Up in April …
We’re always adding new content to our website! Here’s a sneak peek at a few items coming up soon.
‘Be the Engineer’ for a day: An unforgettable ride
The words “Be the Engineer!” drew my attention to a Nevada Northern Railway advertisement in Trains Magazine. This opportunity is a fundraiser for the museum and costs above $1,000 for a 2- or 4-hour unique experience. (Your cost depends on which of several options you choose). They offer lessons in operating a steam engine, a diesel-electric, or both together as a package. Some of the expense may be tax-deductible as a charitable donation.
Five mind-blowing facts — Walt Disney’s railroads
It is no secret that Walt Disney loved trains. His passion for railroads runs to the time of his youth and can still be seen throughout today’s Disney empire. For Walt, as you will see, railroading was an early job — one that made him little money — but one that put him in touch with trains. Later in life trains became a creative outlet and a means of escaping the stress of building and operating a major movie animation studio. Walt ultimately placed his railroad affections at the forefront of his amusement park — Disneyland — and garnered one of America’s iconic lines as its corporate sponsor. When Disney went to Florida, trains played a starring role in the Magic Kingdom.
Let us take a train ride through Walt Disney’s railroad love affair with these five mind-blowing facts.
Last chance to ride VIA’s Budd RDCs
The days of the five serviceable Budd RDCs (Rail Diesel Cars) remaining on VIA Rail Canada’s roster may be numbered. As Siemens Venture equipment displaces the stainless and LRC coaches (and F40s and P42 locomotives) on the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, the aging RDC fleet assigned to train Nos. 185 and 186 between Sudbury and White River, Ontario, will likely become surplus.
If you want to experience the last of VIAs Budd cars, now is the time to act.
Coming in May …
Motorcar rides on California’s historic Placerville Branch
If history had played out differently, our motorcar ride this summer day in the wooded foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada would instead take place aboard Amtrak’s California Zephyr, instead of on Fairmont “track speeders.” The track would belong to Union Pacific, not a joint-powers authority. It’d be home to stack trains and AC engines.
That’s because this route that eventually became Southern Pacific’s Placerville branch — or a segment of this route, at least — would have been part of the first transcontinental railroad.
Ingenious locomotive wraps from around the world
When railroads need (or want) to put short-term or deeply intricate designs on their locomotives, a vinyl wrap is often the best option, balancing cost and maintenance time constraints while still allowing some truly memorable liveries. As seen in this article, not all wraps are created equal, and they convey different meanings.
