Mike O’Connell’s O fine scale Pacific Railway & Navigation Co. layout

PR&N Spokane layout track plan

Facts & features Name: Pacific Railway & Navigation Co. Scale: Proto:48 (O fine scale) Size: 40 x 60 feet Prototype: Northern Pacific; Great Northern; Spokane, Portland & Seattle; and PR&N Locale: Pacific Northwest Era: mid-1950s Style: walk-in multi-deck Mainline run: approx. 1,200 feet Minimum radius: 84″ Minimum turnout: no. 7 (spurs), no. 8 (main) Maximum […]

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Discovery World’s HO scale All Aboard layout

All Aboard layout track plan

All Aboard facts & features Name: All Aboard Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 10 x 35 feet Prototype: freelanced, based on Milwaukee Road Locale: Wisconsin Era: 1940-60s Style: walkaround Mainline run: Red Track, 58 feet; Blue Track, 49 feet Minimum radius: 24″ Minimum turnout: no. 5 (yard), no. 6 (other) Maximum grade: 3 percent Benchwork: open […]

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Athearn Genesis American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper

gray covered hopper illustration

American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper Scale: N (1:160) Price: Single car, $39.99; three-pack, $99.99 Era: 1966+ through 1989+ (varies depending on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822, 800-338-4639, athearn.com American Car & Foundry 2,970-cubic-foot capacity two-bay Center Flow covered hopper features: New features include rubber trainline hoses; separate, […]

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Where can I buy large-scale rolling stock decals?

White boxcar with purple lettering

Large-scale rolling stock decals: Unlike modeling scales with specific definitions like HO scale (1:87.1) or N scale (1:160), the term “large scale” actually encompasses a variety of modeling proportions (generally from 1:13.7 down to 1:32). This segments the market into small pieces. Because of the limited customer base, there are few commercially made decal options […]

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Wrongful death suit filed in Chief derailment

Aerial view of three Superliner passenger cars on their side after derailment

KEYTESVILLE, Mo. — The family of a woman killed in the June 27 derailment of Amtrak’s Southwest Chief has filed a wrongful death suit in the county where the accident occurred, naming the company whose truck was struck by the train, BNSF Railway, and a BNSF employee as defendants. Rachelle Cook, 58, of De Soto, […]

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Two Canadian Pacific trains derail in Canada

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

BASSANO, Alberta — About a dozen cars of a Canadian Pacific grain train derailed Wednesday afternoon in Bassano, about 85 miles southeast of Calgary, the CBC reports. It was one of two derailments involving CP grain trains on Wednesday. The other occurred in Kamloops, British Columbia. An eyewitness told the CBC about a dozen cars […]

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BNSF claims CP-KCS merger will throw Houston terminal into gridlock

Kansas City Southern train leaves terminal

A Kansas City Southern intermodal train heads for the Union Pacific Brownsville Subdivision at Robstown, Texas, in November 2017. Bill Stephens WASHINGTON – Projected traffic increases from the Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger will put the critical Houston terminal into gridlock, BNSF Railway has warned federal regulators this week, citing a new analysis. CP and […]

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CP, KCS dispute Metra merger contentions, but vow to support commuter operations

Commuter train arrives at station; water tower with name Roselle is in the background

WASHINGTON — Canadian Pacific believes concerns by Chicago’s Metra over its proposed merger with Kansas City Southern are largely unfounded, based on erroneous analysis, and involve unreasonable requests for conditions to the merger. But for all that, CP says it is committed to supporting Metra operations and improving its relationship with the commuter agency. The […]

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Virginia short line railroad expands into tourist railroading

Logo of the Buckingham Branch Railroad

STAUNTON, Va. — Virginians will soon enjoy a regularly scheduled tourist train. The commonwealth’s Buckingham Branch Railroad, a 275-mile short line freight railroad, has expanded into tourist railroading with the launch of its Virginia Scenic Railway. Diesel-powered climate-controlled passenger trains will join local freight, overhead CSX Transportation trains, and Amtrak’s triweekly Cardinal on the scenic […]

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New Mexico’s Rail Runner extends fare discount, will add trains

SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter-train service has extended a fare discount that began in April, as well as announcing a forthcoming service expansion. The Albuquerque Journal reports that Gov. Michelle Luhan Grisham announced Wednesday that the 75% fare reduction — which lowered tickets to $2.50 for a day pass […]

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State Department of Transportation joins Montana passenger rail agency

Logo of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority

MISSOULA, Mont. — The agency seeking to revive Amtrak service through southern Montana has added a significant new member — the state’s Department of Transportation. The Missoula Current reports that the department has joined the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority as an ex officio member, a move described by authority Chairman Dave Strohmaier as “a […]

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U.S. rail traffic remains below 2021 figures

Weekly table showing U.S. rail traffic by commodity type, plus total intermodal traffic

WASHINGTON — Weekly U.S. rail traffic remains below 2021 figures in the latest statistics from the Association of American Railroads. Both carload and intermodal traffic were down for the week ending July 9, with 207,450 carloads, a 1.3% decline from the corresponding week in 2021, and 230,150 containers and trailers, a 4.7% drop. The combined […]

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