Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current with 21-pin NEM connector, $169.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami 2 sound decoder, $269.99 Era: 1967 to 2007+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive features: Directional light-emitting-diode headlights Rubber m.u. hoses Curved […]
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13,000-gallon tank car Scale: N (1:160) Price: single car, $44.99; three-pack, $124.99 Era: 1980s+ to 2018+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com 13,000-gallon tank car features: Separate, factory-applied metal grab irons and handrails Body-mounted McHenry double-shelf couplers Rubber trainline hoses Early and late body styles Uncoupling […]
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Electro-Motive Division GP15-1 and GP15T diesel locomotive Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current with 21-pin NEM connector, $219.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami 2 sound decoder, $319.99 Era: 1977+ to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Electro-Motive Division GP15-1 and GP15T diesel locomotive features: Uncoupling levers Trainline […]
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Railfan and train-watching safety is key to any successful train-watching trip, whether it be a block away from home or a continent away. One must have situational awareness. Taking the time to know your surroundings, what looks right, what doesn’t look right is essential to ensure you have a great trackside experience. Historically speaking, rail […]
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WASHINGTON—Effective immediately, each departure of the Chicago-Washington, D.C. Capitol Limited is accepting reservations for up to 12 full-size bicycles along the route of a train that parallels popular trails through Maryland, West Virginia, and southern Pennsylvania. Last Friday, Amtrak announced increased capacity through mid-September, “due to high demand.” For $20, passengers can check a bike […]
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Q: Why do Vanderbilt tenders have round tanks? It seems to me that with the same principal dimensions, a Vanderbilt tender would contain less water than a rectangular tank. – Chuck Moore A: The answer is hydrodynamics. Vanderbilt tenders have round tanks because they have to hold a lot of water. The radial bands of […]
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Model paved brick streets: As on most of our garden railways, trains run by a model town. Mine is based on a small midwestern town I visited every summer as a boy. I hung out on Main Street lined with shops in an array of Victorian buildings with a brick paved street. In those days, […]
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Video by Mark Elias, Mark Elias Media Services JUPITER, Fla. — Florida East Coast Railway’s new Loxahatchee River drawbridge that will begin carrying frequent Brightline passenger trains in early 2023 is now being raised for boat traffic and lowered for trains. Dismantling of the former 96-year-old bridge on the site began in mid-April, when accommodations […]
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Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $106.95 Era: 1965 to 1986+ Manufacturer: Tangent Scale Models, P.O. Box 6514, Asheville, NC 28816, 828-412-3886, tangentscalemodels.com Baltimore & Ohio class I-18 steel bay-window caboose features: Era-specific body details, including bay windows and marker lights Kadee scale couplers Wire grab irons, ladder rungs, […]
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SALTILLO, Pa. – The long-awaited restoration of the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad’s main line south – dormant for nearly seven decades – is under way. A three-pronged approach involves EBT Foundation, Inc., full-time staff; a volunteer track gang led by Gene Tucker of the Friends of the East Broad Top; and a crew […]
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CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Class I railroads are hauling more automotive carloads, a possible sign that the auto sector’s supply chain is improving. Association of American Railroads’ weekly carload report reveals in recent weeks that shipments of motor vehicles and parts are exceeding 2020 and 2021 weekly volumes. This could ease a multi-year carload deficit dragged […]
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NEW YORK — The St. Louis Mercantile Library’s Barriger Railroad Collection is the source of an exhibition, “Travelers, Tracks and Tycoons: The Railroad in American Legend and Life,” now on view at the Grolier Club in New York City. The exhibit, which includes more than 150 items , celebrates the 200th anniversary of railroading’s first […]
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