WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has set details for its upcoming hearing on Amtrak’s effort to launch passenger service on the Gulf Coast. The initial phase, public comments, is set for Feb. 15, with the hearing on Amtrak’s request to begin on March 9. Public comment will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 15. […]
MIAMI — The executive director of commuter operator Tri-Rail has said he will resign in the wake of criticism over the agency’s handling of problems with the platform at Brightline’s MiamiCentral station, which is intended to also host Tri-Rail service. Steven Abrams announced his intent to resign at a board meeting last week, then told […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced a new series of cancellations because of a winter storm, this time for today (Wednesday, Feb. 2) and Thursday, Feb. 3, on Midwest state-supported routes and some long-distance trains beginning or ending in Chicago. Trains affected today include City of New Orleans departures from Chicago and New Orleans; the westbound […]
How to rerail a freight car: When things go bang that shouldn’t on the railroad, it usually means trouble and most likely a derailment. Derailments are a fact of life, and when one occurs on a main line of a Class I railroad, it usually results in many cars on the ground with extensive media […]
Second of two parts Two veteran Amtrak employees retired last year after lengthy tours of duty on the New York-Washington-Indianapolis Chicago Cardinal, and a regular on the train reached out to suggest their stories were worth telling. Previously, we spent time with sleeping-car attendant Janice Adams [see “Two ‘Cardinal’ veterans look back …,” Trains.com, Jan. […]
Visual trickery has been part of model railroading for many years. John Allen used mirrors on his HO scale Gorre & Daphetid to make scenes appear deeper than they really were. John also made inches appear like miles on his model railroad using structures and scenery to create the illusion of distance, a technique known […]
WASHINGTON – Chicago’s Metra will receive a $513.6 million from the American Rescue Plan fund, announced U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The funds will help the commuter agency maintain service and keep workers on the payroll as it continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. “Public transportation has helped people reach their jobs […]
Send us your photos Trackside Photos is a showcase for the work of Model Railroader readers. Send your photos (digital images 5 megapixels or larger) to: Model Railroader, Trackside Photos, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612; or upload them to fileupload.kalmbach.com/contribute. For our photo submission guidelines, contact Senior Associate Editor Steven Otte at sotte@kalmbach.com. […]
JOLIET, Ill. — More than a year after making their first test runs, the Siemens Venture equipment built for state-supported Amtrak service in the Midwest made their first revenue trip Tuesday morning on Lincoln Service train No. 303 from Chicago to St. Louis. The equipment is scheduled to return this evening on train No. 306, […]
I bought a second-hand Bachmann rail truck at a good price and wanted to convert it to battery power and radio control. I needed access to an on-off switch, fuse holder, charging plug, volume control, and programming jack. The truck is small and limited as to places to add these items, so I decided […]
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — The landmark but long-closed South Shore Line station on 11th Street in downtown Michigan City has been torn down, a casualty of the ongoing project to double-track the line between Gary, Ind., and Michigan City. That project will also see the end of the current street running in Michigan City. The […]
OTTAWA — The Canadian government will create a Supply Chain Task Force to address issues that have developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and will make C$50 million available for projects to address congestion at ports following a national Supply Chain Summit held Monday. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and five other government ministers hosted the summit, […]
