Return of Ottawa light rail line pushed back at least 10 days

Red and white light rail train rounds curve

OTTAWA, Ontario — Return of Ottawa’s light-rail Confederation Line has been pushed back at least 10 days to allow for additional track work, city officials were informed on Friday. Aug. 10 is now the earliest the system could resume operation. CTV News reports Renée Amicar, the city’s general manager of transit services, told the city […]

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Ask Trains.com July 2023 compilation part two

Ask Trains.com July compilation part two: An image of a man standing behind a workbench

Ask Trains.com July 2023 compilation part two: Cody Grivno answers viewer questions regarding weathering freight car trucks, accurately scratchbuilding a switcher locomotive interior using prototype references, passenger train departure and arrival announcement recordings, and more! Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? We’d love […]

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Mike Schafer’s Milwaukee Road

Yellow passenger trains' front and rear

Even as he handed it to me the other night at a Milwaukee slide show, I couldn’t quite believe what Mike Schafer was telling me. “Hey, this is my first railroad book! Maybe you’ll write about it?”     Mike Schafer’s first railroad book. That didn’t sound quite right. I’ve been reading Mike’s name on […]

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5 small toy train engines in O and S gauge

K-line porter 0-4-0T steam engine

Here are 5 small toy train engines in O and S gauges from several eras. This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but rather a way to call attention to these often overlooked little workhorses. Many of us have layouts that are under 100 square feet. It’s nice to have engines available that look great pulling trains […]

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Three injured as SEPTA trolley derails, hits historic building

Aerial view of derailed light-rail vehicle with one end inside stone building

PHILADELPHIA — An out-of-service Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley derailed, struck a vehicle, and crashed into a historic building dating to 1766 on Thursday night. Three people were injured, although Delia King, the woman who lives in the former Blue Bell Inn at the corner of Island and Woodland avenues was unhurt. “A SEPTA trolley just […]

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Canada’s Cando Rail to develop battery switcher

Green and gray switching locomotive with extended-height cab

EDMONTON, Alberta — Cando Rail & Terminals — the Canadian company which operates shortlines, terminals and transload facilities, and handles industrial switching, among a wide variety of rail services — will develop a battery-electric switcher. The company announced Thursday that it plans to retrofit a legacy, non-tier compliant diesel with a lithium-ion propulsion system for […]

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BNSF puts plans for Texas logistics facility on hold

Two orange diesel lead train past "Gunter" station sign

GUNTER, Texas — BNSF Railway is pulling back from plans to develop a 950-acre logistics center north of Dallas in light of community opposition. The railroad announced Wednesday that it was withdrawing an application to rezone and annex property in the community of 2,200 in Grayson County, about 45 miles from downtown Dallas, “based on […]

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CSX recognizes shippers for chemical safety

CSX logo

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corp. on Thursday announced recipients of its 29th annual Chemical Safety Excellence Awards, for customer contributions to the safe transportation of hazardous materials. The 54 companies presented with awards shipped at least 600 carloads of hazardous materials on CSX during 2022 without a release due to controllable factors. Combined, the companies […]

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