Minor leaguer’s home run hits passing train

Image of ballpark outfield with autoracks passing by.

WORCESTER, Mass. — When Trains Magazine wrote about baseball parks near railroad tracks (“High iron baseball,” June 2023), one of the qualifications for the article was the ability to see trains pass from within the ballpark. Worcester’s Polar Park didn’t make the magazine — although it’s in this Trains.com article — but it’s clear it […]

Read More…

Austin, Texas, sets 10-day commuter rail shutdown in July

Austin MetroRail service has been shut down Monday and Tuesday because of winter weather. TRAINS: David Lassen

AUSTIN, Texas — CapMetro commuter rail service will be suspended from Wednesday, July 5, to Friday, July 14, the transit agency has announced, to allow for maintenance along the rail road and work on McKalla Station, a new stop near Q2 Stadium, the home of Austin’s Major League Soccer team. That station is scheduled to […]

Read More…

U.S. weekly rail traffic shows more moderate decline

Intermodal train on triple-track railroad

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic for the week ending June 17 was one of the mildest weekly declines this year, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Overall traffic was 477,126 carloads and intermodal units, down just 3% from the same week in 2022. That included 228,724 carloads, up 1.2%, and 248,402 containers […]

Read More…

Brightline celebrates completion of Orlando route construction

Large group of people standing in front of two locomotives holding yellow railroad spikes

ORLANDO, Fla. — With a display of civic support from mayors along its route, Brightline has celebrated completion of construction on its route to Orlando, as well as the contribution its employees have made in forging a unique passenger rail operation. The event today (Wednesday, June 21) at Brightline’s Orlando International Airport station comes as […]

Read More…

Federal proposal would require railroads to maintain, provide information on hazardous materials in train consists

Black cloud of smoke above town

WASHINGTON — A new proposal from the federal government would require railroads to maintain updated electronic information on hazardous materials in train consists, and to transmit that information to local first responders as soon as the railroad is aware of an incident. The Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced the proposed […]

Read More…

Norfolk Southern to fund $25 million renovation of East Palestine park

Norfolk Southern logo

EAST PALESTINE — East Palestine’s city council has approved a master plan for revitalizing the city’s main park, a project being funded entirely by Norfolk Southern. The park improvements are expected to cost more than $25 million, bringing the railroad’s total financial commitment to the community since the Feb. 3 derailment to approximately $62 million, […]

Read More…

CPKC and Americold team up to locate cold storage facilities along rail network

Red locomotive with single intermodal car

CALGARY, Alberta — A global operator of temperature-controlled warehouses will locate facilities along the CPKC network, the railway and Americold Realty Trust announced on Wednesday. The first cold storage facility under the collaboration deal will be built in Kansas City, Mo., which is on the route of CPKC’s new Mexico Midwest Express intermodal service linking […]

Read More…

Ask Trains.com June 2023 compilation part two

Ask Trains.com June 2023 compilation part two: An image of a man in a blue shirt standing behind a table

Ask Trains.com June 2023 compilation part two: Cody Grivno answers questions regarding figures seen in the pages of Model Railroader, the compatibility of track from different manufacturers, and more! Are you looking to learn more about your model railroad, or do you have questions about full-size trains? We’d love to hear from you! Send us […]

Read More…

Senators remain concerned about geographic balance of Amtrak board

Man at table in congressional hearing room

WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation struck two disparate themes during a hearing today (Wednesday, June 21) for three nominees for Amtrak’s board of directors. One, they remain concerned that President Joe Biden’s board nominees board do not meet a geographic-balance requirement. Two, the desire remains strong on the […]

Read More…

Built by Others: Jean Levasseur’s GP & Sons Lumber Co. in HO scale

Model wood structure raised over train tracks with long arm and dark brown pincers for picking up logs

Built by Others is an article series showcasing layouts constructed by modelers using plans and projects from the pages of Model Railroader and its associated products. The Olympia series started on MR Video Plus as an On30 logging railroad video series. Jean Levasseur converted the layout to HO scale and made some modifications to the […]

Read More…