Digest: CTA details plans to rebuild four stations as part of Red-Purple project

Rendering of new rail transit station

Still more Friday morning rail news: Chicago Transit Authority unveils plans to rebuild four stations as part of Red-Purple project The Chicago Transit Authority has unveiled designs for four Red Line stations to be rebuilt as part of phase one the CTA’s Red and Purple Modernization project, a $2.1 billion effort to improve the Red […]

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Innovative Very Light Rail system planned in Britain

Rendering of new transit system

Development work is nearing completion in central England for a prototype Very Light Rail system drawing on design and component expertise from the auto industry. The project aims to build an autonomous rail-based streetcar system in the British city of Coventry by 2024, which along with nearby Birmingham is one of the main centers of […]

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Spring York meet falls victim to pandemic

The Eastern Division of the Train Collectors Association logo

The Eastern Division of the Train Collectors Association has cancelled the April 2021 York, Pa. meet due to COVID-19. A release from the organization said, “According to the directives of the Governor of Pennsylvania, and with the compliance of the York Expo (Fairgrounds), our Meet does not fit the requirements set forth for public gatherings […]

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Photo gallery of large-scale layouts at the 36th National Garden Railway Convention

Tennessee & Virginia Railroad Chris Bamburg

  The Nashville Garden Railway Society welcomes you to Nashville to attend the 36th National Garden Railway Convention! Nashville is a one-of-a-kind city that has something for everyone. High-tech meets small town, family values meets big business, country music meets symphony orchestra, micro-brewery meets vineyard. It’s all here! The Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center […]

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U.S. rail traffic stats show carloads near 2020 levels, intermodal retaining strength

Table of rail freight statistics

WASHINGTON — Carload traffic, which has long lagged behind previous-year totals, was down less than a percent in the latest U.S. rail traffic figures released by the Association of American Railroads. Overall, traffic for the week ending Jan. 23 included 529,030 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 9%, with 298,051 containers and trailers (a 17.8% […]

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Digest: Website launched, study released supporting second Transbay Tube

Link 21 logo

Thursday morning rail news: New website, study support second Transbay crossing for BART, Amtrak Bay Area Rapid Transit and the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority have launched a new website outlining the proposal for a new Transbay rail crossing between Oakland, Calif., and San Francisco, at the same time a new report has been released on the […]

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Digest: MTA survey finds near-total mask compliance

MTA Logo

More Thursday morning rail news: MTA survey finds 97% compliance with mask rule on subways New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says 97% of subway passengers were complying with the agency’s mask order during a survey conducted Jan. 11-22, while 99% of those on buses were complying during a survey Jan. 4-8. The figures were released […]

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Digest: San Diego transit agency to increase trespassing enforcement

Green and blue commuter train

More Thursday morning rail news: Preparing for new, quieter locomotives, North County Transit District to step up trespassing enforcement The San Diego-area North County Transit District will significantly trespassing education and enforcement along its rail line between San Diego and Oceanside beginning Feb. 1 as a prelude to placing five new Siemens Charger locomotives into […]

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New large-scale products for the week of February 4, 2021

Worx 20V Power Share portable inflator

Tools Six-sided scraping tool. For removing plastic from hard-to-reach areas. Features six different sizes of working area: 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm, and 7mm. $26.99. Produced by Alec, available from Kalmbach Hobby Store, KalmbachHobbyStore.com Super cutting compass. For circle and radius cuts. Features titanium blade. 1/16” minimum diameter. 1/16” to 2” radius cuts. $19.99. Produced […]

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New toy-train products for the week of February 4, 2021

Atlas O American Car & Foundry Allied Chemical 11,000-gallon tank car no. 10092

O scale freight cars American Car & Foundry 11,000-gallon tank car. New paint schemes: Allied Chemical (gray and black), Atlantic Refining (gray, red, and white), Dow Canada (green and black), Polysar (black, blue, and white), Smith Douglass (gray, black, and red), and Tidewater Associated (black and orange). New road numbers: Warren (gray, black, and green). […]

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Canadian Pacific reports record quarter and year, expects continued volume growth

Container train under overhead signals

CALGARY, Alberta — Canadian Pacific reported record fourth-quarter and full-year financial results on Wednesday alongside record operating and safety performance. “We had a phenomenal, exceptional 2020 set us up for an exceptional ’21, and we certainly expect to overachieve,” CEO Keith Creel told investors and analysts on the railway’s earnings call. CP expects to see […]

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Norfolk Southern aims to further boost train length as volume rebounds

Crew member riding on locomotive steps

NORFOLK, Va. — After idling the humps at six yards over the past two years under its shift to a Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model, Norfolk Southern now is turning its focus to further boosting train length. The changes aim to help NS close the operating ratio gap with the rest of the industry by reducing […]

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