SceniKing announces two new backdrops for water scenes

scenic landscape for layout

Backdrops for water scenes Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Water Under the Bridge (HJ44), $26.95; Down by the River (HS48), $41.95 Manufacturer: BPH Enterprises, 4 Palmer Dr., Barrie, ON, Canada L4M 6V9, 705-739-4878, sceniking.com Water Under the Bridge features: Junior Roll Out line Measures 72” x 8” Extendable at either end through more than nine different […]

Read More…

Pullman-Standard PS-2CD 4,427-cubic-foot capacity three-bay low-side covered hopper from ExactRail

silver covered hopper

Pullman-Standard PS-2CD 4427 three-bay covered hopper Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $54.99 Era: 1964 to 1980s (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: ExactRail, 525 E. 1860 S., Provo, UT 84606, 866-945-1701, exactrail.com Features: CNC-machined 36” metal wheelsets ExactRail 100-ton ASF Ride Control trucks Injection-molded plastic body and underbody Kadee no. 58 scale couplers Minimum radius: 22” […]

Read More…

SEPTA advances plan to extend rail service to King of Prussia, Pa.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority logo

PHILADELPHIA – The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has issued a request for proposals regarding the final-design stage of its Norristown High-Speed Line expansion. The project will add a 4-mile branch extending to King of Prussia, Pa. The grade-separated line extends 13.4 miles southeast from Norristown, Pa., to 69th Street Terminal, with connections there to Center […]

Read More…

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad honors Jack Showalter

Nose of black steam locomotive and train coming around a bend

CUMBERLAND, Md. – On Friday, May 6, before the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad’s first 2022 public excursion behind Baldwin 2-6-6-2 No. 1309, the railroad celebrated the life of steam railroading luminary, Jack Showalter. Inside the former Western Maryland Railway’s Cumberland station, officials and guests saluted the people behind No. 1309’s recent restoration, and shared memories […]

Read More…

Model Realistic Freight Car Loads

book on freight car loads

Model Realistic Freight Car Loads Book: Model Realistic Freight Car Loads Author: Keith Kohlmann Price: $21.99 Publisher: Kalmbach Media, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612, 262-796-8776, KalmbachHobbyStore.com  Features: Prototype photos Drawings showing how full-size railroads secure loads to cars Modeled examples of freight car loads Farm machinery and heavy equipment loads Steel […]

Read More…

STB board member stresses measured approach to service issues

Man in dark suit and tie standing at microphone

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The prospect that the Surface Transportation Board will require specific, operational moves  by the rail industry to address its ongoing service issues appears unlikely, and board member Patrick Fuchs spells out why it is not the regulators’ preferred option. “To the board, carriers are clearly in the best positions to identify […]

Read More…

Runaway barge strikes NS bridge on flooded Potomac

Train on tall bridge over river

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Two construction barges broke loose on the flood-swollen Potomac River, with one of them striking the 1904 Norfolk Southern deck truss bridge here before hanging up further east. Both runaway vessels were engaged in work at a section of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park to the north along the […]

Read More…

Berkshires to New York Amtrak service begins July 8

Amtrak logo.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The new seasonal rail service between Pittsfield, Mass., and New York City is scheduled to operate during summer weekends this year and again in 2023. Amtrak and local transportation officials will evaluate the demand, determining if the pilot project should be continued. “We are pleased to work together with our partner agencies […]

Read More…

Athearn HO scale Johnstown America BethGon coal gondola

illustration of a coal gondola

Johnstown America BethGon coal gondola Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Five-pack, $234.99 Era: 1990s to 2000s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Features: Injection-molded plastic body Separate, factory-installed brake wheel, wire grab irons, and etched-metal crossover platforms 36” machined metal RP-25 contour wheels Body-mounted McHenry scale couplers […]

Read More…

Atlas O Master Line 40-foot high-cube intermodal container

red container

40-foot high-cube intermodal container Scale: O (1:48) Price: $26.95; eight-pack, $215.60 Era: Present day Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com Features: Detailed door rods, landing pads, and corner posts Based on International Organization for Standardization Type 45G1 Available fourth quarter 2022 Road Names: ZIM (Z Factor, brown and […]

Read More…