The Occasional Express

By Patrick Webb Rail preservation is like a big city: it never sleeps, and there’s always something going on. Welcome to the second edition of Branch Line News: your source for summarized train related news stories. S&D Track Fund Appeal The Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust, who run excursions on a part of the historic Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, according to their website, recently received a donation from Network Rail. Network Rail donated redundant track materials to the Trust; including “over 140 concrete sleepers and 14 x 60ft panels of track.” The S&D Trust announced on their Facebook page that they plan to use the materials for “further siding space and engineering facilities,” according to their Facebook post. The S&D Trust explained that they have to act quickly to retrieve the items, and estimate the transportation cost to be £15,000 or approximately $18,000 US dollars. A S&D Trust member has already donated £1,200 towards the transport...

Last week, Nickel Plate Road 765, the preserved locomotive, turned 75 last week on Sunday, September 8th. Nickel Plate Road 765 was built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works, according to the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. She is a 2-8-4 Berkshire locomotive built for fast goods and passenger trains for the Nickel Plate Road until replaced by diesels. Retired in 1963, 765 was donated to the city of Fort Wayne (renumbered 767, which the city asked for, because 767 was a part of a historic opening of a new overpass, but 765 was in better condition). In 1972, after 11 years on display, 765 was put into the care of the newly formed Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. On September 1, 1979, No. 765 was restored to operation, and began a decades long excursion career in 1980, which continues to this day. This year, 765 is not as active on the mainline as she used to be. In 2018, Amtrak, the federally run passenger company, decided to stop giving insurance to organizatio...

By Patrick Webb Petersburg, Virginia . Resting on rails cut off from the mainline is Erie Lackawanna Railroad caboose C335. According to the Tristate Railway Historical Society, which owns one of C335’s siblings, No. C330, the cabooses were built by the Erie Railroad in 1952. The Erie Railroad would later merge with the Lackawanna Railroad into the Erie Lackawanna Railroad, and the cabooses continued to be used.  In 1976, the Erie cabooses would be taken into the ownership of Conrail, and in the 1980’s many of the Erie cabooses were sold off. C335 continued in service and eventually ended up in the ownership of CSX, according to Rick Rowlands, the Manager of Youngstown Steel Heritage Museum, who donated the caboose to Youngstown in 2018. CSX donated the caboose to Youngstown Steel Heritage because of their project to restore Erie Lackawanna locomotive 3639, unfortunately the cost of 3639’s project has not left funds for C335.  Mr. Rowlands explains in a video uploaded t...

By Patrick Webb Welcome to Branch Line News, your quick source of summarized news in the railroad world. 3801 Boiler Fired Up Our first story takes us to the land down under. Transport Heritage New South Wales (NSW) an Australian non-profit who maintain a collection of railroad related equipment on behalf of the New South Wales Government, according to their website, recently announced the firing of the boiler for New South Wales 3801. NSW 3801 was built in 1943 by Clyde Engineering, as one of 5 streamlined locomotives and was retired from active service in 1962, where she was preserved, according to NSW's website. 3801 has been called the "Flying Scotsman of Australia," a testament to how famous the engine is, which is partly due to her being the prototype of the C38 class and the only streamlined C38 to survive. NSW 3801 had an active excursion career until 2007, when she was withdrawn for overhaul. 3801 hauling The Newcastle Flyer in October, 2005. Image Cr...

By Patrick Webb ( @ConductorPat ) Edited by Mary Elizabeth Reid Special thanks to Mary Elizabeth Reid ( @ ilooktothesea   on Twitter) for editing.  Disclaimer: This post was originally uploaded to Tuggin' & Trammin' Blogging on July 15, 2019. Due to its relevance it has been re-uploaded here. Move over Kardashians, THIS is a TV show I’d watch! In all seriousness, it may be—understandably—hard to keep up with every new build project going on. According to New Build Steam, who follow new build organizations and publish online articles on them, 20 new standard gauge steam locomotives are under construction, while three more are planned, along with five new diesels. This is just in the UK. In the US, there’s the PRR T1, currently the only standard gauge new build steam locomotive project in the US.  Some groups may get more attention than others, such as the P2 Steam Locomotive Company, who are building a LNER P2 2-8-2 mikado. This is because ...