Category: Pennyrail Stories

In bankruptcy since late 1977, the Milwaukee Road elected in 1980 to slim the railroad down to what they hoped to be an economically viable core in the upper Midwest. Eliminated from the system was their hard-won Pacific Extension, completed in 1909.  Placed up for sale to other railroads, only a few short segments of the Pacific Extension were deemed useful, the rest was scrapped out.

Most of the line segments that survived were bits of terminal trackage and branch-lines with viable shippers, thus the mainline was essentially abandoned in its entirety except for a few segments that were sold to new short-lines.  Oddly one major piece remained: the line over Snoqualmie Pass in Washington’s Cascade Range.

This, one of the most spectacular mountain crossings in North America, was purchased by Burlington Northern in 1980. Some 50 miles in length, it reached from Maple Valley, Washington eastward to near Easton, WA. There, Burlington Northern’s ex-Northern Pacific mainline over Stampede Pass is barely 50 yards away, at a point near Cabin Creek.

The Milwaukee’s line over Snoqualmie Pass remained intact, except for the extensively damaged Hull Creek trestle, where one span of a long-curved steel trestle was knocked out.  The BN never made clear their intentions. The Milwaukee’s 11,789’ tunnel under the pass and routeto eastern destinations was shorter and faster. Updating the right-of-way, signaling and ribbon-rail would cost a fortune. Their nearby Stevens Pass line of the former Great Northern was no doubt a consideration.

As the two pictures make clear, the rails were taken out, and an easement sold to communications concerns. The State of Washington purchased the right-of-way and developed a state-wide hiking, biking and equestrian trail. (the gap was bridged in the damaged trestle)

 Credits:  Snowshed scene by Robert Johnson, east portal by Casey Adams.   Some text verbatim from CTC Board Magazine

The gentleman on the velocipede is coasting down the line on the Tacoma & Eastern Railway.   It’s powered by “Armstrong,”  translated:  human muscle and sweat.   Going back up the grade his arms and legs will get a pretty good workout.   There is no chain like on a bicycle, rather a reciprocating walking beam.  They were also known as “Irish mail carts.”

Velocipedes were complemented by four-wheel platforms with a see-saw affair whereupon up to four men could pump up and down to propel the rig down the track.   These vehicles were used to transport track repairmen and equipment to their job-site. 

As technology advanced numerous makers produced what most of us will remember as Speeders, or Putt-Putts.   In the scene above, Roger Sackett is using a chain and come-along to man-handle his Fairmont Speeder past an obstruction.    He and I spent the day up on Snoqualmie Pass trekking along the abandoned Milwaukee right-of-way.

After “setting on” (to use the proper RR term) at Garcia we scooted downhill to the washed out Hull Creek trestle.   We then returned up a few miles above where we began, only to find this log that had penetrated our course.   But Roger, always prepared, had the equipment for such a task.  We succeeded and ventured on, only to find another near identical obstruction around the next curve.  It was still a fun outing.  

Thousands of speeders were produced by the Fairmont Corporation in Minnesota and the Kalamazoo folks in Michigan to name a few.   They were belt driven and powered by a single-cylinder gas engine.    The railroads switched to hi-rail vehicles, traditional pickup trucks with retractable flange guide wheels.    Now only the railfan recreationist use them on treks around the country.   Great fun.

Credits:  Velocipede photographer unk., as seen in book:  Rails to Paradise.     Fairmont Speeder 35MM slide by me.

Submitted by Gary Ostlund

 

       Setting the stage:    In the early 50s, when steam engines were dropping out of the picture at an alarming rate,  TRAINS Magazine send Editor David P. Morgan and his close pal Dr. Philip R. Hastings out into the hinterland to record their demise in word and B&W.   As expected they did a spectacular job,  Morgan’s prose and Hasting’s lens recording history, never to be repeated.  Between them, a hotshot hoghead and a worn but game 4-8-2, forget what year it is and pretend this dead freight is the 20th Century Limited.

 

Morgan and Hastings found action in Galion, Ohio.  New York Central Extra 3005 East was doing some car shuffling and would depart soon.   Like most railfans,  they hopped in the car and raced 13 miles to Shelby, where an equally busy line of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad crossed.

The dispatcher had temporarily lost track of Extra 3005 East and was attempting to pin down his location and whether or not he had his train in one piece.  In the words of Morgan, “the conversation, as relayed to us by the operator, gave no direct hint of what was to come.  As a result neither Hasting nor I noticed a faint smudge of smoke building in the horizon to the west.  A distant whistling was adjudged to be yet another first-class schedule, and we were scanning the timecard to identify it when another, nearer blast propelled us to trackside on the double.

  “Why, it’s the extra!  Can’t be — he might just have — it is and he’s rolling!”       Rolling is mild language for what he was doing.   Extra 3005 East, now no less than 98 cars between tank and caboose, was bearing down on Shelby with all the implications of destiny of the Book of Revelation,  gaining momentum with each revolution of those four pairs of 69-inch drivers, making the legal mile-a-minute with ease and perhaps a notch or two better.  The elephant-eared aristocrat of an Alco rammed across the diamond with smoke going high, the Baker up near center, and the crew enjoying the breeze.  Out of her dusty wake came her train — rattling,  rocking,  rolling, riding to Cleveland at such a pace that as Hastings recalls it, “one felt called upon to wonder at what moment the whole shebang would take either to the air or to the adjacent countryside.”

The wooden hack bringing up the markers shot off into the distance.  Left in the sudden quiet were two rather shaken train-watchers, one startled operator, and the voice of a dispatcher who, with noticeable alarm, had (1) discovered the pace of Extra 3005 East,  and (2) was attempting to stop him so that slower but more legitimate occupants of the eastbound main — passenger trains — could overtake the dead freight they had been supposed to run around.

Wonderful!  Too often steam departs from us in the form of a fan trip that suffers an engine breakdown . . .    How much better to wind it up like the 3005, taking a quiet Ohio town apart, pinning its ears back, performing like Alco said her 4410 cylinder horsepower should perform.    Abdicate..? — not willingly.

Credits:  Photos by Dr. Phil R. Hastings & excerpts by Editor David P. Morgan as seen in  “In Search or Steam, Volume II:  1954 – 1955

 

The arrows point to a window apparatus not standard on most diesel locomotives.   Milwaukee Road ‘s #156 was one of the many U. S. railroads theme units celebrating our 200th Anniversary back in 1976.    You can see why it was one of the favorites.

All weather bay windows, like that shows here, were standard on all modern Milwaukee motive power.   They were installed on the engineers side only.    It allowed the engineer to lean to his right and look both forward and rearward,  important when switching,  as it was necessary to see hand signals from crewmen on the ground.   

The window seen here is made of durable fiberglass construction,  and proven to be more user friendly that the earlier plywood and later aluminum versions.  Note that a clear piece of plexi-glass allowed him view the ground immediately below. In darkness, under certain conditions,  it was difficult to judge movement, particularly with moving equipment on adjacent tracks, as in a yard.   A downward shining light enhances this view.  All weather windows allowed the engineer to perform his duties in the relative comfort of a dry cab.

The bay window did not replace the standard cab side windows and common practice was to leave the engineers side windows open, except in extreme cold when they would be closed to minimize drafts.

Radios have eliminated the necessity of an engineer looking for hand signals.  – Gary Ostlund

Mike Schafer and Art Danz contributed to the story

 

Those of us fortunate enough to wander down to St. Charles, KY, on the old IC main between Dawson Springs and Nortonville, in the last few years got a treat of which many railfans only dream.  We were granted permission to operate an EMD SW9 on the Charolais Coal Prep Plant yard tracks which paralleled the afore mentioned IC line.  Owner Don Bowles allowed us access as long as we took care of the property.  But time, land-locked trackage, and high scrap prices have won the battle and sent the three units into our memories.  Doyle Massey and Keith Kittinger (pictured) got some night shots of these beasts of burden as scrappers removed usable engine parts before being cut up.

I personally thank Don, Keith, Ricky, and others who made it possible for us to “play” with the real thing for a while.  I have photos of my son Liam and friends operating the machines on a mile of real track.  It was fun while it lasted!   Bill Thomas, editor

 

In case the group is not aware, G&W applied with the STB last month to abandon all of the Western Kentucky Railway.  Western Kentucky Railway, LLC (“Applicant” or “WKRL”) is seeking an exemption to abandon all of its remaining lines of railroad (the “Subject Lines”) which Applicant believes are as follows:

• Between MP 48.0 at Dekoven and MP 62.5 at Blackford;
• Between MP 0.0 at Blackford and MP 3.8 at Pyro Wye and between MP 3.8 and MP 8.5 at Clay;
• Between MP 0.0 at Costain Prep Plant and MP 9.5 at Providence
• Between MP 0.0. at Costain Prep Plant and MP 5.5 at Caney Creek; and
• Wheatcraft loop track

Submitted by Phil Randall

 

The Illinois Senate today voted 59-0 to create the Illinois and Midwest High Speed Rail Commission with the intent of issuing a roadmap for the creation of bullet train lines in Illinois and neighboring states. Under General Assembly rules, such a commission can be created by a vote in just one of the two legislative chambers. No further legislative action is required.  The resolution creating the Commission, Senate Resolution 806, defines the group’s mission as “recommending the best governmental structure for a public-private partnership to design, build, operate, maintain, and finance a high-speed rail system for Illinois and the Midwest.”

The Commission is to be composed of 19 members as follows:10 public members appointed by the Governor; 3 members of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2 appointed by the Speaker of the House and one appointed by the House Minority Leader; 3 members of the Illinois Senate, 2 appointed by the Senate President and one appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; 3 ex-officio members as follows: the Illinois Secretary of Transportation; the Executive Director of the Illinois Commerce Commission; the Executive Director of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority;  Earlier this week, mayors and county officials from across Illinois issued an open letter to fellow elected officials that said, “We urge you to work actively to secure approvals and funding for the planning and implementation of a Chicago-St. Louis 220-mph high speed rail line.

This line would bring our business, research and government capitals within less than 1.5 hours of each other, and open vital new connections to O’Hare Airport.” The letter also was sent to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.  The Midwest High Speed Rail Association proposes to transform the Midwest into one cohesive, compact economic entity with a network of 220-mph bullet trains with Chicago at its heart, including a St. Louis to Chicago line that would serve Edwardsville, Springfield, Decatur, Champaign, Kankakee, the Southland, McCormick Place, Downtown Chicago and O’Hare Airport.

Charter members gathered for a group photo (right) during the April meeting of the West Kentucky Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in Madisonville, KY.  These members formed the consist of the chapter’s beginnings in 1985, after several had been active in the Owensboro chapter.

Each Charter member was awarded a 25 Year commemorative shirt and pin.  Unfortunately, the cake was devoured before photos could be taken.  It was delicious!

RAILMARK ACQUIRES ORLANDO DINNER TRAIN OPERATION – NEWS RELEASE – (Walled Lake, MI) – April 7, 2010 – Railmark’s RAIL ENTERTAINMENT USA INC. subsidiary announced today that it has acquired the assets and operations of Florida Rail Adventures LLC and commenced operations on March 19th.  Railmark’s iconic Star Clipper Dinner Train®, the first and oldest dinner train in North America, will begin its 26th season in the Orlando Florida market, moving from the Metro-Detroit Michigan market where it has been since 1985.  The Star Clipper Dinner Train made its debut run on August 4, 1984 in Osage Iowa and since that time has entertained over 2,000,000 passengers.  Railmark’s other branded rail entertainment trains such as its family oriented excursion trains, adult entertainment trains and its unique Pullman Palace Bed & Breakfast operation, will relocate to the Eustis, Mount Dora and Tavares Florida area, all lake front communities along the train’s primary route and located just northwest of Orlando.  The Company’s Florida-based operations website is www.orlandotrains.com.

Railmark has named Mr. Neil Bagaus Vice President of Rail Entertainment USA Inc. & General Manager of the Company’s Florida-based retail train operations.  Mr. Bagaus has spent a good majority of his career in retail train operations and Railmark welcomes him as an important part of its management team.

Mr. B. Allen Brown, Railmark President & CEO comments, “We are looking forward to integrating our themed trains into the Orlando Florida market and building upon the successes of our predecessor’s trains, such as the Orlando Magic Express operated on certain home game nights.  Railmark’s experience and expertise will transform this historic railroad into an important rail oriented tourist attraction in the central Florida market.”

In March of this year my wife and I were returning to Madisonville from our trip to Phoenix, Arizona and decided to stay a night at the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona. Members Don Clayton and Wallace Henderson had recommended this lovely place to me and I value their judgment because of their vast experience in traveling.

This hotel was built about 1930 and was a stop on the Santa Fe Railroad. Food and lodging were available to travelers using the Santa Fe’s route between Chicago and Los Angeles. The present building replaced one that burned down in the 1920s and is thus, the latest one built. Food was provided by the Fred Harvey Company which worked with the Santa Fe in many of their hotels. The company employed many young women in a hope that this would civilize, not only the hotel, but the surrounding area which was inhabited mostly by males a century ago. These women came to be known as the Harvey Girls and they did help civilize the area and married many of the local men.  Hollywood even made a very good movie called “The Harvey Girls” starring Judy Garland containing a good story and good music showing the life of these hardworking and capable women. It also has some nice shots of Santa Fe steam engines and trains in it.

The hotel was designed by a lady architect, Mary Coulter, who worked on many projects for the Santa Fe and many of these are still standing such as the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon. The Southwest architecture is quite well done. There are several gardens and the grounds are very comfortable and provide a good place to rest.  There are as many as 140 trains a day going by and the hotel even provides comfortable rocking chairs trackside to observe the action. There is an adjoining Amtrak station where trains such as the Southwest Chief stop. Winslow has a small rail yard and is a crew change point on the modern BNSF Railway which provides a nice opportunity for train watching as the trains stop for a few minutes before continuing their journey.

There are many things to see here such as the intimate gardens, a museum of modern art, the surrounding city with it’s historical buildings, and an excellent restaurant in the Hotel. The Turquoise Room has hosted many famous people over the years and they have a great photographic collection on the walls showing some of them such as Spencer Tracy, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, and Harry Truman to name a few. The guest rooms are named for these travelers and we stayed in the Carol Lombard room overlooking the tracks. She was an actress and was married to Clark Gable and died in an airplane crash near Las Vegas in 1942 while on a War Bond tour for the Nation’s war effort.

There are two old passenger cars parked next to the Amtrak station that have been preserved and converted into permanent residences. One is pictured here and is a beautiful Pennsylvania Railroad car that is used by a local doctor as his residence. It has four nice bedrooms in it and you can even see the satellite dish mounted on the end of the car for television.

If you are looking for a nice place to stay in Northern Arizona with a lot of history, good food, nice rooms, lots of trains, gardens, art, and is right on Historic Route 66 you might wish to try out La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.

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.”