Florio, key legislator in passage of Staggers Act, dies

Man in coat and tie in front of New Jersey flag

Jim Florio, a former New Jersey congressman and governor credited with a key role in passage of 1980’s Staggers Act, which partially deregulated railroads, has died. He was 85. Florio’s death on Sunday, Sept. 25, was announced on Twitter by law partner Doug Steinhardt. No cause or place of death was given. While the bill […]

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Colonial house kit from Walthers Cornerstone

Model of colonial-style house

Colonial house kit Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: $39.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Colonial house features: Injection-molded plastic construction Attached one-car garage with interior wall framing Covered front porch Ornate trim Separate windows and shutters Molded in four colors Measures: 6-3/4” x 5” x 4-3/4” Release date: Winter 2023 […]

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Checked baggage dropped from two Amtrak trains (corrected)

Train arrives at station with baggage cart in foreground

WASHINGTON — Amtrak says checked baggage service is being dropped this fall from two state-supported routes “due to equipment shortages” — even though the company received 70 new baggage cars as part of its 125-car Viewliner II equipment order from CAF USA in 2014-15. The company now says, however, that a notice posted in at […]

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SEPTA board approves land purchases for King of Prussia rail project

Map showing proposed four-mile branch off SEPTA Norristown line to King of Prussia, Pa.

PHILADELPHIA — The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s board of directors has approved acquisition of some 70 pieces of property for its proposed King of Prussia Rail Line, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports. The agency is also on the verge of purchasing land for a new trolley barn, about 18 months after it was outbid by […]

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Four injured as CSX trains collide in Miami

CSX logo

MIAMI — Four people were injured Saturday evening when two CSX freight trains collided near Miami International Airport, WPLG-TV reports. The accident was reported about 7 p.m. near the area of Northwest 15th Street and South Perimeter roads, with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue dispatching more than 25 units, including a hazardous materials team. The four people […]

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Lionel Cardinal’s train set review

Lionel Cardinals train set

The Lionel 1926 Cardinals Train Set was offered in the 2021 Lionel Volume I “Big Book.” It’s a top-of-the-line Legacy outfit that features a recently cataloged 4-6-2 USRA Pacific steam locomotive, a combination car, two Pullman coaches, and an observation car. The base set gives you an 98-inch passenger train requiring O-54 curves. Lionel offers […]

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Siemens optimistic about US passenger market

Two passenger trains, one white and blue, one white and yellow, on display tracks outside exhibition hall.

BERLIN — The prospects for a number of transformative passenger projects, as well as the potential for more rail electrification, have the CEO of Siemens Mobility in North America upbeat as he considers his company’s future. Marc Buncher heads a company that has grown rapidly in North America, with its Sacramento, Calif., manufacturing site employing […]

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