News & products for the week of April 7, 2022

Photo of large scale streetcar painted yellow and blue with red pinstripe and gray roof on brass track with brown ties.

Large scale streetcars 1914 San Francisco Muni streetcar no. 130. Includes two Bühler motors and mfx/Digital Command Control decoder with various light and sound functions. Running sounds work in analog. $960. Third quarter 2022. LGB (Märklin, Inc.), 800-321-8811, lgb.com   Large scale sets Norfolk Southern Rescue Train. Three-piece set includes diesel locomotive, tank car, and […]

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Model Conrail passenger trains: There’s a prototype for everything

Conrail passenger trains: A streamline electric locomotive hauls a passenger train through a stone tunnel.

Model Conrail passenger trains. You read that right. Yes, you can model Conrail passenger trains prototypically. You are limited to the area roughly between Chicago and Connecticut, north to Detroit south to Philadelphia with highlights in and around New York City, New Jersey, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. But oh, what a big box to dabble in. […]

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How to use PCB ties

The PCB tie is trimmed to length and gapped between the rails.

How to use PCB ties: Printed-circuit board (PCB) ties are pieces of printed-circuit board cut to railroad tie shape. They’re available for most popular scales and are great for areas where you need to ensure track stays in gauge. A common use is for scratchbuilding turnouts. They’re used around the frog to keep the closure […]

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Two-thirds of new LA light rail line reach ‘substantial completion’

Map showing new light rail line in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES — LA Metro has achieved “substantial completion” of two of the three segments for its Crenshaw/LAX light rail line, the transit agency said Wednesday. Substantial completion of the third segment is expected in the coming months as the line moves toward public opening in late summer 2022. The milestone has been achieved on […]

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Poll says 78% of Americans want more passenger rail investment

Rail Passengers Association logo

WASHINGTON — More than three-quarters of Americans want the federal government to invest more in the national rail passenger network, according to results of a poll released by the Rail Passengers Association. The poll conducted by Change Research for the RPA found 78% of respondents said a strong passenger rail system in the U.S. is […]

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Scratchbuild a coal company from plastic

front of a model coal company building

Scratchbuild a coal company: Before oil and electric became practical, coal was the fuel of choice for heating homes and businesses. Almost every city and town had one or more businesses that supplied coal. They received clean coal in large bulk, in various sizes, usually by railroad, and sold it in bags, buckets, and truck […]

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Milwaukee museum debuts HO scale layout

A photo of the Milwaukee Everett Street train station in HO scale.

Milwaukee museum debuts HO scale layout: “All Aboard” is the name of a 10 x 35-foot HO scale model railroad at Discovery World, a family-oriented science and technology museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Set in the steam-to-diesel transition era, the proto-freelanced layout opened Nov. 25, 2021. The exhibit supports Discovery World’s mission of Science, Technology, Engineering, […]

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Transportation Safety Board of Canada set to release report on fatal CP derailment

Transportation Safety Board of Canada logo

CALGARY — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will release its investigation report Thursday on the February 2019 derailment of a runaway Canadian Pacific train near Field, British Columbia, that killed three crew members. The agency is set to release the report and hold a press conference on its findings in Calgary. The press conference […]

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BNSF worker in Denver accident killed in fall from locomotive

Aerial photo of railroad yard with accident notations

WASHINGTON — A BNSF Railway employee was killed when he fell from the front of a locomotive he was operating using remote control, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report on a Feb. 9, 2022, accident at a Denver rail yard. The incident at BNSF’s Globeville Yard in downtown Denver was originally […]

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MBTA restores Orange Line service following parking-garage collapse

Diagram showing line and station closures on transit lines

BOSTON — Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Orange Line service has resumed after a suspension from Saturday’s partial collapse of a parking garage, but the Haymarket station remains closed. Also, Green Line service remains suspended between Government Center and North Station. The Orange line had been closed between Back Bay and North Station while tunnels and […]

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