Preservation roundup: Steamtown increases hours, visitor services

Steam locomotive and tender on turntable

Steamtown offering increased hours and features for summer Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pa., will begin increasing visitor services this week, with additional features to open on July 7. As of this Saturday, June 26, the park’s summer hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. go into effect, and the theater will open, allowing […]

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Rare BL2 locomotives arrive at Indiana museum (with video)

Black and white locomotive pulls two blue and white locomotives as train crosses bride

NORTH JUDSON, Ind. — The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum has received the two BL2 locomotives it will operate through a lease with the locomotives’ owner. The former Bangor & Aroostook Railroad diesels, purchased during the bankruptcy sale of Iowa Pacific Holdings subsidiary Heritage Rail Leasing, were delivered to the North Judson museum on Saturday, June […]

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East Broad Top hires archivist

Woman and young man holding book

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – The East Broad Top Railroad has hired an archivist to begin organizing and cataloging hundreds of cubic feet of the historic narrow gauge line’s company records. Julie K. Rockwell of nearby Huntingdon, Pa., is leading efforts to sift through a vast collection of material documenting the operations of the 33-mile central […]

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Interiors near completion on three ‘Mark Twain Zephyr’ cars

Boy in red shirt looks through glass etched with image of train

TREGO, Wis. — After surviving 62 years in storage and seven previous owners unable to fulfill their plans for the historic Budd-built streamliner, Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad’s restoration of the Mark Twain Zephyr has turned a corner, with three of the five cars nearing interior completion. “I am thankful every day for the individuals and […]

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East Broad Top reopens for regular service, runs specials to Colgate Grove

Red and green center-cab diesel hauls passenger train

ROCKHILL FURNACE, Pa. – The East Broad Top Railroad reached a couple of restoration mileposts over the past week. On Friday, June 11, it reopened for scheduled public passenger service for the first time in 10 years. The owner, the nonprofit EBT Foundation Inc., has run trains for several special events. But this was the […]

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Digest: Metra to add service on all lines in July, releases new schedules for four lines

Commuter train arrives at station

First of new Metra schedules increase emphasis on off-peak service; more to come With ridership gradually increasing, Chicago’s Metra announced plans to add service on all lines in July and has released pilot schedules on four lines that will increase off-peak service. The new schedules, available here, are effective on the UP North, BNSF, and […]

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U.S. Sugar interested in acquiring second steam locomotive

Steam locomotive on display behind fence

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — U.S. Sugar Corp. is interested in buying and restoring to operation an Atlantic Coast Line steam locomotive currently on display in Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Daily Record reports. Locomotive No. 1504, a class P-5-A 4-6-2 built by Alco in 1919, would be declared surplus by the city council, which would also rescind its […]

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Digest: Illinois EPA asks state attorney general to take action on tank car hazmat incident

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency logo

Illinois EPA seeks action on tank car incident in Wood River, Ill. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said it has asked the state’s Attorney General’s Office to pursue legal action against the Phillips 66 refinery in Roxana, Ill., over the venting of sulfuric acid from four tank cars in Wood River, Ill., that began last […]

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Digest: NJ Transit announces additional commuter rail service

Electric locomotive hauls commuter train through S curve

NJ transit adds weekday trains, weekend Gladstone Branch trains, North Jersey Coast shuttles NJ Transit announced it would add 60 trains to its commuter rail schedules as of June 6, including select weekday trains throughout the system, weekend Gladstone Branch trains, and additional Long Branch-Bay Head shuttle trains on the North Jersey Coast Line. Weekday […]

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Digest: CP says CN plan to sell line in Louisiana fails to address larger competitive concerns

Canadian Pacific Railway beaver logo

CP calls CN plan to sell KCS line ‘token divestment,’ remains critical of merger’s competitive impact Canadian Pacific says Canadian National’s plans to divest a Kansas City Southern line in Louisiana is “clear recognition” of the competitive issues created by the proposed CN-KCS merger. In a Thursday statement, CP also said the “token divestment” would […]

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Digest: N&W 611 makes move to Strasburg

Streamlined steam locomotive

N&W 611 heads to Strasburg for lengthy stay Its stoker repaired, Norfolk & Western Class J steam locomotive No. 611 made the move from the Virginia Museum of Transportation on Monday and is slated to begin operation at Pennsylvania’s Strasburg Rail Road this Saturday, May 29. For security reasons, the museum did not announce a […]

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Digest: Work in progress to fix N&W No 611’s stoker

Virginia Musem of Transportation logo

Work under way to repair N&W No. 611 for trip to Strasburg The Virginia Museum of Transportation reported late last week that work was under way to identify and repair the problem with the stoker of N&W No. 611, an issue which has delayed the Class J’s planned trip to the Strasburg Rail Road. To […]

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