News photos: Amtrak ‘Midnight Blue’ unit debuts

Dark blue locomotive

Tucked in behind P42 No 138 leading the westbound Cardinal, Amtrak P42 No 100 rolled into Chicago on Monday, fresh from repainting into the one-of-a-kind “Midnight Blue” color scheme [see “Behind Amtrak’s new locomotive designs,” Trains News Wire, March 18]. The two locomotives, baggage car, Superliner sleeping car, coach, and coach-baggage, fresh from refurbishing at […]

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CP says broad CN overlap with KCS system poses regulatory hurdle

Map of central U.S. highlighting areas where Canadian Pacific says Kansas City Southern and Canadian National routes overlap

CALGARY, Alberta — A combined Canadian National and Kansas City Southern system would reduce railroad competition across wide swath of its expanded service territory, which would pose a regulatory challenge to a potential merger, Canadian Pacific CEO Keith Creel says. “The competition between KCS and CN is not limited to a ‘handful’ of shippers as CN […]

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News photo: Exo donates gallery coach to Exporail

Locomotive pulling two commuter coaches

Exo, the Montreal-area commuter railroad, has donated a gallery coach, to Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec, on Montreal’s south shore. AMT No. 900 — the abbreviation refers to Exo predecessor Agence métropolitaine de transport — was moved to the museum on Friday from Exo’s Pointe St-Charles maintenance facility. The transit agency had […]

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Meeting Santa Fe M-190 face to face

Motor passenger train at station

Santa Fe No. M-190 was possibly the most unusual gas-electric car ever manufactured. Measuring 90 feet long, it consisted of two articulated sections riding on three trucks. An Electro-Motive power plant and the operating cab were in the front section, and the rear portion was for baggage. When delivered in June 1932, M-190 had a […]

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Digest: Maryland county plans to take CSX bridge issue to STB

CSX logo

Allagany County, Md., plans to ask STB to intervene in bridge dispute with CSX The Allagany County, Md., Board of Commissioners will file a complaint against CSX Transportation with the Surface Transportation Board over a bridge closure in Cumberland, Md., saying the railroad has blocked any effort to address the issue, although the railroad says […]

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Ask MR: Tracking changes in railroad practice

A crossbuck with a stop sign stands at a rural grade crossing with a grain elevator in the distance

Q: I’ve given up counting rivets; now I’m into what I call chronological accuracy. My layout is set in 1956. I’m OK with choosing appropriate vehicles and diesels for that era, and I learned that yellow stop signs were replaced by standardized red signs in the late 1950s, but other questions remain. When were roof walks […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, detail, tool, and club announcements for April 29, 2021

Three bay covered hopper

Product news  Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of April 29, 2021. HO scale freight cars  Association of American Railroads 50-ton […]

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News & Products for the week of April 29, 2021

Ruler squares

Tools Assorted machines squares. 4” ($19.99), 6” ($24.99), 8” ($29.99), and 10” ($34.99). Carbon steel construction with inch and metric measurements. Produced by Excel Blades Corp., available from Kalmbach Hobby Store, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Snap blade knives. K10 9mm ($3.49) and K13 18mm ($3.99). Both knives have a plastic handle, push lock, and replaceable blades (replacement blades […]

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News & Products for the week of April 29, 2021

Two model gas pumps

O scale details and accessories 1950s-1960s gas pumps. 1:43.5 scale. Laser-cut cardboard kit with nozzles, hoses, and volumetric display. Each pump measures .78” x .39” x 1.57”. Platform not included. Two-pack, $17.92. Price may vary based on exchange rate. Minifer, minifer.fr/en Tools Assorted machines squares. 4” ($19.99), 6” ($24.99), 8” ($29.99), and 10” ($34.99). Carbon […]

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News and Analysis: Colorado commission advances Front Range plans

Electrified commuter train at station platform

DENVER – The last vestige of north-south passenger trains serving the Mile-High City disappeared 50 years ago when Santa Fe’s ragamuffin round trip to the east-west main line at La Junta, Colo., didn’t transition to Amtrak. But work is well under way to change that. The Southwest Chief and Front Range Passenger Rail Commission is […]

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