Whether you’re looking to take a scenic train ride across the “Canal Route” or yearning for the glory days of big steam, the state of Indiana has you covered! From Trains Magazine’s Tourist Trains Guidebook, here are the various tourist railroads, museums, and displays you must visit across the Hoosier State. Indiana Tourist Railroads and […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Ottawa’s O-Train light rail Confederation Line has been shut down until further notice because of a bearing issue discovered during a routine equipment inspection. OC Transpo announced the service interruption about 4:30 p.m. Monday. CTV News reports transit services general manager Renée Amilcar informed city officials the move was made “in an […]
FIELD TOWNSHIP, Minn. — Two carloads of liquefied petroleum gas were among those involved in a derailment of nine cars of a Canadian National train in rural northern Minnesota on Monday, July 17, according to a press release from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. As reported by KRFO radio, the derailment occurred about 8:20 […]
Locomotive controls Locomotive controls remained fairly standardized since diesels first invaded the roundhouses of America’s railroads in the 1930s. There’s a throttle, a reverser (to determine direction), a handle to control the locomotive’s independent brake, and an automatic brake handle to slow or stop the movement using the air brakes of the entire train. Since […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Brightline will resume 110 mph on two sections of its route to Orlando this week, including the segment in Martin County that includes St. Lucie River bridge that has become a point of concern for the passenger operator’s service plans. Testing at speeds up to 110 mph is scheduled to resume in […]
CHICAGO — Commuter rail operator Metra has launched a survey on proposed fare changes for 2024 that would reduce the number of fare zones from 10 to four and change some of the fare options available. Metra also announced plans for information tables at its four primary downtown stations to provide information and answer questions […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — RideKC, operator of the Kansas City streetcar, reports “significant progress” in repairs to track damage that has shut down the system since July 4, and anticipates providing information on the return of service later this week. A Sunday update reported that weekend work on the Main Street bridge across Interstate 670 […]
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — With the Saratoga horse racing season having begun last Thursday, Amtrak has announced it will extend Adirondack operations 37 miles beyond Albany-Rensselaer, N.Y., to Saratoga Springs starting Monday, July 24. The New York City-Montreal train was the last state-supported corridor to be restored following nationwide discontinuances in March 2020 as a […]
News & Products for the week of July 17th 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 July 17th 2023. […]
Thoughts on detailing N scale diesels: I really enjoy modifying locomotives and adding or subtracting details to make them more closely represent specific prototypes. I’m most interested in my Santa Fe and Southern Pacific engines, but hope someday to also get to the engines from other lines that turn up on my N scale circa […]
In 1981, I was a locomotive engineer for the Chicago & North Western Railway based out of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and operating an interdivisional run to Sioux City, Iowa. I made this run many times, but one trip taught me a lesson about troubleshooting a diesel locomotive — and about railroading. Most of the trains […]
SPROUL, Pa. — The first passenger train over a portion of the former Pennsylvania Railroad Bedford Branch in several decades ran from Hollidaysburg, Pa., to Sproul as a combined railfan charter and public excursion on Sunday, July 16, 2023. The 25-mile round trip capped a weekend-long celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Station Inn, […]
