MONTREAL — When safety is on the table, there can be no debate about measures taken to ensure it. So when Canadian National informed VIA Rail Canada last Friday that all Venture trainsets of less than 32 axles could not operate at track speed across highway crossings equipped with warning devices triggered by Grade Crossing […]
Type of Train: Rolling Stock
News & Products for the week of October 14th 2024
News & Products for the week of October 14th 2024 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of October 14th […]
CN imposes axle-count restriction on VIA’s Venture trainsets (corrected)
MONTREAL — Apparently triggered by one or more incidents in which a VIA Rail Canada Venture trainset failed to activate highway crossing warning devices, Canadian National is now requiring that all of VIA’s Venture-equipped trainsets operate with 32 axles. The edict came late Friday, at the beginning of Canada’s Thanksgiving Day holiday weekend. It also […]
Kawasaki ceremony marks 5,000th railcar for U.S. market
YONKERS, N.Y. — Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. this week marked delivery of its 5,000th railcar in the United States since entering the U.S. market in 1979, holding a ceremony at its Yonkers plant featuring Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber and state and local elected officials. An R211 subway car for New York City Transit […]
New equipment debuts on Staten Island Railway
NEW YORK — The first new railcars for the Staten Island Railway in more than 50 years entered service on Tuesday, Oct. 8, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority organizing a “first run” event to note the occasion. The cars entering service Tuesday are among 75 R211S cars specifically for Staten Island, part of a larger […]
Flexi-Van variety
Although most closely associated with developer New York Central, a number of other roads had Flexi-Van equipment on their rosters. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, for example, had 100 refrigerated Flexi-Van containers equipped with meat rails. New York Central photo […]
News photo: Iowa Interstate Family Days train
BLUE ISLAND, Ill. — Iowa Interstate Railroad operated a Family Days passenger train from Blue Island, Ill., its Chicago-area gateway, to Mokena, Ill., on Saturday, Oct. 5 to celebrate the railroad’s 40th anniversary. Railroad President Joe Parsons was on handle to welcome families and employees past and present, and thank them for their dedication. The […]
Budd RDC model types
To win over the railroads with its new Rail Diesel Car (RDC), the Budd Co. wasn’t content with a single model type. In a time of declining passenger traffic during the post war years, the car manufacturer banked on multiple to meet the needs of either passenger, baggage-express or mail, as well as for all […]
RRHMA restoring Union Pacific café diner lounge
SILVIS, Ill. — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America has begun restoration work on former Union Pacific café-diner-lounge No. 5016. RRHMA is advertising that tours of the car to see work in progress will be offered with the purchase of tickets to the Trains and Tractors event at Silvis Oct. 18 and 19. Plans are to […]
Athearn N ACF 2970 Center Flow
An American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper is now part of Athearn’s Genesis series. The N scale model, which we last reviewed in the June 2010 issue, still features injection-molded plastic construction, body-mounted couplers, and metal wheelsets. Among the product upgrades are rubber train line hoses; separate, factory-applied uncoupling levers; […]
Lionel’s 75th Anniversary Commemorative Train Set
Lionel’s 75th Anniversary Commemorative Train Set arrived in stores in 1975. Fundimensions, a division of General Mills that was overseeing production and merchandising of Lionel trains, then created an outstanding and very colorful diesel freight set consisting of nine pieces to honor the grand heritage of Lionel. Lionel is, of course, about to celebrate its […]
Keolis preparing request for MBTA battery-electric equipment
BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, contract operator of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, has announced plans to release a Request for Proposals for battery-electric rolling stock later this year. The new equipment will be used on the commuter system’s Fairmount Line under a plan proposed by Keolis last year and approved by the MBTA board […]