Meet the Modeler: Richard Weatherby

Scratchbuilt lumber mill

How did you get started in the hobby? I definitely remember my early years (age 5) with my first tinplate locomotive. My father built what is known locally as “Christmas Garden.” The outside loop was Lionel Standard gauge, while the inner figure eight was a wind-up O gauge passenger train. I am celebrating 75 years […]

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Chicago & North Western equipment testers used their own weight

Man beside Chicago & North Western covered hopper car

In 1981, I was Director, Freight Car Engineering, for Berwick Forge & Fabricating, a railcar manufacturer. The company decided to start producing grain covered hopper cars, which seemed to still have a significant market. I developed a prototype car that weighed more than desired, reducing the available load capacity. Although we stenciled the car with […]

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Washington woman pleads guilty in rail terrorism case

BNSF Railway logo

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A Bellingham woman has pleaded guilty to a terrorism charge and violence against a railroad carrier as a result of a November 2020 incident involving BNSF Railway in the Bellingham area. The Associated Press reports Samantha Frances Brooks, 27, entered a guilty plea in July and a federal judge accepted the plea last […]

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Norfolk Southern train derails in Missouri (updated)

Derailed auto racks

HUNTINGTON, Mo. — An estimated 33 cars of a Norfolk Southern train, many of them carrying new automobiles, derailed Monday afternoon in northern Ralls County, Mo. No injuries or hazardous material spills were reported. KHQA-TV reports the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other first responders were notified of the derailment about 12:15 p.m. The accident […]

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Transport Canada approves new switching rules

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA, Ontario — Transport Canada has approved new rules to address uncontrolled movement of railway equipment during switching. The approved rules, announced July 30, determine when air brakes must be used during switching, to ensure a consistent approach across the rail system; measure to secure stationary equipment during switching operations; and speed restrictions when switching […]

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Railroad man

Man in caboose cupola

Railroad man Gainesville Midland Railroad conductor L. C. Birchfield is perched in a caboose cupola in the late 1950s. The railroad ran between Gainesville and Athens in northern Georgia and one time had a branch to Monroe. Seaboard Air Line purchased the road in June 1959. Philip R. Hastings photo […]

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Union Pacific reopens Dry Canyon Bridge (updated)

Train crossing bridge next to construction equipment

WEED, Calif. — Union Pacific has reopened the Dry Canyon Bridge a month ahead of its original estimate, allowing the railroad to resume operations on its I-5 Corridor line between California and the Pacific Northwest. The railroad initially estimated the bridge would not be completed until Sept. 1, but last week said it could be […]

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