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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BLET president to retire, avoiding rerun of election

Logo of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineer and Trainmen President Dennis Pierce said today he will retire, avoiding a rerun of the union’s presidential election and clearing the way for Eddie Hall to become the union’s new president. In a statement on the BLET website, Pierce said the union’s Elections Protest Committee had determined that […]

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MARTA unveils new cars, part of $646 million order

Rapid-transit carbody in wrapper sits on trailer while MARTA train sits in background

ATLANTA — The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority unveiled its newest railcars on Friday, representing a $646 million investment to replace its aging fleet of 340 cars. The new CQ400 railcars will replace MARTA’s existing fleet of CQ310, CQ311 and CQ312 cars. In November 2019, MARTA’s board of directors approved the $646 million deal with […]

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Union Pacific puts stop to new embargoes after STB hearings

Freight train passing grain elevator

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific has paused its use of new embargoes to limit congestion. The move, announced today (Friday, Dec. 16), comes after two days of Surface Transportation Board hearings where shippers, rail labor, and regulators were critical of the railroad’s increasing reliance on embargoes since 2018, the year it adopted a Precision Scheduled […]

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Walthers HO scale asphalt parking lot

Asphalt parking lot: a model asphalt parking lot against a white background

Walthers HO scale asphalt parking lot Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $19.98 Manufacturer: Wm. K. Walthers Inc., 5601 W. Florist Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53218; 414-527-0770; walthers.com Walthers asphalt parking lot features: New paving style Molded in textured dark gray styrene with stress crack details Assemble like sectional track to build a detailed parking lot big or small […]

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Grant seeks almost $179 million for Amtrak Gulf Coast route improvements

aerial view of land along railroad tracks near water

RIDGELAND, Miss. — A federal grant seeks almost $179 million to fund improvements for Amtrak Gulf Coast service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., while CSX Transportation will pay almost $10 million toward the matching funds for those improvements, according to a news report. The non-profit news site Mississippi Today reports the Alabama State Port […]

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Polar Express layout tips

scene on O gauge Polar Express layout

Polar Express layout tips: We at CTT had a lot of fun building our recent Polar Express layout. Despite building several project layouts over the years, I learned new techiques and ideas during the five days we spent working on this project. Perhaps one of these tips will inspire you too. Happy holidays! Polar Express […]

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Montana’s Isaak Walton Inn is sold

Passenger train passes inn building

ESSEX, Mont. — The Izaak Walton Inn, the trackside property along BNSF main line adjacent to Glacier National Park that is a longtime railfan destination, is under new ownership. The Daily Inter Lake reports that Brian Kelly, who has owned the property since 2006, has sold it to Loge Camps, a hotel marketed toward outdoors […]

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BNSF, J.B. Hunt participate in wreath-laying event in Southern California

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — BNSF Railway and multimodal transportation company J.B. Hunt are transporting more than 6,400 wreaths to Riverside National Cemetery as part of their annual participation in the Wreaths Across America program. Today (Friday, Dec. 16), at 7 a.m. PST, a J.B. Hunt truck accompanied by a Patriot Guard motorcycle escort will move the […]

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Class I railroads split on taking conductors out of the locomotive cab

Intermodal train passes between two stopped trains

The big six Class I railroads are not of one mind regarding taking conductors out of the locomotive cab and redeploying them to pickup trucks. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern told the Federal Railroad Administration this week that they are negotiating with unions about testing the concept, which would involve having conductors assist trains in […]

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Judge rules Canadian Pacific is not liable in Lac-Mégantic disaster

Fire-damaged town and derailed train

MONTREAL — A Quebec judge has found that Canadian Pacific is not liable in the 2013 runaway-train disaster that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. The Canadian Press reports that Justice Martin Bureau ruled Wednesday that the actions of which Canadian Pacific was accused were not the “direct, immediate and logical cause” of the July […]

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FTA grants to help upgrade five NJ Transit stations

NJ Transit logo

WASHINGTON — NJ Transit will receive more than $34 million in federal funding to upgrade stations on three routes to meet accessibility standards, U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker announced this week. Grants awarded under the Federal Transit Administration’s All Stations Accessibility Program are: — $18,187,378 to the Anderson Street station in Hackensack and […]

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