2012 – Page 4 – Railfanning.org

Railroads’ Humble Beginning (Part II)

October 2, 2012 Todd DeFeo

In 1772, Oliver Evans created a 21-ton boat on wheels that could travel on both land and water. The vehicle boasted a paddle that helped it glide across the water. A steam engine helped it ride along the land.

Canadian Pacific Announces the Departure of Mike Franczak

October 1, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALGARY, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ – Canadian Pacific Railway (TSX: CP) (NYSE: CP) today announced that Mike Franczak, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, has resigned from Canadian Pacific, effective today. Mike joined CP in 1987 and has since advanced through a series of operating positions of increasing accountability and scope across CP’s network. “I wish to congratulate Mike on his distinguished career and thank him for his 25 years of dedication to CP and its customers,” said CEO E. Hunter Harrison. “Mike served the company well in all areas for which he had responsibility. We wish him success

The Brief Tenure of the Illinois Central Gulf in Middle Tennessee

October 1, 2012 Todd DeFeo

After the Tennessee Central wrapped up its operations on Aug. 31, 1968, some of the railroad’s locomotives were parked in Hopkinsville, Ky., news accounts suggest. The next day, the Illinois Central assumed the line’s operations between Hopkinsville and Nashville, Tenn.

Railroads’ Humble Beginning (Part I)

October 1, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The earliest railroads looked little like their modern ancestors. Beyond the rails and wheels on cars, they had little in common. They couldn’t haul the huge loads that today’s railroads can and their mode of power was either man or animal, usually horse or ox.

Walton Railroad Made Citizens ‘Enthused and Jubilant’

September 30, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The Walton Railroad was incorporated on Aug. 17, 1872, and amended later. The line was established to build a 10-mile road from Monroe, Ga., to Social Circle, Ga.

Boiler Explosion a Reminder of Railroads’ Perils

September 30, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The Pennsylvania Railroad mogul locomotive, “drawing a long train of freight cars,” just passed through Metuchen, N.J.

Perhaps a Misnomer, Greene County Railroad Helped Develop Walton County, Georgia

September 29, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The Greene County Railroad is a bit of a curiosity. Its name would suggest it served — or at least passed through — Greene County, but that’s not the case. The railroad’s predecessor, the Bostwick Railroad, built a seven-mile line from Bostwick to Appalachee, which was on the Central of Georgia line between Macon and Athens. A report in the Feb. 22, 1907, edition of the (Athens, Ga.) Weekly Banner noted the road “has been completed to the city limits of Appalachee, and on the first of March the line will be completed and trains run into that little city.

A caboose on display in Tombstone, Ariz.

Tombstone’s Other Legacy: The Railroad

September 29, 2012 Todd DeFeo

In 1881, Tombstone was a remote mining community. There was no railroad link to Tombstone for the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral. During the next two decades, city leaders debated the need for a railroad and urged railroad officials to lay tracks into town, but nothing materialized.

Despite Landowners’ Holdout, Gainesville Midland Secured Land for Athens Extension

September 29, 2012 Todd DeFeo

Once the Gainesville Midland assumed control of the Gainesville, Jefferson and Southern Railroad in 1904, it set about converting the line to standard gauge and extending the line to Athens.

Athens Terminal Co. Helped Bring About Freight ‘Revolution’ in Athens

September 28, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The Athens Terminal Co. was incorporated on Oct. 4, 1906, as a commercial steam railroad company jointly owned by the Gainesville Midland Railway and Seaboard Air Line.