Railroad Nation

Santa-Fe-3415 Abilene, Kansas, in 2000

ABILENE, Kan. - After a successful test run in December, the Wichita Eagle is reporting that the tourist hauler Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad will steam  the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-6-2 “Pacific” No. 3415 for the first time in more than 50 years on May 23. It will be the start of once-monthly rides behind the engine over A&SV’s five-mile ex-Rock Island route to Enterprise, Kan.

The 1919-built Baldwin sat in an Abilene park from 1954 until 1996. Volunteers restored it over the past four years at a cost of around $300,000.  Engine 3415 will become one of only three operational former Santa Fe steam locomotives in the nation, and the only one in Kansas.

A ticket for the inaugural run will cost $100 and will be available through the railroad’s Web site at www.asvrr.org. Other rides on the steam locomotive that weekend will be offered for $45 for adults and $30 for children ages 3 to 11. Children under 2 can ride free.

LOS ANGELES - Citing poor ticket sales, most certainly a by product of  the poor economy, the Central Coast Railway Club and the Pacific Locomotive Association have postponed their steam trip to San Diego slated for May 3. The groups said they would immediately begin planning a future trip.

As I reported on March 3, the ex-Santa-Fe Northern #3751 was scheduled to run an all day round-trip train ride  between Los Angeles and San Diego, with  round trip adult  fares starting at  $169. Let’s hope they can find the support needed to get the event rescheduled for later this year.

This unfortunately follows the cancellation that was reported locally in February, that also cited poor economic conditions,  of the  Fullerton Railroad Days, held annually at the Fullerton Transportation Center/Amtrak depot over the last decade. That weekend event, was also scheduled for May 2-3. The 10 year old event, which often drew 30,000 visitors and included displays of Amtrak and Metrolink equipment and the restored Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 3751, was sponsored by the Fullerton Railway Plaza Association.

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 3751  will eventually pull the excursion trip whenever it  is rescheduled.

Union Pacific Steam Excursion plans for 2009 include a month-long (April-May), 32 day 4 state tour operating from Cheyenne-California and returning again to Cheyenne. The round trip  excursion includes 8 scheduled stops in Roseville and Portola, Calif.; Ogden, Utah; and Medicine Bow, Wyo., for respective Centennial celebrations; a Railroad Days visit to Omaha, Neb.; and returning for the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days excursion the weekend of July 16-19.

For the full schedule go to:

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/excurs/schedule.shtml

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President Barack Obama has announced a national vision for fast trains aimed at reducing congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. He invoked the memory of President Abraham Lincoln and his quest to build the transcontinental railroad and dubbed his vice president, Joseph Biden, as “the nation’s No. 1 railfan.”

Other highlights of the president’s plan are the eleven high-speed rail corridors that were  indentified as possisble recipients of the $8 billion in the federal five-year stimulus funding.
He also cited the success of high-speed rail systems, such as those found in France and Japan, as positive examples of what future U.S. railroad transportation would look like. (more…)

Eastbound New River Excursion speeding through Kanawha City, West Virginia.

The Nickel Plate Road “Berkshire” 2-8-4 No. 765 will operate under steam on Memorial Day Weekend, its first operation since test runs in 2006. The engine will pull scenic train excursions in North Judson, Indiana at the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, its first mainline excursions in 16 years.

The engine will pull two-hour round trips May 23-25, departing at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. from North Judson. The trips will run to La Crosse, Ind., over a piece of what was once Chesapeake & Ohio’s Chicago-Cincinnati route. The town of North Judson preserved the line with a $1.5 million federal grant in 2004, and used it to create the museum.

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Due to an over-whelming demand for pre-sale tickets for TrainFestival 2009, an extra date has been added. Thursday, July 23, 2009 will kick off America’s Largest Celebration of Railroading. An additional All-Day Steam excursion behind the World Famous “Daylight” steam locomotive No. 4449 will operate from TrainFestival 2009 in Owosso, Mi to Alma and return on Thursday. First class seating is available as well. Seating is limited for each All-Day steam trip and is expected to sell out soon.
 
First class tickets were released last week for the All-Day excursions and sold out with in hours of their release to the public. If you or some you know is planning on riding one of these trains we would suggest early purchase. This will be the last additional day that is added to the event. No additional train rides will be scheduled.
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