Keron Thomas

Keron Thomas (c. 1975 – July 22, 2013) is primarily known for posing as New York City Subway motorman "Regoberto Sabio" on May 8, 1993, and operating an A train in revenue service for over three hours, when he was sixteen years old.
Early life.
Thomas was born in Trinidad as one of three children, and moved to the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brownsville with his family in 1990. He became interested in trains upon moving to New York, and avidly studied the New York Transit Authority's book of rules and regulations and its preparation book for the train operator's Civil Service test. In December 1992, he was arrested for trespassing at a train yard in East New York.
A Train fame.
Thomas signed into the 207th Street Yard in Manhattan and proceeded to operate the train that originated at the 207th Street station. Thomas's actions went unnoticed by the passengers on board the R44-type train, who were safely picked up and discharged at normal station stops along the route. He completed the trip to the Lefferts Boulevard station in Queens (one of the three southern terminals of the line), and almost made the full round-trip. However, Thomas operated the train too quickly rounding a curve in Washington Heights, just a few stops from completing his route. This tripped the train's emergency brakes (BIE, "Brakes in Emergency") and Thomas was unable to reset them.
The full scope of Thomas's actions was discovered after he was taken to the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) headquarters for drug and alcohol testing, a standard policy after motormen are caught speeding. Despite his actions, Thomas came to be seen by some as something of a folk hero and, as a consequence, was spared jail time. "The New York Times" reported: "Duty-bound to make it clear that people may not play subway motorman whenever they like but wary of punishing a folk heroand a mere boy, at thatlaw-enforcement officials settled yesterday on three years' probation for the 16-year-old who took the controls of a subway train for three and a half hours in May."
After A Train.
In 1994, aged eighteen, Thomas was charged with attempted murder after being accused of stabbing another teenager in a dispute over a dice game. As a result, the probation he had received for commandeering the subway train was extended.
Subsequently, Thomas became an electrician rather than a subway motorman because it provided a bigger income. Later in life, he owned a trucking company.
Death.
Keron Thomas died on July 22, 2013, of heart failure at the age of 37. He had battled chronic heart failure for years.


Tacoma Rail

Tacoma Rail is a publicly owned Class III shortline railroad. It is owned by the city of Tacoma, Washington and operated as a public utility. It is one of three operating divisions of the municipally-owned Tacoma Public Utilities service, but unlike other city services, the railroad is self-supported and generates revenue for the City of Tacoma and Washington state. Tacoma Rail provides freight switching services, serving the Port of Tacoma and customers in Tacoma, south Pierce County and parts of Thurston County. It operates 16 diesel locomotives, more than 100 employees and about 140 miles of track, many of which are former Milwaukee Road and BNSF Railway lines around Western Washington.
Operating divisions.
Tacoma Rail operates three distinct divisions:
Tidelands division.
The Tidelands division serves the area around the Port of Tacoma, including all four intermodal terminals and interchanging with both the BNSF Railway and the Union Pacific Railway. The division serves 40 customers, and handles the majority of Tacoma Rail’s traffic.
The division was established in 1914 as a streetcar line to move port workers, but has been freight-only since 1937. In the past, the division was called the Tacoma Municipal Belt Line.
Lakewood division.
The Lakewood division runs between Tacoma and DuPont. The operation of the division was acquired from BNSF Railway in November 2004.
The division serves 11 customers, mostly in the Lakewood area. Sound Transit also owns tracks has trackage rights between Tacoma and Lakewood to operate its Sounder commuter rail. WSDOT has paid to improve the line in recent years with plans to reroute the Amtrak Cascades and Coast Starlight to the tracks by 2019.
Mountain division.
The Mountain division runs between Tacoma and Frederickson, where it splits into two branches, one serving McKenna, the other serving Eatonville and Morton.
The 97 miles of track are owned directly by the City of Tacoma and are operated by Tacoma Rail under contract. It is considered a separate railroad and is operated using its own TRMW reporting mark. This segment of track was originally built by the Milwaukee Road and later used by the 2nd Chehalis Western Railroad and was purchased by the city on August 12, 1994.
The division serves 14 customers, mostly in the Frederickson area. The Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad leases the portion of track from Eatonville to Morton for passenger excursion service.


Louisville and Nashville Railroad

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.
Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the great success stories of American business. Operating under one name continuously for 132 years, it survived civil war and economic depression and several waves of social and technological change. Under Milton H. Smith, president of the company for 30 years, the L&N grew from a road with less than of track to a system serving fourteen states. As one of the premier Southern railroads, the L&N extended its reach far beyond its namesake cities, stretching to St. Louis, Memphis, Atlanta, and New Orleans. The railroad was economically strong throughout its lifetime, operating freight and passenger trains in a manner that earned it the nickname, "The Old Reliable."
Growth of the railroad continued until its purchase and the tumultuous rail consolidations of the 1980s which led to continual successors. By the end of 1970, L&N operated of road on of track, not including the Carrollton Railroad.
In 1971 the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, successor to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, purchased the remainder of the L&N shares it did not already own, and the company became a subsidiary. By 1982 the railroad industry was consolidating quickly, and the Seaboard Coast Line absorbed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad entirely. Then in 1986, the Seaboard System merged with the C&O and B&O (known as the Chessie System) and the combined company became CSX Transportation (CSX), which now owns and operates all of the former Louisville and Nashville lines.
Early history and Civil War.
Its first line extended barely south of Louisville, Kentucky, and it took until 1859 to span the 180-odd miles () to its second namesake city of Nashville. There were about of track in the system by the outbreak of the Civil War, and its strategic location, spanning the Union/Confederate lines, made it of great interest to both governments.
During the Civil War, different parts of the network were pressed into service by both armies at various times, and considerable damage from wear, battle, and sabotage occurred. (For example, during the Battle of Lebanon in July 1863, the company's depot in Lebanon, Kentucky, was used as a stronghold by outnumbered Union troops). However, the company benefited from being based in the Union state of Kentucky, and the fact that Nashville fell to Union forces within the first year of the war and remained in their hands for its duration. It profited from Northern haulage contracts for troops and supplies, paid in sound Federal greenbacks, as opposed to the rapidly depreciating Confederate dollars. After the war, other railroads in the South were devastated to the point of collapse, and the general economic depression meant that labor and materials to repair its roads could be had fairly cheaply.
Buoyed by these fortunate circumstances, the firm began an expansion that never really stopped. Within 30 years the network reached from Ohio and Missouri to Louisiana and Florida. By 1884, the firm had such importance that it was included in the Dow Jones Transportation Average, the first American stock market index. It was such a large customer of the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works, the country's second largest locomotive maker, that in 1879 the firm presented L&N with a free locomotive as a thank-you bonus.
Coal and capital in the Gilded Age.
Since all locomotives of the time were steam-powered, many railroads had favored coal as their engines' fuel source after wood-burning models were found unsatisfactory. The L&N guaranteed not only its own fuel sources but a steady revenue stream by pushing its lines into the difficult but coal-rich terrain of eastern Kentucky, and also well into northern Alabama. There the small town of Birmingham had recently been founded amidst undeveloped deposits of coal, iron ore and limestone, the basic ingredients of steel production. The arrival of L&N transport and investment capital helped create a great industrial city and the South's first postwar urban success story. The railroad's access to good coal enabled it to claim for a few years starting in 1940 the nation's longest unrefuelled run, about from Louisville to Montgomery, Alabama.
In the Gilded Age of the late 19th century there were no such things as anti-trust or fair-competition laws and very little financial regulation. Business was a keen and mean affair, and the L&N was a formidable competitor. It would exclude upstarts like the Tennessee Central Railway Company from critical infrastructure like urban stations. Where that wasn't possible, as with the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (which was older than the L&N), it simply used its financial muscle—in 1880 it acquired a controlling interest in its chief competitor. A public outcry convinced the L&N directors that there were limits to their power. They discreetly continued the NC&StL as a separate subsidiary, but now working with, instead of in competition with, the L&N.
Ironically, in 1902 financial speculations by financier J.P. Morgan delivered control of the L&N to its rival Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, but that company made no attempt to control L&N operations, and for many decades there were no consequences of this change.
20th century.
The World Wars placed heavy demand on the L&N. Its widespread and robust network coped well with the demands of war transport and production, and the resulting profits harked back to the boost it had received from the Civil War. In the postwar period, the line shifted gradually to diesel power, and the new streamlined engines pulled some of the most elegant passenger trains of the last great age of passenger rail, such as the "Dixie Flyer", the "Humming Bird", and the "Pan-American".
Though well past its 100th anniversary, the line was still growing. In 1957, the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis was finally fully merged. In the 1960s, acquisitions in Illinois allowed a long-sought entry into the premier railroad nexus of Chicago, and some of the battered remains of the old rival, the Tennessee Central, were sold to the L&N as well.
In 1971 the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, successor to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, purchased the remainder of the L&N shares it did not already own, and the company became a subsidiary. Prior to the purchase, the L&N, like other railroads, had curtailed passenger service in response to dwindling ridership. Amtrak, the government-formed passenger railway service, took over the few remaining L&N passenger trains in 1971. In 1979, amid great lamentations in the press, the last passenger service over L&N rails ceased when Amtrak discontinued "The Floridian", which had connected Louisville with Nashville and continued to Florida via Birmingham.
By 1982 the railroad industry was consolidating quickly, and the Seaboard Coast Line absorbed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad entirely. The merged company was known as "SCL/L&N", "Family Lines," and was depicted as such on the railroad's rolling stock. During the next few years several smaller acquisitions resulted in the creation of the Seaboard System Railroad. Yet more consolidation was ahead, and in 1986, the Seaboard System merged into the C&O/B&O combined system known as the Chessie System. The combined company became CSX Transportation (CSX), which now owns and operates all of the former Louisville and Nashville lines, except for some routes abandoned or sold off.
Legacy.
A number of historical groups and publications devoted to the line exist, and L&N equipment is well represented in the model railroading hobby. The L&N Railroad is mentioned by
country music pioneer Jimmie Rodgers in his "Blue Yodel #7." It is also the subject of two other songs: the 2003 Rhonda Vincent bluegrass song "Kentucky Borderline", and "The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore" by Jean Ritchie and individually performed by Michelle Shocked, Johnny Cash, Billy Bragg & Joe Henry and Kathy Mattea.
Dutch blues/rockband The Bintangs had a hit in the Dutch charts in the late 1960s with "Ridin' on the L&N" (a cover from the Dan Burley / Lionel Hampton – composition from 1946).
This composition also was covered by John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.
In 1926 the L&N turned over approximately 137 acres to the Kentucky State Park Commission, making possible the creation of the state's Natural Bridge State Park.
Passenger operations.
The "Humming Bird" and "Pan-American", both from Cincinnati to New Orleans and Memphis, were two of the L&N's most popular passenger trains that ran entirely on its own lines. However, the Humming Bird later added a Chicago to New Orleans section in conjunction with the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad utilizing the "Georgian" north of Nashville. (The Official Guide of the Railroads, February, 1952) The railroad also hosted other named trains, including:
The L&N was one of few railroads to discontinue a passenger train that was en route. On January 9, 1969, as soon as a judge lifted the injunction preventing its discontinuance, the L&N discontinued its southbound "Humming Bird" at Birmingham, in mid-run from Cincinnati to New Orleans. The 14 passengers continuing south did so by bus.
Lebanon Branch.
Construction began on the Lebanon Branch in 1857. The line branched off the main line that went from Louisville to Nashville in Lebanon Junction. The Lebanon Branch switching on the main line in Lebanon Junction gave the town its name. The Lebanon Branch was across Kentucky from Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, to Mt. Vernon, Kentucky, then on to Sinks, Kentucky. The line crossed through the towns Lebanon Junction, Boston, Nelsonville, Lyons Station, New Haven, New Hope, St. Fransic, Loretto, St. Mary's, Lebanon, Gravel Switch, Junction City, Crab Orchard, Mt. Vernon, and Sinks.
At first, the line was used during the Civil War hauling supplies, and troops. Later, the Greensburg Branch was built switching off the Lebanon Branch on the outskirts of Lebanon, making its way through Campbellsville, Kentucky, and on to the end of the line in Greensburg, Kentucky.
The Lebanon Branch had several trains traveling on it such as Lebanon's local trains Nos. 21 (southbound) and 22 (northbound), along with the mail and express train, the "Flamingo", and freight trains. The line stayed this way until passenger service ended in the 1950s. After this, freight trains occupied the line with coal trains from the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Kentucky. The line continued under this operation until the 1980s, when the Lebanon Branch and the rest of the L&N system came under control of the Seaboard System Railroad. The L&N and Seaboard merged, and later, Seaboard and the Chessie System merged to create CSX. With multiple branch lines through the area, the decision was made that the Lebanon Branch was to be abandoned and taken up.
In 1991 the last train came through Lebanon. A portion of the Lebanon Branch was removed a few months later between Mt. Vernon to New Hope. A portion of the branch from Mt. Vernon to Sinks was saved by CSX and is still in use today for small local freight trains, as well as a portion of the branch from Boston to Lebanon Junction.
The portion of the branch from New Hope to Lebanon Junction is preserved by the Kentucky Railway Museum, which purchased the line from New Hope to Boston. The Kentucky Railway Museum operates passenger trains for tourists and visitors from their headquarters in New Haven to Boston (about ). The museum hauls three to seven passenger cars with their steam locomotive, L&N 152, or one of the historical diesels like the Monon BL-2 No. 32 or ex-Santa Fe CF-7 No. 2546.
Preservation.
There are several preservation organizations of L&N equipment and L&N lines, such as the Kentucky Railway Museum, The Historic Railpark and Train Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and the L&N Historic Society.
The city of Atlanta, Georgia, is home to the General and the Texas, two 4-4-0 locomotives originally built for the Western and Atlantic Railroad, which was later leased to L&N predecessor Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis. The lease of the W&A was passed to, and renewed by L&N and its successors. The General and the Texas became famous for being participants in The Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War. The General had been placed on display in the railroad's Union Depot in Chattanooga in 1901. In 1957, the L&N removed the engine and restored it to operating condition. The engine pulled the railroad's wooden center-door Jim Crow combine coach No. 665 as it traveled throughout the eastern U.S. as part of the observance of the Civil War Centennial, including a visit to the 1964 New York World's Fair. Between 1966 and 1971, a legal battle ensued between the railroad and the city of Chattanooga as the former had planned to send the engine to Georgia, while the latter claimed to be the owners of the engine. After the dispute was settled, the engine was formally presented to the state of Georgia in 1971. The engine currently resides at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, while the Texas is currently at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina undergoing restoration for inclusion into an addition to house it and the cyclorama painting of the battle of Atlanta. The Texas should return to Georgia in late 2016.
The Kentucky Railway Museum consists of many pieces of L&N equipment, as well as a portion of the Lebanon Branch. The museum owns the following L&N equipment: K2A Light Pacific 4-6-2 No. 152, a steam locomotive; heavyweight coaches Nos. 2572 and 2554; an observation car; heavyweight combine No. 1603; combine coach No. 665; sleeper the "Pearl River", the Pullman coach "Mt. Broderick" which was used by the L&N; several baggage cars; a steam-powered crane; and E-6 diesel locomotive No. 770. All of the last seven pieces of equipment listed are in need of restoration.
The Historic Railpark and Train Museum owns or operates several pieces of L&N equipment, including an E-8 diesel locomotive, a Railway Post Office car, dining car No. 2799, a sleeping car, an observation car, along with a Jim Crow combine in need of major overhaul.
There are several other museums that own L&N equipment, including the Bluegrass Railroad Museum.
L&N 2132 a South Louisville shop
Steam locomotive is also on static display in Corbin Ky. 2132 was moved from Bainbridge Georgia to Corbin and underwent a fully cosmetic restoration. Along with 2132 and her tender is L&N caboose 1056.
The Wilderness Road Trail is a rail trail built on the ROW from Cumberland Gap National Historical Park to Ewing, Virginia.


St. Louis Bridge Company


Grand View Beach Railway

The Grand View Beach Railway
was a scenic electric street railway along
the shore of Lake Ontario from the village
of Ontario Beach, a suburb of Rochester, to Manitou Beach.
Route.
The railroad was long. For several miles
out of Ontario Beach the road ran along a bluff close to and overlooking the expanse
of Ontario and about above the level of the water.
From Rigney's Bluff westward to Manitou the track threaded a
sandy beach between the great lake and various little
bays and ponds.
Stops and sidings.
0. Siding #1, Spitz Hotel, 160 Beach Ave.
1. Wilder Terr.
2. Hospital, Rear Summer Hospital for Children
3. Cloverdale Farm City line - Spur to water works - was siding #2
4. Little Pond
5. Rigney's Bluff (Shoremont)
6. Siding #3
7. Fehrenback's Lake View Hotel Adolph Grossmans Hotel at Round Pond Outlet Breakers
8. Island Cottage on left - Edgewater Hotel on Lakeshore (Louis Cook's)
9. Buck Pond
10. Crescent Beach-W.H. Lewis Prop. 1910 later Ray Gets Pass switch siding #4
11. Later passing switch, Lewis straight
12. Outlet - Long Pond, West end trestle
13. Long Pond, Grand View Beach Hotel - A. Kleinhans later Joe Rosenbach
14. Lowden Point Road
15. Siding Pass #5, Half Way
16.
17. Springwater Hotel
18.
19. Cranberry Pond
20. Siding #6
21. Braddocks Heights
22. E. Manitou
23. Elmheart Hotel
24. Passing track #7, Manitou Beach
Infrastructure.
The railroad was of modern construction and
equipment. The track was 45-pound steel T rail. The
rolling stock consisted of 7 motor cars, five open and two
closed, and 7 open trail-cars, which could comfortably seat
60 to 70 persons. Rae motors of 40-horse-power
were used and the old reliable McGuire truck.
The power plant was located from the eastern terminus of the railroad.
It was equipped with two Thompson-Houston 8,000-Watt
generators, two engines of Mclntosh-Seymour and
three 100-horse-power boilers from the Pierce & Thomas
shops.
The car-barn, located near
the power house had storage capacity for 20 cars.
Accidents.
While erecting the last trestle over the Braddock's Bay, a sudden storm arose, and two men working in the middle of the bay on the trestle were drowned before they could be reached by help.
Some derailments and accidents occurred: Twelve people were injured and one of them died, when a crowded car derailed near Charlotte in 1902 and plunged into a gully below. In 1904, four passengers were killed and nine were injured in a collision on the line.
History.
The cars began running in June 1891, but the railroad was in
an unfinished condition until about August 1. To October
1st the total earnings were $17,976.08, operating expenses
$8,500.06, interest and taxes $4,010.34, surplus $4,465.14.
The total number of passengers carried was 150,000.
The initial officers of the company were:
The line was subsequently operated by the Rochester, Charlotte & Manitou Beach Railroad (1895-1908) and the Rochester & Manitou Railroad (1908-1925).
The last car ran on the line in 1925.


John A. Mead Manufacturing Company

The John A. Mead Manufacturing Company was based at 9 Broadway in New York City and produced steam shovels for coal handling.
Products.
The company was founded by John A. Mead in the late 1890s and erected four movable steam shovel towers and a 4,200 feet (1280 m) long cable railroad at the plant of the New England Gas and Coke Company in Everett, Massachusetts.
Over 90 percent of all coal handling plants in Boston and vicinity used Mead Company cable railroad and automatic bucket systems. In New York City, the number of Mead shovels was double that of any other make.
The Mead Company equipped the following plants:


Laona and Northern Railway

The Laona and Northern Railway (reporting marks LNO) is a heritage railroad in Laona, Wisconsin. A former freight railroad, it was incorporated in 1902 for the R. Connor Company of Marshfield, Wisconsin, to haul lumber to its mill in Laona and then transport it to the Soo Line interchange 8 miles north in Laona Junction. When the railway converted to diesel in the mid-1950s, the company held on to only one steam locomotive, No. 4 or 4 Spot, for reserve power and burning weeds from the rail line. By 1965 the Connor Company used the locomotive for mixed trains to Laona Junction, taking passengers on a -hour ride. In 1983 the Connor Company gave the Laona and Northern No. 4 to the Camp 5 historical society, and it now pulls the Lumberjack Steam Train to Camp 5.
External links.
Lumberjack Steam Train - official website


Elkhart and Western Railroad

The Elkhart & Western Railroad Co. , a wholly owned subsidiary of Pioneer Railcorp, is a Class III short-line railroad operating three unconnected lines in northern Indiana. The first, the Elkhart Branch, is in and around the city of Elkhart in Elkhart County, the second, the Argos Branch, radiates from Argos in Marshall County, and the third, the Monon Branch, operating from Monon to Monticello in White County.
Pioneer Railcorp created the Elkhart & Western Railroad, on May 1, 2001, from a stretch of the Michigan Southern Railroad. The Elkhart Branch begins at its junction with the Norfolk Southern Railway near the center of Elkhart, then crosses the St. Joseph River which it follows westward, and finally ends on the northeast side of Mishawaka, in neighboring St. Joseph County.
Freight hauled on the E&W Elkhart line consists mainly of plastic flakes, lumber, paper and cement.
Freight hauled on the E&W Argos lines consists of mainly scrap iron, paper, plastic pellets, and lime, with the addition of storage car holding.
In January 2018 CSX sold 9.58 miles of track running from Monon to Monticello to E&W. Operations began in August serving the only customer on the line, Monticello farm service.
Power.
The EWR received its two locomotives from Pioneer Railcorp, and although the units no longer have the Pioneer reporting marks the units are still owned by EWR's parent.


Cornelius Scranton Bushnell

Cornelius Scranton Bushnell (July 19, 1829 – May 6, 1896) was an American railroad executive and shipbuilder who was instrumental in developing ironclad ships for the Union Navy during the American Civil War.
Background.
Bushnell, the son of Nathan & Chloe (Scranton) Bushnell, was born July 19, 1829, in Madison, Connecticut. At the age of 15, he decided to become a sailor and shipped out on a coastal vessel. Within a year and a half, he was master of a 60-ton schooner. Later, he went into the grocery business with his brother.
Railroad.
The bankrupt New Haven and New London Railroad offered new opportunities for him. Working with friends and with his own capital, he invested in the railroad. By 1860, under Bushnell's guidance, it had completed a critical connection with the Providence Road, which completed the connection between New York City and Boston. By 1861, Bushnell had been elected president of the railroad.
USS "Monitor".
Bushnell was in Washington, D.C., when the Civil War broke out. At that time, he volunteered to defend the capital in a militia unit until regular troops could be moved in. He mustered out on May 4, 1861, after the arrival of the 6th Massachusetts Infantry.
In mid-1861, the Confederates raised and began refitting a 3500-ton frigate, the USS "Merrimac", that had been burned to the waterline by the Federals. They began restoring the ship as an ironclad. News of this caused great worry in Washington and the race was on to build Federal ironclads. With S. H. Pook of Boston, a naval expert, Bushnell and other officials soon developed plans for their own ironclad for the U.S. Navy, a vessel later known as the "Galena". Out of a concern for the stability of the proposed craft, Bushnell traveled to see Capt. John Ericsson for his analysis and opinion, which he agreed to provide. But Ericsson also had his own plans and a working model of a unique floating battery, a low slung ironclad outfitted with a revolving turret. This novel design was to revolutionize naval warfare. An impressed Bushnell went back to Washington and, within eight days, the new design was approved by Navy officials and the Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles. Through Bushnell's efforts, the USS "Monitor" was rapidly completed and went on to fight the refurnibished "Merrimac" (by then known as the CSS "Virginia") at Battle of Hampton Roads, saving the Union fleet of wooden sailing ships.
Submarine.
Bushnell was also involved in the early development of a hand-crank powered submarine. the "Intelligent Whale". He disposed of his interest in the project before any actual attempts to deploy the vessel were made, however.
After the war.
Following the Civil War, Bushnell returned to the railroad industry, and was one of the organizers of the Union Pacific Railroad. He died in New York City.
The town of Bushnell, Nebraska is named after him.


Tren Urbano

The Tren Urbano (English: Urban Train) is a fully automated rapid transit system that serves the municipalities of San Juan, Guaynabo and Bayamón in Puerto Rico. The Tren Urbano consists of 16 stations operating on 10.7 miles (17.2 km) of track along a single line.
The Tren Urbano complements other forms of public transportation services in the San Juan metropolitan area such as the Metropolitan Bus Authority, Cataño Ferry, taxis and shuttles. The entire mass transportation system is operated by the Integrated Transit Authority ("ATI"), The Tren Urbano system is operated by Alternate Concepts, Inc. (ACI). Tren Urbano is also the Caribbean's first rapid transit system.
History.
In the late 19th century while the island was under Spanish rule, regional rail systems were begun in Puerto Rico. The railroad continued to be in use under US rule for most of the first half of the 20th century and played a key role in the transportation of people and goods throughout the island. The railroad systems of the period also played a vital role in the sugarcane industry.
From 1901 to 1946 San Juan had a street tramway network known as “Trolley” de San Juan operated by the Porto Rico Railway, Light and Power Company with more than of tracks and ran between San Juan and Santurce. During its heyday, it was the most modern electric streetcar system in Puerto Rico, rivaling New York and Toronto and transported nearly 10 million passengers a year. Today there are plans to bring back the tram to the heart of San Juan to complement the Tren Urbano.
During the 1950s, an industrial boom, due in part to development programs such as Operation Bootstrap, led to the downfall of agriculture as the principal industry on the island. During this decade automobiles became more widely available. Newer, and more efficient roads and highways along with the closure of sugarcane mills displaced the need for rail transportation. It was not long that it was realized that an alternative means of mass transportation was needed in addition to the public bus system to alleviate the severe traffic situation that was being created, especially in the San Juan metropolitan area.
Return of rail transit.
Proposals.
In 1967, proposals were made for the construction of a rapid rail transit system to serve the city of San Juan. In 1971, the major T.U.S.C.A. study—funded jointly by the Puerto Rico Planning Board and the U.S. federal government— recommended an islandwide, elevated transit system and new community development program. That proposal would have traversed and also served the San Juan Metro Area, connecting it with the rest of the island without the necessity of highway construction. However, it was not until 1989 that Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works ("Departamento de Transportación y Obras Públicas" or DTOP in Spanish) officially adopted a proposal to begin design and construction of a rail system for the San Juan metropolitan area. The ridership demand for such a system had to be forecast using a mathematical model prepared by a team of transportation planners and engineers. By 1992, various alignments of the proposed system were considered, but the final design chosen served only certain parts of the metro area, and not Old San Juan. The name "Tren Urbano" (Urban Train) was chosen for the system. In 1993, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) selected it as a Turnkey Demonstration Projects under the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. During 1996 and 1997, seven design-build contracts were awarded for different segments of the Tren Urbano Phase 1 system.
A number of companies shared the tasks for building the Tren Urbano including Siemens AG which was granted a concession to design and build the line and its rolling stock, and to operate it for the first five years. The company won a contract which was a "first" for North America in the scope of the work which it involved, and which was awarded in July 1996.
Construction.
The construction project was plagued by delays, contractual disputes between the government and companies involved in the undertaking, as well as investigations into possible mismanagement of funds. The project cost was US $2.28 billion.
Free service.
The rail system was officially inaugurated on . After this date, free service was offered on weekends until April, 2005 when weekdays were added to the free service. Popularity grew quickly and by the end of the free period 40,000 people were using the train on a daily basis. By late 2005, however, ridership had fallen to 24,000, less than one-third of the 80,000 projection (and well below the projection of 110,000 for 2010).
Paid service.
Paid fare service started on . In 2006, average weekday boardings stood at 28,179 and in 2007, ridership decreased to 27,567. Nonetheless, by the third quarter of 2008 average weekday ridership had increased to 36,500.
Issues and concerns.
The Tren Urbano has no service to Old San Juan, Santurce, the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (nor to many other parts of Guaynabo, Bayamón, and San Juan), and does not serve important suburbs like Cataño, Toa Baja, Toa Alta, Carolina, Trujillo Alto, Canóvanas and others, which helps to explain low ridership. Some question the viability of this system for additional reasons, such as the lack of an island-wide public-transportation system, such as the T.U.S.C.A. system proposed in 1971. The inner-city, public bus transportation system—the Metropolitan Bus Authority (AMA)—that operates in the Greater San Juan Metro Area is considered unreliable by most people, and it does not have a regular schedule. Integration with public mass transit systems, such as the AMA and the AcuaExpreso (an urban ferry), was initially poor and remains a challenge for the DTOP.
COVID-19 crisis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico, services on the Tren Urbano were halted by executive order to try to stop the spread of the virus.
Route.
Tren Urbano is currently made up of a single rapid transit route. It consists of 16 stations, ten of which are elevated, four at grade or in open cuttings, and two underground. It goes mostly through suburban areas. All stations are designed to handle three permanently coupled pairs (6 vehicles). The stations in the system are:
Each of the 16 stations boasts unique artwork and architectural style.
A maintenance depot and operations control center is located halfway along the route, between Martínez Nadal and Torrimar stations.
Fares.
A single trip costs $1.50 ($0.75 if customers transfer from an AMA bus) including a 1-hour bus transfer period. If a customer exits the station and wants to get back on the train the full fare must be re-paid; there is no train to train transfer period. Students and Seniors (60–74 years old) pay 75 cents per trip. Senior citizens older than 75 and children under 6 ride for free. Several unlimited passes are also available.
A stored-value multi-use farecard may be used for travel on buses as well as on trains. The value on the card is automatically deducted each time it is used. It is a system similar to the MetroCard system used in New York City.
Rolling stock.
Tren Urbano's fleet consists of 74 Siemens, stainless steel-bodied cars, each long. Each vehicle carries 72 seated and 108 standing passengers. Trains have a maximum speed of , and average including stops. All cars operate as married pairs and up to three pairs will run together at any time. Tren Urbano currently operates 15 trains during rush hours, while the remaining cars stand at the yards or serve as backup should a train experience problems. The rolling stock was assembled at the Siemens plant in Sacramento, California.
Power is provided by AC traction motors, chosen over DC as they contain fewer moving parts and require less maintenance. The trains share many characteristics with the stock built by Siemens for Boston MBTA's Blue Line route (700 series). It is electrified by third rail at 750 V DC.
Air-conditioning systems have been specially designed to cope with the hot and muggy conditions commonly experienced in the metropolitan area.
A yellow color powered flat car is visible at the maintenance facility. Some metro cars have been used to transport material when not in service.
Tren Urbano facilities.
Rolling stock for Tren Urbano metro cars are stored at Hogar del Nifio Operations and Maintenance Building at Avenida Rafael Martínez Nadal near Puerto Rico 21. It is a short distance from Martínez Nadal station.
The metro cars are stored on outdoor tracks and a large maintenance building for servicing the fleet.
Both Bayamon and Sagrado Corazon station have dead end tracks at the end of their respective station that can store two train sets.
Bus terminals.
The bus system in the San Juan metropolitan area has been designed around the Tren Urbano. Five train stations also serve as bus terminals: Sagrado Corazón, Piñero, Cupey, Martínez Nadal, and Bayamón.
Expansion plans.
The infrastructure of the Tren Urbano, with stations built for six–car train sets and a minimum headway of 90 seconds, has a maximum capacity of 40,000 passengers per hour per direction, compared to 3,000 passengers per hour per direction for the current peak hour 8 minute headway and 4-car trains, and to an actual daily ridership of roughly 40,000 commuters. The train system is thus working at 13.33 per cent capacity, and also well under the 110,000 rail passengers planned by 2010.
In addition, with a fleet of 74 rail vehicles in the local yard to cover at least double the 10.7 miles (17.2 km) system length, and with all the basic facilities and capital equipment needed for the functioning in place, it is indispensable that the train be extended as it was originally intended to include higher-density areas of the central district for it to be operationally successful and sustainable.
The Puerto Rico's Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) plans include:
Other projects.
There are several projects to improve public transport connectivity:


Jerome, West Virginia

Jerome is an uninhabited community along the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad main line in Morgan County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located entirely within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park on the Potomac River. Jerome is also the site of a stretch of the Western Maryland Railway right-of-way from milepost 126 to milepost 160 listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Located in the "Paw Paw Bends", Jerome was considered to be one of the most inaccessible places reached by the Western Maryland Rwy.
At Jerome, the train order office was in use until it was closed on September 1, 1959. When it was abandoned by the Chessie System in May 1975, the office was not torn down and is one of the few buildings that remain today in Jerome. There was also an operating connection with the B&O "low line" ("see Magnolia, West Virginia") at milepost 137 but it was later removed when the B&O abandoned the low line in 1961. The community and its station on the railroad are rumored to have been named for Jérôme Bonaparte.


Buffalo Car Manufacturing Company

Buffalo Car Manufacturing Company, also known as Buffalo Car Company or Buffalo Car Works, was an American manufacturer of railroad freight cars in the late 19th century. In 1899, this company was merged with twelve others to form American Car and Foundry Company.
History.
Buffalo Car Works (1853–1857).
Buffalo Car Works was founded in 1853 in Black Rock, New York by D.J. Townsend and George Coit, Jr. to build railroad cars. By 1854, the company had also adopted the name "Buffalo Car Company". By 1856, its plant on land between the New York Central Railroad's main line through Buffalo and the Niagara River encompassed 15 buildings. During the Panic of 1857, the company experienced a financial failure and was sold off by the government.
Buffalo Car Manufacturing Company (1872–1899).
The newer company was founded as the Buffalo Car Company in 1872 by William Williams. The company's facility in Buffalo was leased by the Gilbert Car Company in 1879. Buffalo merged with Niagara Car Wheel Company in 1890. The consolidated company became known as Buffalo Car Manufacturing Company and entered into a business relationship with Union Car Company, based in Depew, New York. Buffalo and Union were both operated independently for the next decade despite their business relationship and their manufacturing shops being located in relatively close proximity to each other.
In 1895, Buffalo was awarded a contract, valued at $900,000, from New York Central Railroad to build its most expensive freight cars to date with an order for 1,500 boxcars. The cars were to feature air brakes, automatic couplers and all-steel trucks. Buffalo was awarded another lucrative contract in 1898 to build 500 hopper cars for the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway; although the cars included drop doors to unload the cars through the floor, the cars were intended to be used in conjunction with a car dumper that would unload the car through end doors directly into the hold of a coal-fired ship.
American Car and Foundry Company.
In 1899, Buffalo and twelve other companies, including Union Car Company, were merged to form American Car and Foundry Company (ACF). The former Buffalo plant was used during World War I to manufacture munitions for the war. ACF closed the Buffalo plant in 1931 and then reopened it in 1940 to produce munitions for World War II; the plant closed again after the war and reopened again in 1951 to produce parts needed for nuclear weapons. ACF closed the Buffalo plant permanently in 1954.


Samuel Morse Felton Sr.

Samuel Morse Felton Sr. (1809–1889) was a civil engineer and railroad executive.
Early life.
Samuel Morse Felton was born on July 17, 1809 in West Newbury, Massachusetts. At the age of 14, he went into the grocery business and prepared for college. He graduated from Harvard University in 1833.
Career.
Felton was the Superintendent and engineer of the Fitchburg Railroad 1843-1851 and president of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad (PW&B) from 1851–1865, during the pivotal American Civil War era. In 1865, he suffered a stroke that left him with paralysis and compelled him to resign his role as President of the PW&B.
A few months after resigning from PW&B, he became the President of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. While at Pennsylvania Steel, Felton also served on the boards of directors of several railroads, including his former Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, the Northern Pacific Railway, and the Ogdensburg and Lake Champlain Railroad. In 1869 he was appointed by 18th President Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885, served 1869-1877), as a Commissioner to inspect the trans-continental and Pacific Railroads. He was also appointed by Governor John Albion Andrew as a member of the Hoosac Tunnel Commission.
He was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society in 1854.
Personal life.
Felton married Eleanor Stetson in 1839, and together they had three daughters. She died in 1847. In 1850, he married Maria Low Lippitt. Together, they had one daughter and three sons. One of his sons, Samuel Morse Felton Jr. (1853-1930), was also involved like his father with engineering and railroading with several different lines and supervised railroad operations in France on the Western Front in World War I (1914/1917-1918).
Felton was the brother of Harvard College / Harvard University president Cornelius Conway Felton in Cambridge, Massachusetts and attorney John B. Felton.
Later life and death.
Felton died on January 24, 1889 in Philadelphia.


Michael J. Ward

Michael J. Ward was the Chairman and CEO of CSX Corporation, a holding company focused on railroads, from 2003 to 2017.
Life.
Michael Ward served as chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corporation for fourteen years. Over his 40-year career, Mr. Ward headed CSX's operations, coal sales and marketing, and finance departments.
He is the oldest of eight siblings; his father owned a pool hall, which he started working in at the age of eleven. He was the first in his family to earn a college degree, which he paid for by working at an asphalt company during the summer. After getting his MBA from Harvard at his father's suggestion, he started working at Chessie System, which would later become CSX. He became President of CSX Transportation in 2000, then of CSX Corporation in 2002, then Chairman and CEO in 2003. In 2009, he was named Railway Age's Railroader of the Year. He stepped down as CEO of CSX in May 2017 and was succeeded by E. Hunter Harrison.


Capital Subdivision

The Capital Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of Maryland and the District of Columbia. The line runs from near Baltimore, Maryland, southwest to Washington, D.C., along the former Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road (B&O) Washington Branch. The subdivision's Alexandria Extension provides a connection to Virginia and points south.
Route description.
The northeast end of the line is at Halethorpe, Maryland, just north of the historic Thomas Viaduct, where it meets the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision and the Old Main Line Subdivision. Its southwest end is at the yard north of Union Station, at a junction with the Metropolitan Subdivision and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.
Between Elkridge and Laurel, the Capital Subdivision's rail alignment forms the border between Howard and Anne Arundel counties, having been built before Howard County was created from western Anne Arundel County in 1844.
MARC Train's Camden Line, descended from B&O commuter service between Baltimore and Washington, operates over the entire length of the main line.
History.
In 1831 the Maryland General Assembly authorized the B&O to build a branch from their main line within 8 miles (13 km) of Baltimore, to Washington. As this line would take much business from the parallel turnpikes, especially the Washington and Baltimore Turnpike, the charter specifically allowed those companies to subscribe to the stock of the railroad. Construction began in July 1833, and the line opened on August 25, 1835, splitting from the B&O main line at Relay, roughly 7 miles (11 km) from Baltimore.
Notable structural features on the original line include the Thomas Viaduct, the first multi-span masonry railroad bridge in the United States, and the largest bridge in the country when it was completed in 1835; and the earliest example of an iron truss bridge designed by Wendel Bollman and installed at Savage.
Washington depots.
The first B&O passenger station (1835–1851) was located west of the Capitol, at 2nd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. In 1851 the New Jersey Avenue Station was built at a point slightly north of the Capitol, on New Jersey Avenue NW, in the area now called Union Station Plaza. Trains reached that location via the current location of West Virginia Avenue, street-running trackage on I Street NE and Delaware Avenue, and private right-of-way just south of the current location of Louisiana Avenue. When the Washington Terminal Company opened the new Union Station in 1907, that alignment was changed to the current routing, partially using the former location of Delaware Avenue.
Acquisition.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway acquired control of the B&O in 1962, and the B&O and C&O both became a subsidiaries of the Chessie System in 1973. In 1980 the Chessie System merged with the Seaboard System to form CSX Corporation. In 1987 the CSX Corporation merged the B&O into the C&O, then, later that same year, merged the C&O into CSX Transportation (CSXT), which now owns the line.


Frank Abbott (politician)

Frank Abbott (1828–1893) was an American politician from New York.
Life.
Abbott was born on February 9, 1828, in New Haven, Connecticut. He attended the common schools, and became a machinist and railroad engineer. During the American Civil War he was connected with the operations of the Union Army railroad transportation. Later he was Master Mechanic of the Erie Railroad shops at Port Jervis, New York. He was the first Secretary and Treasurer of the Locomotive Engineers' Mutual Life Insurance Association, established in 1868.
He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Orange Co., 2nd D.) in 1872, elected as a Republican; and in 1873, elected as a Liberal Republican with Democratic endorsement.
He was a member of the New York State Senate (8th D.) in 1874. His election was contested by Republican Edward M. Madden, and Abbott's seat was vacated on February 4.
He was Mayor of Port Jervis, New York from 1874 to 1876. He died on April 20, 1893, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.


John Houston Laird

John Houston Laird (September 18, 1874 – 1959) was a railway conductor and political figure in Saskatchewan. He represented Moose Jaw City from 1934 to 1938 in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan as a Liberal.
He was born in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, the son of James Laird and Margaret Houston, and was educated at Prince of Wales College. In 1904, Laird married a Miss Derront. He worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway. He was also a Mason of a high degree and a member of the Order of Railway Conductors. Laird lived in Moose Jaw.


Chowchilla Wye

The Chowchilla Wye, or Central Valley Wye, is a planned high-speed rail flying wye junction to be located south of Chowchilla in the Central Valley of California. California High-Speed Rail trains will use the structure to switch between the three branches of the Phase I system: the line to the San Francisco Peninsula, the southern segment to Bakersfield and later Los Angeles, and initial spur to Merced where passengers may transfer to other services until the line is built to Sacramento. The north-south leg is planned to become operational with the Central Valley Segment opening in 2029, with the full facility coming online when the Peninsula line begins operations in 2031.
Planning.
A study in 2013 identifies 14 potential alignments for the Wye, referred to by the closest roads to be paralleled. These were parsed down to four options by 2017.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority February 2016 draft business plan outlined the Merced station as not beginning service at the same time as the initial San Jose to Bakersfield route in 2025, but would likely open in 2029 instead. This would make the leg between the Central Valley and Pacheco Pass the first to be constructed. The Merced City Council vigorously opposed the delay in their city's station opening, noting Merced's volume of commuters seeking high-speed rail to access jobs in Silicon Valley. In response, the April 2016 revisions to the business plan indeed included Merced in the initial construction segment, initially as a single-track spur connecting only to the westbound track to the Bay Area, with build out of the full Wye happening later.
By 2019, the California High-Speed Rail Authority had identified four potential routes, and a final alignment was chosen: the State Route 152 / Road 11 option. The board approved that alignment in September 2020.


Brock Gap

Brock Gap (variant Brock’s Gap) is a natural pass across Shades Mountain in Hoover, Alabama, most notable as being the location used by the South & North Railroad (S&N) to reach the Birmingham area in the late 19th century from the mineral deposits to the south, spurring economic development in the area.
Geographic description.
Brock Gap is located at an elevation of 518 feet (158 meters) above mean sea level. The surrounding Shades Mountain is over 700 feet in elevation.
Historical rail use.
John Milner was tasked by the State of Alabama in 1858 to survey a route across Shades Mountain for the S&N Railroad. The S&N was intended to connect the mineral resources south of Shades Mountain, coal, limestone, and iron ore, with the developing industries in the area of Jones Valley that would become Birmingham around the junction of the S&N Railroad and the Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad. Brock Gap was selected and the rail line north was constructed between 1858 and 1871, interrupted by the Civil War. At Brock Gap, workers used nitroglycerin to blast a cut 75 feet deep through limestone bedrock.
Current rail use.
Today, the 19th century cut is actively used by the CSX Lineville Subdivision, made up of part of the former Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic Railway, in its route from Birmingham to Atlanta, Georgia and Florida via Manchester, Georgia. The direct successor of the S&N Railroad, the CSX S&NA South Subdivision, is carried through a more recently constructed tunnel slightly east of the 19th century cut.


South Orient Railroad


The Progress of Railroading

The Progress of Railroading is group of public artworks by American artist Louis Saint-Gaudens. This series of six sculptures were cut by Andrew E. Bernasconi, a high-grade Italian stone workman, between 1909 and 1911. These statues are located at Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States. The sculptures represent deities related to rail transport in the United States.
Description.
Six figures which stand at 18 feet high are on the main facade of the Union Station building. These granite sculptures are placed above three connected triumphal arches that make up the main entrance of the building. The six figures represent and mean:
The east and west figures are meant to deal with the operational system behind railroads and the center figures represent creativity.
The west section is inscribed:
The center is inscribed:
The east side is inscribed:
Two eagles also flank the left and right side of the arches.
Creation process.
When the Station was being constructed debate erupted regarding "who" the figures would be or represent. Historical American figures were considered, however, they did not fit into the Baroque architecture of the building, therefore allegorical figures were chosen. Many people were consulted regarding what figures to have St. Gaudens sculpt including Charles W. Eliot, the former president of Harvard University.
Condition.
"The Progress of Railroading" sculptures were surveyed in 1994 by the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program and was described as needing treatment.


Albert Alonzo Robinson

Albert Alonzo Robinson (October 21, 1844 – November 7, 1918), sometimes referred to as Albert A. Robinson or A. A. Robinson, was an American civil engineer who rose through the ranks of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to eventually become the railroad's vice president and general manager. After resigning from the Santa Fe, Robinson became president of the Mexican Central Railway.
Youth and education.
He was born on October 21, 1844, near South Reading, Vermont. His mother moved the family, after his father's death, to Wisconsin, where Robinson worked as a clerk in his stepfather's store until 1861. When his stepfather became ill and closed the family store, Robinson turned to tobacco farming for a few years to support the family. In 1865 he enrolled at the University of Michigan where one of his older brothers, Stillman W. Robinson, was a faculty member. He graduated there in 1869, and two years later he earned a Master of Science degree. In 1900 he was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree.
Railroad career.
While studying for his advanced degrees, Robinson worked for the St. Joseph and Denver City Railroad in 1869 and 1870. He began his employment with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway on April 1, 1871. Robinson took on many railroad building challenges for the Santa Fe, and under his guidance, the railroad built nearly 5,000 miles of track, including the connection from Topeka, Kansas, to Chicago, Illinois, and the railroad's expansion into Texas and New Mexico before he resigned in 1893.
In 1893, when the Santa Fe entered receivership, he was the popular choice among the railroad's employees to become president. But it was Joseph Reinhart, whose connections in the financial industry played a more important role, who became the Santa Fe's president. Robinson resigned from the Santa Fe to take the presidency of the Mexican Central Railway instead. This move may have been the best for Robinson after all as the Santa Fe struggled to regain solvency for the next year and as the press placed the blame for the railroad's collapse squarely on Reinhart.
He died in Topeka on November 7, 1918.


Wisconsin Central Ltd.

Wisconsin Central Ltd. is a railroad subsidiary of Canadian National. At one time, its parent Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation owned or operated railroads in the United States, Canada (Algoma Central Railway), the United Kingdom (English Welsh & Scottish), New Zealand (Tranz Rail), and Australia (Australian Transport Network).
Overview.
Wisconsin Central Ltd. (WC) started in US in the mid-1980s using most of the original Wisconsin Central Railway's rights of way and some former Milwaukee Road rights of way after the Soo Line Railroad acquired the Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Minnesota holdings of the bankrupt Milwaukee Road and divested its older railway trackage in Wisconsin. In 1993 the Wisconsin Central also acquired the Green Bay and Western Railroad and the Fox River Valley Railroad.
In 1995, Wisconsin Central acquired the Canadian Algoma Central Railway whose tracks ran north of Sault Saint Marie to Hearst, Ontario. The Algoma Central runs a popular tourist passenger train through the Agawa Canyon and Agawa Canyon Wilderness Park near Lake Superior Provincial Park.
In 2001, the Wisconsin Central was purchased by Canadian National. Along with the former Illinois Central Railroad, the former Wisconsin Central became part of Canadian National's United States holdings and its property integrated into the CN system.
At the time of its sale to Canadian National, Wisconsin Central operated over of track in the Great Lakes region. The railroad extended from Chicago into and through Wisconsin to Minneapolis-Saint Paul and Duluth, Minnesota, to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, and north (through the Algoma Central Railway) to Hearst, Ontario.


Newtown Junction

Newtown Junction is the rail junction point where the Newtown Branch joins the SEPTA Main Line. The Warminster Line, West Trenton Line, and Lansdale/Doylestown Line all continue north toward Fern Rock along the old Reading trunk while the Fox Chase Line heads east toward Olney. North of Fox Chase, the line crossed over the West Trenton Line between the Meadowbrook and Bethayres stations and had its terminus in Newtown, hence the name Newtown Junction. Until 1983, SEPTA ran diesel train service past Fox Chase to Newtown after taking over line operations from Conrail. However, the branch, single-tracked north of Fox Chase, was never electrified, and service was "temporarily" suspended in January 1983.


Connecticut Commuter Rail Council

The Connecticut Commuter Rail Council is an independent state board that acts as an advocate for commuters on the Metro-North, Hartford Line, and Shore Line East railroads in the state of Connecticut.
The Council holds regular, public meetings once a month (except in the summer) with Metro-North and Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) officials to discuss concerns of commuters. The Council also solicits complaints from riders, issues annual reports on rail service and lobbies on behalf of commuters before state boards, offices, the governor and the Connecticut Legislature.
Activities.
Board meetings are held in communities with commuter railroad stations, including Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, New London, and occasionally Darien and Westport. One meeting a year is held at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, and one meeting is held at a town served by the Waterbury Branch.
The Connecticut group is distinct from the Metro-North Rail Commuter Council in New York state. By law it must send its annual reports to that body as well as the Management Advisory Board of the Office of the Inspector General of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York.
The powers and duties of the Council are advisory and non-binding in nature as evidenced in the enabling statute:
Sec. 13b-212c. Powers and duties. The Metro-North New Haven Rail Commuter Council shall study and investigate all aspects of the daily operation of the New Haven commuter railroad line, monitor its performance and recommend changes to improve the efficiency and the quality of service of the operation of such line. The council may request and shall receive from any department, division, board, bureau, commission, agency, public authority of the state or any political subdivision thereof such assistance and data as it requests and will enable it to properly carry out its activities for the purposes set forth herein. The council shall report its findings and recommendations annually on or before January fifteenth, to the Governor, the Commissioner of Transportation, the Connecticut Public Transportation Commission, the General Assembly, the Metro North Rail Commuter Council located in New York and the management advisory board of the office of the inspector general of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority located in New York.
Membership.
From the Connecticut law establishing the commuter council (Sec. 13b-212b. Metro North New Haven Rail Commuter Council established):
(a) There is established a Connecticut Commuter Rail Council which shall consist of fifteen members, all of whom shall be (1) commuters who regularly use the transportation services of the New Haven commuter railroad line which includes the New Canaan, Danbury and Waterbury branches of such line, (2) commuters who regularly use the transportation services of the Shoreline East railroad line, or (3) residents of a municipality in which the Commissioner of Transportation has proposed a new rail line or which has commenced operation after July 1, 2013. Members shall be appointed as follows: (A) The Governor shall appoint four members, one of whom shall be the chief elected official of a municipality located on an operating or proposed new rail line; (B) the president pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint three members; (C) the speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members; (D) the minority leader of the Senate shall appoint one member; (E) the minority leader of the House of Representatives shall appoint one member; (F) the chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to transportation shall each appoint one member, one of whom shall be from a municipality in which the Commissioner of Transportation has proposed a new rail line or which has commenced operation after July 1, 2013, and one of whom shall be from a municipality in which a station for the Shoreline East railroad line is located; and (G) the ranking members of said committee shall jointly appoint one member who shall be from a municipality served by the Danbury or Waterbury branches of the New Haven commuter railroad line. Each member shall serve for a term of four years commencing on August 1, 2013. All initial appointments to the council shall be made by August 1, 2013. Any vacancy shall be filled by the original appointing authority by appointment for the unexpired portion of any term. Members of the council shall serve until their respective successors are appointed and approved by the General Assembly.
Current members.
The following members were appointed to the Council for the year 2019


Grafton and Upton Railroad

The Grafton and Upton Railroad is a Class III short line railroad in east-central Massachusetts. This 16.5 mile line runs from Grafton to Milford and connects to CSX Transportation lines at both ends. Following a period of decline and neglect, maintenance and repairs began in 2008 with the aim of returning the line to operable condition.
History.
The Grafton Centre Railroad was chartered October 22, 1873 and opened August 20, 1874 as a narrow gauge connection from Grafton to a junction with the Boston and Albany Railroad at North Grafton. The last narrow gauge train ran on July 9, 1887. The line was converted to on September 1, 1887.
On February 17, 1888, the name was changed to the Grafton and Upton Railroad by an act of the state legislature. An extension to West Upton opened on March 12, 1889, and an extension to Milford opened on May 17, 1890, connecting to the Milford and Woonsocket Railroad, later a line of the New Haven Railroad.
The Upton Street Railway was absorbed in 1902 and named the 'Electric Loop' or 'Upton Loop'. Passenger service on this loop and the main line was provided by cars leased from the Milford and Uxbridge Street Railway.
In November 1894 William F. Draper of the Draper Company was appointed to the Board of Directors. The Draper Company eventually purchased the G&U and operated it as a subsidiary.
Electric operations typically took place during the daytime, while steam locomotives used the tracks during the nighttime hours. The G&U ceased passenger service on August 31, 1928. U.S. Mail service along with Railway Express service ceased in 1952. Electric operations ceased on July 3, 1946 and the railroad dieselized during the 1950s. It was at this time that the whole line was upgraded to a heavier grade of track, the first overhaul since the narrow gauge was replaced in 1887.
The Draper Company sold the G&U in 1967 to Rockwell International. Rockwell sold the G&U to a trucking company, Torco, Inc. of Worcester on January 29, 1979. Traffic has fluctuated over the years of Torco ownership.
The last train to Hopedale was in 1988 and for the next 5 years activity was localized solely to the Grafton yard. In 1993 the G&U bought their current engine, the St. Louis Union Station 212 and began hauling salt to Upton once again. This activity lasted until the late 90s.
Torco, Inc. eventually sold the G&U to the Lucy Family. In 2008 the G&U passed hands once again to Jon Delli Priscoli. Delli Priscoli has made clear his intentions to revitalize the railroad in its entirety from Grafton to Milford, and work began in earnest in early 2008.
2000s renovation.
In 2004 a test run was made on the track from North Grafton to West Upton. The track was determined to be in usable condition, however track beyond this point was so deteriorated that it would have been dangerous to operate a train.
In March 2008, 50% of the largely dormant G&U was sold, with the option to purchase the rest. Some in the town of Upton opposed any re-opening or increased use of the railroad line but were unable to have any influence. "We can't stop the railroad," said Selectmen Chairwoman Marsha Paul, "It is going to open. It will be about two years. It's something we'll have to monitor and watch." The new owner, Delli Priscoli, claims that "Railroads are coming back."
In October 2008 the North Grafton depot was expanded to accommodate two cars instead of one.
On December 31, 2009, a test run was conducted, and it was announced that the portion of the line from North Grafton to West Upton was operable.
This is the largest rehabilitation the line has seen since the 1950s.
An article in the "Milford Daily News" dated September 11, 2012, stated: "State and local officials drove a ceremonial spike into a South Main Street railroad crossing Monday, signifying the start of reconstruction of the Milford and Hopedale portion of the Grafton and Upton Railroad... Work on the Milford and Hopedale stretch is part of the second phase of getting the railroad back in shape... The first phase of the work was the stretch of track from Grafton to West Upton... [Railroad spokesman Doug Pizzi ] said that he expects crossing construction in Milford will begin within the next month and hopes the entire track will be completed by the end of the year."
As of March 2018, the following is complete:
MBTA Proposals.
In July 2011, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization started studies into extending Franklin Line service from Forge Park/495 into Milford and Hopedale. This study would be the first study into this since a former study in 1997, which concluded that the extension was not high-priority. The study looked into a station in Hopedale, near the privately owned Draper Mill, and infill stations in Milford and Bellingham. A second Milford station was proposed in a 2003 plan for the town near the intersections of Depot and Central Street, but it lies on a spur off of the tracks. Although the study was completed, the extension was put on hold for the near future.
Locomotive fleet.
Until 2017, the Grafton and Upton operated a fleet of various EMD locomotives, including GP7s, GP9s, CF7s, and an F7. These were replaced by one leased and three purchased MP15AC locomotives in 2017 and 2018.


PATrain

The PATrain, also known as Mon Valley Commuter Rail, was a commuter rail service operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County in the Monongahela Valley in the US state of Pennsylvania. Service began in 1975 when the Port Authority assumed control of the Pittsburgh–McKeesport–Versailles commuter trains operated by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) (part of the Chessie System). The Port Authority discontinued the service in 1989.
History.
Private operation.
In the early 1970s, the Port Authority (PAT)which had controlled all bus and streetcar service in Allegheny County since 1964had negotiated with the B&O and Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (P&LE), the last two private sector commuter operators in the region, about the possibility of expanded rail service. At the time, the B&O operated six weekday round trips between Pittsburgh and Versailles, while the P&LE operated a single weekday round trip between Pittsburgh and Beaver Falls. The Pennsylvania Railroad had ended service on its six commuter routes in 1964, citing lack of patronage.
Neither the B&O nor the P&LE showed much interest in expanded service, citing existing operating losses and declining patronage. PAT then proposed that it take ownership of the B&O's service, with the B&O operating it under contract. The B&O trains made the run from McKeesport to Pittsburgh in 25 minutes, twice as fast as comparable bus service. Among the strongest supporters in the local government were then-mayor Peter F. Flaherty and County Commissioner William Hunt. Another champion was Harold Geissenheimer, PAT's director of transit operations. In 1974 PAT estimated capital costs for a three-year trial at $1.7 million, plus $1.9 million in operating costs. The capital costs would be split between the federal government, the state of Pennsylvania, and the county, and would include the purchase of two locomotives and nine coaches. PAT would increase the existing two-car trains to four-car trains, while also increasing frequency of service. The per-passenger subsidy was estimated at 95 cents, compared to 6–13 cents for the typical bus passenger. Daily ridership then stood at 300; PAT's best case projection was 3,000. A proposal by Hunt to extend service further to Elizabeth was unsuccessful: the route was owned by the P&LE, which requested $500,000 to rehabilitate the line. This the state would not provide, as the line would still mostly carry P&LE freight traffic and not commuters.
The PAT takes over.
On February 1, 1975, PAT took over the service from the B&O. By mid-1977, daily ridership had grown to 1,400, a significant increase over the B&O days. On the other hand, the per-passenger subsidy stood at $2.77, nearly three times the 1974 projection, while the bus subsidy was 8 cents per passenger. Defenders pointed out that the figure included capital costs (including a payment of $10,000 per month to the B&O for equipment leasing), which inflated costs and made the comparison inexact. In addition, the PATrain made the trip between Versailles and Pittsburgh in 23 minutes, while it took over an hour by bus.
In 1978, PAT renewed its agreement with the B&O, and was finally able to secure the capital funding for the new equipment plus a new intermodal transportation center in McKeesport. The McKeesport Transportation Center opened on December 21, 1981. In addition to buses and the PATrain, the center saw service from Amtrak's Chicago–Washington "Capitol Limited". Additional capital improvements included the construction of new park and ride lots at Braddock and Versailles and the addition of a new stop at Port Vue.
In mid-1979, service stood at eight round-trips Monday–Friday and five round-trips on Saturday. (There was no service on Sundays.) Three round-trips terminated at McKeesport, with the remainder continuing to Versailles. In a nod to railroad tradition, the Port Authority assigned names to the trains: "PATrain", "Early Bird", "Pittsburgher", "Golden Triangle", "Shopper", "Mid Day", "Mon Valley", "McKeesporter", and "Youghiogheny".
Decline and discontinuance.
Daily ridership peaked in 1981 at 1,800 during the reconstruction of Parkway East (which had spawned the short-lived PennDOT-operated "Parkway Limited"). By 1983 daily ridership had dropped below 1,300, spread over eight daily round trips. Operating expenses for FY 1982–83 were $1.8 million, of which only $500,000 was recovered. PAT's operations director cited multiple factors, including fare increases, van pools, and a generally poor economic situation in the Monongahela Valley.
PAT discontinued service after April 28, 1989, citing declining ridership and increasing operating losses. PAT instituted express bus service to cover the route.
Equipment.
Trains operated in push-pull mode. A typical consist in the 1980s was three-four coaches, the last of which was fitted for cab control. Motive power was provided by a pair of refurbished EMD F7A diesel-electric locomotives. The trains were painted in a brown-and-orange scheme. PAT owned ten ex-Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) coaches, all originally built by Pullman-Standard. When service ended in 1989 the equipment was sold to the Connecticut Department of Transportation to bootstrap the new Shore Line East service. At times Budd Rail Diesel Cars were used instead.
Route.
Inbound PATrains originated at Versailles (1st & Wampler). They then used P&LE Liberty Boro Bridge to cross the Youghiogheny River to reach Port Vue-Liberty (along River Road). Departing Port Vue, trains turned east and crossed the Youghiogheny a second time via the P&LE McKeesport Bridge to reach McKeesport (Lysle Boulevard & Sinclair). Trains then followed the north bank of the Monongahela River, heading north-northwest toward Braddock (6th & Washington). Finally, trains continued running west along the river to reach the B&O's Grant Street Station in downtown Pittsburgh. Grant Street was a commuter-only station; all B&O's intercity traffic used the P&LE's station on the opposite side of the river (now Station Square). Trains made intermediate stops at Hazelwood and Glenwood as late as 1976.


Indiana Boxcar Corporation

The Indiana Boxcar Corporation (IBC), based in Connersville, Indiana, United States, provides services such as locomotive leasing to the rail industry. It also owned several short-line railroads which operated lines under contract for their owners:
In 2019, four lines were transferred to the new Midwest and Bluegrass Rail holding.


Garrett County, Maryland

Garrett County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2010 census, the population was 30,097, making it the third-least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Oakland. The county was named for John Work Garrett (1820–1884), president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Created from Allegany County, Maryland in 1872, it was the last Maryland county to be formed.
Garrett County has long been part of the media market of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is considered to be a part of Western Maryland.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is to the north. The Maryland–Pennsylvania boundary is commonly known as the Mason–Dixon line. The eastern border with Allegany County was defined by the Bauer Report, submitted to Governor Lloyd Lowndes, Jr. on November 9, 1898. The Potomac River and State of West Virginia lie to the south and west.
Garrett County lies in the Allegheny Mountains, which here form the western flank of the Appalachian Mountain Range. Hoye-Crest, a summit along Backbone Mountain, is the highest point in Maryland.
The Eastern Continental Divide runs along portions of Backbone Mountain. The western part of the county, drained by the Youghiogheny River, is the only part of Maryland within the Mississippi River drainage basin. All other parts of the county are in the Chesapeake Bay basin.
The National Register of Historic Places listings in Garrett County, Maryland has 20 National Register of Historic Places properties and districts, including Casselman Bridge, National Road a National Historic Landmark. Garrett County is part of Maryland's 6th congressional district. The extreme south of the county lies within the United States National Radio Quiet Zone.
History.
In the early 20th century, the railroad and tourism started to decline. Coal mining and timber production continued at a much slower pace. Today, tourism has made a dramatic rebound in the county with logging and farming making up the greatest part of the economic base. Due to a cool climate and lack of any large city, Garrett County has remained a sparsely populated rural area.
Geography.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Maryland by land area.
Garrett County is Maryland's westernmost, bordered to the north by the Mason–Dixon line with Pennsylvania, to the south and west by West Virginia (with the Potomac River forming its southern boundary), and to the east by a land border with Allegany County, Maryland. The county's northwesternmost point is approximately southeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and its southeasternmost point is approximately northwest of Baltimore, Maryland.
Garrett County is located entirely within the highland zone of the Appalachian Mountains known variously as the Allegheny Mountains, the Allegheny Plateau, and the Appalachian Plateau. The county's highest elevations are located along four flat-topped ridges and range to a height of at Hoye-Crest along Backbone Mountain, the highest point in the state of Maryland. As is typical in the Allegheny region, broad flats generally lie below the ridge crests at elevations of approximately . River valleys are generally narrow and deep, with ravines typically 1,000 to below surrounding peaks.
The county contains over of parks, lakes, and publicly accessible forestland. It is drained by two river systems, the Potomac and the Youghiogheny. The Savage River, a tributary of the Potomac, drains about a third of the county. The Casselman River, a tributary of the Youghiogheny, flows north from the county's central section into Pennsylvania. The Youghiogheny itself drains the westernmost area of the county and flows north into Pennsylvania, where it empties into the Monongahela River at McKeesport, just south of Pittsburgh.
Geologic points of interest.
The Glades.
The Glades' is of great scientific interest because it is an ombrotrophic system (fed solely by rainwater) with peat layers up to thick, and is one of the oldest examples of mountain peatland in the Appalachians.
On the western edge of the Savage River State Forest along Maryland Route 495 lies Bittinger, Maryland, which is named after Henry Bittinger, who first settled in the area and who was joined by other German settlers moving in and taking up the fertile farmland. On the eastern edge of Bittinger is one of the largest glades area of Garrett County. Geographically, this is an area that seems to have been affected by the last great ice sheet of North America. Two miles southeast of Bittinger, there is a large deposit of peat moss.
Loess Dunes.
In the Casselman River valley, south of Grantsville, Maryland and beside Maryland Route 495, one can see remains of geological evidence about the last great ice sheet over North America. A series of low mounds can be seen in the fields on the west side of Maryland Route 495 that are "loess" (wind-blown) material. Apparently, these are the only ones still visible in the northern part of Garrett County.
The mounds were formed when a glacier lake existed in the Casselman valley, and the ice around the edges of the frozen lake melted. Wind blew fine grains of earth into the water around the edges where it sank to the bottom, and the mounds were the result of the deposit of this wind-blown material.
Forests, rivers, caves.
See these articles for information on the forests, rivers, and caves of Garrett County:
Parks and recreation.
Garrett County contains over of parks, lakes, and publicly accessible forestland. Popular activities in the county include camping, hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, alpine and cross-county skiing, snowmobiling, hunting, ice fishing, fly fishing, whitewater canoeing, kayaking, rafting, boating, swimming, sailing, horseback riding, and water skiing.
State parks.
There are seven state parks in Garrett County. All offer picnic and fishing areas; all but Casselman River State Park have hiking paths. Mountain bike paths, swimming areas, and boat launches and rentals are available at Deep Creek, Herrington Manor, and New Germany state parks. Rental cabins are available at Herrington Manor and New Germany state parks. Big Run, Deep Creek, Herrington Manor, and New Germany state parks all offer canoeing, while campsites may be found at Big Run, Deep Creek, New Germany, and Swallow Falls state parks.
County parks.
Garrett County owns four park sites and fifteen recreation facilities. The parks are maintained in cooperation with local associations and civic groups. The recreation areas are attached to public schools and colleges and maintained by the Garrett County Board of Education.
Municipal parks.
The municipal parks of Garrett County provide sport facilities, hiking, bike and walk paths, playgrounds, picnic areas, boat ramps, and fishing.
Libraries and Museums.
The Ruth Enlow Library was founded in 1915 as the Oakland Free Public Library. Since then, an additional four branches have been added to the library system in Accident, Friendsville, Grantsville, and Kitzmiller. The present director of the library is Thomas Vose.
The Garrett County Historical Society and Museums include a Historical Museum, a Transportation Museum, the Grantsville Museum and the Leo Beachley Photographic Archives.
Demographics.
2000 census.
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,846 people, 11,476 households, and 8,354 families residing in the county. The population density was 18/km2 (46/sq mi). There were 16,761 housing units at an average density of 10/km2 (26/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 98.83% White, 0.43% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. 0.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.1% were of German, 22.9% identified as American, 9.6% English and 8.8% Irish ancestry.
There were 11,476 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.10% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,238, and the median income for a family was $37,811. Males had a median income of $29,469 versus $20,673 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,219. 13.30% of the population and 9.80% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 16.60% are under the age of 18 and 13.90% are 65 or older.
2010 census.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 30,097 people, 12,057 households, and 8,437 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 18,854 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 35.4% were German, 13.6% identified as American, 11.3% were Irish, and 11.3% were English.
Of the 12,057 households, 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.0% were non-families, and 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 42.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,760 and the median income for a family was $56,545. Males had a median income of $40,035 versus $27,325 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,888. About 8.9% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those aged 65 or over.
Garrett County is home to an Amish community in the Oakland area that consists of a church district of about 70 homes. The Amish community dates back to 1850 and became associated with the New Order Amish, with electricity permitted inside of homes.
Politics and government.
Government.
The County is governed by an elected three-member Board of County Commissioners, whose members serve four-year terms and must live in the district they represent. The Board is the traditional form of county government in Maryland. It may exercise only those powers conferred by the General Assembly of Maryland, and even those powers are narrowly construed.
Garrett County is administered under a line organizational method, with the County Administrator responsible for the general administration of County Government. The administration of the County is centralized with the County Administrator responsible for overseeing the financial planning, annual budget process, personnel management, and direction and management of operations within the organization.
County seal.
On December 15, 1977, the seal of Garrett County went into effect by virtue of Resolution #7. The seal is elliptical, with the name "Garrett County" inscribed above the upper fourth of the ellipse, and "Maryland 1872" inscribed below the lower fourth of the ellipse. The date "1872" depicts the year of the formation of Garrett County. The seal illustrates a large snowflake to depict winter; water to represent sailing; and oaks and conifer to represent the county's mountains. The colors are peacock blue for the sky and water. The blue and white background is divided by kelly green.
County flag.
The official flag for Garrett County is elliptical. The flag illustrates a large snowflake to depict winter; water to represent sailing; and oaks and conifer to represent the county's mountains. The colors are peacock blue for the sky and water. The blue and white background is divided by kelly green.
Politics.
Although since the Civil War Maryland has been a Democratic-leaning state, Garrett County, owing to its history of German settlement from north of the Mason–Dixon line, plus strong pre-war Unionism resulting from virtual absence of slaves, has always been strongly Republican. Since it was created in 1872, Garrett is one of forty counties across the nation (chiefly Unionist strongholds in antebellum slave states) to have never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate. Compared with neighbouring and closely allied Grant County, West Virginia, Garrett has not shown quite the same levels of Republican support – Lyndon Johnson did get within 109 votes of Barry Goldwater in 1964 – but as with Grant County, the only occasion Garrett County has not been carried by the official Republican nominee occurred in 1912 when a major split in the Republican Party allowed "Bull Moose Party" nominee and former President Theodore Roosevelt to claim the county.
Law enforcement.
The county is policed by the Garrett County Sheriff's Office and the Maryland State Police.
The state parks are policed by the Department of Natural Resources Police.
Economy.
Garrett County produces natural gas, the only county in the state to do so. Much of the economic activity in the area centers around the outdoors. In the winter, the Wisp ski resort in Oakland and New Germany State Park's cross county skiing trail are frequent destinations, and Deep Creek Lake sees much activity in the summer. The state parks in the county are frequented year-round.
Transportation.
Airport.
Garrett County Airport (2G4) is a general aviation airport surrounded by the mountains of Western Maryland. The airport enhances the region's tourist industry and provides emergency air service evacuation and landing facilities for general aviation.
Media.
Garrett County is part of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania television market. KDKA-TV and WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pennsylvania serves Oakland, the county seat. Oakland also has an educational television station (by way of PBS member station WGPT, part of state-wide Maryland Public Television; it also serves Pittsburgh-based member station WQED).
It has a weekly newspaper, the "Garrett County Republican", which was purchased by NCWV Media in 2017.
Events.
Annual events include the Autumn Glory Festival, the Scottish Highland Festival, and the Garrett County Fair.
Communities.
Census-designated places.
The United States Census Bureau recognizes seven census-designated places (CDPs) in Garrett County.
Unincorporated communities.
The following communities are classified as populated places or locales by the Geographic Names Information System.
Education.
Garrett County Public Schools operates public schools. There are only two public high schools in the entire county, which are Southern Garrett High School and Northern Garrett High School.


Hetch Hetchy 6

Hetch Hetchy Railroad no. 6 is a standard gauge three truck Shay locomotive built for the Hetch Hetchy Railroad by Lima Locomotive Works in 1921.
Although it operated as a common carrier, the Hetch Hetchy Railroad was built by the City of San Francisco to build the O'Shaughnessy Dam across Hetch Hetchy Valley as part of the city's water supply. The dam was completed in 1923 and the railroad scaled back operations, selling some of its equipment, including #6, which was sold to Pickering Lumber Corporation in Standard, California. The locomotive served Pickering's logging operations until 1958 when it was retired.
The railroad operated four Shays at different times. Number 6 was by far the largest, the only three truck Shay of the lot and weighing more than twice as much as the others.
It is in a small collection of railroad equipment owned by the National Park Service near El Portal, California. Number 6 was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as Hetch Hetchy Railroad Engine No.6.


Atchison and Nebraska Railroad

The Atchison and Nebraska Railroad was a railroad company in the states of Kansas and Nebraska, United States.
It was initially chartered on December 8, 1865, as the Atchison and Nebraska City Railroad but "City" was dropped from the name when it was formally organized in 1869. The charter authorized the railroad to be built from Atchison, Kansas, to some point on the Nebraska/Kansas border, not farther west than from the Missouri River. Work began on the railroad in Atchison in the summer of 1869 and it was completed to the state line, three miles (5 km) north of White Cloud, Kansas, in 1871. On November 3, 1871, the railroad absorbed the Atchison, Lincoln and Columbus Railroad, and completed building the railroad north into Lincoln, Nebraska, by the fall of 1872.
On January 24, 1908, a special meeting of stockholders in the A&N was held to discuss the sale of the railroad to the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The A&N property was transferred to the Burlington on February 24, 1908.


8 (Los Angeles Railway)

8 was a streetcar line in Los Angeles, California. It was operated by the Los Angeles Railway from 1932 to 1955.
History.
In 1932 the M line was split up into several distinct services — the Moneta Avenue branch became the basis of the new 8 line. The new service ran from Spring Street and Temple Street outbound to Manchester Avenue and South Broadway.
In 1934 the line was rerouted, integrating part of the former 9. The line ran from Spring and Temple Streets to 54th Street and Crenshaw Boulevard, by way of Spring Street, Main Street, Broadway Place, Broadway, and 54th Street. Off-peak service to Los Angeles Union Station began in August 1943. Starting in 1946 the line absorbed part of the former N to Union Station, enabling full time service for the line.
Tracks at Union station were transferred to the F line in 1949, with the 8 taking up former F trackage to Mission Road and Selig Place. Streetcar service ended on May 22, 1955.


Stan Blake

Stan Blake (born November 8, 1954) is an American railroad conductor and politician, and a former Wyoming state legislator. A member of the Democratic Party, Blake represented the 39th district in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2007 to 2021. In 2020, he was defeated by fellow Union Pacific employee and Green River resident Marshall Burt, a Libertarian.
Blake is employed by the Union Pacific Railroad and lives in Green River, Wyoming, with his wife, Terri June Blake.


Paul Rapsey Hodge

Paul Rapsey Hodge (15 July 1808 – 21 October 1871) was an English-American inventor and mechanical engineer. He invented technological improvements used by railroad companies. He also invented a device that ground wheat and other grains into flour that could then be used by bakers, as well as a machine that turned vegetable pulp into paper that could be used by printers. His innovations were useful to many industries. He was a writer of technical manuals in both the United States and England.
Biography.
Hodge was born on 15 July 1808, at St. Austell in Cornwall, South West England. He immigrated to the United States around 1836 and worked initially as a draftsman for the locomotive builder Thomas Rogers in Paterson, New Jersey.
Under the sponsorship of an insurance company, in 1840–1841, Hodge designed and built the first steam-powered fire engine in the United States. It was also the first self-propelled fire engine; the engine used a dog clutch on the rear axle for movement, navigation, and steering. It could throw a jet of water of 290 tons per hour (about per second) high. The horizontal cylinders lined up with the pump cylinders and worked with a pair of driving wheels. At the front axle, ahead of the smoke-box, was an air vessel that activated a bell. In 1896 the fire engine was reported to have weighed around seven or eight tons, and was long. The large back wheels of the fire engine were lifted off the ground by a built-in jackscrew when pumping water for use on a fire, whereupon they served as flywheels for the engine as it pumped.
Hodge's fire engine was unpopular with the firefighters of the Pearl Hose Company #28 in New York City because its weight made it unwieldy to move down the streets. It was ultimately sold to another fire department and used as a stand-alone pumping engine that was not self-propelled. This was the only fire engine built by Hodge. No progress was made in that direction by anyone in the following decade. In 1847 Hodge moved back to England and became an eminent engineer there. His business address at the time was 140 Strand in London. One of his business activities was as a writer of technical manuals for steam engines.
Patents.
Hodge patented some 16 inventions. These included railroad improvements like a self-lubricating axle box for railway cars and a rubber spring-assisted railroad frog switching device. In 1856, he invented a device for grinding wheat and other farinaceous grains and in the treatment of the flour made. In 1859, he invented papermaking machinery that turned vegetable pulp into paper material. In 1861, he patented a hydraulic press for pressing of hay, straw, hops, hemp, flax, cotton, and animal wool for making vegetable and animal oils. He made a hop separator for breweries. He invented machinery for processing felted cloth, machinery that produced dinnerware, and improvements in machinery technology for the smelting of glass, metal, and porcelain. He also made improvements to machinery that made pigments for ink, gas lighting, and waterproofing fabrics.
Personal life.
Hodge was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He was a member of the Railway Signalmen and Switchmen's Benefit Society. Hodge died on October 21, 1871, and is buried in St Giles' Church courtyard at Camberwell in South London.