Texas State Railroad profile

Texas State Railroad logo

The Texas State Railroad offers a relaxing ride through the piney woods region of east Texas between the towns of Rusk and Palestine. A variety of steam and diesel locomotives pull trains at a leisurely pace, giving riders a glimpse into the railroad’s long history of hauling agricultural and timber products in the early 20th […]

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Freight forecaster: Intermodal doldrums will run through next year

Yellow locomotives leading train of double-stacked containers over bridge

Don’t expect North American intermodal traffic to break out of its slump anytime soon. The decline of imports from pandemic-related highs, the ongoing shift of imports to East Coast and Gulf Coast ports, and tough truck competition are all contributing to the 10% decline in intermodal volume for the year to date, says Todd Tranausky, […]

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CSX makes $5 million gift to B&O Railroad Museum

Rendering of event space next to brick museum building

BALTIMORE — CSX Corp. has announced a $5 million gift to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, which will go toward the museum’s $30 million capital campaign as it prepares for the bicentennial of the B&O in 2027. The donation will be used to build the CSX Bicentennial Garden, an amphitheater and multiuse space that […]

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N scale decoder woes

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N scale decoder woes: This month I’m going to vent about a round of recent frustrations dealing with N scale Digital Command Control (DCC) decoder installations. The villain of the story will be the Internet, but in an unexpected twist of plot, that same villain shall emerge as the hero. The moral is that the […]

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Cleaning an airbrush while weathering can be a chore

An airbrush sprays a faint mist of paint across a green model freight car

Q: I would like some advice on cleaning an airbrush while weathering. I use an older Paasche airbrush to weather my N scale rolling stock. Since N scale models take very little paint, the painting process usually only takes a few seconds to a minute per color. But cleaning the tip, the air point, and […]

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Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum profile

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum logo

The Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum operates its Hoosac Valley Train Ride between Adams and North Adams, a distance of approximately 5 miles, on a state-owned one-time New York Central branch. The Lenox Station Museum and rolling stock collection are located in Lenox, approximately 25 miles south of Adams. Choices Berkshire Scenic operates Memorial Day weekend, […]

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Must-See Big Steam for Summer 2023

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Summer has arrived, and so has the busy season for museums and tourist railroads! Mainline steam excursions were once a flourishing tradition around this time. While this summer’s schedule is relatively slim, there are still opportunities to experience Big Steam in summer 2023. Here are eight mainline steam locomotives for you to check out. Grand […]

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Conway Scenic Railroad profile

Maroon and Gold F unit locomotives on passenger train

The Conway Scenic Railroad offers a variety of old-fashioned railroad trips that depart from a restored 1874 Victorian train station located in the New England village of North Conway. Many trains feature diesel locomotives pulling 1950s-era streamlined passenger cars, while others have open-window coaches that are pulled by a historic steam or diesel locomotive. Choices […]

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Delaware-Lackawanna begins 2023 track improvement work

Four Alco locomotives lead freight train under blue skies

SCRANTON, Pa. — The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad will reduce trip times and restore capacity on two key routes as part of its 2023 capital program, the railroad has announced. The projects will focus on lines owned by the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority and operated by Delaware-Lackawanna, part of the Genesee Valley Transportation rail network. Work […]

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