Europe looks to rail to move parcels and small-volume freight

Men loading boxes onto streetcar

Spurred by the growth in home delivery during the pandemic, the desire by legislators to reduce goods vehicle use in cities, and a shortage of drivers in several countries, rail operators in Britain, Italy, and Germany are looking at offering new services with rebuilt equipment for parcels and light freight. Two different projects in the […]

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ScaleTrains.com N scale UP standard turbine

N scale UP standard turbine

A powerful and technologically innovative locomotive unique to the Union Pacific is the latest N scale offering from ScaleTrains.com’s high-end Rivet Counter line. The standard turbine, a 4,500hp jet-age marvel, was developed by Alco/General Electric in response to UP’s constant drive for more potent motive power. ScaleTrains.com’s version captures the appearance and spirit of the […]

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Analysis: Former BNSF executive Matt Rose’s 2019 warning comes true

seated man in suit with microphone

The railroad industry’s chickens have come home to roost. Before he retired in 2019, BNSF Railway Executive Chairman Matt Rose warned that the other Class I railroads were inviting regulatory risk by adopting Precision Scheduled Railroading, reducing service, and demarketing some types of traffic in pursuit of higher profits. “We have this common-carrier obligation to […]

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Ken Cook’s O gauge “Casey” Line

Track plan overview

Facts & features Name: Ken Cook’s O gauge “Casey” Line Dimensions: 14 x 26 feet Track and switches: Lionel FasTrack, tubular (diameters range from 27 to 72 inches) Motive power: Lionel (postwar) Rolling stock: Ambroid, Lionel (postwar), Scale-Craft Models, Zimmer Controls: Lionel type-ZW transformers (2) Accessories: Lionel (prewar, postwar), Marx, Ross Custom Switches Structures: Downtown […]

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The Turlan’s HO scale layout for Walthers

Building with lit up sign on top

Modeling is for hobbyists of all ages, and the Turlan family is an example that proves just that! Xavier and Lindsay Turlan, along with their seven-year-old son Gabriel, all worked together to build a layout for the 2021 National Model Railroad Build-Off. Interested in hearing more from the Turlans? Check out their interview. […]

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Matthew Mendolia’s HO scale layout for Walthers

Industrial scene next to tracks

Matthew Mendolia might have been away at college, but that didn’t stop him from building this impressive layout for the 2021 Walthers National Model Railroad Build-Off from the confines of his dorm room. Matthew uses every piece that he received from his kit from Walthers to prove that you don’t have to spend a lot […]

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Union Pacific reports record financial results

Train rounds curve in late afternoon sunlight

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific reported record financial results on Thursday, including new marks for operating income, net income, earnings per share, and operating ratio. “We pulled all three profitability levers simultaneously: volume, price, and productivity,” CEO Lance Fritz told investors and analysts on the railroad’s earnings call. The railroad improved its outlook and now expects […]

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DJ Arlia’s N scale layout for Walthers

Train yard

Check out the layout built by open class contestant DJ Arlia for the 2021 Walthers National Model Railroad Build-Off! Designed to look like an old chemical plant based in Pittsburgh, Pa., this module is full of interesting details and thought-out designs. Interested in hearing more from DJ? Check out his interview!  […]

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CSX intermodal train derails in Indiana (corrected)

CSX logo

AUBURN, Ind. — An estimated 15 cars of a CSX Transportation intermodal train derailed Wednesday morning in Auburn. No injuries were reported. The Kendallville Star reports the accident occurred on the south side of Auburn, a community of 12,000 about 20 miles north of Fort Wayne. Firefighters from Jackson Township and Auburn responded to the […]

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Transport Canada seeks comment on rail safety culture

Transport Canada logo

OTTAWA, Ontario — Transport Canada has launched an effort seeking public comment on improving the safety culture in the rail industry. The federal agency has developed a Safety Culture Policy Statement defining the term “safety culture,” outlining its role as regulator, and identifying elements that can shape a safety culture, both positively (such as two-way […]

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Weekly rail traffic again moves well ahead of 2020 figures

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic statistics

WASHINGTON — A week after U.S. rail volume took a rare dip toward 2020 levels, the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads once again show a comfortable increase in 2021 traffic over the comparable week a year earlier. For the week ending July 17, overall rail traffic totaled 513,255 carloads and intermodal units, […]

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