MTH Premier line O gauge SD70ACe diesel

ONE OF THE Goliaths of modern railroading is the Electro-Motive SD70ACe, and it is far more than a tweak of the popular SD70. Electro-Motive designers re-worked its 16-cylinder prime mover to be more fuel-efficient and to meet tougher environmental emissions requirements. Improvments were made in just about every aspect: from crewmember ergonomics to ease of […]

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Trainfest show report

Electro-Motive Division F45 and FP45 diesel locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP40X diesel locomotive HO scale locomotivesElectro-Motive Division GP40X diesel locomotive. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe; Southern Ry. (high nose); St. Lawrence & Atlantic; and undecorated (high and low nose). Upgraded Rail Power Products shell with see-through fans, Celcon handrails, railroad-specific fuel tanks, and Digital Command Control […]

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News & Products for the week of September 21, 2006

HO scale locomotivesBNSF Ry. diesel locomotives. Electro-Motive Division GP35, GP50, and GP60M and General Electric C44-9W. Two road numbers per locomotive. 2005 paint scheme. $84.98 to $99.98 each. January 2007. Ready-to-Roll. Athearn Trains Electro-Motive Division F7 A and B HO scale diesel locomotives. Great Northern (Omaha Orange and Pullman Green). F7A ($129.98 without sound, $199.98 […]

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2006 National Train Show final report: Part 2

Baldwin 2-4-4T Forney steam locomotive O scale locomotivesBaldwin 2-4-4T Forney steam locomotive. On2-1/2. Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes and painted black but unlettered. Digital Command Control-equipped, five-pole skew-wound motor, light-emitting-diode headlight, separately applied details, and vestibule cab with operating doors and interior detail. Inside- and outside-frame versions available. $275. Bachmann 0-6-0 and 2-6-0 saddle-tank steam […]

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North America’s hump yards

Norfolk Southern’s Linwood, N.C., classification yard Matt Van Hattem More than half of the hump yards in North America have closed in the past 25 years. From 152 operating classification yards in 1975, the number dropped to 122 in 1985, and 72 by 1993. In 2002, there were 59 active hump yards. The reasons for […]

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Where to hike

Will the U.S. rails-with-trails movement continue gaining momentum? Or will rail safety and congestion issues stop it in its tracks? In the September 2005 issue, Trains Magazine looked at the issues surrounding locations where recreational activities and active rail lines coexist in a shared space. Want to sample some of these trails yourself? Below is […]

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2006 National Train Show preliminary report

The 2006 National Train Show is being held July 7-9 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in conjunction with the National Model Railroad Association National Convention in Philadelphia. The following products listed below are just some of the new items announced today. Look for more National Train Show coverage next week. Richmond Locomotive Works 4-4-0 steam […]

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Own a caboose

At 17 feet, 5 inches, the caboose cleared all bridges and power lines on its 20-mile road trip. Steve Hendrix Preserving a 25-ton caboose in my backyard wasn’t something that I had always planned on. Sure, I liked trains as a kid and even have a small model railroad layout. But an HO-scale train circling […]

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Oakland to Sacramento, Calif.

A westbound Capitol Corridor train, led by Amtrak F59PHI No. 464, makes a fine sight as it curves along the shore of San Pablo Bay in Pinole, Calif. Read on to learn about more picturesque train-watching locations between Oakland and Sacramento. Elrond Lawrence So you’re traveling to San Francisco, and have just a few days […]

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Inside Willow Springs

A groundsman watches while an overhead crane lowers another truck trailer onto a flatcar at BNSF’s Willow Springs intermodal facility. Matt Van Hattem You can feel the heat rising from the asphalt beneath you on this humid summer evening. But your attention is directed elsewhere, at two men in reflectorized vests who-without saying a single […]

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The challenge and promise of intermodal

International steamship companies like Hanjin Shipping contract with U.S. railroads to move containers from ocean ports to inland terminals, and to ferry containers moving between Asia and Europe across the North American continent. Howard Ande Larry Gross is Senior Vice President – Marketing for trailer manufacturer Wabash National Corp., provider of the RoadRailer intermodal system […]

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Cajon Pass, Calif.

Hot spot: Cajon Pass, California Cajon Pass is profiled in Kalmbach’s Guide to North American Hot Spots by TRAINS Senior Editor J. David Ingles. DescriptionHeavy mountain grade on BNSF Railway transcontinental (Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe) main line with separate rights-of-way for the north and south tracks (Tracks 1 and 2, respectively); Union Pacific operates […]

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