Federal regulators ask Class I railroads to explain service issues amid network slowdown NEWSWIRE

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators are becoming increasingly concerned about the widespread deterioration in railroad service metrics amid complaints from shipper groups, who say the industry is mired in a slowdown that is delaying shipments of goods from automobiles to grain. The Surface Transportation Board has asked Class I railroad chief executives to explain service problems, […]

Read More…

WalthersMainline HO scale GE ES44 diesel

WalthersMainline HO scale GE ES44 diesel General Electric Evolution Series (GEVO) diesel-electrics lead today’s freight trains throughout the North American rail network. Available in a variety of prototypical road names, an HO scale GE ES44 joins the value-priced WalthersMainline series. Along with an accurately dimensioned body shell and some roadname-specific details, the model features the […]

Read More…

Union Pacific begins GE rebuilding program NEWSWIRE

Union Pacific C6044AC No. 7342 had finished its rebuilding and was operating on GE’s test track in Erie, Pa., on Jan. 11. Stephan Koenig OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific is the latest Class I railroad to begin rebuilding its older General Electric locomotive fleet with the builder. The railroad has selected 20 C6044ACs for the […]

Read More…

New model trains for the week of March 8, 2018

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive. CSX (Chesapeake & Ohio patchout, one road number); Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (red and white, four numbers); and Southern Pacific (SD40R in peeled paint and stencil lettering, one number each; Roman lettering in three numbers). Prototype-specific details, vinyl m.u. hoses, and photo-etched stainless steel windshield wipers. Direct-current […]

Read More…

The “middle” order

Baldwin road-switcher 1615 passes the Hertford, N.C., depot with Norfolk Southern freight 88 in January 1965. A few months later, removal of a siding here would cause some confusion. Harry Bundy Telegraph operators working from the extra list rolled with the punches. They were on call 24/7, as they say now, to fill vacancies created […]

Read More…

Where diesels go to the doctor

Home for the heaviest rebuild, repair, and repaint work on the Norfolk Southern system is the sprawling former Pennsylvania Railroad Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa. The backshop is the heart of this operation in the Keystone State. Alex Mayes Diesel locomotives are amazing. They are built to withstand the rigors of service, running 24 hours […]

Read More…

New model trains for the week of February 15, 2018

Atlas Model Railroad Co. HO scale Alco RS-11 diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Alco RS-11 diesel locomotive. New paint schemes: Apache, California Western, Conrail (Penn Central patchout), Delaware & Hudson (large numbers), Nickel Plate Road (broad stripes), and Norfolk & Western (blue “half moon” scheme). New road numbers: Missouri Pacific (blue and gray) and Southern […]

Read More…

New model trains for the week of February 8, 2018

HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD40 diesel locomotive. CSX (Norfolk Southern patchout), Pennsylvania RR (four road numbers), Southern Pacific (no. 7342 in orange and Daylight Red and orange), and Southern Ry. (as-delivered scheme and Norfolk Southern heritage unit no. 3170). Three numbers per scheme unless noted. Prototype-specific details, factory-installed and painted wire grab irons, and […]

Read More…

Ahead of the rest

A southbound ‘Acela’ races across a stretch of positive train control trackage on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor at Perryville, Md., on June 5, 2011. Michael T. Burkhart This story first appeared in the October 2011 issue of Trains Magazine. The Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System highlighted here was not active at the time of the of […]

Read More…

Positive Train Control: Beyond the basics

Positive Train Control Tick, tock. U.S. railroads have collectively spent decades and billions of dollars on positive train control research. Tick. Public outcry after a 2008 commuter crash that killed 25 people — a crash that a Federal safety panel says PTC could have prevented — pushed Congress to act. Tock. With a Congressional deadline […]

Read More…

2018 Railroad Hobby Show report

Athearn Trains HO scale Altoona, Pa.,-rebuilt SD60E diesel locomotive HO scale locomotives Altoona, Pa.,-rebuilt SD60E diesel locomotive. Norfolk Southern with Crescent cab. Four road numbers, including “Honoring First Responders.” Detailed cab interior, standard cab roof or Positive Train Control antenna array as appropriate, and railroad-specific long-hood detail. Direct-current model, $219.98; with SoundTraxx Digital Command Control […]

Read More…

Letter: NS may move train dispatchers to Atlanta NEWSWIRE

ATLANTA — A union message to its members indicates that Norfolk Southern may soon move all train dispatching to a corporate base in Atlanta. A representative from the American Train Dispatchers Association, affiliated with the AFL-CIO, sent a message to members this week telling them that NS executives plan to relocate and centralize all train […]

Read More…