Baldwin Centipede locomotives were an oddity of mid-century railroading that just couldn’t compete with more mundane offerings from rivals Alco or Electro-Motive. What is a Centipede? Officially, this gargantuan diesel is the Baldwin DR-12-8-1500/2. That’s a mouthful. Broken down, it stood for Diesel Road, 12-axles, eight of which were connected to traction motors, with two […]
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Moloco HO scale Great Northern St. Cloud-built 50-foot combination-door boxcar
Great Northern St. Cloud-built 50-foot combination-door boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: To be announced (general price will be in line with current ready-to-run prices) Era: 1961 to 1980s (era varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Moloco, 302-5025 Harvard Road, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5M 0W6, molocotrains.com Great Northern boxcar features: 50-ton trucks with metal wheelsets Car-number-specific […]
Virginia study projects costs, ridership of passenger extension to Bristol
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Extension of Virginia’s state-supported Amtrak service to the stateline communities of Bristol. Va., and Bristol, Tenn., could cost up to $1.5 billion while attracting up to 15,500 riders annually, according to a new study by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. The Bristol Herald Courier reports the study projects one […]
Railgon 53-foot gondola from Wm. K. Walthers Inc.
Railgon 53-foot gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $31.98 Era: 1980 to present (era varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218, 414-527-0770, walthers.com Railgon 53-foot gondola features: 36” metal wheelsets with RP-25 contour 100-ton roller-bearing trucks Proto-Max metal couplers Based on Railgon 310000-series cars Available now […]
Delayed coal shipments force Florida utility to limit coal-fired generation
WASHINGTON – A Florida utility that is running low on coal has asked federal regulators to ensure that CSX Transportation provides adequate service to its power plant in Tampa. Tampa Electric Power Co., or TECO, says it has been forced to curtail coal-fired generation at its Big Bend Power Station because CSX has refused the […]
General Steel Castings 53-foot bulkhead flatcar from Wm. K. Walthers Inc.
General Steel Castings 53-foot bulkhead flatcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Era: 1950s to early 2000s (era varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers, Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218, 414-527-0770, walthers.com General Steel Castings 53-foot bulkhead flatcar features: Newly tooled die-cast metal body 33” turned metal wheelsets Proto-Max metal couplers […]
CSX lauds chemical shippers for safety records
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation this week presented 65 customers with its annual Chemical Safety Excellence Award for their safe transportation of hazardous materials in 2021. The Chemical Safety Excellence Awards were presented to customers who shipped at least 600 carloads of hazardous materials with CSX during the year without a release due to controllable […]
Passenger killed in Metra accident was ejected through window
CLARENDON HILLS, Ill. — Authorities have identified 72-year-old Christina Lopez of Downers Grove, Ill., as the Metra passenger killed Wednesday in a grade-crossing accident between a Metra BNSF train and a stalled truck. WMAQ-TV reports that in a Thursday press conference, National Transportation Safety Board vice-chairman Bruce Landsberg said Lopez was killed when she was […]
Help! My DCC locomotive won’t hold an address
DCC locomotive won’t hold an address Q: I’ve just gotten back into HO scale trains after years in Lionel. My DCC locomotive won’t hold an address using my MRC Prodigy system. I follow the instructions, but it never changes from the default address 3. The new number is not recognized or remembered. It was easy […]
Original Big Boy tender to be restored by Railroading Heritage of Midwest America
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Railroading Heritage of Midwest America will restore the tender for Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014, the Union Pacific Historical Society learned Thursday at its annual meeting. Restoration of that tender will allow the tender currently used by the Big Boy to be rejoined with its original locomotive, Challenger No. 3985, which […]
Landmark Station Inn at Cresson, Pa., is sold
CRESSON, Pa. – The Station Inn, a longtime railfan landmark bed & breakfast in western Pennsylvania, has been sold to Alex and Leah Lang of the Pittsburgh area. The inn’s founder, Tom Davis, died Oct. 5 [see “Station Inn owner Tom Davis, 90, dies,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 13, 2021] and it remained open while […]
NS train derails near Springfield, Ohio
MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — No injuries were reported when a Norfolk Southern train derailed Thursday evening southwest of Springfield, Ohio. NS reports preliminary information indicates 20 cars are involved. Crews were on hand as of Thursday night to begin rerailing equipment and clearing the scene, with additional support en route. Firefighters responded to a […]