Minnesota Senate kills Twin Cities-Duluth passenger rail proposal

Map showing proposed Twin Cities-Duluth passenger rail route

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s state Senate has blocked efforts to launch passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and Duluth, passing a budget amendment by a senator who said the idea was “like asking us to spend money on buggy whips.” Minnesota Public Radio reports the amendment by Sen. David Osmek (R-Mound, Minn.) prohibits […]

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Major changes planned for Montreal light rail project

A map of the REM de l'Est route

MONTREAL — The province of Quebec and city of Montreal will take over a controversial light rail project after the province’s pension-fund manager withdrew from the project, and will make major revisions to what had been a proposed C$10 billion, 20-mile system. The Montreal Gazette reports Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante […]

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NTSB report: Door-system failure led to death of MBTA passenger

Rapid transit equipment parked over inspection pit in shop building

BOSTON — A system meant to prevent trains from moving when a door is obstructed failed, leading to the death of a passenger on a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority rapid-transit train in April, according to a preliminary report released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Boston Herald identifies the victim as 39-year-old Robinson […]

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News photo: KCS donates more than $500,000 for Ukraine relief

Four people with oversized check standing in front of passenger car with name "Harry Truman"

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Southern presented a check for $504,530 to the American Red Cross on Monday in support of global Red Cross efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. KCS announced in March it would donate $500,000, as well as match employee donations to the American Red Cross for its response […]

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Atlas O Master Line 40-foot rebuilt well car

red well car

Scale: O (1:48) Price: $114.95 Era: Mid to late 1990s Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., Inc., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205, 908-687-0880, shop.atlasrr.com 40-foot rebuilt well car features: Die-cast metal body Trucks with rotating bearing caps Detailed brake rigging Etched-metal walkways Minimum radius: 36” Available fourth quarter 2022 Road Names: Northwestern Oklahoma RR (red, white, […]

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St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad remembered

Black and yellow streamlined diesel locomotives on freight train

The St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad was a survivor and an innovator. It weathered some very rough times, including at least five bankruptcies. It started running unit coal trains from Fort Smith, Ark., the city across the Arkansas River from my hometown of Van Buren, in the 1930s. It helped move Texas and Oklahoma oil east […]

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Johnstown America BethGon coal gondola from Athearn

illustration of black and gray gondola

Scale: N (1:160) Price: Five-pack, $174.99 Era: 1990s to 2000s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Johnstown America BethGon coal gondola features: Injection-molded plastic body Separate, factory-installed brake wheel Removable coal load Operates on Code 40, 55, and 80 rail Screw-mounted 100-ton roller bearing trucks 36” […]

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Electro-Motive Division SW1000 diesel locomotive from Athearn

green locomotive illustration

Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $219.99 (direct current with 21-pin NEM connector), $319.99 (with dual-mode SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound decoder). Add $10 for Primed for Grime models. Era: Late 1960s to 2019 (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com Electro-Motive Division SW1000 features: Injection-molded plastic body Separate, factory-installed wire […]

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BNSF Railway earnings improve despite first-quarter volume decline

Coal train approaches with another visible in the distance

OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway’s revenue and profits grew in the first quarter despite a decline in volume. The railway’s operating income rose 8%, to $2 billion, as revenue increased 10%, to $6 billion, thanks to higher revenue per carload and intermodal unit, the railroad’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, reported on Saturday. BNSF’s operating ratio […]

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The Trains Interview: Outgoing Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires

Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires retired over the weekend, passing the baton to new NS President Alan Shaw effective May 1. Squires, who became chief executive in 2015, had an eventful tenure at the helm. Under Squires’ watch, NS fended off unwanted merger advances from Canadian Pacific, pared its Triple Crown RoadRailer service amid the […]

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Trackside Photos: A B&O local, a VE produce train, a C&O coal train, and more

A rusty green diesel is seen in low angle pulling a graffiti-covered reefer car past fruit groves

Send us your photos Trackside Photos is a showcase for the work of Model Railroader readers. Send your photos (digital images 5 megapixels or larger) to: Model Railroader, Trackside Photos, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612; or upload them to http://fileupload.kalmbach.com/contribute. For our photo submission guidelines, contact Senior Associate Editor Steven Otte at sotte@kalmbach.com. […]

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