Lionel Mint Car Coin collection with a matching collection of souvenir US Mint coins

collection of coin boxcars

Lionel Mint Car Coin collection with a matching collection of souvenir US Mint coins In 1961, when Lionel first produced the #6445 Fort Knox Gold Bullion Car, it had a coin slot in the top so it could be used as a bank. In 1979, when the car was reproduced as #9320, Lionel also created […]

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WalthersMainline HO Trinity 4750 covered hopper

Color photo of HO scale covered hopper on white background.

Arriving in hobby shops now is the Walthers Trinity 4,750-cubic-foot capacity three-bay covered hopper. The newly tooled model, based on a Burlington Northern prototype, is part of the manufacturer’s Mainline series and features injection-molded plastic construction. Prototype history Our sample is decorated as Burlington Northern 466071, part of the railroad’s 466000 through 466999 series built […]

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FRA: Union Pacific’s rolling stock inspection practices pose a safety risk

Numerous yellow locomotives parked in service area. Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena asks FRA for rolling stock inspection data.

WASHINGTON — Union Pacific’s freight car and locomotive inspection and maintenance practices pose a “significant risk to rail safety,” the head of the Federal Railroad Administration said in a letter sent Friday to top railroad executives. FRA Administrator Amit Bose said the agency conducted a focused inspection of UP’s mechanical operations and rolling stock in […]

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A 10-year-old’s letter longing for a caboose

Caboose on a siding with a boy on the platform plus a second boy and conductor standing by.

The caboose Steel caboose No. 3674 was built in 1941 for the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, originally numbered 90091. It was rebuilt in Grand Rapids’ Wyoming Yard by 1970 and brought up to the railroad’s modern standards, renumbered as 3674. After 16 years along the rugged main line between Russell, Ky., and Huntington, W. […]

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Last days of the last car on the train: the caboose

A model red caboose leads a shove of hoppers

Cabooses (no, not cabeese) were a common occurrence on freight trains throughout most of the 1900s, yet we rarely see them today. Why is that? When did they stop operating? Where did they go? And lastly, how can I model the last days of the caboose on my layout? Why? In one word: technology. Advances […]

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Five cabooses you can model

Color photo of steel wide-cupola caboose painted maroon and yellow.

With school back in session, the sun setting earlier, and the first hints of autumn showing up in the trees, it also means we’re getting back to peak model railroading season. Are you searching for some workbench projects to keep you busy this fall and winter? Here are five cabooses you can model. I just […]

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The quest to counteract ‘loss of shunt:’ Special Report

Amtrak train with Charger locomotive and Superliner cars

First of two parts EFFINGHAM, Ill, —What happens when electrical current connected with signal systems doesn’t reliably travel from one rail to another when a train passes? Dispatchers “lose” the train — it disappears from their screens — and warning lights don’t flash or gates don’t lower at highway crossings as the train approaches. The […]

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Passenger equipment from Britain, US heads to Mexico

Green British diesel trainset with yellow nose on power car

Some of Britain’s iconic High Speed Train locomotives and cars are currently in transit across the Atlantic to Mexico for use on a rail line being rebuilt for the Mexican government in a project led by the country’s Navy. The British HST equipment, along with two Spanish built ‘tram-train’ light rail vehicles previously used for […]

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Norfolk Southern funding will help bring railcars to Pullman National Park and State Historic Site

Ornate multistory brick building with clock tower

CHICAGO — Norfolk Southern has made a $250,000 contribution to help create an interactive exhibit at the Pullman State Historic Site and Pullman National Historical Park that will give visitors a chance at a close-up experience with historic railcars, including those once manufactured at the site. The Historic Pullman Foundation and Illinois Department of Natural […]

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