News photos: Completing the Merchants Bridge

Aerial view of bridge with missing span, with old span on barge in foreground

ST. LOUIS — The third span of the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis’ Merchants Bridge, the Mississippi River crossing which has been undergoing rebuilding since 2018, is slated to be floated into place today (Friday, Aug. 26). Trains News Wire will provide updates as photos become available. As of midday, as shown in these […]

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Parts of the Electro-Motive Diesel SD70M-2

white, red, and blue diesel locomotive

Parts of the Electro-Motive Diesel SD70M-2. Today is a great time to be a model railroader. The market is filled with a variety of locomotives from different manufacturers in many popular modeling scales. These engines often feature railroad- (and sometimes road-number-) specific details; factory-installed and painted wire grab irons; and sounds recorded from the prototype. […]

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Athearn Genesis Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACU diesel locomotive

Drawing of diesel locomotive decorated in marron and gray scheme

Electro-Motive Diesel SD70ACU diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $259.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder, $359.99. Add $10 for Primed for Grime. Era: 2016 to present Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com SD70ACU diesel locomotive features: Body-mounted McHenry knuckle couplers Celcon handrails Detailed cab interior Die-cast metal […]

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Milwaukee, Racine & Troy American Car & Foundry 50’-6” boxcar kit

Blue boxcar with white door with white background

Milwaukee, Racine & Troy American Car & Foundry 50′-6″ boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $27.99 Era: December 1987+ Manufacturer: Produced by Accurail, available from Kalmbach Hobby Store, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Features: Separate underbody details Factory-installed brake wheel Molded ladders, crossover platforms, and stirrup steps Modeler-installed doors included (two each 10-foot plug and Youngstown) Roller-bearing trucks Steel weight […]

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CSX refutes union allegations of problems at Selkirk Yard

Cars moving over hump in yard

WASHINGTON — CSX Transportation is pushing back against allegations a local union official has made regarding operations and safety at the railroad’s hump yard in Selkirk, N.Y. A combination of layoffs, crew shortages, changes to remote-control switching jobs, and CSX’s takeover of New England regional Pan Am Railways has created congestion at the yard near […]

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St. Louis Merchants Bridge project reaches final major milestone

Red crane hovers over bridge truses in front of St. Louis Arch

ST. LOUIS — The culmination of the Merchant’s Bridge rebuild project, which began in 2018, is scheduled to take place today (Friday, Aug. 26), with the third and final new span being floated into place on the Mississippi River. Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) owns the bridge. The 4,340-foot-long bridge, completed in 1889, […]

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Florida’s Broward County funds commuter rail effort

Pasenger train passes tall buildings

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The Broward County Commission on Thursday approved $15.5 million to study and develop a proposed commuter rail line between Fort Lauderdale and Aventura, Fla., along the Florida East Coast Railway/Brightline route. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reports the proposal known as the Broward Commuter Rail Link would provide a connection with […]

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Scratchbuild a rural large scale depot

gray model building in a garden railway

I wanted to scratchbuild a rural large scale depot to replace one that was past its prime on my garden railroad. While I was working as an art director for a commercial printing company, one of my sales reps came across a 1916 combination freight/passenger-depot blueprint. He asked his client, a buyer for the Union […]

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The Frank Sinatra Lionel collection

The Frank Sinatra Lionel collection

  The Frank Sinatra Lionel collection and his O gauge layout have fascinated Trains.com and Classic Toy Trains readers for years. Let’s use the photograph snapped long ago by Rebecca Saliture to explore what the “Chairman of the Board” owned and ran. The Frank Sinatra Lionel collection After World War II, Sinatra visited the Lionel showroom […]

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How to bake Amtrak’s flourless chocolate torte

One piece of flourless chocolate torte on a white plate

Amtrak’s flourless chocolate torte Amtrak’s flourless chocolate torte is a dessert that I have had more times than I can count. This is a staple dessert in the dining car on Amtrak’s long-distance trains, and now it can be a staple in your very own dining room. To start, you will need some standard baking […]

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