life: A Railway Simulator,” a captivating railway simulator/game. Developed by Simteract (released in 2022), the game offers an immersive experience across Europe’s major cities like Berlin, Zurich, and Amsterdam. Unlike traditional train simulators, “Train Life” takes you beyond […]
PORTER, Ind. — South Shore Line commuter trains should begin running between the Michigan City and Dune Park stations the week of Oct. 16, opening the first part of its Double Track project and ending more than a year of bus substitution to accommodate work between Michigan City and Gary. The Times of Northwest Indiana […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway is experiencing a systemwide computer network failure affecting operations of GO Transit and VIA Rail Canada, as well as CN’s customer service. The railroad said in a post on Facebook this afternoon (Tuesday, Oct. 3) that it was experiencing “an internet connectivity and Electronic Data Interchange issue.” GO and VIA […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Office of Inspector General today issued a report highly critical of a manufacturing process that has led to defects preventing Amtrak from accepting any of the 12 of 28 New Acela trainsets and 22 of 28 café cars already produced at Alstom’s Hornell, N.Y., facility. The 38-page report contains redactions of monetary […]
WASHINGTON – The CSX Transportation carman who was struck and killed by a pair of locomotives in Walbridge Yard on Sept. 17 was walking from his truck to line and lock a switch at the time of the accident, the National Transportation Board said today in its preliminary report. Visibility was clear at the time […]
A cut of cars ran away downgrade on BNSF Railway’s Slaton Subdivision in the Texas Panhandle on Sunday morning and collided with the lead locomotive of a westbound train, demolishing its cab. The crew was warned ahead of time and was able to move to safety. Images online showed a flatcar carrying steel pipe crashed […]
GOSHEN, Va. — A new show on a new stage prompted a “dress rehearsal” for a seasoned star veteran. Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 operated on the Buckingham Branch Railroad, Sept. 28-30, in preparation for its fall excursions. The J-class 4-8-4 is scheduled to run the Shenandoah Valley Limited as part of the […]
