Day: September 20, 2008

The Largest Railroading Event in America is Coming to Michigan in 2009
Owosso, Mi- (8/8/08) – Coming July 24-26, 2009, the sounds of steam whistles, the clicky-clack of steel wheels on rails, the smell of coal smoke and excitement of children of all ages will take over the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan. This quaint American Town is located in the central region of Michigan just outside of Lansing. All the charm of Owosso will welcome tens of thousands of visitors from all over North America and other regions of the world to TrainFestival 2009. The theme of the weekend will be Trains, Trains, Trains!

During the weekend of July 24-27, 2009, visitors to the museum will experience a great event. 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 including a massive all-Lego model train. Railroad vendors from around the globe will have unique items for purchase that you won’t find any where else. Families will be able to take an all day excursion to Alma, MI, 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.

Railroad equipment is currently being arranged. As soon as a final list of equipment attending the event and a schedule is finalized, it will be posted on the event website at www.trainfestival2009.com. The website will be interactive including a web blog, forums, video and much more.

For more information contact: Steam Railroading Institute, 405 South Washington Street, Owosso, MI 48867, (989) 725-9464

A company that offered luxurious rail tours aboard refurbished vintage cars and was a major charter customer of Amtrak has shut down.

GrandLuxe Rail Journeys Inc. ceased operations last week. “We are financially unable to continue operations,” the company said in an Aug. 26 note to people booked for upcoming tours. It said it did not know whether people would get their money back. It is unclear what caused the move. Phone calls Wednesday to GrandLuxe headquarters in Evergreen, Colo., were greeted by a message saying the mailbox was full.

Bob Whitley, president of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, said other luxury-tourism companies do not appear to be suffering, despite a soft tourism market overall. “The only area doing really well is the luxury side,” he said. “It’s less affected by the economy and the weak dollar.” GrandLuxe was not an association member.

For Amtrak, the closure of GrandLuxe, known as American Orient Express before it came under new ownership in 2006, means the loss of several million dollars in annual revenue, Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said.

GrandLuxe relied on Amtrak to pull its train on various scenic routes. The national passenger railroad provided locomotives and engine crews for the trips, which lasted seven to 10 days and cost upward of $4,000. Amtrak did not provide onboard staff or marketing for those tours, Mr. Black said.

Last year, the companies attempted a closer partnership, announcing that GrandLuxe cars — including spacious sleepers, dining rooms and lounge areas — would be attached to certain regularly scheduled Amtrak trains during the holiday season. The idea was to offer a shorter, less expensive option with the same five-course meals and other luxury amenities as GrandLuxe’s usual tours. Amtrak helped market the service, dubbed GrandLuxe Limited, through its loyalty program, Guest Rewards.

However, the service, originally planned for three routes, was scaled back to just one train, the California Zephyr, between Chicago and Emeryville, Calif. The partnership wasn’t renewed this year.

It is unclear what will become of the company’s 1940s and 1950s passenger cars.

PRESS RELEASE INFORMATION FROM THE KENTUCKY COAL ASSOCIATION

A coal company in Ohio County is now open for business, again. Friday 14 News got a rare look inside a working coal mine. Ohio County leaders celebrated the start of mining for Armstrong Coal in what some say is a silver lining in hard economic times. Jobs are coming in, as tons of coal is going out. Kenny Allen, the Vice President of Operations for Armstrong Coal said, “This facility is going to provide a good living for a lot of families here in our community. We’re proud of that.” That couldn’t make county leaders more excited. “This is going to mean so much to the budget of Ohio County , whenever they start really processing the coal and we start getting some of this return back as coal severance dollars. We’re going to be able to do things that we’ve never been able to do here in Ohio County ,” said  Ohio County Judge Executive David Jones.

Armstrong Coal has over 250 employees already with more to come. The company hopes to have as many as 900. With over 50 percent of the electricity in the United States generated by coal, Hord Armstrong is banking on business to be good. “I think we will be part of an increased Renaissance in the production of coal and ultimately there will be a day when coal produces natural gas and liquid fuels as well,” said Armstrong. With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon and America ‘s dependence on oil a daily debate, look no further than Kentucky .

“We’re a energy based economy,” Allen said. “We have enough coal to run this country 300 years. We can become much more energy independent if we take care of all this coal, here at home.”