Age of Steam Roundhouse, Trains Magazine offer exclusive photo event May 20

Small steam locomotive in clouds of steam outside roundhouse

SUGARCREEK, Ohio — Age of Steam Roundhouse and Trains Magazine will sponsor an exclusive day of photography May 20 at the venue that houses the late Jerry Joe Jacobson’s extensive steam locomotive collection. The day will begin with the operation of Moorhead & North Fork 0-6-0 No. 12 and then move inside, where locomotives ranging […]

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Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society saves equipment from former museum sites

Locomotive on truck trailer

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Three locomotives and four other pieces of rolling stock have been saved for preservation by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, thanks to a generous donation and the assistance of two Indiana communities. The equipment had been left behind and was in deteriorating condition at former locations of the Indiana Transportation […]

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Illinois grain facility acquires rare SD18M

White locomotive with green stripe, with gray and orange locomotive behind

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Grain terminal operator AgRail LLC is moving to replace its current locomotive with a rare six-axle EMD unit. Western Rail Inc. SD18M No. 1229 has arrived on the property of Bloomington-based AgRail to replace GP7 No. 35, a former Guilford/Springfield Terminal unit. The six-axle, low-nose unit began its life with Minnesota’s Reserve […]

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BNSF calls preservation group’s claim state owns North Dakota bridge ‘absurd’

Train coming off bridge on broad curve

BISMARCK, N.D. — BNSF Railway has blasted a preservation group’s claim that a railroad bridge over the Missouri River belongs to the state of North Dakota, rather than the railroad, as “legally absurd,” asking the U.S. Coast Guard to move forward with the permit process for a replacement bridge. The Bismarck Tribune reports the railroad […]

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Norfolk Southern introduces online carbon calculator

Norfolk Southern logo

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern has introduced a new online carbon calculator to aid customers in their efforts to measure and mitigate carbon emissions resulting from their supply chain decisions. NS, which first introduced a carbon calculator in 2008, says its new version is more accurate because it captures the full cycle of fuel usage, with […]

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Minnesota Senate approves audit of light-rail project

Map of light rail project connecting Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, Minn.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Senate has joined the state House of Representatives in requesting an audit of the problem-plagued Metro Transit Southwest light-rail extension project. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that, by a 65-0 vote, the Senate approved the bill appropriating $200,000 for the audit and requiring twice-yearly updates to legislators on the […]

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As numbers grow to millions, RDC and others run trains for Ukrainian refugees (updated)

People being helped onto train

The thousands of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine have rapidly become millions, and a huge number continue to rely on railways — both in Ukraine to get to the border, and in the European countries to which they are moving. Major stations across Europe, as well as those at previously insignificant rail junctions, […]

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Sugar Express sets steam excursions for April 9-10

Train with steam locomotive crosses wooden bridge

CLEWISTON, Fla. — U.S. Sugar’s Sugar Express will operate its restored Alco 4-6-2 steam locomotive, No. 148, on two days of train rides between Clewiston and Moore Haven in April. Two-hour round trips on April 9-10 will depart Clewiston at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. each day. Each trip will feature No. 148 […]

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STB asks parties in Gulf Coast hearing to be prepared to address specific topics

Drawbridge as seen from onboard train

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has asked parties involved in the upcoming hearing on Amtrak Gulf Coast service to be prepared to report on a meeting with the U.S. Coast Guard over drawbridge operations on the route, as well as several other issues, at the hearing scheduled for April 4. In a decision issued […]

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Tunnel under a town prototype: Bellows Falls, Vermont

Bellows Falls tunnel under a town prototype: Black and white image of a freight train exiting tunnel underneath a town.

Tunnel under a town prototype: Yes, there is at least one U.S. example of railroads going underneath small towns. And here it is: Boston & Maine’s single track line through Bellows Falls, Vermont. Kalmbach Media’s David P. Morgan Library has three photos in the Boston & Maine tunnels folder that show off this specimen in […]

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Ask MR: What railroads had dedicated merchandise service boxcars?

A red-and-gray New York Central boxcar labeled “Pacemaker Freight Service.”

Q: I model the Missouri Pacific and am familiar with its fleet of dedicated Eagle Merchandise Service boxcars. These cars were not to be used in interchange service and remained on home tracks. How many other railroads had a similar service, and what were they called? – Carl Storms A: While relatively few railroads had […]

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Products & News for the week of March 17, 2022

Photo of HO scale 36-foot 3-dome tank car painted silver and black with black, orange, and white graphics on section of track with white background.

Products & News Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of March 17, 2022. HO scale locomotives Pennsylvania RR class E6 4-4-2 […]

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