By Leonard Henkin
In the
last 12 months or so 15 lengths of rail, a bumper, a frog, a 100 year old
derail, some ties, a base for a complete signal arm and other assorted parts
were stolen from the Providence & Worcester Railfan Club & Museum.
(Milepost 55)
Last
summer 60 faculty and staff from Hebron Academy, a 250-student prep school in
Hebron, ME, journeyed to Sheepscot Station to enjoy a day of narrow gauge
railroading and an introduction to early 20th century life in the Sheepscot
Valley. Activities included train rides, handcar rides, and shop tours.
(Wiscasset, Waterville, & Farmington Railway Museum)
A caboose
and boxcar belonging to the Western New York Railroad Historical Society were at
the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, NY. (Railway Flyer)
In July
the Amtrak Downeaster collided with a trash hauling tractor trailer truck
killing the truck driver and injuring 6 people. This is the first fatal accident
in the 10 year history of the Downeaster. (Portland Press Herald)
In August
the Williamsville Depot in Williamsville, NY hosted its first antique car show.
The show featured 25 cars, several dating to before World War II. (Railway
Flyer)
The Alco
Historical & Technical Society has announced the establishment of the
American Locomotive Company Heritage Museum located in Schenectady, NY. The
museum will contain not only diesel and steam locomotives, but will also contain
World War II and Korean War era tanks and other Schenectady built products. (The
470)
The Shore
Line Electric Railway in Branford, CT was damaged by floodwaters during
Hurricane Irene in August. The flooding washed away a large portion of track and
damaged over 90 pieces of equipment. (Steel Wheels)
The
Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported mixed results for weekly
rail traffic, with U.S. railroads originating 301,864 carloads for the week
ending Oct. 22, 2011, down 0.5 percent compared with the same week last year.
Intermodal volume for the week totaled 245,404 trailers and containers, up 4.2
percent compared with the same week last year. (AAR)
For the
first time in 25 years the U.S. Army will again operate troop trains. The last
troop train had operated in Berlin. (The Progress-Index)
Norfolk
Southern Corporation reported on October 26 record third-quarter net income of
$554 million, 24 percent higher compared with $445 million for the same period
of 2010. (Norfolk Southern Corporation)
In August
flooding associated with Tropical Storm Irene devastated 14 miles of the Port
Jervis Line. Resumption of full service on the Port Jervis Line has been
expedited by an entire month, with through trains now set to begin on
November 28. (MTA)
On October
22 the general public for the first time had the opportunity to tour Buffalo
Central Terminal’s icon tower. (www.BuffaloCentralTerminal.org)
In
celebration of its 40th anniversary, Amtrak is offering exclusive HO scale model
trains in Heritage paint schemes. This first-time offering includes 15 limited-
run models only available aboard the Amtrak Exhibit Train or online at the
Amtrak Store. (Amtrak)
CSX
Corporation announced on October 18 third quarter net earnings of $464 million,
or $0.43 per share, versus $414 million, or $0.36 per share, in the same period
last year. This is a 19 percent improvement in earnings per share and a record
third quarter for the company. (CSX)
The
renovated Amtrak, Wilmington, DE, Train Station was recently recognized for its
design excellence at the 2011 Brunel Awards International Railway Design
Competition. It was selected from a pool of more than 150 entries submitted from
14 countries. (Amtrak)
U.S.
Transportation Secretary Ray La- Hood recently announced $48.3 million for North
Carolina and Virginia to advance the development of the Southeast High-Speed
Rail Corridor, which will link Raleigh, NC, to Washington, DC via Richmond, VA.
(USDOT)
NJ Transit
is deploying AquaTrack, a high-pressure power-washing system, to prevent train
delays associated with slippery rail conditions. (NJ Transit)
Amtrak
plans to lease 100 miles of CSX track between Poughkeepsie, NY and Schenectady,
NY. (http://www.railpace.com/hotnews/
)
Amtrak
carried nearly 30.2 million passengers in Fiscal Year 2011 ending September 30,
marking the highest ridership total since the National Railroad Passenger
Corporation started operations in 1971 and the eighth ridership record during
the last nine years. (Amtrak)
Enhanced
passenger rail service between Chicago and Detroit will become a reality after
the Michigan legislature approved $39 million in state match money to unlock
$161 million in federal grants won by Michigan. (Environmental Law & Policy
Center)
In the
1950’s John Lang occupied a home-on-wheels, a self-propelled gaselectric
interurban railcar on a spur owned by the B & M Railroad, located in
Concord, MA. (Concord Journal)
SilverRail
Technologies is building a single online shopping and booking platform for
railway travel. Think of SilverRail as the Expedia of train travel.
(Northeastern Magazine)
The MBTA’s orange and red lines need $100
million in upgrades just to keep operating. Replacements remain a decade or more
away. (Boston Globe)
MYSTIC VALLEY RAILWAY
SOCIETY 
