Brakes on trolley involved in SEPTA derailment had been disabled for repair work

Photo of intersection with trolley tracks

WASHINGTON — A technician who was repositioning a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority trolley at a maintenance facility was unaware its brakes had been disabled to allow for repairs when the vehicle ran away, derailed, and struck an SUV and a historic building in Philadelphia on July 27, according to the preliminary National Transportation Safety Board […]

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CPKC says Union Pacific aims to stifle competition for Gulf Coast grain

red, yellow and other colors on a locomotive

WASHINGTON — Union Pacific’s contention that Kansas City Southern can’t haul grain from the Upper Midwest to the Gulf Coast using trackage rights south of Beaumont, Texas, is “revisionist history,” Canadian Pacific Kansas City has told federal regulators. Earlier this month CPKC asked the Surface Transportation Board to enforce the trackage rights that KCS gained […]

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Atlas O PS 4427 high-side covered hopper

Color photo of O scale three-bay covered hopper in Oxide Red paint with white graphics.

A Pullman-Standard 4427 high-side three-bay covered hopper is making its debut in the Atlas O Premier line. The model, acquired when Atlas O purchased select M.T.H. tooling in March 2021, features plastic and die-cast metal construction and a mix of molded and separate, factory-applied detail parts. Prototype history The PS 4,427-cubic-foot capacity three-bay covered hopper […]

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News & Products for the week of August 21st 2023

A blue model locomotive against a white background

News & Products for the week of August 21st 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 August 21st […]

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New ownership for the Choo Choo Barn

three people standing next to a red sign

New ownership for the Choo Choo Barn Gary Russell of Stevens, Pa. purchased the Choo Choo Barn’s model train layout along with the adjoining Strasburg Train Shop in late April. Russell plans to increase the shop’s online presence, and expand the selection of large-scale trains in the shop. He also plans to upgrade the electronics on […]

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Amtrak police dogs

canine police dog in station

Amtrak police dogs More than 50 police dogs serve and protect Amtrak’s trains and stations throughout the United States. From birth to adulthood, these canines are trained to work with their human counterparts, protecting them from threats such as bombs. A few of the dogs are solely trained to detect narcotics. In fact, when Amtrak’s […]

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Meet Jerry Dziedzic

man holding model while sitting at workbench

Meet Jerry Dziedzic What was your first train set (or locomotive)? How about three, in different scales? Like so many youngsters, a Lionel circle around the tree greeted me one Christmas morning. I suppose this was in 1956 or 1957. My dad had fun, too. He used two sheets of plywood to build an 8 […]

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