Lionel Legacy SW8 locomotive Lionel has released an SW8 switcher locomotive in its Legacy line. Classic Toy Trains editor Hal Miller gives you a first look at this engine, which is loaded with extra details like a fan-driven smoke unit, operating couplers, unique number boards, a bell, a single smokestack, two horns, and so much […]
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Menards O gauge Valley Motors car dealership building
Menards has released a new O gauge auto dealership building called Valley Motors. It features lighting, die-cast vehicles, figures, and lots of detail. It would be at home on a layout set in the 1940s to today. The structure harkens back to an era where American cars and trucks were heavy – probably made of […]
Trailing spikemoss
Common name: Trailing spikemoss, golden clubmoss Latin name: Selaginella kraussiana ‘Aurea’ Plant type: Groundcover Plant size: Moist, acidic soil; part or full shade USDA Hardiness Zones: 6-9 Cultural needs: Mounding as high as 6″, spreading to 24″ Spikemoss, with its seaweed-like jointed stems, has an other-world appearance, as do the liverworts, when you get […]
Eastern long-distance trains lack quality control, oversight: trip report
ORLANDO, Fla. — A recent trip from Orlando to Chicago provided a snapshot of the positives and issues that shape Amtrak service during a period that has seen the company reduce service on a number of routes, citing a lack of resources. Tickets were booked using a combination of cash and Amtrak Guest Rewards points […]
Kentucky Steam, Pueblo Railway Foundation swap parts for steam locomotive restorations
RAVENNA, Ky. — Part of a Santa Fe engine is heading East to help return a locomotive to operating condition, thanks to a creative collaboration between two unlikely preservation partners. Two non-profit organizations, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corp. and the Pueblo (Colo.) Railway Foundation, will swap locomotive components, bringing one 78-year-old locomotive’s restoration closer to […]
Higher federal interest rates should have minimal effect on carloads: analysis
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Americans are expecting the Federal Reserve to quell inflation by increasing interest rates this year, but the Feds’ efforts to reel in inflation shouldn’t curb economic activity or carloads. In fact, uncertainties around higher interest rates may tame spending enough to allow the supply chain to recover after high post-pandemic demand weighed […]
California Coastal Commission threatens action against transit district over safety fence
DEL MAR, Calif. — The California Coastal Commission is now threatening “enforcement actions” against the North County Transit District if it builds a safety fence along its right-of-way on the Del Mar Bluffs without obtaining a development permit from the Commission. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports the latest twist in the dispute between the transit […]
CEO of Texas transit agency resigns
LEWISVILLE, Texas — Denton County Transportation Authority CEO Raymond Suarez has resigned, effective March 31. The Denton Record-Chronicle reports the authority board of directors unanimously accepted the resignation after two hours in closed session and named Paul Cristina, currently deputy CEO, as interim CEO. Suarez did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment. Suarez […]
Cleanup continues after Union Pacific derailment in Texas
PITTSBURG, Texas — Cleanup continues after at least 20 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Sunday afternoon in Pittburg, Texas. KLTV reports Pittsburgh Mayor David Abernathy said a train of more than 13,000 feet was involved, with two different portions derailing. No injuries were reported. KXTW-TV reports the accident occurred about 1 p.m., and […]
Analysis: No deal-breakers emerge from barrage of comments about CP-KCS merger
Bash Canadian Pacific Kansas City Day – otherwise known as Feb. 28, the deadline for comments on the CP-Kansas City Southern merger – has come and gone. What have we learned from the flurry of regulatory filings from other railroads, shippers, and lineside communities? The Class I railroads behaved like you’d expect: Following a tradition […]
FTA announces $2.2 billion relief package for transit systems
WASHINGTON — At an event with Vice President Kamala Harris, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced that it will award $2.2 billion to 35 recipients in 18 states through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. The funds will help public transportation agencies pay for day-to-day operations as they continue to provide […]
Meet the Modeler: Jim Kelly
What was your first train set (or locomotive)? When I was very young, I had several Marx wind-up trains. They would circle the loop of track several times and then run down. My first “real” train set was an S gauge American Flyer with an Atlantic type steam locomotive and several cars. I was probably […]