Railnews from Railfan & Railroad Magazine

Short line holding company Regional Rail, LLC, plans to acquire Minnesota Commercial Railway, according to documents filed with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. The transaction is expected to occur on or around June 1. 

Regional Rail was founded in 2007 and owns short lines in Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Saskatchewan. Minnesota Commercial Railway was formed in 1987 when it took over the operations of Minnesota Transfer Railway, which was jointly owned by Burlington Northern, Chicago & North Western, Soo Line, and a handful of fallen-flag holding companies. It operates on about 86 miles of track around Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

According to filings, Regional Rail did not anticipate any major changes to Minnesota Commercial’s current operations. 

For years, Minnesota Commercial has been known among railroad enthusiasts as an operator of unique locomotives, most notably Alcos and MLWs. Many of those units were taken out of service in 2023. —Justin Franz 

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Union Pacific unveiled a specially-painted SD70M in tribute to President Abraham Lincoln this week. The locomotive made its debut in North Little Rock, Ark., and is expected to be on display on May 10 at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland. 

“Union Pacific exists because President Abraham Lincoln wasn’t afraid to ask, ‘What’s Possible?’” said Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena. “Our employees move the critical goods Americans use each day. We are proud of our heritage and look forward to sharing this special locomotive with the communities and people along the 23 states where we operate.”

Locomotive 1616 is the second unit UP has painted to honor a U.S. president, following 4141, which honored President George H.W. Bush. That unit led Bush’s funeral train in 2018 and is now on display at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.

This year marks President Lincoln’s 216th birthday. The locomotive is expected to tour the system this year. The engine is painted red, brown and black, a nod to the colors worn by UP 4-4-0 119 at Promontory, Utah, when the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869. —Justin Franz 

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A 28-span wooden trestle on Washington’s Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad caught fire on the evening of April 30, a significant setback for the tourist operation that reopened in 2023. 

The bridge is located between Mineral and Morton, Wash. While it was not on the portion of the railroad that currently hosts excursions, officials said they hoped to use the trestle in the future for both freight and passenger service. 

“This wasn’t just a bridge. It was the backbone of our future: the critical connection that would allow both freight and passenger service to return to Morton. After years of work, planning, and progress, we were finally on the brink of a new era—ready to restore service, revitalize the communities we serve, and build long-term financial sustainability for the railroad,” Executive Director Bethan Maher wrote the morning after the fire. “And then… it burned.”

On social media, railroad officials alleged that someone had set the bridge on fire, either on purpose or by accident. A call by Railfan & Railroad to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the agency that would presumably investigate the incident, was not returned by press time. 

Railroad officials are currently raising money to initiate the process of rebuilding the bridge. —Justin Franz 

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Story and Photos by Marc Glucksman/River Rail Photo.

On Friday, January 17, 2025, the Delaware & Hudson Railway Historical Society announced the acquisition of former D&H Alco RS-3 4085, and that it would be moved to the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway and restored to operating condition.

This locomotive changed hands after D&H and was later operated by the New York & Greenwood Lake Railway in Passaic, N.J., in the 1990s. After the NYGL ceased regular operations, it was relocated to the yard in Port Jervis, N.Y., where it remained for many years before being moved and completing its final leg of the journey from Saratoga Springs to Corinth, New York, on Monday, April 28, 2025. While the paint scheme decision has not yet been made, several are under consideration for its restoration. The SCH maintains two operating RS3s, SCHX/former DH 4103 and 4118, that were used for this move. The power traveled the length of the southern end of the former Delaware & Hudson Adirondack Branch that is under SCH control from Corinth to just before CPC 38 in Saratoga Springs where the unit had been dropped off by CPKC local G48.  

New York & Greenwood Lake 935 (formally D&H 4085) is seen in Suffern, N.Y., in 1995. The locomotive would occasionally be used by NY&GL until it ceased operations in the 2010s. 

CPKC local G48 picks up SCHX 4085 at the engine house in Saratoga Springs on April 28. 

The three former D&H RS-3s cross the former D&H Bridge at West Mountain Road in Corinth, N.Y., on April 28. 

Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Owner Hal Raven suggests a possible paint scheme….no decisions have been made yet.

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Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 765 is kicking off a busy season of steam with excursions on Ohio’s Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad before heading “home” to lead the popular Indiana Rail Experience.

Last weekend, on April 25, locomotive 765 led its first excursion on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad (CVSR) since 2022 and will lead eight more runs this weekend. As of now, tickets are still available. The NKP Berkshire has been a regular visitor to the CVSR in the past; however, track issues on the tourist railroad have prevented it from visiting in both 2023 and 2024.

After the “Steam in the Valley” excursions, 765 will head to the Indiana Northeastern Railroad for the fourth season of the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society’s Indiana Rail Experience. Since its founding in 2022, the Indiana Rail Experience has welcomed thousands of passengers from at least 32 states and two countries. It was even named the “Best New Experience” by the Indiana State Tourism Association.

Recently, FWRHS announced a comprehensive schedule of events, including excursions that extend into January 2026. Things kick off on May 17 with a diesel-powered cigar train. Then, from May 23  25, locomotive 765 will make its first appearance of the year, leading Ice Cream Trains, a Wine & Whiskey Train, and Throttle Time experiences. Locomotive 765 is expected to appear in service in June, July, and October.

For more information, visit IndianaRailExperience.org. —Railfan & Railroad Staff

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The Cumberland & Knox Railroad, a subsidiary of Maine Switching Services, finalized its deal with the Maine Department of Transportation this week to operate the 56-mile Rockland Branch. In a press release issued Monday, the Unity, Maine-based short line operator stated that it would begin operations “immediately.”

Maine Switching Services was selected by Maine DOT earlier this year after the previous operator, Midcoast Railservice, ceased operations due to the loss of its largest freight customer. Since 1990, the scenic former Maine Central branch has had six different operators. 

“As a small business established in Maine, we are dedicated to supporting industrial and economic growth along the Rockland corridor,” said Maine Switching Service President Joe Feero.

According to Maine Switching Services, the short line had already secured a commitment from Dragon Cement to resume rail service from its facility in Thomaston. Dragon’s owners had previously planned to shut down that facility, but last year it was sold to a German company that is hoping to keep it open and utilize rail. Maine Switching Services stated that it also plans to speak with other customers along the route about putting their freight back on the rails. After Midcoast Railservice ceased operations, the remaining customers were forced to truck their materials to the CSX Transportation yard in South Portland. 

Maine Switching Service plans to start excursions along the route, although it has not provided any details on what that might entail. It has also shown interest in operating a connecting segment of state-owned track that runs from Brunswick to Augusta, the former MEC Lower Road. 

Maine Switching Services was founded in 2022 and operates the state-owned Belfast & Moosehead Lake Railroad and provides switching services at paper mills in Rumford and Skowhegan. —Justin Franz

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SEPTA faces a $213 million budget deficit beginning July 1, and may have to cut service by 45 percent and raise fares by more than 20 percent if the state doesn’t act. 

“There is nothing left to cut from the budget but service,” SEPTA officials said recently. “To avoid service cuts and drastic fare increases, the State must approve a budget that would enable SEPTA to maintain service levels while implementing modest fare increases. This would position SEPTA and Pennsylvania to welcome visitors from around the globe to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, the FIFA World Cup games, MLB All-Star Week and other events of 2026, and to ensure reliable service for all for the next five years.”

If the state does not come through with funding, the transit agency said it would be forced to eliminate service on five regional rail lines (Cynwyd Line, Chestnut Hill West Line, Paoli/Thorndale Line, Trenton Line, Wilmington/Newark Line), reduce service by 20 percent on those that remain, end service at 9 p.m. and close 66 stations. Service cuts could be implemented as soon as August, officials said, with full effects taking place by January 1, 2026. Fare increases would begin in September. —Justin Franz 

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Amtrak announced this week that agreements had been reached to bring twice-daily passenger service between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., this summer. The official start date and a detailed schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

The new train will be called the Mardi Gras. The resumption of service along the Gulf Coast would cap off a years-long effort to restore passenger service on a route that last had it in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina damaged the line. While freight service was eventually restored to the CSX line, passenger service, in the form of the Sunset Limited, never returned. 

“Travel should be about more than just getting somewhere. Our goal is to have some of that festive Mardi Gras feeling on every trip, sharing the culture of the Gulf Coast region while connecting with the rest of the Amtrak network,” said Amtrak President Roger Harris. “This summer, travelers seeking a more comfortable, scenic and productive choice than driving will have their first opportunity to ride Amtrak trains in almost 20 years.”

The new train will make stops in Bay Saint Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula (all in Mississippi). It will provide same-day connections in both directions daily to City of New Orleans trains between New Orleans and Chicago via Memphis. Passengers can also make next-day connections in New Orleans to Crescent trains to and from New York via Atlanta, and Sunset Limited trains to and from Los Angeles via Tucson, San Antonio and Houston.

“Mobile and New Orleans have always shared a rich cultural heritage and renewing Amtrak service will strengthen our ties to the Crescent City and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.” said Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. “We are so excited to welcome new visitors from those communities when the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service launches later this year. It will be an asset to our citizens and another enhancement to Mobile’s growing downtown waterfront.” —Justin Franz 

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The Rocky Mountain Railroad Club will merge with the Colorado Railroad Museum in an effort to maintain the enthusiast group’s 87-year legacy. The Rocky Mountain Club was founded in 1938 and, over the years, helped save a number of historic pieces of equipment, including Rio Grande Southern 4-6-0 20, which was restored by CRM. The club donated the locomotive to CRM in 2006. 

As part of the merger, the club’s assets and historical archives will be transferred to the museum. Club members will also become members of the museum. 

“This merger will formally end the work of the Rocky Club, but our goal is to nurture the continuation of its spirit,” said Colorado Railroad Museum Executive Director Paul Hammond. “We intend to continue this Colorado railroading institution’s extraordinary work and celebrate its legacy well into the future. The Club’s invaluable contributions toward preserving Colorado’s rail history will endure through the Museum’s ongoing preservation, publication, live rail excursion and public engagement efforts, ensuring that future generations can continue to learn from and appreciate the rich rail heritage of the Rocky Mountain region.”

The museum will celebrate the contributions of railroad clubs like the Rocky Mountain Club during its annual Colorado Crossings, May 17-18. Rio Grande Southern 20 will be under steam for the event. 

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The Mid-Continent Railway Museum announced that Chicago & North Western 1385 — the R-1 Class 4-6-0 that last ran in the 1990s — will be returning home in May after an extensive restoration. 

The locomotive will be loaded onto a flatbed truck on May 5 at SPEC Machine, where much of the restoration work has occurred, and then moved to a siding along the Wisconsin & Southern. There it will be loaded onto a flatcar for the final move to the museum. The locomotive will be unloaded on May 9th. The move itself will be livestreamed by the museum and the public is invited to come to the museum on May 9 to witness the unloading. 

Locomotive 1385 was built in March 1907 by the American Locomotive Company as one of 325 R-1 class 4-6-0s owned by the C&NW. The R-1s were used in fast freight service and secondary passenger service. The ten-wheelers were the largest single class of steam locomotives the C&NW ever owned. Locomotive 1385 was retired in 1956 and then purchased by Mid-Continent members in 1961 for $2,600. The locomotive ran at Mid-Continent and across the Midwest (including a stint leading the Circus World Museum train) until it was taken out of service in 1998. 

Project Manager Micheal Wahl said a number of issues were discovered with the locomotive in the years after it was taken out of service, and at times, the restoration was put on the back burner. In 2011, however, a $250,000 challenge grant from the Wagner Foundation kicked the restoration back into high gear. In the years since, a new boiler has been built for it, and the locomotive’s original tender has been rebuilt.

The move is expected to cost $80,000. Donations can be made either online or be mailed to P.O. Box 358, E8948 Museum Road, North Freedom, WI 53951 (Please write “Bring the 1385 Home Fund” in the memo line). —Justin Franz 

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The U.S. Department of Transportation and Amtrak are taking control of the Penn Station Reconstruction Project from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a move that the federal government claims will save $120 million. 

In a press release announcing the takeover, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy criticized the MTA for “inefficiency, waste, and mismanagement.” Duffy stated that the federal government aimed to promote a public-private partnership model for the station, which is owned by Amtrak, to minimize financial risk to taxpayers. However, the government did not provide details on what exactly that would look like. 

MTA defended itself against Duffy’s attacks, but also praised the government for focusing on a station that is important to the traveling public. 

“Governor Kathy Hochul has prioritized the reconstruction of Penn Station for years, and we’re glad the federal government is focusing on it now. The MTA’s 33rd Street Concourse project was the first major improvement to Penn Station in decades – and we finished it on time and under budget,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. Over a hundred million MTA customers – two-thirds of Penn Station’s total ridership – use the facility every year. As the major leaseholder in the station, we expect to participate in the administration’s and Amtrak’s efforts to ensure future plans meet the needs of everyone who uses it.”

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New York’s Delaware & Ulster Railroad will resume operations in May for the first time since 2019. Excursions are expected to begin on May 10 and continue every weekend through the end of the year. 

The D&U offered excursion service on the former New York Central branch through the Catskill Mountains. Today, 19 miles between Highmount and Roxbury survive. Like many tourist railroads, the D&U shut down in 2020, but track conditions prevented it from reopening as pandemic restrictions eased. In recent years, the railroad has worked on rebuilding its track. 

Excursions will operate east from Arkville towards Fleischmanns and eventually to Highmount. In a press release, Catskill Revitalization Corporation Executive Director Todd Pascarella said it was a section of the rail line that hasn’t had excursions in decades. “The railroad is heading in a new direction, literally and figuratively,” Pascarella said. 

Popular with tourists for its scenic locale, the railroad is also popular among railfans for its equipment, mainly the Delaware & Hudson RS-36 5017.

For information on the upcoming schedule and train tickets, visit www.durr.org. —Justin Franz 

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American Services Rail has replaced Rock Island Rail as the operator of the Mississippi Delta Railroad, according to the Federal Register.

ASR announced that it and the line’s owner, Coahoma County, Miss., have entered a lease under which ASR will operate the 51-mile former Illinois Central line as a common carrier. According to ASR, it will take over from Rock Island Rail, which has managed the line since early 2019 and completed significant infrastructure work. In recent years, the primary business has been car storage. The line stretches between Jonestown, Miss., and a connection with CN at Swan Lake.

By early April, many of the stored cars had departed, leaving a wide-open yard in Clarksdale, Miss. Rock Island Rail, based in Sumner, Miss., will move its locomotives – several painted to honor the original Rock Island – to its other operations, which include Gulf & Ship Island and Ottawa Northern. Headquartered in Southaven, Miss., ASR has focused on track construction, maintenance, and derailment services. —M.T. Burkhart

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The U.S. Surface Transportation Board approved a proposal from Genesee & Wyoming’s subsidiary, Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad, to take control of local switching services around Eugene, Ore. CORP and UP first proposed the deal last year, although it faced some opposition from union officials. 

However, the railroads argued that it would result in better service. After seeking input from local rail customers (who seemed to agree that they would rather work with CORP than the Class I), the STB approved the deal on April 8. 

“The Board finds that the transaction may increase efficiency and reduce costs and that authorizing operations by CORP may result in better local service,” officials with the independent regulator stated in a press release. —Justin Franz 

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The Friends of the East Broad Top and the EBT Foundation broke ground on April 5 on a new station at Saltillo, Pa. Once completed, the new station will resemble the original Saltillo station, which was constructed in 1892 and demolished in 2004 after nearly 50 years of disuse. 

Before the original was taken down, however, volunteers from Friends of the East Broad Top took detailed measurements and removed several interior details. These measurements are being used to design the new station, which will meet modern building codes while resembling the original after its expansion in 1913. Trains have not operated to Saltillo since 1956, when the railroad initially shut down. In 1960, the railroad reopened for excursions between Orbisonia and Colgate Grove. That section remained open until the 2000s. In 2020, it was announced that a new effort was being launched to reopen the railroad. The EBT is currently building track south toward Saltillo. 

Andy Van Scyoc, president of the Friends, said the organization “is excited to complete the circle from documentation of the original station to building a faithful replica that will prove beneficial to the railroad and community alike.” —Justin Franz 

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by Jeff Smith

Camera Bag columns in the June and July 2024 issues of Railfan & Railroad provided options for storing your digital photography and video files. If you use one of the strategies discussed, then you have to keep your primary and secondary storage locations in sync. This column will focus on the options for doing so and help you make the right choice for your situation.

You might assume that keeping identical copies of files on two devices is as simple as copying them from one device to the other. While that is conceptually true, there are some complications that make manual file copying operations risky. First, while selecting files and copying them between two locations, it is very easy to make a selection error or drop them in the wrong place. If you don’t realize it, you could accidentally lose files or cause yourself a lot of confusion in determining if files have been overwritten or not. Additionally, a network disruption could occur, causing the copy operation to be incomplete and there is no automatic verification that the source and destination are identical. A failed copy operation may be difficult to recognize without a time-consuming manual inspection. If you have a large number of files, these manual copying operations can be very time-consuming and error-prone.

Backup versus Sync
There is a difference between backup and sync. Backup will copy all files from a source to a target. This is what you want to use if you always make edits to one repository and only use the secondary repository in case the primary is damaged. A scenario where this applies is if you have a network attached storage (NAS) at home where you always access your files (whether home or away) and use the cloud solely to back up your files. In this situation, your NAS always has your most current files. Backup will look for added, deleted, or changed files on your primary repository and replicate them to the secondary repository.

Syncing will compare a source and target and copy new or changed files from the source to the target and from the target to the source. This is the operation you want to use if you edit, add, or delete files in both locations. For instance, if you have a NAS at home which functions as your primary repository but you make edits to a secondary repository (an external drive for instance) when traveling, then syncing is a way of ensuring these two drives have identical copies of the files, regardless of where you make edits to the files.

Software Tools
There are a variety of tools available to handle syncing or backup operations automatically. The type of devices you are using for your primary and secondary storage and how they interface with the network will determine your best option for managing backup or syncing operations. These fall into three categories: cloud backup software, sync/backup applications that run on your laptop, and sync/backup applications that run on your NAS. Let’s look at these in detail:
Cloud Backup Software: If you are using an external drive as your primary file storage location and the cloud as your secondary, then the computer backup software provided by your cloud vendor might be a good option. For instance, Backblaze has a computer backup package (Backblaze Computer Backup) with unlimited data for $99 a year and provides software for you to use. It will only back up your computer and any external drives that are connected. Network shares, such as those used with a NAS, cannot be included in the backup. Generally, the software is less flexible than those described below in that Backblaze determines the types of files it will back up, finds the files on your drives, and then uploads them in the background. It is the easiest backup to set up. However, it does require your computer to be powered on for the backup to run.

Sync Applications: This category consists of third-party applications that can be purchased for a nominal fee, such as GoodSync or Carbon Copy Cloner. These applications run on your computer and allow you to configure and manage syncing and/or backup operations and schedules. These will connect to a wide variety of storage technologies: cloud, NAS, local computer, and external drives. These applications will require your computer to be powered on while performing syncing or backup operations, which, for large repositories, can take a lot of time. When the jobs are kicked off, they will compare the source and target and then update as necessary based on your settings and whether you have set it up to sync or perform a backup.

NAS Applications: Most NAS devices come with applications that sync or back up files with other NAS devices, cloud storage accounts, and local computers. Since your NAS is nearly always on, these applications can run in real time or be scheduled. In either case, they don’t require your computer to be on.

Versioning
A brief word about versioning — all three categories of backup and sync software allow you to retain multiple versions of your files when backing up or syncing your repositories. I recommend that you turn on this feature and retain two or three versions back for a few months or even a year. This provides some additional options should you accidentally delete files in your primary repository, have a file that gets corrupted, or simply want to go back to a previous version. It has saved me many times in the past on various publishing projects!

How to Choose the Best Option
Some of the questions you need to ask are: How large is your file repository? How frequently do you add, delete, or edit files? Do you always add, delete, and edit files from the same place or do you do so in both your primary and secondary repository? Let’s look at a few common scenarios to help guide you:
NAS with Cloud Backup: In this scenario, I would recommend first looking to see if your NAS has an application for syncing with the cloud backup solution that you have selected. My Synology NAS has two applications, Hyper Backup and Cloud Sync, that are applicable and I use the Cloud Sync app to back up my repository to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage. The major NAS manufacturers provide apps that sync with vendors such as Backblaze, AWS, Dropbox, Google, and others. The application is configured to automatically sync the folder containing my photography between the two locations in real time but it could be done on a regular schedule instead. I sync mine in real time because my NAS is always powered on and I have versioning turned on in case I need to revert or there is a corrupt file. I retain three versions per file for one year.

NAS with External Drive backup: Here, you have a few options. The first would be to use an application on your NAS that will allow syncing with a shared drive on your computer (an external drive). This functions the same way as discussed in the option above. The second option is to utilize a feature common to NAS hardware where you connect an external hard drive to a USB port on the NAS and the NAS is configured to automatically back up files to the external drive. This can be a scheduled operation to run on demand. The drive can then be disconnected and taken to an off-site location. On my Synology NAS, the USB Copy application performs this function. The last option is to establish a shared drive on your computer to your NAS and use GoodSync, Carbon Copy Cloner, or a similar application to sync files between the external hard drive attached to your computer and the NAS shared drive.

External Drive with Cloud Backup: This option requires you to use either the software provided by your selected cloud provider or an application such as Good Sync or Carbon Copy Cloner on your computer. In either case, it will be critical to keep your computer on long enough and frequently enough for the backups to complete. If you have a large repository or add and edit files frequently, your computer may need to be on consistently.
NAS to NAS: For those who might be running a NAS in two separate locations, your best option is to have NAS devices

from the same manufacturer and configure the NAS-to-NAS sync offered by most NAS vendors. For my Synology NAS, this is an application called Synology Drive ShareSync. Once configured, this automatically syncs files from one NAS to the other when a change is detected (i.e., the file is saved to the NAS). Once configured, this is reliable and doesn’t require much effort to maintain.

This column is by no means an exhaustive list of how to keep your repositories of digital photographs in sync but hopefully it provides some helpful tips to get you started.

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by Yago Cecchini/photos as noted

In the heart of the East Texas Piney Woods lies the Henderson Overton Branch Railroad, a 14-mile rail line owned by Rusk County and operated by Blacklands Railroad. Its rich history dates back to 1874, when the Henderson & Overton Branch Railroad Company was chartered to provide rail access to the small town of Henderson. Completed in 1877, it ran southeast from an interchange point with International & Great Northern at Overton. I&GN would acquire this railroad just three years later and operate it until 1911. During a period of financial strain, I&GN went into receivership and was reorganized twice until it was brought into the Gulf Coast Lines system owned by Jay Gould and folded into Missouri Pacific. In 1956, it was officially merged into MP.

The HOB Branch would be operated by MoPac well into the 20th century until the merger with Union Pacific in 1982. Under UP, the branch was used by a local which served a handful of customers that remained on the line. Traffic gradually declined to a point where the line sat dormant for two years until 2008, when UP officially filed for abandonment.

Worried that they would never be able to get rail service back, local officials stepped in. The county government established the Rusk County Rural Rail District to negotiate an agreement to purchase the line from UP. The district collaborated with the Henderson Economic Development Corporation and the Henderson City Council in its negotiations with UP, which accepted an offer in October 2009. The deal was closed in May 2010 to officially purchase the line and keep it in service. Blacklands Railroad, then based out of Sulphur Springs, Texas, was selected as the operator, with an opening ceremony held on June 24 that same year. The railroad quickly established itself as a key factor in the region’s economic future.

ABOVE: The first customer the local served this day was the West Fraser lumber facility, which had a single loaded centerbeam car to pull on July 24, 2023. Rail service here will resume once the company finishes expanding its mill. —Mark Labrozzi photo

Blacklands Railroad
Today, Blacklands Railroad remains one of the county’s most important assets. It hauls a variety of commodities such as lumber, asphalt, steel, aggregates, and chemicals, in addition to offering railcar storage. Trains run from Henderson to Overton twice a week carrying empties, with two return trips hauling loads picked up from UP. In 2017, it built a transload facility in Henderson under subsidiary Black Gold Terminals. It offers an on-site forklift and lay-down storage to facilitate the transportation of commodities to surrounding East Texas cities such as Tyler and Longview. Inbound traffic includes drilling components for the dozens of active pump jacks in this area, frac sand, aggregate, specialty products, bricks, and asphalt oil for the Trinity Asphalt plant.

The railroad recently completed the delivery of pipe loads for a natural gas pipeline being constructed nearby. This required the delivery of 487 flatcars over five months. Pipe trains arrived in 24-car cuts at a time, with 12 being unloaded per day. Outbound empties usually reached 80 to 90 cars.

At the time this article was written, there were no outbound loads from Henderson. However, that will soon change. Service is projected to grow over the next few years, with several new and existing customers increasing rail shipments. The railroad is actively seeking new customers, as they can be easily accommodated using the Henderson transload yard.

On November 2, 2022, West Fraser lumber company held a groundbreaking ceremony for the redevelopment of its mill, investing approximately $255 million into the Henderson site. As a result of the expansion, it plans to rely more on rail service for outbound timber products.

ABOVE: Leading an empty westbound 96-car stone train past milepost 5 in New London is Union Pacific AC4400CW 107, which wore an unpatched Southern Pacific scheme on March 25, 2015. Unit trains like this will return in the near future. —Mark Labrozzi photo

Meridian Brick recently reactivated its rail siding after 30 years of inactivity, with its first inbound set of brick loads arriving by boxcar from its Georgia plant in August 2021. Trinity Asphalt also built a multimillion-dollar liquid asphalt unloading facility in Henderson. One loaded tank car holds four truckloads of liquid asphalt, making shipments more efficient and reducing highway congestion. Tyler Pipe & Couplings inaugurated a new transload facility across from the Trinity Asphalt plant on October 30, 2023, which will soon be used to load outbound pipes on centerbeam flatcars.

In 2020, HOB was awarded more than $8 million from the Federal Railroad Administration in the form of a Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant. Work will soon begin to rehabilitate the entire branch, raising speeds from 10 mph to 25 mph while constructing two new sidings at the UP interchange point and two other new sidings at Henderson to hold unit trains.

In February, the railroad purchased 29 acres of land in Henderson to construct a new rail yard to accommodate the forecasted increase in traffic. These improvements will allow the railroad to provide more flexibility, customer service, and accessibility to shippers, as well as encourage new capital investments from potential customers in East Texas.

ABOVE: BLR GP8 201 sits at the Henderson Transload Facility on July 24, 2023, where it will eventually get restored to service. The engine, still wearing its Garden City & Western scheme, has been on the property for about two decades. —Mark Labrozzi photos

Locomotives and Rolling Stock
The beginning of 2025 saw some changes to HOB’s roster. It previously used an eclectic set of four EMD locomotives, two of which were leasers. BLR SD50 2301 was built in 1974 for Chicago & North Western and it currently wears the new green and gray Blacklands livery. This unit previously worked the Luminant Monticello Power Plant, but was reassigned to the railroad’s nine-mile Winfield to Mount Pleasant line in December 2024.

BLR GP8 201 was built in 1952 as a GP7 for Pittsburgh & Lake Erie, and was later rebuilt into a GP8 by Illinois Central Gulf. It retains a red and yellow scheme from Garden City Western Railway in Kansas. This unit is currently out of service, awaiting repairs at the Henderson transload yard.

Locomotives 3814 and 3905 were built in 1964 and 1965, respectively, as GP35s for the Santa Fe. 3905 is now a GP39-3 and has a distinctive livery, one of two locomotives painted for Mexico’s Baja California Railroad. It spent a couple of years in service just across the border from San Diego along with GP38-3 3814 before returning to the U.S. These units left the property in February of this year…

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The earliest North American railways were, in essence, attempts by East Coast cities to extend their commercial reach into the heartland. Baltimore & Ohio was financed by Baltimore businessmen in 1828 to push west into the Ohio Valley, which, in the early 19th century, was one of the fastest-growing regions of the United States. Boston & Maine, founded in the 1830s, was meant to link its namesake city with the natural resources of the far north; the Pennsylvania Railroad system traces back to the 1840s, to ensure that Midwestern goods would flow to and from the port of Philadelphia.

One of the most important examples, however, comes from the Empire State. The navigable portion of the Hudson River stretching from New York City to Albany was an important trade route long before Henry Hudson showed up in 1609. Completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 provided an important connection to the Great Lakes, yet railroads were already threatening the monopoly of canals and waterways with swift year-round transportation. While railroads serving the interior of New York were chartered in the 1820s and 1830s, Hudson River Railroad was not organized until 1846, completed from New York to Albany by 1851. This would later become the main line of the mighty New York Central. Competition came in the 1860s, with the eponymous West Shore Railroad completing its route from New Jersey to Albany in the 1880s. Financier J.P. Morgan brokered a deal where NYC acquired the line in 1885 to avoid a disastrous competitive rate war. Both lines formed the foundation of a railroad that would eventually grow into an 11,000-mile system linking New York City with eight states and two Canadian provinces.

What’s exceptional is that the judgment of these early railway speculators, despite the relative youth of the technology at the time, proved remarkably prescient. Each of the legacy routes described above developed into major trunk lines. Several generations and a few corporate name changes later, these original main lines remain integral to the North American network. The old New York Central lines — now operated by CSX — remain staggeringly busy, funneling massive amounts of freight and passengers in and out of the greater New York metropolitan area every day, all flowing through the majestic Hudson Valley. Photographer Eric Williams explores this region in his photo essay in this issue.

The phenomenon of railways serving as extensions of urban markets is not restricted to eastern cities. Historian William Cronon has long pointed out that Chicago businessmen used rail lines extending outward from their Midwestern city to harness vast resources and spread the city’s manufacturing goods throughout the continent. Western cities tried their hand at this, as well. Note all the lines of the once-grand Southern Pacific measured from the company’s headquarters in downtown San Francisco, while Union Pacific planted its flag in Omaha. But it was Santa Fe that first established a continuous main line from Chicago, through the Southwest, to the Pacific Coast in 1887.

It is farther north, though, in the Pacific Northwest, where the closest parallels to the Hudson can be found. In the 19th century, Portland, Ore., cemented its position as the most crucial port city in the region through its location at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge. This spectacular valley is the Hudson’s western twin, larger in scale, cutting through deeper mountains, but in many ways similar in spirit. The Columbia’s piercing of the Cascade Range linked Pacific tidewater with a vast region of rich agricultural land, millions upon millions of acres of timber, and untold mineral wealth.

The first railroad to take advantage of this was Oregon Railway & Navigation Company, founded in 1879 to funnel traffic from the Great Plains states. Unlike its East Coast kin, dreams of a corporate transportation empire centered on the Rose City lasted but a short time — by 1899, OR&N was firmly controlled by Union Pacific. The former OR&N has persisted as one of the busiest mains in the West, while on the opposite shore, the competing Spokane, Portland & Seattle route built by James J. Hill in the early 20th century is now one of BNSF’s most important conduits for freight (and also used for the Portland section of Amtrak’s Empire Builder).

Besides differences in climate and traffic, you could argue which scenic venues outshine the other and never reach a firm answer. What the Hudson and the Columbia both show, though, is that as spectacular as mountain railroads may be, it’s the easy-flowing river routes that stand the test of time.

—Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a transportation historian, photographer, artist, and author.

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by Eric Williams/photos by the author

Long before water was first heated into steam to turn a locomotive wheel, it was the artery of commerce. Whether by river or canal, conveyance on water was the most efficient way to move people and material, giving cities adjacent to it an important commercial advantage. Then came the railroads — which also chose the course of water, but for a different reason. Where water, with the aid of gravity, had found the best course through the terrain, its time-washed banks also created ideal routes for a railroad to follow.

Throughout this country, and the world for that matter, rail and water corridors are linked in the imagination of railfans. For us, names like Mississippi, Missouri, Columbia, Fraser, Platte, and Feather are more likely to conjure up a vision of a rail corridor than a waterway. And then there is the Hudson, the granddaddy of all river commerce arteries in North America, and the one which I believe to be most associated with the railroad.

We can thank the river’s passage through New York City, as well as New York Central Railroad, for that connection. The city has been a seat of power from its days as the colonial capital of New Netherlands to its present status as the media center of the world. The Central, headquartered in the city, heavily promoted its water level route up the Hudson, named a class of fast steam passenger locomotives for it, and gave the division the river’s name. While denizens of the city may seem overly provincial in their “empire,” the glorification of the river is justified as it and the surrounding valley has scenery that rivals anything the West can offer.

ABOVE: A Poughkeepsie-bound Metro-North train whisks commuters past Bannerman’s Castle on June 1, 2023. A drone opens up interesting vantages to combine the castle and railroad. Aerial photo

Besides its natural beauty, the Hudson also has a unique characteristic that none of the other rivers have — a tide that reaches 153 miles inland. The river’s change in elevation between New York City and Albany, N.Y., is less than the height of a full-grown man — just five feet. The Lenape, the Native American inhabitants of the lower Hudson, called the river Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, which loosely means the “river that flows two ways.” Not only is this a fitting definition of the ebb and flow of the river, but an apt description of its role as an artery of commerce. While watercraft still play a significant role on the river, the railroad dominates.

Englishman Henry Hudson explored the river in 1609, becoming the first White man to navigate and chart it, placing it on a map as Noort Rivier (North River). He did so while working for the Dutch, who were the first European settlers of the river valley, giving many geographic places Dutch names that endure to this day. The British took possession of this entire territory in 1664 and renamed the river after their countryman who had explored it half a century before. During the American Revolution, the river was a prized artery that controlled movement into the interior, with the patriots establishing many fortifications in an effort to keep the British out. The remains of these forts are hallowed ground, but before the era of historic preservation, the railroad was allowed to build through several of them.

Another distinction of the Hudson River is as the cradle of steam-powered propulsion in North America. In 1807, Robert Fulton’s steamboat, the Clermont, made its first journey from New York City to Albany, marking the first time a steamboat was used in regular commercial passenger service. The Clermont’s journey revolutionized water transportation, demonstrating the potential of steam-powered vessels, and paving the way for their widespread use in the U.S. and beyond. Less than two decades later, in 1825, John Stevens ran the first steam-powered locomotive along the shore of the Hudson, in Hoboken, N.J. This was an experimental locomotive, which he ran on a circular track around his riverside estate. While it was not intended for commercial use, it was significant as one of the earliest, if not the first, demonstrations of steam-powered rail propulsion in the U.S.

ABOVE: Probably the most-photographed view of the Bear Mountain bridge is from the pedestrian walkway on the Route 9W bridge over Popolopen Creek. On October 24, 2010, a northbound train crosses the steel viaduct spanning the creek, which replaced the original two-track wooden trestle structure.

The first commercial rails were laid in New York state in the 1830s to connect the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, but it took until 1851 to complete the more challenging build up the east bank of the river, connecting New York City to Albany. This line was later part of a group of independent lines that were brought together in 1869 under the New York Central umbrella. NYC controlled railroad commerce on the river artery until upstart New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad completed a line on the west bank in the 1880s. Within a few years, NYC swallowed up this railroad as it didn’t like the idea of competition. The west bank became a major freight artery, while the east side primarily hosted passenger service.

The economics of railroading were especially tough for Northeastern roads in the 1970s, with NYC merging into Penn Central and eventually forming a core part of Conrail. During this period, the intercity passenger trains were taken over by Amtrak, with the commuter trains packaged under the Metro-North Railroad herald. When Conrail was split up in 1999 between CSX and Norfolk Southern, CSX received both lines along the Hudson River.

Sometime in the late 1880s, the railroad overtook steamboats to become the dominant choice of commerce on the river corridor and never looked back. Today, both rail lines are vibrant and see a lot of traffic. Dense passenger volumes cover the 143 miles from Grand Central to Albany-Rensselaer on the east bank, while the freight-only CSX River Subdivision on the opposite bank covers 131 miles from North Bergen Yard to Selkirk, N.Y.

ABOVE: From the bluffs of Fort Montgomery on October 26, 2013, a visitor watches a northbound Metro-North train in seasonal conditions that mimic the plaque describing the revolutionary river battle here. The fort offers engaging views of the railroads from many vantage points, but is also worth exploring to learn more about our revolutionary history.

The roads are good throughout the valley, with ample trackside access, but don’t bother to chase a train on the corridor — it’s impossible. Both rail lines may twist and turn as they follow the many curves of the river, but they still allow trains to move swifter than any traffic on the adjacent roads. Settle into a place or two on the river for a few hours and let the trains come to you.

Freight on the River Line is not scheduled, but a dozen or so trains roam the line during daylight, with early morning seemingly the busiest period. With the exception of coal, every commodity in CSX’s freight portfolio can be seen here, with intermodal making up about half the business. On the east bank, Amtrak and Metro-North Railroad trains are all scheduled, providing time to plan your locations and photo angles. In the field, close to real-time information can be obtained for both railroads through their mobile apps.

Both sides of the river have too many good photography locations to cover in the scope of this article, so I’m featuring some of my favorites. Whether you can dedicate a day or a week, the Hudson River offers plenty of opportunities to capture trains running through scenery that rivals any place in the West. I’ve only touched on a few locations; there are so many more. Hopefully, these images will bring out the explorer in you, as you seek your own special place on the river. After all, the spirit of exploration runs deep here. There is something special in this water…

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The Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak terminated a $63.9 million grant awarded under the Corridor Identification and Development Program for the Amtrak Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor, formerly known as the Texas Central Railway project. The project, which has been in development for over a decade, aims to connect Dallas/Fort Worth with Houston. 

“I am pleased to announce that FRA and Amtrak are in agreement that underwriting this project is a waste of taxpayer funds and a distraction from Amtrak’s core mission of improving its existing subpar services,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “The Texas Central Railway project was proposed as a private venture. If the private sector believes this project is feasible, they should carry the pre-construction work forward rather than relying on Amtrak and the American taxpayer to bail them out. My department will continue to look for every opportunity to save federal dollars and prioritize efficiencies.” 

Amtrak revived the project in 2024 when it assumed planning responsibilities. The initiative has encountered strong opposition from landowners resistant to selling their property or having a high-speed train nearby. It remains unclear what will happen to the effort now that it has lost public funding. 

Kleinheinz Capital Partners, the lead investor in Texas Central, informed the Texas Tribune that they are confident they can secure the funding necessary to construct the railroad. 

“We agree with Secretary Duffy that this project should be led by the private sector, and we will be proud to take it forward,” the company said in a statement. “This project is shovel-ready and will create significant new jobs and economic growth for Texas as part of President Trump’s efforts to boost the U.S. economy.” —Justin Franz

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