Meeting the Electro-Motive Division SW1 The time-tested Electro-Motive Division SW1 has long been one of my favorite diesel locomotives. My fascination with the 600hp end-cab switcher didn’t start when the locomotives were earning their keep on the big railroads. Instead, my introduction came at the Crookston (Minn.) Farmers Co-op Elevator, less than a block from […]
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Annual Christmas car Scale: Large scale (1:22.5) Price: $189 Manufacturer: LGB (Märklin, Inc.), 1406 Creek Trail Dr., Ste. 100, Jefferson City, MO 65109; 800-321-8811; lgb.com Features: Positionable doors Solid metal wheelsets Clear window glazing Plastic icicle detail Hook-and-loop couplers Release date: Third quarter 2022 Paint scheme: Christmas 2022 News & Products is a regular feature of […]
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40-foot stockcar Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: Single car, $34.99; four-pack, $121.99 Era: 1940s+ to 1970s (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Separate, factory-applied brake wheel Underbody brake system details Machined metal wheels with RP-25 contours Body mounted McHenry scale couplers Minimum radius: 18” Release […]
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40-foot smooth-side intermodal container Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: Three-pack, $41.99 Era: 1970s to 1990s Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: Injection-molded plastic Stackable Release date: September 2023 Paint schemes: American Mail Line (off-white), American Presidential Line (gray with red logo), “K” Line (gray with red logo), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines […]
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PALESTINE, Texas — The city of Palestine and Anderson County, Texas, are asking a federal court to rehear their case attempting to uphold a 1954 agreement, with roots dating to 1872, which requires Union Pacific to maintain a set number of jobs in Palestine. A July ruling by a three-member panel of the U.S. Appeals […]
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If there’s one thing all railroaders have in common, it’s the ability to complain about anything and everything. They’re world-class grumblers. So when train crews and labor unions bash the railroads for this, that, and the other thing, sometimes you have to wonder if they’re crying wolf. Wonder no more. The union-management pot, which is […]
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Overland passenger cars Scale: HO (1:87:1) Price: Coach, $42.99; four-pack (Busines car, coach, combine, and Railway Post Office), $149.98 Era: 1890s+ Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Features: End handrails and ladders Clear (sides) and green-tinted (clerestory) windows RP-25 contour machined metal wheels Body mounted McHenry scale couplers Minimum radius: […]
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TUCSON, Ariz. — The Department of Transportation has released a list of 166 projects across the U.S. to receive more than $2.2 billion in funding under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is marking the announcement today by visiting projects in Tucson and Phoenix that are among […]
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OAKLAND, Calif. — Video from a locomotive camera shows that the operator of a Union Pacific maintenance-of-way vehicle turned in front of an Amtrak train and fouled the track just prior to a July collision in Oakland, according to the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report on the July 15 accident. The preliminary report was […]
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DAVENPORT, Iowa — Davenport’s aldermen have approved an agreement with Canadian Pacific in which the railroad will provide up to $10 million to mitigate impacts of the planned merger with Kansas City Southern, which could triple freight traffic through the city. In return, the city will not oppose the merger. The vote at Wednesday’s city […]
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Grade-separation projects in Springfield, Ill., and Sheffield, Ala., are among the latest projects to receive grants under the Department of Transportation’s RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) program. In Springfield, a $19.8 million grant will fund an overpass at North Grand Avenue over Norfolk Southern and Illinois Midland rail lines. In a press […]
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PITTSBURGH — Robert A. (Bob) Pietrandrea, a founder of Railroad Development Corp. along with RDC Board Chairman Henry Posner III, has retired from his position as president of the company, as well as vice chairman of holding company the Hawthorne Group. His retirement was effective July 29, 2022. Pietrandrea’s first job in railroading was as […]
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