An old saw in the railroad industry holds that persons in management best hide their avocational interest in the business, lest they damage their careers. Fortunately, there have been plenty of enlightened railroaders who put the lie to that assumption, among them Louis M. Newton, former Norfolk & Western and Norfolk Southern executive, frequent N&W […]
OCONEE, Ga. — An estimated 32 cars of a westbound Norfolk Southern freight train derailed early Monday morning in downtown Oconee, blocking a main street until further notice. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office reports the derailment occurred about 1 a.m., blocking Central Drive in Oconee, a community of 280 about 60 miles southwest of Augusta, […]
ELKINS, W.Va. — With COVID-19 cases increasing, the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has cancelled its Polar Express holiday trains for the second consecutive years. D&GV president John Smith told the Inter-Mountain newspaper, “The Polar Express is very up close and personal with children and it would be a disaster to try and put 280 […]
These are the steam locomotives on Big Boy’s 2021 route. In August and September 2021, Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 will travel from Cheyenne, Wyoming, to New Orleans through Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, among other places. Classic Trains offers this photo gallery of steam locomotives from railroading’s high-period, showcasing those […]
West Point Route Atlanta & West Point and Western Railway of Alabama — together known as the West Point Route — handle the Southern Crescent between Atlanta and Montgomery. On February 28, 1948, WofA 4-8-2 No. 185 heads a 13-car train 38 east at Hogansville, Ga. David W. Salter photo […]
Independent analyst Anthony B. Hatch is fond of saying that one of freight railroads’ enduring advantages is owning and maintaining their own infrastructure. Nothing could drive that point home better than the repair blitz that Union Pacific launched after its 1,200-foot Dry Canyon Bridge sustained heavy damage from a wildfire. The 150-foot-tall span in Hotlum, […]
MIAMI — Brightline President Patrick Goddard announced Tuesday the company will resume hourly West Palm Beach-Miami trains in “the first half” of November, with the exact date still to be determined. When service returns, Brightline plans a major innovation designed to create a seamless experience for passengers. The company is collaborating with software company lomob […]
NEW ORLEANS — Limited tickets remain for the Aug. 22 excursion from New Orleans to Plaquemine, La., to be pulled by UP Big Boy No. 4014. The excursion, the only one planned on this year’s Big Boy tour, is a fundraiser for the Union Pacific Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The trip along the Mississippi […]
ATLANTA — An investigation by the Georgia Department of Transportation found that the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority violated numerous safety rules, but MARTA has called investigation “flawed and biased.” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained a copy of the investigation report, as well as written MARTA responses. The Georgia DOT report said the transit agency had […]
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A 31-year effort by the Southern Appalachia Railway Museum has reached fruition with the acquisition of Central of Georgia combine car Fort Mitchell, giving the museum the complete four-car streamlined, stainless-steel Man o’ War trainset built by Budd Co. in 1945. When restoration efforts are complete, the museum believes it will […]
WASHINGTON—Calling the issue “ripe for adjudication,” the Surface Transportation Board has agreed with Amtrak’s request for expedited hearings to determine what, if any, infrastructure improvements must occur before it can begin operating between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. Amtrak had sought to start two daily round trips along the Norfolk Southern-CSX Transportation route in January […]
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 […]
