Last week, CTT posted an announcement that Round 2 intends to purchase Lionel LLC. Lionel is 126 years old and as an icon in the hobby, hobbyists have questions and concerns about its future. I’ve put together some commentary on what might happen, given what I know about both brands. I’d love your input; please […]
BOSTON — The third of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s three heritage locomotives, this one honoring the New York Central, has entered service today (Monday, March 2). The three locomotives, honoring predecessors to today’s MBTA commuter rail service, are the last three F40PH-3C units in a group of 37 to be overhauled. The heritage units […]
Ever since the return of MTH’s Premier Norfolk & Western J-class 4-8-4s in 2025, it was obvious that the 70’ streamlined passenger cars wouldn’t be far behind. The product announcement was made in November 2024, with the cars arriving in late 2025. They were offered in four-, two-, and single-car sets. This review focuses on […]
NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani has called for reviving a plan to build housing over Sunnyside Yard in Queens, the mostly Amtrak-owned facility that handles equipment for the national passenger carrier, NJ Transit, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Mamdani met last week with President Donald Trump and said Trump indicated support for the idea. […]
CLEVELAND — American Steam Railroad Preservation Association has completed a two-day steam test on American Freedom Train No. 250, with a Federal Railroad Administration inspector noting no issues during the test Feb. 26-27. The satisfactory test will allow ASR to complete the $2 million restoration to operation for the locomotive built by Reading Co. as […]
OMAHA, Neb. — BNSF Railway needs to close the operating-ratio gap with the other Class I railroads, new Berkshire Hathaway CEO Greg Abel said on Saturday in his first annual letter to shareholders. BNSF continues to perform well from a safety standpoint and has improved its efficiency and service, Abel wrote. “In 2025, shipments spent […]
Track maintenance projects requiring Amtrak cancellations or rescheduling are currently taking place or are forthcoming in the Southeast and West. Meanwhile, several long-distance trains continue to encounter a variety of problems as weather challenges subside. Southern California Most intercity and commuter trains traveling between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, Calif., will not operate next […]
Locomotives & rolling stock MTH Electric Trains, 7393 Washington Blvd. Ste. 101, Elkridge, MD 21075, is offering O Scale SD40T-2 Diesel Locomotive as part of the Premier line. The engines will be available in seven roadnames, feature prototypical cab numbers, and have O-42 operation (20-22123 shown). Expected delivery in May 2026. Price: Website: mthtrains.com Mr. […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada needs to improve service and to address some managerial practices, the Auditor General of Canada says in a report issued Friday (Feb. 27). But an audit generally found the company to be well run. The audit report’s assessment of VIA operations notes that the company owns just 3% of […]
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — The parent agency of Florida commuter operator Tri-Rail has named an interim executive director and launched the search to hire a permanent replacement. At a Friday meeting, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority board named Diane Hernandez del Calvo, currently deputy executive director, to serve in the interim leadership role. Del […]
EDINBURGH, Scotland — The operation of the internationally famous “Harry Potter” steam in the Scottish Highlands is once again threatened. More correctly known as The Jacobite, the train, started by British Rail in the 1980s, has been run since rail privatization in the 1990s by West Coast Railways, based in northern England. From April to […]
In a continued effort to improve our coverage, we’re introducing a weekly feature for TrainsPRO. It will be a weekly recap, highlighting our most popular stories of the week, and also occasionally shining a spotlight on stories that you might have missed, but that our editorial team believes might develop into the next big story […]
