In Georgia’s “Pidcock Kingdom”

Southwest Georgia short lines Pidcock Kingdom

Three connecting short lines in southwest Georgia — the Georgia Northern; Albany & Northern; and Georgia, Ashburn, Sylvester & Camilla — were known as the “Pidcock Kingdom” owing to their onetime control by C. W. Pidcock. By 1968, when GN SW8 No. 13 ambled north with a freight on the GAS&C, they were all under […]

Read More…

New paint for Paducah & Louisville locomotives

Two green and black locomotives with white trim and lettering

PADUCAH, Ky. — Two Paducah & Louisville Railways locomotives have been repainted and numbered to reflect the 35th anniversary of the 280-mile short line, formed from former Illinois Central Gulf lines in 1986. The locomotives, seen on July 8, 2022, were repainted by Progress Rail in Mayfield, Ky., to reflect the original P&L paint scheme, […]

Read More…

Regulatory filing seeks to create new Houston-area switching railroad

Aerial photo of industrial arok

WASHINGTON — A private railroad serving an industrial park in the Houston area has filed paperwork with the Surface Transportation Board to become a common-carrier operation. TGS Cedar Port Railroad will operate 1.28 miles of track in the Cedar Port Industrial Park in Baytown, Texas. The trackage, which connects with Union Pacific, originally was part […]

Read More…

Forest Service upholds decision on Uinta Basin Railway

Map showing proposed rail route in Utah

OGDEN, Utah — A U.S. Forest Service review has upheld a decision granting right-of-way to a portion of the Uinta Basin Railway project, the last major regulatory barrier to the proposed 85-mile line to serve oilfields in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune reports several environmental groups had challenged the Forest Service’s decision to approve the […]

Read More…

SMS Rail Services plans passenger excursions on new trackage

Steam locomotive undergoing work in shop building

BRIDGEPORT, N.J. — SMS Rail Services, perhaps best known to enthusiasts as the operator of a roster of Baldwin diesel locomotives that work on several rail switching operations, is preparing to enter the passenger excursion business on its newest line acquisition. SMS, established in 1994 to serve the large Pureland Industrial Park in Bridgeport, N.J., […]

Read More…

ASLRRA announces annual Jake Safety Awards

American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association logo

WASHINGTON — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association has recognized a record number of railroads with its annual Jake Safety Awards, announced last week. A total of 364 railroads received awards for performing at or above the industry average for Federal Railroad Administration-reportable injuries, including 332 honored “with distinction” for having no reportable […]

Read More…

So long, Ma & Pa

Maryland and Pennsylvania train in Sharon, Md.

On Aug. 5, 1958, the last Maryland & Pennsylvania train from Baltimore heads north across the trestle at Sharon, Md., shortly before the road abandoned the south half of its 77-mile line between Baltimore & York, Pa. Lawrence W. Sagle photo […]

Read More…

Fort Wayne organization acquires two PRR passenger cars

Two stainless steel passenger cars

NEW HAVEN, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has acquired two Pennsylvania Railroad passenger cars from the Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The cars will be used to support the Indiana Rail Experience, a series of excursions with the society’s steam locomotive, Nickel Plate Road No. 765 [see “Indiana […]

Read More…

News photos: Kaw River Railroad SD60Ms show off fresh paint

Black and yellow locomotive with city skyline in the background

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kaw River Railroad operations in Kansas City now feature two former Union Pacific SD60M’s in a paint scheme reflecting the line’s Watco ownership. The 6032 and 6033 are the first six-axle locomotives on the Kaw River, which operates former Kansas City Terminal Railway trackage in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, […]

Read More…

Officials celebrate completion of CREATE Argo Connection project

Six people with red, white, and blue locomotive in background

SUMMIT, Ill. — Some projects in Chicago’s CREATE program, which seeks to address rail congestion, bring dramatic changes to the landscape. The Englewood Flyover, the lengthy bridge which raised Metra’s Rock Island District above the Norfolk Southern main line on the city’s South Side, is the classic example. For others, the impact is far more […]

Read More…