Common questions about live steam locomotives: At model-train shows and garden-railway open houses, live-steam locomotives always seem to gather a crowd of interested onlookers. Our small steam locomotives are new to many people and questions naturally arise. I thought it would be worthwhile to answer some of the most common questions for those of you […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline has received the last of the 10 trainsets for its Florida operation, and the last of the five ordered for its upcoming expansion of service to Orlando. The “Bright Orange 2” train arrived at the company’s Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Orlando on Sunday, Feb. 19, after a 10-day trip from the […]
Car Swap Project Part 1: Trading models: Modelers David Popp, Gerry Leone, and Seth Puffer begin a series of projects to create custom-painted freight cars appropriate for each other’s model railroads. As David, Gerry, and Seth find out during the adventure, this is something fun and easy to do for any group of friends who […]
Earthwork on the project railroad: We are ready to begin grading the line. The first thing we had to do was to transfer our design to the ground. This would give us a feeling for how the railroad would actually sit in its site and it would also delineate where the earthwork had to be […]
An overview of garden railroading: Garden railroading is the art of combining a model railroad and a beautiful garden to create a railway-like atmosphere. The difference between a traditional indoor layout and a garden railway is the difference between realism and reality. Indoors, the goal is to create the illusion of reality through the use […]
The Bluegrass Scenic Railroad and Museum offer 90-minute, 11-mile round-trip excursions over the former Southern Railway through the heart of Kentucky’s Bluegrass region. Choices On the Bluegrass Scenic Railroad and Museum, the diesel-powered trains are made up of vintage coaches from the 1920s and 1930s. Accommodations include four commuter-style coaches with vinyl bench seating and […]
Questions and answers about large-scale track I see there are locomotives in 1:24 scale for gauge-3 track. What width is gauge-3 track? How many gauges are there? Gauge 3 is 2.5″, which is the correct gauge for modeling standard-gauge trains in G scale (1:22.5). 1:24 scale is close. There are three gauges commonly used in […]
FRONTENAC, Quebec — The town of Frontenac has voted in resounding fashion against the planned bypass to remove Canadian Pacific’s rail line from Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, but the results of the referendum apparently will not change the plans for the project. The CBC reports 92% of those in the community of 1,600 who cast ballots in […]
Genset locomotive Everything has an origin. For the modern genset it is Union Pacific UPY 2005. Coming in a variety of designs and sizes, gensets are designed around the concept of “power on demand.” With few exceptions, humming under their long hoods are multiple diesel truck engines — usually two or three. These engines are […]
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — East Broad Top Railroad’s freshly restored 2-8-2 Mikado locomotive No. 16 delighted admirers over the weekend by pulling a full schedule of eight passenger trains and two photo freights for the road’s annual Winter Spectacular. All trains were sold out. The event was a landmark in several ways. First, No. 16 […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will ask Congress to increase the maximum fine for railroad safety violations, Buttigieg said Sunday in a letter to Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw. In another development stemming from the Feb. 3 derailment and fire of a NS train in East Palestine, Ohio, the chair of the Senate […]
PHOENIX — A bill to limit the length of freight trains in the state of Arizona has cleared its first legislative hurdle, advancing through the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Friday by a 10-0 vote with one abstention. HB 2531 would limit trains to 8,500 feet. Capitol Media Services reports that Rep. Consuelo […]
