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 news updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of March 24, 2022. HO scale freight cars Assorted freight car […]
Q: How do I protect my model railroad from fire? I have re-entered the hobby after many years. My layout will be in a spare bedroom. As I plan my layout, I’ve seen various materials discussed for layout scenery, such as old newsprint, paper towels, foam board, screen, etc. I’ve not seen any mention of […]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The family of a man shot and killed aboard an Amtrak train is suing the passenger railroad and the suspect in the killing for at least $100 million, the Kansas City Star reports. Richie Terell Aaron Jr., 30, was shot aboard the Missouri River Runner on Jan. 14, 2022. His family […]
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Nine people were injured, two critically, in a collision between a St. Louis MetroLink train and a vehicle near the Washington Park station on Sunday afternoon. The driver of the vehicle and one person on the train were in critical condition, the Belleville News-Democrat reported. The car caught fire after […]
AUSTIN, Texas — A Congressman is asking Amtrak to consider service that could give the passenger carrier a connection to Mexico. KSTA radio reports that U.S. Rep Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo) met with Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner and Chief Financial Officer Tracie Winbigler about the possibility of Amtrak resurrecting long-discontinued service between San Antonio and Laredo, […]
TUCSON, Ariz. — The parent company of the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is set to broaden its interests by taking over Old Tucson Studios, a tourist attraction which closed in 2020. The Arizona Daily Star reports that Pima County, Ariz., has recommended that American Heritage Railways receive an operating agreement for Old Tucson. […]
TORONTO — The Toronto Railway Museum has received a $50,000 Community Building Fund grant from the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, helping the museum to continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding is being used to assist with audiovisual equipment and operating costs to improve the museum’s online program, including development […]
DENVER — The Regional Transportation District and its union have both approved a new three-year labor agreement including raises of at least 25% for bus and light rail operators. KMGH-TV reports the RTD board of directors authorized the agreement with Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001, which represents about two-thirds of the district’s employees. It will […]
MONTEVIDEO, Minn. — A Minnesota jury has found a truck driver and BNSF locomotive engineer equally negligent in a suit brought by the engineer over a 2017 collision near Maynard, Minn. The West Central Tribune reports the jury in Chippewa County attributed 45% of the negligence in the accident to engineer William Schmitz, 45% to […]
The Alco Black Marias, a trio of prototype cab units, were the builder’s initial attempt to enter the mainline diesel locomotive market after World War II. The U.S.’s World War II War Production Board closely monitored the railroad locomotive builders and what they could and could not produce. Loosely, EMD was manufacturing mostly road locomotives […]
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Maryland — Hitachi Rail will build a new factory in Washington County to build the new 8000-series railcars for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the company has announced. The $70 million factory, near the Hopewell Valley Industrial Park adjacent to Hagerstown, Md., is projected to employ up to 460 people, and will […]
Rapido Trains announced that it will be offering a Procor 3,000-cubic-foot capacity sodium chlorate hopper in HO scale. The release date for the model has yet to be announced. The first release of the sodium chlorate hopper will be decorated for Procor (1998+ with UNPX reporting marks, Procor wordmark, and top handrails; and 2000+ with […]
