Maryland Senate to vote on veto overide of bill seeking to extend MAR service to Virginia, Delaware A bill that would open the door for MARC commuter rail service to expand into northern Virginia has new life after Maryland’s House of Delegates voted to override a veto by Gov. Larry Hogan, leaving its future in […]
Subscription: Metered
Digest: Colorado governor says 2042 date for Boulder-Longmont commuter line is ‘not legitimate’
Colorado governor, in RTD meeting, says current date to build commuter line is “not legitimate” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, in a rare appearance at a meeting of Denver’s Regional Transportation District, continued his recent push for construction of a commuter rail line to Boulder and Longmont, Colo., saying the current projection of completion in 2042 […]
OSHA cites Trinity Rail Maintenance for violations in fatal 2020 accident
The U.S. Department of Labor has cited Trinity Rail Maintenance Services for violations of federal safety standards as a result of an August 2020 accident at its Hugo, Okla., facility that led to the deaths of two workers. Following an investigation, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the company for 11 serious violations […]
Project in Estonia will convert former Union Pacific locomotives to run on LNG
A former Union Pacific GE C36-7 locomotive is being rebuilt in the small Eastern European country of Estonia to operate using liquefied natural gas, the first of a series of planned conversions. Freight company Operail began work on the first locomotive in early February, after plans to undertake the project last year were delayed by […]
U.S. rail traffic remains above 2020 levels, although by smaller margin
WASHINGTON – U.S. rail traffic continues to run above 2020 levels, according to the latest information from the Association of American Railroads, although the rate of the increase has cooled somewhat. For the week ending Feb. 6, the overall traffic of 495,815 carloads and intermodal units was a 2.2% increase over the corresponding week in […]
Rehab My Railroad: Painting, prepping and pouring harbor water, Episode 11
David and Cody are back to the task of working along the Jones Island waterfront scene. Specifically, Cody starts the session by adding the seawall pieces and a temporary styrene wall to retain the poured resin water. While those installations dry, David pops back in to solder feeder wires to the yard tracks, all before […]
Digest: Canada announces plans for transit funding
Canadian Prime Minister announces plans for $14.9 billion in transit funding Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced plans to spend C$14.9 billion over the next eight years on public transportation projects, with part of that funding to create a permanent $3 billion per year transit fund. The CBC reports the plan could provide funding […]
Grand Canyon Railway sets eight dates for steam operations in 2021
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Steam-powered passenger trains are set to return to the Grand Canyon Railway on eight dates beginning in April 2021, with one of the railroad’s two steam locomotives powering a morning train from Williams to the Historic Village inside Grand Canyon National Park. Steam operations are scheduled for the first Saturday of each […]
Charlotte begins testing on CityLinx Gold Line extension
The Charlotte Area Transit System has begun testing for its Phase 2 extension of the CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar line, slated to open later this year. Intermittent overnight testing was slated to begin Feb. 9 and will continue for several weeks, QCityMetro.com reports. The initial tests are to check electrical systems and platform clearances; they […]
WalthersMainline HO scale 40-foot boxcar
A ubiquitous freight car that rode America’s rails from one World War to another, the 40-foot double-sheathed wood boxcar developed by the United States Railroad Administration (USRA), is the latest HO scale offering from WalthersMainline. A war baby. The United States Railroad Administration (USRA) was formed in 1917 to nationalize the nation’s railroads, which were […]
Menards HO scale Sprecher Brewing Co.
Sprecher Brewing Co., a Milwaukee fixture famous for craft beers and many flavors of fire-brewed sodas, is coming to HO and O scale model railroads nationwide thanks to another Wisconsin com- pany, Menards. The model. Menards’ structure is meant to resemble a generic brewery of the steam-to-diesel transition era. The era I listed in the […]
Bachmann HO scale SC-44 Charger diesel
The Siemens SC-44 Charger is built in California. The first units are in Amtrak- supported state and regional service. Chargers have been pulling trains in California (CalTrans, North County Transit District, and San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission), Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin (IDOT), Maryland (MARC), and Washington state (WSDOT) since 2017. Amtrak has ordered 75 similar […]