Pere Marquette archives find new home

Logos of the Pere Marquette Historical Society and Plymouth Historial Museum

PLYMOUTH, Mich. —  The Plymouth Historical Museum has signed an agreement to bring the Pere Marquette Historical Society, Inc., archives to the museum. The agreement was signed Aug. 6. “As someone who has been a member of the society since the very beginning and was fortunate enough to know several of the founders of the […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, detail, scenery, book, software, and club offering announcements for August 12, 2021

Amtrak 50th Anniversary General Electric P42 diesel locomotive.

HO scale locomotives  General Electric P42 diesel locomotive. Amtrak 50th anniversary schemes (Midnight Blue, phases 1, 3 [Dash 8], 5, and 6 in one road number each). Prototype-specific nose (as-built and Amtrak rebuilt), vinyl m.u. hoses and trainline hoses, and photo-etched metal radiator fan grill. Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $209.99; with dual-mode SoundTraxx […]

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BNSF train derails in North Dakota

BNSF Railway logo

BISMARCK, N.D. — Approximately 15 cars of a BNSF coal train derailed Sunday afternoon in Bismarck, KX TV news reports. No injuries were reported. Bismarck police and fire and the Burleigh County Sheriff’s responded to the incident just outside the southeast border of the city limits. The derailment initially blocked one roadway, Yegen Road, but […]

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BNSF Railway’s quarterly earnings improve as volume returns

Two locomotives pulling train in large vista of open spaces

FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway’s second-quarter earnings improved as volume and revenue surged compared to a year ago, when the onset of the pandemic led to historic traffic declines. BNSF’s operating income rose 32.5%, to $2 billion, as revenue increased 26%, to $5.6 billion, the railroad’s parent company, Berkshire Hathaway, reported on Saturday. The […]

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Big Boy excursion from New Orleans nears sellout

Fence separates spectators from steaming and smoking steam locomotive on curve

NEW ORLEANS — Limited tickets remain for the Aug. 22 excursion from New Orleans to Plaquemine, La., to be pulled by UP Big Boy No. 4014. The excursion, the only one planned on this year’s Big Boy tour, is a fundraiser for the Union Pacific Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The trip along the Mississippi […]

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Illinois governor signs high speed rail bill

The Illinois state seal, with eagle and shield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill creating a state high speed rail commission. House Bill 399, sponsored by Rep. Martin Moylan (D-Des Plaines) will require the commission to create a statewide plan for a high speed rail line connecting Chicago and St. Louis. [see “Digest: Delays add $300 million to […]

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State says MARTA violated safety rules, but agency criticizes investigation

MARTA Logo

ATLANTA — An investigation by the Georgia Department of Transportation found that the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority violated numerous safety rules, but MARTA has called investigation “flawed and biased.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a copy of the investigation report, as well as written MARTA responses. The Georgia DOT report said the transit agency had […]

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