Rapido Trains hosted a dealer open house at the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Essex, Conn. During the event, the manufacturer unveiled several new HO scale products. Here’s a rundown of some of the items announced. Locomotives Electro-Motive Division SD7, SD9, and SD10 diesel locomotives were among the six […]
The Pullman-Standard (PS) 40-foot PS-1 boxcar, a staple on prototype railroads from the late 1940s through the 1980s, is now available as an easy-to-build HO scale kit from ScaleTrains. The injection-molded plastic model, which uses former MTH Electric Trains tooling, features a one-piece body, various modeler-installed parts, and a freestanding brake system. Prototype history Pullman-Standard […]
When you think of Burlington Northern, passenger service may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But from March 2, 1970 (Burlington Northern’s first day) to April 30, 1971 (the day before Amtrak started operations), the railroad offered passenger service. Among the name trains were the Empire Builder, Mainstreeter, North Coast Limited, and […]
When you look at any model railroad, it’s the details that grab your attention—the people at the station, barrels by the wayside, or maybe a weathered locomotive or car. A recent trip to Sand Patch, Pa., inspired this small but important platform used by the maintenance-of-way department to unload materials for work along the line. […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Siemens Mobility and Amtrak have unveiled a prototype of the first car for the new Amtrak Airo equipment at the builder’s Sacramento, Calif. The Wednesday event provided the first look at the equipment to be provided in 83 fixed trainsets, the first of which is scheduled to enter service in 2026. The […]
SALT LAKE CITY — Rail equipment manufacturer Stadler and the state of California on Thursday signed a contract calling for Stadler to build four hydrogen-powered trainsets for use in the state, with an option for up to 25 more trains. The contract signed Thursday formalizes an agreement announced as a “memorandum of understanding” in September […]
WASHINGTON — DC Metrorail will begin inspecting bolts on the brake system of its older railcars every 60 days in response to a derailment last month, the Washington Post reports. That derailment of a 7000-series trainset was caused when the train hit a brake disc that had fallen off a preceding train of older equipment, […]
WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration announced Wednesday announced the availability of $197 million to replace aging railcars on subway, light rail, commuter rail, and other systems under the Rail Vehicle Replacement Program, funded under the $1.5 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The agency says older cars contribute to service delays and increase costs, and many […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Stadler’s FLIRT H2 trainset, the hydrogen-powered commuter-rail equipment set to debut next year in Southern California, has made its first U.S. debut this week at the APTA Expo in Orlando, the American Public Transportation Association’s annual conference. The train will eventually join three Stadler FLIRT diesel multiple-unit trainsets on the San Bernardino […]
Simplifying body-mounted couplers: Former editor Neil Besougloff used to accuse me of trying to convert all N scale modelers to using body-mounted couplers. He was joking – I think – but I’m not mounting such a campaign. For 90 percent of you, using truck-mounted, body-mounted, or a mix of both would make little difference. Your […]
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Regional Transit District has ordered eight more Siemens S700 low-floor light rail vehicles to be built at the Siemens Mobility plant in Sacramento, the manufacturer has announced. The new order follows earlier purchases of 20 of the light rail trainsets in 2020 and eight more in 2021, bringing the total […]
I really enjoy using my Lionel postwar No. 3662 operating milk car, but lately I have found this great car is giving me some trouble. Specifically, the milk cans never come all the way down the chute. One or two of them get through before they get jammed. What do you suggest to fix things? […]
