I’ve always had a soft spot for small stations. One such example can be found about 30 minutes west of Model Railroader’s Waukesha, Wis., headquarters in Jefferson. Just north of the city of 8,000 is a location on the Union Pacific (UP) called Jefferson Junction. When the Chicago & North Western (C&NW) operated the line, […]
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What is an operating weekend and how does it work? Answer: Well, a group of layout owners who live somewhat near one another decide they want to have folks from out of their area come run their layouts. Organizing an operating weekend But there’s more to an operating weekend than inviting people over to run […]
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Product news 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. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of February 24, 2022. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F7A diesel […]
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Q: I’m designing an HO scale model railroad that will include an old mountain main line that’s due to be closed after a new bypass line has been constructed. Though my line will be freelanced, some examples of what I’m thinking of would be the old Colorado Midland Hagerman Pass line or the Denver […]
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Railroader, photographer, and rail historian Roger Holmes of Hudson, Ill., died Saturday, Feb. 19, after a six-week battle with COVID-19. He was 73. Holmes was a former Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway dispatcher, and had worked for the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad and the Chicago & North Western. He had recently worked with younger […]
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WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will hold a meeting this week with South Florida rail operators, as well as government and law-enforcement officials, to discuss safety efforts in the wake of ongoing fatal accidents involving Brightline passenger service. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports Brightline, Amtrak, CSX, and commuter agency Tri-Rail will be part of […]
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Bay Area Rapid Transit’s planned extension to San Jose could take four years longer to complete than currently estimated and cost substantially more than the original and current estimates, according to a federal report. The Bay Area News Group, which obtained the Federal Transportation Administration document through a Public Records act […]
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SPENCER, Mass. — Three people were injured when a Loram rail grinder collided with a stopped CSX freight train early Sunday morning, requiring some of the injured to be freed by first responders. WCVB-TV reports a CSX statement indicated the accident occurred about 1:30 a.m. Spencer Fire and Emergency Services wrote on Facebook the three […]
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CHAMA, N.M. — After weathering the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns of 2020 and 2021, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad ridership rebounded to within 11% of 2019 ridership, railroad President Scott Gibbs tells Trains News Wire. With most restrictions lifted by July 1, 2021, the railroad carried 37,735 riders for the year versus 42,451 in 2019, Gibbs […]
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ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has recalled 18 laid-off workers at its Juniata Locomotive Shop, the Altoona Mirror reports. Citing information from Bob Kutz, president of the Blair-Bedford Central Labor Council, the newspaper says the railroad has brought back eight machinists, four boilermakers, three electricians, two pipefitters, and a carman. The recalls mean approximately 318 […]
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MITCHELL, S.D. — A South Dakota company has announced plans to build a new soybean processing plant, a facility to be served by BNSF Railway and capable of processing about 35 million bushels of soybeans per year. The Mitchell Republic reports South Dakota Soybean Processors will build the facility about 2 miles south of Mitchell […]
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PITTSBURGH — Railroad Development Corp. has named Nathan M. (Nate) Asplund as executive vice president. In his new role, Asplund will be responsible for support and business development for RDC operations worldwide. Asplund will join RDC on March 1. Most recently, he was partner and president of Columbia Strategic Consulting Group, a Fort Worth, Texas-based […]
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