Spring Mills Depot Department of Defense intermodal containers

Three Desert Sand colored intermodal containers

Department of Defense intermodal containers Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Combo pack (one each 20-foot conex, tricon, and quadcon), $49.95; 20-foot container three-pack (one each brown, Marine Gray, and patched brown), $24.95 Era: present Manufacturer: Spring Mills Depot, P.O. Box 1616, Spring Mills, MD 21158, springmillsdepot.com Department of Defense intermodal container features: Injection-molded plastic construction Separate, […]

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View from a boxcar door

Model figure inside of boxcar

View from a boxcar door Name: Ray Wheeler Railroad Name: Jericho & Mt. Zion Railway Location: Lynnwood, WA Scale: G scale Theme: Tourist railroad with freight operations in the modern era Description: “From A Boxcar Door” – Safety Film – Riding in an open boxcar on a J&MtZ extra freight train. (An unsafe practice!)  Music […]

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Department of Defense 68-foot heavy-duty flatcars from Spring Mills Depot

green flatcars

Department of Defense 68-foot heavy-duty flatcars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $64.95 Era: 1981 to present (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Spring Mills Depot, P.O. Box 1616, Spring Mills, MD 21158, springmillsdepot.com Department of Defense (DODX) 68-foot heavy-duty flatcar features: Die-cast metal underframe Factory-painted metal wheelsets Wire grab irons Metal wheels Kadee couplers Road-number-specific lettering […]

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Two vintage N scale track plans

Sepia toned track plan

Enjoy these two vintage N scale track plans, taken from the 1969 Kalmbach Media book N Scale Model Railroad Track Plans. These two layouts were in a chapter called “Permanent Railroads.”   Download the PDF containing both track plans.  The Dapperling Railroad This line serves Cassville, Browntown, a mine, and a logging operation. During the […]

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Work on East Broad Top 2-8-2 No. 16 nearing completion

Man inspecting portion of steam locomotive

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. — Out of service for 66 years, East Broad Top narrow-gauge 2-8-2 Mikado steam locomotive No. 16 is getting close to operating again. Built for EBT by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1916, it’s one of six surviving BLW Mikados on the roster of the iconic short-line railroad in central Pennsylvania, which has […]

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West Virginia Alco-powered short line has Ukrainian ties

Blue end-cab switcher moves coal hoppers across river

ALEXANDER, W.Va. — West Virginia’s coal history is a cyclical tale of boom-and-bust periods driven by the world’s appetite for the state’s most abundant fossil fuel. Agility and resiliency have carried coal and its closely linked partner, railroading, through periods of prosperity and dispersity. Today in one of the state’s most rural dwellings is a […]

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News Photo: GP40-3s debut on Rocky Mountaineer

Passenger train led by locomotives in matching blue, gold, and white paint scheme

Their debut delayed by installation and testing of Positive Train Control equipment, Rocky Mountaineer’s GP40-3 locomotives last week finally began replacing leased Union Pacific power on the “Rockies to Red Rocks” excursions to Glenwood Springs, Colo., and Moab, Utah. On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, they head west from Denver at Arvada, Colo., at milepost 9.75 […]

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CRISI grant announcements continue

Federal Railroad Administration logo

WASHINGTON — More Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement, or CRISI, grants from the Federail Railroad Administration have been announced by members of Congress whose areas will receive the funding. Among the latest announcements: California grants worth more than $46 million U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.) announced awards of more than […]

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Kansas announces grants for rail infrastructure work

Logo of Kansas Department of Transportation

HUMBOLDT, Kan. — The state of Kansas is awarding $11.5 million in grants for 17 railroad infrastructure rehabilitation and construction projects, Gov. Laura Kelly and Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz announced. The projects, involving seven railroads and eight shipper locations, will be funded through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s State Rail Service Improvement fund. Grants range […]

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HO scale Chevrolet vehicles from Rapido Trains

different colored vehicles

Chevrolet vehicles Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $24.95 Era: 1980 to 1985 model years through 2000s Manufacturer: Rapido Trains Inc., 500 Alden Road, Unit 21, Markham, Ontario L3R 5H5 Canada, 905-474-3314, rapidotrains.com HO scale Chevrolet vehicle features: Assorted front grill designs Multiple rim designs (wire spoke, dog dish, and more) Chrome finish on bumpers, rims, and […]

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