Model railroad snow plow rolling stock

Photo of HO scale snow plow painted Oxide Red and yellow on white background

In model railroad snow plow rolling stock round-up, we thought it would be fun to take a look at models of snow fighting equipment available in N, HO, and O scales. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Rather, it’s a look at some of the ready-to-run models and a few kits that […]

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Empire Builder diner

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Cut-glass partitions with imagery representing the mining and timber industries decorate the interior of a 36-seat dining car built for Great Northern’s Empire Builder in 1950. Great Northern photo […]

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Amtrak seeks carbuilder interest in new long-distance fleet: Analysis

Stainless steel passenger car under construction

WASHINGTON — Replacement of Amtrak’s long-distance passenger cars has been included in forward-looking fleet plans for more than a decade, but the company announced Thursday it contacted carbuilders in December as “a first formal step” to re-equip the 14 overnight routes of the long-distance network. The request for expressions of interest “was sent to potential […]

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Modeling Amtrak’s “rainbow” fleet

Red and yellow locomotives leading passenger train with cars of several colors.

What is Amtrak’s “rainbow” fleet? Amtrak began operations on May 1, 1971, and at the time had only one piece of equipment sporting Amtrak’s first logo, E8 No. 4316. This engine is currently offered by Rapido. All of the passenger equipment came from the railroads that joined to form Amtrak, including over 400 from the […]

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MBTA looks at returning older Orange Line equipment to operation

Subway train at nearly empty station

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority may return some of its older Orange Line trainsets to operation to address an equipment shortage as it continues to inspect and repair new equipment for the latest in a series of defects, Boston.com reports. At least nine of the new Orange Line cars built in Massachusetts by […]

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MBTA letter blasts CRRC for manufacturing issues

Subway train at station

BOSTON — Days before the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority removed some of its newest rapid transit cars from service for the latest in a series of mechanical issues, the agency claimed in a letter that the manufacturer of those cars “has completely abandoned its core responsibilities and commitment to lead, monitor, and support quality management,” […]

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Top 10 stories of 2022, No. 4: Amtrak cutbacks and service issues

Passenger train is blurred by time-lapse photo at station

Although transportation demand surged during 2022, Amtrak was unable to accommodate much of it outside the Northeast Corridor. Long-distance frequencies cut Attributing cancellations to a surge in the COVID-19 Omicron variant in early January, management began cutbacks that constricted the ability of travelers to include Amtrak in their plans. Most significant was suspension of the […]

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