BNSF Railway

A westbound BNSF freight train rounds the Tehachapi Loop in Southern California. Howard Ande The product of the Sept. 22, 1995 merger of the parent companies of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and the Burlington Northern Railroad, BNSF is one of the west’s two giant railroad systems. Its 32,000-mile network (24,000 owned route […]

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ScaleTrains HO Rivet Counter Trinity reefer

The ScaleTrains HO Rivet Counter Trinity reefer recently arrived at the Model Railroader offices. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the full-size BNSF Ry. cars, points out the various details on the contemporary freight car, and demonstrates how the sound and light functions work. Then see two of the […]

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ScaleTrains HO Rivet Counter Trinity reefer

The ScaleTrains HO Rivet Counter Trinity reefer recently arrived at the Model Railroader offices. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of the full-size BNSF Ry. cars, points out the various details on the contemporary freight car, and demonstrates how the sound and light functions work. Then see two of the […]

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Trains missing? Capture interesting images nearby

No trains, now what? You have taken time off from work, the clouds have parted, the sun is out, and you are heading out for a full day of chasing and photographing trains. Refreshments are packed in the cooler, the scanner is humming, and your camera is ready for quick retrieval when that first locomotive […]

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Little money for rail in 2024 RAISE grants (updated)

WASHINGTON — Rail projects received a miniscule amount of the $1.8 billion in 2024 Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants announced Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Although 148 projects were awarded funding for construction or planning, most of the money was directed to street realignment to enhance safety for motorists, […]

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Iowa railroad museum shut down by flood damage

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — The Big Sioux River, which took down a BNSF Railway bridge on Sunday night, has now shut down an Iowa railroad museum. The Sioux City Railroad Museum will be closed until further notice because of flooding, the museum announced on its Facebook page, posting multiple photos of standing water in its […]

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Lake State Railway leadership changes see Stickel named CEO

SAGINAW, Mich. — Mike Stickel will become president and CEO of Lake State Railway, and current president and CEO John Rickoff will become chairman of the board of directors, as part of leadership changes announced today (June 18) by the Michigan-based regional railroad. The changes are effective July 15. Stickel is currently executive vice president […]

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News & Products for the week of June 17th 2024

News & Products for the week of June 17th 2024 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of June 17th 2024. […]

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Railfan Road: Chicago’s Cicero Avenue

Roosevelt Road used to be ‘the’ Chicago railfan road. On less than a mile of viaducts just south of downtown, fans could catch passenger trains to and from many of the great Chicago passenger stations and associated coach yards. But intercity trains now only call at Union Station, and while commuters still roll, several iconic […]

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An engineer’s life: Them’s the breaks

Them’s the breaks Late afternoon on Jan. 30, 2007, my conductor and I were called for the SSEALPC — a stack train from Seattle to Logistics Park, Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. Our train that day was FURX No. 8117 as the lead unit of six, trailing us were 63 loads, zero empties, 5,924 […]

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California concludes zero-emissions locomotives are ready to roll

The California Air Resources Board pitted a standard diesel-electric locomotive consist against zero-emissions alternatives – including battery-electric models from Wabtec and ProgressRail as well as Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s hydrogen fuel cell locomotive – in a hypothetical test run from the Port of Los Angeles to Barstow, Calif. The analysis concludes that the current zero-emissions […]

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