Union Pacific Disaster: “Rules Are Rules”

Good news: It was a normal day in  Sharon Springs , KS when a Union Pacific crew boarded a loaded coal train for the long trek to Salina.
 
The Bad news: Just a few miles into the trip a wheel bearing became overheated and melted, letting a metal support drop down and grind on the rail, creating white hot molten metal droppings spewing down to the rail.
 
The Good news: A very alert crew noticed smoke about halfway back in the train and immediately stopped the train in compliance with the rules.
 
The Bad news: The train stopped with the hot wheel over a wooden bridge with creosote ties and trusses.
 
The crew tried to explain to higher-ups but were instructed not to move the train! They were instructed Rules prohibit moving the train when a part is defective!

But….rules are rules!

Visit www.TarheelTrains.com!

 

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Opening Day At Tweetsie – May 1st, 2009!

Tweetsie is more than a train. It’s an institution, a tradition and a legend. Mention the name “Tweetsie” throughout the South and it conjures up memories for all age groups.

For children, it means a trip back into the Wild West, helping the US Marshal fight off howling renegades and would-be train robbers. It also means music and entertainment, exciting Country Fair rides and arcades, and lots of good things to eat.

For adults, it means a family oriented theme park in the scenic Blue Ridge mountains, providing a day of fun and adventure for themselves and their children. For old-timers, the name stirs up nostalgia and the uncomplicated days of yesteryear.

Visit Tweetsie.com!

WV’s Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

Cass Scenic Railroad State Park will be hosting Harvest Day on Saturday, September 27. “This is a great family event full of old fashioned fun, live entertainment, and fall colors, capped with a special evening dinner train to Whittaker Station, “according to Dave Caplinger, Park Superintendent.  This event is in addition to Cass’s regular excursions and interpretive programs during the day.

The day includes Mountain dance master Lou Maiuri demonstrating and teaching square dancing and traditional Appalachian dance.  Antique farm engines and tractors will be on display, many of them operating.

Joe Holbrook and his “Live Steamers” will be offering free train rides on his miniature live steam train. Miniature trains are a duplication of existing engines, operational, and can accommodate passengers.

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All Aboard The Family Express

By Brian Lothridge
Olean Times Herald

 

ALLEGANY – David Berlinski used to live a half of a block from one of the main train yards in Buffalo.

But trains never fascinated him until his 6-year-old son Mychal fell in love with trains a few years ago.

“All that went for naught,” Mr. Berlinski said of his proximity to the train yard. “I could have sat back in my yard and watched trains all day long and I just took it for granted because they were there all the time.”

Now, donning a T-shirt of a coal-burning steam engine from Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania, he gleefully will tell stories of his family watching the extensive miniature train that snakes through a bed of shrubs and flowers in his back yard.

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