Western Maryland Scenic adds former California Zephyr dome (corrected)

Stainless steel dome car with red stripe along windows

CUMBERLAND, Md. — The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad has added dome-lounge Silver Palace, a well-traveled car built by the Budd Co. in 1948 for Western Pacific for use on the California Zephyr. Following completion of maintenance, inspections, and upgrades, the car will enter excursion service, replacing dome-lounge Stampede Pass, which the heritage railroad had previously […]

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C&O Historical Society begins fundraising to restore office car Chessie 29 to operation

End view of private car looking in through open door

CLIFTON FORGE, Va. — The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society has begun a fundraising campaign to return historic C&O office car Chessie 29 to operation, organization president Mark Totten has announced. The society will sell a custom, limited-edition, 11-by-17-inch poster of the car from Base Camp Printing of Charleston, W.Va., to fund the hiring of […]

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Beech Mountain, likely nearing end of operations, leases SW1500s

Blue and yellow end-cab switcher

ALEXANDER, W.Va. — Beech Mountain Railroad has leased two former CSX SW1500s from LTEX Rail to continue moving coal from Carter-Roag Coal Co.’s Star Bridge processing plant to the railroad’s interchange with the Appalachian & Ohio at Alexander. United Coal Co. subsidiary Carter-Roag has closed its Morgan Camp mine, which fed the Star Bridge preparation […]

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N&W 611 to run on Buckingham Branch’s Virginia Scenic Railway

NW611JamestownNCWrinnSept2018

Norfolk & Western No. 611 has a new place to run. The Virginia Museum of Transportation and Virginia Scenic Railway — the excursion operation of the short line Buckingham Branch Railroad — have announced the Class J 4-8-4 will run weekend excursions this fall on the Virginia Scenic Railway. The steam-powered Shenandoah Valley Limited will […]

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NTSB issues preliminary report on NS hot-bearing coal train derailment

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board today released its preliminary report about a Norfolk Southern coal train that derailed in Virginia on July 6 after a wheel bearing failure. The railroad’s response to hot bearing alerts has been under scrutiny since the disastrous Feb. 3 hazardous materials wreck in East Palestine, Ohio. In this […]

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Durbin & Greenbrier Valley sets Labor Day weekend events featuring Climax No. 9

Two steam locomotives posed outside station at night

CASS, W.Va — Cass Scenic Railroad operator Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has announced two special events — a night photo session, and an excursion, both featuring Climax No. 9 — to be held Labor Day weekend. On Sunday, Sept. 3, the railroad will host a night photo session at the Cass depot, set to […]

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