New model trains for the week of July 9, 2020

Three sheathed boxcars

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP38-2 diesel locomotive. Canadian National (red, white, and black with Illinois Central reporting marks); Canadian Pacific (with large herald in two road numbers, small herald in one number); Illinois Central Gulf (orange-and-white and orange-and-gray schemes, two numbers each); Missouri Pacific (1972 as-delivered paint scheme); Soo Line (red “SOO” lettering on […]

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Metra adds tool to track occupancy rate on trains

More Wednesday rail news in brief: Metra tests ridership dashboard Metra has joined the list of commuter railroads providing online ridership information to help passengers make decisions on finding less-crowded trains. The ridership dashboard, a test program, will classify trains according to four levels of occupancy: low (green), with an average of less than 50 […]

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Work on Lac-Megantic bypass to begin in 2021

More Monday morning rail news in brief: Lac-Megantic bypass work to begin in 2021, government says The government of Quebec announced Sunday that construction of a rail bypass around the town of Lac-Mégantic will begin in 2021. The Montreal Gazette reports that the 8-mile line relocation of the Canadian Pacific, away from the site of […]

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GO Transit to add plastic shields between seats

Commuter rail news in brief for July 6: In pilot program, GO Transit to introduce plastic dividers between seats Toronto area transit agency Metrolinx will introduce clear plastic dividers between seats on some GO Transit trains this week, expanding a pilot program that has placed similar dividers on 30 GO Transit buses. Five trains are […]

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Dow to sell rail operations to Watco

Still more Monday morning rail news: Dow to sell rail operations to Watco Dow Inc. will sell its rail infrastructure and operations at six sites to Watco for more than $310 million, the chemical giant announced today. The two companies will also enter long-term service agreements to continue to provide service to Dow businesses at […]

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Cracked wheels sideline Ottawa light rail equipment

Ottawa O Train logo

More holiday weekend rail news in brief: Ottawa light rail equipment sidelined by cracked wheels In the latest setback for Ottawa’s problem-plagued light rail Confederation Line, service will be scaled back after defective wheels were found on several light rail vehicles. The CBC reports that service was disrupted Friday when a cracked wheel was found […]

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