DC Metro, safety commission reach agreement on 7000-series cars

Rapid-transit train arrives at above-ground station

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

Red, yellow, and green swizzle sticks on a white background

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 […]

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Electro-Motive Division F40PHM-2 diesel locomotive from Rapido Trains

Drawing of diesel passenger locomotive in different paint schemes

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 […]

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Officials are out in force for CREATE’s latest groundbreaking

Eight people with shovels digging into box of dirt

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 […]

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Kansas City Southern to hold Laredo bridge groundbreaking ceremony

Illustration of trains meeting on parallel bridges

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 […]

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Patriot Rail names new chief operating officer

patriotraillogo

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, […]

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Top Point white cedar

two trees on a garden railroad

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 […]

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