Category: Top News

No. 4141 to head funeral train transporting Bush to final resting place at presidential museum

Dec 4th, 2018

George H.W. Bush, the nation’s 41st president, will be transported to his final resting place in a funeral train headed by the very locomotive he drove 13 years ago. Union Pacific No. 4141, an SD70ACe known as the “George Bush 41” locomotive, heads a 13-car funeral train that will transport Bush’s body from Spring, TX, to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station for burial Thursday. Using a train to transport the body of a deceased person is something that many people don’t see often. Traditionally, the family would hire or purchase a second-hand Cadillac hearse to move the body to the resting place. Using a train is something that not many would be to afford, which is probably why it’s reserved for important people like Bush. Bush will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol through Wednesday, then be flown to Houston to lie in repose…

U.S. model manufacturers scramble to find new producer after factory in China closes unexpectedly

Aug 1st, 2018

This story has been updated since its original publication date A factory in China that manufactures model trains has closed, leaving some U.S. model railroad companies seeking a new supplier and facing delays. InterMountain Railway Co., Atlas Model Railroad Co., Bowser and Fox Valley Models announced this week that some new locomotives and rolling stock will be delayed or canceled because of the unexpected closing of one of the industry’s top manufacturers. Creating their own manufacturing factory with the implementation of plant networks they could have possibly avoided this situation. None of the companies said what products will be delayed.

Atlas Model Railroad Co. acquires Walthers N Scale Locomotive and Rolling Stock Tooling

Jun 22nd, 2018

Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc., and Wm. K. Walthers, Inc. have reached an agreement under which Atlas will purchase all N-scale locomotive and rolling stock tooling owned by Walthers, including the Walthers and Life-Like lines. Atlas will incorporate the tooling into its Atlas Master, Atlas Classic, and Trainman N scale lines, the company said in a statement today. Walthers will continue to offer N-scale items in its Cornerstone, SceneMaster, and Walthers Controls brands, including new items as well as items currently in those lines. “We feel that this tooling has found a great home with Atlas,” Wm. K. Walthers President Phil Walthers said. “They have a strong N-scale offering and these tools will help them bring some exceptional products back to the market.” Tom Haedrich, Executive Chairman at Atlas said the tooling fits right in with the company’s existing N-scale lines. “We are committed to producing them with the latest…

Great Train Expo acquired by Train Show, Inc.

Apr 22nd, 2014

CAROL STREAM, IL –  The Great Train Expo has a new home. Train Show, Inc., announced today that it has acquired the assets of Great Train Expo (GTE), the traveling model railroad show that visits about a dozen U.S. cities each year annually.  Train Show Inc. is the corporate parent of Greenberg’s Train and Toy Show, Great Midwest Train Show and World’s Greatest Hobby on Tour. GTE features operating layouts, vendor sales, exhibits, demonstrations and workshops, and has been a regular in the Midwest and Southwest. Train Show Inc. will be sponsoring shows in many of the venues formerly used by the organization. Train Show, Inc., President Randy Bachmann said the acquisition solidifies the company’s position as the largest train show promoter in the country and one of the largest consumer show promotion companies. “This is a natural expansion of our business,” he said in a statement. “This purchase allows us to sponsor shows from coast to coast…

Grapevine Vintage Railroad announces return to service for rehabilitated 117-year-old locomotive

Oct 9th, 2013

  GRAPEVINE, TX – The Grapevine Vintage Railroad announced today that “Puffy” will ride again. The tourist railroad’s 117-year-old steam engine No. 2248, affectionately known as “Puffy,” will return for a series of short excursions beginning Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The locomotive, a former Southern Pacific 4-6-0, has undergone extensive repairs since being sidelined in December 2010. Puffy will head short excursion trains each Friday evening until Thanksgiving, when the North Pole Express begins holiday runs. GVR’s GP7 diesel locomotive will assist. GVR crews have been working in earnest for several months to return Puffy to the road. A piston, rings and cylinder cap were machined to fix damage during a run to Hodge Yard in Fort Worth almost three years ago. At the time, the failure was the second in two years that forced the locomotive out of service. In September, Puffy could be seen making short test runs from the shop in Grapevine. Puffy, built…

InterMountain back to work after facility sustains only ‘minimal’ damage from Colorado flooding

Sep 18th, 2013

InterMountain Railway Co., a top producer in model railroad cars and locomotives, sustained only “minimal” damage to its corporate facility from floods that have ravaged Colorado in recent days, the company announced Tuesday. Executive Vice President and CFO Frank Angstead said floods damaged only the first floor of InterMountain’s three-story Longmont, CO, facility. Several homes and businesses in the city were damaged or destroyed by flooding that has affected 17 counties in Northern Colorado. On Wednesday, the foothills of central Colorado’s front range received 6-10 inches of rain in 12 hours. Water flowed eastward toward Longmont and other communities on the east side of the mountains. By midday Thursday the rivers and streams in the area had breached their banks and created a Federal disaster area. Waters crested in Longmont on Thursday night but additional rain continued to flood the area through Saturday. After waters had receded on Monday, InterMountain…