MINERSVILLE, Pa. — In what has become an annual tradition, Central Railroad of New Jersey No. 113 provided steam power for last week’s Santa Train out of Minersville. The 1-hour excursions are organized by Railway Restoration Project 113, the nonprofit organization that owns the 1923-built 0-6-0 of the American Locomotive Co. Snow throughout the Keystone […]
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Wendell J. Dillinger, 93, lifelong railroader and founder and CEO of the 7-mile-long Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad in Central Pennsylvania, died Dec. 10. During his 47 years of operating the line, he ran diesel freight and passenger trains, acquired and restored to service ex-Canadian National Railways 2-6-0 steam locomotive No. 91, and […]
PORT CLINTON, Pa. — The Reading & Northern Railroad announced today it has moved one million tons of coal this year, reaching that long-sought goal for the first time in its 33-year history. The milestone reinforces the “Road of Anthracite” slogan adopted by owner and CEO Andy Muller since launching the railroad with an initial […]
Santa Fe Super Fleet Virtually anyone these days with an interest in the industry knows what the term Super Fleet means. It’s the iconic red-and-silver warbonnet paint scheme worn by new Santa Fe locomotives during the twilight of the company’s existence. First applied to a Santa Fe locomotive in the late 1930s, the design graced […]
It’s hard to say when a trend becomes a trend. But yesterday’s announcement that Canadian National will acquire the 253-mile Iowa Northern Railway suggests that short lines and regionals getting gobbled up by Class I railroads is now a thing. Since 2020, Class I railroads have reached a half-dozen deals with short lines and regional […]
Santa Claus rides the Sierra Northern Railway, Ventura Division Have you ever wondered what happens when Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, his traditional form of transportation, needs its regularly scheduled inspection and servicing? Let’s face it; over the millennium the jolly guy in the red suit has circumnavigated the world more times than Magellan. He and […]
MONTREAL — Canadian National Railway will acquire Iowa Northern Railway, which operates approximately 253 route-miles and 275 track-miles, primarily between Cedar Rapids and Manly, Iowa, CN announced today. Iowa Northern was founded in 1984 on a portion of the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. The Class III short line serves 19 counties in […]
CSX reached a milestone on the former Pan Am Railways on Monday, Dec. 4, when it ran the first train in nearly five years between Old Town, Maine, and the New Brunswick Southern interchange at Mattawamkeag, Maine. The 45-mile stretch of the former Maine Central was out of service and previously had speeds restricted to […]
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has turned down a request to rehear its decision blocking approval of the Uinta Basin Railway project, the Salt Lake Tribune reports, leaving the Surface Transportation Board to address issues with its environmental report raised by the court’s decision in August. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District […]
MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — OmniTRAX will take over management of West Virginia’s South Branch Valley Railroad this Friday, Dec. 1, the company has announced. The transportation affiliate of The Broe Group said Wednesday that it had entered into “a definitive agreement with the West Virginia Deparment of Transportation to operate and grow” the 52.4-mile railroad, a […]
Montana’s Butte, Anaconda & Pacific relied on a fleet of 28 General Electric box-cabs after it electrified its line in 1913. The road received these two road-switcher-style motors from GE in 1957, then went to diesels in 1967. General Electric photo […]
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Rail Road’s Santa Train returns for its 33rd year beginning this Friday, Dec. 1, making stops in a dozen cities on a three-day journey across the Indiana Rail Road system. At the locations listed on the schedule below, visitors will board the train’s decorated cars to visit with Santa and Mrs. […]
