Q: On page 45 of the Nov. 2022 issue, a swing gate is shown as part of Mark Carlson’s Chicago & North Western layout. It looks like a marvelous way of avoiding duckunders, lift bridges, and other methods of entering an around-the-room layout. Are there any alignment problems or inherent sagging issues of which builders […]
Whitcomb 65-tonner Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct current, $279.99; with PIKO SmartSound 5.1 sound decoder, $389.99 Era: 1940s+ (depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: PIKO America LLC, 4610 Alvarado Canyon Rd., Ste. 5, San Diego, CA 92120; piko-america.com Whitcomb 65-tonner features: Diecast chassis and hood Metal handrails Factory-applied details Maryland Midland locomotives feature American-style end beams, fully enclosed around the […]
EMD E7 from American Z Line Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: 1945+ Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com EMD E7 features: 7mm motor dual flywheels prototype specific details directional controlled light-emitting diode lighting optional front truck with mounted coupler blackened metal wheels AutoLatch couplers DCC ready Release date: […]
KEYTESVILLE, Mo. — Arguments in federal court over an arbitration requirement included in Amtrak ticket purchases remain a sticking point in state court suits from June’s fatal derailment of the Southwest Chief near Mendon, Mo., KMBC-TV reports. In Thursday arguments in Chariton County Circuit Court, BNSF and Amtrak argued that passengers agreed to settle […]
ARLINGTON, Va. — Agricultural shippers have urged Congress to prevent a national railroad strike or lockout, which they said would have “devastating consequences to our national and global food security.” A railroad network shutdown would exacerbate agricultural shipping challenges, which include rail congestion on the big four U.S. systems, record low water levels that have […]
ST. JAMES PARISH, La. — Residents of all but two homes evacuated after leak of hydrochloric acid were cleared to return home Thursday, a day after a Canadian National derailment that breached a tank car carrying 20,000 gallons of the hazardous material, the Advocate newspaper reports. And the evacuation is expected to be lifted for […]
MONROE, La. — Officials and other interested parties from Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama met Thursday in Monroe to discuss funding efforts needed to launch service I-20 Corridor Passenger Rail Service, a proposal for an Amtrak route linking Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as existing Texas Eagle, City of New Orleans, and Crescent operations, […]
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority should meet a number of deadlines in November for corrective action ordered by the Federal Transit Administration, MBTA officials told the transit agency’s board on Thursday. But the agency remains short of the number of dispatchers it needs to restore subway cuts that were made in June because […]
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — Michelle Bouchard, who has been acting executive director of Caltrain since April 2021, has been named as the commuter operator’s first permanent executive director. The Caltrain board of directors announced Bouchard’s unanimous appointment on Thursday, Nov. 3. “Michelle has been a dynamic and engaged leader for Caltrain,” Caltrain Board Chair Steve […]
Menards Santa Fe diesel program launched a little more than a year ago with its first beta test. The company has released several more iterations of its F units, which it markets as “Santa Fe Diesel Locomotive,” soliciting customer feedback. The latest iteration, beta 4.0, is an A-A set in Santa Fe’s “bluebonnet” paint scheme […]
American Z Line ALCO PA1 Scale: Z (1:220) Price: Contact manufacturer Era: Late 1940s+ Manufacturer: American Z Line, 6142 Northcliff Blvd., Dublin, OH 43016; 614-764-1703; americanzline.com ALCO PA1 features: prototype specific details 7mm can motor dual flywheels directional controlled light-emitting diode lighting six-axle trucks with blind middle axle blackened metal wheels traction tires optional snowplow, optional […]
WASHINGTON — Republican members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure have asked Amtrak board chairman Tony Coscia for a briefing to explain “six-figure bonuses to top executives paid largely from taxpayer funds, even while the company experienced historic financial and ridership losses.” A letter released by Missouri Rep. Sam Graves, ranking member of […]
