PITTSBURGH — Wabtec will provide brakes and couplers for New York City Transit’s second order of R211 subway cars to be built by Kawasaki Rail Car, Wabtec has announced. The 640-car order, placed last year, fulfills an option from an original 535-car order now being delivered that includes 440 R211A cars, 20 pilot cars with […]
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board on Monday announced appointment of six new members to the Rail Energy Transportation Advisory Committee, which advises the board on matters regarding rail movement of coal, ethanol, and other energy resources by rail. New to the board are: — Bryan Boaz, rail operations field supervisor of ExxonMobil, an at-large […]
Driving south recently on Interstate 75, nearing the Kentucky/Tennessee line, an upcoming offramp caught my eye, causing me to make a quick turn to the right. “Next exit, Jellico.” Jellico! A town I likely never would have known were it not for a memorable July 30, 1975, steam excursion behind celebrated Southern Railway 2-8-2 […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National has reached a new five-year deal to haul AltaGas propane to the export terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, the railway said today. AltaGas opened the Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal — Canada’s first — in 2019. The terminal receives 50 to 60 tank cars per day from […]
News & Products for the week of October 23rd 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 October 23rd […]
CSX Railroads, in particular, have grappled with that same question over the years — especially those railroads that are the products of mergers or the surviving company after a takeover. There is, on the one hand, Norfolk Southern, a straightforward name for the affiliation of the Norfolk & Western and Southern railways. Along the same […]
PHILADELPHIA — Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority locomotive engineers and conductors are voting on a strike authorization, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and SMART-TD unions announced today. Results of voting, which began today, will be announced on Nov. 20. If a majority of engineers back a strike, the referendum would allow BLET National President […]
How did you get started in the hobby? I received my first model electric train for my sixth Christmas. It was an American Flyer train. Nothing against Lionel, but I told Santa that I wanted a train with two rails, like the real ones. Like many modelers, I really started building what you might consider […]
Although pencil and paper still reigns as king of the ways to plan a model railroad layout, computer-aided design (CAD) track planning software is increasingly popular as model railroaders become more comfortable using computers. This is a roundup of current (as of 2023) track planning software designed to give you a good idea of the […]
MONTREAL — The CEO of VIA Rail Canada is calling for the government to adopt a bill of rights for rail passengers similar to the one already in place for air travelers. In an interview with the Canadian Press, CEO Mario Péloquin said the government should set rules that ensure train passengers receive compensation for […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen.Jerry Moran, (R-Kan.) has placed a hold on the Amtrak Board of Directors nominees up for consideration by the full Senate, preventing their confirmation until Moran knows exactly all eight board members President Joe Biden intends to nominate. “The Biden administration has violated the law by failing to nominate a geographically diverse […]
ATLANTA — The Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen and Norfolk Southern will create a new program, the Signal Safety Collaboration — including joint inspections, information sharing, and training — to address signal safety, the two parties announced last week. The one-year pilot program was developed with input from the Federal Railroad Administration. A joint letter to […]
