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Belfast & Moosehead Lake No. 18
Type of Train: Short line regionals
Northern California short lines receive $31.4 federal loan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has extended a $31.4 million Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loan to the Sierra Northern Railway and Mendocino Railway for infrastructure improvement work, DOT’s Build America Bureau announced on Monday. Funding will finance almost 100% of work including expansion of 6.7 miles of Sierra Northern’s Oakdale Branch for […]
BLET members ratify contract with Portland & Western
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – On Jan. 11, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new agreement with the Portland & Western Railroad. A tentative agreement was reached in December 2023. The five-year contract governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for approximately 55 operating employees. A Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary, Portland […]
G&W outlines locomotive rebuilding and fuel-conservation efforts
DARIEN, Conn. – Genesee & Wyoming’s latest sustainability report outlines how locomotive modernizations and other fuel-saving efforts will help reduce the carbon footprint of its more than 100 short line railroads. “We are committed to upgrading our locomotives and improving the performance of our existing fleet to reduce carbon emissions,” says the report, which was […]
12 train sets for the holidays
If you’ve read Model Railroader magazine for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed the hobby journey for many of our authors started with a train set. For baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, the set was often produced by Lionel or American Flyer. Fast forward a generation or two, and those sets were […]
Analysis: Regulatory overkill stunts potential of proposed Utah rail project
To see why it is so difficult to build anything these days, consider the sad case of the proposed Savage Tooele Railroad. Savage wants to revive Union Pacific’s abandoned 6-mile Warner Branch in Tooele County, Utah, restore a quarter mile of ripped-up track, and build 5 miles of new track within the Lakeview Business Park […]
Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 15 | All in the details
In this session, Host David Popp promises to finish the work on the passenger car project! That includes paying careful attention to those tiny details on the passenger car and the layout itself…you know, all of the little things he’d notice if he did not take the time to complete them now, including the addition […]
N&W No. 611 debuts for the Virginia Scenic Railway’s ‘Shenandoah Valley Limited’
GOSHEN, Va. — The first weekend of the Shenandoah Valley Limited with Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611 is now in the books. In its first fall excursion through the home state of Virginia since 1994, the J-class 4-8-4 led six half-day trips unassisted out of Goshen along the Buckingham Branch Railroad with diesels […]
Olympia & Sand Creek, Episode 15 | All in the details
In this session, Host David Popp promises to finish the work on the passenger car project! That includes paying careful attention to those tiny details on the passenger car and the layout itself…you know, all of the little things he’d notice if he did not take the time to complete them now, including the addition […]
Chehalis-Centralia Railroad agreement with short line will allow excursions to resume
CHEHALIS, Wash. — The Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum has reached an agreement with an short line in Oregon and Washington that will allow the Washington heritage railway to resume excursion operations, beginning with “Polar Express” trains starting in November. The Centralia Chronicle reports that the museum, which has been unable to operate trains since March […]
‘In Cab Experiences’ with N&W No. 611 offered on the Buckingham Branch Railroad
GOSHEN, Va. — Ever since its 2015 restoration and return to service, “In Cab Experiences” have been part of the norm for Norfolk & Western steam locomotive No. 611. Participants are given the chance to learn and either operate or fire on the J-class 4-8-4 under supervision by the engine crew. The program — which […]
Amtrak: Connecting America by Rail DVD Trailer
Amtrak: Connecting America by Rail DVD | 16127 Explore the captivating history and exciting future of Amtrak with our exclusive Amtrak DVD, available at the Kalmbach Hobby Store. Dive into over 50 years of remarkable transit adventures as Amtrak weaves its way through the nation’s most scenic routes, national parks, bustling cities, and charming towns. […]
