How to keep N scale piggybacks on track: My N scale Tehachapi Pass layout is set in 1985. Intermodal railroading was well established, but on nothing like the scale we see today. Most intermodal traffic in the pass was TOFC (trailer-on-flatcar), more commonly called “pigs,” short for piggybacks. For my money there’s nothing much less […]
Lifelong O gauge modeler Russ Boersma took his accumulated knowledge and roster of postwar and modern-era trains to develop a great new layout. While the trains might be up to date, the display has a fun and retro vibe. Check it out in the September-October 2023 issue! […]
O gauge modeler Walt Urban created a medium-size three-rail empire with an autumn theme. Colorful trees on the mountains suggest fall has arrived along the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., with postwar and modern Lionel trains to enjoy in beautiful settings. See it in the September-October 2023 issue. […]
Facts & features Name: Norfolk Southern Salem DivisionScale: HO (1:87.1)Size: 15 x 34 feetPrototype: Norfolk Southern Locale: Salem, Va.Era: summer 1991Style: walkaroundMainline run: 80 feetMinimum radius: 22″ (branch), 25″ (main)Minimum turnout: No. 6Maximum grade: 1.5%Benchwork: open gridHeight: 40″ to 46″Roadbed: corkTrack: Atlas code 83 flextrack with Peco and Shinohara turnoutsScenery: extruded-foam insulation board and Woodland […]
Bombardier LRC diesel locomotives were built for the future using beloved Alco components of old. “From the tip of its pointed nose to its electric tail-end markers, the LRC locomotive is refreshingly different, but at heart it is nothing more than a third-generation FPA,” wrote Greg McDonnell in the July 1983 issue of […]
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a safety bulletin after a CSX Transportation conductor trainee was killed during a shove movement in Baltimore. The FRA is investigating the June 26 accident at the Seagirt Marine Terminal at the Port of Baltimore [see “NTSB investigating CSX employee death …,” Trains News Wire, June 27, […]
WASHINGTON — The federal government has committed $6.88 billion to the Hudson River Tunnel project, the long-discussed additional connection between New York and New Jersey that will eventually double capacity into and out of New York’s Penn Station. News of the funding commitment was tucked somewhat innocuously into a Federal Transportation Administration press release announcing […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Association of American Railroads has filed suit to overturn an Ohio law requiring two-person crews for freight trains, saying federal law preempts the state action, the Associated Press reports. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court on June 29, argues that the state’s crew-size law “cannot be squared” with several federal […]
MONTREAL — The builder of Montreal’s light rail system says it will take measures to reduce operating noise following complaints from residents along the yet-to-open line. CTV News reports that CDPQ Infra, contractor for the Réseau express métropolitain system, says it will install noise barriers and “sound absorbers” along the tracks, as well as grinding […]
SKAGWAY, Alaska — Operating personnel on the White Pass & Yukon Route have voted to authorize a strike, according to their union’s website. Members of International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division (SMART-TD) Local 1626 authorized the strike in voting last week. The union says it has been negotiating with the […]
ATWATER, Calif. — The California State Transportation Agency, or CalSTA, has awarded Merced County a $49.6 million grant for buildout of an inland port at the Castle Commerce Center, a 1,900-acre freight transportation hub at the site of the former Castle Air Force Base. The grant, one of the largest in the history of the […]
Delaware & Hudson passenger trains All through July 2023, Classic Trains editors are celebrating the grit and grandeur of the Delaware & Hudson in its bicentennial year. Please enjoy this photo gallery of Kansas City Southern passenger trains selected from the files in Kalmbach Media‘s David P. Morgan Library. Only from Trains.com! […]
