Metra to add trains on three lines, adjust schedules on fourth

Commuter train with blue and silver locomotive arrives at brick station with central tower

CHICAGO — Metra will increase service on three lines — including significant additions on the Milwaukee District North and Milwaukee District West routes — and adjust schedules on a fourth effective Monday, Dec. 12, the commuter operator has announced. In all, 28 trains will be added. The North Central Service will see one new round trip, […]

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FBI agent acquitted in shooting aboard DC Metrorail train

ROCKVILLE, Md. — An FBI agent who shot a man in a confrontation aboard a DC Metrorail train in December 2020 has been acquitted of attempted second-degree murder and related charges. A jury returned the verdict on Friday, the Washington Post reports, concluding a four-day trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Eduardo Valdivia, 38, had […]

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How to use heat-shrink tubing

Package of small-diameter heat-shrink tubing next to box of multi-colored, pre-cut tubing

Heat-shrink tubing is something you need to have in your wiring toolkit. This material makes neat, insulated soldered joints simple and fast.   What is heat-shrink tubing? As the name implies, the material shrinks when it’s heated. It comes in multiple sizes, some of which are somewhat specialized and are most likely to be found in […]

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“Cabooses” or “cabeese”?

Five colorful model cabooses go into a tunnel on a mountainous train layout

One piece of rolling stock I can bet almost every model railroader owns is a caboose. These cars are a staple in both real life and the model form, to the point where many people who don’t know much about trains at all know what a caboose is. Along with the existence of the word […]

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Rapido Electro-Motive Division E8 Amtrak No. 4316

An image of a black model locomotive against a lbue sky background

Rapido Electro-Motive Division E8 Amtrak No. 4316 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: With dual-mode ESU LokSound sound decoder, $399.95 Era: 1971 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Electro-Motive Division E8 Amtrak No. 4316 features: Plastic and etched-metal details Unique nose with missing MU door Correct back ends, […]

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The Menards Beta 4 Santa Fe locomotives

Menards A-A Beta 4.0 Santa Fe locomotives

The Menards Beta 4 Santa Fe locomotives are the latest version of the company’s foray into motive power. A year or so ago Menards tested the waters with a diesel locomotive in Santa Fe paint. Let’s take a look at this set and see what’s changed with this latest release. In this Beta 4 version, […]

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Biden signs bill preventing nationwide railroad strike

Trains Washington Watch logo

Railroad employees picket outside the North American Rail Shippers conference in Kansas City on May 10, 2022. Trains: David Lassen WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden today signed legislation averting a railroad strike that would have shut down the national freight network and snarled Amtrak and commuter service. “Our nation’s rail system is literally the backbone […]

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