Past News Reports
(Yesterday's News is Tomorrow's
History)
Steam
John Biehn
March 2007:
Michigan Steam ... The Steam Railroading Institute's Pere
Marquette 1225, a 1941 Lima Locomotive Works 2-8-4, has completed a very
successful three weekends of North Pole Express trips. These trips ran over
the Great Lakes Central from Owosso, Michigan to the Santa Village at
Clesaning, between November 24th and December 17th. Each trip hauled
approximately 300 patrons. The 1225 pulled four passenger cars, a
snack/lounge car, baggage/merchandise sales car and two cabooses. Possible
upcoming excursions for 2007: May, Bluewater Chapter trip to Alma; July,
trip to Cadillac; October, trip to Grayling and to a Central Michigan
homecoming game, and additional North Pole Express runs in November and
December. Ms. Farol Henkle
Cumbres & Toltec Steam Excursions for 2007... Two unique
excursions are already being planned for 2007 on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic
Railroad. On September 30 - October 1, 2007 the " Fall Madness " trip will
be held. This run begins in Chama, New Mexico, and heads to Antonito,
Colorado and return. The train will be double-headed to Cumbres Pass with
fifteen Rio Grande painted cars. After Cumbres Pass, the train will have one
locomotive to Antonito, with the next day return to Chama. On October 20, "
The Classic" will operate. This will be a triple-header from Chama to
Cumbres Pass with 30-40 freight cars. Depending upon locomotive
availability, a fourth locomotive may be added. Upon leaving Cumbres Pass,
the train will double-head to Los Pinos and head back to Chama. For
information go to www.chamasteam.com
Hawaiian Steam ... The Hawaiian Railroad Association at Oahu
operates a portion of former Oahu Railway and Land Company tracks on west
Oahu. They have decided to restore and run a steam locomotive excursion
train. The Board of Directors voted last September to fully restore the
Waialua Agricultural Company # 6, installing a $140,000 boiler. Locomotive #
6 is a 0-6-2T, 36-inch gauge locomotive built by the Waialua Agricultural
Company in 1918. The Hawaiian Railroad Society was formed in 1970 to save
what remained of Hawaii's railroad history. The organization was able to
obtain the remaining stretch of ORNL track from Ewa to Nanakuli and was able
to get it placed on the state and national registers of historic sites. To
date, they have restored about six miles of track from Ewa to Ko Olina.
Thanks to Mr. Neil Moran
May 2007:
Steam in West Virginia … The Mountain State Railroad
and Logging Historical Association has announced plans for the 2007 Cass
Railfan Weekend to be held May 18-20. The big weekend starts on Friday, May
18 with an excursion on a former Western Maryland line from Elkins to High
Falls on the Cheat River. The power will be historical ex-Clinchfield F7 A
and B units, now painted in Western Maryland livery. This trip covers
forty-six miles of rare mileage, and will feature several photo run-bys. The
following day, May 19, a geared Shay locomotive special and separate log
train will leave Cass at 8am. The trains will proceed to the town of Spruce,
a pulp mill town from 1907 to 1926. Then the train will continue down the
former Western Maryland tracks along the Cheat River to Beaver Creek with
several photo run-bys. The day will end with a night photo session. On
Sunday, May 20, there will be multiple photo run-bys at the Cass station and
afterwards, two separate trains, a passenger train and a logging train will
make their way up to the lower half of Cheat Mountain to Whittaker. There
will be additional photo run-bys and the trains will return around 2pm. For
ticket information go to
www.msrha.org/rfw-order7.html
Durango & Silverton Steam … The owner of the Durango &
Silverton has pledged to spend $1 million over the next five years to reduce
smoke emissions from steam locomotives at the Durango roundhouse. The goal
is to reduce smoke emissions by 10 percent per year over the next five
years. Residents, especially those living in south Durango, have complained
for years that smoke pollutes the air and leaves a fine layer of soot in
their homes. Railroad owner Allen Harper said the money should produce
results and show the community that he is serious about improving air
quality. Options that are being considered this year to reduce emissions
include: using wood pellets rather than coal to keep the engines fueled at
night, moving the ash pit to Silverton, making improvements to the
roundhouse, and possibly expanding the scrubber system.
Mr. Neil Moran
Monticello Steam Locomotive Restoration … The Monticello
Railway Museum in Monicello, Illinois, was founded in 1966. Its goal at that
time was to maintain and operate steam powered passenger train excursions.
The museum purchased five miles of the former Illinois Terminal right-of-way
between Monticello and White Heath, Illinois. This right-of-way had only
ballast in place and through the years, track was laid toward White Heath.
In 1987, the museum purchased seven and a half miles of Illinois Central
Gulf trackage between Monticello and White Heath that parallels the Illinois
Terminal. A crossover track connecting the lines was eventually installed
and this area became known as the Central Division. This is where the
museum's train ride takes place. The museum has been restoring its steam
locomotive, an ex-Southern 2-8-0, built by Baldwin in 1907.The many
dedicated workers hope to have the locomotive completed shortly for its
100th birthday.
Roger Holmes, Mitch Goldman
Canadian Steam … The Royal Hudson will make her inaugural
debut in the 2007 season with a run out of Vancouver to White Rock, B C. on
April 15. This run follows a three-year major repair project. The Montreal
Locomotive Works built the Royal Hudson #2860 for the Canadian Pacific
Railway in June 1940. It spent most of its operating life running between
Revelstoke and Vancouver, British Columbia. This career however, was
short-lived because steam was replaced by diesels in 1956. The 2860, along
with other locomotives were relegated to the scrap line, with most steam
locomotives scrapped. In the early 1960s, a group of railfans discovered the
2860 sitting in a scrap line in Winnipeg. An effort was made to save the
locomotive and eventually it was taken to Vancouver, cosmetically restored
and painted. It was displayed at several occasions, but it finally ended up
stored in a Vancouver roundhouse. In the early 1970s, the 2860 was restored
to service and began a new life hauling a tourist train on the British
Columbia Railway between North Vancouver and Squamish. For the next
twenty-five years, the summer excursions were extremely successful. After a
charter trip in 1999, the locomotive was put away for the winter. The winter
inspections were not successful and the engine was deemed unfit to use until
a rebuild could be done. The rebuild was dealt a setback when a change in
government in British Columbia took place. The government decided not to
support the steam program. When the Province of British Columbia decided to
put the 2860 up for disposition, the West Coast Railway Association, along
with a partnership from the District of Squamish and support from the
Vancouver tourism community, developed a private proposal to acquire and
preserve the 2860. After the proposal was accepted, the engine was moved to
Squamish for cosmetic restoration and eventual full restoration. -WCRA
UP Steam News … Tentative trips using the UP 844 and 3985
have been announced. Running June 21-July 4, a steam special will depart
Cheyenne and travel to Kansas City with displays enroute.
July 19-23 will see a proposed double-headed train to celebrate the
Centennial of the first UP Cheyenne Frontier Day Special. Then on August
22-27, the UP will run a steam powered Colorado State Fair Special:
Cheyenne-Denver-Pueblo and return. Finally, during September 9-30, the UP
will operate the Oklahoma Centennial. This trip will depart Cheyenne and
travel to Oklahoma and return. -UPRR
