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Development of double-deck passenger cars. Include scale (interior plan and section) drawings of AT&SF El Cap coach, Superliner coach (also sleeper?), 1940 PRR-built LIRR MU-trailer, Kawasaki LIRR cab-car, typical Metra gallery car, and typical Go-transit “lozenge car”. Brief discussion of foreign developments, and perhaps the typical Briti***ram and the unique “Broadway Battleship” of New York Railways.
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More articles on special freight cars, like those run on covered hoppers and Schnable cars in the past.
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More of your cab-ride freight runs on interesting rights of way, where you can get a reporter permission or get an engineer or conductor to do a good piece of writing. Donner Pass, Feather River Canyon, the Bieber Line, Harrisburg-Pittsburgh, lots of others would be of interest.
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More on interesting and unique stations like the one on Portland, OR.
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Museum operations that also handle freight. How is their freight handled and coordinate with their public operations?
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Ditto modern light rail systems that also host diesel freight operations by short line or regular railroads. Including the New Jersey Transit River Line.
Sherman Hill
How about a story on the rail lines through Wyoming? Quite some interesting things there. Between Sherman hill, Wind river canyon, PRB, Yellowstone, and the Great divide basin, there is alot of unique challenges that had to be overcome here in this state. Actually there is a cool story as to how the rail line got to be where it is over sherman hill. If you want to hear it just email me and I will be happy to send it to you, or post it here.
How about the top 100 places to railfan?
What about a photo tour through a Rail or Tie making plant?
The Progression of track laying throughout history.
10 biggest rail disasters.
Maybe some trees of fallen flags that have been absorbed by the current class 1 RR’s and a list of RR’s that just went out of business.
A Story on Other non Railroad industries that the Current RR’s are also in.
They published a book with the best places to railfan. ( I think it is the top 100)
edbysard’s article on yard switching![:D]
Railroads in the state of Maine. I never see anything about Maine in Trains 
Also the map of the month should be a state map of Railroads. You could do 1 or 2 states each month.
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A monthly update on the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding open access of railroads in Europe, Australia, et al. What is working, what needs improvement, etc.
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A special analysis of a prospective high speed freight rail system in the US - would this be the concept that shifts market share back to the historic 70% of US intercity haulage?
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An in-depth article on Idaho’s own MotivePower, Inc. and their intrusion into the territorry dominated by GE and EMC.
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A comparison of captive shipper attitudes in Montana vs those in Southern Idaho. Does the fact that Southern Idaho has always been captive to UP keep the complaints at a minimum compared to Montana (which once had three main transcons accross the state, now just one)?
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An in-depth analysis of neutral terminal shortlines and how they help sustain the basic reasoning of open access, namely intramodal competition for the online shippers.[;)]
The July Railfan has an 8 page article on the Maine Eastern.
The August Trains covers Ohio.
I would like to see another State map every 6 months.
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An article detailing how new railroads are formed.
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An article discussing proposed changes to STB rules concerning small abandonments.
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An article discussing the ways in which the “Railroad Rennisance” which has been bandied about a great deal in the industry can actually cut rails market share in certain bulk commodities and help intermodal, while disadvantaging carload traffic…
LC
[V][tdn][banghead][banghead]
I would think there may be enough interest to make a special edition Trains Magazine book based the maps of the month type articles.[:D]