Spaces to Places IV | Light up this whole town, part 6

Westcott is now officially more of a place than it is a space! It’s time for host Gerry Leone to shine a light on and around this town on his HO scale model railroad. Follow along to learn how he added interior illumination to the structures, period-correct streetlights, and fine details that give select scenes […]

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The Hills Line with James McNab | Adventures in tracklaying, Episode 15

In this episode, Host James McNab embarks on a journey to elevate model railroading skills by exploring cutting-edge methods. Specifically featuring the use of Central Valley tie strips to build hand laid trackwork. With the objective of encouraging modelers to employ fresh techniques, James demonstrates the process on his portable HO scale Hills Line module, […]

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BNSF settles suit over biometric data

Trucks and containers at intermodal yard

CHICAGO — BNSF Railway reached a settlement last week in a biometric data privacy case in which it had initially been assessed a $228 million penalty, only to have that award thrown out on appeal. Reuters reports that the railroad reached a settlement with a group of truck drivers over claims that BNSF illegally collected […]

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S.S. Badger awarded grant from U.S. Department of Transportation

Large ship.S.S. Badger awarded USDOT grant.

LUDINGTON, Mich. — The historic Great Lakes car ferry, S.S. Badger will receive a $600,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD). The contribution will go towards an ongoing feasibility analysis to convert the coal-fired steamship into a zero-emission ferry vessel, according to the DOT press release on Sept. 21, 2023. “The […]

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East Palestine street along NS main line to reopen Monday

Burned out tank cars and standing water around derailment site. East Palestine street along NS main line to reopen Monday.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – A through east-west roadway paralleling the Norfolk Southern Fort Wayne Line track here will reopen on a limited basis Monday, Sept. 25. It was closed for 7 months during an environmental cleanup of the derailment and toxic-chemical spill that occurred Feb. 3. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced that East […]

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E6 with L&N’s Humming Bird

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A single E6 diesel leads Louisville & Nashville’s Cincinnati–New Orleans Humming Bird through Turner, Ky., in 1948. A rebuilt heavyweight sleeper trails the original six lightweight cars of the streamliner. L&N photo […]

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UP Bailey Yard explosion appears to be accidental

Union Pacific logo without slogan. UP Bailey Yard explosion appear to be accidental.

OMAHA, Neb. — Investigators report the explosion that occurred in Union Pacific’s North Platte, Neb., Bailey Yard on Sept. 14, appears to be accidental, but it’s not yet clear what caused it, according to an AP news story. At the time of the explosion the car holding the container was not moving. It was located […]

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Burlington’s Galesburg station at night

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This 1940s night view of Galesburg shows the lineup of carts for hauling mail and express. Galesburg was on the CB&Q’s Chicago-to-Denver line, with additional lines heading north to the Twin Cities, southwest to Kansas City and St. Louis, and south toward Centralia, Ill. Henry J. McCord photo […]

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A smooth ride for Pere Marquette 1225

Steam locomotive lifted off its wheels

  When I began writing this Mileposts blog seven years ago, I told myself to avoid saying much about my favorite steam locomotive, Pere Marquette 2-8-4 No. 1225, which I worked on in college at Michigan State. The 1225 led me to a career, and I wrote a book about it. But there are plenty […]

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Atlantic on a local

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Chesapeake & Ohio 4-4-2 No. 281, stands at the Monon’s Hammond, Ind., station, ready for the 8:45 a.m. departure on Oct. 5, 1946, of the C&O’s local train to Cincinnati. L.B. Herrin photo […]

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