Scuff pads for scenery

Color photo showing scenicked section of model railroad with trees in foreground and scuff pad in background and sky blue backdrop

Q: I’ve been trying to find the video Cody Grivno hosted a few years ago where he showed how to make a low-profile forest background using, I think, a furnace filter. I’m not talking about making furnace filter pine trees. This was more like cutting a continuous row of tree tops out of filter material […]

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Wabtec earnings surge on higher freight and transit revenue

PITTSBURGH — Wabtec on Wednesday reported stronger earnings as the equipment manufacturer’s revenue and profits grew in both its freight and transit segments. “We delivered a very strong quarter evidenced by continued growth in our backlog, sales, margin, and earnings,” CEO Rafael Santana said on the company’s earnings call. The company’s operating income increased 17%, […]

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Officials approve feasibility study for Austin-San Antonio commuter rail

Passenger train in background with station in foreground

AUSTIN, Texas — Officials in Travis County have approved a contract for a feasibility study of a commuter rail operation between Austin and San Antonio, Texas. At a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a $124,953.50 contract with consultant HNTB Corp. for a “high-level engineering feasibility study” for […]

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Startup company targets blocked crossings with sensor network

Tank car blocking street behind lowered crossing gate

Oculus Rail, a startup company based in Norfolk, Va., wants to cure a railroad headache: Frequently blocked grade crossings that frustrate motorists and communities alike. The company aims to build a grade-crossing sensor network that can help reroute traffic and emergency vehicles around blocked crossings. Oculus Rail — which launched a smartphone app last week […]

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2026 Trains tour of Switzerland announced

Train with red passenger cars on curving stone bridge leading to tunnel

Join Trains Magazine June 8-20, 2026 for an unforgettable rail tour of the magic and wonder of Switzerland’s mountains and railways. Organized by our tour partner, Special Interest Tours, this 11-night, 12-day adventure includes: Rail excursions include: Bernina Express Gotthard Panorama Express Furka steam train Oberwald-Realp Gornergrat excursion by rail Excursion to Rochers-de-Naye by rail […]

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Rail-making Steelton, Pa., plant to be closed permanently

Logo of steelmaker Clieveland-Cliffs

STEELTON, Pa. — The Cleveland-Cliffs Steelton plant, which had been one of just three U.S. locations producing railroad rails, will be closed permanently as of Jan. 13, 2026. The plant just southeast of Harrisburg, Pa., had been closed in June in a move the company described as temporary but indefinite [see “Rail-making Steelton, Pa., steel […]

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UP train derails near Houston

Damaged track and derailment debris

WALLER, Texas — No injuries were reported as 23 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Monday afternoon in Waller County between the towns of Waller and Prairie View, the Waller County Sheriff’s Office reported on Monday (Oct. 20, 2025). The Sheriff’s Office reported the derailment about 6:30 p.m. CT, and said that 17 cars […]

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Rapido Trains HO GE C36-7

Color photo showing front of HO scale diesel locomotive painted yellow and gray with red, white, and blue graphics on white background

Rapido Trains HO GE C36-7 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model, $249.95; with ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder, $359.95 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido Trains HO GE C36-7 features: Adirondack or Rockwell trucks as appropriate Detailed cab interior Dynamic brake hump on Missouri Pacific, Norfolk Southern, and Union […]

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Adirondack passenger cars obtained for Maine’s Rockland branch excursions

ROCKLAND, Maine—Two former Adirondack Railroad coaches equipped with heating and air conditioning have arrived at Cumberland & Knox Railroad’s Rockland facility for excursion operations on the state-owned Rockland branch. Finn Kelly, the line’s government affairs manager, tells Trains.com., “We’re still evaluating different options for excursions” on the 56-mile former Maine Central branch from Brunswick, Maine, […]

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