Montreal light rail system to debut July 31

Map of Montreal light rail network

MONTREAL — The first segment of Montreal’s Réseau express metropolitan light rail system will open on July 31, construction contractor CDPQ Infra announced Friday. The initial five-station, 16.6-kilometer (10.3-mile) segment will operate between the South Shore community of Brossard and Central Station (Gare Centrale), with a trip taking less than 18 minutes. The much-delayed service […]

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Three rail employees arrested in India rail disaster

Aerial view of collision site in India.

NEW DELHI — Three employees of Indian Railways have been arrested over the three-train collision in June that killed almost 300 people, Agence France-Presse reports. The country’s Central Bureau of Investigation said the men — two signal engineers and one technician — have charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence. […]

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NTSB to investigate derailment of NS coal train in Virginia

National Transportation Safety Board logo

ELLISTON, Va. — The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the derailment of a Norfolk Southern coal train Thursday night near Elliston, the Associated Press reports. The NTSB confirmed its investigation plans in a Twitter post this evening (July 7). Nineteen cars derailed but stayed upright in the incident, which came after the train crew […]

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Fully funded, new firebox work advances on PRR K4s No. 1361

Men discuss work on steam engine behind them

ALTOONA, Pa. — Work to construct a new $425,000 firebox for Pennsylvania Railroad Class K4s steam locomotive No. 1361 (PRR Juniata Shops, 1918) is moving along rapidly, with the inner wrapper sheets scheduled to be assembled late next month or in early September. The locomotive is in the midst of a $2.6 million restoration to […]

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How to keep N scale piggybacks on track

Nscaleinsightmarch20151_edited1

How to keep N scale piggybacks on track: My N scale Tehachapi Pass layout is set in 1985. Intermodal railroading was well established, but on nothing like the scale we see today. Most intermodal traffic in the pass was TOFC (trailer-on-flatcar), more commonly called “pigs,” short for piggybacks. For my money there’s nothing much less […]

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Visit a modern layout with a prewar feel

Visit a modern layout

Lifelong O gauge modeler Russ Boersma took his accumulated knowledge and roster of postwar and modern-era trains to develop a great new layout. While the trains might be up to date, the display has a fun and retro vibe. Check it out in the September-October 2023 issue! […]

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An autumn O gauge layout

autumn o gauge layout by Walt Urban

O gauge modeler Walt Urban created a medium-size three-rail empire with an autumn theme. Colorful trees on the mountains suggest fall has arrived along the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., with postwar and modern Lionel trains to enjoy in beautiful settings. See it in the September-October 2023 issue. […]

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VIA Rail Bombardier LRC diesel locomotives

Yellow-and-blue Bombardier LRC diesel locomotive in front of city skyline

Bombardier LRC diesel locomotives were built for the future using beloved Alco components of old.     “From the tip of its pointed nose to its electric tail-end markers, the LRC locomotive is refreshingly different, but at heart it is nothing more than a third-generation FPA,” wrote Greg McDonnell in the July 1983 issue of […]

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Federal government commits $6.88 billion to Hudson tunnel project

An Amtrak train emerges from the West Portal of the Hudson River tunnels.

WASHINGTON — The federal government has committed $6.88 billion to the Hudson River Tunnel project, the long-discussed additional connection between New York and New Jersey that will eventually double capacity into and out of New York’s Penn Station. News of the funding commitment was tucked somewhat innocuously into a Federal Transportation Administration press release announcing […]

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