The recent development and deployment of high horsepower, high adhesion diesel-electric locomotives represent the culmination of efforts to build a more powerful, efficient and reliable form of motive power. Midway in that technological journey 100 years ago, railroads built larger steam locomotives that featured too many wheels and not enough steaming capacity to make the …
All too often, the only view the public has of contemporary mainline railroading is when a freight car derails, then tank cars explode and soon an entire town is evacuated. In Baltimore, site of the early MTS, favorite targets for criticism are the aged infrastructures on CSX, including the Howard Street Tunnel and the notorious …
The battle rages on between those model railroaders that are perfectionists when creating every aspect of their model railroad and its climate-controlled environment and those satisfied with something less perfect but fully satisfying. The battle started early in the scale movement and was not confined to actual craftsmanship and size of a model railroad empire …
Amtrak’s fleet of new Charger and Sprinter locomotives materially changed the operation and visual image of US passenger service. Adapted from the successful. EuroSprinter designs, both classes of locomotives are delivering reliable performance and maintain creditable safety records. The electric locomotives are designed to be capable of accelerating 18 Amfleet cars to maximum speeds as high as …
Getting out on the railroad is essential to better understand prototype railroad operations and experience the thrill of the mainline first hand. That experience can provide the motivation to more deeply research a specific carrier or route and later, share that experience in writing or model building. The demise of the traditional commuter locals, many …
For many, Father’s Day has powerful meaning for all the right reasons. To those in the hobby, it is a special day reserved to honor our fathers, men who acted as father-figures in our lives, or those who sponsored us in various ways to help us understand and appreciate the dynamics of railroading and model …
Mother’s Day is the perfect time to pause and contemplate the positive impact women have had on model railroading. Chronologically, our journey in trains often begins when the family purchases our first train set at Christmas. From that point forward, however, it was usually mom who would sacrifice her own needs and space within a …
This week, MTS casts the spotlight on the YARDMASTER, the highest level within our rewards program. We take the title of Yardmaster seriously and thought you might be interested in the fuller dimensions of that title. That position in mainline railroading is critical to the business of keeping a railroad fluid and profitable and goes …
Anniversaries are numerous but in railroading, April 13th holds great significance for on that date in 1846, the former titan of the rails was born: the Pennsylvania Railroad. Its legacy continues to hold model railroaders and historians captive long after the passing of its corporate banner 56 years ago. Just witness the number of PRR …
Our message is basic and sincere: This Memorial Day weekend, we take time to honor those who have given their lives for our nation and its greater mission of freedom. We take this time to solemnly dignify the woeful yet unavoidable result of human sacrifice to preserve the value of safety and freedom for all …