General American G85 85-foot flatcar from Walthers

Drawing of green flatcar with white background

Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $34.98 Era: 1961 to late 2000s Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218, 414-527-0770, walthers.com General American 85-foot G85 flatcar features: Different size nameplates to match prototype General American (GATC) hitches in raised and lowered positions or container pedestals as appropriate Die-cast metal center sill Detailed […]

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Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads

Blue-and-yellow cab unit locomotive next to a depot in a snowy scene.

Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads Alco locomotives on NY shortline railroads: A drive along twisting mountain byways through freshly fallen snow, ears straining for the slightest hint of the groan from the horn atop an ALCO RS-3, camera at the ready for the first sign of a brightly colored locomotive is how my trip […]

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More fiction books about railroading and locomotive topics

two railway themed books

Fiction books about railroading and locomotive topics     The Necropolis Railway (A Jim Stringer mystery) By Andrew Martin Genre: Mystery/crime novel First published: 2002 It’s November 14, 1903, and young Jim Springer is traveling to London to start a job on the London & South Western Railway. He’s put to work cleaning engines No. […]

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Speakers, schedule set for hearing on CP-KCS merger

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — A broad range of representatives of railroads, unions, shippers, environmental organizations, and opponents are scheduled to testify during the Surface Transportation Board’s three-day hearing on the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger, set for next Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 28-30. The STB released the full list of scheduled speakers today (Sept. 22) along […]

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Walthers auto parts boxcar

Screen capture of HO scale boxcar on wood workbench.

An HO scale 60-foot double-door auto parts boxcar is back in the Walthers product lineup. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he reviews the Mainline series car, based on a Pullman-Standard (PS) prototype. The Walthers auto parts boxcar has updated tooling featuring new car sides; 10- and 6-foot doors; a separate, factory-applied brake […]

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Walthers auto parts boxcar

Screen capture of HO scale boxcar on wood workbench.

An HO scale 60-foot double-door auto parts boxcar is back in the Walthers product lineup. Join Model Railroader Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he reviews the Mainline series car, based on a Pullman-Standard (PS) prototype. The Walthers auto parts boxcar has updated tooling featuring new car sides; 10- and 6-foot doors; a separate, factory-applied brake […]

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Three injured in Denver-area light-rail derailment (updated)

Damaged light-rail train in roadway

AURORA, Colo. — Three people were taken to local hospitals with injuries after a Regional Transportation District light-rail train derailed in Aurora on Wednesday afternoon, the Denver Post reports. The accident occurred about 3:45 p.m. on a tight curve through the intersection at South Sable Boulevard and East Exposition Avenue. That location is about a […]

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Intermodal volume drags down weekly U.S. rail figures

Weekly table showing U.S. carload traffic by commodity type plus overall intermodal figures

WASHINGTON — A significant drop in intermodal traffic was the catalyst for a decline in weekly U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Sept. 17, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Overall traffic was 490,654 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.9% from the same week in 2021. That included 251,126 containers and […]

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