Railroading and the 1967 Chicago snow storm

Snow-covered locomotive stopped in front of a station.

Railroading and the 1967 Chicago snow storm: My week off, and a visit home to the Detroit area, had been planned. That its timing, at the end of January 1967, turned out to allow me to view the aftermath of Chicago’s heaviest 24-hour snowfall ever, and ride one special train and photograph another, was coincidental. […]

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Tangent Illinois Central Centralia Shops caboose

Illinois Central Centralia Shops caboose: An image of model cabooses against a white background.

Tangent Illinois Central Centralia Shops caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $119.95 Era: 1960s+ (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816; 828-412-3886; tangentscalemodels.com Illinois Central Centralia Shops caboose features: IC-specific interior Era-specific body details for each scheme, including multiple body, side vents and side window combinations Three different era and […]

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National Steel Car barrel ore hopper from Rapido

National Steel Car barrel ore hopper: an image of various model hopper cars against a white background

National Steel Car barrel ore hopper from Rapido Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $42.95; three-pack, $128.85; six-pack, $257.70 Era: 1967+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com National Steel Car barrel ore hopper features: Two carbodies representing short and long barrel […]

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Rail photography with Google Earth 3D

Passenger train rounding curve witha city skyline in the background.

Rail photography with Google Earth 3D: Anyone who has been exposed to the internet has undoubtedly found themselves snooping around neighborhoods on Google satellite maps or through the search engine’s Google Earth platform. Certain rail photographers have likely logged more hours than they care to admit on the platform. In earlier trip planning days, I […]

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Minnesota city builds “railroad depot” water pump station

mock train station building

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – It’s been decades since the last Chicago & North Western freight train rumbled through Eden Prairie on former Minneapolis & St. Louis tracks, and even longer since the M&StL depot stood along the right-of-way. Yet if you look along that right-of-way today, there’s a new “station” – a replica of a […]

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Southern California Railroad Museum to host night photo shoot

U25B No. 3100 calls Orange Empire Railway Museum home.

PERRIS, Calif. – The Southern California Railroad Museum, formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is sponsoring a night photo shoot April 22. The event will run 6 to 10p.m. Space is limited to 25 photographers, and reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The photoshoot will use open flash photography and feature […]

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Grand Canyon Railway sets 2023 steam dates

Black steam locomotive pulling passenger train around curve

  WILLIAMS, Ariz. – The Grand Canyon Railway has announced dates it will operate 2-8-2 No. 4960 in 2023. The railroad typically uses the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad locomotive to pull trains between Williams and Grand Canyon one Saturday a month, plus some additional dates. The 2023 steam dates are: February 18 for […]

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Rainy weather delays effort to fix rail line to San Diego

Heavy equipment moving rocks along rail lline at beach as train waits in distance

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. — A series of storms that have brought significant rain to California have slowed efforts to repair an unstable slope along the Surf Line in Orange County, pushing back efforts to restore through rail passenger service between Los Angeles and San Diego while also raising the cost of the repair effort. The […]

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Canadian government to require railroads to report more information on traffic, performance

Passenger and freight train meet at junction

OTTAWA — The Canadian government will require railroads to provide more detailed information on traffic and performance under amendments to Canada’s Transportation Information Regulations, Transport Canada announced on Monday, Jan. 9. The information, to be reported weekly, will be published on the government’s Transportation Data and Information Hub. The new rules take effect April 4, […]

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Hedlund named vice chair of Surface Transportation Board

WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board announced on Jan. 9 that Board Member Karen Hedlund has been designated as the agency’s vice chairman. Hedlund, who has served on the board since January 2022, succeeds Michelle Schultz, who continues to serve as a board member. The board’s vice chairmanship rotates among the members on an annual […]

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