CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The owner of a now-defunct railcar repair company has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, and he and the company have been fined for wire fraud and endangering employees at the facility. John Eldon Rimmasch, 47, of Cheyenne, was sentenced in a July 5 hearing by Federal District Court Judge Alan […]
Train Topic: Preservation
Vintage NYC subway cars make second summer excursion trip
NEW YORK — Historic R-1 through R-9 subway cars built for the IND (Independent) line in the 1930s operated to Coney Island on Sunday in the second of three excursions planned for this summer using equipment from the New York Transit Museum. The R-1 through R-9 “City Cars” operated with in combination with the “Standards” […]
FRA approves return to service for Minnesota 2-8-0
DULUTH, Minn. — After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and necessary repairs, the Federal Railroad Administration has approved the return to service of the Lake Superior Railroad Museum’s Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway 2-8-0 No. 332. The locomotive was fired up this week and inspected, including setting its three sets of safety valves. […]
PRR group raises $100,000 toward restoration of K4s steam engine No. 1361
ALTOONA, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society has met and exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 toward the construction of a new firebox for PRR Class K4s 4-6-2 steam locomotive No. 1361. Owned by the Railroaders Memorial Museum, the engine is in the midst of a $2.6 million overhaul to restore it […]
Site identified for Southern Pacific Railroad History Center
ROCKLIN, Calif. — A group seeking to preserve and promote the history of the Southern Pacific Railroad has a identified a site for a proposed museum and archives. The Gold Country Media website reports the proposed Southern Pacific Rail History Center has identified a 7.6-acre site in Rocklin and plans to make an offer on […]
News Photo: Bicentennial SD45-2 on the move
Former Santa Fe bicentennial diesel No. 5704 is on its way to its new home in California. Photographer William Tollett caught the SD45-2, restored to its mid-1970s paint scheme earlier this year, on Thursday, June 23, at Panhandle, Texas, on BNSF Railway train ZPLKLAC6-22. The locomotive was donated to the Southern California Railroad Museum in […]
Fort Wayne organization acquires two PRR passenger cars
NEW HAVEN, Ind. — The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has acquired two Pennsylvania Railroad passenger cars from the Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The cars will be used to support the Indiana Rail Experience, a series of excursions with the society’s steam locomotive, Nickel Plate Road No. 765 [see “Indiana […]
Former C&O roundhouse in Ohio faces demolition
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former Chesapeake & Ohio roundhouse dating to 1927 is facing demolition by CSX Transportation, although nothing is scheduled and a preservation group has been trying to save the building. The Columbus Dispatch reports the brick structure at Parsons Yard on Columbus’ Far South Side, was built as a 27-stall roundhouse but […]
Colorado governor declares state’s first Rail Heritage Week
DENVER — Recognizing the pivotal role of railroad’s in the state’s history — and rewarding an effort spearheaded by the Colorado Railroad Museum — Gov. Jared Polis has declared June 19-26 to be Colorado Rail Heritage Week. The week includes the anniversary of the first train to arrive in Denver, on June 24, 1870, as […]
Federal grant will help fund renovation of Cheyenne rail equipment (updated)
WASHINGTON — The city of Cheyenne, Wyo., has received a federal grant for more than $600,000 to support renovation of historic rail equipment. The $618,400 grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Agency, is intended to support local tourism. It will be matched by $154,600 in local funds. Cheyenne says the project will […]
QJ makes last trips before rebuilding
SILVIS, Ill. — Chinese-built No. 6988, a QJ 2-10-2, traveled the Iowa Interstate Railroad on Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12, 2022, for a final time before its FRA 15-year inspection and rebuilding. Although the locomotive’s certification has expired the FRA granted a one-time extension for the two trips. The QJs — Nos. 6988 […]
Center for Rail Photography & Art acquires Steinheimer works
MADISON, Wis. — The Center for Railroad Photography & Art has acquired the majority of the photography collection of the legendary Richard Steinheimer, whose work often graced the pages of Trains Magazine and who blazed a creative trail across California and the West for six decades. The collection includes nearly all of Steinheimer’s color photography, […]