Video Review: Big Boy: On the Road to Restoration

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Big Boy: On the Road to Restoration By Trains Magazine Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, Waukesha, WI 53187; 1 hour and 30 minutes, NTSC format. The steam story of the decade is Union Pacific’s announcement that it is going to repatriate and restore one of the eight surviving 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotives. Folks […]

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Hi-cubes and fruit cans

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NYC RS3 8288 — a “little diesel” to the author as a pre-schooler — heads a westbound way freight along the Hudson River at Peekskill in 1959. Nine years later and 29 miles down the river a hi-cube car ran into trouble. Karl R. Zimmermann Between the 1910s, when the New York Central electrified its […]

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Vermont Rail System locomotive roster

NOTES: 1. Owned by Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority 2. Lettered Washington County Railroad 3. Painted in 50th anniversary scheme 4. Built as ACL GP7 No. 103 in 1950, rebuilt by SCL to GP16 ABBREVIATIONS: CLP – Clarendon & Pittsford Railroad GMRC – Green Mountain Railroad NY&OC – New York & Ogdensburg Railway VTR – […]

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2014 Holiday Trains

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The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train makes a stop in La Crosse, Wis., in 2010. Photo by Travis Dewitz. Please scroll to the bottom to download this content in PDF form. ALABAMA Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum Calera hodrrm.org North Alabama Railroad Museum Huntsville northalabamarailroadmuseum.com ARIZONA Grand Canyon Williams thetrain.com ARKANSAS Arkansas & Missouri Springdale amrailroad.com […]

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Do you know where your boxcar is?

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In the December 2014 Model Railroader, Seth Neumann and Chris Drone wrote an article about using radio-frequency identification (RFID) and a computer to track rolling stock and new possibilities for operation. Prototype railroads have been using scanning technology since the late 1960s. Automatic Car Identification (ACI) used an optical reader and a color-coded plate to […]

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Tracks Ahead: Season 9 – Pelican Bay Railway

Model train riding alongside a mountain range.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page Paul B. Scoles was an inspired modeler with remarkable talents. This video showcases his freelance Sn3 (narrow gauge) layout set in coastal northern California in 1895. […]

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Tracks Ahead: Season 9 – Pennsylvania Railroad

Bill Kachel's HO scale depiction of the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad running under catenary between New York City and Pittsburgh.

Having trouble viewing this video?   Please visit our Video FAQ page This Tracks Ahead layout visit highlights Bill Kachel’s HO scale depiction of the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad running under catenary between New York City and Pittsburgh. […]

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Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 20 – Lombard Canyon, MT

High elevation view of train snaking along banks of large river and distant mountains.

After days on the road, this “epic” Trackside Adventure finally settles into a heavenly patch of Big Sky country, otherwise known as Lombard Canyon, Montana. Drew Halverson and the MRVP crew make the most of their time here by capturing MRL main line action from several panoramic vantage points in and around the canyon. […]

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Drew’s Trackside Adventures: Episode 21 – BNSF in the Badlands

A freight train on a mostly clear day working on a straightaway in green prairie of North Dakota.

In this episode of Drew’s Trackside Adventure, the “epic” trek for 2014 heads back home to Wisconsin. Mike and KJ peel off quickly, leaving Tom and Drew to pilot along I-94 and the BNSF main line through North Dakota and Minnesota. The two show there’s just as much railroad action and stunning scenery in the […]

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