Three Union Pacific employees conduct a job briefing at Colton, Calif., wearing new high-visibility green vests. David Lustig OMAHA, Neb. – Most Union Pacific employees will switch from wearing orange to green safety vests. The railroad said it believes the green vests afford better visibility than traditional orange. Workers that maintain structures must continue to […]
RENO, Nev. – Trains Unlimited Tours is closing its operations owing to business downturns in a depressed economy. Speaking for the company, Ron Burkhard said TUT is failing to generate enough clientele in a recession economy. The company is exploring a search for another group to operate two of its charters scheduled for next year: […]
OMAHA, Neb. – Union Pacific “Challenger” steam locomotive No. 3985 will tour the Midwest this fall, covering 1,750 miles in 23 days and visiting towns in Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota. To help people track the trip, UP has installed a global positioning satellite transmitted in one of the train’s cars and will use it to […]
George M. Hart Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania LEHIGHTON, Pa. – Legendary Pennsylvania railroad preservationist George Hart, who died Thursday in Lehighton at age 89, will remembered for his work with Reading’s steam fantrips, as the first director of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, and as the indefatigable operator of Rail Tours Inc. excursions. He was […]
PLUMMER, Idaho – A tunnel that used to host Milwaukee Road freights bound for the Puget Sound area is for sale for $650,000, the Associated Press reported. The tunnel has sat vacant since Milwaukee shut down its transcontinental freight line in 1980. “We think it’s time for someone else to own it,” said Don Parker, […]
HAMMOND, Ind. – Lake Central Rail Tours, which operated excursion trains on Michigan’s Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway and successor Great Lakes Central Railroad, is canceling 2008 operations, citing rising insurance and fuel costs as the reasons. Great Lakes will continue to occasionally operate Northern Arrow Excursions to Petoskey, Mich., in cooperation with Cincinnati Railway […]
Burlington Northern SD9 6234 shows off its new coat of paint at Minnesota Transportation Museum’s ex-Great Northern Jackson Street Roundhouse in St. Paul, Minn. Ralph Back ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Transportation Museum has restored former Burlington Northern SD9 No. 6234 to its Cascade Green paint scheme. The unit emerged from the Wisconsin & […]
CALGARY, Alberta – On Nov. 11, Canadian Pacific will remember those who served Canada and the United States with a Veterans Day (called Remembrance Day in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom) ceremony at its Calgary headquarters. The ceremony will pay tribute to those who fought in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, […]
Italian steam engine 741.120 is crossing the viaduct 1 mile north of Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy, crossing the main road and a small river on Oct. 13. Ad van Sten FLORENCE, Italy – Freshly overhauled Franco Crosti 2-8-0 No. 741.120 is back in operation. A Franco Crosti boiler consists of a standard boiler and one […]
ST CONSTANT, Quebec – Once a staple of the Canadian railway landscape linking towns and cities from coast to coast, the Budd Rail Diesel Car has all but vanished from the scene. Those that remain in service in Ontario and British Columbia have undergone numerous modifications to meet the travel needs of Canadians today. Between […]
An ad for the Florida Marlins baseball team shows off the concept promoted by Cleveland-based Freight Train Media. Freight Train Media CLEVELAND, Ohio – In the first half of the 20th century, it was common practice for companies, particularly major shippers, to use freight cars as “billboards” to advertise their products. Meatpackers, fruit growers, oil […]
Walter P. Gray III SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Walter P. Gray III, the longtime former director of the California State Railroad Museum and most recently a prominent state parks cultural official, died today in Sacramento after a long battle with cancer. He was 54. A graduate of California State University at Sacramento, Gray was instrumental in […]
