Railroads and shippers argue over reciprocal switching proposal

Surface Transportation Board logo

WASHINGTON — Railroads and shipper groups squared off over a proposed reciprocal switching rule during a daylong Surface Transportation Board hearing on Tuesday, with railroads warning of dire operational consequences and sole-served shippers saying they needed relief from high rates and poor service. Federal regulators seemed sympathetic to shippers’ concerns but grappled with how they […]

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BART to award eight retired cars for reuse

Illustration of BART car in museum

OAKLAND, Calif. — Bay Area Rapid Transit has selected eight finalists to receive and repurpose retired BART railcars for uses ranging from a beer garden to firefighter training. While those selected will not pay for the cars, they will have to pay for transporting and installing them at their new locations, which the transit agency estimates […]

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Michigan court reinstates case of youth struck by train

WYANDOTTE, Mich. — The Michigan Court of Appeals has reinstated a lawsuit against the Grand Trunk Western Railroad involving a teen who was struck by a train in 2012. The Associated Press reports Jacob Marion, who was 14 at the time, was stuck by a train and severely injured while walking down the tracks while […]

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President of Washington heritage rail operation resigns

Logo of the Chehalis Centralia Railroad and Museum

CHEHALIS, Wash. — The president of the Chehalis-Central Railroad and Museum has resigned as the railroad deals with its shutdown because of a lack of insurance, saying in an email that the “organization is doomed to fail and I will not be a part of that failure.” The Centralia Chronicle reports that James Folk, who […]

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Walthers presents National Model Railroad Build-Off competition

Third-annual National Model Railroad Build-Off logo

National Model Railroad Build-Off: Every modeler has a project to do. From ballasting track to painting scenery to building structures, each intricate part of model railroading leads to a completed project that one can be proud of. After two years, the Walthers National Model Railroad Build-off 2022 competition is off again and gaining momentum. With […]

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The Fairplex Garden Railroad

View of the Fairplex Garden Railroad

  The Fairplex Garden Railroad in Pomona, California is located in the middle of the Los Angeles County fairgrounds. The 100′ x 300′ railway has occupied the same space since 1935 and has been a part of the annual fair every year except for the war years of 1942-1947. However, the fair’s train display is […]

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Sketching with Steve: Planning a structure kitbash

A rough isometric sketch of a small creamery is surrounded by kit parts and a book about railroad milk traffic.

When I’m planning a structure kitbash, I often start with a sketch. Scribbling down rough ideas, erasing what doesn’t work, and replacing them with things that help me visualize my plan and avoid false starts. With this technique I can figure out what parts I need and more clearly imagine what the structure will look […]

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AAR’s research and testing subsidiary renamed ‘MvX Rail’

Logo of MxV Rail

PUEBLO, Colo. — The Association of American Railroads is rebranding its research and technology subsidiary as “MvX Rail,” the AAR announced today. The subsidiary had previously been known as Transportation Technology Center Inc., or TTCI — a name that became problematic and a source of some confusion when the Federal Railroad Administration granted a lease […]

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