STOCKTON, Calif. — The transportation menu of trains and buses running between the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California via the state’s Central Valley didn’t change following a Nov. 14 ribbon-cutting ceremony for what is now known as Gold Runner service. But that event at the Altamont Corridor Express maintenance facility in Stockton, […]
Rapido HO Magor 54-foot DODX flatcar Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Single car, $59.95; three-pack, $179.85; and six-pack, $359.70 Manufacturer: Rapido Trains, 382 High St, Buffalo, NY 14204; 905-474-3314; rapidotrains.com Rapido HO Magor 54-foot DODX flatcar features: Body-mounted metal knuckle couplers Buckeye three-axle trucks (solid bearing or retrofitted roller bearing as appropriate) Drawn from original blueprints, […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak is celebrating a second consecutive year of record ridership and revenue in its review of fiscal 2025 released today (Nov. 18, 2025), after a year including 34.5 million passenger trips, a 5.1% increase over the previous year. “Amtrak’s operational success is not just about moving more people — it’s about moving them […]
WASHINGTON — Amtrak ridership grew 5% in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2025, and revenue surged 11%, as robust Northeast Regional gains offset fewer Acela frequencies on the Northeast Corridor. The railroad carried nearly 34.5 million passengers, while ticket revenue was $2.764 billion. The results from the company’s monthly performance reports for 2025 are […]
PHILADELPHIA — The owner of an Indiana masonry firm has been sentenced to 7½ years in prison for his part in a long-running case involving bribery and fraud in the renovation of Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Mark Snedden, 70, of Munster, Ind., was sentenced on Oct. 1 to 90 months in prison, a […]
WASHINGTON — A coalition of rail and environmental groups has submitted comments to the Surface Transportation Board on the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, asking the board to clarify whether “substantive filings” from stakeholders other than parties directly involved would be part of the review process. The organizations — the Rail Passengers Association, Southern Rail […]
Love them or hate them, it was only a matter of time before Siemens Mobility’s Charger diesel locomotives made their way into the model railroading world. Sunset Models 3rd Rail has taken the lead in producing both the SC-44 and ALC-42 types in O scale. These 2- and 3-rail models were announced in 2022 and […]
Trains.com Staff Writer Lucas Iverson reviews the highly-anticipated Sunset Models | 3rd Rail precise O scale (1:48, 2-rail & 3-rail options) Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotive, Amtrak Midwest No. 4630! This video review features an up-close workbench inspection of the model’s incredible prototype fidelity, from the well-detailed cab interior to the iconic cooling grills to the […]
KEARNY, N.J. — The cutover of traffic to the new Portal North Bridge on the Northeast Corridor in early 2026 could disrupt Amtrak and NJ Transit traffic for up to six weeks, according to NorthJersey.com. Some trains could be canceled or rerouted during that period. NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said plans are being finalized […]
CHICAGO — Getting stranded on a long-distance train can be a maddening experience. Passengers have little recourse but to endure the delay, uncertain of its duration and knowing that appointments and connections will be missed. As Trains.com has frequently reported, there have been many instances where highway crossing collisions, debris strikes, and especially “mechanical assessments” […]
WASHINGTON — Taking the train as an alternative to a cancelled flight is only rarely mentioned in news reports on the flight reductions ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration starting today (Nov. 7, 2025). The lack of Amtrak awareness is not surprising, given the spindly nature of its national network compared to air travel and […]
Amtrak this week launched work on a pair of eastern maintenance facilities, breaking ground on Wednesday (Nov. 5) for construction of a new facility at Washington’s Ivy City Yard and holding a similar event Thursday for Southampton Yard in South Boston. In both cases, the work is tied to preparations for the new Airo trainsets, […]
