News & Products for the week of December 11th 2023 Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. The following are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of December 11th […]
Santa Fe Super Fleet Virtually anyone these days with an interest in the industry knows what the term Super Fleet means. It’s the iconic red-and-silver warbonnet paint scheme worn by new Santa Fe locomotives during the twilight of the company’s existence. First applied to a Santa Fe locomotive in the late 1930s, the design graced […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has selected 10 projects for grants under its Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program, according to a list released today (Friday, Dec. 8) on the FRA website. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the grants in a press release that linked those awards with the selection of […]
WASHINGTON — BNSF Railway will receive a federal grant for $14.9 million toward infrastructure improvements in and around Malta, Mont., U.S. Sen. Jon Tester announced Thursday. The money, from the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program, is to improve service on the route of the Empire Builder. Specifically, it will help with final […]
WASHINGTON — Ten more routes — almost all of them radiating from Chicago — have joined the list of those selected for inclusion in the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program, according to announcements today from a variety of sources. Selection, the first step in the process of gaining or increasing Amtrak service, […]
SEATTLE — Amtrak service between Seattle and Portland, Ore., remains suspended following a second landslide on the route, KIRO-TV reports. Service had been slated to resume at 8:30 a.m. today (Thursday, Dec. 7), but additional slide activity now means that the closure has been extended through Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7:22 a.m., according to an […]
It’s hard to say when a trend becomes a trend. But yesterday’s announcement that Canadian National will acquire the 253-mile Iowa Northern Railway suggests that short lines and regionals getting gobbled up by Class I railroads is now a thing. Since 2020, Class I railroads have reached a half-dozen deals with short lines and regional […]
PORTLAND, Ore. — Amtrak has suspended service between Portland and Seattle through at least 8:30 a.m. on Thursday following a landslide today (Tuesday, Dec. 5) near Vancouver, Wash., according to a service alert posted by the passenger operator. The suspension of Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight service between the two cities follows a slide on […]
WASHINGTON — A coalition of rail labor unions has criticized the U.S. Class I railroads’ hiring efforts, their pace of service improvements, and the industry’s safety record in a filing with the Surface Transportation Board. The big four U.S. railroads — BNSF Railway, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific — have told federal regulators that […]
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America’s Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 made its second run of 2023 today (Thursday, Nov. 30) operating from its home base in Minneapolis to St. Paul Union Depot. Friday through Sunday, Dec. 1-3, the locomotive will run short “North Pole Express” trips at the depot in what […]
Metra’s new six-axle power CHICAGO — Metra has used one of its SD70MACH locomotives to lead a revenue service train for the first time, with locomotive No. 507 powering train No. 2135 on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 29, from Chicago Union Station to Fox Lake on the Milwaukee District North line. Metra F59PHI No. […]
Upcoming Trains content for December We’re always adding new content to our website! Here’s a sneak peek at a few items coming up this December/January … Travel with Trains: Alaska 2023 What’s it like to travel with Trains Magazine? Read Editor Carl Swanson’s day-by-day impressions of the 49th State. If this sounds like something you […]
