News & products for the week of August 19, 2021

America Spitfire two-bay hopper.

Large scale freight cars Supermarine Spitfire two-bay hopper. Hook-and-loop couplers, plastic wheelsets, and molded handrails and stirrup steps. $104.99. October 2021. PIKO America, 619-280-2800, piko-america.com Tacky Tombstones two-bay hopper. Hook-and-loop couplers, plastic wheelsets, and molded handrails and stirrup steps. $109.99. September 2021. PIKO America, 619-280-2800, piko-america.com […]

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News Photos: RGS No. 20 arrives at Cumbres & Toltec

Smoke comes from stack of locomotive on trailer

ANTONITO, Colo. — The Colorado Railroad Museum’s Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 No. 20 has arrived at the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad for its visit including a role in the upcoming Victorian Iron Horse Roundup. The locomotive, restored to operation in 2020,. arrived Sunday by truck from the museum in Golden, Colo. (The tender will […]

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B&O museum completes cosmetic restoration of historic diesel

Olive green boxcab locomotive

BALTIMORE, Md. – The B&O Railroad Museum has completed a cosmetic restoration of Central of New Jersey No. 1000, the world’s first commercial diesel-electric locomotive. The existing paint scheme from the 1950s was maintained, which was an olive green with the famed Statue of Liberty emblem in gold. This restoration was completed in memory of […]

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N&W executive, historian Louis M. Newton dies

White-haired man in coat and tie

An old saw in the railroad industry holds that persons in management best hide their avocational interest in the business, lest they damage their careers. Fortunately, there have been plenty of enlightened railroaders who put the lie to that assumption, among them Louis M. Newton, former Norfolk & Western and Norfolk Southern executive, frequent N&W […]

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Model railroad locomotive, freight car, structure, detail, book, and magazine announcements for August 19, 2021

Illinois Central Electro-Motive Division GP18 diesel locomotive.

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 August 19, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division GP18 diesel locomotive. Illinois […]

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News photo: Norfolk Southern derailment in Georgia

Derailed freight cars side by side perpendicular to track

OCONEE, Ga. — An estimated 32 cars of a westbound Norfolk Southern freight train derailed early Monday morning in downtown Oconee, blocking a main street until further notice. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reports the derailment occurred about 1 a.m., blocking Central Drive in Oconee, a community of 280 about 60 miles southwest of Augusta, […]

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Rocky Mountaineer debuts excursions out of Denver

Passenger train with yellow locomotives and blue-and-white cars on curve

DENVER — Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer launched its first all-U.S. route Sunday with the first departure from Denver of the “Rockies to the Red Rocks” daytime excursion to Moab, Utah. The train utilizes leased Union Pacific SD70 locomotives pulling SilverLeaf coaches, former Canadian National cars from the 1950s which have been remanufactured with larger windows and […]

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Union Pacific hit by washouts in Southwest

Map with four locations highlighted in red

OMAHA, Neb. — The weather-related service disruptions just keep mounting for Union Pacific. Already hit hard this summer by fire-related closures, the railroad on Saturday informed customers of a series of washouts caused by torrential rains in Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas. “Our engineering teams are actively working to restore service to areas which […]

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MTA completes New Haven Line bridge project

Electric commuter train passing under bridge

MT. VERNON, N.Y. — A three-year project to overhaul and replace four bridges spanning a cut over Metro-North’s New Haven line in downtown Mount Vernon has been concluded. An Aug. 10 ribbon-cutting featuring newly appointed acting Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber and Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi signaled the speedy completion of […]

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