DCTA to show off DMU car
May 29, 2012 / Updated July 3, 2012
Passenger Rail
One of Denton County Transportation Authority’s (DCTA) diesel-electric GTW 2/6 articulated rail vehicles built by Stadler Rail will be on display June 4-6 at Dallas Union Station.
The car, which has yet to go into service on DCTA’s light rail line that runs from Denton to Carrollton, TX, is being displayed as part of the American Public Transportation Association’s 2012 Rail Conference in Dallas. Top public transportation officials willl convene at the conference June 3-6 at the Hyatt Regency.
The first DMU cars are expected to begin service in August following approval of a Federal Railroad Administration waiver, said a DCTA spokesperson.
Spring is when large-scale model railroaders with their green thumbs plant and prune colorful foliage grown nearly to scale. In some areas, maintaining outdoor layouts is quite challenging because of changing weather. Nancy Norris, an author who builds garden railroads professionally, says some plant varieties have become more difficult to grow in certain Hardiness Zones. In some cases it means garden railroaders having to put more emphasis on growing native plants rather than relying on varieties more susceptible to extreme conditions. She recommends new gardeners consult with their local nurseries for the best choices for an outdoor layout. Norris also has a few recommendations of her own.
Sweeping tariffs imposed on goods imported into the United States are stirring model railroad manufacturers. As a result, model railroading and other hobbies will cost more. In February the U.S. applied a 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China, and the tax has since escalated. Suppliers – including Athearn, InterMountain Railway Co., Broadway Limited, Rapido Trains and ScaleTrains – have been putting dealers and customers on notice that prices will increase tariffs are implemented.
The first rule of railroading is “expect movement on any track at any time in any direction.” This may seem like an overabundance of caution, but railroading is a dangerous sport. Always expect a train when you’re around the tracks. The second rule of railroading is that there is an exception to every rule. The North American freight car fleet in 2023 consisted of 2.03 million rail cars, according to Railinc’s Umler Equipment Index. Rail car fleet management — how empty cars get dispatched to move to their next loading point — is an ever-moving process and often requires fleet car managers to be nimble.
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