Greatest Moments in Model Railroading

Model train scene with vehicle and scale figure

Greatest Moments Greatest Moments Note: This speech was written by Andy Sperandeo and presented to the South Texas Division/San Antonio Model Railroad Association NMRA’s convention on June 23, 2006. We discovered these documents during some office clean up recently, and thought our readers would enjoy reading them. Good evening everyone. I’m very glad to be […]

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Pacific Surfliner, Metrolink facing 60-day service outage to Oceanside, San Diego official says

Blue and silver-painted locomotive at a station platform surrounding by brown steel work and palm trees. Amtrak Pacific Surfliner renewable diesel.

SAN DIEGO — The interruption of passenger service between South Orange County and Oceanside, Calif, could last for two months, an official with San Diego’s planning agency told broadcaster KPBS. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner and LA-area commuter operator Metrolink halted service through San Clemente, Calif., on Friday, over concerns about erosion along a portion of the […]

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Amtrak service changes in Southeast extended through Saturday

Amtrak logo.

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has extended its cancellations of Auto Train and the Silver Star, and shortened the route of the Palmetto, for at least another day. The passenger operator announced Friday that it had cancelled Saturday departures for the north- and southbound Auto Train between Lorton, Va., and Sanford, Fla., and the north- and southbound […]

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UP, BNSF say CP-KCS merger traffic will melt down Houston terminal

Train of auto racks meets locomotives

WASHINGTON – Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern executives say there’s plenty of capacity in Houston to handle the eight additional trains per day they’ll run through the busy terminal within three years after their merger. But Union Pacific and BNSF Railway told federal regulators, in testimony Thursday and Friday, that they have grave concerns […]

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How to add figures to your Amtrak passenger cars

model passenger car with roof removed

Passengers were the missing element on the daily Amtrak trains operating over my HO Ohio Southern until I discovered sets of seated figures made by Faller and Noch. Best of all, they fit right into the molded interior seats in Walthers’ classic streamliners. My Amtrak train represents a secondary turn-around run covered by the older […]

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How to clean a dirty diesel locomotive

hands with toothbrush cleaning plastic model with water and soap

How to clean a dirty diesel locomotive Q: I just bought a 35-year-old Athearn HO SD45 painted as Electro-Motive Division’s demonstrator No. 4353. The old model has picked up a lot of dirt over the years, and I’m not sure how to go about cleaning it without damaging the paint job. Also, were the prototype […]

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How to simulate hot slab loads

three colors of model slab loads

Steel slab loads have been the subject of many reader questions, including some looking for ways to simulate hot-steel loads. While it’s easy enough to cut and paint pieces of plastic to represent the cold slabs, the trick has always been simulating the hot metal. The folks at State Tool & Die Co.have made this […]

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How to re-stencil reporting marks

hopper car with re-stenciled reporting marks

How to re-stencil reporting marks: If you’ve waited at a grade crossing recently, you’ve probably noticed many freight cars with their original reporting marks painted out and new ones applied. This is done because the car’s ownership has changed. Since repainting an entire freight car is costly, patching over old reporting marks is an accepted […]

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American Z Line September 2022 diesel locomotive announcements

Model of green locomotive with yellow lettering and stripes

Additional American Z Line diesel locomotive announcements for September 2022 Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: Missouri-Kansas-Texas SW1500 diesel locomotive, early 1970s to 1989. Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Alco PA-1 diesel locomotive, 1946 to early 1960s. Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com Electro-Motive Division SW1500 features: AutoLatch couplers Prototype-specific details Directional light-emitting-diode lighting […]

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Regulators add three days to CP-KCS hearing

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON – The three-day Surface Transportation Board hearing on the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger has ballooned to a six-day hearing. Testimony and questioning are taking longer than anticipated, STB Chairman Martin J. Oberman said at the start of the session this morning (Friday, Sept. 30) , which had been scheduled to be the […]

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