Athearn HO Wheeling & Lake Erie EMD SD40-2 Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: Direct-current model with 21-pin NEM connector, $214.99; with SoundTraxx Econami sound decoder, $294.99 Era: Late 2010s+ to 2025+ (varies based on paint scheme) Manufacturer: Athearn Trains, 2904 Research Rd., Champaign, IL 61822; 800-338-4639; athearn.com Athearn HO Wheeling & Lake Erie EMD SD40-2 features: […]
As 2026 begins, and with Trains’ top railroading story of 2025 announced on the final day of the just-completed year, we today a look back at the top stories in our previous annual countdowns. This year’s pick, the planned Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, was a rare unanimous choice among our voters. And while it’s impossible to […]
EAST WINDSOR, Conn. — After 30 years of operation on 14 miles of state-owned former New Haven Railroad track, Central New England Railroad operated its last train on the final day of 2025, as Genesee & Wyoming’s Connecticut Southern prepared to take over the line on Jan. 1, 2026. GP9 No. 3760 moved a single […]
LONDON — Rail service has resumed through the Channel Tunnel after a Tuesday shutdown, but delays continue today (Dec. 31) for trains packed with delayed travelers. The UK newspaper The Independent reports 30 Eurostar trains were cancelled Tuesday, and at least one that did operate arrived in Paris some 12 hours behind schedule. In all, […]
The third run of Trinity 5,660-cubic-foot capacity pressure differential (PD) covered hoppers has been released by Atlas Model Railroad Co. The modern freight car, based on former BLMA tooling, features freestanding details, screw-mounted trucks with 36″ chemically blackened metal wheelsets, and body-mounted couplers. Prototype history The 5660 PD covered hopper was introduced in 1999 by […]
PHOENIX — A collision between a pickup truck and Valley Metro light rail vehicle has killed the driver of the truck and critically injured two people aboard the train. Four people aboard the train were hospitalized. The accident occurred about 5 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 30, 2025) at the intersection of Central Avenue and Indian School […]
OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern say their yard and terminal capacity expansion plans will help ensure that the combined railroad can handle an anticipated traffic surge within three years of their merger. The transcontinental combination, if approved, will lead to 11% volume growth compared to 2023, the railroads say in their merger […]
QUEBEC CITY, Quebec — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed investigators to the scene of a Dec. 28, 2025, derailment on the Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway near Sept-Îles, Quebec, the board announced today (Dec. 30). The derailment has halted service on the QNS& which will be shut for seven to 10 […]
TRENTON, Ky. — A shelter-in-place order has been lifted following a CSX derailment today (Dec. 30, 2025) near the Kentucky-Tennessee state line that saw a leak of molten sulfur from one car. Thirty-one cars were involved in the derailment about today at about 6:15 a.m., according to CSX. Ash Groves, director of emergency management for […]
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have ratified a five-year national freight rail contract, the union announced. The contract covers more than 12,000 union members at 10 railroads, including BNSF Railway, Norfolk Southern, and Canadian National’s U.S. operations. Voting concluded today (Dec. 30); vote details were not released. “This […]
MEXICO CITY — A government investigation into the cause of Sunday’s fatal derailment of Mexico’s Interoceanic Train has begun, with President Claudia Sheinbaum ordering the federal Attorney General’s Office to lead that inquiry, according to the news site Quinto Poder (Fifth Estate). Thirteen people were killed when the train derailed Sunday morning near Nizanda in […]
LONDON — Rail traffic through the Channel Tunnel connecting England and France has been halted today (Tuesday, Dec. 30) because of a problem with the tunnel’s catenary power system, creating chaos for holiday travelers. A brief notice on the Eurostar website says the tunnel is currently closed, which “means we have no choice but to […]
