Wreckage of SP boat used to build Lucin Cutoff reappears as Great Salt Lake shrinks

Wreckage in lake bed

SALT LAKE CITY — A boat used by Southern Pacific to help build its route across the Great Salt Lake has resurfaced as a result of the lake’s shrinking water level. KTVX-TV reports the W.E. Marsh No. 4, which first set sail on the lake in 1902, has reappeared as the lake’s water level reaches […]

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Ogden, Utah, buys Union Station land

Station building with fountains in foreground

OGDEN, Utah — The City of Odgen has answered questions about the future of Ogden Union Station by purchasing the land under the historic structure from Union Pacific. KSTU-TV reports the city agreed earlier this month to purchase the 8.06-acre parcel from UP for $5.56 million. The railroad turned the building over to the city […]

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DOT appoints members to FTA safety advisory committee

Federal Transit Administration logo

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has named 24 people —representing transit agencies, unions, research groups, and other organizations — to the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety. The group meets at least once a year and advises the Secretory of Transportation and FTA administrator on transit safety and other issues. “We […]

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Tangent Scale Models releases first O scale model

Group photo of six O scale tank cars

Tangent Scale Models releases first O scale model Tangent Scale Models released its first O scale model, the General American 1928-design 6,000-gallon three-compartment tank car. The brass model, produced in the Republic of Korea by SamModel, is available in O scale and Proto:48 versions. Road names include Cosden & Co. Petroleum Products, Tulsa, Okla. (1929+), […]

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Garden railroading in Hawaii

Garden railroading in Hawaii: model sugar cane train

Garden railroading in Hawaii: In late 2013, my wife set in motion a scheme that eventually became the Oberammergau, Ogden & Olomana Railroad – the Triple O. A few books, a GR subscription, and a year of study later, and we broke ground on what has become a family project to bring a stylized piece […]

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Modeling rocks on a budget

A green-and-white Alco diesel passes by a rock cut in a hill topped with trees and line poles

Unless you’re modeling a flatland railroad – and maybe even if you are – your layout needs rocks. Building a level right-of-way through the ups and downs of natural terrain involves cuts and fills, exposing bare rock. A railroad with a mountainous setting, be it Appalachian or Rocky, calls for even more rocks. Between foam […]

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What are railroad signs for?

red BNSF train with speed limit signs

Railroad signs Railroads, like highway systems, use a variety of signs, signals, and identification markers to convey information to railroaders along a route. Railroads have established mileposts – identified by signs, markers, or displays – to give the crew and dispatcher a quick method for identifying their location on a railroad in all weather conditions […]

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Swiss gauge-changing Panoramic Express debuts on Golden Pass route

Push-pull train of gauge-changing equipment in snowy Swiss town

INTERLAKEN, Switzerland — A concept the Swiss rail industry (and its passengers) has dreamed of for years became reality in mid-December with the debut of through trains from Montreux on Lake Geneva to Interlaken in the heart of the Alps. No new rail lines were needed but some modern railway technology was. The route includes […]

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