WASHINGTON — Members of the SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department, or SMART-MD, have unanimously ratified a new contract with Union Pacific, the union announced today (Sept. 2, 2025). The agreement, based on terms of deals with other freight railroads, includes annual wage increases totaling 17.5% (more than 18.75% compounded); paid vacation for new-hire employees […]
Leonard Carparelli has passed away at the age of 75 on August 27, 2025. It seems fitting to share part of an article Roger Carp wrote for the November/December 2022 issue, where one of Len’s repainted engines was featured on the cover. We at CTT send our condolences to the Carparelli family. – Rene Len […]
The history of the tank car dates back more than 150 years. Coworker Carl Swanson from Trains Magazine wrote an article about their history if you’d like to learn more. This car is a single-domed version, lettered for the East Broad Top Railroad (No. RMT-96899-12). I was surprised to learn that the EBT owned one […]
“TlMBER!” It was that cry ringing across West Virginia’s Appalachian slopes that put loads on the flat cars of the Cherry River Boom & Lumber Company’s Railroad, and cash in the company coffers. Once the Cherry River trundled 100 million board feet of lumber a year down to the mill at Richwood. But timber grows […]
Roanoke, Va., headquarters of the former Norfolk & Western Railway and once known as the “Alamo for Steam,” is home to the renowned East End Shops. This facility, still standing today, was where the bulk of the railroad’s steam fleet was built. Among these were three locomotive classes from the 1940s-50s, known as the “Big […]
This article was originally published in the November 2002 issue of Model Railroader. Hosting an open house is a great way for model railroaders to share the hobby with others. But coordinating one that people will never forget requires not only good planning, but practice. In the past two decades, I’ve hosted several open houses, […]
Atlas HO CNCF 5000 boxcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $59.95 Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-687-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Atlas HO CNCF 5000 boxcar features: 33” metal wheelsets Body-mounted metal couplers Detailed underbody with air reservoir, brake cylinder, control valve, levers, brake rods, cylinder pipe, and auxiliary and emergency reservoir pipes […]
SQUAMISH, British Columbia — The mayor of Squamish is asking British Columbia’s Minister of Transportation and Transit to convene consultations over Canadian National Railway’s plan to end operations on 214 miles of its former BC Rail line through Squamish. In Canada, consultations are a formal process to gather information and opinions from affected parties and […]
LONDON — Two rail operators in the United Kingdom are testing a new fare system that will replace paper or digital tickets with a pay-as-you-go system based on Global Positioning System passenger tracking. The UK government’s Department for Transport says up to 4,000 passengers can sign up to use the system, which launched on Monday […]
ROANOKE, Va. — The Virginia Museum of Transportation has received a $15,000 grant from the Phillips Charitable Foundation Inc. to support firebox maintenance on its Norfolk & Western Class J 4-8-4, No. 611. The foundation’s benefactor, Howard W. Phillips, displayed a lifelong love for trains as well as an appreciation for historic preservation. This led […]
Photos of outstanding compact layouts in every gauge have flooded the Classic Toy Trains office ever since we finished our special-interest publication titled Toy Train Layouts for Small Spaces. The S gauge display built by Gerold Slotkin really tickles our fancy. He has filled the 6 x 9-foot two-level railroad in North Brunswick, N.J., with […]
Locomotives & rolling stock MTH Electric Trains, 7393 Washington Blvd. Ste. 101, Elkridge, MD 21075 has announced 50 Waffle Boxcars as part of the Premier line. The boxcars feature sliding doors, metal handrails, and O-31 operation (20-99481 shown). Estimated delivery in February 2026. Price: $84.95. Website: mthtrains.com Trainworld, 751 McDonald Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11218, is […]
