WEST MANSFIELD, Ohio — Twenty-eight cars of a CSX train carrying grain derailed Saturday afternoon (June 1), the Mercer County Outlook reports, leading to the closure of an adjacent county road. No injuries were reported in the derailment that occurred about 5:15 p.m. The Logan County Sheriff’s Office reported County Road 142 was closed Saturday […]
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5 layout improvement tips
Regardless the size, model railroads require regular maintenance. Cleaning track, dusting scenery and structures, and maintaining equipment are just some of the things that require attention. Not keeping up on these tasks will lead to a layout that runs poorly, looks tired, and potentially cause you (and/or members of your operating crew) to lose interest. […]
How do I get realistic sound in N scale locomotives?
Q: I’m considering converting my N scale diesel fleet to DCC. I have a concern about getting realistic sound in N scale locomotives. On videos of model railroads I have watched, the diesel acceleration and running sound seems to feature the high-pitched whine of the diesel generators. When I railfan real diesels around the Pittsburgh […]
The first of many Kodachrome slides
Like many other railfans back in the mid-1960s, I was shooting using black & white negative film essentially on an exclusive basis. Reasons for this included budget (color slide film and processing were more expensive than monochrome), camera quality issues (it turned out that my Argus C-3 could do a reasonably good job with […]
Athearn HO scale GE P40DC
The Athearn HO scale GE P40DC diesel locomotive is back, this time with new tooling and operating strobe lights. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of Amtrak No. 813, points out the numerous details on the Genesis-series model, and demonstrates the sound and light functions. Then sit back and watch […]
Chicago & Eastern Illinois history remembered
Chicago & Eastern Illinois history was special to those to watched the railroad firsthand. In the pantheon of great railroad names, “Chicago” was so often the magic word. Think of all the carriers with Chicago on their letterhead, railroads with thousands of miles on their system maps, railroads whose names imply vast, continental […]
Athearn HO scale GE P40DC
The Athearn HO scale GE P40DC diesel locomotive is back, this time with new tooling and operating strobe lights. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of Amtrak No. 813, points out the numerous details on the Genesis-series model, and demonstrates the sound and light functions. Then sit back and watch […]
TSB to investigate CN derailment in Alberta
HINTON, Alberta — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will investigate a Canadian National Railway derailment that occurred today (Saturday, June 1) west of Edmonton, Global News reports. TSB spokesman Liam MacDonald said an estimated 20 cars were involved in the derailment that occurred about 5:30 a.m. in Hinton, 51 miles east of Jasper on […]
Front Range Passenger project to wait until 2026 to take funding request to voters
DENVER — Colorado’s Front Range Passenger District will wait until 2026 to ask voters to approve sales-tax funding for the rail project in the district’s 13 counties, the district board decided on Friday (May 31). The decision by the full 20-member board to pursue further planning and service modeling for the planned Fort Collins-Pueblo passenger […]
Tri-Rail to launch West Palm Beach-MiamiCentral limited-stop, rush-hour service July 1
MIAMI — Commuter operator Tri-Rail will launch a weekday round trip from West Palm Beach to Brightline’s Miami Central beginning July 1 that will skip 11 stops all its other trains make. The move, announced after a South Florida Regional Transportation Authority board of directors meeting Friday, comes as Brightline discontinues its $399, 40-ride “SoFlo” […]
Classic Toy Trains new products June 2024
Locomotives & rolling stock Legacy Station, 4153 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite 12, Lilburn, GA 30047, has announced a custom-run MTH Christmas Extended Vision Caboose (30-77406) as part of the RailKing line. The caboose features operating LEDs and is numbered 1225. Price: $89.95. Delivery expected in October 2024. Ordering information is at www.legacystation.com. E-Z Catch Train Shop […]
Rail safety experts question conclusions of long-train derailment study
Railroad safety experts are questioning the conclusions of a study released this week that found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train. The study, by researchers from Brigham Young University, Georgetown University, and Virginia Tech, analyzed Federal Railroad Administration rail equipment accident data from 2013 through 2022. The […]