Group technical editor Cody Grivno and Jerry Holmes of Chattanooga, Tenn., were named co-winners of the National Association of S Gaugers (NASG) 2021 Perles Publication Award. The two received the award for Grivno’s article on Holmes’ S scale Chesapeake & Ohio layout featured in Great Model Railroads 2021. “The award provides recognition for the efforts […]
John Claudino, owner of Aztec Manufacturing, died on March 10 in Reno, Nev. He was 82 years old. Claudino was a frequent vendor at train shows throughout the country. He produced track cleaners in multiple scales, provided a locomotive chassis milling service, and offered a line of custom-decorated N scale boxcars. […]
Charles A. “Charlie” Kalmbach, son of Model Railroader founder Albert C. Kalmbach, died on August 25. He was 79 years old. Charlie was employed by Northwestern Mutual Life and later also worked in real estate. He stayed connected with his father’s company for nearly half a century. “Charlie had a deep devotion to Kalmbach Media […]
GALESBURG, Ill. — As the American Association of Private Railroad Car Owners sets off on its annual trip and convention this week, the organization has released a statement on the weekend derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder in northern Montana. “It is horrifying to see the derailed and overturned rail cars. For many of us, rail […]
JOPLIN, Mont. — The passengers killed in Saturday’s deadly Empire Builder derailment have been identified as a tech engineer from Illinois and a husband and wife from Georgia. According to media reports, the three people killed when Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder derailed Saturday afternoon in northern Montana have been identified as 28-year-old Zach Schneider, of […]
Common name: Dwarf crape myrtle Latin name: Lagerstroemia indica ‘Violet Filli’ (Filigree series) Plant size: 6-24″, depending on the miniature variety Plant type: Shrubs and small trees USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-11 (or grown as an annual) Cultural needs: Well-drained, slightly acidic to acidic soil, full sun The miniature crape myrtle in the photo, one of […]
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The buzz at an open house for Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926 wasn’t all about the locomotive last run in 1953 and moved for the first time under its own power on July 25. A grade crossing and a spur track also figured into the conversations. With the restoration of the locomotive […]
Tickets, please Passengers riding New York Central’s deluxe 20th Century Limited sleeper-observation car required two tickets, one for rail travel and one for the sleeping accommodations. Don Wood photo […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is launching its own investigation into the Saturday derailment of Amtrak’s westbound Empire Builder in northern Montana. Specifically, FRA has sent a team of 18 dispatched to the scene consisting of technical experts in track, motive power & equipment, signal and train control, and operating practices. The agency has […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn has issued a statement on Saturday’s fatal derailment of the Empire Builder in Montana. “We are in mourning today for the people who lost their lives due to the derailment of the Empire Builder train Saturday, near Joplin, Montana, on the BNSF Railway, as well as the many others […]
Lima-Hamilton locomotives history Lima-Hamilton locomotives were built out of Lima, the youngest and smallest of the Big Three steam builders. The Ohio manufacturer was synonymous with steam at its best, and it upheld the steam standard to the bitter end. Even as legions of diesels were rolling off the erecting floors of competitors, Lima Locomotive […]
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the site of Saturday’s derailment of Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger train near Joplin, about 50 miles west of Havre. The NTSB is the lead agency in the investigation of the derailment, which occurred at about 3:55 p.m. Saturday in a remote […]
