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This year, we can proudly celebrate 66 years of ROCO. Udo Jürgens already sang: „Life begins at 66“ – following this motto, we stand for progress, innovation and a wide range of international products. In short, everything to make the miniature version of the world a bit more detailed for our fans around the globe.

Reason enough for us to send our brand out on the "real" rails and make it even mor visible! What could be a better way to do that than with almost 10.000 HP and a record-holding Taurus 3?

In cooperation with ÖBB and our designer Markus Huber, we are dressing a 1216 in a particularly striking livery. One side of the branded locomotive allows a look into its interior: its technology. But wait a second: Are we looking at the real Taurus here or the technology of a ROCO miniature Taurus? It's up to our fans and passengers to solve the riddle.

The legend of Europa riding the bull symbolizes strength, confidence and the courage to set out on a new journey. Zeus approaches Europa in the form of a gentle bull and carries her across the sea to Crete - a journey that symbolizes change, union, and the beginning of a new story. The name of our continent originated from this myth, and its cultural diversity is characterized by it to this day. This timeless symbol lives on in the electric locomotive Taurus, whose name deliberately evokes the mythical bull. With its confident strength, it brings together people, regions and stories throughout Europe - reason enough to dedicate the second side of the themed locomotive to the Taurus and this artistic vision.

 The H0 version of this remarkable locomotive will be part of the ROCO range this year as a one-off edition and will be available in time before the Christmas trade. There is also a N Scale version that is part of the Fleischmann range this year as a one-off edition and will be available in time before the Christmas trade. 
Just like with our last themed locomotive in 2024 on occasion of the European Football Championship, it pays off to be fast! 

Amtrak announced April 15 that it had issued a formal request for suppliers to build a new fleet of long-distance passenger cars to replace its aging Superliners. The request comes a month after Amtrak decided it would not replace its fleet of long-distance cars — mostly used on Western routes — with bi-level Superliners.

Amtrak hopes to select a builder by the end of 2027. The railroad anticipates ordering more than 800 cars to replace those on 14 different routes.

“Our customers deserve the best, and this new fleet will move us full speed ahead into a new era of American rail travel,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris in a video shared by Amtrak as part of the announcement.

The video showed renderings of what Amtrak hopes the new cars will look like from the inside, although officials note that the designs are still early. Amtrak hopes to start putting the new fleet in service sometime in the 2030s. —Justin Franz 

The post Amtrak Begins Search for New Long-Distance Equipment appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.