Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad to resume National Park Scenic, Explorer trips May 5

Yellow, maroon, and black FA locomotive with passenger train

PENINSULA, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will resume its National Park Scenic excursions and its Explorer Program as of May 5, the tourist railroad has announced. The railroad through Cuyahoga Valley National Park has faced a series of limitations on operations or complete shutdowns because of erosion issues along its right-of-way, which follows […]

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Greenbrier Express sets inaugural run, start of regular operations

Shay locomotive with passenger train

ELKINS, W.Va. — The inaugural run of Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad’s Greenbrier Express operation is set for Saturday, May 13, the railroad has announced. The initial run on the recently reopened, 15-mile Cass-to-Durbin remnant of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad’s Greenbrier Subdivision quickly sold out. Regular service will begin the following Saturday, May 20. […]

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Colebrookdale Trust will acquire locomotive from Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

4-6-2 steam locomotive on outdoor display

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum will transfer ownership of former Canadian National 4-6-2 No. 5288 to the Colebrookdale Railroad Preservation Trust in Boyertown, Pa., the two organizations announced Friday, with Colebrookdale planning to eventually restore the locomotive to operation. The engine will move to Pennsylvania as soon as possible. Built by Montreal […]

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Seven uses for cabooses

Color photo of blue, red, and yellow cabooses used as apartments.

Looking for interesting uses for cabooses? If you’re of a certain age (myself included), you remember when a caboose was on the end of almost every train. Then, in the 1990s, cabooses began to disappear. Instead of a friendly wave at the end of a train, you were greeted by a blinking red light on […]

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Wheelset, track problems led to Missouri theme park derailment, report says

Two-foot gauge steam locomotive at theme park

BRANSON, Mo. — A series of wheelset and track issues led to the derailment of a theme-park railroad in October 2022, according to a report released by the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office. One employee and six passengers were injured in the derailment on the 2-foot gauge“Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train” at the Silver […]

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Cass Parade of Steam set for June 17

Five geared steam locomotives in operation

CASS, W.Va. — Cass Scenic Railroad operator Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad has announced that the 2023 Parade of Steam will take place June 17 at the Cass depot. In previous years, this increasingly popular event has featured five of Cass Scenic’s geared steam locomotives, in various combinations, under steam.  However, if all goes as […]

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Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad Heisler No. 3

In October of 2022, restored former Craig Mountain Lumber Co. 2-truck Heisler steam locomotive No. 3 began operation along the rails of the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad. Since its 1917 origins, No. 3 has journeyed from lumber hauls in Idaho to sites in Wisconsin to Arizona to Oregon. Now at home on the OCSR, No. […]

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Tourist railroads help create commuter train for Tom Hanks film

F unit locomotive and passenger cars at station platform

Rail consulting firm FMW Solutions and several heritage railways combined to recreate a 1970s-era commuter train for the recent Tom Hanks film “A Man Called Otto,” which makes use of equipment and locations of the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railway, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, and Washington D.C. chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The film’s […]

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East Broad Top Railroad passenger cars in the 21st century

Cabooses and passenger cars at a railyard during the evening.

East Broad Top Railroad passenger cars have been vital to the narrow gauge railroad’s 150-year history. Today’s fleet is a mixture of old and new, waiting for you to climb aboard the next time you visit this National Historic Landmark in Rockhill, Pennsylvania. Coach passenger cars Since the beginning of passenger service on August 30, […]

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Conrail Retrospective

Big Blue diesel locomotives were ubiquitous for those living in the Northeast and upper Midwest for many years of the last century. Although Consolidated Railroad Corporation has been gone for over 20 years now, let’s take a look back at 1990s Conrail freights in the state of Pennsylvania! […]

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Erosion concerns halt Cuyahoga Valley Scenic operations

Yellow, maroon, and black FA locomotive with passenger train

PENINSULA, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, which had planned to resume full operations on Friday, March 3, instead has had to suspend all operations as of that date. A news release on the heritage railroad’s website says “ongoing geotechnical soil monitoring in recent weeks identified increasing erosion along the 26-mile scenic and educational […]

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Visiting the Strasburg Rail Road

People with hand-held cameras take pictures from the rear of a moving passenger train in rolling green countryside.

Visiting the Strasburg Rail Road History of the Strasburg Rail Road Visiting the Strasburg Rail Road is on the top of many a railfan’s bucket list. The Strasburg Rail Road, based in Strasburg, Pa., is the oldest railroad in America. It was founded in 1832 and is still running under its original name. It is […]

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