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Trackside, Issue #016 -- November, 2009
November 01, 2009
Hi,

Welcome to Trackside, The Newsletter, a monthly piece covering the railroad industry. I had thought long and hard about creating a newsletter to go along with the website since American Rails first began but I could never decide what exactly to include in it. After much consideration, though, I finally decided that perhaps the best approach was to fill the newsletter with, well, news! More specifically, however, current news and events which will be broken down into categories keeping you up-to-date on the latest on-goings around the country.

Now in every issue Trackside features a "Photo of the Month" and just as a general note these photos used are the property of individual photographers and as such should not be redistributed or used without their permission. In any event, I hope you like the new layout!

This month's photo comes courtesy of Doug Kroll and depicts the Lehigh Valley's priority freight "Apollo 1" heading westbound through Depew, New York on April 26, 1973. On the point are GP38-2's #315, #317, and #320.

Notable News

If you have been receiving Trackside for at least the last few months I have been trying to keep fresh updates on the rebirth of the Grafton & Upton Railroad in New England. Below is the latest news.

Tracking a Rebirth

General Rail News

Officials: Railroad key to future in Mississippi

Stored equipment fleet continues to shrink

Short line: Brookville CoGeneration locomotive exceeds expectations

High-speed rail spending to be a boon to freight rail companies

Railroads see a steep climb to stronger economy

CN taps EMD, GE for 70 new high-horsepower locomotives

Sauk City, WI seeks more input on rail bridge proposal

New operator takes control of Salem County, New Jersey's short line railroad; grant sought for infrastructure improvements

National Gateway gains support; Jacksonville port lands federal grant

Jacksonville, FL Port gets $6M for Blount railroad system

US Freight Railroads Wary Of High-Speed Passenger Push

East Texas towns study adding railroad spurs

Railinc launches Umler™ system for freight rail industry

Railroad discontinues service to PdS United Cooperative plant

Fast Freight: Railroads target $140M for northern route

Tracking a Rebirth (Grafton & Upton Railroad)

Norfolk Southern preparing to abandon rail line in Georgia

Passenger Rail/LRT News

Weighing The Future Of High Speed Rail In America

Amtrak Plans Wi-Fi Internet Access on Acela Trains

Amtrak Loss Comes To $32 Per Passenger: Study

New York/New Jersey port lets PATH signal contracts; Hampton Roads Transit awards light-rail station work

Next stop: low-cost diesel rail?

Amtrak agrees to run SoCal commuter trains

Honolulu awards light-rail system design-build contract to Kiewit Pacific

The ‘Infrastructure Condo’ That Could Help Make High-Speed Rail Happen

Connecticut's first new M-8 trains to arrive by late November

FRA forges preliminary 'National Rail Plan'

VRE proposes to switch service providers from Amtrak to Keolis

All aboard for commuter rail (Houston, TX)

Norman, Oklahoma's light rail hopes get boost

Tom Downs: What our highway culture really costs

Gov. Rell: Bids for Connecticut yard facility beat estimates

Amtrak upgrades northeast corridor substations

Missouri proposes a regional commuter-rail system

Amtrak posts second-best ridership

Cost, ridership questions need answers before Amtrak restores service in Oregon, Sen. Wyden says

Siemens delivers first two light rail cars to Norfolk

North Carolina Railroad to study proposed commuter-rail line's potential

Improved railroad service boosted; Would reduce delays at Buffalo airport

N.J. gets $8 million in federal funds to improve mass transit

$50B in high-speed rail applications submitted

NY seeks big bucks for rail

Fast trains on horizon in Michigan

Florida seeking $2.5 billion stimulus for bullet train

Wisconsin Governor Doyle: Submits application for high-speed rail line to federal Railroad Administration

North Carolina DOT lands eight FRA grants for rail projects

New Hampshire bows out of HSR funding scramble

State reveals detailed high-speed train plans from San Francisco to San Jose

Railroad History

Celebrating the railroad and the journey west

Where Clackety-Clack Is Lullaby of Choice

Daylight Savings Time 2009: When and Why We Fall Back

Rolling Lincoln exhibit begins state-wide trip

Biking Coal Country’s Tracks and Tunnels

Experience the rail deal (B&O's Silver Spring, MD Depot)

JACOBS: Railroad chugging back into town? (Temecula, CA)

When railroads ruled the S.F. waterfront

Historical railway topic of local book

Arcade and Attica Railroad Featured in New Book

Bridge is a remnant of bygone era

Travelin' in Time: Castle Crags was once a lively railroad town (Castella, CA)

Carbondale railroad marks 180 years

The Granddaddy of Them All, The Cosmopolitan Hotel

Thousands expected on Walkway today after big debut

Preservation

Former Virginian caboose on its way to Princeton, WV

RailPark unveils restored railcar

Deadwood, SD puts engine house on auction block

Council hears about ATSF 2-10-2 steam locomotive

They’ve been working on the railroad

Railroad Museum sells assets

Visitor park sought for Thomas Viaduct

MTA/LIRR to Deliver Two Locomotives to Railroad Museum Yard

Station/Depot News

Spruce-up effort possible for Franklin Street Station in Reading, PA

Pascagoula, Florida Depot Ghost

Council, resident happy to see Chenoa, Illinois depot demolished

Investigators Waiting To Determine Cause Of Campbellsburg, KY Depot Fire

Dansbury, PA Depot fire remains under investigation

8-year-old wants to restore Point of Rocks train station

Victor woman makes home of old train station

A ride through history: Attleboro, MA

Maybe This Time: Pressure Mounts to Save Detroit's Michigan Central Station

Railroad gets depot site (Blissfield, Michigan)

Klir offers open house at old Fort Jennings, OH train depot

Salem, Oregon Depot may join historic registry

Aiken depot needs donations to finish project

Elmer takes another step toward bringing old train station back to borough

Group works to save Wells depot

Historic preservation rewarded (Traverse City, MI)

What's next for Richmond, Indiana's dilapidated buildings?

New Jersey agency advances station restoration and transit center projects, revamps Web site

The L&N Depot turns 100

Freight Depot restoration reveals treasures from city’s railroad past

MnDOT seeking $135M for St. Paul Union Depot

Depot celebration seeks memories of Norman landmark

Train Excursions/Museums

Railroad museum's caboose lands in downtown Truckee

Warren County deficit threatens continuity of railroad line

Now open: Casey Jones Museum

Museum gets historic railroad pic

Museum offers historical program about the Central Railroad of New Jersey

Railroad museum to offer virtual tours of historic cars

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad keeping expenses down as it heads to slow months

Memphis Railroad & Trolley Museum on right track at Central Station

Carter Railroad Museum announces logo contest

Railroad excursion to help the hungry

As Trackside moves forward I will look to include more topics and information within it. In any event, if you have any opinions, ideas, and/or general comments/suggestions for the newsletter please feel free to pass them my way. As with American-Rails.com I am always looking for ways to improve the newsletter to better benefit you, the reader.

Best regards,

Adam Burns

P.S. If you would like to read about more railroad news not covered in Trackside please visit our fan page on Facebook and/or follow the site on Twitter.

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