Railroads have no choice but to rebuild after Hurricane Helene: Commentary

Rail line dangling along river bank

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Skepticism spread throughout the railroad community after Hurricane Helene’s devastating once-in-a-generation floods wiped out roadbeds, destroyed bridges, and left most of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee unrecognizable. Some in the industry expressed doubt that CSX and Norfolk Southern would invest the dollars needed to repair widespread damages. More than 40 miles […]

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Thinking about Appalachia’s railroaders: Commentary

CSX train passing through small town

ERWIN, Tenn. — Railroaders take pride in the work they do. They provide for their families. They play an irreplaceable role in the movement of goods in the U.S. economy and they re-invest their hard-earned wages into the communities they live and work — building homes, shopping local, and supporting small communities where railroads have […]

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A disappearing mountain layout

A track plan for a toy train layout

The idea for building this small disappearing O-27 layout came to me after reading an issue of Lionel’s Inside Track magazine from 2009. This track plan brought back for me memories of a similar O-27 layout at a department store during the holidays in the 1950s. – Bob Espenschied Download the track plan for this […]

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B&O steam

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In 1955, Baltimore & Ohio 2-8-2 4443 pulls an eastbound coal train past the yard at Lumberton, W.Va., where the local switcher, an 0-8-0, is working. James P. Gallagher photo […]

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Sharks on the Monongahela

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Two Baldwin RF16 “Sharknose” diesels of the Monongahela Railroad lug a train of empty coal hoppers along the carrier’s namesake river at Alicia, Pa., in the late 1960s. The ex-New York Central units later went to the Delaware & Hudson and for decades have been privately owned and stored at Escanaba, Mich. David H. Hamley […]

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Rebuilding the S-Line | Amtrak in North Carolina and Virginia

Rebuilding the S-Line | As detailed in the November 2024 issue of Trains magazine, the neighboring states of North Carolina and Virginia are up to something big! They are cooperating, collaborating, and even co-funding to create a 110-mph interstate passenger-train speedway dubbed, the “S-Line”. Watch this video to see some of the existing Amtrak trains […]

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Cass Scenic Railroad State Park to add first campground

Diagram of planned campground

CASS, W.Va — Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, the facility including the 11-mile heritage railroad and preserved lumber company town, will add its first campground as part of $13 million in improvements in the state park system announced by Gov. Jim Justice. The campground will feature 100 campsites with water and electrical connections, two bathhouses, […]

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