Digest: Illinois Railway Museum sets special events for September

Friday morning rail preservation news: Illinois Railway Museum sets two weekends of special events The Illinois Railway Museum, which reopened in July with special COVID-19 precautionary measures, is planning two weekends of special events in September. Labor Day weekend will feature night train operations until 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 5-6, and J. Neils Lumber Shay […]

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Metra unveils C&NW heritage locomotive

Locomotive news in brief: Metra C&NW heritage unit debuts Chicago commuter railroad Metra has unveiled its latest heritage locomotive. Metra F59PHI No. 90 was released Monday from the company’s paint booth in a Chicago & North Western-inspired scheme. The design incorporates elements of C&NW’s paint scheme worn on early passenger diesel locomotives such as EMD’s […]

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CSX Santa Train will not run this year

Train greeted by large crowd of people

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — The CSX Santa Train, an Appalachian tradition for more than seven decades, will be sidelined this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in its traditional form. CSX and the Kingsport, Tenn., Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday that the Santa Train, held annually the Saturday before Thanksgiving in Eastern Kentucky, Southwest […]

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BNSF unveils 25th anniversary locomotive

BNSF Railway has introduced the first of what it says will be 10 locomotives with special paint schemes marking the railroad’s 25th anniversary. On its Facebook page, the railroad posted four photos of GE ES44AC No. 5828, with a “25th Anniversary” label on the nose and side, as well as logos of predecessor railroads. BNSF […]

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Ohio railfan events cancelled over COVID-19 concerns NEWSWIRE

Summerail2020

DAYTON, Ohio – Two railfan events scheduled for summer 2020 are cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The annual Carillon Park Rail Festival in Dayton is cancelled for 2020. The event, which features miniature train rides with live steam locomotives, historical exhibits, and a swap meet, is traditionally held the weekend after Father’s Day. […]

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Gettin’ out of Dodge

ATSFmixed

In August 1968, two years before author Dierks’ ride and when the Boise City mixed carried a combine instead of just a caboose, Santa Fe train 174 is at Elkhart, Kans. Joe McMillan This wasn’t my first rodeo, so to speak. I had ridden mixed trains in Utah and Idaho, and, just four days ago, one in Kansas. […]

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