Walkway Over the Hudson in railroad history

Three black diesel locomotives on tall bridge over water with boats in foreground

The Walkway Over the Hudson state park has an illustrious railroad history dating back to the opening of the massive Poughkeepsie Bridge at Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1889.     From its creation in 1872 until it was merged into the Penn Central 97 years later, the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad (familiarly known […]

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Create mountains in your garden railway

mountain with trees

Create mountains in your garden railway: If you want to model a mountain in order to add some cool accoutrements, like cribbing, cog railways, or trams, the civil engineer in you needs to survey your yard and figure out where best to place it. Would you like the mountain far away so it won’t block […]

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FTA involved in investigation of SEPTA accidents: news report

Aerial view of derailed light-rail vehicle with one end inside stone building

PHILADELPHIA — The Federal Transit Administration will play a part in the investigation of a recent rash of incidents involving Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolleys and buses, WTXF-TV reports. SEPTA vehicles were involved in five incidents in a week in late July, including a collision of two buses that killed a 72-year-old woman and an […]

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Resurrecting N scale engines

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Resurrecting N scale engines: Several years ago I bought a couple Athearn N scale Electro-Motive Division (EMD) F45 locomotives that came with factory-installed Digital Command Control (DCC) sound decoders. I was thrilled. Only two railroads had ordered these big engines, and one was my beloved Santa Fe. (The other was Great Northern, also well-liked.) The […]

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The Lionel No. 2055 Hudson

Lionel No. 2055 Hudson

The Lionel No. 2055 Hudson was prominent in the parade of 4-6-4 steam engines in O-27 outfits from 1950-56. Others in that notable group, including the 2046, 2056, and 2065, thrilled the many kids who received freight and passenger outfits at the peak of the postwar era. When the editorial staff of Classic Toy Trains […]

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Model railroad fascia fixtures to improve your layout

A model railroad throttle rests in a plastic holder on a layout fascia

Thanks to these model railroad fascia fixtures, your layout’s fascia can do more than give the edge of your layout a finished look. That stretch of tempered hardboard, medium density fiberboard, plywood, or linoleum can also serve a practical purpose. Consider adding some of these model railroad fascia fixtures to make life easier for your […]

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Tips for N scale figures

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Tips for N scale figures: The biggest advantage of N scale is its small size. This advantage has been gaining importance ever since N scale first appeared in the late 1960s, and particularly since the 1990s, when N scale came of age. This is because since the 1960s, prototype locomotives and cars have been getting […]

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MBTA reaches deal with largest union

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority logo

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has reached a new labor agreement with its largest union, affecting more than 6,000 workers including bus and train operators. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Carmen’s Amalgamated Transit Union Local 589 announced the agreement on Wednesday. WBUR reports it will provide an 18% wage increase over four […]

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CPKC asks regulators to force Union Pacific to honor trackage rights agreement covering grain shipments to Houston and Galveston

red, yellow and other colors on a locomotive

WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific Kansas City has asked federal regulators to prevent Union Pacific from blocking the movement of its grain trains to the ports of Houston and Galveston via trackage rights on UP via Beaumont, Texas. The Interstate Commerce Commission granted Kansas City Southern “South End” rights over UP as part of its approval […]

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CPKC train derails in Louisiana

CPKC logo

CHOUDRANT, La. — Twenty-four cars of a westbound CPKC train derailed Wednesday afternoon east of Choudrant, the Ruston Daily Leader reports. The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved, according to law enforcement officers on the scene. Cleanup was underway as of Wednesday evening; no information was […]

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N&W 611 to run on Buckingham Branch’s Virginia Scenic Railway

NW611JamestownNCWrinnSept2018

Norfolk & Western No. 611 has a new place to run. The Virginia Museum of Transportation and Virginia Scenic Railway — the excursion operation of the short line Buckingham Branch Railroad — have announced the Class J 4-8-4 will run weekend excursions this fall on the Virginia Scenic Railway. The steam-powered Shenandoah Valley Limited will […]

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MTA chooses consultant for Interborough Express environmental review

Illustration of light rail station

NEW YORK — Consultant WSP USA will perform the environmental review for the Interborough Express, the proposed 14-mile light rail line in Brooklyn and Queens which will use the right-of-way of Long Island Rail Road’s Bay Ridge Branch for a route connecting 17 subway lines and LIRR commuter rail service. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority also […]

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