Railnews from Railfan & Railroad Magazine

The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Ohio has acquired Chesapeake & Ohio Railway 2-6-6-2 1308 from the Collis P. Huntington Railroad Historical Society in West Virginia. The locomotive is the 25th engine to join the Age of Steam fleet and the first articulated. 

Locomotive 1308 is one of ten built for the C&O in 1949, the last steam engines made by Baldwin Locomotive Works for domestic service. The final one in the group, C&O 1309, operates today at the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. C&O 1308 has been on display in Huntington for decades, and although the historical society maintained the locomotive’s cosmetic condition, the years outdoors were taking a toll on the engine. 

“The 1308 has been displayed unprotected outdoors in a Huntington city park since October 9, 1962,” said Nathan Vance, executive director of Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum. “While Collis P. Huntington members regularly repainted their steamer, paint protected only 1308’s exterior surfaces, and rusting of the locomotive’s boiler and all the other steel parts has continued unabated from the inside out for 63 years. The Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum can end all of that.”

Age of Steam plans to cosmetically restore the locomotive for display. The museum was the brainchild of Ohio Central Railroad founder Jerry Joe Jacobson, who collected an impressive fleet of steam engines before his death in 2017. 

It is unclear when 1308 will be relocated to Ohio. 

—Justin Franz 

The post Age of Steam Acquires C&O 2-6-6-2 appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Another proposal is being floated to revive the isolated Black Mesa & Lake Powell Railroad in northeastern Arizona for tourist operations.

The all-electrified BM&LP was built in the early 1970s to haul coal 78 miles from the Kayenta Mine near Kayenta, Ariz., to the Navajo Generating Station power plant at Page, near Lake Powell. It ceased operations in August 2019 with the closure of the Navajo Generating Station; the joint closure cost the Navajo Nation hundreds of well-paying jobs and a major source of economic infusion. The trackage has sat unused since the catenary was removed not long after closure, and was officially turned over to the Navajo Nation in February 2024. The rail corridor and its parallel service road are now under the care of the Navajo Nation’s Division of Economic Development.

The Navajo Nation has explored potential reuse of the corridor since the railroad’s closure, including reversion to farmland, railbike operations, tourist train operations, and a recreational trail. Most proposals have been stymied by the region’s relative remoteness and lack of economic resources.

Now a new company is proposing tourist operations on the track, using “sustainable” vehicles powered by solar and hydroelectric power.

Sunbeam Tours and Railway, or STAR, has announced plans to “transform cultural sustainable tourism” with zero-emissions electric rail vehicles, which will make the Navajo Nation accessible to tourists while creating economic opportunities for the local Navajo population. The company was founded by Celesta Littleman, a former Navajo Generating Station employee and now an M.B.A. student at Arizona State University.

Littleman received an Emergency Operating Agreement for STAR from the Navajo Nation in June, after a lengthy process that spanned five years and two Navajo administrations. Now, the company is preparing to complete a feasibility study and potentially acquire and test rail vehicles, to be powered by renewable solar/hydroelectric power provided by the Glen Canyon Dam and operated through Arizona’s Grand Circle Region.

In an interview with the Navajo-Hopi Observer, Littleman said tourism is the number one economic industry for the area now that the power plant and coal mines have closed. The Kayenta Mine and associated fees once provided as much as eighty percent of local Native American government budgets.

“Tourists have come not just for scenery but they’ve come for the Navajo experience,” she said. “My dream is to use the railroad tracks to give visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see parts of the Navajo Nation that no one would ever see.”

Littleman said STAR would bring more tourists to nearby Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon and other canyons along the way. The hope is to have a STAR vehicle on each end of the railway — one will go from Page to Kaibeto and back, and the other one will go from Shonto to Cow Springs and Kaibeto and back — 60 miles roundtrip on both ends. Local service to Navajo residents to economic centers would also be provided. (The former Kayenta Mine is 20 miles southwest of its namesake town.)

Suppliers for the equipment to be used have not been specified, but artistic depictions at the company’s website (https://sunbeamrailway.com/) show hi-rail-adapted road vans and potential passenger trains set in the Arizona mesa desert landscapes.

—Alexander D. Mitchell IV

The post Potential Black Mesa & Lake Powell Tourist Revival appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The American Steam Railroad Preservation Association will mark the 80th anniversary of Reading Company 4-8-4 2100’s construction with a special open house in Cleveland on October 11. The event will be held at the Midwest Railway Preservation Society’s roundhouse and will support the ongoing restoration of the Northern. 

Reading 2100 was built in the railroad’s own shops in September 1945 by essentially expanding an existing Baldwin 2-8-0. The locomotive operated into the 1960s. In 1975, it and its sister locomotive, 2101, were purchased by Ross Rowland. Locomotive 2101 was restored for the American Freedom Train while 2100 served as a parts source. Locomotive 2100 was briefly restored in the 1980s before moving to Ontario and then Washington State, where it briefly ran in the 2000s. In 2015, the locomotive was moved to Ohio to be restored by ASRPA. The locomotive was fired up for the first time since the 2000s earlier this year. ASRPA hopes to have the engine in service by next year and plans on painting it in American Freedom Train colors. It is also getting a new number, 250, to mark the nation’s 250th birthday 

“We at ASR are very excited to be hosting our very first open house to let all of our followers and supporters have an opportunity to see No. 250 up close and in person and to see and touch railroading history being made right here in Cleveland,” said ASR President Rob Gardner.

Admission for the event starts at $15.00 per person, and children under 3 are free. Guests 16 and under must be accompanied by a ticketed adult. To register in advance, visit www.americansteamrailroad.org/visit-events.

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post Open House October 11 to Celebrate Reading 2100’s 80th appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The Illinois Railway Museum is raising money to restore its Union Pacific DD40X “Centennial” to operation. 

UP 6930 was one of 47 eight-axle locomotives built by EMD in 1969. Since that year marked the 100th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad, they were called “Centennials.” The engines operated for a decade before being retired in 1980. Three years later, 25 of the DD40Xs were brought back into service and operated for another two years. Among them was 6930. 

After the engine was retired permanently, UP removed its traction motors, wheels, and prime movers to be used on other units. The locomotive was donated to IRM in 1991 with worn-out components but a mostly intact electrical system. In 2005, IRM restored 6930 to become a cab car. Now, the museum aims to complete that restoration and is raising funds to do so. The museum has two replacement prime movers donated by Progress Rail, ready to be installed. However, they still need eight traction motors, and a full cosmetic restoration will be required. For more information, visit irm.org/revive-the-centennial/.

The post IRM Launches Effort to Restore ‘Centennial’ appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The restoration of New Jersey’s “Merci Train” boxcar, an artifact rediscovered in a warehouse in 2024, started in Boonton, N.J., over the weekend. The kickoff coincided with the United Railroad Historical Society of New Jersey’s annual Railroad Museum [For a Day] event 

The “Merci Train” consisted of 49 boxcars from France, gifted to the United States as a thank-you for the country’s aid during World War II. These cars, built in the 1890s and previously used to transport troops in World War I, were filled with gifts from French citizens. The 49 boxcars—one for each state, plus the then-Territory of Hawaii—were shipped to New York Harbor in 1949 and unloaded at Weehawken, N.J., before being distributed across the country. New Jersey’s car was taken to Trenton, where it was officially presented to the state at a ceremony that drew over 20,000 attendees

After the car was unloaded, it was entrusted to the American Legion to serve as a monument and exhibit. However, by 1958, the car’s whereabouts were unknown, and historians believed it was lost forever. In 1993, a similar boxcar was found in a field in Tennessee by the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The owner planned to scrap it, but the WWI museum rescued it and stored it in Kansas City, where it stayed for the next 30 years. In 2024, the WWI museum curator, Dr. Chris Juergens, aimed to uncover the boxcar’s history with help from Merci Train historian David Knutson 

“Purely by accident, I saw pictures of an old boxcar posted on Facebook and was able to determine it was New Jersey’s missing boxcar,” Knutson said. “When I realized the Museum and Memorial actually had the car in their possession, I was thrilled. Now, thanks to URHS, it will return to New Jersey and be properly restored for future generations to appreciate.”

Earlier this year, URHS acquired the car and relocated it to New Jersey, where it is currently being restored. URHS Executive Director Kevin Phalon said a complete evaluation will need to be done, but early inspections show that about one-half to three-quarters of the car’s sideboards can be salvaged, as well as most of the metal. The roof and floor will need to be completely replaced. The car has road tires, something it received when it arrived in the United States, and Phalon said those will remain. 

“The Merci train is a unique symbol of international friendship, gratitude, and the enduring legacy of those who served in the World Wars,” Phalon said. “The story of how it got from France to America and then to New Jersey is nothing short of miraculous.”

For more information, visit URHS.org/MerciTrain.

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post ‘Merci Train’ Boxcar Restoration Underway appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

CSX Transportation announced on Monday that CEO Joe Hinrichs had departed and was being replaced by Steve Angel. The sudden change came without explanation and just days after Hinrichs celebrated his third anniversary at the helm of CSX. 

The transition comes as CSX is coming under increased pressure to respond to Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern’s proposal to merge. Some investors had called for Hinrichs to forge a merger partnership with either BNSF or CPKC, or resign. However, so far, CSX has opted for collaboration instead of a merger. 

In CSX’s announcement of Angel’s appointment, officials wrote that the new CEO was an expert in guiding companies through “significant transformation.” Angel previously led Linde plc, a chemical company, and General Electric. 

“We are excited to welcome Steve as our new CEO. He is a visionary in creating long-term value and an expert in guiding companies through significant transformation. The Board conducted a very targeted process, and Steve was the clear choice to lead CSX,” said John Zillmer, Chairman of CSX. “The Board is laser-focused on advancing CSX’s strategic priorities and maximizing shareholder value, and we are confident Steve has the right skillset, expertise, and background to help us deliver our next phase of growth.”

While it seems most of UP and NS’s competitors wanted to avoid additional mergers — and are vocal against the UP-NS deal — shifting opinions in Washington D.C. might mean they have little choice. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump was asked what he thought of the proposed merger and said it “sounds good to me.” While the president does not have the ability to approve or deny mergers, the White House appears to be putting its thumb on the scale in support of the merger, most notably with the dismissal of Robert E. Primus at the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. Primus was notable for being the lone vote against the CPKC merger in 2023. 

—Justin Franz 

The post CSX CEO Suddenly Departs appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Almost one year to the day after Hurricane Helene wiped out much of CSX’s Blue Ridge Subdivision between Erwin, Tenn., and Spruce Pine, N.C., this portion of the former Clinchfield Railroad was placed back in service. On Thursday morning, September 25, 2025, coal train C758 (Bailey, Penn.-Terrill, N.C) departed Erwin, and rolled south through a ceremonial ribbon placed at the Poplar, N.C., bridge over the Nolichucky River. It was a welcome site to CSX employees and contractors, who worked tirelessly through this $450 million, 60-mile-long rebuilding project.

It was also fitting that CSX assigned its Clinchfield heritage unit, ES44AH 1902, to lead the train out of Erwin. This locomotive had been brought into Erwin five days earlier on Train U248, an extra local called out of Bostic, N.C., to work a couple of customers along the route. As of opening week, CSX had several other unit trains planned to traverse the Blue Ridge Sub, such as coal train C404 (Danville, W.Va.-Brice, N.C.). Manifest traffic, one to two trains each way daily pre-flood, was expected to resume in early October.

—Scott Lindsey

The post CSX Blue Ridge Subdivision Reopens appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The future for the iconic Beverly Shores station on the South Shore Line looks bright after the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District agreed to lease the structure to Indiana Landmarks for 100 years, ensuring that a museum and art gallery inside can remain there. 

In the late 1980s, the structure, one of the last Spanish Colonial Revival-style depots on the system, was scheduled for demolition. However, supporters of the building rallied to preserve it and have it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town of Beverly Shores helped establish a museum, which opened in 1988. The depot continues to operate as a flagstop. 

The depot’s original lease was nearing expiration, so NICTD partnered with Indiana Landmarks to extend it, securing its preservation for the future. 

“The South Shore Line deeply appreciates this new partnership with the railroad, the town and Indiana Landmarks,” said Michael Noland, NICTD president and CEO. “Preserving this historic piece of our history and the Samuel Insull era of the railroad takes a group effort. This strategic partnership brings Indiana Landmarks into the fold to help secure much-needed resources for this community and regional asset, and we are most grateful.”

The post Iconic South Shore Station Lease Extended appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Railroad journalist and columnist Don Phillips died on September 23 after a years-long illness. He was 83.

Phillips was one of the nation’s leading transportation journalists, working for the Washington Post and International Herald Tribune. However, in the railroad world, he was best known for his columns in Trains, which ran from 1977 to 2018, with a brief hiatus in the late 1980s, often under the moniker “The Potomac Pundit.” 

Phillips grew up in Birmingham, Ala. He studied journalism at Auburn University before landing a job at United Press International’s Atlanta bureau in 1966, marking the start of a decades-long career in newspapers. That same year, Phillips had his first byline in Trains. He went on to cover many of the biggest stories in railroading during the late 20th century, from the Northeastern railroad crisis leading to the establishment of Conrail and the Staggers Act, to the infamous deadly wreck on the Northeast Corridor at Chase, Md., in 1987, to the merger mania of the 1990s.

Phillips wrote his last column for Trains in 2018 and soon found a new venue for his work with Railfan & Railroad, where he wrote “Capitol Lines.” He also wrote a column for Passenger Train Journal. Throughout his career, his writing carried both personality and warmth, whether examining the political hurdles facing the industry or evoking the deep nostalgia that has always been at the heart of railroading.

—Justin Franz 

The post Don Phillips, Railroad Journalist, Dies at 83 appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

On September 22, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) made an unprecedented announcement that its leadership was throwing its support behind the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger. In return for the union’s support, UP and NS officials have stated that all SMART-TD members working in train and yardmaster service would be guaranteed a job for the length of their careers following the possible merger. It is the first time in history that a union has backed a major Class I merger of this size. 

In a press release, SMART-TD officials stated they believed that the guarantee not to furlough any members would reduce service disruptions following a consolidation, something that has haunted past mergers (including some of UP’s previous acquisitions). 

“This is a proud day for our members,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy R. Ferguson. “For generations, railroaders have worried about what mergers might mean for their jobs and whether or not they would be given the opportunity to reach retirement on the rail. Today, we can say with confidence that the biggest railroad and the biggest rail union in America are breaking new ground. We are protecting jobs, protecting families, and protecting the future of the U.S. supply chain.” 

UP CEO Jim Vena said that the deal with SMART-TD confirmed his previous assertion that no unionized employees would lose their jobs as a result of the merger. “When we announced our intent to create the first transcontinental railroad in America, I made a promise to protect the jobs of all unionized employees. Those who have a job when the merger is approved will continue to have one,” Vena said.

The post Union Backs UP-NS Merger appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

In mid-September, Sound Transit took a significant step toward opening the final portion of its 2 Line. The first Link light rail vehicle crossed the I-90 floating bridge under its own power overnight on September 8, kicking off test runs on the line expected to open in early 2026. This marks a historic milestone for both Sound Transit and the transit industry – it was the first time light rail trains under power have operated across a floating bridge anywhere in the world.

During the historic test, a single train crossed the Homer M. Hadley bridge several times at increasing speeds, from approximately five miles per hour up to the full operating speed of 55 mph. The test was conducted in darkness so crews could observe and document expected electrical arcing. Arcing between the overhead catenary and the vehicle is typical in this phase of testing. 

The next step in the process is rigorous testing, which includes live wire and signal testing, which will be completed over the next few months. The opening of full 2 Line service is expected in early 2026.

—Bob Gallegos

The post Sound Transit Tests Floating Bridge appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The parent company of Rocky Mountaineer has purchased the historic Lake Louise, Alberta, depot. Last month, Armstrong Collective announced it acquired the 1910 station that houses a restaurant and serves as a boarding location for its First Passage to the West excursion. 

The station was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway and served as one of its gateways to Banff National Park and the railroad’s hotels, including the nearby Chateau Lake Louise. 

“Rocky Mountaineer’s guests have been enjoying the incomparable scenery of Lake Louise for 35 years, and we are proud to continue our investment in the region with the purchase of the Lake Louise Railway Station and Restaurant,” said Tristan Armstrong, CEO, Armstrong Collective. “This acquisition ensures the long-term stability of an iconic community business, as well as for our Rocky Mountaineer train operations in the area. We look forward to working alongside the existing Lake Louise Railway Station and Restaurant team to continue providing incredible experiences for visitors and local residents.”

The company stated that the station restaurant would continue to be operated by its current management for the rest of the season. 

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post Rocky Mountaineer Buys Lake Louise Depot appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Pulse of the Continent, a new documentary about CPKC’s “Final Spike Steam Tour” in 2024, premiered at a Calgary film festival over the weekend with a party attended by the crew and locomotive that starred in it. The event near downtown Calgary marked the first time in more than a year that Canadian Pacific H1b 4-6-4 2816 appeared in public and under steam. 

The new movie chronicles the 76-day, 10,000-mile journey that 2816 and her crew made from Calgary to Mexico City and return in 2024. CPKC restored the locomotive to service to celebrate the one-year anniversary of CP and Kansas City Southern. However, the 2024 trip was historic for several reasons: 2816 became the first steam locomotive to visit Canada, the United States, and Mexico; it was the first main line steam locomotive to run in Mexico since the 1960s; and at 10,000 miles, the tour will likely be remembered as the longest steam excursion featuring a single locomotive. 

Since the locomotive returned to Calgary, it has been stored at CPKC headquarters, and the railroad has been tight-lipped about its future. However, sources close to the railroad say the locomotive is well cared for, and its appearance at the film premiere suggests that CPKC isn’t finished with the 95-year-old locomotive yet.

Locomotive 2816 was built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1930. The locomotive ran in regular service until 1960, when it was retired and eventually sold to F. Nelson Blount, the founder of Steamtown. In the 1990s, it was reacquired by CP and restored to service in 2001. The locomotive ran for about ten years before being placed in storage in 2012. 

—Justin Franz 

The post CP 2816 Makes Appearance at Calgary Film Premiere appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Union Pacific filed a lawsuit in federal court in September against Metra, claiming the Chicago-based commuter railroad owes $2.3 million in track fees. The suit comes just months after Metra officially took control of passenger operations on the UP-North, UP-Northwest, and UP-West routes. 

Although trains have long had Metra branding and equipment, UP crews have been operating passenger trains to Waukegan, Harvard/McHenry, and Elburn since 1995, when it took over the Chicago & North Western.

Since 2019, the freight railroad has been trying to avoid its obligation to provide passenger service itself, but the two sides have not been able to agree on how much Metra would pay to use UP’s tracks. When the previous contract expired earlier this year, Metra took control of the operation without settling the key payment detail. As a result, Metra is operating under the terms of a previous contract, but UP says that’s not sufficient. 

While the payment issue is pending in a federal court, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board has approved a request from Metra for trackage rights over UP lines to ensure service can continue regardless of what happens in the courtroom. 

—Justin Franz 

The post UP Sues Metra appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Regular freight service resumed on an Idaho short line for the first time in seven years on September 10. The Washington, Idaho & Montana operates on 18 miles of track between Harvard, Idaho, and the Idaho-Washington border, where it interchanges with the Spokane, Spangle & Palouse. 

WI&M is actually the second railroad company to use the Washington, Idaho & Montana name. The Potlatch Lumber Company built the original line between 1905 and 1907 to connect eastern Washington with some of the best white pine stands in the Pacific Northwest. The WI&M ran 50 miles from a connection with the Northern Pacific in Palouse, Wash., to Bovill, Idaho, where it met the Milwaukee Road. In 1962, the WI&M became a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road. After Milwaukee abandoned its lines west of Miles City, Mont., in 1980, the line became part of Burlington Northern before being spun off as a short line in the 1990s. The previous operator, the Washington & Idaho, last ran in 2018. By then, there was only one customer on the line, Bennett Lumber Products in Potlatch. In a case of history repeating itself, in 2023, the lumber company purchased the remaining 18 miles of the WI&M from the Idaho border east to Harvard.

Since 2023, the “new” WI&M has been working to rehabilitate the line, and the railroad made its first run back in February. This summer, it brought in a cut of empty centerbeam cars using its recently acquired GP9, former Central Montana 1838. Railroad officials said they expect to operate as needed, but usually at least once a week. The railroad is actively seeking additional traffic. 

The post Freight Service Resumes on Washington, Idaho & Montana appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The Norfolk & Western Business Car 300 Preservation Society announced in September that it had raised the $35,000 needed to acquire the last surviving N&W American Car & Foundry 12-4 sleeping car. The non-profit, which owns and operates a former N&W office car, plans to restore the car on the Hoosier Valley Railroad in Indiana. 

The car was built in January 1950 for the Wabash Railroad. It joined the N&W fleet in 1964 and was later assigned to the railroad’s business train in 1972. There, it received the name Hollins College. 

The non-profit is expected to take ownership of the car in January, when it will be moved west from its current home on the Morristown & Erie. The organization is presently raising money for that move.  For more information and to learn how to help, visit nw300.org.  

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post Non-Profit Raises Money to Acquire N&W Sleeper appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by David Zeman/photos by the author

A few months back, I wrote about my experience using an AI-powered “denoise” program (my results were mixed). This month, Chicago-area photographer Dave Zeman shares how he’s using these new tools. I think you’ll be impressed. Now excuse me while I fire up my own computer to see what I can do with them in the camera bag… —J.A.F.

One could argue there has never been a better time to be a photographer than the present. Incredible mirrorless cameras with unprecedented low-light sensitivity produce clearer and more vibrant images than ever before. Plus, new lens technology has delivered the sharpest images ever seen at all focal lengths and apertures. But when it comes to nighttime photography, there is one new tool in the last two years I find revolutionary and transformative — Adobe Lightroom’s AI-powered “Denoise” tool.

As a longtime Speedlight user for photography after sunset, this new post-processing feature has completely transformed my approach. When there’s enough existing light and several other key factors are in my favor, I can shoot moving trains at night without needing to set up a bunch of flashes around the scene.

ABOVE: WAMX SD40-2 4173 leads a westbound Wisconsin & Southern manifest train through Rondout, Ill. Locomotive 4173 is the only PTC-equipped SD40-2 on Wisconsin & Southern’s roster, making the locomotive a special treat for Chicago-area railfans when the locomotive leads a train to or from Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard.

Denoise is the third item in a trifecta of the most important pieces of my camera gear. For two years, I have been shooting with my Nikon Z 6ii, a 24.5mp, full-frame, mirrorless camera. My two go-to lenses for almost all of my low-light night photography are my Nikkor Z 50mm ƒ/1.8 S prime lens, and my Tamron 28–75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III VXD G2. The 50mm offers incredible exposure speed, along with a very shallow depth of field when set to ƒ/1.8, making it perfect for capturing a moving subject with an inherent artsy or dramatic effect. The 28–75mm is the quintessential walk-around zoom lens for any low-light situation and works well for certain situations where trains are moving slowly through well-lit areas.

In many cases, I find my typical settings for capturing moving trains at well-lit Chicago Metra stations to be around 1/320th second shutter speed, ƒ/1.8 aperture, and ISO 8,000. Some situations have required increasing the ISO even further, sometimes up to 10,000 or 20,000 in rare cases of very dark scenes or faster-moving subjects. While my Z 6ii generally has enough power to capture most of the detail at these ultra-high ISO levels, there is usually a significant amount of noise (the digital equivalent of grain in film) visible throughout the RAW images from the camera. This is when I turn to Denoise during editing…

The post Night Photography and AI-Powered ‘Denoise’ Software appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

This month is Railfan & Railroad’s annual homage to the diesels of the American Locomotive Company. Founded as a steam locomotive manufacturer, Alco entered the diesel-electric market in the 1920s and its achievements were many. Long before its rivals, Alco produced turbocharger-equipped locomotives, starting with the HH-900 switcher in 1937. The company pioneered the concept of the “road switcher” with the 1941 introduction of the RS-1. Its PA-1 passenger locomotive was an Art Deco masterpiece designed by Ray Patten — as a result, these were widely regarded as one of the most beautiful streamlined passenger locomotives of all time.

Yet Alco has been gone for more than a half-century, its U.S. operations closed in 1969. Its Canadian counterpart, Montreal Locomotive Works, persisted a little longer, with its designs produced by Bombardier until 1985. With this closure, the lifespan of the surviving Alcos shortened radically due to the lack of parts and trained service technicians.

In the railroad world, the lack of parts was a serious problem. It often resulted in the wholesale retirement of Alcos, even the newest, youngest examples. For example, Southern Pacific leased out its big C-628 and C-630 units in 1970 and converted some of them to lower-rated yard power units by the mid-1970s, before scrapping most of them by the end of the decade. Union Pacific, meanwhile, sold its big C-630s by 1974, not even 10 years old. The buyer, in this case, was Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range, a regional ore hauler.

They spent only a few years at Missabe, filling in as emergency stand-ins while waiting for newer, younger power to arrive.
Another possibility was to keep using Alco power for as long as the existing parts supply could hold out. Burlington Northern helped extend the longevity of its fleet by consolidating Alco power to Vancouver, Wash. This was formerly the main shops of Spokane, Portland & Seattle, which operated the largest fleet of Alco-powered locomotives in the Northwest, and its personnel were intimately familiar with keeping these smoke-belchers running. Yet, it was parts as much as personnel that drove this decision; by consolidating BN’s Alco power to a single maintenance base, the dwindling parts supply could be consolidated as well, maximizing the odds that an engine could be successfully maintained or repaired. As a result, BN managed to keep much of its Alco fleet in operation for another decade.

The recession of the early 1980s proved to be the last straw for many Alco fleets. With dwindling traffic, most railroads chose to sideline older, less reliable, or less economical locomotives — and the Alcos were at the top of the list. Most went to the scrapper’s torch. Some railroads chose to rebuild their Alcos with EMD prime movers and electrical cabinets, but this only prolonged the inevitable. Many of these oddballs met their demise in the 1980s and 1990s.

On smaller regionals and short lines, Alcos fared a little better, but often, these lines bought more power than they actually needed to maintain a sort of in-house junkyard source of parts. And, for those roads that still roster Alcos, this often remains the case, for there are few pragmatic alternatives. In many cases, scrap-line parts donors are the only reason any locomotives still survive in operating condition.

What might the future hold after there are no more donors to part out? In the automotive world, vehicles produced by long-gone marques continue to be viable because there are enough sentimental owners to support third-party parts suppliers. It is doubtful that there are enough Alcos left, much less sentiment in the railroad industry, to see something similar occur, especially as the government incentivizes more efficient diesels that meet stringent emissions standards. These programs often call for the destruction of the older, inefficient diesels in trade. Time will tell, but unless there is some drastic change in pollution policy, we may see the last few Alcos turn a wheel in revenue service within the coming decade.

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

The post The Longevity of Alco appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Ted Benson/photos by Ted Benson and Dave Stanley

“Play, guitar, play,
Take me back to yesterday…”
—“Play, Guitar, Play,” Conway Twitty, 1977

Monday, November 14, 1977
Sunlight fades fast on an autumn afternoon, shadows stealing across the high desert as a silver Ford van skirts the Pequop Mountains south of Wells, Nev. It’s day three in a week-long photographic exploration of railroading’s “outlaw” state and the trip has locked into the “company notch,” capitalizing on short days rich in eloquent light.

Steel belts humming on the asphalt of U.S. Route 93, stone-cold country music rises above the eight-cylinder purr of the year-old Club Wagon’s 351 Windsor, Conway Twitty’s rich baritone flowing out of the tape deck in spare, plaintive verse.

“…Let me hear my mama callin’
Look a-yonder, y’all who’s comin’
Down the road, he’s comin’ home
But they know I never will”

ABOVE: The following morning, after picking up the interchange from Southern Pacific at Cobre, RS-2 101 returns south, again passing through the small village of Currie. The local will end its day 75 miles south at East Ely. —Dave Stanley photo

Describing the journey as a homecoming would be a stretch for two shaggy 20-somethings rolling into the Goshute Valley this chilly Indian Summer’s eve. Dave Stanley and I are a long way from our central California homes, the distance growing greater and the sky growing darker with every note of Twitty’s Telecaster-driven melodies.

Following an itinerary devoted to paired main lines and copper mines, we’re well past the limit of Bobby Bare’s “500 Miles Away From Home.” With Ely another 75 miles away and Nevada Northern’s twice-weekly local freight headed in our direction, our sights are set on Currie for tonight’s food and lodging. Two-plus hours lie between us and the train bound for transcontinental connections at Shafter and Cobre. There’s plenty of time to set up a night shot at the old railroad depot.

As twilight turns to dusk, the only visible sign of civilization is a handful of lights flickering by the highway where 93 intersects the NN tracks 63 rail miles south of Cobre. Resting at 5,800 feet above sea level, the hamlet of Currie is the brightest thing on the horizon — at least for the time being.

ABOVE: The 750-foot-tall smokestack at Kennecott’s McGill smelter towers over Alcos 102 and 103 passing Hiline milepost H-6 with a train of empties on November 16, 1977. KCC smelter emissions were a major source of regulatory misery for the company’s Nevada operations in the late 1970s. —Ted Benson photo

It’s been 36 years since a passenger train called at Currie, though you’d never know it. With fresh yellow paint, white trim, and train order signal intact, the building looks much the same as it did between 1906 and 1941, when an estimated 4.5 million people passed through on NN passenger trains. In 1977, the structure serves as a section house.

Acquiescing to our request in broken English, the section foreman grants permission to string wire and reflectors around his home. With 550 feet of lamp cord and six No.2 flashbulbs lighting the scene, a simple composition comes together in the usual 90 minutes. Now it’s time to don jackets, pour some coffee from the thermos, and have a seat in the truck as the temperature drops into the high 20s.

Shortly after 6:00pm, a glow appears to the south, its intensity growing with each passing minute. Dave is a newcomer to The Ely Route, and I’ve been priming him for the moment when Nevada Northern’s handsome SD7 rolls onto center stage. Dressed in an EMD-styled “Desert Warbonnet” of cream, red, and black, 401 has to be the prettiest Cadillac to ever roll out of LaGrange. An earlier phone call to Chief Dispatcher Jack Whitehurst in East Ely has alerted the train crew to expect some excitement at Currie. There’ll be no surprise aboard the 401 when night turns to day a few hundred feet north of Highway 93. The real surprise has been saved for the photographers waiting outside the depot.

ABOVE: On November 17, 1977, the northbound Nevada Northern local with KCC RS-2 101 clears the main at East Ely, to allow the westbound KCC shuttle train to pass, bound for the mines south of East Ely. For two young railfans from California, this rural outpost in the Silver State was a little slice of Alco-powered heaven. —Dave Stanley photos

Anticipating the rhythmic chant of an Electro-Motive 567 prime mover coming through the night, we soon realize that whatever’s chugging our way is no graduate of Dick Dilworth’s drawing board. The single-bell air horn calling for the crossing is clearly not the mellow Hancock air chime of the 401. A few lumen seconds later, Kennecott Copper 101 fills our viewfinders in a solid orange flash. Are you kidding? What’s an Alco doing here?

Darkness reclaims the depot as 25 cars rumble by in the RS-2’s smoky wake. Simultaneously excited and mystified by the Alco’s appearance, we roll up the flash kit and retire to the warm tranquility of Tom and Donna’s Currie Store. Half-pound Currie burgers and cold beer satisfy our physical needs while the second half of Monday Night Football playing on a TV above the bar serves up succor to the soul for two long-suffering San Francisco 49er fans. Having no love lost for Dallas and the presumptive pretense of “America’s Team,” we revel in the St. Louis Cardinals handing the Cowboys their first loss in a 12-2 Super Bowl season. Judging by the reaction of Tom and Donna’s regular patrons, we’re not alone in our sentiments. Sleep in a cozy two-bed tourist cabin comes easy this evening…

The post Alcos in Indian Summer appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Justin Franz and Otto M. Vondrak/photos by the author

A saga that began 25 years ago in the Pacific Northwest came to a triumphant end in Scranton, Pa., this summer. On a warm July night beside Bridge 60 Tower, the sleek silhouette of an Alco PA stood gleaming in the floodlights, its blue and white paint recalling the glory days of mid-century Nickel Plate Road passenger trains. Almost a half-century since a PA led a passenger train in the U.S., NKP 190 was chomping at the bit to show everyone what it’s made of. But the road to its revival was not an easy one, making the improbable return all the more remarkable.

From Santa Fe to Scranton — Via Mexico
A total of 297 Alco PA and PB locomotives were built between 1946 and 1953. “Nickel Plate Road 190” was built as Santa Fe PA-1 62L in October 1948. For 20 years, 62L and its sister units led some of the Santa Fe’s finest trains before being retired in the late 1960s. The locomotive was headed for scrap when it received a new lease on life, thanks to Delaware & Hudson, which acquired four ex-Santa Fe PAs for passenger and excursion service. In 1975, the four units were rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho. During the rebuild, the locomotives had their 244 prime movers replaced with the more reliable 251 and were redesignated as PA-4s.

ABOVE: While mechanical and electrical assembly continued inside the body, McCormack completed the exterior in 2014 to get ready for the “Streamliners at Spencer” event in North Carolina. —Justin Franz photo 

The four units were removed from passenger service on D&H and briefly leased to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for commuter service in 1977. With a change in management at D&H, the four units were sold to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (FNM) for passenger service in Mexico in 1978. Two of the PA-4s, 17 and 19, eventually found their way into museums south of the border, where they remain today (one is reportedly even operational). However, the other two, 16 and 18, did not fare as well.

Within a few years of arriving in Mexico, both units were involved in accidents and were parked in the deadline at Empalme. Ultimately, they were parted out to keep other units operational. While little remained of the units beyond the skeletal frame, the FNM mechanical staff couldn’t bear to see them go, so they kept them hidden from management, who might have ordered them scrapped. Unwittingly, this was the first step toward the units being saved.

ABOVE: After a brief period of public display, NKP 190 was moved to GVT’s Von Storch Shops in the Green Ridge neighborhood of Scranton on June 21. Doyle shakes hands with Chief Mechanical Officer Bill Strein shortly after its arrival. —Otto M. Vondrak photo

Coming to America
Beginning in the 1990s, American preservationists started exploring ways to bring a PA home to the U.S. Mexican officials refused to part with the two locomotives already in museums, but were willing to send the remains of 16 and 18 back north to the right home. The effort to save one was led by the late Smithsonian Curator William Withuhn, who hoped Mexican officials would agree to send one of the units to a public museum. Negotiations dragged on for years, but Withuhn finally secured an agreement by 2000.

Unfortunately, by then funds allocated for such an acquisition were no longer available. Gulf & Ohio Railways CEO Pete Claussen, Steamtown National Historic Site Engineer Seth Corwin, and preservationist and railroader Doyle McCormack, who had been seeking a PA to restore for years, all contributed significant money to close the deal. The scarred frames were loaded onto flatcars and shipped north.

ABOVE: NKP 190 and recently restored Delaware & Hudson Alco RS-3 4098 power the initial run near Moscow, Pa., on July 11. —William Sternitzke photo

Meanwhile, McCormack (perhaps best known as the caretaker of Southern Pacific 4-8-4 4449) discovered two sets of A1A trucks necessary for eventual restoration that came from a Fairbanks-Morse “Erie-Built” passenger diesel that ended up powering a welded rail train in Canada. He offered Withuhn one set in exchange for one of the shells. Withuhn accepted, and McCormack became the proud owner of what remained of one of the most famous passenger locomotives ever built….

The post From Relic to Runner appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.