Remembering the Lehigh & Hudson River Railway — a history

History of the Lehigh & Hudson River Railway The Lehigh & Hudson River Railway was a bridge route in the most literal sense. For much of its lifetime, New England freight moving via the 6,747-foot-long (including approaches), 212-foot-high Poughkeepsie Bridge over the Hudson River at that New York town was L&HR’s essential lifeblood and key […]

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The story of Squaw Valley

Downhill skiing buffs immediately think of the winter vacation destination (and site of the 1960 winter Olympics) in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains when “Squaw Valley” is mentioned. More than 50 years ago, the name Squaw Valley came to the mountains of Western North Carolina under entirely different circumstances. To set the stage, I was a […]

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New model trains for the week of July 30, 2020

HO scale locomotives Alco RS-11 diesel locomotive. Burlington Northern (Cascade Green and Northern Pacific patchout); Central Vermont (green with “wet noodle” herald); Delaware & Hudson (gray, yellow, and blue “lightning stripe” scheme); Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific (as-delivered green-and-gold scheme); Maine Central (Pine Green); Portland Terminal (Pine Green, conditional release); New York Central (black); Nickel Plate […]

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Digest: Legislators decry new Caltrain funding proposal

Monday morning rail news: Change to ballot initiative could cut Caltrain funding, may be illegal, legislators say A proposed change to a ballot initiative meant to generate tax support for Caltrain could mean the San Francisco Bay commuter railroad receives little or no revenue from the tax, according to a group of legislators. The San […]

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New model trains for the week of July 23, 2020

See the latest model railroad products from Atlas, Broadway Limited Imports, Kalmbach Hobby Store, and more! HO scale locomotives Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotive. Amtrak (“Reliability, Efficiency, Mobility and Travelmark schemes) and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. One road number per scheme. Dual-mode TCS WOWSound electric locomotive sound package; fully remappable light functions, including blinking ditch lights, […]

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Digest: 50% capacity rule lifted for NJ Transit

Tuesday morning rail news in brief: New Jersey governor lifts 50% capacity limit for NJ Transit New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has lifted the 50% capacity limit on NJ Transit trains, light rail, and buses as of Wednesday evening. New Jersey Business magazine reports Murphy said the decision was “in anticipation of the fact that […]

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Digest: 51 new cars for Amtrak built or under construction

Monday morning rail news in brief: Equipment update reports 51 cars for Amtrak regional service built or under construction; first Charger due in early 2021 Fifty-one Siemens cars in the order for Amtrak state-supported service in California and the Midwest have either been completed or are under construction, according to the end-of-June report by the […]

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New England’s Pan Am Railways for sale

BILLERICA, Mass. — New England regional Pan Am Railways is for sale. The privately held company, owned by 78-year-old Tim Mellon and other investors, has enlisted BMO Financial Group to assist with a potential sale transaction, according to multiple railroad industry sources. Pan Am officials did not respond to a request for comment. Industry observers […]

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Railroads wait to see impact of rule approving LNG moves

Railroads have gained regulatory approval to haul liquified natural gas in tank cars. Now the questions are how quickly will an LNG market develop and how big will it be? Controversial new federal regulations governing the movement of LNG by rail are scheduled to go into effect next month. Previously LNG shipments required special permits […]

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