WASHINGTON – The Surface Transportation Board has rejected real estate moguls’ effort to force Union Pacific to sell its mothballed Tennessee Pass line in Colorado. But the board’s ruling leaves open the possibility that KCVN and Colorado Pacific, which proposed buying the Tennessee Pass line and restoring it to service to haul agricultural and mining […]
A Wednesday morning update on rail service changes in response to the COVID-19 outbreak: — After introducing reduced service on Tuesday, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has made some adjustments beginning today, reflecting Tuesday usage. The agency will add morning Blue Line service, additional Green Line E branch service — in part to support workforce […]
Association of American Railroads WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 14, 2020. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 463,017 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending March 14 were […]
Passengers board the Missouri River Runner at Kirkwood, Mo., in 2014. A state house committee has voted to overturn a plan which would cut the service from two round trips to one. Bob Johnston More Tuesday morning rail news: — Amtrak says it and its state partners will need $1 billion in assistance as a […]
Intercity, commuter, and local passenger rail systems contine to adjust to the COVID-19 outbreak. Here are the latest service changes as of Tuesday morning: — Amtrak has announced further reductions. Because Amtrak continues to adjust schedules, check Amtrak.com or Amtrak smartphone apps for the latest status. Here are changes as of Monday evening: – Effective […]
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — In light of the coronavirus situation, Wheel Rail Interaction 2020, scheduled for April 28-May 1 in Vancouver, has been rescheduled to Aug. 31-Sept. 3, presenter Wheel Rail Seminars has announced. Trains Magazine is the presenting sponsor for the event, which will remain at its original site, the Hyatt Regency Vancouver. Those […]
ScaleTrains.com HO scale GE C39-8 diesel An HO scale General Electric C39-8 diesel-electric locomotive gets the ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter treatment. As with the N scale version that I reviewed in the August 2019 issue, this HO scale locomotive features roadname- and road number-specific detail. Our review sample also came equipped with an ESU LokSound V.5 decoder […]
MRC Throttlepack 9950 The green plug on the back of the cabinet features terminals for track power and accessories. The Throttlepack 9950 isn’t a new face in the Model Rectifier Corp. power pack lineup. However, the train controller, designed for N, HO, O, and G scales, now has the ability to operate Digital Command Control […]
Walthers 40-foot HO single-sheathed boxcar Modelers of mid-20th century railroading have a new piece of rolling stock to add to their fleets in the Walthers Mainline 40-foot American Railroad Association (ARA) standard single-sheathed boxcar. This ready-to-run car is modernized with AB brakes and has metal ends and doors. An adaptable standard. The 1923 ARA XM-1 […]
Atlas Model Railroad Co. hopes to recruit a new generation of hobbyists into model railroading with its new Trainkids line. The first offering under this new brand is a passenger train set inspired by Amtrak’s high-speed Northeast Corridor train, the Acela Express. The set comes with a battery-powered locomotive/first-class car set, two more passenger cars, […]
Amtrak’s Auto Train prepares to leave Lorton, Va., on January 29, 2020. Bob Johnston WASHINGTON — As Amtrak reduces frequencies in the Northeast and consults with its state partners about reductions on regional corridors, the country’s coronavirus situation is leading to atypical traffic on the Auto Train route, and having at least a temporary impact […]
Class I railroads have been updating customers on their response to the COVID-19 outbreak, with four offering information through their company websites. Here’s the most recent information: — Norfolk Southern, in a March 14 note from Alan Shaw, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said it is allowing remote work for employees whose jobs […]
