Tourist Railroads in the News
Scenic Rail Excursions.comTourist Railroads In the News*
© Robert West www.trainpaintings.com Arizona Eastern plans new Winter ExcursionsNovember 14, 2008
CP announces Holiday Train schedule; includes IC&E lineNovember 10, 2008
McCloud River No. 25 makes last runs,
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November 07, 2008
| McCLOUD, Calif. - McCloud River Railroad No. 25, a 2-6-2 that has worked in the McCloud area for 83 years, made its last trips last weekend. Owner Jeff Forbis told the Mount Shasta Herald that following the last runs, "steam locomotive No. 25 was up for sale." On Nov. 1-2, the engine made last runs on the McCloud Railway, pulling two charter excursions sponsored by different organizations. Alco built the engine in 1925, and it was popularized by 1960s and 1970s excursions on the scenic railroad at the base of California's Mount Shasta. The railroad already sold 2-8-2 No. 18 to the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the Virginia & Truckee Railway. The railroad is also cutting back its dinner train service. Forbis told the McCloud Community Services District Board that the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train would be scaling back service in 2009. "The dinner train will cease service completely from January until Easter and most scheduled Thursday service will cease operations after that," he said. |
Annual "Ice Harvest" excursion planned for Steamtown
November 04, 2008
| SCRANTON, Pa. - The Steamtown National Historic Site will offer a mid-winter steam excursion to the annual Ice Harvest Demonstration in Tobyhanna, Pa. The train will run from Scranton to Tobyhanna on Jan. 17, 2009. Passengers will then be transported by the Lackawanna Valley Heritage Valley Authority to Mill Pond No. 1, where historic tools and equipment will be used to gather blocks of ice from the pond and store them in an ice house. In the event the pond is not frozen due to warm weather, tours of the village of Tobyhanna, Mill Pond No. 1 Ice House, and a restored 1908 boxcar will be conducted as an alternative. The 1908 Tobyhanna station will be open and refreshments available through the Pocono Mountains Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The Ice Harvest excursion will depart at 10 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m. Tickets are $31 for ages 17-61, $26 for ages 62 and older, $20 for ages 6 to 16 years old. Ages 5 and under require a "no charge" ticket. The $6 daily park entrance fee is included in the ticket cost. Reservations may be made by calling 570-340-5204, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. after Jan. 3, 2009). For more information, go to www.nps.gov/stea. |
Decaying bridges may shut down Ohio tourist line
October 15, 2008
| LEBANON, Ohio - This town's council is trying to find money to repair two rail bridges that enable tourist line Lebanon, Mason & Monroe Railroad to operate, the Lebanon Western Star has reported. Without repaired bridges, the railroad plans to relocate. "There is no bigger asset to Lebanon that we have to protect," said city councilman Matt Rodriguez. "The railroad is one of three pillars that bring people to our community." Inspections found two bridges on LM&M's five-mile route need repairs totaling $500,000 to continue operating. The railroad's season ends Dec. 21, and if the bridges aren't repaired, its owners don't plan to restart operations next year. The railroad operates on a former Pennsylvania Railroad branch owned in part by the city of Lebanon and in part by RailAmerica, whose Indiana & Ohio has freight operating rights over the line. However, "We have not given up on this operation," said Pat Clements, the city manager. "Operations will be suspended, but not shut down." |
Michigan's Star Clipper dinner train will move
October 3, 2008
WALLED LAKE, Mich. - Michigan's Star Clipper Dinner Train will make its last departure from Walled Lake on Dec. 31, the Waterford, Mich., Spinal Column has reported. The train currently operates over the ex-Grand Trunk route between West Bloomfield and Wixom, Mich.
"Our business was successful for many years, but with people's shrinking disposable income and the decline in tourist buses, we have made the business decision to refocus and relocate our entertainment vision in a destination location," said B. Allen Brown, president of Railmark Holdings, owner of the train.
The Michigan Trans and Greenways Alliance has expressed interest in the line. Montoff Transportation LLC, a company known for tearing out rail lines and replacing them with trails, is working with Brown on the deal.
As for the Clipper's new home, Brown said he's eyeing the Traverse City, Mich., area, a tourist destination. He said the train would likely run as a tourist train, rather than a dinner train, due to Traverse City's profusion of good restaurants.
"Our business was successful for many years, but with people's shrinking disposable income and the decline in tourist buses, we have made the business decision to refocus and relocate our entertainment vision in a destination location," said B. Allen Brown, president of Railmark Holdings, owner of the train.
The Michigan Trans and Greenways Alliance has expressed interest in the line. Montoff Transportation LLC, a company known for tearing out rail lines and replacing them with trails, is working with Brown on the deal.
As for the Clipper's new home, Brown said he's eyeing the Traverse City, Mich., area, a tourist destination. He said the train would likely run as a tourist train, rather than a dinner train, due to Traverse City's profusion of good restaurants.
Reading & Northern No. 425 to pull a day-long Steam Excursion
September 22, 2008
PORT CLINTON, Pa. - The Reading & Northern RR will operate an all-day steam excursion advertised as for "hard core railfans only" on Oct. 25, 2008. The recently overhauled 1928 Baldwin Works, R&N 4-6-2 No. 425, will carry only 70 passengers. It will depart Port Clinton at 9a.m. with the No. 425, an open gondola and a coach traveling to Jim Thorpe, Pa. All tickets are $200. No. 425. For more information go towww.rbmnrr.com or call 610-562-2102.
GrandLuxe selling off passenger cars
September 19, 2008
EVERGREEN, Colo. - GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, LLC announced this week it has retained Libra Securities, LLC to sell the passenger cars from the GrandLuxe Express luxury train. The GrandLuxe Express, once known as the American Orient Express, ceased operations last month. The train consists of 20 operational cars and an additional 11 cars not currently in service. The train will be available for viewing in Napa Valley, Calif., later this month. Among the cars to be sold are a former Great Northern Railway "Empire Builder" full length dome and a former New York Central observation car that once operated on the famed 20th Century Limited.
Ridership loss, rising fuel prices drove GCR to cancel Steam program
September 11, 2008
WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Fires have been permanently dropped from Grand Canyon Railway's steam locomotives, owner Xanterra Parks & Resorts has announced. The company said it is permanently canceling the steam program owing to its impact on the environment, and has laid off 20 employees as a result. An industry source with specific knowledge of the situation, however, paints the action as a business decision driven by fewer riders and costlier fuel.
Grand Canyon's steam locomotives will be placed on static display, and Xanterra spokesperson Judi Lages said the company has no plans to sell them.
Grand Canyon's steam locomotives will be placed on static display, and Xanterra spokesperson Judi Lages said the company has no plans to sell them.
GCR operates one daily steam trip between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The trains are powered by one of the railroad's three steam locomotives: a 2-8-0 and two 2-8-2s.
Xanterra bought GCR early last year. The company operates parks and resorts in several national parks including Death Valley, Crater Lake, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon. Denver businessman Phil Anschutz, known to the rail industry as the longtime owner of Denver & Rio Grande Western and Southern Pacific, announced plans this summer to buy Xanterra; the deal is expected occur this fall.
However, the industry source said that's just not the case. He said GCR's ridership this year was down double digits over last year. Meanwhile, at the height of this tourist season, diesel fuel cost 50 percent more than it did a year ago. "What it amounts to is the cost of fuel going up, and ridership going down," the source said. "Those are two arrows that are pointed at each other."
Xanterra claims a steam locomotive uses 1,450 gallons of diesel fuel to run a round trip from Williams to the rim of the canyon, while a diesel locomotive uses only 550.
"[W]hile we certainly understand and appreciate your feelings regarding our decision to suspend operations of the steam engines, we hope the above points will help you understand our decision," Lages wrote in the letter.
Meanwhile, diesel-hauled trains will continue to make the 65-mile run between Williams and the Grand Canyon's South Rim. The company operates vintage Montreal Locomotive Works units, four FPA4s and two FPBs built for Canadian National and later used by VIA Rail Canada, as well as three former Amtrak F40PHs built by EMD.
Grand Canyon Railway appears poised to cancel its 2009 steam program.
Railroad General Manager Gordon Taylor said the company will release more information later today.
Meanwhile, diesel-hauled trains will continue to make the 65-mile run between Williams and the Grand Canyon's South Rim. The company operates vintage Montreal Locomotive Works units, four FPA4s and two FPBs built for Canadian National and later used by VIA Rail Canada, as well as three former Amtrak F40PHs built by EMD.
Grand Canyon Railway facing Big cuts
September 10, 2008
WILLIAMS, Ariz. -
WILLIAMS, Ariz. -
Railroad General Manager Gordon Taylor said the company will release more information later today.
Mount Hood to reopen entire route
September 9, 2008
HOOD RIVER, Ore. - Mount Hood Railroad will restore tourist and freight service to Parkdale, Ore., on Friday, nearly two years after a landslide closed the line, the Hillsboro (Ore.) Argus has reported. The reopening follows more than $1 million in restoration.
"The opening to Parkdale is a significant event for the train," said Michelle Marquart, the railroad's general manager. "It reestablishes our popular excursions for tourists, restores freight connections, and creates more economic opportunities for businesses in the area."
The railroad, now under control of Ed Ellis' Permian Basin Railways, will offer two-hour round trips to Odell, Ore., plus four-hour round trips that cover the entire distance to Parkdale.
To reopen the line, workers rebuilt 45 feet of hillside and replaced 175 feet of track. Funding came in part from the Oregon Department of Transportation.
"The opening to Parkdale is a significant event for the train," said Michelle Marquart, the railroad's general manager. "It reestablishes our popular excursions for tourists, restores freight connections, and creates more economic opportunities for businesses in the area."
The railroad, now under control of Ed Ellis' Permian Basin Railways, will offer two-hour round trips to Odell, Ore., plus four-hour round trips that cover the entire distance to Parkdale.
To reopen the line, workers rebuilt 45 feet of hillside and replaced 175 feet of track. Funding came in part from the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Tourist line interested in UP branch
September 3, 2008
FELTON, Calif. - Tourist railroad Roaring Camp & Big Trees may be interested in running trains on Union Pacific's Santa Cruz branch. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has an agreement to purchase the branch from Davenport to Watsonville Junction, Calif. Officials announced recently that they had negotiated a discounted price of $14.2 million for the line, down from the original $22 million price. It connects in Santa Cruz with Roaring Camp's Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific line from Felton.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad cancels Dillsboro stop
July 25, 2008
DILLSBORO, N.C. - Great Smoky Mountains Railroad will shutter its depot in Dillsboro, meaning all trains will now depart from Bryson City, N.C., WLOS TV in Asheville, N.C., has reported. The shutdown will take effect Aug. 8.
The depot employs 40 people, and it's a tourist draw for the town. Business owners are worried about the impact of its closure. The railroad said it's the result of high gas prices and a slumping economy.
All passengers with reservations from the Dillsboro depot can get refunds, or ride from Bryson City instead.
The depot employs 40 people, and it's a tourist draw for the town. Business owners are worried about the impact of its closure. The railroad said it's the result of high gas prices and a slumping economy.
All passengers with reservations from the Dillsboro depot can get refunds, or ride from Bryson City instead.
*Sources include TRAINS newswires
