METRO, City Of Houston proclaim and celebrate “Rally Around The Rails Day”
May 22, 2012 / Updated July 3, 2012
Passenger Rail
The New METRO, in partnership with the City of Houston and Mayor Annise D. Parker, proclaimed May 22 as “Rally Around the Rails Day” at a press conference at the Northline Transit Center, located on the future North Light-Rail Line.
With active construction under way on three new METRORail light-rail lines, “Rally Around the Rails Day” was a citywide grassroots initiative that encourages Houstonians to patronize mom-and-pop businesses located along the construction zones.
“Development of additional METRORail lines in our city means more jobs for thousands of local contractors, construction workers and engineers, but we also need to ensure these corridors stay thriving by supporting the small businesses located along the lines,” said Mayor Parker. “We need Houstonians to rally around the rails so we can continue to build a successful transit system for Houston.”
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.
A vintage Lionel store display is always a crowd pleaser, Atlas' N-scale True-Track is the right solution for a new test track on the Whitehurst & Pine Ridge Railroad, The Green Diamond was Illinois Central's gem on the St. Louis-to-Chicago route and more!
