Wednesday morning tourist and museum news in brief: Durango & Silverton says it can operate profitably at 50% capacity, seeks OK to open The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad says it will be capable of turning a profit while running trains at 50% of capacity and now hopes to resume full trips by late […]
More Thursday rail news in brief: Resort’s insurance company sues Durango & Silverton over fire The insurance company for Durango’s Purgatory Resort is suing the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad over damages resulting from the 416 Fire, the 2018 wildfire which the U.S. government has said was started by sparks from a D&S locomotive. […]
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has postponed its Victorian Iron Horse Roundup, a planned gathering of 19th-century locomotives set for Aug. 22-31, to 2021. The event was planned as part of the tourist railroad’s 50th anniversary [see “Cumbres & Toltec announces schedule for 19th-century locomotive event,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 27, 2020]. In a […]
Open-air cars, like this one on the Leadville, Colorado & Southern — shown on a Trains Tour of Colorado private excursion — are in demand for tourist railroads looking to operate in the COVID-19 environment. TRAINS: David Lassen Guidelines for reopening in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak has made one thing clear for museums […]
Royal Gorge Route Railroad owner warns of permanent closure UPDATED — CAÑON CITY, Colo. (via KRDO) — In a post on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad’s Facebook page, the railroad announced it will open, after all, on May 23. No other details were available. In previous statements, Mark Greska, the Royal Gorge Route Railroad’s owner said […]
DURANGO, Colo. — American Heritage Railways said today it will close the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum in Elbe, Wash., and cease operations there for the foreseeable future. The AHR team will immediately implement a winding-down plan to close the railroad in an orderly manner while the company explores various ownership options with other […]
Colorado’s Royal Gorge Route Railroad has pushed back its planned opening, and now is aiming for June 13, with hopes of opening sooner. TRAINS: David Lassen Wednesday tourist railroad and museum news in brief: — Colorado’s Royal Gorge Route Railroad has pushed back its planned reopening from May 23 as it waits for a variance […]
Still more Tuesday rail news in brief: — About 40 homes were evacuated as a precautionary measure when a Buffalo & Pittsburgh train derailed in East Aurora, N.Y., Monday night. The Buffalo News reports that a locomotive and 15 of the train’s 98 cars derailed. The manifest freight included some petroleum products, police said, leading […]
The second of the White Pass & Yukon’s new diesels arrives in Skagway, Alaska, on Monday. White Pass & Yukon Tuesday morning rail news in brief: — The White Pass & Yukon has received the second in its order of 10 new locomotives. National Railway Equipment E3000CC-DC No. 3001 arrived in Skagway, Alaska, by ship […]
Santa Cruz Portland Cement No. 2 arrives in Folsom, Calif., via Nelson Brothers Trucking for use on the Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad. Michael Florentine Monday morning tourist railroad and railfan news in brief: — The Placerville & Sacramento Valley Railroad has received an operating steam locomotive for excursions on a portion of the former […]
A family watches vintage transit equipment operate at the Illinois Railway Museum. Like almost all rail museums and tourist railroads, the facility in Union, Ill., is closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn Future visitors to facilities like the California State Railroad Museum are likely to face new guidance on social distancing. TRAINS: […]
Starting from the top of the mountain, the track for the Pikes Peak Cog Railway is being rebuilt. Dave Schaaf Crews from construction contractor Stacy & Witbeck are rebuilding the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, shut down since 2018. Dave Schaaf PIKES PEAK, Colo. — The Broadmoor Pike’s Peak Cog Railway has begun rebuilding the famous […]
