Tabla de contenidos para July 2024 en Trains

FORMER CSX CEO JIM FOOTE, who helped turn the railroad from industry laggard into a leader, died April 16. He was 70. “Jim’s leadership was instrumental in guiding CSX through a transformational period in our company’s history, advancing CSX to new heights, marked by record operating and financial performance,” CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs says. “We are appreciative of Jim’s contributions to the company and the entire railroad industry.” Foote was named chief executive in December 2017 following the death of CEO E. Hunter Harrison. Foote, Harrison’s chief marketing officer at Canadian National, joined CSX in October 2017 as chief operating officer during Harrison’s rapid-fire implementation of the low-cost Precision Scheduled Railroading operating model. “Hunter was a true legend, and CSX would not be in the position it is today without…

CSX TRANSPORTATION introduced the 13th locomotive in its heritage fleet, honoring PERE MARQUETTE, created by the merger of three Michigan-based railroads in 1899. The unit wears the railroad’s passenger paint scheme. Pere Marquette was eventually merged into CHESAPEAKE & OHIO in 1947. CSX Transportation TRAINS MAGAZINE was among magazines and other properties sold by KALMBACH MEDIA to FIRECROWN MEDIA in a deal announced May 1. Also included are Classic Trains, Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains, FineScale Modeler, Astronomy, Trains.com, Kalmbach Books, and related online stores. A total of 67 employees will be retained by the new owners, who are based in Chattanooga, Tenn., and publish titles such as Flying, Boating, and Yachting. The former Kalmbach brands will remain in Wisconsin. The SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA TRANS-PORTATION AUTHORITY “terminated with cause” a contract…

The train, at a station in Poland, had one high-horsepower locomotive, one car, and a crew of three — all for our party of five members of Congress, plus two Diplomatic Security agents from the State Department. The crew was exactly what you’d expect in America — engineer, conductor, and car attendant. I’d ridden on a private car before, thanks to my summer college internship at BNSF, but I’d never been on a private train. Our congressional delegation represented all corners of the country: the North Shore of Boston to the San Diego shore; the heartland of South Carolina to the desert of Arizona to the lush coast of Santa Barbara. We included two Marine veterans; one aspiring senator; one who came to America at 5 years old, following his…

WHEN I WAS A YOUNG BOY IN THE 1960S, my family lived within earshot of the Lehigh Valley’s West End industrial branch that traversed the north side of Allentown, Pa. Weekday summer entertainment included a run to my backyard whenever I heard an approaching diesel switcher. As the local passed, I faithfully counted each freight car. By the mid-1970s, I expanded my contact with the railroading world — first by foot and then bicycle — to the environs of Allentown Consolidated Yard. The Lehigh Valley and Reading main lines converged in the yard, the Lehigh Valley having assumed ownership in 1972, following the withdrawal of original proprietor Central Railroad of New Jersey. As if the colorful diesel locomotive consists of the Lehigh Valley and Reading were not enough, Chessie System…

TRAINS COLUMNIST DON PHILLIPS prescribed driving U.S. Route 30 along the Union Pacific main line across Nebraska as an antidote for the 1970s railroad blues [“Solace on Highway 30,” October 1978]. For all that has changed in 45 years, the railroad is still Union Pacific and it still puts on a heck of a show: lots of trains, big trains, all moving fast. U.S. Route 30 generally parallels UP’s Overland Route from Chicago to western Wyoming. But for about 430 miles between Columbus, Neb., and Cheyenne, Wyo., U.S. 30 is usually right next to Union Pacific’s busy double-track-plus main line. To make train-watching even easier, U.S. 30 is not congested because through traffic uses parallel Interstate 80. Columbus to Cheyenne is in the middle of Union Pacific’s primary route west from…

AUTHOR DOUG RIDDELL and writer Michael Sawyer — both retired — are currently producing engaging monthly columns under the Trains Magazine brand. Both men, though from different backgrounds, share the same passion for trains and railroading. East Coast perspective: Doug, a Richmond native, graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University with a mass communications degree. He is a retired locomotive engineer and Amtrak company photographer who was initially hired by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1977. He and his wife Sandy reside in Ashland, Va., near Doug’s son, Ryan, who has followed in his father’s footsteps — happily at the throttle of Amtrak trains. West Coast perspective: Michael, or “Mad Dog,” grew up in downtown Puyallup, approximately 40 miles south of Seattle. As a young railfan, MD would spend hours…

CSX ON APRIL 16 debuted its first hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive, converted from a four-axle diesel unit using a kit supplied by Canadian Pacific Kansas City. GP38H2 No. 2100, was built at CSX’s Huntington (W.Va.) Locomotive Shop, which is handling hydrogen fuel cell conversions under a partnership with CPKC. “The successful debut of our first hydrogen-powered locomotive stands as a testament to the exceptional skill and dedication of our employees at the CSX Huntington locomotive shop,” CEO Joe Hinrichs said. “CSX’s commitment to sustainability in our operations is exemplified by the outstanding efforts of these employees, who, through their craftsmanship, are helping advance our collaboration with CPKC. We are proud to work with CPKC to scale this hydrogen technology and help pave the way for meaningful sustainable solutions for the future.”…

The Colebrookdale Railroad’s terminal, situated in the heart of Boyertown, Pa., shows the ornate station building and development of the parking area and landscaping. The addition of high-level platforms has improved passenger access to the train. Not only do such improvements enhance the railroad but enrich the city’s center and position the railroad as part of the community. The Colebrookdale Railroad’s rebirth as a successful tourist railroad breathes new life into a former Reading Co. branch in southeastern Pennsylvania. The 2014 revival was sparked by a determined man named Nathaniel Guest and a supportive community. Guest, a Pottstown, Pa., native, learned the railroad was going to be officially abandoned. Believing the line’s history made it worth saving, Guest began a campaign to get trains running again. In one of his…

REP. SETH MOULTON’S GROUP of members of Congress was far from alone in traveling by train for off icial government business in Ukraine. Because the war has made it unsafe to fly, Ukraine Railways, or Ukrzailiznytsia (UZ), regularly conveys visiting heads of state or other diplomatic off icials to meetings in Kyiv; photos of such visits are frequently featured on UZ’s social media sites. UZ calls it “iron diplomacy.” Those visitors include President Joe Biden, who in February 2023 took the 10-hour train trip to meet with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Biden traveled in somewhat more luxurious accommodations than Rep. Moulton’s group, however — a VIP train since dubbed “Rail Force One” [see “Ukraine’s railways mark one year of war,” “News,” May 2023]. The Polish-built saloon car used by…

THE WISCONSIN GREAT NORTH-ERN RAILROAD has added a steam locomotive to its expanding roster. Former Duluth & Northeastern 2-8-0 No. 27 has been moved from its display site at the Carlton County Fairgrounds in Barnum, Minn., to the WGN in Trego, Wis. The locomotive had been displayed at the fairgrounds since 1968. Wisconsin Great Northern, known for its ongoing restoration of the Mark Twain Zephyr, acquired the locomotive from Carlton County, which wanted to dispose of the Consolidation, as it was deteriorating and the county could no longer afford its upkeep. It offered the locomotive free of charge to any party that would pay for moving it, indicating it might scrap the 2-8-0 if a new home was not located. WGN stepped in. “I had heard a grapevine rumor that the…

Rarely have I heard such a glowing report from a fellow train rider. Recently, my friend and Conway Scenic Railroad’s bridge inspector Wayne Duffett flew from New England to Vancouver to experience the eastward Canadian. He returned delighted by the experience. Despite a few hiccups on the journey, he was impressed with VIA Rail’s hospitality and exceptional customer service. I asked him to list some of the trip’s highlights, he replied, “the whole thing!” For Duffett, who had traveled on Canadian Pacific/VIA Rail trains in eastern Canada and Maine, this was a trip of a lifetime. A TRAIN WITH A PAST VIA Rail’s Canadian is famous among the world’s great trains. However, the service has undergone transformations. Some history is required to understand its modern operation. In 1954-55, CP improved…

THE ENVIRONMENTAL and construction permits are in hand. So is a good portion of the projected $12 billion in funding. And so, on April 22, Brightline West held a groundbreaking celebration — actually a “first spike” ceremony — in Las Vegas, Nev., starting the clock on an ambitious four-year timeline to build an electrified high speed rail line to Southern California. The goal: to be operating in time for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. More than 600 people were on hand at the future site of the Brightline West Las Vegas station, just south of the Strip between Las Vegas Boulevard and Interstate 15, the freeway that will provide the right-of-way for most of the rail line. Speakers — including Brightline founder Wes Edens, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg,…

THREE-NATION TOUR BEGINS: Canadian Pacific 4-6-4 No. 2816 began CPKC’s three-nation “Final Spike Steam Tour,” celebrating the first anniversary of the CP-Kansas City Southern merger, with a display day at corporate headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, on April 24, 2024, then hit the road two days later. For the initial Canadian segment, the Class H-1b Hudson, known as “The Empress,” and the CPKC executive train was also joined by the railroad’s first hydrogen fuel-cell locomotive, H2 0EL No. 1001, a converted SD40-2F. The train is show here on the first day of its tour, between Medicine Hat and Dunmore, Alberta, on April 26. Ahead were eight more display dates in Canada and the U.S., the last May 28 in Laredo, Texas. The tour, originally set to end June 4 in Mexico…

TIME SEEMS TO STAND still on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Consider this image of Jeremy Garcia taking water from the Los Piños tank on the 64-mile eastbound run from Chama, N.M., to Antonito, Colo., on Oct. 19, 2023. He’s not posing for a picture, he’s working. With the grueling 4% climb up and over the 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass in the San Juan Mountains accomplished, former Denver & Rio Grande Western No. 488 needs that water. Similar photographs have been taken at this location for many decades and may — a cheerful thought — be captured here for many more. Perhaps those images will also feature K36 class 2-8-2 Mikado No. 488, which was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia in 1925. It’s one of five operating…

MANY TOURIST RAILROADS now off er people-powered activities aboard rail bikes. For participants, a rail bike ride along the tracks provides exercise and off ers a unique view of the line. For the railroad, it is an opportunity to economically expand capacity and develop a new market segment in those looking for physical outdoor programs. The Colebrookdale Railroad took the rail bike concept a step further than most. In 2020, the railroad launched its bike program with commercially available vehicles. However, as Nathaniel Guest, Colebrookdale executive director, explains, “[The public] will find every weak spot for you.” Soon the railroad staff realized an improved rail bike was needed [see “Riding the Rail Glider…,” “Preservation,” May 2023]. The Colebrookdale staff decided to design a new bike — they call it a…

IT WAS THE early 1990s and I was an Electro-Motive Division export locomotive district sales manager in the International Locomotive Business Group, based at EMD’s headquarters in LaGrange, Ill. At the time, I was responsible for locomotive and parts sales in Europe. One of my customers was Irish Rail and during this time locomotive procurement activity was starting to brew at the railway. Irish Rail received its first EMD locomotives in January 1961. The locomotives, model GL8s, were an instant success. Irish Rail’s management was satisfied with the reliability and the low maintenance costs of its EMD fleet and wanted to stick with us. However, our rival, General Electric, was after the business as well and had partnered with Great Britain’s Brush Electrical Machines Ltd., with Brush serving as its…

EAST BROAD TOP RAILROAD 2-8-2 NO. 16 is out of service until August 2024 with a cracked driving wheel center that was discovered during an off-season inspection. EBT trains will be pulled by GE 55-ton center-cab M-7 from May through August. All other aspects of the railroad and programming will run as announced. Dan Cupper THE ENGINE 557 RESTORATION CO., rebuilding ALASKA RAILROAD 2-8-0 NO. 557, has applied for a Federal Railroad Administration boiler hydrostatic test, a major milestone in restoring the 1944 Baldwin S-160. The test was planned for the week of May 20. No. 557 was the last Alaska Railroad steam locomotive in regular service. The ALBERTA RAILWAY MUSEUM received what may be the last remnants of CANADI-AN NATIONAL’S 1928 Edmonton, Alberta, passenger depot — a 14-foot by…