Prototype News

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has raised more than $283,000 to restore New York Central L-3a 4-8-2 “Mohawk” 3001, more than halfway to its initial $500,000 fundraising goal. To help meet that goal before May 1, a new grant has been established that will match every dollar given up to $20,000. 

The 3001 is the largest surviving NYC steam locomotive and the only member of the L-3a class to escape the scrapper’s torch. The locomotive was under the care of the City of Elkhart, Ind., and has been on display at the National New York Central Museum for decades. In October, FWRHS launched an effort to restore the locomotive for use on its popular Indiana Rail Experience excursions. 

FWRHS owns three other steam locomotives, most notably Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 765, which it has operated since the 1970s. For the last few years, it has managed the Indiana Rail Experience, an excursion operation on the Indiana Northeastern Railroad, which has trackage in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Much of that track is former NYC, meaning locomotive 3001 will be right at home. NYC 3001 will also join the fleet of seven Budd streamlined cars built in 1941 for the NYC “Empire State Express” and purchased from Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum in 2023.

According to FWRHS, a mechanical evaluation of the locomotive has been performed by FMW Solutions with financial support from former Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman. The group estimates that it will take $4.3 million to restore the locomotive to operation. Donations can be made online at AmericanLoco.org. FWRHS is also encouraging people to join its pledge list. —Justin Franz 

The post Initial Fundraising to Restore NYC ‘Mohawk’ Passes Halfway Mark appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Roger DuPuis II and Bill Monaghan, Jr./photos as noted

Shortly before 5:00am on June 16, 2024, green and cream Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) streetcar 2326 rolled out of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s venerable Callowhill Depot in West Philadelphia to enter service on Route 15 – Girard Avenue. It marked the return of streamlined trolleys following a four-year absence during an intensive in-house rebuilding program that kicked off as the COVID-19 pandemic descended. The milestone also marked the third distinct era of regular PCC car operation on the system since 1938.

Almost as remarkable, perhaps, is the fact that these cars were rehabilitated for use on the purely street-running Girard line, a route whose future was in doubt at several points over the course of its existence. The line has a new lease on life; newly refurbished cars intended to keep rail service alive as SEPTA prepares to modernize the fleet and infrastructure of its entire trolley system, which is made up of two suburban and six city lines — the latter including five subway-surface routes and Girard.

The rebuilding program was designed to keep the 1947–48 green and cream trolleys roadworthy until a new generation of low-floor articulated cars can be built and delivered by Alstom Transportation Inc. between 2027 and 2030, according to initial estimates. The entire modernization program could take up to a decade to implement, SEPTA has said.

ABOVE: SEPTA’s venerable Callowhill Depot was built in 1913 by Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. Today, it serves two trolley routes and several bus routes. In the depot are 9000-series Kawasaki light rail vehicles assigned to Route 10 and one of the system’s Route 15 PCC cars awaiting the call to duty in September 2024. —Roger DuPuis II photo

The newly outshopped trolleys have been dubbed “PCC-III” cars, reflecting the extent of work performed. Probably very little of the cars’ original fabric remains, as they have undergone three substantial overhauls in the past 40 years, in addition to previous work.

SEPTA is one of the nation’s most diverse transit operations, and the system’s roots are deep and complex. The multimodal undertaking serves five counties in the Philadelphia area, and its commuter rail operations extend into the neighboring states of New Jersey and Delaware.

The Girard Avenue route, which traces its roots to a horsecar line opened in 1859, has earned its own special place in the Philadelphia transit story as the last bastion of a once-mighty PCC fleet. Our purpose here is not to provide a definitive history, but to give readers who are not intimately familiar with the system a sense of how these cars, and the line, survived.

ABOVE: PCC-III 2332 heads west at Girard Avenue and 16th Street on July 5, 2024, under the gaze of figures in Parris Stancell’s “A Celebration of Poetry” mural. The artwork was completed in 2004 and is one of thousands created under the successful Mural Arts Philadelphia program. —Bill Monaghan Jr. photo

Another change was looming as this article was being finished, with the authority renaming its rail transit routes under the so-called SEPTA Metro “wayfinding” plan. The rainbow-colored rebranding will see Route 15 become the G, and it will be shown as yellow on maps and signs.
Given that this article mostly focuses on the system as it existed prior to those changes, legacy route numbers for Girard and other lines will be used throughout. And a substantial legacy it is — Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. first assigned the number 15 to Girard Avenue service in October 1912.

Enter the Streamliners

The PCC car (named for the Electric Railway Presidents’ Conference Committee) was born after North American transit executives banded together in search of solutions to the sharp decline in streetcar ridership fueled by increased use of autos, buses, and the financial impacts of the Great Depression. Philadelphia Rapid Transit (1902–1940) ordered the system’s first 20 “air-electric” PCC cars from St. Louis Car Co., and they entered service on Route 53 in 1938. PRT and successor Philadelphia Transportation Co. (1940–1968) purchased 260 PCCs of the prewar “air-electric” design through 1942.

After World War II, PTC purchased 210 cars of the “all-electric” postwar design — notable for their standee windows and lack of air-operated components — in 1947 and 1948. The surviving Girard Avenue rebuilds started life in this group.

The last trolleys acquired in the pre-SEPTA era were 90 secondhand PCC cars bought in 1955 — 50 from St. Louis Public Service and 40 from Kansas City Public Service — to continue modernizing the fleet as older cars were retired.

ABOVE: PCC car 2332 is partially primed during the overhaul process at SEPTA’s Woodland Shops on February 8, 2021. —Bill Monaghan Jr. photo

The Ride Downhill

Philadelphia Transportation Company came out of World War II on a relatively high note. In 1946, the fleet included 1,900 trolleys serving 58 routes and 560 miles of track, and reports show the system carried more than 600 million riders that year. In that context, the purchase of new PCC cars made sense — especially considering there were still large numbers of Brill-built conventional cars, including some Nearside types dating to 1911.

Conditions changed quickly; transit ridership dropped by nearly half between 1946 and 1954. The rise of auto ownership, suburbanization, and the postwar loss of manufacturing jobs combined to hit Philadelphia hard.

In 1952, PTC drafted a plan to replace all but 14 trolley routes with buses or trackless trolleys within a decade. In 1955, management of the system was taken over by National City Lines, the conglomerate tied to General Motors and other automotive interests seeking expansion of bus transit over rail. New plans called for replacing all street-running trolley routes, saving only the handful of subway-surface lines connecting Center City with West and Southwest Philadelphia.

Girard Avenue would have been among the casualties if the 1955 plan had been realized. It was not, but Philadelphia’s transit system was dramatically transformed. More than 1,000 General Motors buses were purchased, similar numbers of superannuated trolleys were junked, and by 1958 only 14 trolley lines remained. The 1952 target had been achieved in six years, and all non-PCC cars were eliminated from the fleet.

ABOVE: Car 2322 was chartered on October 19, 2024, for the 20th annual OcTrolley Fest, celebrating transportation heritage and local history in suburban Darby borough. Behind the trolley at 10th and Main streets is the Darby Free Library, which traces its roots to 1743. —Roger DuPuis II photo

That was where things stopped, for a time. Some of the earliest PCCs and the clunky secondhand St. Louis cars were scrapped, but there were no more major changes for the time being. In part, this was because city officials’ views had shifted, and some increasingly opposed the private operator’s anti-trolley policy. As early as 1960, Mayor Richardson Dilworth proposed a municipal takeover of PTC. The idea was slightly premature, but it pointed toward bigger things to come.

Regional authorities would be formed to replace failing private transit companies around the nation in the 1960s and 1970s. PTC officials saw the writing on the wall and spent as little as possible on the trolley network ahead of the inevitable transition.

Trolleys in the Early SEPTA Years

SEPTA’s $47.9 million takeover of PTC was consummated on September 30, 1968. Among the new authority’s assets were 14 trolley lines and 465 cars built between 1940 and 1948. Of these, only about 400 cars were still operable.

A PCC overhaul program was launched in 1973, though this effort was much less intensive than later projects. Its most noticeable outcome was the adoption of a new paint scheme after several others had been tried since SEPTA took over. Dubbed “Gulf Oil” for its resemblance to the oil company’s corporate colors, the orange, white, and blue livery brought a dash of color to the rails. But new paint could not hide the real problems — declining ridership and insufficient funding made it harder to keep the cars in good repair, with safety and reliability suffering as a result…

The post Return of the PCC to Philadelphia Streets appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Otto M. Vondrak/photos by the author

The steel door rolls up on the enginehouse as the train crew prepares for their day in rural Lakeville, N.Y. The morning yard crew have wrapped up their work, and now it’s time for the road train to head up to “the city.” The throaty chant of Alco 521 prime movers barks from within as two mighty Century-series locomotives are awakened from their slumber. They wear a gleaming coat of gloss black with bright yellow trim and lettering, a clear sign of company pride. The two units will team up to haul 40 cars north to the interchange near Rochester, and most likely bring an equal number back. What began as a grassroots effort to preserve 12 miles of an old Erie Lackawanna branch line has grown over the last six decades into a nearly 400-mile system across four lines in New York and Pennsylvania.

The Early Years
The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie, and brought increased commerce and prosperity to the cities along its route. Some of the earliest railroads to provide competition to the canal followed this east-west routing, but investors soon turned their eyes to the south. Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad was organized in 1851, and by 1853 rails had reached Avon, 19 miles southward. Connections were made south to Corning, and west to Attica. A branch was built from Avon to Mount Morris in 1859. Through a series of mergers and leases, R&GV came under control of Erie Railroad by 1869. In 1882, the short branch from Conesus Lake Junction to the steamboat pier at Lakeville opened for business.

The Rochester Division proved to be a good investment for Erie, and provided considerable freight traffic through the first half of the 20th century. Passenger service between Rochester and Avon was discontinued in 1941. In 1956, Erie removed 19 miles of track from the middle of the division between Livonia and Wayland. From that point on, Rochester was served by Buffalo crews by way of the branch from Attica to Avon.

ABOVE: Acquired from Buffalo Creek & Gauley in May 1965, 2-8-0 17 ushered in the steam era on LA&L. An afternoon excursion train has just arrived in Livonia, N.Y., in August 1966. Passenger excursions contributed to the bottom line of the new short line in the early years while management worked to grow the freight customer base. —Albert J. Kallfelz, Jr., photo, Jeff Hagan collection

After the Erie Lackawanna merger of 1960, application was made in May 1963 to abandon nearly 12 miles of track between Avon and Livonia, due to decreasing freight traffic. This announcement caught the attention of local business owners who were concerned about the loss of rail service. At the time, the line generated about 150 carloads a year, earning roughly $4,500. Property taxes were estimated to be $6,200, and when you take into account additional operating expenses, it became obvious why EL wanted out. The ICC granted permission to abandon in January 1964.

A citizens’ committee had quickly convened to find a way to save its local railroad, consisting of banker Chester Haak of Security Trust Co., grain mill operator Oscar Smith, appliance store owner Harry Moran, and past Rochester mayor Peter Barry. Upon inspection, the tracks were found to be in reasonable shape, and the bucolic scenery encouraged the possibility of passenger excursions to augment freight revenue. In fact, it was Moran who pushed for steam trains as a potential tourist draw. EL management initially priced the line at a scrap value of $27,000, later increased to $30,000, and gave the committee until April 30 to raise the necessary funds.

What followed was truly a grassroots movement to save the railroad, with the local bank selling shares of stock for $10 each to start. The small community coming together to save its railroad soon became national news, with offers to purchase stock pouring into Chester Haak’s office. In all, 1,200 stockholders were able to raise $40,000. With additional financing, the tracks and right-of-way were purchased for $30,000; an additional $15,000 was set aside for a diesel locomotive, $10,000 for a steam locomotive, and $7,000 for rolling stock. The new Livonia, Avon & Lakeville Railroad was incorporated in May 1964, with the New York State Public Service Commission granting an operating certificate in July. Approval from the ICC came in October.

ABOVE: Built in 1949, Alco RS-1 20 was purchased from Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion in 1972. It is coupled to caboose 2603 (ex-Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh 252) sometime in the mid-1970s. Both pieces are now preserved at Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum. —LA&L collection

There was much work to be done before the railroad could turn a wheel, however. The search for suitable motive power and rolling stock proved challenging. Passenger cars were the first to arrive on the property, beginning with a former Lackawanna “Boonton” combine with open vestibules that was repatriated from Canada. The gutted interior was made more comfortable with the installation of retired school bus seats. Two ex-Erie Railroad “Stillwell” heavyweight coaches (2508 and 2619) were purchased from EL’s active commuter pool in Suffern, N.Y., and shipped to LA&L. The three cars were painted Shell Oil Yellow with Tudor Brown trim.

Even though equipment was on the property, there was nothing to pull it with. While following up on leads for possible steam engine acquisitions, railroad management made the acquaintance of F. Nelson Blount, who was searching for suitable candidates to add to his private Steamtown collection in Vermont. He told LA&L of a General Electric 45-ton switcher that was available at a paper mill in New Hampshire. Purchased from Groveton Papers, upon arrival in Avon it was renumbered 97. While LA&L General Manager Reg Nugent spent several weeks making repairs and getting it ready for service, it was soon determined the 300-hp switcher with a top speed of 15 mph would not be a fit for heavy freight service. Fortunately, Vermont Railway had a 44-tonner for sale that was better suited to LA&L’s needs. The 97 was sold to local utility Rochester Gas & Electric, and locomotive 10 took its place in April 1965.

The first LA&L train made its way down the track on April 7. With no regular runs operating for the prior year or so, crews stopped at each crossing to clear flangeways with a pickaxe so trains could safely cross again. There was still much work to be done if the railroad was going to have a chance at capturing some traffic in time for the summer tourist season. Headquarters was established in the old depot in Livonia, built in 1860. Over the course of a weekend, volunteers from the Rochester Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society helped the crew make repairs and put a fresh coat of paint on the building. The first passenger train departed Livonia on May 9, with Reg Nugent at the throttle of the 10, hauling 400 passengers on four round trips. Also in that first year, the railroad hauled 50 carloads of freight. The new short line was taking its first steps, and its reputation for good service was growing by the minute.

ABOVE: LA&L 425 hustles its train past Howlett Farms grain co-op in Avon on September 20, 2023. —Otto M. Vondrak photo

In Search of Steam
West Virginia’s Buffalo Creek & Gauley Railroad became well known to railfans for maintaining steam power through the end of regular operations in late February 1965. The steam locomotives were put up for sale by a broker, and LA&L purchased 2-8-2 17 that May. Built as Savannah & Atlanta 504 in 1919, the BC&G shops in Dundon, W.Va., performed significant work to get the locomotive ready for movement to New York. A tender salvaged from a Pennsylvania Railroad 2-8-0 replaced the original. There were serious delays in completing the prep work, and the engine did not arrive in Lakeville until the end of October.

Steam power finally made its debut on LA&L on November 28, but decades of hard work in the coal fields with little in the way of preventative maintenance had taken its toll on the Baldwin. Further investigations showed significant issues with the boiler that were cost-prohibitive. It was withdrawn from service in June 1967, sold to a private owner, and eventually scrapped in March 1970. The search for a replacement began.

This time, the search for steam took LA&L management a little closer to home. Rail City Museum in Sandy Creek, N.Y., was home to a privately owned collection of steam locomotives and other vintage equipment opened by Dr. Stanley Groman in 1955. It was there LA&L found Huntington & Broad Top Mountain 38, a sturdy Baldwin 2-8-0 that was retired by the Pennsylvania coal hauler in 1954. En route to Rail City, the locomotive had the distinction of being one of the last steam locomotives to operate on New York Central east of Buffalo (pulling fan trips). LA&L purchased the 38 from Rail City in 1968, and it was shipped to the EL shops in Hornell, N.Y., for wheel work and a general overhaul. Most likely, this was the last steam locomotive to be serviced at Hornell. The tender was found to be in poor shape, and was replaced with a slightly larger tender from a Pennsylvania Railroad 4-4-2.

ABOVE: On a rare morning southbound run, LA&L 425 and 420 prepare to head downgrade into Lakeville at Conesus Lake Junction on June 2, 2011. The track in the foreground is the original main line that now ends at Bronson Hill Road. —Mike Stellpflug photo

By 1969, more than 50,000 passengers had been carried by LA&L. The steam crew usually consisted of W.D. Hutchins, a former NYC engineer who began his career in 1913, and Superintendent George Root as fireman. Aside from regularly scheduled excursions, LA&L also offered “mixed train” service, which allowed passengers to ride along as the steam-powered freight performed its work along the line every Tuesday through Friday during the summer season.

Here Come the Alcos

While the passenger traffic was healthy, the railroad was focused on expanding its freight business. The first big leap came in 1971, when Western New York Sugar & Syrup established a plant in Lakeville to turn sugar into syrup for food production. Revenue, in turn, jumped up to $40,000 in the first nine months of 1972. Traffic was quickly outpacing the little 44-tonner, so RS-1 20 was purchased from Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion, beginning the Alco era on LA&L. Dressed in standard Alco glossy black with yellow stripes and lettering, LA&L adopted this look for its own fleet, adding a touch of modernity with the bold slant Eurostile typeface also used by Penn Central.

After several seasons, LA&L 38 was withdrawn from service in 1975 with serious mechanical issues. With the locomotive due for major boiler repairs, the decision was made to end steam operations for good. Diesel-hauled passenger excursions continued through the end of the 1977 season, but significant jumps in the cost of passenger liability insurance led to the decision to go freight-only in 1978. The 38 was sold to Sloan Cornell, and operated on his Gettysburg Railroad in Pennsylvania. In 1986, he moved it to Knox & Kane Railroad, operating over the former Erie Railroad Kinzua Viaduct in Pennsylvania. Taken out of service in 1989 and involved in an enginehouse fire in 2008, the 38 was subsequently sold to Everett Railroad, where it is being rebuilt for eventual operation.

In 1978, LA&L sold its 44-tonner to Cargill in Toledo, Ohio. To take its place, the railroad acquired Alco S-2 72 from South Buffalo Railway. To handle the increase in freight traffic, 72 could often be found teamed up with 20 on the daily road freight…

The post 60 Years: Livonia, Avon & Lakeville appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

In this issue, we have two remarkable stories, one about the return of Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) streetcars to the streets of Philadelphia, and one about the last intercity train operating with Budd Rail Diesel Cars (RDCs). I’ve talked before about the longevity of North American railway equipment, as well as the tendency of the industry to prefer the tried-and-true, but what I think makes both of these examples so interesting is their industrial design.

Starting around the 1920s, a problem emerged — there were more and more new technological devices, but they looked awkward, complicated, or ugly. To try and make them function better, look better, and consequently sell better, manufacturers hired consulting designers. This was the birth of what we now call “industrial design,” and both the PCC and RDC are fine examples of this trend.

The PCC is the older of the two. Its genesis was declining ridership on streetcar lines, due in part to increasing automobile ownership and competition from buses. Starting in 1929, leadership from several transit firms collaborated on a new standard vehicle that would be more comfortable, cheaper to operate, and exciting to look at. A committee of engineers defined aesthetic and functional specifications, and the first cars rolled out in 1935.

What are they like to ride? You can find out for yourself in Boston; Philadelphia; Kenosha, Wis.; El Paso, Texas; and San Francisco, to name a few. Sure, floors are high, steps are steep, and seats are narrow, but surfaces are smooth, the interior is open and well-lit, and there are multiple boarding doors including mid-car. The PCCs may look a tad “retro,” yet they don’t look antique, and in many ways, they are closer in form and function to today’s light rail vehicles than to the trolleys of the 19th century. Standards set in the 1930s echo down through today’s transit equipment.

As with the PCC, the RDC was born from a challenge — can new equipment help stem losses? In principle, the RDC is a self-propelled passenger car, eliminating the need for fueling and maintaining a locomotive. Similar vehicles — colloquially called “doodlebugs” — have existed since the early part of the 20th century, and in almost all cases, these were designed to reduce operating costs on marginal services.

In 1949, Budd, a major car builder, designed a modern take on the doodlebug, creating the RDC. The equipment was made of stainless steel and carried the same styling as the company’s main line passenger equipment, building on a functional and aesthetic pattern set in the early 1930s by consulting architect Paul Cret. Where most doodlebugs looked quaint at best (or tired and downbeat at worst), the RDC looked like it belonged in the era of transistors, turboprops, and televisions. Just as importantly, it worked. One of the first adopters, Western Pacific, found that the equipment cost half as much to run as a conventional locomotive-hauled train, looked better, and was exceedingly reliable. Ultimately, Budd sold just shy of 400 units. Without them, it is likely that many branch line and secondary services would have ceased operations far sooner.

What is particularly interesting about both the PCC and the RDC, however, is how their innovative designs were the product of crisis. For both, falling ridership and increasing competition drove companies to get creative and to reinvest, producing equipment that improved the experience for the rider as well as bringing more efficiency to operations. They demonstrate — with style — that the best response to hardship is not to give up, but to think creatively.

—Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a transportation historian, photographer, artist, and author.

The post Enduring Industrial Design appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Metra has asked the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to give it trackage rights over Union Pacific lines in northern Illinois to ensure commuter operations continue after the present service agreement with the freight railroad expires this summer.

The unusual move is the latest in a long-running saga over the operation of Metra commuter trains on three UP lines out of Chicago. The request, filed on March 7, comes just weeks after it looked like the dispute was heading toward a resolution. 

Since 1995, UP has operated commuter trains under the Metra banner on the Union Pacific West (to Elburn, Ill.), Northwest (to McHenry and Harvard, Ill.) and North (to Kenosha, Wis) lines. However, in 2019, the freight railroad told Metra it wanted to hand off the operation (while still owning the tracks for freight). UP was expected to hand off commuter operations to Metra in early 2023 and then late 2024. In fact, some employees (specifically mechanical and storehouse employees) have already become Metra employees. Earlier this year, it appeared that the handover would finally happen in April, but negotiations have been hung up on how much Metra will pay UP for access to its railroad. Metra has said UP is demanding “economically unreasonable and monopolistic rates.” Worried that the current service agreement will expire on June 30 before an agreement is made, Metra has asked the STB to give it trackage rights on the UP, enabling it to continue to run trains. The STB has not yet responded to the request. —Justin Franz 

The post Metra Asks For Trackage Rights to Protect Commuter Service appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Metra is asking the public for feedback on a new naming system for its 11 rail lines that radiate out of downtown Chicago. The effort has been spurred by Metra’s pending takeover of Union Pacific’s three former Chicago & North Western lines later this spring. 

Metra officials said those lines (Union Pacific North, Northwest and West) will be renamed regardless, but it is now considering doing the same to all of its routes. Presently, there is no standard method for how Metra’s lines are named. Instead, they are named for directions, how the trains are powered or the railroads that did or do operate them. Under the proposed changes, each line would get a letter and a number. So lines going north out of the city would be N lines with a number, lines going west would be W and lines going south would be S. The lines would also be colored, with routes out of Ogilive Transportation Center being green, Union station being gold, LaSalle Street orange and Millennium gray. In another variation, all of the lines would simply get an “M” for Metra and a number. 

One proposal calls for labeling lines by their direction and giving them a number, as well as color-coding them based on the downtown station. 

“Renaming the three UP lines presents Metra with an opportunity to reconsider all its line names, which follow no logical or consistent pattern,” officials stated. “The result can be confusing for new users, and for those who have limited proficiency with English. For instance, two lines have ‘Milwaukee’ in their names, because they were once part of the Milwaukee Road, but they do not go to that city.”

Metra said the new system could be rolled out as early as next year, with the complete changeover by 2029. The public can take a survey about the proposal online metra.com/LineNames. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post Metra Seeks Feedback on Renaming Commuter Lines appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society announced on March 12 that it was relocating to a new restoration facility in the Norwich area of Roanoke. The new site will give the non-profit more room to work on its historic rail equipment, including a Norfolk & Western Alco T-6, a “Redbird” GP9, and more than two dozen other pieces. 

Since 1980, the NRHS group has called the former American Viscose plant in Roanoke its home. But recently it had to move. Since the relocation, Norfolk Southern has been storing the group’s fleet of locomotives, passenger cars and more. The new 16-acre property is on the site of the former Virginia Scrap Iron & Metal in Norwich. After the scrap yard was closed in 2008, it sat unused until it was purchased by the chapter from OmniSource, LLC of Fort Wayne, Ind. 

A rendering of what the Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society’s new home could look like in the future. 

The NRHS chapter is currently working on designing and building the yard at the new location and moving their rail equipment and other materials to the site. After the initial steps of building the track and moving the rail collection are complete, the project’s next phase will be to refurbish the buildings already on the property and construct a new restoration and maintenance facility. Chapter officials said the bigger space will allow it to tackle more projects in the future. 

“The Chapter would like to thank OmniSource; Norfolk Southern; Riverdale Southeast, LLC.; Jim Thornhill, a partner with Wire Gill LLP, as legal counsel; and everyone else who has helped make this project possible,” said Tim Witt, Chapter president. “The need to relocate our entire operation has been a huge project and financial challenge.  This project would not have been possible without the assistance of our partners and volunteers.”

More information about the project and how people can donate can be found at https://www.roanokenrhs.org/norwichyard. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post Virginia Rail History Group Gets New Home appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Land Rush Rail Corp., a division of Farmrail, will lease and run about 37 miles of track in Oklahoma and Kansas previously operated by the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad, according to filings with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

Owned by the Blackwell Industrial Authority and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the line runs from Wellington, Kan., to Blackwell, Okla. The previous operator, Blackwell Northern, was shut down by the Federal Railroad Administration in early 2024 because of what the FRA called “a complete disregard for the safety of the public” involving a “pattern of gross negligence and willful failures to comply with federal safety regulations.” Rock Island Rail briefly operated the line last year as an emergency operator. —M.T. Burkhart

The post New Operator For Blackwell Northern appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Erie Turntable, the non-profit initiative to preserve Port Jervis, N.Y.’s railroad history, has announced its 2025 schedule. The initiative is a project of TOYX, Inc., a non-profit that maintains historic pieces of equipment and runs Operation Toy Train to gather toys for less-privileged children during the holiday season. TOYX has leased space in the city-owned rail yard since 2020. 

The Port Jervis yard exhibit, which centers around the former Erie Railroad turntable, will be open every weekend from May 11 until October 12, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Among the highlights will be the first-ever Orange County Transportation Festival on August 31 from noon to 4 p.m. The event will feature tours and equipment displays. 

Another highlight will come on May 10, when the Dining Car Society (previously the Erie Lackawanna Dining Car Society) will host a special meal on a 1949 dining car. 

Besides events, the group is also working on restoring a former Erie Railroad caboose. The “Dunmore” caboose will be repainted to look as it did when it was built in 1946.

For more information, visit ErieTurntable.org. 

The post Turntable Museum Has Big Plans For 2025 appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Watco announced on March 6 that it was acquiring Michigan’s Great Lakes Central Railroad. Based out of Owosso, Mich., Great Lakes Central operates approximately 400 miles of track in central and northern Michigan, including parts of the former Pennsylvania, New York Central, Grand Trunk Western, Pere Marquette, and Ann Arbor. 

The transaction must be approved by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Watco has been an equity investor in Great Lakes Central since 2013. 

“The Great Lakes Central Railroad has been a vital part of Michigan’s transportation network and both my father, Louis P. Ferris, Jr., and I have been deeply passionate about its role in connecting industries and communities,” said Jennifer Ferris, President and CEO of the Great Lakes Central Railroad. “Thanks to our tremendous team, GLC has experienced remarkable growth over the years, strengthening our service and expanding our capabilities. With Watco as a long-time partner since 2013, we are confident they will honor the legacy we have built while continuing to serve Michigan’s industries and communities with the same dedication and excellence.”

Great Lakes Central already interchanges with two other Watco operations, Grand Elk and Ann Arbor railroads.

“We are committed to honoring the history of the GLC and building upon our strong partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation and our valued customers,” said Watco CEO Dan Smith. “This acquisition allows us to further support and grow our Michigan customer base, and we look forward to continuing the legacy of excellence that the Ferris family has established.” —Justin Franz 

The post Watco Acquires Great Lakes Central appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.