PLEASANT LAKE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society and Fort Wayne cigar and wine store Rudy’s Shop have announced plans for Rudy’s Rolling Smoke, a Cigar Train experience aboard vintage rail equipment to be offered on July 1. Tickets, starting at $199, are now on sale at the Cigar Train page of the […]
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Saskatchewan announces grants for short line railways
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — Thirteen provincially regulated short line railways will receive a total of C$530,000 in grants through Saskatchewan’s Short Line Railway Improvement Program, the provincial government announced Thursday. Grants are determined by the trackage of each railway, with the smallest lines, of less than 80 kilometers (50 miles) receiving $25,000. Seven lines — Thunder […]
Cleveland calls on railroads to fix bridges needing ‘critical repairs’
CLEVELAND — The City of Cleveland says 23 of the city’s railroad bridges are in need of critical repairs, and is seeking ways to ensure railroads address the issue. WOSU Radio reports the city presented that list, as well as a list of another 76 bridges in need of non-critical repairs, at a Thursday press […]
Twenty cars of CN train derail in Saskatchewan
FORT QU’APPELLE, Saskatchewan — No injuries were reported after a locomotive and 20 cars of a Canadian National train derailed Wednesday evening near the town of Fort Qu’Appelle, CKOM Radio reports. CN said in a statement to the station that no hazardous materials were involved and no fires occurred as a result. Cars were expected […]
BNSF derailment in Arizona leads to Southwest Chief cancellations
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Twenty-three cars of a BNSF Railway train carrying new vehicles derailed east of Williams, Ariz., Thursday night, leading to cancellation of Amtrak Southwest Chief service through the area today, KAFF Radio reports. The derailment involving a 167-car train occurred about 11:20 p.m., according to Coconino County Emergency Management. A BNSF representative told […]
Steamtown National Historic Site profile
The restored Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad shop complex in Scranton is home to one of the most complete railroad history museums known as Steamtown National Historic Site. Located on 66 acres, the park includes outdoor exhibits, tours of a working restoration shop, and train rides behind historic steam and diesel locomotives. It also affords […]
A year after acquisition, CSX continues making improvements to former Pan Am Railways trackage
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has made major upgrades to Pan Am Railways’ physical plant since acquiring the New England regional a year ago — and there’s more to come as part of its two-year plan. “Since the CSX acquisition of the former Pan Am Railways, significant progress has been made to improve the physical […]
Texas State Railroad profile
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 […]
Freight forecaster: Intermodal doldrums will run through next year
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, […]
CSX makes $5 million gift to B&O Railroad Museum
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 […]
N scale decoder woes
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 […]
Cleaning an airbrush while weathering can be a chore
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 […]