WASHINGTON — Virginia’s Buckingham Branch Railroad seeks to acquire a line that it presently leases from CSX Transportation. It encompasses 164.22 miles of line from milepost 276 in Clifton Forge to milepost 111.78 at Doswell. The railroad has leased the line, part of which hosts Amtrak’s Cardinal, since 2005. It was originally Chesapeake & Ohio. […]
Geared for success Brimstone’s 3-truck Shay No. 35 pulls coal in Tennessee. Lumber railroads were the primary users, but a few coal-haulers used Shays and/or the two other popular geared locomotives in North America, Heislers and Climaxes. Dwight Smith, Jim Wrinn collection […]
NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has signed a new agreement with the Chesapeake & Indiana Railroad, allowing the museum to lease and continue to operate on 5 miles of track between North Judson and English Lake, Ind. The agreement simplifies operation protocols between the two organizations and gives the museum greater […]
DENVER — Ryan Higgins has been named chief commercial officer of OmniTRAX, the shortline and transportation affiliate of the Denver-based Broe Group. Higgins comes to OmniTRAX from CSX Transportation, where he held multiple sales, marketing, business development, and operations positions. Most recently, he was senior director of merchandise sales. “Ryan is a dynamic team leader […]
Railroad man Gainesville Midland Railroad conductor L. C. Birchfield is perched in a caboose cupola in the late 1950s. The railroad ran between Gainesville and Athens in northern Georgia and one time had a branch to Monroe. Seaboard Air Line purchased the road in June 1959. Philip R. Hastings photo […]
Shortline savior North Carolina’s Laurinburg & Southern was a GE 70-tonner bastion in the Southeast. A pair works Dixie Guano in Laurinburg in September 1984. The GE small locomotive line enabled great savings for short lines that adopted them, keeping some of them running for years longer than if powered by steam. Jim Wrinn photo […]
In the late 1960s and in to the ’70s, I had numerous rides on Toledo, Peoria & Western freight trains in both directions out of Peoria, Ill., where I grew up. The TP&W interchanged with the Pennsylvania Railroad and its successors 108 miles east at Effner, Ind., and with the Santa Fe 114 miles west […]
Colorado transportation bill helps advance Front Range rail plans Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has signed a major transportation bill including a provision allowing creation of transportation planning organizations to exercise the powers of a regional transportation authority — a step toward creation of a Front Range Passenger Rail Authority. Full text of the bill is […]
CALGARY, Alberta – A year after acquiring regional railroad Central Maine & Quebec – and regaining a part of its historic shortcut linking Montreal and the Atlantic – traffic growth is exceeding Canadian Pacific’s expectations. CP’s plans to gain transatlantic international intermodal business from Port Saint John, New Brunswick, have come to fruition. New finished vehicle traffic […]
Amtrak offering USA Rail Pass at $200 savings Amtrak is relaunching its USA Rail Pass by offering the 10-ride pass for $299 through June 22, a savings of $200 over the regular price. The electronic pass allows up to 10 segments of coach travel in a 30-day period; trips involving a connection will count for […]
PITTSBURGH — U.S. Steel will sell its subsidiary which operates the company’s six remaining railroads to a subsidiary of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors for $640 million, the steelmaker announced Tuesday. Trains Wire reported almost a year ago that U.S. Steel was seeking a buyer for Transtar [see “U.S. Steel looks to sell remaining rail […]
FILLMORE, Calif. — Southern California short line and excursion railroad Fillmore & Western Railway will officially cease operations June 30, 2021. The current operators, Dave and Tresa Wilkinson, are retiring from the tourist railroad business after more than 30 years. They have successfully operated excursion trains, Mystery Dinner trains, and Santa Claus, specials among others. […]
