Prototype locomotives and freight cars have body-mounted couplers, but that hasn’t always been the case on N scale models. Truck-mounted couplers were the standard for many years. Today, almost all N scale locomotives and most newly tooled freight cars have body-mounted N scale couplers. The primary reasons for making the switch from truck-mounted couplers to […]
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CPKC orders more hydrogen fuel cell engines
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Ballard Power Systems, which has provided the fuel cell engines for CPKC’s first hydrogen-powered locomotives, announced it has received an order for another 12 engines totaling 2.4 megawatts of power. The dozen 200-kilowatt engines, to be delivered this year, will support CPKC development of additional hydrogen fuel-cell locomotives for switching and […]
Altoona museum gets SD60I for university engineering students (corrected)
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Altoona Campus of Penn State University has donated a former Conrail SD60I road freight locomotive to the Railroaders Memorial Museum for continued use by undergraduate engineering students. Recently moved into the museum, the 3,800-horsepower unit is now available for public viewing in the Harry Bennett Memorial Roundhouse, near the restoration work […]
Metrolink, Surfliner expand codeshare agreement
LOS ANGELES — Commuter operator Metrolink and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner, have expanded their codeshare program, allowing ticketholders to ride either train service between Los Angeles and Ventura. The new program, which began Monday, Nov. 6, is a pilot program currently scheduled to run through June 30, 2024. It […]
Minnesota steam locomotive makes test runs
DULUTH, Minn. — The Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 2-8-0 No. 332 has returned to operation with weekend test runs. The locomotive ran Nov. 4 on the North Shore Scenic Railroad. The museum’s steam crew, headed by Scott Carney, operated the engine between the museum in downtown Duluth and the siding at […]
News & Products for the week of November 6th 2023
News & Products for the week of November 6th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of November 6th […]
Locomotives we love: Lionel No. 225E 2-6-2 steam engine
I must have been 11 or 12 years old when I saw Lionel´s 1938 catalog. I turned to page 16 and saw locomotive 225E at the head of set No. 183E, a three-car freight train, and set No. 182E with three red passenger cars. I fell in love with the locomotive. It wasn’t the Baldwin […]
Five mind-blowing facts — New York Central passenger trains
Mind-blowing facts — New York Central passenger trains We are 50-plus years into the Amtrak era, which began on May 1, 1971. A few Amtrak trains still carry the identity of the conveyances they imitate — California Zephyr, Empire Builder, and Crescent — to mention a few. What lives on today is a contemporary train […]
President Biden announces $16.4 billion in funding for Northeast Corridor projects (updated)
BEAR, Del. — President Joe Biden announced that 25 Northeast Corridor projects will receive a total of $16.4 billion in funding in an appearance today at Amtrak’s maintenance facility in Bear, Del., near Wilmington. The funding comes from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Pasenger Rail Program. It includes $4.7 billion for the […]
Cincinnati voters to decide on railway sale Tuesday
CINCINNATI — Voters in Cincinnati go to the polls this Tuesday, Nov. 7, to determine whether the city should sell its railway to Norfolk Southern, after a campaign that has seen a host of conflicting claims and endorsements. The matter, on the ballot as Issue 22, asks voters to approve the sale of the Cincinnati […]
City of Mobile sends lease for Gulf Coast stop to Amtrak
MOBILE, Ala. — After months of waiting for completion by city of Mobile attorneys, an agreement has been sent to Amtrak for a land lease that would provide a stop for two daily passenger round-trips to New Orleans. The delay in finalizing the agreement, sent to Amtrak last week, is one factor that has pushed […]
Federal grant boosts Port of Long Beach rail yard improvement project
LONG BEACH, Calif. — The Port of Long Beach has received a $52.6 million federal grant for its ongoing project to improve its Pier B railyard, which is reconfiguring the 171-acre yard to improve cargo flow, ease road congestion, and decrease air pollution. The Long Beach Press-Telegram reports officials announced the grant on Friday, Nov. […]