Canadian National Railway profile

A southbound Canadian National container train passes through Sussex, Wis., in 2015. TRAINS: Brian Schmidt Read more Canadian National articles on Trains’ website. Canadian National summary Canadian National Railway Company (CN) is a Montreal, Quebec-based railroad operating over approximately 20,000 route miles connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Gulf of Mexico throughout Canada […]

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Canadian Pacific Railway profile

A Canadian Pacific heritage locomotive appears in Iowa in 2019. Steve Smedley Read more Canadian Pacific articles on Trains’ website. Canadian Pacific summary Canadian Pacific Railway Limited is a railroad holding company based in Calgary, Alberta. Its subsidiary Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) extends over about 12,700 route miles from British Columbia to New Brunswick, […]

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Union Pacific Corporation profile

An eastbound Union Pacific auto rack train passes through Lombard, Ill., on Nov. 16, 2019. TRAINS: David Lassen Read more Union Pacific articles on Trains’ website. Union Pacific summary Omaha, Nebraska-based Union Pacific Corporation is a railroad holding company for the Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP). It controls one of the largest railroads in the […]

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FRA launches passenger long-distance study site

Passenger train stopped at station, as viewed from high angle

WASHINGTON —The Federal Railroad Administration has launched a website for comments leading to an evaluation of long-distance service Amtrak had previously discontinued, as well as its two current triweekly routes, the New Orleans-Los Angeles Sunset Limited and the New York-Washington-Cincinnati-Indianapolis-Chicago Cardinal. The “Amtrak Daily Long-distance Service Study” site, which began operation Oct. 28, now only […]

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DC Metrorail to begin service on Silver Line extension Nov. 15

Detail of DC Metrorail map showing not-yet-complete Silver Line

WASHINGTON — DC Metrorail’s Silver Line extension to Dulles International Airport will open Nov. 15, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has announced. The 11.5-mile, six-station extension will open about four years behind schedule, the Washington Post reports, completing a 23-mile line on which construction began in 2009. The Post notes Metro still needs a […]

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Responding to inquiries, Transport Canada adjusts, clarifies High Frequency Rail process

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA — More than 50 parties have made initial inquiries regarding the High Frequency Rail project, the plan to build a passenger-only right-of-way for VIA Rail Canada’s Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City corridor, Transport Canada said Monday in announcing the next step in the government’s procurement process to develop that corridor. The initial step, the Request for Expressions […]

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Advocates seek to save Steilacoom, Wash., Northern Pacific station

Passenger train on tracks along water, passing closed station

STEILACOOM, Wash. — Efforts to save Steilacoom’s 1914 Northern Pacific depot, which remains largely intact though closed since 1972, are being revived, KIRO Radio reports, after having been dormant since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Current owner BNSF Railway has been prepared to donate the building for several years, says Gus Melonas, a retired BNSF […]

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Mainline railroading in the 1950s

yellow model diesel locomotive on garden railway

Mainline railroading in the 1950s Railway at a glance Name: Spring Creek Railroad Size of railroad: Roughly 24′ x 62′ Scale: 1:29, 1:20.3, and 1:32 Gauge: 45mm Era: Circa 1950s Theme: Mainline railroading, mostly passenger and freight; some narrow gauge and branch/trolley line on the inner loop Age: 14 years Motive power: Live steam, track […]

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Should I use bottled gas as airbrush propellant?

Canned airbrush propellant, an airbrush, air hose, and accessories on a white background

Q: Is using bottled gas as airbrush propellant better than my Paasche air compressor? And what kind of gas should I use: CO2, nitrogen, something else? – Joseph Zawoiski A: Hi, Joseph. Since you already have an air compressor, I would keep using that. A compressor, equipped with a regulator and a moisture trap, is […]

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ET23DCM locomotives explained

train on track heading north

ET23DCM locomotives explained ET23DCM locomotives explained: EMD’s SD40-2 turned 50 this year. While its days of front-line power on the mainline have long passed, the sheer quantity of locomotives built means a significant SD40-2 presence remains across the railroad industry. After a half century, the SD40-2 model has been rebuilt, upgraded, downgraded, and chopped up […]

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New Chicago Metra six-axle commuter locomotives

red, white and blue locomotive

Metra six-axle commuter locomotives Metra six-axle commuter locomotives: The arrival in October 2022 of Metra’s SD70MACH, MEXT No. 500, marks the return of six-axle commuter locomotives to Chicago after more than a decade. Rebuilt from former Kansas City Southern/Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana SD70MACs sourced from Progress Rail’s locomotive fleet, the 15-unit order brings new technology to […]

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