Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range 2-8-8-4 No. 230 hauls an ore extra through Alborn, Minn., in 1959. Missabe men called all articulateds, compound as well as simple, “Mallets.” Franklin A. King photo […]
Missabe “Mallet”
Tag: Midwest
Minneapolis & St. Louis side-door caboose
The conductor of Minneapolis & St. Louis’ Story City, Iowa, mixed train looks out from the old hack’s side door at McCallsburg, Iowa, in the 1940s. William F. Armstrong photo […]
Metra donates F40C to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America
SILVIS, Ill. —Chicago commuter railroad Metra is donating one of the two remaining historic F40C commuter locomotives to Railroading Heritage of Midwest America. Built in 1974, Metra No. 611 spent its entire service life hauling commuter trains on Milwaukee Road lines west and northwest of Chicago Union Station. It is currently in transit from Chicago […]
Amtrak yard near Chicago Union Station may be sold, could be ballpark site
CHICAGO — The man in line to buy the Chicago White Sox may acquire the site of Amtrak’s yard in Chicago as part of a plan to build new ballpark for the baseball team. Crain’s Chicago Business, in a paywalled article today (Wednesday, March 18) reported that owner-in-waiting Justin Ishbia’s private equity firm, Shore Capital […]
FTA targets Illinois Department of Transportation in directive, investigation regarding CTA rail system
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration has issued a Special Directive requiring the Illinois Department of Transportation to take 11 actions to improve its oversight of the Chicago Transit Authority. The FTA also has launched a Safety Management Inspection of IDOT. The directive issued Tuesday says that the FTA has determined IDOT’s State Safety Oversight […]
South Shore’s Monon Corridor plans March 31 debut
HAMMOND, Ind. — South Shore Line commuter service on its new Monon Corridor branch is set to begin Tuesday, March 31, according to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District. The 8-mile right-of-way, a segment of a route that once hosted Monon’s Thoroughbred to Louisville, Ky., and the Tippecanoe and Hoosier to Indianapolis before rails were […]
News photos: Northstar equipment heads south
DALLAS — Some equipment from Minnesota’s defunct Northstar commuter rail operation has found a new home in the Lone Star State. Two of the Northstar’s MPI MP36PH0-3C locomotives and eight of its bilevel Bombardier coaches were photographed on Tuesday, March 17, en route from the Twin Cities to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They have been […]
East Troy Industrial Park Sidetrack | Central Ink Details and Bridge Ballasting
Join David Popp and Cody Grivno as they add final scenic touches to the HO scale (1:87) East Troy Industrial Park! Watch the Central Ink plant come to life with realistic ground foam and weathered details. Plus, learn a clever trick for ballasting a double-track bridge using wax paper to protect your finished river. From […]
Burlington’s first dome car
The Burlington Route created the first dome cars by modifying two coaches originally built by Budd in 1940. Silver Dome, pictured on display at Wichita Falls, Texas, was first, in 1945, followed by Silver Castle the next year. Wichita Times-Record News photo […]
Spaces to Places IX | Introduction to Smithtown
Our host continues working on the upper deck of the Bona Vista V HO scale layout, turning his attention to the brand-new town of Smithtown! Watch as he customizes a classic Art Deco movie theater and reworks a structure kit to fit the town’s scale. Plus, discover expert techniques for bringing buildings to life using […]
Mudslide halts ‘Cascades;’ ‘Empire Builder’ returns after three-day pause from avalanche threat (updated)
CENTRALIA, Wash. — A mudslide south of Centralia on Friday, March 13, has triggered a BNSF-imposed ban for occupied passenger trains through the area, resulting in cancellation of all Amtrak Cascades Seattle-Portland service. Trains won’t resume until Monday, March 16, though already-ticketed Cascades and Coast Starlight passengers are being offered substitute bus transportation during the […]
STB turns down Metra request to set terms for operation on UP lines
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has turned down Metra’s request for the board to set conditions and compensation for Metra use of three Union Pacific routes in the Chicago area, calling the move premature. However, the decision released today (Friday, March 13) also set a 60-day deadline to reach an agreement. If the two […]
