ATLANTA — National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy had harsh words for Norfolk Southern at the conclusion of last month’s hearing on the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, hazardous materials derailment. But today, after a visit to the railroad’s headquarters, Homendy praised CEO Alan Shaw for pledging to exceed the safety recommendations that the NTSB […]
Facts and features Name: Owl Cove Lumber Co.Scale: On30 (1:48, 30″ narrow gauge)Size: 6 x 40 feetPrototype: freelancedLocale: Washington’s Northern CascadesEra: 1930sStyle: around-the-wallsMainline run: 26 feetMinimum radius: 18″Minimum turnout: No. 4Maximum grade: 6%Benchwork: L-girderHeight: 40″Roadbed: corkTrack: code 83 handlaid and flextrackScenery: hardshellBackdrop: hand-painted on wallsControl: NCE Digital Command Control Click the link to download a […]
Facts and features Name: Long Island Rail RoadScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 27′-7″ x 48′-9″ Prototype: Long Island Rail Road Locale: Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and north shore of Long Island (to Greenlawn)Era: 1964 (diesel) or 1954 (steam)Mainline run: approximately 300 feet Minimum radius: 24″Minimum turnout: No. 4 (yards), No. 6 (main and crossovers) Maximum grade: 3%Benchwork: […]
CHICAGO — Metra, which has a long-range goal of adding dedicated train service between O’Hare International Airport and downtown Chicago, will provide a sampling of what that service could be like during the upcoming Democratic National Convention. The commuter rail operator will offer shuttle service between its O’Hare Transfer station and Chicago Union Station on […]
MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has introduced a special one-off paint scheme, which it is calling “Lumi,” for one of its new Siemens-built trainsets for use in the Québec City-Windsor corridor. Lumi, short for luminoscity, features the monochrome yellow that has long been a signature color for VIA. The company says the Lumi trainset “acts […]
Glendale railroad station The former Southern Pacific railroad station at Glendale, Calif., has always hidden in plain sight as the typical railroad station for countless movies, television shows, and commercials. Physically convenient to the majority of “Hollywood” studios and in a good area with nice surroundings, it gives the entertainment industry a great bang for […]
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The National Museum of Industrial History will offer a day-long, rare-mileage trip to Vosburg Tunnel on the Reading & Northern Railroad, using two R&N Budd Rail Diesel Cars, on Wednesday, July 31. The 3,900-foot former Lehigh Valley Railroad tunnel north of Tunkhannock, Pa., was completed in 1886. The trip, the 2024 Anthracite […]
WASHINGTON — More than $1.1 billion in funding is now available under a federal program to eliminate railroad grade crossings. The Federal Railroad Administration on Tuesday issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for those funds under the Rail Crossing Elimination Grant Program, which provides money for grade-crossing separations, upgraded safety devises, or crossing closures. Applications […]
What was your first train set (or locomotive)? My dad was a Lionel guy, so at some point in my youth, I got one of those plastic 2-4-2s with a sloped-back tender to run with his trains. When I was a little older, and had been pointing out the discrepancy between the number of rails […]
CHICAGO — The heads of Chicago’s four transit agencies argued Tuesday at a legislative hearing that financial support, not structure, is the key issue they face in trying to serve the region’s passengers. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the top officials at Metra, the Chicago Transit Authority, bus operator Pace, and the overarching Regional Transportation […]
WASHINGTON — Circumstantial evidence gleaned from Amtrak’s booking site portends mid-November changes to the operation of the Chicago-Washington, D.C. Capitol Limited and the New York-Miami Silver Star. A Trains News Wire review of ticketing availabilities on the two trains indicates tentative plans to combine their operation as a single-level Chicago-Miami train. Doing so would allow […]
CHICAGO — Metra’s Electric District will see some service disruptions July 13-20 to accommodate construction work adding a fourth track in downtown Chicago. On Saturday, July 13, and Saturday, July 20, Electric service will operate on a Sunday schedule to reduce the number of trains in the construction zone, while midday service will change on […]
