Double headed live steam snow plowing

Locomotive plowing snow in Maine

Long-time Garden Railways contributor Eric Schade shows off running and plowing scenes on his Winneance & Quebec Railway. The scenes have it all: double-headed steam locomotives, craftsman-level coaches, snowy scenes and more! Schade creates his garden railroad empire in Maine. […]

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BNSF covered hopper variations

BNSF Ry. Trinity 5161 covered hopper no. 475119 with circle-cross herald.

BNSF covered hopper variations are easy to spot if you live near or have railfanned along the BNSF Railway anytime in the past 20 years. If you have, you’ve most likely seen one of the railroad’s 100-plus car grain shuttles. These trains, dubbed “earthworms” by railfans because of how the long string of mineral red […]

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Ask MR: What do covered gondolas carry?

A black gondola with a white Fiberglas cover is seen in a train in front of a red barn

Q: What kind of cargo is in those gondolas I see that have rounded covers on them? – John Martin A: That depends on the kind of covers you’re talking about. If the gondola in question has low sides and the cover is a tall one with lifting and stacking brackets on it, it’s a […]

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LA Metro awarded $1.24 billion in pandemic funds

LA Metro light rail train on curving bridge

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been awarded $1.24 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help pay for expenses incurred by the agency during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Metro will use the America Rescue Plan Act funds to benefit riders, including seniors, persons with disabilities, low-income and transit dependent […]

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Maryland Purple light rail line will cost $1.4 billion more to finish

White interior of light rail car with purple seats

BALTIMORE – Maryland’s Purple Light Rail Line would begin carrying passengers in the Washington suburbs over four years late and cost an additional $1.4 billion to build under a proposed contract to complete the project, Maryland transportation officials said this week. The state’s cost of a broader agreement for a private concessionaire to build, operate, and […]

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New spent nuclear fuel escort railcar heads into final phase of testing

light blue boxy railcar

PUEBLO, Colo. – A new high-tech railcar developed by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of Energy is moving from Oregon to the Association of American Railroads Transportation Technology Center test track near Pueblo for multiple-car testing. The Rail Escort Vehicle is designed to transport security personnel during the shipment of spent nuclear fuel and high-level […]

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MARS Notebook: Meet the new boss

Man in suit and tie speaking

LOMBARD, Ill. — Notes from Wednesday’s appearances by Class I CEOs at the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers Winter Meeting: Meet the new boss New Norfolk Southern President Alan Shaw showed a nice touch of self-deprecating humor in his Wednesday luncheon speech before MARS and the Traffic Club of Chicago, as demonstrated with his description […]

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Senate confirms Bose as FRA administrator

Man in suit at microphone

WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association reacted positively Wednesday after Senate confirmation of Amit Bose as Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. “For the nation’s railroads, there is no higher priority than safety,” AAR CEO Ian Jefferies said in a statement, “and the industry is committed […]

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