Classic Toy Trains‘ Editor Rene Schweitzer and Trains.com Staff Writer Lucas Iverson unbox and demonstrate a battery-operated O gauge starter set from Lionel. This Thomas & Friends set comes with Thomas, Annie, Clarabel, accessories, plastic track, and a remote control. Learn what you’ll need to get this set up and running in no time. Read […]
Lionel Thomas & Friends battery operated starter set Classic Toy Trains‘ Editor Rene Schweitzer and Trains.com Staff Writer Lucas Iverson unbox and demonstrate a battery-operated O gauge starter set from Lionel. This Thomas & Friends set comes with Thomas, Annie, Clarabel, accessories, plastic track, and a remote control. Learn what you’ll need to get this […]
PECOS, Texas — Two crew members have died after a Union Pacific train collided with a tractor-trailer truck on Wednesday (Dec. 18) and derailed, sending railcars into a trackside building. The second death, of an individual who had been transported to Odessa, Texas, in serious condition, occurred this morning, officials said during a press conference […]
WASHINGTON — Union Pacific and steelmaker Commercial Metals Co. have asked federal regulators to continue their review of a proposed 6-mile branch in the Phoenix area. The Surface Transportation Board halted the environmental review process for the Pecos Industrial Rail Access Train Extension, or PIRATE, on Aug. 31 after the discovery of what it said […]
Scenery projects on a layout will usually require an abundance of tools to work with. Yet modelers will come across certain devices that, while not a Swiss Army Knife, can be used in multiple facets to help bring a scene to life and keep it vibrant. These essential multi-use tools to transform scenery can be […]
BOSTON — Keolis Commuter Services, the operator of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority commuter rail trains, has reached amended labor agreements with an additional nine of the company’s 14 unions. The agreements, which still need to be ratified by members of each union, will be retroactive to July 1, 2023, when the contracts became amendable, Keolis […]
WASHINGTON — A proposed high speed rail line in the Pacific Northwest will receive $49.7 million for the second stage of planning under the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development program, a group of Washington state legislators announced Wednesday, Dec. 18. U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, along with six members of the […]
FORT WORTH, Texas — The members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have voted to ratify a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with BNSF Railway. “This achievement, following on ratified agreements with many of our other union partners, underscores our commitment to ensure continued exceptional service for our customers,” BNSF CEO Katie Farmer said […]
Our 2023 rail preservation review illustrated a focus on new and renovated museum facilities. In 2024, focus shifted to activities involving locomotives and rolling stock. Of the 79 preservation stories on Trains News Wire this year, 47 relate to locomotives or railcars. Still, buildings did play a role in preservation this year; one of the […]
HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has approved $55 million in funding for 30 rail freight improvement projects, the agency announced on Wednesday (Dec. 18). The funds, for a mix of railroads and rail customers, are from the state’s Rail Transportation Assistance Program and Rail Freight Assistance Program; PennDOT said they would create […]
TOPEKA, Kan. — Fourteen rail projects in Kansas will receive $13 million in funding from the state Department of Transportation’s Rail Service Improvement Program, Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday (Dec. 18). The projects were selected from 22 applications for projects with a total cost of more than $33 million. Projects require a 30% match from […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. weekly rail traffic remains up as the year winds down. Figures for the week ending Dec. 14 saw U.S. railroads move 526,166 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.8% increase over the same week in 2023, according to statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Those figures include 228,400 carloads, down 2.4% from […]
