FOUNTAINTOWN, Ind. — One of the Midwestern leaders of U.S. railway preservation has passed away. William Walter Gray, 49, died Oct. 12 from brain cancer. Known as one of the driving forces behind Indiana’s Whitewater Valley Railroad tourist line, he was a professional railroader, having worked as a Cincinnati-based CSX locomotive engineer for 26 years. […]
Train Topic: Preservation
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum celebrates 60 years
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—One of the senior organizations in American railway preservation, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, is celebrating its 60th anniversary the weekends of Oct. 16-17 and Oct. 23-24. Plans include rides featuring the museum’s two operational steam engines, as well as steam- and diesel-themed night photo sessions, as the non-profit looks ahead with […]
Nevada Northern to reacquire two early diesels
ELY, Nev. — The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is planning to bring two of its original diesel locomotives back to Ely after almost four decades. SD7 No. 401, the only locomotive the Nevada Northern purchased from EMD, and Alco RSD4 No. 201, built in 1951 for Kennecott Copper Co., were purchased by the railroad in […]
Welding work advances Reading No. 2100 project
CLEVELAND – Restoration of Reading T1 4-8-4 No. 2100 by the American Steam Railroad Preservation Association, a 501c3 non-profit, has reached another milestone with completion of welding work within the firebox grate area. The work included welding of 548 new side sheet flexible and rigid staybolts, the welding of the inner sheets to the mud […]
Friends of East Broad Top wraps up Rockhill shops work, looks south
SALTILLO, Pa. – The Friends of the East Broad Top, an auxiliary group whose membership has exploded since the rebirth of the narrow gauge East Broad Top Railroad starting in 2020, announced over the weekend that it is moving forward to help the railroad’s owner, the EBT Foundation, reopen its main line south 20 miles […]
East Broad Top fully reopens tourist-era line in time for Friends Reunion
ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – East Broad Top Railroad staff and volunteers went the extra mile – literally – to fully reopen the company’s line from here to its tourist-era (1961-2011) wye and picnic area at Colgate Grove, just in time for this past weekend’s Friends of The East Broad Top annual reunion. Since 2020, when […]
N&W No. 611 to remain at Strasburg Rail Road
STRASBURG, Pa. — Norfolk & Western Class J locomotive No. 611 will remain at the Strasburg Rail Road this winter, undergoing an annual inspection and maintenance, following the conclusion of its operations on the Pennsylvania short line. The Virginia Museum of Transportation’s 4-8-4 had operated at Strasburg since May, wrapping up its schedule of excursions, […]
Milwaukee Road 261 returns to action (with video)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Milwaukee Road locomotive No. 261 is back on the road after a two-year absence from mainline operation. The S-3 Class Northern 4-8-4, built in 1944 by the American Locomotive Co. at Schenectady, N.Y., was in action Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2-3, on the Twin Cities & Western Railroad between Chanhassen and Bongards, […]
Iowa Pacific Railroad equipment in late 2021
ALAMOSA, Colorado — Iowa Pacific Railroad equipment rolled out of Alamosa in the San Luis Valley bound for days of fun, music, and beer in the Colorado mountains until just a few years ago. The Illinois Central colors of Iowa Pacific Holdings and the trains of the San Luis & Rio Grande added to the […]
Mark Twain Zephyr work continues with dining-car project (with video)
TREGO, Wis. — The interior of another car has been completed as the Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad continues its work to return one of the first diesel-powered streamlined passenger trains to operation. Trains News Wire’s latest visit to northwest Wisconsin to check on restoration of the Mark Twain Zephyr, the articulated trainset built by Philadelphia’s […]
Southern California Railroad Museum adds ATSF bicentennial SD45-2 to collection
PERRIS, Calif. — The Southern California Railroad Museum has added a former Santa Fe bicentennial locomotive to its collection. SD45-2 No. 5704, built in 1973, was one of five repainted locomotives repainted into red, white, and blue at Santa Fe’s San Bernardino shops in 1975 and 1976, and saw action on priority freight trains as […]
Nickel Plate 765 returns to the rails for a special reunion
NEW HAVEN, Ind. — Famed excursion star Nickel Plate Road No. 765 had a busy fall in 2021 with a visit to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and a special trip to reunite with sister NKP Berkshire No. 757 in Bellevue, Ohio. Now the 765 organization looks forward to its 50th anniversary in 2022. After […]
