Today's Train of Thought- Clearing the Maine Line, February 26th, 2013

Today's train of thought revisits the New Brunswick Southern railway in somewhat leaner times, before the JD Irving owned railroad found itself shuttling unit trains of crude oil.

The 200km line began service in 1995, shortly after Canadian Pacific abandoned their lines east of Montreal due to decades of declining traffic in the Maritime Provinces [CP Rail had been operating those lines under the name Canadian Atlantic since the late 1980s- NANESB!]. Instead of using an all-Canadian route like rival transcon Canadian National, the CP chose a more direct path, cutting through the woods of Northern Maine between south central Quebec and southern New Brunswick. In addition to providing the shorter route, this allowed CP to interchange directly with US railroads like the Maine Central and Bangor & Aroostook. However, by the mid-1980s those lines were suffering from declining traffic levels, ineffecient operating practices, deferred maintainence and an indifferent ownership. Along with the Boston & Maine and Delaware and Hudson, the Maine Central found itself under the Guilford umbrella while the Bangor & Aroostook would find itself a subsidiary of Iron Road Railway Holdings within weeks of CP's abandonment of their lines east of Montreal.

Between Montreal and Brownville Jct, ME the former CP Rail line became part of Iron Road's Canadian-American Railroad while from Brownville Jct to Saint John, NB, Irving operated the newly-formed New Brunswick Southern. The Iron Road presence in Maine lasted until 2003 when the parent company of the BAR and CDAC filed for bankruptcy and the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic began operations, assuming control over both railroad's trackage.

For several years, the New Brunswick Southern was pretty much dependent on the whims of the forestry industry and hauled wood chips, paper products, lumber and chemicals used for paper-making. Until 2006, the New Brunswick Southern and Montreal, Maine & Atlantic provided dedicated intermodal trains to and from Montreal. More recently, the New Brunswick Southern's parent company was awarded a contract by the state of Maine in 2011 to operate more than 230 miles of former MM&A (nee- Bangor & Arostook) trackage between Madawaska and Millinocket, ME and began operations as the Maine Northern.

While the contract more than doubled the mileage of the Irving-owned railroads, the fact remained that all the lines, as well as interchange partners MM&A and Pan Am (formerly Guilford, nee Maine Central) were still dependent on the volatile fortunes of the lumber and paper industry.

However. that would change with the advent of hydrofracking and increased oil drilling on the northern great plains. With no east-west pipelines to transport the oil from North Dakota's Bakken shale, transporting the crude to east coast refineries in dedicated unit trains was the next best solution.

And this is where the New Brunswick Southern's parent company- JD Irving- comes in. The privately held Maritimes-based conglomerate involved in everything from shipbuilding to forestry- but also owns Canada's largest oil refinery. With US-based refineries at or near capacity, the JD Irving facility in Saint John, NB was receiving an estimated 90,000 barrels of oil a day by rail from North Dakota and Alberta.

The Bakken oil has been taking a somewhat circuitous route in the 2500 miles between the Dakotas and Saint John- starting off on the BNSF before heading east to Chicago where it's handed off to either the Canadian Pacific or CSX. If it goes via CSX, it travels all the way east to the Pan Am interchange at Rotterdam Jct, NY before travelling the entire length of the Pan Am system to Mattawamkeag, ME. If it travels via Canadian Pacific, it utilizes trackage rights over Norfolk Southern between Chicago and Michigan before entering Canada and heading east to Montreal where its handed over to the MM&A. Whether it takes the CP/MM&A or CSX/Pan Am route, the New Brunswick Southern handles that crude for the final 120+ miles.

Here, railpictures.net contributor Issac "Skippy" Greenlaw caught NBSR GP38-3  #2318 leading eastbound Train 908 through Chester, ME in much simpler times. It's apparent from the accumulation of snow on the hood and pilot steps of the lead unit that it's been busting snowbanks ever since its departure from Brownville Jct. The train is getting ready to slow down to pick up some interchange cars from Pan Am at Mattawamkeag before continuing east into Canada on Fenruary 26th, 2011.

According to the photographer, this train ran only three times a week at the time of the photo, but two years later the New Brunswick Southern is leasing at least a dozen additional locomotives from Helm and Pan Am Railways to not only keep up with the oil traffic, but a modest rebound in forestry and paper carloadings on the 220+ mile Maine Northern.

Mid February Iron Horse Roundup- EMD Announces Closure of London Plant; Steel Silk Road in the Works? 'New' Power For Farmrail, New Brunswick Southern

Two EMD SD80ace's are seen on flatcars outside of Canadian Rail Collision and Refubish's Toronto, ON facility. The locomotives- destined for Brazil- have just been repainted and are part of the last order constructed at EMD's London, ON facility before Progress Rail announced they were closing down the facility. Photo- Oscar Majcher

EMD/PROGRESS RAIL- After a month-long lockout and standoff with the Canadian Auto Workers over a new contract, EMD parent company Caterpillar [NYSE: CAT] announced they were shutting down their London, Ontario plant this month.

Electro-Motive Canada announced it was shutting down its plant, wiping out the jobs of 475 locked out workers as well as 200 non-union staff.

Sixty-two years after it started making locomotives in the city and two years after it was purchased by a subsidiary of heavy equipment giant Caterpillar Inc. the plant was history.

It’s the biggest plant closure the city since 1994 when the Northern Telecom plant employing 2,200 shut down.

It will likely cause another spike in the London-St. Thomas unemployment rate which dropped to 9% last month, but is still the second highest of any major city in Canada.

The lockout of the London workers had been a lightning rod for protests with the company asking employees to take as much as a 50% wage cut. A rally on Jan. 21 drew more than 5,000 people.

According to Caterpillar, a key sticking point with the CAW was wages and temporary hiring of outside non-union contract employees to deal with large orders. While the decision to shut down the London plant has understandably sparked outrage throughout Canada [including calls for the seizure of Caterpillar's assets in Canada- NANESB], it's also worth pointing out that whether it was General Motors, Greenbriar Equity or Caterpillar, EMD remained an American company that happened to have a major plant in Canada the whole time the London facility was open.

Prior to Caterpillar's announcement, members of the CAW Local 27 had blockaded flatcars carrying some of the locomotives from the final order from London's plant before leaving of their own accord. The locomotives are destined for Brazilian mining and logistics firm Companhia Vale do Rio Doce [NYSE- VALE] which operates more than 8700 km of track through three subsidiaries in eastern Brazil.

According to Canadian Railway Observations, EMD also received orders for new power from Norfolk Southern, Brazil's VALE and Union Pacific as well as freight and mining railroads in the UK, Australia, Mauritania and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, Canadian Pacific announced that they selected Progress Rail to undertake an extensive rebuild of their aging fleet of four-axle GP9s and six-axle SD40-2s.

Shortly after the announcement regarding the London plant, Progress Rail hosted a job fair for it's Muncie, IN plant and announced a second one set to take place in early March. Coincidentally, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels had signed a right-to-work bill a few days prior to Caterpillar shutting down the London plant. The bill makes the Hoosier state the first 'rust belt' state with right-to-work laws.

A Russian-built locomotive brings in freight from across the border with Uzbekistan to the frontier town of Hairatan. Photo- Railways of Afghanistan/Asian Development Bank

AFGHANISTAN- Operations began on a new 45 mile rail line in Afghanistan linking the city of Mazar-i-Sharif with the Uzbekistan border at Hairatan earlier this month.

The inaugural load comprised nine wagons of flour from Kazakhstan and three of timber from Siberia. Unloading began shortly after the train arrived at Naibabad, which lies just east of Mazar-i-Sharif airport.

Nominally operational since mid-2011, the line saw its first test trains reach Mazar-i-Sharif in late December, following further work to reinforce the trackbed and improve security. The line is being operated by Uzbekistan’s state railway under a three year concession signed on August 4, but UTY had been waiting for formal safety approval before starting commercial operation.

In addition to supplying NATO forces in Afghanistan and domestic customers, an expanded rail line could also play a role in transporting much of Afghanistan's untapped mineral wealth to markets in Asia and elsewhere for export.

FARMRAIL/GRAINBELT- According to a press release, Farmail subsidiary Grainbelt Corporation has taken delivery of five additional GP38 diesels.

The press release didn't mention where the GP38s came from, but the prior batch of GP38s were purchased by the western Oklahoma railroad secondhand from the Iowa Interstate Railroad. This brings the total number of units in service on the Farmrail/Grainbelt system to 31, including some of the former

Although agricultural traffic on the 300+ mile Farmrail/Grainbelt system has taken a hit due to drought conditions throughout Texas and Oklahoma late last year, this has been offset by increased drilling activity and shipments of crude oil throughout the Anadarko Basin.

Former Grand Trunk Western GP40-2s seen with a Fort Worth & Western genset at Hodge yard in Ft Worth, TX on Dec 31st, 2011. Photo, JT Leal

FORT WORTH & WESTERN- The Fort Worth & Western acquired a pair of former Grand Trunk Western GP40-2s (nee Detroit, Toledo & Ironton) from Rail Management leasing.

The 1972-built roadswitchers join a fleet of about a dozen second-generation roadswitchers and two gensets on the 275-mile Texas carrier. In addition to being repainted in the FW&W's yellow and blue paint scheme, the locomotives will also receive the name of a historical figure or locale along the route as is custom for the Fort Worth & Western.

NEW BRUNSWICK SOUTHERN- JD Irving's New Brunswick Southern has taken delivery of their first-ever 6-axle locomotives. The Canadian National delivered Helm Leasing SD40-3s #6200 and #6318 to the NBSR in January.

Although one of them has already reportedly been repainted in NBSR colors, both locomotives are currently on short-term lease from Helm and being evaluated for service on the mainline between St John, NB and Brownsville, ME.

[Hat tip- Canadian Railway Observations; Railways of Afghanistan]

Iron Horse Roundup For December 2011/Jan 2012

Aftermath of 3-way CSX collision and derailment in Valparaiso, IN on Jan 6th Photo- Jimmy Herrick/Valparaiso Post-Tribune

Two CSX crewmen were treated for injuries and approximately 200 people were evacuated after a collision and derailment involving three trains in northwestern Indiana earlier this month.

The trains crashed about 11 miles northeast of Valparaiso, on the CSX line, according to David James, assistant highway supervisor with the Porter County Highway Department.

James said one train rear-ended another one, causing it to jack-knife, and a third passing train the "got caught in that jack-knife." All the trains derailed

James said there had been a fire concern since one of the trains was carrying ethanol, an alcohol, but the tanks turned out to be empty. Diesel fuel from the engine was burning, but as of 4:50 p.m. local time, "things are starting to quiet down somewhat," James said.

About 100 to 200 residents evacuated from the area north and east of the crash, James said.

The two hospitalized crewmen were released within days of the collision. Immediately after the wreck, the NTSB was conducting interviews, combing through the wreckage and checking the line's signalling- but the agency warned that it could take months before reaching a finding on the cause of the collision.

Workers seen installing a frame with grapefruit-sized concrete balls dangling from a chain in West Java, Indonesia. The balls are high enough for the train to pass through untouched but would knock down anybody riding on the rooftops. This is the latest measure to prevent 'train surfing' in Indonesia. Achmad Ibrahim / AP Photo

Authorities in Indonesia are cracking down on 'train surfers' and people riding the rooftops of trains by installing frames that hang over the tracks with weighted, grapefruit-sized concrete balls dangling down low enough to knock stowaways off the roofs of train cars.

Authorities hope the balls — which could deliver serious blows to the head — will be enough to deter defiant roof riders.

"We've tried just about everything, even putting rolls of barbed wire on the roof, but nothing seems to work," said Mateta Rizahulhaq, a spokesman for the state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api. "Maybe this will do it."

Trains that crisscross Indonesia on poorly maintained tracks left behind by Dutch colonizers six decades ago usually are packed with passengers, especially during the rush hour.

Hundreds seeking to escape the overcrowded carriages clamber to the top. Some ride high to avoid paying for a ticket. Others do so because — despite the dangers, with dozens killed or injured every year — "rail surfing" is fun.

The first dozen or so balls were installed Tuesday hundreds of yards (meters) from the entrance of a train station just outside the capital, Jakarta. Painted silver, the balls hung by chains from what looked like the frame of a giant soccer goal.

But there was a glitch: the chains were too short, leaving a gap of about 16 inches (40 cm) between the balls and the roofs of the passing train carriages. Rizahulhaq said adjustments would be made.

If successful, the project will be expanded, with balls also set up near railway crossings.

Asked about worries that the balls could hurt or even kill those who defy the roof-riding ban, he insisted that wasn't really his problem.

"They don't have to sit on top," he said. "And we've already told them, if the train is full, go to the office. We will be happy to reimburse their tickets."

The commuters, known as "Atappers" or "Roofers," meanwhile are hardcore in their determination to stay on top.

"I was really scared when I first heard about these balls," said Mulyanto, a 27-year-old shopkeeper, who rides between his hometown of Bogor and Jakarta almost every day for work. "It sounds like it could be really dangerous."

"But I don't think it'll last long," he said. "They've tried everything to keep us from riding ... in the end we always win."

"We like it up there, it's windy, really nice."

Many of the roof riders — and regular passengers — say the main problem lies with Indonesia's dilapidated railway system. There are not enough trains to meet demand, they say. And there are constant delays in service.

"People have jobs! They can't be late," said Parto, a trader at the Jakarta stock exchange, who can usually be found sitting inside. "If the train is late, they'll do whatever they have to."

Several years ago, paint guns were set up to spray those riding on the top of carriages so authorities could identify and round up the guilty travelers. But roof riders destroyed the equipment soon after. The exhortations of clerics didn't work. Neither did the dogs.

Overcrowding has been an issue with commuter and passenger trains on Java- Indonesia's most populous island. In 2010, Indonesian passenger carrier PT Kereta Api introduced "Women's Only" train carriages in an effort to thwart other passengers who took advantage of the overcrowding to grope and fondle female commuters [similar trains operate in Mumbai and Tokyo- NANESB!].

Secured to a flatcar, Alaska Railroad 2-8-0 #557 passes by the Cook Inlet en route to Anchorage from the lower 48 in December. Photo- David Blazejewski/Columbia Basin Herald

After a nearly 50 year absence, the Alaska Railroad's last steam engine has returned home to Anchorage, AK this month.

The Baldwin 2-8-0 was built for the US Army in 1944 and went into service for the Alaska Railroad after WWII. The locomotive was in regular service for the Alaska until 1957 and was sold for scrap to a dealer in Washington State in 1962. However, instead of getting cut up, a Moses Lake, WA scrap dealer named Monte Holm took a shine to the old steamer and put it on display and would occasionally operate it on a short stretch of track.

Holm passed away in 2006, and a personal friend purchased the #557 from his estate before donating it to the Alaska Railway. Interestingly, the tender for the #557 never left Alaska and served in Maintainence of Way service along with a former US Army Corps of Engineers steam crane until 1974, at which point the railroad donated the tender to the Alaska Museum of Transportation and Industry.

The AKRR plans to fully restore #557 to operating condition and use the steam locomotive for excursions out of Anchorage.

The railroad has eight years to put it in service but Aadnesen is aiming for as early as 2013.

“We have a business case to put it back in a restricted kind of passenger service as a tourist attraction during the summers,” he said.

The project will depend on volunteer and foundation donations — money from the railroad can’t pay for it. It will cost more than $500,000 to refurbish the locomotive and get it back into service, then it will need to pay for itself. All that remains is to finish the regulations of establishing a foundation to receive such funds.

“We have no doubt that it can be done,” Aadnesen said.

Engine No. 557’s needs concern cosmetic issues like cleaning and painting. It will be completely disassembled and put back together to satisfy survey and inspection requirements for federal agencies.

After that, 557 will require annual maintenance plus periodic Federal Railroad Administration recertification, which will also have to be covered in the business case.

Last month, the Alaska Museum of Transportation and Industry in Wasilla, AK donated the 1700 gallon tender for the oil burning #557 back to the Alaska Railroad.

Sister Baldwin 2-8-0 #556, also a former US Army unit, remains on static display at a public park in Anchorage.

A pair of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic B39-8s are seen hauling freight westbound between St Leonard, New Brunswick and Madawaska, ME near Keegan, ME in March 2009. Photo- Kevin Burkholder

The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic announced a tenative deal to sell off 25 miles of track between Madawaska, ME and St Leonard, NB. The northernmost portion of the MM&A was left isolated from the rest of the system after the railroad sold the 230 miles of track between Madawaska south to Millinocket, ME that were slated for abandonment to the State of Maine last year.

If the Federal Rail Administration and Maine Department of Transportation approve, J.D. Irving subsidiary Eastern Maine Railway will purchase the Madawaska-Van Buren-St. Leonard railroad line for an undisclosed amount. The governmental agencies have liens on the property. The sale could be completed next month, said Robert C. Grindrod, MM&A’s president and CEO.

“We have an isolated piece of railroad there that doesn’t seem to be generating a lot of traffic,” Grindrod said Tuesday of his reasons for the sale, “and there seemed to be little or no prospect of regaining traffic from Twin Rivers.”

Twin Rivers Paper Co. executives claimed a year ago that the Madawaska mill’s future was threatened by MM&A’s failure to maintain its railroad tracks and by its missed delivery and pickup deadlines — often forcing the coated and uncoated papermaker to hire trucks on the fly to make shipments — because of miscommunication or an insufficient number of railroad runs.

MM&A officials countered that they were trying to meet demand but that the use of trucks and declines in production by Twin Rivers and its predecessor, Fraser Paper, made running more trains uneconomical and helped create the conditions that led to the company’s loss of $4 million to $5 million annually.

Shortly after the sale, the state of Maine subcontracted operations of the line to New Brunswick Southern- a Canadian company owned by J.D. Irving. New Brunsiwck Southern's subsidiary, Eastern Maine Railway, operated the section of the former Canadian Pacific line between the US/Canadian border at Vanceboro, ME to the current MM&A interchange at Brownville Jct, ME. New Brunswick Southern/Eastern Maine also interchanges with Pan-Am Rail at Mattawamkeag, ME.

Birmingham Southern GP38-2 #704 leads a southbound taconite train at Ensley, AL on Dec 30th 2011- Just days before WATCO assumes operation of the Alabama steel hauler. Photo- David Stewart

Within a few weeks of its announcement that it would be a majority shareholder for the regional Wisconsin Southern, Pittsburgh, KS based WATCO announced they would be purchasing Transtar's Birmingham Southern Railroad in Alabama.

Birmingham Terminal Railway has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Birmingham Southern Railway, which operates more than 75 miles of track in the region.

The railroad has access to the area's steel-making and manufacturing operations and connects to several major railroads, including Norfolk Southern [NYSE- NSC], CSX [NYSE- CSX] and Berkshire-Hathaway's [NYSE: BRK-A] BNSF.

Transtar is a holding company for some of the former United States Steel railways such as Pittsburgh's Union Railroad or Detroit's Delray Connecting. Transtar will still handle in-plant switching at US Steel's [NYSE: X] Fairfield, AL works and retains ownership of the Warrior & Gulf Navigation company

A pair of Iowa Northern gensets bracket a GP38 while hauling the IANR's first train on the former Union Pacific Garner sub in Garner, IA in November 2011. Photo- Craig Williams

Beginning in November, the Iowa Northern has taken over operations of the former Union Pacific [NYSE: UNP] Garner subdivision between Forest City and Belmond, IA.

FOREST CITY — The 28 miles of former Union Pacific railroad track from Forest City to Belmond has seen more traffic in the last three weeks than in the past five years, according to new operator Iowa Northern Railway Co. President Dan Sabin.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Gov. Terry Branstad and other local and county officials was held Monday afternoon in Forest City.

Union Pacific intended to abandon the line because it was reluctant to operate trains with fewer than 100 cars, making access to businesses along the 28 miles of track difficult.

The North Central Iowa Rail Corridor LLC purchased the track for $1.5 million and signed a 10-year lease-to-own agreement with Iowa Northern Railway to operate the line.

“Most of us know in this day and age when you lose a railroad you never get it back,” said Dave Kingland, manager of the North Central Iowa Rail Corridor and president of Forest City Economic Development Group.

The 30-mile line is isolated from the rest of the IANR, but Canadian Pacific has granted the regional trackage rights between Nora Springs, west through Mason City and on into Garner.

The first IANR train on the line ran on November 4th with a pair of new gensets bracketing an Iowa Northern GP38-2, with 35 empty grain cars and a single auto-rack for the Winnebago [NYSE: WGO] plant in Forest City. Besides the grain elevators in the communities located along the ex UP line, Iowa Northern is hoping the RV manufacturer will be a regular shipper.

The Non-Irene Iron Horse Roundup for August/Setpetmber 2011: Genset-apalooza Edition

ARGENTINA: At least 11 people were killed and dozens more injured after a bus collided with two trains in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires last month.



CCTV cameras on the nearby station platform filmed as the disaster unfolded. Upon impact with the bus, the first train was knocked into the path of an oncoming train that was also pulling into the station.

Argentine Transportation Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi said that most of the fatalities were on board the bus. The crossing that the bus used was reportedly protected by gates that lowered on a train's approach.

Arizona Eastern B39-8 #8560 leads a train north into Duncan, AZ on the former Southern Pacific Clifton Branch in April 2009. Photo- Micheal Derrick

ARIZONA: Greenwich, CT based shortline operator Genesee & Wyoming [NYSE: GWR] announced last month that it has completed the purchase of the 200+ mile Arizona Eastern from Iowa Pacific Holdings.

Arizona Eastern operates two branchlines in Arizona and New Mexico. The 130 mile line between the Southern Pacific Sunset Route in Bowie, AZ and the copper mines around Miami, Globe and Claypool, AZ was purchased from Southern Pacific in 1988. In 2008, the AZER purchased the 70 mile Clifton branch between Lordsburg, NM and the Freeport McMoRan [NYSE: FCX] mine at Morenci, AZ from Union Pacific.

The deal is worth an estimated $90.1 million and includes about 50 miles of trackage rights over Union Pacific's former SP Sunset route between Bowie, AZ and Lordsburg, NM to connect the two lines.

Nickel Plate 765 doing a photo runby on the Cuyhoga Valley Scenic Railroad at Boston Mills, OH on September 25th. Photo, Richard Thompson

OHIO: The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society's restored Nickel Plate Berkshire #765 travelled to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in September to haul a series of excursions as part of the CVSR's 'Steam in the Valley' event. The steam powered excusrions were in additon to the regular slate of diesel powered excusrion trains on the CVSR. This is the second year in a row that the #765 made an appearence on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.

The Berkshire travelled northwest to Owosso, MI from the Akron area to haul a series of fall foliage excursions for the Michigan Steam Institute between Owosso and Alma, MI over track belonging to the Great Lakes Central. The October excursions in Michigan are reportedly to help raise funds to bring the Michigan Steam Institute's own Berkshire steam locomotive- Pere Marquette #1225- back into working order after its 15 year boiler inspection.

F Units and passenger cars from Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern make their way across the Hudson River at Stillwater, NY enroute to the former B&M yard at Mechanicsville, NY. Photo, John Bazan

PAN AM RAILWAYS: On August 22nd and 23rd, Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern operated a joint Office Car special between Ayer, MA and Mechanicville, NY to view progress on the rebuilding of the West end of the line as well as the former B&M Mechanicville yard, which is currently being rebuilt as an intemodal and auto unloading facility.

The office car special used FP9s and cars from both railways before being split up at Mohawk Yard in Schenedtady, NY with the Pan Am equipment heading back east and the Norfolk Southern equipment making its way back to home rails via Canadian Pacific and Binghamton, NY.

Freshly repainted into Boston & Maine 'heritage' colors, Pan-Am GP9 #77 is seen at the former B&M yard in E. Deerfield, MA drilling cars with Guilford-painted GP9 #72 on September 25, 2011. Photo, Justin Winiarz

OTHER PAN AM NEWS: Workers at Pan Am's Waterville, ME shops painted former Boston & Maine GP9 #77 into vintage maroon and gold colors complete with the B&M 'Minuteman' herald that adorned the railway's early diesels.

The locomotive debuted in it's 'new' colors in August and saw service on Waterville, ME-based local SAPPI-3 before being transferred to the Boston & Maine's freight yard at E. Deerfield, MA where it was put into service as the yard switcher. Reportedly, more 'Heritage' style locomotives are in the works for Pan Am, including some vintage EMD's that could be painted in Maine Central's green and orange paint scheme.

Photo, Dave Duccolo

CALIFORNIA: Stockton, CA based Central California Traction Company purchased their first genset locomotive, which was completed by the Brookville Locomotive Works division of Brookfield Equipment in August. The locomotive, designated a BL21CG is former Brookville Locomotive Works Demonstrator #259 which was rebuilt from a Maine Central GP38.

In addition to the former Brookfield demonstrator, Central California Traction currently rosters a number of SW1500s as well as a couple of 1st generation GP18s and GP7s.

Brookfield has previously built gensets for both ConnDot and MetroNorth to be used in passenger and work train service.

NBSR GP38-2 #2317 seen heading west on the former Montreal Maine & Atlantic/ Bangor & Aroostook Millinocket subdivision with Maine Northern/New Brunswick Southern Train #901 bound for Brownsville, Jct, ME on July 30, 2011. Photo, Ron Tilley

MAINE: St. John, NB-based New Brunswick Southern Railway has begun operations over nearly 230 miles of track owned by the state of Maine beginning in July. The track was the former Montreal Maine & Atlantic Millinocket subdivision between Millinocket, ME and Madawaska, ME as well as branch lines to Houlton, Limestone and Ft. Fairfield, ME. Previously the line had belonged to the Bangor and Aroostook.

In early 2010, the MM&A filed a notice of intent to abandon most of its northern trackage. The state then reached an agreement with MM&A to purchase the lines for $20 million and then subcontract operation of the lines out to a third part while MM&A would retain trackage rights over the line to serve between St. Leonard, NB to the north and Brownville Jct, ME to the south.

In April 2011, the New Brunswick Southern- part of Canadian congolmerate J.D. Irving's holdings in transportation, lumber, food processing agriculture, retail and shipbuilding- was awarded the contract to operate the former MM&A lines, with the actual transfer set to take place on July 1, 2011.

Prior to the agreement, the New Brunswick Southern already operated over 100 miles of former Canadian Pacific track in the state of Maine as the Eastern Maine Railway between the Maine Central/Guilford/Pan-Am junction at Mattawamkeag, ME and the international border at Vanceboro, ME as well as the MM&A connection in Brownsville Jct.

Parent company J.D. Irving said that they expect to hire 30 additional employees and purchase more rolling stock as a result of the agreement with the state of Maine. To accomodate the expansion, the NBSR also purchased a pair of former Union Pacific GP38-2s that arrived in July


OREGON: The former Southern Pacific branchline between Eugene and Coos Bay, OR has been reopened and is seeing limited freight service as the Coos Bay Rail Link ran the first through train over the line in nearly four years.

Rail America's Central Oregon & Pacific last operated over the line in September 2007, electing to shut down most of the branch west of Eugene due to at least nine aging tunnels that would cost an estimated $7 million to repair. A month later, the Port of Coos Bay filed a $15 million suit against Rail America saying that they failed to provide the required 180 day notice prior to shutdown. In late 2008, the surface transportation board ordered Rail America to sell the line to the Port of Coos Bay for $16 million. Since then, contractors have gone to work replacing washouts, strengthening tunnels and inspecting trestles and crossings. In April 2011, it was announced that Arizona-based ARG Trains would handle the railway operations of the 133 mile line.

The first revenue Coos Bay Rail Link train departed Eugene on October 11th with a single SW1200 and dozen centerbeam flatcars, arriving in Coos Bay the following day.

MPI GP15D Genset #1509 and GP20D #2009 are seen waiting to enter yard limits in Rutland, VT with a local freight on August 10, 2011. Photo, Kevin Burkholder

VERMONT: The Vermont Railway began testing a pair of MPI Gensets in early August. The two locomotives- a 1500 HP GP15D and 2000 HP GP20D- were scheduled for three months of testing and began service as a pair on the Rutland to Florence, VT local their first week.

At around the same time, the VRS has started the long-term lease of two former Rail America GP38-3s- numbered 3801 and 3803.

Iowa Interstate 2-10-2 QJ steam locomotive #6988 seen running around the wye at Bureau, IL on September 9, 2011. Photo, Erik Rasmussen

IOWA INTERSTATE: Just because Trainfest 2011 is over and done with doesn't mean that the Iowa Interstate was finished with steam for the year. On the weekend of September 9-11, the town of Geneseo, IL- just east of Rock Island, IL on Iowa Interstate's former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific line- was home to the 5th annual 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'.

Besides vintage aircraft and automobiles, the Iowa Interstate provided the trains by having Chinese built 2-10-2 QJ class steam locomotive #6988 on display along with a switcher from Patriot Renewable Fuels. The #6988 also powered short excursions out of Geneseo with Iowa Interstate coaches.

Iowa Interstate ES44AC #513 is seen leading detoured freight BICB (BI = Indiana Harbor Belt Rail Yard at Blue Island, IL; CB = Council Bluffs, IA) off IAIS rails in Peoria Heights, IL on October 9, 2011. Photo- Craig McGregor

OTHER IOWA INTERSTATE NEWS: A derailment in Tuskwila, IL on October 7th forced the detour of Iowa Interstate's daily Chicago-Council Bluffs, IA (and its eastbound counterpart) BICB/CBBI by way of Peoria, IL and then west to Colona, IL on the BNSF via Galesburg, IL.

About a half dozen cars loaded with ethanol ignited and the village of Tuskwila had to be evacuated after the derailment in the early morning hours. Nodoby was injured in the wreck and the fire was contained by mid-morning.

The NTSB is dispatching a 6-person team to investigate the cause of the derailment.

New Genset from Tacoma Rail basking in the sun enxt to Mount Rainer Scenic's Restores Polson Logging 1922-buil Balwin on Aug 27th. Andrew Temoshek photo

WASHINGTON: Tacoma Rail has taken delivery of its first genset, an 3GS21B from National Railway Equipment. The locomotive arrived on the property in time for an open house where the 3-day old diesel was on display with Mount Ranier Scenic Railway's restored 1922-built Baldwin 2-8-2 #70, contrasting the old and the new.

[Hat tip: Steel Wheels Photography; Canadian Railway Observations; Peoria Station]

National Train Day Iron Horse Roundup- May 7, 2011

Happy National Train Day everybody!

Railpictures.net/Mike Mautner

MISSOURI: Anheuser-Busch [NYSE: BUD] filed notice with the Surface Transportation Board that it will cease operations altogether on it's 13.5 mile Manufacturers Railway serving the A-B brewery in St. Louis.

The brewer told regulators that running the railroad "has become highly unprofitable," losing $700,000 last year and with a projected loss of $1.4 million this year. A-B has increasingly turned to trucks for shipping. Also, outside businesses, such as a brick salvager and a box maker, have stopped using A-B's rail service, the company said.

A-B said it would contract with other railroads to bring in supplies for making beer, as it does at its 11 other U.S. breweries. In St. Louis, trains bring in an average of six carloads of grain, celite and magnesite each day.

But the days of trains carrying out beer are gone, the brewer said. The last beer shipment by rail occurred on March 13.

"It's an end of an era," said Gregg Ames, curator of the John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The Manufacturers Railway was part of the Busch brewery since 1877 when founder Adolphus constructed a railway to supply the St. Louis brewery. InBev will reportedly use contract switcher Foster-Townsend Logistics (FTRL) to handle inbound shipments to the St. Louis brewery.

Railpictures.net/Michael F Allen

OREGON: Former McCloud River Railroad ALCo 2-6-2 #25 (shown above on the wye at McCloud, CA during an October 2008 charter) has found a new home to the north. The Garibaldi, OR based Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad acquired the restored ALCo steamer earlier this year and it was reportedly being transported to the western Oregon line back in March.

The 1925-built Prairie type locomotive was purchased new by the northern California logging railroad and after 30 years of service was replaced by a GE 70-tonner. The #25 remained on the property after its 1955 retirement, but was restored to working order as far back as 1962 and frequently in excursion service. McCloud River #25 is best known for it's appearance in the 1986 film Stand By Me. After appearing in the film, the #25 remained dormant for about 10 years while McCloud River #18 (a 1914-built 2-8-2) and a fleet of relatively modern EMD SD38s handled much of the excursion duties.

However, the #25 was restored in the late 1990s and would alternate excursion duties with #18 before the McCloud River filed to abandon all but 3.3 miles of trackage. The #18 went to nearby shortline Yreka Western for a few years before being sold to Nevada's Virginia & Truckee while the #25 remained on the property, powering intermittent excursions or charter trains until late 2008 when she went into storage and much of the McCloud river track was pulled up.

However, the #25 could not reach the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad by rail, since its parent company- the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad suffered considerable flood damage damage to it's 95-mile line between Tillamook to Banks, OR during a December 2007 storm and has yet to reopen.

The Oregon Coast Scenic also rosters a former Great Northern F7A diesel and a 1910-built Heisler steam engine.

Kevin Andrusia

MAINE: Shortly after ownership of more than 230 miles of the Montreal Maine & Atlantic line between Millinocket and Madawaska, ME transferred to the Maine DOT, the state of Maine had managed to line up a new operator last month.

PORTLAND — A Canadian company with a rail line in Maine has been chosen as the new operator for 233 miles of state-owned lines in northern Maine formerly owned by the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, the Maine Department of Transportation announced today.

A five-member selection committee unanimously chose Eastern Maine Railway from among five applicants to run what is now known as the Aroostook Lines. The track, which stretches from Millinocket to Madawaska, had been in danger of being abandoned before the state agreed to purchase it and find a company to operate it.

Eastern Maine Railway is the U.S. affiliate of NB Southern Railway, which is part of J.D. Irving Ltd. based in Saint John, New Brunswick. The company has tracks in Maine that run about 100 miles from Brownville Junction to Vanceboro, along the Canadian border.

The selection committee was impressed by EMR's operating and business plans, said Denis Berube of the Northern Maine Development Commission in Caribou and a member of the committee.

"They really came across as being very dynamic in terms of chasing after the business, essentially wanting to satisfy the needs of the customers," he said. "They were in tune with what's going on in (Aroostook) County."

The track in northern Penobscot and Aroostook counties was at risk after the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway filed notice with the federal Surface Transportation Board that it intended to abandon the track. The company said it was losing millions of dollars a year on the line.

But the line was saved when the state agreed to buy the track and track rights for $20.1 million. The federal government agreed to contribute $10.5 million for track upgrades.

When the state acquired the tracks, Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway agreed to continue operating them until mid-June, if needed. MM&A still owns and operates another 541 miles of track running from Maine to Montreal, with a short side track into Vermont.

The track, which includes branch lines to Caribou, Presque Isle, Easton, Houlton and Limestone, is a vital economic asset in northern Maine, said Nate Moulton, the transportation department's rail program director. For more than a century, rail cars have used the tracks to carry potatoes, paper, lumber and other products out of the region bound for markets across the U.S. and beyond.

The New Brunswick Southern presently operates about 225 miles of former Canadian Pacific trackage in Maine and New Bruswick and is a subsidiary of St. John, NB based J.D. Irving, Ltd

Postcard showing the Alishan Forestry Railway

TAIWAN: Five passengers were killed and 84 were injured when cars from an excursion train in Taiwan's Alishan National Forest derailed and plunged down an embankment.

The Council of Agriculture (COA) said the accident occurred at 12:17pm when a large tree next to the tracks fell and hit the last car of the train. Four of the train’s cars were derailed, with two tumbling down the embankment.

Most of the passengers aboard the train were tourists from China. Alishan is one of the most popular destinations among Chinese tourists to Taiwan, rescuers said.

After being privatized in 2008, many portions of the line suffered extensive damage after a 2009 typhoon and the Council of Agriculture's Forestry Commission has been seeking to transfer operations to the Taiwan Railway Administration before the end of the year. Although mostly dieselized, the railway will bring out the American-made geared Shay steam locomotives on occasion.

WISCONSIN: The CEO of the Wisconsin Southern has been charged with illegally funneling campaign contributions towards candidates for office including current Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

Wisconsin & Southern Railroad Company chief executive William Gardner was charged last month with one count of excessive political contributions and one count of unlawful political contribution. The charges are both felonies that carry a combined maximum sentence of seven years in prison and $20,000 in fines.

Gardner pleaded guilty in Washington County Circuit Court to both counts in exchange for a recommendation from prosecutors that he serve two years on probation. He also won't be permitted to vote until he completes his sentence.

Investigators learned that between November 2009 and April 2010, Gardner reimbursed himself out of the railroad's expense account for $10,000 in donations he made to Republican Gov. Scott Walker's campaign and another $4,000 he gave to the Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee and former Democratic Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan of Janesville. He also asked a handful of railroad employees to donate to Walker's campaign and reimbursed them with company funds.

Wisconsin law limits individual gubernatorial contributions to $10,000 per election and prohibits furnishing money to others for political contributions in their names.

Gardner came forward about a week after the probe began and told election officials he had used company money to reimburse his employees for political contributions and cooperated with investigators. Walker, who was in the midst of a primary at the time, promptly returned about $40,000 in contributions from Gardner and Wisconsin & Southern employees. Gardner has said he donated that money to charity.

The Milwaukee-based railroad operates about 700 miles of former Milwaukee Road and Chicago & Northwestern throughout southern Wisconsin as well as trackage rights to Chicago over Chicago's Metra commuter rail.

railpictures.net/Fabrice Lanoue

About 20 people were injured in southern Argentina when a narrow gauge excursion train derailed in high winds on April 23rd.

La Trochita, also known as the Old Patagonian Express is a 2 ½ foot gauge railway running between Ingeniero Jacobacci in Rio Negro Province to Esquel in Chubut province. Construction on the line began 1935 and worked its way some 400km south through the windswept Patagonian landscape to reach the provincial town of Esquel in 1945. With a fleet of small Baldwin and Henschel steam locomotives, La Trochita made the transition from state run revenue railroad to a heritage railroad in the early 1990s.

Railpictures.net/Jorge Moreno

MEXICO: FerroMex has placed an order for 44 new SD70ACE locomotives from EMD, the first of which is expected to arrive in May. January's order will augment 15 SD70ACE locomotives already on the FerroMex roster.

Iron Horse Update- Kiwis Go for Chinese; Deadly Wreck in Germany; Maine Buys 230-Mile Line; Steam In, Steam Out; New Shortlines on the Canadian Prarie

NEW ZEALAND: The first batch of 6 locomotives from Kiwi Rail's 20 unit order from China's Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock arrived in New Zealand at the end of November.

The locomotives are designated by Kiwi Rail as 'DL' class and rated at 3600 HP each and feature cabs at each end. Since arrival, the DLs will undergo commissioning and crew familiarization at Kiwirail's Hillside shop. The DL's will likely augment or replace older GE diesels, some of which were rebuilt when KiwiRail was part of Australia's Toll Holdings [ASX: TOL]. New Zealand's Rail and Maritime Transport Union has expressed concerns that the Dailan locomotives were too heavy for use on Kiwi Rail and that there are visibility problems with the cabs on each end.

The arrival of the locomotives came a few weeks before Kiwirail announced that China's CNR had beaten out Kiwirail's own Hillside shops for a contract to build 300 new COFC flatcars. Reportedly, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union is considering action along the lines of refusing to unload the remaining incoming DLs from ships in New Zealand to protest the contract being awarded to CNR.
GERMANY: At least 10 people were killed and and 50 injured with the death toll expected to rise after a passenger train collided with a freight train in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Investigators believe the freight train was travelling at speeds of 50 MPH while the passenger train was moving at 70 MPH. The passenger train- HarzElbeExpress (HEX)- was travelling between Magdeburg to Halberstadt when it collided with the freight train carrying lime.

State prosecutors have begun a criminal probe to determine if human error played a role in the accident or if a defect sent the two trains on the same track.

CANADA- NEW BRUNSWICK: The New Brunswick Southern Railway is continuing to rebuild after heavy winter rains hammered the Maritime provinces in mid-December. A 40 mile section of track between McAdam and Milltown, NB on the NBSR 's St. Stephen subdivision was hit with 32 separate washouts, 10 of which had been repaired by the first week of the New Year. [Hat tip- Confessions of a Train Geek]

Photo- Cal Murray

CANADA- SASKATCHEWAN: Less than a year after the startup of the Last Mountain Railway between Regina and Davidson, SK an even newer railway has acquired the 82-mile former Canadian Pacific line between Richardson and Stoughton southeast of Regina.

Motive power for the line is a pair of B23-7s from the nearby Last Mountain Railway (nee Southern) which started up operations in late 2009. The Last Mountain will be replacing the recently departed pair of GE's with a trio of former Canadian National/Wisconsin Central SD40-2s.

John Lucas- Edmonton Journal

CANADA- ALBERTA: Grain farmers in the Battle River region of Alberta are bucking a trend of abandoned branchlines and concrete mega-elevators, purchasing an 80km, C$5,000,000 former Canadian National branchline in order to preserve a railway link with the rest of Canada.

The railway has been a fixture of communities such as Forestburg, 180 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, for almost a century. So it was a shock when CN first announced it planned to abandon the route in 2003 at the end of a drought-stricken growing season after grain output — and grain car traffic — fell sharply.

“CN just came and said that was it, they intended to close the line, and we could truck our grain to the central terminals,” said Ken Eshpeter, a farmer in Daysland and chairman of the fledgling Battle River Railway.

So in late 2003, about 180 farmers quickly organized a “producer car group,” which could bypass the terminals and order its own rail cars directly from CN. They began loading directly from trucks or storage bins into grain cars spotted at sidings in hamlets along the route.

Galahad farmer Howard Vincett was among the first.

“We started a buddy system with our experienced farmers helping others who were new to it. Soon we had a lot of farmers doing it,” he said.

“People were meeting and helping their neighbours. It was wonderful to see such a return of that community spirit.”

As local elevators disappeared across the West, farmers had accepted the situation. They bought bigger trucks and drove 50 kilometres or more to the large concrete terminals along the main rail lines, where they could wait for hours in line.

But by using augers at rail sidings, the self-loaders were proving there was an alternative.

So when CN decided in late 2008 that the Battle River line was to be sold for the price of salvage, the co-operative began raising money for a bid.

“We couldn’t allow this wonderful infrastructure to disappear,” said Reg Enright, the railway vice-chairman who operates a farm near Rosalind.

Because of the success with self-loading, a lot of farmers felt the same way, and bought hundreds of the $5,000 “B” shares that allowed them to move five grain cars in the future for the price of the share.

“We told them straight up that this was a risky venture. But if it all failed, we could still sell the rails, and it is the best-quality, 132-pound, main-line steel,” Eshpeter said.

At today’s higher salvage prices, the 80 km of rail would likely be worth more than the $5 million paid to CN.

Battle River Railway Co-op's motive power is a sole former Canadian National SD40-2W, although a 2 stall heated enginehouse is under construction.

Photo- Kevin Burkholder

MAINE: The State of Maine has finalized the purchase of more than 230 miles of former Montreal Maine & Atlantic (nee Bangor and Aroostook) trackage between Madawaska and Millinocket, ME in November. The MM&A and the state had agreed on the purchase price of $20.1 million and the FRA cleared all legal hurdles for the state of Maine to assume ownership of the lines this month.

Because of mounting financial losses, the MM&A filed to abandon the line between Madawaska and Millinocket as well as branchlines between Squa Pan and Easton, ME and Oakfield and Houlton, ME in Feb. 2010. Rather than permanently cut off rail service to customers in Northern Maine, the state opted to raise funds to purchase the lines and lease them back to the MM&A, although they could subcontract operations to a third party such as Pan Am Railways or the New Brunswick Southern.

STEAM: With 2010 coming to a close, that also meant that it was time to drop the fires on some restored steam locomotives for the 15 year FRA boiler inspection.

Photo- Matt Beisser

CONNECTICUT- Valley Railroad's 1926-built former Birmingham & Southeastern ALCo 2-8-0 #97 made its last run before it was slated for the 15 year FRA inspection in late December. The #97 has been with the Valley Railroad from the beginning, when it started up in the late 1960s on a derelict former New York, New Haven & Hartford branch that ran parallel to the western bank of the Connecticut River.

Although the #97 will be out of service for the foreseeable future, this will not leave the Valley Railroad without steam power. Besides former Aberdeen & Rockfish 2-8-2 #40, the Valley RR also purchased fire-damaged Chinese built 2-8-2 SY #3025 from Pennsylvania's Knox & Kane Railroad in 2008.

Photo- Richard Stevens

WISCONSIN- The clock was winding down on Soo Line ALCo 2-8-2 #1003 in November 2010 as well, as her it was getting near time for her FRA mandated boiler inspection. The 1913-built Mikado ran a series of excursions and photo freights on the Wisconsin & Southern lines in the southern part of the Badger state for the last decade or so.

One of the final runs (before the FRA inspection) of the 1003 featured Polar Express author Chris Van Allsburg working as the 1003's fireman back in late October. The #1003 was also able to serve as power for the WSOR's 'Santa Train' in November.

When not in operation, the venerable Mikado is usually kept at the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, WI.

Photo- Jim Kleeman

PENNSYLVANIA- Like Soo Line #1003 and Valley Railroad #97, the time has come for the mandated boiler inspection for Steamtown's Canadian Pacific 4-6-2 'Pacific' #2317. For the last two years she had been relegated to the 'Scranton Limited' trains that operated entirely within the Steamtown complex due to an issue with the trailing truck.

There is some ambiguity as to exactly when the #2317 might steam again. Some have said that Steamtown has put a higher priority on bringing Baldwin Locomotive Works former Eddystone, PA plant 0-6-0 switcher #26 back to service, followed closely by Boston & Maine 1934-built Lima 4-6-2 #3713.

Photo- Cory Rychener

STEAM 2.0- WHAT'S NEW IN 2010 AND BEYOND: Although the fires have been dropped on some big steam in 2010, others locomotives have returned to service after being dormant for decades.

KANSAS- Perhaps the most under-the-radar development as far as steam was concerned turned out to be the successful restoration of Santa Fe Baldwin 4-6-2 #3415 by the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railway in Abilene, KS. The 1919-built Baldwin was taken out of service by the Santa Fe in the late 1950s and donated to the City of Abilene where it was on static display for the last 40 years in Eisenhower Park before the city donated it to the all volunteer A&SV in the late 1990s.

After more than 12,000 volunteer hours, the 3415 was successfully test-fired in 2008 and cosmetically restored to her original appearance by late 2009. The 3415 will operate a few times a month on the A&SV's former Rock Island branchline between Abilene and Enterprise, KS when the railroad isn't using their 1945-built ALCo S1 diesel switcher [she's shown above arriving at Enterprise, KS on Independence Day weekend 2010 before having to run around her train and return to Abilene running tender-first].

Photo- JL Scott

Perhaps the oldest steam locomotive to be restored to working order is Southern 2-8-0 #154. The locomotive was built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works (a precursor to ALCo) in 1890 for the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia. Four years later, the ETV&G and the Richmond & Danville merged to form the Southern Railway, where the #154 continued to serve he Southern in Eastern Tennessee before being retired and donated to the city of Knoxville, TN where it was put on static display in Chilhowee Park. In 1989, it was given to the Old Smoky Railroad museum before being donated to the Gulf & Ohio Railways in 2008. Gulf & Ohio operates the popular Three Rivers Rambler seasonal excursions in Knoxville with 1925 built former Washington & Lincolnton 2-8-0 already powering some of the excursions.

Thanks to the hard work of the folks at Gulf & Ohio, Southern 154 was back in service and powering trains on the 3 Rivers Rambler in time for her 120th Birthday in July of 2010. The 154 is both the oldest operable Southern locomotive and the oldest known operating ALCo locomotive.

Photo- Jake B

ILLINOIS- A somewhat newer Southern locomotive also returned to service in the Midwest when the Monticello Railway Museum in Illinois completed their restoration of Southern Railway 2-8-0 Consolidation #401 in September 2010.

Along with some of the 1950s vintage streamlined diesels, the 1907 built Baldwin operated a number of excursions of the museum's 15 miles of right-of-way in September 2010. In 1995, a donor for the museum suggested that a working steam locomotive should once again be part of the Monticello Railway Museum, and after doing an inventory, it was decided that the Southern 401 was the most feasible candidate for restoration.

Photo- Ken J Johnson

CALIFORNIA- The Fillmore & Western railway occupies a fairly unique niche. While operating excusrions on a former Southern Pacific branch line between Montalvo and Piru, CA, it also features prominently in films like Inception or Seabiscut. Given its proximity to the Hollywood studios, the lightly used branchline is also just about ideal for movie and TV shoots for any scene involving trains.

To go with their stable of EMD and ALCo diesels is recently restored former Duluth & Northeastern Baldwin 2-8-0 #14, which reportedly will be fired by vegetable oil. Restoration work on the 1913 Baldwin was completed in November 2010, in time for the Fillmore & Western's Christmas excusrions. On January 2nd, the Fillmore & Western had a special excursion pulled by #14 for the volunteers who spent so much time getting her back to working order.