The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, commonly known as the Burlington Route, had many Zephyrs. But out of all the streamlined trainsets and services famously named after the Greek God of the West Wind, which of the five where considered the most prestigious? Pioneer Zephyr Rolled out on April 7, 1934, by the […]
Q: I always thought N gauge track was the go-to gauge for narrow gauge HO operating equipment. I found out yesterday that is not true. I got a model kit for an HOn3 locomotive. Everything was going smoothly until I discovered the wheels and trucks supplied with the kit are spaced too far apart for N gauge […]
DAVENPORT, Okla. — Twenty-two cars of a 90-car Stillwater Central Railroad train derailed Saturday afternoon near the town of Davenport, KOCO-TV reports. The derailment was reported shortly after 3 p.m. No injuries were reported, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and no hazardous materials were involved; the train was transporting rock. Some fuel was […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A preservation project in the community known as “Music City” has added some appropriate individuals to its board of directors. The Nashville Steam Preservation Society, the non-profit organization working to restore Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis 4-8-4 No. 576, announced last week that it had added Harry Stinson and Jeff Syracuse to […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — BNSF Railway and CPKC, the two largest railroads in Minnesota, do not plan to make payments of approximately $1 million to the state required by a law passed last year, saying the state legislation is “pre-empted by federal law.” KSTP-TV reports the two railroads notified the Minnesota Department of Public Safety […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific is seeking more time to address one aspect of the Surface Transportation Board case regarding issues with on-time performance of the Sunset Limited. In a filing earlier this week, the railroad requested a 90-day extension to address “narrative explanations of the root cases” of specific delays of 90 minutes or more […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will pay an additional $148 million to Chinese railcar manufacturer CRRC as part of an agreement to complete the order for its long-delayed, problem-plagued Red and Orange Line subway cars, the Boston Globe reports. That will push the total cost of the order to more than $1 billion. […]
KINGSTON, New York — The Catskill Mountain Railroad will use three grants from the New York State Department of Transportation to build a new engine house and connecting track, a new terminal at Basin Road, and an upgrade to reduce diesel locomotive emissions, the railroad has announced. The grants, totaling $4.485 million, were among those […]
![Two men operate trains on an HO scale model railroad]](https://www.trains.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/MRL0324-03-Jared-Childers-and-Eric-Mumford-work-Joe-Kaspers-BN-layout.jpg)
Recently I was asked for my best tips for operating session success. In turn, I asked numerous groups of operators, including participants at ProRail (an operating event held in Kansas City) and layout owners and operators throughout the Midwest. The query elicited a variety of responses, with several recurring themes. Here are the top five […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board today (March 29) announced it intended to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 1.3-mile rail line proposed as part of the Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge project to connect Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico. Green Eagle Railroad, a new short line, seeks to build a secure […]
WASHINGTON — The application process has begun for more than $2.4 billion in funding through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements, or CRISI, grant program, the Federal Railroad Administration has announced. The Notice of Funding Opportunity issued today includes funding for Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024 and is available for projects to improve U.S. […]
LOS ANGELES — The long-awaited, much-needed people mover system at Los Angeles International Airport, which was originally expected to be finished this year, may not be complete until late 2025, the Los Angeles Times reports. The $2 billion, 2.25-mile automated, elevated rail system will connect airport terminals with parking lots, a new central rental car […]
