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Michael Spring is living the dream at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. Since 2023, the 22-year-old has been a full-time employee at his favorite tourist line. He serves as a conductor and student engineer for the excursion operations out of Cumberland, Md., in addition to being a shop mechanic at the yard facility in Ridgeley, […]
WOODSTOWN, N.J. — The Woodstown Central Railroad, the heritage rail operation of SMS Rail Service, has announced that its restored Alco 0-6-0 locomotive No. 9 will make its revenue debut Nov. 30 in Santa Claus Special passenger service. The locomotive, built for the U.S. Army in 1942, also worked for the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway […]
SKAGWAY, Alaska — The White Pass & Yukon Route Railway marked a milestone in its well over a century of operation earlier this month when it operated a train with an all-female crew for the first time. The event occurred on Oct. 15 with a crew of Lindsay Breen, the railroad’s first woman engineer; conductor […]
A Spooky tail… The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad carshop in Durango, Colo., had a notorious mouse problem. During Halloween 2019, Assistant Car Shop Foreman Wes Akers and Car Shop Foreman (now carman) Sean Jackson were given permission to adopt two kittens to address the issue. These little kittens were to become new D&SNG […]
GARIBALDI, Ore. — The world’s only surviving standard gauge Class A Climax locomotive, Cabin Creek Lumber Co. No. 1, has been donated to the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, the railroad announced today (Oct. 24, 2024). The family of the late Victor C. Monahan donated the locomotive, which Oregon Coast Scenic intends to restore to operating […]
PLEASANT LAKE, Ind. — Finishing off the 2024 operating season for Nickel Plate Road No. 765 was the Indiana Rail Experience’s second annual Fall Color Steam Special on Oct. 19 and 20. The all-day round-trip jaunts drew beautiful weather as the 80-year-old 2-8-4 of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society marched up and down the […]
BELINGTON, W.Va — The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has unveiled a GP8 locomotive repainted to honor the Western Maryland Railway in that railroad’s red and white “Railblazer” paint scheme, known to fans as the “circus” scheme. The locomotive, repainted at Durbin & Greenbrier Valley’s Belington Shop, was built for the Wabash Railroad as a […]
Rocky Patel Rolling Smoke Cigar Train The “Rocky Patel Rolling Smoke Cigar Train” behind Nickel Plate Road SD9 No. 358 ran a round-trip excursion from Pleasant Lake, Ind., to Hillsdale, Mich., and return on Oct. 12, 2024. The special is one of several themed excursions offered as part of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society’s […]
NEW FREEDOM, Pa. — Northern Central Railway of York, a non-profit tourist excursion line, has named Jennifer Krieg as superintendent operations manager. Krieg, who joined the railway as a fireman on the lines replica 1860s-era steam locomotive, will be responsible for overseeing and maintaining that locomotive, two diesels, and eight passenger cars. “I am excited […]
PLEASANT LAKE, Ind. — The Indiana Rail Experience operated its second cigar train using Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society passenger cars on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, on host railroad Indiana Northeastern. The “Rocky Patel Rolling Smoke Cigar Train” train operated behind Nickel Plate Road SD9 No. 358 in pull-pull fashion from Pleasant Lake to Hillsdale, […]
BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — The Tweetsie Railroad, a tourist railroad and theme park in western North Carolina, will be closed for the remainder of its fall season as a result Hurricane Helene, the company announced Friday. An announcement posted on Facebook reads, “Tweetsie Railroad will remain closed for the rest of the fall season to […]
Railroad lingo What is the railroad’s lingo? Utilized mostly by railroaders, it’s a way of speaking among co-workers that involves using railroad terminology, jargon, slang, or argot. Common lingo can vary from one group of individuals to another. Not born of this world, I’ve struggled to understand some of the language the railroad professionals use […]
