Railroad Nation

For the first time in 12 years of hosting the Day Out With Thomas event, Essex Steam Train & Riverboat will kick off its 2010 season with a Spring event, Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010- - May 8-9 & 15-16.

All Aboard for the Best Birthday Party Ever! Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010 marks the 65th Anniversary of everyone’s favorite storybook engine, Thomas the Tank Engine. All Thomas fans are invited to come to the birthday bash and celebrate with their #1 engine. In addition to a 25-minute train ride aboard a real, vintage train lead by Thomas, anniversary highlights include:

* The opportunity to meet and be photographed with Sir Topham Hatt(TM), Controller of the Railway

*A special display celebrating 65 years of Thomas the Tank Engine

*2010 commemorative merchandise and giveaways, including a mini-view finder giveaway that tells the story of Thomas’ upcoming adventure, Misty Island Rescue

* A Thomas & Friends Imagination Station; featuring stamps, temporary tattoos, hands-on arts and crafts activities and coloring sheets.

* Storytelling, video viewing and live music Tickets on Sale February 8th! Tickets for Day Out With Thomas: The Celebration Tour 2010 go on sale Monday, February 8th by calling toll-free, 866.468.7630, or link from essexsteamtrain.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102981838551&s=28419&e=001Wm_2Ns29UmSrGWritPez7sEjdm3Q9UYu2cJaSmh6PQ_8GnReqLHyjhZmdL2A_vTues5u59dAiZgTuyZfAUJsWRB9YD6c2H-p9opU_0j-4B06Lv1mh1GNsA==]. Tickets are $18 plus tax for ages 2 and up. Spread the Word . . . Essex Steam Train will host the only Day Out With Thomas event in Connecticut in 2010!

For more information and directions contact Essex Steam Train & Riverboat at 800.377.3987 or visit essexsteamtrain.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102981838551&s=28419&e=001Wm_2Ns29UmS2SvKsvCrBbhn39_KvtVH6kVxjdKx6Yk6fGfmU7u838uKsRLauLCcHqbzNOzDx0Bwkr3-0wWxoyKEuntBI4uAx6REZU7Lwr_DNG6Up1gpafpAyghNd0rxa] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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EUSTIS, Fla. - Just when we need “shovel ready” projects to receive stimulus money to create jobs, this sure sounds like one to me.  The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel has reported that Florida Rail Adventures is having to  shut down its Mount Dora Meteor  due to inadequate tie condition.  The train, which operates over Florida Central Railroad tracks, is shutting down in the middle of its tourist season.

Owner and general manager Neil Bagaus said at least 1,000 ties need to be replaced before the branch between Mount Dora and Tavares, Fla., could meet Federal Railroad Administration standards. Bagaus said the railroad replaced 400 ties at a cost of $30,000, but said it doesn’t have the money to replace the rest. So, let’s see. To replace  the 1000 ties, at $75 per tie, they will need about $75000. Almost sounds like a bargin.

“This is our season,” he said. Unfortunately, “we just cannot afford the cost.”

Trains over the main line between Eustis and Tavares and on to Orlando will continue to operate as normal. Those trains include the dinner train, rail rambles, Gunfight at the OK Corral, trips to the Orlando Magic games, and a lunch train.

Mount Dora Mayor Melissa DeMarco said the town plans to look for ways to assist Bagaus restart the train.

VIRGINIA CITY, Mont. —Faced with the ever rising costs of running and maintaining a steam locomotive these days,   Montana’s Alder Gulch Short Line has announced they will not be able to operate steam  on its railroad this year. Train rides will continue to operate using its  normal lineup of tourist trains. The decision comes as part of an effort to save money.

The tourist railroad normally runs the  30-inch-gauge 2-8-0 No. 12, a 1910 Baldwin product that came from Ferrocarril Mexicano RR, on its route. Paul Reichert, executive director of the railroad’s operator, the  Montana Heritage Commission, said the costs of keeping a steam locomotive in operation during a recession led to the decision.

Originally purchased in 1992, restoration of No 12  continued on for  several years.  The work took  four to six people full time on the engine, often ten hours a day, five days a week, and eight hours on Saturday. Beginning with the bare frame, every part was rebuilt to like-new specifications. Moorehead Boiler of Minneapolis, Minnesota rebuilt the steam boiler. Every bearing and wearing point was renewed. The cab was rebuilt with a beautiful polished mahogany interior, and outfitted with brass gauges, injectors, oil cups, and other parts whose polish would satisfy even the most critical army sergeant. When it rolled out of the Baldwin factory in 1910 it could not have been more beautiful than it is today.

The railroad will instead use a gas-powered vehicle to operate the 1.5-mile route, with a diesel-powered vehicle held in backup.

To see more on train rides in Montana, visit: http://scenicrailexcursions.com/montana_trainrides.php

OMAHA, Neb. — Historic locomotives from Union Pacific’s steam program will make six outings between April and November this year, including a ceremony marking the program’s 50th year. The schedule is available at http://www.uprr.com/.

Both UP steam engines 844 and 3985 serve as rolling ambassadors for the nation’s largest railroad. In addition to the usual Denver Post/Cheyenne FrontierPost Days Special exhibit on July 24, stops this year will include most of the month of April in  Harlingen, Texas.   June 25-26 they will be in Milliken, Colo. and Sept 8-24 in Pendleton, Ore. Then it’s  back across  country to Sedalia, Mo. from Sept 30 to Oct 15 and  returning to  Council Bluffs, Iowa in November 10-14 for the 50th Anniversary.

Coming in at #1,  Burt Lancaster plays a French train engineer during the waning days of the German occupation who tries to prevent Nazi colonel Paul Scofield from transporting a precious art collection back to Germany.
“Lancaster provides a veritable primer on the railroad craft:working an interlocking tower,.. running and hand-firing a 4-6-0,disassemble track fasteners. In all tasks, he is totally convincing.”

Filmed in the picturesque town of Acquigny in Normandy, just north of Paris. The line was scheduled for abandonment, so it was easy for the SCNF to give the director free rain.

The steam power was almost exclusively WWI era 4-6-0’s, with Belpaire designed fireboxes and were hand fired. The 4-6-0 in the first derailment was moving too fast, destroying three of five cameras. However, the result was one of the most exciting train action scenes in cinema history.

See if your favorite train movie made the list.

TAMPA, Fla. — As part of President Barack Obama’s jobs recovery act, the President  has  announced  on Thursday awards for the $8 billion in economic  Recovery Acts grant for the development of the U.S.’s first nationwide program of high-speed intercity passenger rail service.

In last Wednesday’s  State of the Union speech in Washington, the president said, “We can put Americans to work today building the infrastructure of tomorrow. From the first railroads to the interstate highway system, our nation has always been built to compete. There’s no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains, or the new factories that manufacture clean energy products.”

According to the White House, 31 states will be receiving investment rail-related awards  toward developing or laying the groundwork for 13 new, large-scale high-speed rail corridors across the country, including smaller projects and planning work that will help lay the groundwork for future high-speed intercity rail service.

The $8 billion investment is expected to create or save tens of thousands of jobs over time in areas such as track-laying, manufacturing, planning and engineering, and rail maintenance and operations. More than 30 railroad equipment manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, have agreed to establish or expand their base of operations in the United States if they are hired to build America’s next generation high-speed rail lines.

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Floridians and tourists don’t often get to ride live steam trains outside of Disney World.  So during the month of February, for a steam train ride experience outside of the Magic Kingdom,  a little railroad that could and will, the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish, Fl will be running steam excursions for four weekends. Pulling the steam train rides will be the 1930 Flagg Coal Company’s  No.75 Vulcan 0-4-0T coal burning tank engine. This is the fourth year the FRM has run these excursions.
After acquiring the #75  in 1991 and performing a 10 year restoration,  the this little steamer has now traveled all over the country to various museums and tourist railroads.

The #75 participated in TrainFestival 2009 in Owsso, Michigan and appeared again last fall  double heading steam train excursions in October on the scenic Hope Valley Railway in North Carolina.

This is a truly a unique chance to get up close and experience a live steam train ride in central Florida for the whole family.

Lots of extra activities are planned this year including the Party Caboose, Rent-a-Freight Train and the NEW opportunity to be a Steam Engineer.

Party Caboose - available for charter on every trip

Rent-a-Freight Train - Take charge of a 1,500 horsepower diesel locomotive and five car train for one hour.

Steam Engineer - NEW for 2010! At the end of each day, a limited number of participants will be able to operate the throttle and run the #75 on our railroad for 15 minutes.

The Museum is located 25 miles north of Sarasota and 35 miles south of Tampa off Interstate 75 at exit #229.

For more on Florida Train rides, visit: http://www.scenicrailexcursions.com/florida_trainrides.php

Trains News Wire:

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. 261 has been sold through rail equipment broker Sterling Rail to a California-based collector, the company reports. The locomotive’s present owners, the National Railroad Museum, had no comment on the possible sale.

The Minneapolis-based nonprofit Friends of the 261 leased the locomotive from NRM and operated it from 1993 to 2008. The engine is presently in the Friends’ Minneapolis shop, having been torn down for its federally mandated 15-year inspection. When talks between the NRM and the Friends on a new lease stalled last fall, overhaul work on the 4-8-4 ended and plans were to return the engine to Green Bay for display.

The 261 was built in 1944 and weighs more than one million pounds. After retiring  from the Milwaukee Road in 1954, the steam engine was rebuilt in 1993 and began new life pulling steam excursion rides leased through the Friends of the 261.
The 261 traveled  to Chicago in May of 2008 for the making of the movie Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp. (more…)

Sweetheart Casino Train Ride to the Soaring Eagle Casino

will help the rebuilding of the “Polar Express”.

– Mt. Pleasant Michigan

Saturday, February 13th, 2009

Train departs Owosso at Noon and returns at 10pm

Roll the dice and take a spin with thousands of slots & table games and high stakes bingo. Your luck is about to change! Join the Steam Railroading Institute on February 13th on a leisurely train ride to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, where you’ll be greeted with a shuttle to Soaring Eagle Casino. Players will receive $20 in comp dollars and a $5 dining credit. Leave the driving to us and WIN BIG! Reserve your seat today by visiting our online ticket system or by calling 989.725.9464.

Proceeds to benefit the rebuilding of the Pere Marquette 1225 and The Steam Railroading Institute.

See more on  Michigan train rides.

Steamfest II will hold two events, the first one  will be held on March 14 and a weekend event will be held on March 20-21,2010 in Fremont California.

Sponsored by the Niles Canyon Railway and the Pacific Locomotive Association, these weekend  events will feature train rides with three to four participating steam locomotives  .

The Pacific Locomotive Association has been collecting rare and unusual railroad equipment since the early 1960s in an effort to preserve the Pacific Coast railroading history for the enjoyment of future generations. The PLA was recently awarded TRAINS  2009 Preservation Award of $10,000  for its restoration of the 1924-built Clover Valley Lumber Co. 2-6-6-2T No. 4 for operation on the Niles Canyon Railway in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Planned Steamfest Participants include:

Niles Canyon Railway’s Quincy Railroad #2 , a 1924 Alco 2-6-2T and the  Robert Dollar #3, a 1927 Alco, also a  2-6-2T.  California State Railroad Museum’s Granite Rock #10, a 1942 Porter built 0-6-0T and the  Roots of Motive Power/Chris Baldo’s Mason County Logging #7, a 1910 Baldwin built 2-6-2T will also be there.

The railroad will be running a double-headed steam-powered freight March 14.

For more on Bay Area and California train rides, visit http:/www.scenicrailexcursions.com/california_trainrides.php

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