WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board is creating an advisory panel that will guide the board on passenger and commuter rail issues. The Passenger Rail Advisory Committee will have 18 voting members that will include representatives from Amtrak, commuter rail agencies, intercity operators other than Amtrak, a state that provides funding for Amtrak service, a […]
One of Indianapolis’ favorite Hoosier holiday traditions returns this season when the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art presents the 14th annual Fifth Third Bank Jingle Rails: The Great Western Adventure. Running from Nov. 18 through Jan. 15, the family favorite Jingle Rails model railroad display will also be open late on eight […]
What was your first train set (or locomotive)? Dad and I set up my first train set on a sheet of plywood in the basement when I was 9. We rolled out “grass” paper over the plywood–it had the texture of sandpaper–and then we set up a figure eight over and under trestle set. We […]
Train City, Inc. is closing its doors after 40 years in the model train business. Charles Siegel, owner, announced that he was retiring on his website, traincity.com. Train City, Inc. specialized in buying model train collections and estates. “To our customers everywhere, thank you for your business. You kept us in business a long time, […]
This is the one I’ve been waiting for: The Lionel VisionLine Big Boy. Anyone in model railroading knows that the Big Boy is an incredibly popular model. Only 25 of these 4-8-8-4 steam locomotives were built by The American Locomotive Company (Alco) with a primary purpose for high-speed freight and climbing grades over the Wasatch […]
Battery-operated kids train runs on Lionel FasTrack: Want to share your love of toy trains or even your layout without fear of little ones harming your prized possessions? Look for near-O gauge trains that may be compatible with O-gauge track. My kids received this battery-powered Caterpillar Construction Express train set that their older cousins had […]
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Capping a seven-year campaign that was delayed and made 40 percent more expensive by the pandemic, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum opened its $15 million, 21,000-square-foot Welcome and Education Center here last week. Featuring history exhibits, interactive kiosks, a theater, a classroom, a store, offices and event rooms, the facility is the centerpiece […]
WINDSOR, Ontario — The mayor of Windsor, Ontario, released a “fact sheet” to local media last week which outlines a $44 million plan to convert a daily Wolverine Corridor Amtrak round trip and a Southwest Ontario VIA Rail Canada round-trip from Toronto into a Chicago-Toronto train. First reported in an interview with radio station CKLW […]
RIO NEGRO, Argentina — Four tourists were reported to have been injured — including a British passenger who is now described as “fighting for his life” — when a remote narrow-gauge, steam-powered heritage passenger train derailed Saturday in Argentina’s Patagonia region. The train was operating on the 750mm (2-foot, 5½-inch) gauge La Trochita Railway, which […]
BILLINGS, Mont. — The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority has received a $150,000 grant to support its efforts to revive Amtrak service on Montana’s “southern tier” route, as well as other rail projects in a five-state region in the Pacific Northwest. The Missoula Current news site reports the grant was awarded by the Pacific Northwest […]
PINECLIFFE, Colo. — Fifteen cars of a BNSF freight train derailed early today (Sunday, Nov. 12) in the Rocky Mountain foothills west of Denver, leading to a closure expected to block Union Pacific’s main line for 36 hours, according to preliminary estimates. KCNC-TV reports the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office was informed of the derailment at […]
NEW YORK — Amtrak service, between New York City and Albany today (Sunday, Nov. 12) because of structural issues regarding a building adjacent to the line between Penn Station and the connection to Metro-North’s Hudson Line, will see that extension continue into Monday, Amtrak has indicated in an updated service advisory. WABC-TV reports the problem […]
