TREGO, Wis. — The Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad is planning an outreach tour along the original route of the Mark Twain Zephyr in July, visiting communities in western Illinois, eastern Iowa, and Missouri to seek out people who rode or worked on the train, and to provide updates on the progress in restoring the historic […]
Section: News & Reviews
Digest: Second Missouri River Runner to resume July 19
Missouri River Runner gets second round trip for remainder of year as of July 19 Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner will restore its second daily round trip as of July 19. State funding and federal coronavirus relief funds will maintain the two-round-trip schedule between St. Louis and Kansas City through the remainder of 2021. “We appreciate […]
San Jose-area light rail system could be shut down for months after shooting
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Light rail service in the San Jose area may be suspended for months as a result of last week’s mass shooting that left 10 Valley Transportation Authority workers, including the shooter, dead. That is the word from an agency spokeswoman, the San Jose Mercury News reports, as VTA determines how to […]
Digest: FBI agent charged in shooting onboard DC Metro train
FBI agent faces attempted murder charge for shooting on Metrorail train An FBI agent has been charged with second-degree attempted murder as a result of a 2020 shooting aboard a DC Metro subway train. The Washington Post reports Eduardo Valdivia, 37, was also charged with first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and use of a firearm in […]
Digest: NJ Transit announces additional commuter rail service
NJ transit adds weekday trains, weekend Gladstone Branch trains, North Jersey Coast shuttles NJ Transit announced it would add 60 trains to its commuter rail schedules as of June 6, including select weekday trains throughout the system, weekend Gladstone Branch trains, and additional Long Branch-Bay Head shuttle trains on the North Jersey Coast Line. Weekday […]
Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, detail, tool, and book announcements for June 3, 2021
HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP7 diesel locomotive. New paint schemes: Burlington Northern (green and black), Chicago & Eastern Illinois (black and orange), Conrail (blue and white with small or large lettering, one road number each), and Reading Co. (Pullman Green). New paint schemes: Florida East Coast (yellow and blue), Guilford Rail System (Springfield Terminal […]
News & Products for the week of June 3, 2021
Tools Pull saw blade. 1.5” blade depth. 30 teeth per inch. Hardened serrated steel blade with soft metal backer. Use with wood, plastic, metal, resin, plaster, and foam. For use with Excel K2, K5, and K6 handles; will fit Xacto saw handles. $6.99. Produced by Excel Blades, available from Kalmbach Hobby Store, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Pliers. Wire […]
News & Products for the week of June 3, 2021
Tools Pull saw blade. 1.5” blade depth. 30 teeth per inch. Hardened serrated steel blade with soft metal backer. Use with wood, plastic, metal, resin, plaster, and foam. For use with Excel K2, K5, and K6 handles; will fit Xacto saw handles. $6.99. Produced by Excel Blades, available from Kalmbach Hobby Store, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Pliers. Wire […]
Amtrak Cascades engineer, in first interview since fatal derailment, says he relives accident daily
TACOMA, Wash. — The engineer who was at the controls for the fatal Amtrak Cascades derailment in 2017 says he’s still trying to get his operating license back, although admitting that’s unlikely, and says he relives the accident “all day” during his waking hours. Steven Brown, the 59-year-old engineer who was fired by Amtrak as […]
VIA Rail Canada annual meeting offers few forward-looking details
MONTREAL— Against a backdrop assuring continued service interruptions, VIA Rail Canada released its annual pre-recorded public meeting last week, with brief reports from Chairman Francoise Bertrand, President and CEO Cynthia Garneau, and Chief Financial Officer Marie-Claude Cardin. The meeting came as the Canada-U.S. border remains closed through at least June 21, Canadian vaccinations are lagging, […]
San Jose-area light rail service remains shut down indefinitely in aftermath of shooting
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Valley Transportation Authority light rail service remains suspended indefinitely as a result of the May 26 mass shooting at the VTA maintenance yard, and the substitute bus service which had been operating since the event is being discontinued. The agency reports the bus service is ending because of limited staffing. “Instead, […]
Digest: Transport Canada issues new rules on track maintenance
Transport Canada issues series of new rules on track maintenance Transport Canada issued new rules on track inspection and management on Monday updating the agency’s Rules Respecting Track Safety on a number of fronts, to be addressed in three stages. As outlined in a ministerial order, the first stage addresses training, verification, and record-keeping for […]