Accurail HO scale freight car kits

Drawing of brown boxcar with white "Soo Line" lettering

HO scale freight car kits Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: See individual cars below Era: Varies depending on car type Manufacturer: Accurail, P.O. Box 278, Elburn, IL 60119; 630-365-1173; accurail.com Features: Injection-molded plastic construction Plastic wheelsets Solid-or roller-bearing trucks as appropriate Steel weight(s) Screws for trucks and draft-gear box covers Accumate couplers with modeler-installed trip pins […]

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Senator introduces bill to address common-carrier rules

Trains Washington Watch logo

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced a bill this week seeking to better define railroads’ common-carrier rules and establishing criteria for the Surface Transportation Board to consider when assessing complaints about service issues, as well as a timeline to do so. Baldwin says in a press release that the “Reliable Rail Service Act,” introduced […]

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Friends’ work week brings more progress

Wooden framework for building

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – Friends of the East Broad Top volunteers wrapped up a week’s worth of labor on Friday, Sept. 23, the group’s second week of concentrated effort this year. The crew ranged between 10 and 20 people, working in close coordination with the railroad’s own full-time employees, according to Andy Van Scyoc, Friends […]

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Amtrak switch to Miami airport station again moving forward

Commuter train at station with unoccupied track in foreground

MIAMI — A long-delayed plan to bring Amtrak trains to a station at Miami International Airport is being revived. A dedicated track for the Silver Meteor and Silver Star has been gathering rust at Miami Intermodal Center since the building connected to the airport opened seven years ago. Despite the operating challenges involved in backing […]

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Canada’s government, railroads to assist Ukraine’s rail industry

Repair work underway on rail bridges

MONTREAL — The Canadian government and Canada’s railway industry will work to support reconstruction and operation of Ukraine’s rail and other transportation infrastructure, the government and the Railway Association of Canada announced Wednesday. The announcement includes formation of a working group involving the governments of both countries, the RAC — on behalf of railways including […]

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No injuries reported as SEPTA train derails in Trenton (updated)

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

TRENTON, N.J. — No injuries were reported but service was affected for two commuter operators after a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train derailed late Wednesday morning as the train left the Trenton Transportation Center. The derailment of the second and third cars of a four-car, Philadelphia-bound train, with 25 people aboard, occurred about 11 a.m. […]

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Weekly rail traffic figure take another dip

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity type plus intermodal totals

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic showed another significant drop for the week ending Sept. 24, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Total volume for the week was 489,111 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.4% decrease from the same week in 2021. Since the figures for the week ending Sept. 3 showed […]

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CP and KCS tout and defend their merger on first day of regulatory hearings

Container train under overhead signals

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday’s first day of public hearings regarding their proposed merger, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern sought to blunt criticism of their $31 billion combination by preemptively addressing concerns raised by other Class I railroads, Chicago-area commuter railroad Metra, and lineside communities in the Midwest. Merger opponents — including Metra and communities […]

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Electrical workers ratify contract with railroads

Logo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which includes lighting bolts held by a fist

ARLINGTON, Va. — A third union has ratified its tentative agreement with freight railroads, the bargaining group representing the railroads has announced. The National Carriers’ Conference Committee announced the ratification by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which represents almost 4,000 rail workers. The margin by which the contract was ratified was not announced. “The […]

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