WASHINGTON — DC Metro and the agency that oversees its safety issues have reached an agreement that will allow more 7000-series cars to return to service, clearing the way for Metrorail service to Dulles International Airport to begin by Thanksgiving In a series of Twitter posts on Tuesday, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission announced it […]
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Make signs from swizzle sticks
Signs from swizzle sticks: When my wife, kids, and I visited the General Store Antique Mall in Kewaskum, Wis., I wasn’t really thinking about model railroading (although I did run into a fellow modeler at the store). Instead, I planned on enjoying an hour or two browsing the dozens of booths in the two-story building […]
Troop train to Tullahoma
Soldiers transfer from a Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis troop train to trucks at the Army’s Camp Forrest near Tullahoma, Tenn., in 1942. U.S. Army Signal Corps photo […]
CN sets earnings record, upgrades outlook for year as operations improve
MONTREAL — Canadian National posted record third-quarter financial results on Tuesday and boosted its outlook for the full year due to a combination of operational improvements, strong pricing gains, and traffic growth. CEO Tracy Robinson, who joined the railway on Feb. 28 and prioritized getting back to operational basics, said she was proud of the […]
Tools to cut and strip wire when building a model railroad
Tools to cut and strip wire when building a model railroad: When wiring a model railroad, an essential tool is a good pair of wire strippers. I use the two examples of wire strippers shown in fig. 1, and both have served me well over the years. While there are other wire-stripping tools available, these […]
Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 diesel locomotive from Rapido Trains
Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model, $239.95; with dual-mode ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder, $349.95 Era: 1991 to present (varies depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 diesel locomotive features: Dual rooftop air conditioners Separate underbody piping, conduit, and wire […]
Officials are out in force for CREATE’s latest groundbreaking
CHICAGO — To weigh the significance of Tuesday’s groundbreaking for part of CREATE’s latest infrastructure project, consider the adage that “success has many fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” Then consider the 13 speakers and many other representatives from federal, state, county, and local government that were part of the ceremony for the Forest Hill […]
Kansas City Southern to hold Laredo bridge groundbreaking ceremony
LAREDO, Texas — Kansas City Southern will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for the second span the railway is building over the Rio Grande at Laredo. The current International Railway Bridge linking Laredo with Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, is the busiest railroad freight gateway in North America. The U.S. ceremony will take place just south […]
Eastern Maine Railway to acquire former Central Maine & Quebec branch from Canadian Pacific
WASHINGTON – Short line Eastern Maine Railway next month will acquire 45 miles of track in the Pine Tree State from Canadian Pacific’s Central Maine & Quebec subsidiary. Eastern Maine Railway, owned by the New Brunswick-based J.D. Irving Ltd., will gain 36.57 miles of main line along with nine miles of branch line trackage in […]
Patriot Rail names new chief operating officer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Shortline holding company Patriot Rail has named Jerry Hall as its chief operating officer, the company announced Monday. Hall brings over three decades of rail industry experience to the Patriot team, most recently as vice president of transportation at Norfolk Southern. Hall now leads Patriot Rail’s operations nationwide, with responsibility for safety, […]
Union Pacific: Video of KCS train misled federal regulators about Houston terminal
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has taken issue with a video that Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern showed federal regulators of a KCS grain train “breezing through Houston.” The railroads played the video, shot from the lead locomotive, for the Surface Transportation Board on the sixth day of their merger hearings earlier this month. CP […]
Top Point white cedar
Top Point white cedar tree Common name: Top Point white cedar Latin name: Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Top Point’ Plant type: dwarf conifer Plant size: 4-5′ at maturity USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9 Cultural needs: Moist or average, slightly acidic soil; full sun Classics among railway forest trees are the many, dwarf varieties of Chamaecyparis thyoides, the native […]