Participating attractions include Center in the Square; History Museum of Western Virginia; O. Winston Link Museum; Science Museum of Western Virginia; Taubman Museum of Art and Virginia Museum of Transportation, all located within easy …
As a gesture of goodwill Norfolk and Western 611 was donated to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke in 1960. Here, this machine of precision engineering sat for more than 20 years on static display until the N&W …
We are going to such-in-such a place to go to this museum for this purpose. However, most of our museum trips are tied to other plans, such as conferences or book signings. Our trip to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, …
The National Railroad Hall of Fame has inducted two names that were true pioneers and visionaries in the development of early American railroads, Henry Morrison Flagler and Peter Cooper.
The Tom Thumb designer Peter Cooper (Feb. 12, 1791, – April 4, 1883) joined the hall under the birth and development era category. Cooper built the nation’s first steam locomotive, in 1830, testing it onBaltimore & Ohio tracks. After loosing his famous race to a horse drawn car with passengers due to technical difficulty, he would later go on to prove the worthiness of the locomotive. The original engine no longer exists, however a replica is on display at the Baltimore & Ohio Museum. His great-great-great grandson, Tracy Brown, accepted the title on his behalf.
Henry Flagler (January 2, 1830-May 20,1913) began construction in 1905 onFlorida’s Great Ocean Railway all the way to Key West, over a series of 51 bridges. Passenger rail service began in 1912, however final work on the railway was not completed until 1916. The railroad to nowhere, or Flagler’s Folly as some of his critics refereed to it, was a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World” until the Storm of the Century: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 ended the railroad’s link to the keys. The right of way would later be sold off to the State of Florida for $640,000 and would become theOverseas Highway.
Touted as “The world’s longest fishing pier” the Seven-Mile Bridge completed in 1938 was a magnet for hook-and-line fishermen who didn’t have a boat. They drove to their spot, stopped their cars, unloaded their tackle, and wet their lines. There was very little traffic on the bridge, and fishermen often camped out all night.
This is a view of the bridge from 1952.
Portions of some of the original bridges still exist today. The Seven Mile Bridge andPigeon Key were featured in the 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis thriller, True Lies and today they are once again used mainly as fishing piers where they are safe enough. They no longer carry any vehicle traffic.
The railroad, which crossed more than 150 miles of open sea, was an engineering feat nearly equal in scale and difficulty to the digging of the Panama Canal.
Flagler also developed real estate holdings in the state, building a railroad empire that now operates under the Fortress Investments umbrella alongside RailAmerica. (more…)
When we started out planning for a special Mother’s Day, my wife and I wanted to bring the family together again to where we had shared our first train ride and Mother’s Day together in 1994, aboard the Seminole Gulf Railroad scenic excursion train. Because we were planning on having Laura’s 2 young grandsons along, we opted for a shorter day train ride without the typical 5 course meal and the famous Murder Mystery train performance. We had taken that dinner train before and had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. But with the children, we wanted to give them more “freedom” to experience to the train ride. Holding a young child’s attention for 2 hours can be challenging in these type of conditions. But I digress.
Unfortunately, do to illness, Laura’s daughter and her 2 boys were unable to make the trip from Palm Beach to Ft. Myers. Since we had already made the 2 hour drive from our home in St Petersburg, and had a room for 2 nights, we decided to carry on with our intended plan and were well rewarded for it.
The train ride we were taking was actually the day before Mother’s Day, Saturday May 8 and fell on National Train Day. Railroading activities were planned in most of the major cities with special events and rides provided by Amtrak. There was no announced festivities planned for the SGRR, so just being able to take a scenic train ride in Florida would have to do.
As we boarded our 11 AM train ride, were greeted first by our conductor Mike Mulligan. Michael is the author of Railroad Depots of Central Florida (Images of Rail: Florida) and has worked in the parks and recreation field for the past 30 years. He is a member of the National Railway Historical Society, the Railroad Museum of South Florida, the Florida Railroad Museum, the Atlantic Coast Line, and the Seaboard Air Line Historical Society. On the job for less than 2 years, he proved to be quite knowledgeable of the Seminole Gulf Railroad’s history and the railroad’s freight operations for the west coast of Florida.
The railroad is trying to make the most of slow times due to the weak economy and has had to reduced freight traffic to only one train a week. This was also evident as we were traveling “out of season” (after the snowbirds returned back north), because there were not many passengers to enjoy our scenic train ride.
This, however, turned out to actually work out in our favor.
We slowly made our way through the industrial area of Ft. Myers and then turned eastward to parallel Palm Beach Blvd before heading north over the Caloosahatchee Trestle and Drawbridge. Once we cleared the river we began to pickup speed to about 30 mph. We ran along I-75 to the Lee county line where we would have to stop for the return trip.
Since the train is run in a push-pull mode, the trailing diesel would now be the lead locomotive for our return ride back to the station. After the engineer walked through the coaches to the rear engine, our conductor informed us that we would all be able to move to the forward engine’s cab for a cab ride and a rare view from the engineer’s seat.
There were only about 15 passengers on our train, so we were all afforded the opportunity to ride in the cab. Our train cab ride lasted only about about a mile, but all the passengers took a turn to look over engineer Richard’s shoulder.
The kids looked like they were really enjoying their first train cab ride and a railroading experience of a life time.
After we returned to our air conditioned, 1955 former B&M coach, we resumed the ride back across the river and into town. Eventually, we arrived back where we started–remembering we didn’t really get anywhere–but we had fun. And, wasn’t that the point in the first place?
Part of Florida’s railroading history is also represented at the Southwest Florida Museum of History, located in downtown Ft Myers. Using directions we got from our courteous conductor Micheal, we headed to the former ACL depot where early 20th century Florida tourists before us had arrived. The museum displays a 1929 Pullman private coach, the Esperanza, an 84 foot long, 101 ton luxury rail car. Cuban mahogany is used throughout for the walls and doors. Additional signs of luxury are achieved with filigree brass railing on dressers, sinks and has commodes in each sleeping compartment, along with electric outlets and steward bells.
We finished up the afternoon with a walk along the downtown waterfront with the entertainment and festivities of a bike rally. Hundreds of motorcycles lined the streets for last rally of the season. This vibrant town was full of music and fun loving people enjoying what they like best.
As the sunset, we settled in for a waterfront dining experience across the Caloosahatchee River at a local establishment called Pinchers, that served up some excellent seafood and fries.
Ft. Myers is well known for its beaches and sunsets. But, if you look in the right places, you will find much more, and maybe even a special train ride to nowhere.
PETERSBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia Rails 2010 committee has announced that the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 2-8-0 steam locomotive No. 734 will not be able to attend the 100 year celebration of trains in Petersburg, WV, June 25-27.
According to the WVR 2010 Committee, CSX declined to move the steam engine. The WMSR is scheduled to send EMD GP30 in its place. Former Baltimore & Ohio F7A 722 is slated to replaced the 734 in excursion duty. In addition, passengers will also receive a voucher to be redeemed by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in Cumberland, Md., for a ride behind the 734 at no additional charge.
The decision was made by CSX, after giving tentative approval in early April, that the steam locomotive could not be shipped the 10 miles to the South Branch Railroad from Cumberland, MD over CSX rails.
The first steam locomotive, No. 17 from the New Hope Valley Railroad, will be arriving June 18th to Petersburg, WV from North Carolina. Steam locomotive No. 75 will arrive June 23 from Scranton, PA. The rest of the locomotives will arrive June 24.
West Virginia Rails 2010 is geared for children of all ages. Interactive exhibits are set up for viewing as well as large model trains. Train rides are offered in different lengths and times to best accommodate your schedule. Take a one hour round trip or an all-day excursion in first class.
Free Train Ride for Fathers – Northwest Railway Museum. >> Tuesday, June 15, 2010. Father’s Day Weekend – Fathers ride free with a paying child of any age on Father’s Day Weekend, June 19 & 20, 2010. Go here for schedule and details. …
What does Dad want more than a train ride to Grapevine? The best part is that all dads ride FREE — when accompanied by their families. Unattended dads will pay the price like everyone else. Dads who are willing to prove they have …
The Delaware River Railroad in Phillipsburg, N.J., is giving all fathers a free ride Saturday and Sunday Father for Father’s Day when accompanied by a ticketed rider. Enjoy an hour-plus steam train ride along the Delaware River at 11 …
Idaho Operation Lifesaver, in conjunction with Union Pacific Railroad, offers free train rides to Mountain Home residents June 18 as part of a safety initiative. Seating is limited to 150 passengers with departures scheduled for 5, …
Union Pacific Railroad is offering free train rides across the Rathdrum Prairie on June 22 as part of a wider effort to prevent accidents at rail crossings.
The Idaho State Police (ISP) announced Friday a free train ride for 150 people to raise railroad safety awareness. The ride will be provided at no cost to ISP by Union Pacific Railroad in north Idaho. Tickets for the ride will be given …
Union Pacific 4-8-4 steam locomotive No. 844 will travel to Milliken, Colo., later this month to participate in the town’s centennial celebration. The engine will sit on public display Saturday, June 26.
The event marks the first time No. 844 has traveled on UP’s branch to Fort Collins and Boettcher, Colo., which diverges from UP’s Denver-Cheyenne, Wyo., route at Greeley, Colo.
No. 844 is to depart Cheyenne at 5 p.m. on June 25, and is to arrive around 7:30 at Milliken. It will be displayed there from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the 26th. It’s scheduled to depart Milliken at 7 p.m. and arrive back at 10:30.
The Southern Appalachia Railway Museum has announced a series of special train rides, from Monday, May 17, through Sunday, May 23, 2010, covering all of the available trackage on the Upper Hudson River Railroad, Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley Railroad, Arcade & Attica Railroad, Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad, Kiski Junction Railroad, and Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad. The seven days of train rides include travel across New York and Pennsylvania and will travel over these unique operations, often covering routes not normally covered by their regularly scheduled passenger excursion services. This is your chance to ride all of these lines in only one visit to the area. These trips include stated meals, photo runbys, and stops at several restored stations along the lines.
NX13 is seen here hitting whats left of the diamond originally between the Housatonic and New England Central Railroads.
NORTH CANAAN, Conn. — Housatonic Railroad will run excursion trains for North Canaan’s Railroad Days celebration in July. Despite its name, the long-standing town tradition has been without train rides or railroad displays of any kind for many years.
Housatonic Superintendent Rick Abramson said the railroad’s participation will include trips between North Canaan and Great Barrington, Mass. It’ll also include display of a Housatonic GP35 and the railroad’s “Housyboose” caboose; both will be open for public walk-throughs.
Excursions will operate July 10, 11, and 18, with North Canaan departures at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m., and Great Barrington departures at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. Tickets will be available through the Canaan Chamber of Commerce.
The railroad plans to use borrowed ex-Lackawanna MUs from the Berkshire Scenic Railway. All proceeds will go toward completing renovation of Canaan Union Station.
May 8, 2010 is National Train Day. The O. Winston Link Museum and the Virginia Museum of Transportation are inviting railfans and families from all over the world to attend a now yearly celebration of railroad heritage. The Link Museum will feature the famed J Class locomotive 611, a historic paint scheme Southern Unit 4610 locomotive railroad memorabilia and activities, model trains, railroad photography, children’s activities and more.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation will feature NS SD 70 EMD locomotive tours, Class J cab, railroad motorcar rides, handcrafted wooden models, kids’ activities. More information is available at www.vmt.org
West Virginia Rails 2010 celebrates 100 years of the Railroad built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1910. Steam trains will once again whistle in the deep valleys. Three steam locomotives will be brought in. It has been nearly 50 years since a steam locomotive traveled these rails. This could be the only chance you will have to ride behind a vintage steam locomotive over this line.
Coming June 25-27, 2010, the sounds of steam whistles, the clickety-clack of steel wheels on rails, the smell of coal smoke and the excitement from children of all ages will take over Petersburg, WV. This quaint American town is located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Thousands of train lovers will ascend on Petersburg nestled in the heart of the Appalachia Mountains. The weekend theme will be Trains, Trains, Trains!
The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad will be offering a rare railroading experience through the lush mountains of West Virginia. Steam and Diesel Locomotives from around the country will be on display for visitors to tour the cabs, take photos, watch demonstrations and much more. Huge model train layouts will be on display. Railroad vendors from around the globe will have unique one-of-a-kind train items and mementos for purchase that you won’t find any where else. Families will be able to take an all day excursion or shorter one-hour train ride behind various vintage locomotives. For the thrill seeking visitor, you will even be able to pull the throttle and blow the whistle on one of these steam locomotives. Scaled down miniature trains will be hauling passengers around the grounds of the event as well.
The list of locomotives and events includes WM #734, Flagg Coal Company #75, and New Hope Valley Steam Locomotive #17, along with vintage streamlined diesel locomotives. With a combined 40 day rail excursions and dinner train excursions over the three day event, there will be plenty of opportunities for the whole family to ride the train. You may also want to try your hand at actually running a real coal fired steam locomotive.
Petersburg, WV is located in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and is within a 2 hour drive from the suburban DC/Baltimore Area as well as a beautiful drive up from Roanoke Virginia.
ended the railroad’s link to the keys. The right of way would later be sold off to the State of Florida for $640,000 and would become the
and today they are once again used mainly as fishing piers where they are safe enough. They no longer carry any vehicle traffic.
and has worked in the parks and recreation field for the past 30 years. He is a member of the National Railway Historical Society, the Railroad Museum of South Florida, the Florida Railroad Museum, the Atlantic Coast Line, and the Seaboard Air Line Historical Society. On the job for less than 2 years, he proved to be quite knowledgeable of the Seminole Gulf Railroad’s history and the railroad’s freight operations for the west coast of Florida.
West Virginia Rails 2010 