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WILLIAMS, Ariz. — The conclusion of the Grand Canyon Railway’s 2024 steam season was a fall finish as 2-8-2 No. 4960 made its Oct. 5 round trip between Williams and Grand Canyon National Park. Railway Chief Mechanical Officer Eric Hadder said the locomotive did well with no significant problems. He also noted that No. 4960’s […]
There are cool train rides this holiday season from coast-to-coast, but plan ahead for the most popular events. The holiday season begins early for many heritage railroads, museums, and tourist train operators. On some lines there is only a short transition from the end of autumn Oktoberfests, pumpkin patches, and spooky trains to the start […]
FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, known for its stewardship of Nickel Plate Road steam engine No. 765 and the Indiana Rail Experience rail tourism program, has named Kelly Lynch as its first executive director — the first paid employee in the organization’s 52-year history. Lynch has been a member of […]
DINGMANS FERRY, Pa. — Operation Toy Train has announced the schedule for its 16th year collecting toy donations for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and other organizations that benefit underprivileged children. This year, the program has expanded to include Southern California and New York’s capitol region, joining previous operations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, […]
NEW FREEDOM, Pa. — Northern Central Railway of York has added to its roster with purchase of a GE 80-ton locomotive that will be used in excursion service. “As part of our strategic growth plan, we have been considering buying another train for some time,” Ashley Zimmerman, the railroad’s executive director, said in a press […]
DUNCANSVILLE, Pa. — After a 10-month restoration, former Lehigh & New England office car No. 100 is ready to start carrying first-class passengers for its new owner, the Everett Railroad. After L&NE quit running in 1961, the car served as a restaurant annex near Philadelphia before trolley broker Ed Metka of Windber, Pa., bought it […]
ELBE, Wash. — The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad has purchased three ex-Reading Co. passenger cars from the North Carolina Transportation for use in its steam heritage rail operations. Mt. Rainier Scenic said in a press release that the museum determined the cars, built between 1922 and 1927 by the Standard Steel Car Co. and Bethlehem […]
GRAND RAPIDS, Ohio — The Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway and Museum has received a grant to help restore its former Chesapeake & Ohio Alco S4, No. 5109, to operating condition, the organization has announced. The Anderson Foundation has awarded a $5,140 grant that the tourist railroad says in a Facebook post will be […]
MADISON, Wis. — The owner of the Wisconsin Great Northern, the heritage rail operation in Spooner, Wis., which gained significant attention for its efforts to restore the Mark Twain Zephyr, has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for failure to pay employment taxes. Greg Vreeland, 55, of Springbrook, Wis., was sentenced […]
WILLIAMS, Ariz. — At age 123, the former Santa Fe branch between Williams and Grand Canyon National Park will not hesitate in challenging Grand Canyon Railway’s steam and diesel locomotives as they navigate the sharp curves and 3.5% grades. The fleet’s flagship, 2-8-2 No. 4960, was no exception on Sept. 21, 2024. Commemorating the first […]
COLESVILLE, Md. — A unique predecessor to the renowned hi-rail vehicle has recently hit the road for a renewal in its preservation odyssey. The National Capital Trolley Museum announced in a Sept. 17 post on Facebook and Instagram the acquisition of Evans Auto-Railer No. 109. The 1936-built vehicle was transported on Sept. 9 on a […]
This month, the Short Line Safety Institute enters its tenth year of operations, having marked 155 completed safety culture assessments, and numerous introductions of programs and resources to benefit the short line industry in continuously improving safety culture. Founded in response to the tragic 2013 Lac-Megantic rail accident in Quebec, Canada, on regional Montreal, Maine […]
