Wednesday morning tourist rail and excursion news: Durango & Silverton to reopen with shorter trips, steam-diesel combinations The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad has received the OK to begin operations June 23, although those operations are significantly altered from normal practices. The Durango Herald reports that two trains will operate daily, making a two-hour […]
Section: News & Reviews
CN sees growth tied to intermodal, consumers
MONTREAL — Canadian National will be ready to take advantage of economic changes that have been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, CEO JJ Ruest told an investor conference today. Ruest paraphrased hockey great Wayne Gretzky, saying that CN wants to head where the puck will be rather than where the puck is today. And that […]
OmniTRAX names former UP executive as board chairman
Still more Tuesday morning rail news: OmniTRAX names Cameron Scott as board chairman Cameron Scott, a former executive vice president and chief operating officer at Union Pacific, has been named chairman of the board of directors for short line holding company OmniTRAX. Scott held that position from 2014 until his retirement in 2019, after previously […]
Judge rules against conductors’ effort to stop new Metro-North schedule
More Tuesday morning rail news in brief: Judge rules against conductors’ effort to stop new Metro-North schedule A federal judge has rejected an effort by the union for Metro-North Railroad conductors to delay the railroad’s new schedule, which took effect Monday. The Rockland/Westchester Journal News reports that U.S. District Court Judge Ronnie Abrams ruled late […]
Lionel LionMaster 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotive
O gauge Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy by Lionel Price: $1199.99 no. 1932163 Features: O-31 operation, two can-style motors, LionChief Plus 2.0 command and sound system, smoke unit, remote coupler Low speed (cmd): 1.7 scale mph Low speed (conv) 3 smph High speed: 76.2 smph Drawbar pull: 2 lb., 2 oz. Current production road name: […]
Atlas O Trainman O gauge Chesapeake & Ohio cupola caboose
Price: $66.95 (undecorated, $64.95) Features: Separate, factory-applied window awnings, window glazing, smokestack, brake wheels, roof grab irons, and see-through running boards; die-cast metal couplers; solid-bearing caboose trucks; plastic underframe with molded brake detail; interior lighting with on/off control switch on underbody Minimum diameter curve: O-31 Road names:Boston & Maine (blue, white, and orange), Burlington Northern […]
Investigations begin into cause of UP derailment, explosion
Monday morning rail news in brief: Investigations begin into UP derailment, explosion, fire Investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration, Union Pacific, and Wyoming Department of Transportation have all begun work to determine the cause of Saturday’s derailment, explosion, and fire involving a Union Pacific train near Rock Springs, Wyo. SweetwaterNow.com reports the fire involving cars […]
Florida East Coast brings rocket boosters to NASA
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the first time in 10 years, Florida East Coast Railway has handled a train of NASA rocket boosters bound for Kennedy Space Center. Friday’s move of FEC’s “NASA-12” extra brought the Northrop Grumman solid rocket boosters for the Space Launch System Artemis 1, the first of an estimated nine such […]
EU sets deadline to rule on Alstom-Bombardier deal
Monday midday rail news in brief: EU to decide on Alstom-Bombardier deal by July 16 European Union regulators have set a July 16 deadline to decide whether to approve Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier’s rail division, Reuters reports. The deal, an effort to strengthen Alstom’s ability to compete with China’s CRRC, the world’s largest rail equipment […]
Amtrak plans triweekly service for almost all long-distance trains as of Oct. 1
WASHINGTON — Amtrak plans to reduce most long-distance trains to three-day-a-week service as of Oct. 1, according to an internal message obtained by Trains News Wire. In an internal “Service Update,” Amtrak Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Revenue Service Officer Roger Harris told employees today that the goal would be “to restore daily service […]
Video: WalthersMainline HO scale EMD SD50 diesel locomotive
Part of the WalthersMainline series, this HO scale Electro-Motive Division SD50 diesel from Wm. K. Walthers features an ESU Sound & DCC decoder. Check out this smooth performing freight locomotive as Model Railroader senior editor Dana Kawala takes it for a run on the staff’s HO scale model train layout. […]
New model trains for the week of June 18, 2020
See the latest HO, N, and O scale model railroad products from Athearn, Bluford Shops, Walthers, and more! HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP15-1 diesel locomotive. BNSF Ry. (factory weathered Burlington Northern patchout in two road numbers, Heritage I in one number), California Northern (green and cream and Genesee & Wyoming orange and black, three […]