Our “Pack of Rats” gathered Saturday morning by the Chevron station at the Mustang exit off of Interstate 80. This area was chosen so that we could take a look at how things have changed in this area since the railroad was put in circa 1868. In a wonderful book, The Central Pacific Railroad Acro…
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Coffee Tracks - Mustang Exit off I80
Coffee Tracks - Mogul, NV
If you arrived early to Coffee Tracks, you got a great view of an East bound Union Pacific manifest train! One of our early RATS even caught a man down the hill beside track 2 changing his clothes. Sorry, no picture of this trespasser! You truly never know what you will come across by the tracks.
…Crossing Gates Are There For A Reason
On Monday, May 2, 2022 a 27 year old male lost his life due to a rash decision at a rail crossing in Pompano Beach, Florida. This young father on his way to work drove around the gates and lights that signaled a train was coming. The conductor of the train said that he believes the driver was trying…
Coffee Tracks - West End of the UP Sparks Yard
Little did we know of the excitement that would occur during our Coffee Tracks time at the Union Pacific Sparks Yard! As the "pack" of RATS began to gather, the scanner alerted us to an event taking place in the yard by one of the tracks. A railroad worker discovered a residential propane tank with…
Unusual Cargo Transported By Train
Have you ever been out by the tracks and thought to yourself, "Wow, I never knew they transported that by train?"
Below are a few examples of unusual cargo that has been shipped by train.
Airline Parts
The Boeing company regularly ships parts of planes by rail between the manufacturing plan…
Defect Detectors
In an article by Robert S. McGonigal, defect detectors along the tracks are explained in detail.
(The article may be found at Defect detectors | Trains Magazine)
An Amtrak train en route from Milwaukee to Chicago on Canadian Pacific’s double-track main line hurtles by a metal cabin and some trac…
Big Boy 4014 Returns - Sparks, Roseville, Portland & Boise
World's Largest Steam Locomotive 'Big Boy No. 4014' Returns to the Tracks to Celebrate 160 years of Union Pacific
OMAHA, NEB., APRIL 11, 2022
Union Pacific's famed Big Boy No. 4014 is set to return to the tracks this summer for its “West Coast Steam Tour.” Kicking off June 26 from Cheyenne, …
Freight Car Placement in a Train
This article taken from Gateway NMRA by John Carty
We have all seen this before. You visit a beautiful miniature layout overflowing with detailed scenery and eye-catching vignettes. The track work functions impeccably. Then comes the train around the bend: a perfectly detailed Mikado followed by…
Rail Safety Tips and Facts
With warmer weather and longer days, many people are beginning to spend more time outdoors fishing, hiking and biking, along with many other activities. Being outdoors brings the chance of encountering railroad crossings, train tracks and trains. Take a few minutes and refresh your thinking with the…
Coffee Tracks - Waltham Way, Storey County, NV
The Starbucks coffee had arrived, our orange safety warning signs had been setup and we were ready to go checkout the crossing at Waltham Way - only to have to wait for an East bound train to travel thru the crossing. (No disappointment for any of us!) As we have been trained to do, we got…
Why Rail Awareness?
Why a website on rail awareness? Take a look at the following:
- 1/11/22 UP train collides with pedestrian on tracks in Reno, NV - woman killed
- 2/7/21 UP train collides with pedestrian in Tucson, AZ - pedestrian killed
- 2/13/22 Brightline train collides with vehicle trying to beat the tra…
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