HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP38-2 diesel locomotive. Amtrak (silver and blue with Travelmark herald), BNSF Ry. (blue-and-white scheme in three numbers, solid blue in one number), General American Locomotive Group (black-and-blue scheme), and Helm Leasing (burgundy-and-black scheme). Four numbers per scheme unless noted. Solid pilot face with screw-mounted coupler pockets on both ends, light-emitting-diode […]
Monday morning coronavirus-related rail news: — Effective today, Amtrak will require all customer-facing employees wear a facial covering of some kind — a mask if available— and strongly encourages all other employees and passengers to wear coverings. At Friday’s employee town hall, the first hosted by new CEO William Flynn, CEO asked employees to start […]
Micro-Trains N scale heavyweight coach Removing the heavy-weight coach’s press-fit roof reveals a one-piece interior with seat and partition detail. A workhorse New York Central heavyweight coach is now available in N scale from Micro-Trains Line Co. Our review sample is accurately detailed and decorated for NYC coach no. 2347. The prototype no. 2347 was […]
Saturday morning COVID-19-related rail news: — Several transit agencies have announced further service cuts. – Altamont Corridor Express will reduce service by an additional round trip as of Monday. Trains 5 and 6 are suspended until further notice; with trains 7 and 10 having been suspended in March, the service now provides two weekday roundtrips, […]
A Rocky Mountaineer train arrives in Kamloops, British Columbia, in October 2018. The passenger operator has delayed the start of its 2020 season. Bob Johnston More Tuesday morning rail news: — Rocky Mountaineer, the luxury rail operation from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the Canadian Rockies, will delay the start of its season until July 1. […]
Sunday morning rail news: — Canada is restricting domestic travel by passengers showing signs of the COVID-19 virus, such as fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the rules Saturday; they go into effect Monday at noon. The Canadian Press reports that under the order issued by Transport Canada, VIA Rail Canada, […]
More Wednesday morning rail news: — Bombardier is suspending production at its Canadian rail and aircraft plants, sending 12,400 workers home on unpaid leave, the Canadian Press reports. The shutdown was to begin Tuesday evening and last through April 24. The Montreal-based company will idle 9,000 workers in Quebec, with the rest in Ontario, and […]
A TEXRail train passes the station at Grapevine, Texas. TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express service is being reduced as of today. Lance Lassen A roundup of Monday morning rail news: — Amtrak has suspended all Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor, reflecting a dramatic drop in usage for America’s only high speed rail service. […]
Tuesday morning rail news: — A passenger who traveled on a Chicago-St. Louis train last week has recorded a “presumptive positive” test for the Covid-19 virus, leading Amtrak to remove the trainset for disinfecting and cancel one round trip on Sunday. The State Journal-Register reports that the train in question was the Wednesday, March 4, […]
As one rail blockade remains in place in Canada, the political and financial toll of the three-week disruption to rail transportation continues. A poll taken in the wake of Canada’s series of rail blockades finds that only 27% of those responding feel Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has handled the situation well, while 45% approve of […]
New blockades continued to appear on Canadian rail lines on Tuesday, extending the disruption of rail service which is approaching the start of its fourth week. In the Toronto area, a protest that blocked GO Transit’s Milton line, which runs west of the city, was broken up about 3 a.m. today by police. Three people […]
Prototype operations weren’t the focus of many model railroaders when I started work on my HO scale layout in 1988. But I had a clear vision of an operations-oriented layout that would depict the Canadian Pacific Ry.’s Montreal Terminals Division in Canada’s second largest city in the late 1960s. That was when I spent […]
