WalthersProto HO scale EMD FP7 and F7B

WalthersProto HO scale EMD FP7 and F7B

Walthers has reissued its HO scale Electro-Motive Division FP7 and F7B diesel locomotives with new tooling and a LokSound 5 Digital Command Control sound decoder. And wow, is it a brute. The pair of locomotives together mustered almost 2⁄3 of a pound of drawbar pull in our benchwork test and wrestled 30 cars up a […]

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MBTA conductor sues over injuries, blaming defective car door

Train pulling up to the station

BOSTON — A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority conductor is suing the operator of MBTA commuter trains, saying a defective door caused the partial amputation of one finger. The Quincy (Mass.) Patriot Ledger reports the suit by Quincy resident Allen Chin is one of eight against contract commuter operator Keolis over the last six years over […]

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Siemens demonstrates driverless trains and streetcars in Germany

White commuter train with no engineer in cab

HAMBURG, Germany — Rail equipment firm Siemens has launched two types of driverless train operations in Germany, introducing a commuter train in the northern port city of Hamburg and a fully autonomous streetcar in Potsdam, just west of Berlin. The company is working toward making both technologies commercially available within a few years, as is […]

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Brightline West announces partners in Rancho Cucamonga extension

Commuter train, with cab car leading, arrives at station platform

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — With  environmental planning completed for construction of a 200-mph electrified railroad from Las Vegas, Nev., only as far as Victorville, Calif., Brightline West has entered into a memorandum of understanding with California transportation authorities to explore extending tracks to an existing Metrolink commuter rail station in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., where passengers […]

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Cleveland RTA train separates while in motion

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority logo

CLEVELAND — One person required transport to a hospital after a Regional Transit Authority Red Line train separated while in motion on Thursday afternoon, WKYC-TV reports. The incident involved a westbound train heading for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, with the uncoupling occurring between the Cudell and West 117th Street stations. Police and Cleveland Fire first […]

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Wabtec wins contract for Metra car components

Rendering of new commuter rail cars

PITTSBURGH — Wabtec will supply components for a Metra order for new passenger cars, the company announced today. Included are brakes; passenger doors; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; and event recorders. The 200-car order for new bilevel cars is being built by Alstom under a contract approved by the Metra board earlier this […]

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Utah official to become new Sonoma-Marin general manager

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit logo

PETALUMA, Calif. — Current Utah Transit Authority official Eddy Cumins will become the new general manager of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, the agency has announced. KPIX-TV reports Cumins, UTA’s chief operating officer, will join SMART on Nov. 29. “This is a terrific hire for SMART,” the agency’s board of directors said in a statement. “Eddy […]

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Chihuahua al Pacífico

Dirty orange diesel locomotives

Chihuahua al Pacífico Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico chop-nosed 515 and unadulterated sister 509 work a freight at La Junta, Chihuahua, in March 1975. The government-owned railroad began service in 1961 and became part of Ferromex in 1998. Keith E. Ardinger photo […]

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Accurail announces custom-decorated cars for “virtual Trainfest”

Three BN two-bay Center Flow covered hoppers painted gray with black graphics.

Accurail, an Elburn, Ill.-based manufacturer of easy-to-build HO scale injection-molded plastic kits, announced the models it will be offering for “virtual Trainfest.” Accurail has a longstanding tradition of producing custom-run cars for the annual train show, which has been on hiatus the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s lineup includes Burlington […]

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News photo: Amtrak Chargers on the move

Two diesels — black locomotive with blue stripe and blue and red locomotive — pulled past station by electric locomotive

PERRYVILLE, Md. — Amtrak’s first two Siemens ALC42 Charger long-distance locomotives, No. 300, in the interim “Phase VI” paint scheme, and No. 301, in the “Day One” scheme, are pulled through Perryville by an ACS64 on Thursday, in a deadhead move from Amtrak’s Wilmington, Del., shops to Washington. From there, they are reportedly headed to […]

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Union Pacific sets quarterly marks for operating ratio and profits

Container train with two yellow locomotives

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific set third-quarter records for operating ratio, profits, and earnings per share despite flat traffic volume and the impact of wildfires and bad weather that hurt service reliability. “The Union Pacific team dealt with multiple network disruptions that required us to rebuild bridges, reroute trains, and connect more closely with other […]

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Review: Rapido HO scale New Look bus

Three Rapido New Look buses in varying paint schemes

Rapido has returned with the second release of its HO scale New Look buses, and this time the vehicles are packed with an array of intricate details and new features that come together to create a model that impresses with its levels of realism. The New Look buses were originally built by General Motors in […]

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