By the time they’ve built the benchwork and installed and wired that track, the typical new layout builder starts asking a very important question: “What comes next?” The answer, of course, is scenery. Trains, track, or a command control system can be used more or less straight from the box. Even benchwork, which starts its […]
LA GRANDE, Ore. — Eleven single-stack container cars of a Union Pacific train derailed west of La Grande on Thursday evening, Feb. 27, Union County Emergency Services reports. The derailment occurred about 9 p.m. No injuries were reported and Union Pacific confirmed no hazardous materials were involved. Two grade crossings — at Fire and Greenwood […]
NEW YORK — The federal government says March 21 will mark the end of Manhattan’s congestion pricing program, but New York State officials are indicating they expect tolling to continue. A letter from Federal Highway Administration executive director Gloria Shepherd sent on Feb. 20 — the day after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the Department […]
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Port Authority and CSX Transportation broke ground on a new inland port intermodal facility in Montgomery that will be capable of handling 30,000 containers for transfer between trains and trucks. The $94 million Montgomery Intermodal Container Transfer Facility or ICTF, was announced in 2022 [see “Alabama Port Authority announces …,” […]
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun a pilot program with a division of Google that uses smartphones to help detect potential subway track defects. The program announced Thursday, Feb. 27, builds on TrackInspect, a prototype developed with the Rapid Innovation Team at Google Public Sector. Tested on the subway A line of […]
An Electro-Motive Division GP38 diesel locomotive is now available in HO scale from Rapido Trains. The four-axle road switcher features plastic and die-cast metal construction, railroad-specific details, and body-mounted metal couplers. Prototype history Electro-Motive Division produced the GP38 from January 1966 through December 1971. During the course of the production run, 733 units were built […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has initiated a two-step process to seek a “delivery partner” for the Dallas-Houston high speed rail project, the former Texas Central effort it joined in 2023. A notice on the company’s procurement website says that partner “will be responsible for facilitating Amtrak’s delivery of the project.” The company selected “will provide advice, […]
NEW YORK — Metro-North’s latest heritage locomotive, honoring predecessor New York, New Haven & Hartford, will make its operating debut on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, the commuter railroad has announced. The locomotive will debut on train No. 1841, a 7:51 a.m. departure from Danbury, Conn., arriving at Grand Central Terminal on 9:55 a.m. “The Heritage […]
Colorado’s Royal Gorge Route Railroad has returned its F7A and F7B locomotives to service. With an impressive plume of smoke, F7A No. 403, built for the Chicago & North Western in 1949, and former Alaska Railroad F7B No. 1503 led a train out of Cañon City, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. It was the […]
SANTA FE, N.M. — A committee of the New Mexico House of Representatives is slated to consider legislation that would require railroads to install wayside hot-bearing and dragging-equipment detectors at least every 10 miles. HB 146, introduced by Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D-Albuquerque), is one of three bills set for consideration today (Feb. 27, 2025) by […]
YUMA, Ariz. — Approximately a dozen cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed Tuesday evening just north of Yuma, closing a grade crossing overnight and significantly delaying the Sunset Limited. No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred about 6:15 p.m., UP said in a statement to TV stations KYMA and KECY. Rural […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration this week announced it would not enforce a safety regulation finalized last October until at least March, citing an executive order signed last month by President Donald Trump calling for a freeze of new regulations. The FTA rule in question allows state agencies with oversight of rail transit operations […]
