New model trains for the week of August 6, 2020

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HO scale freight cars Bi-level auto rack. New paint schemes: BNSF Ry. (Oxide Red with circle-cross herald and yellow with post-2005 herald), Canadian National (white with red “wet noodle” herald, six road numbers), Conrail (brown with “can opener” herald), CP Rail (red), CSX (yellow), Kansas City Southern (yellow with dual heralds), Mexican Rail Transportation (yellow), […]

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Making the case for daily operation

Second in a series NEW ORLEANS – Centralized decision-making dominated Amtrak’s management philosophy both before and after Tom Downs’ stint as president between 1993 and 1998, but his belief that service, revenue, and expense managing choices had to be made close to the customer fueled the return to daily frequencies. To rectify the situation Downs […]

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New large scale products for August 2020

Caboose

Engines & rolling stock Pennsylvania RR double-sheathed cupola caboose. Separate, factory-applied brake wheels, brake cylinder, smokejack, ladders, and grab irons; plastic wheelsets; and hook-and-loop couplers. $94.99. PIKO America LLC, 619-280-2800, piko-america.com General Electric Dash 9-44CW diesel locomotive. Pre-production artwork shown. 1:29 scale. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (warbonnet); BNSF Ry. (Heritage III); CSX (dark blue […]

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Digest: FBI completes Arizona derailment probe

Aereal view of derailment and damaged bridge

Wednesday morning rail news in brief: Work continues at Tempe derailment site The Federal Bureau of Investigation has completed its investigation into the July 29 derailment of a Union Pacific freight in Tempe, Ariz., KJZZ-FM reports. The derailment and subsequent fire damaged a bridge over Town Lake and closed the railroad’s branch to Phoenix. A […]

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Amtrak prepares for new Siemens diesel locomotive fleet

WASHINGTON – Amtrak has released renderings of the first new Siemens ALC-42 locomotives that will replace the GE P40 and P42 fleet on its national network, including all long distance and many state-sponsored routes. Five of the first six locomotives will have this version of the current Phase VI paint scheme, and one will be […]

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A ‘Zephyr’ in the Wisconsin Northwoods

TREGO, Wis. – With the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad’s purchase of the Mark Twain Zephyr completed, the first and certainly the most complex part of the restoration process has been moved to Trego from Gateway Rail Service in Madison, Ill. The Injun Joe locomotive arrived Saturday evening after being moved by Over the Top Construction […]

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