April 2012 – Railfanning.org

CSX Announces Record First Quarter Results Inbox

April 22, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corp. announced first quarter net earnings of $449 million, or $0.43 per share, versus $395 million, or $0.35 per share, in the same period last year. This represents a 23 percent year-over-year improvement in earnings per share. “CSX is off to a fast start in a year that will be dynamic and challenging,” said Michael J. Ward, chairman, president and chief executive officer of CSX. “A significant majority of our transportation markets are performing very well and our operations are delivering excellent results.” Revenue in the quarter improved 6 percent from the prior year to nearly

More than 100 Injured in Dutch Trains Collision

April 22, 2012 Voice of America

Police in the Netherlands say at least 120 people were injured, many seriously, when two commuter trains crashed head-on in Amsterdam Saturday.

City honors switch operater for role in Civil War chase

April 13, 2012 Todd DeFeo

The north Georgia city of Kingston on Thursday honored a former city resident for his role in the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862. Kingston was a turning point in the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862, in part, because station agent/switch operator Uriah Stephens declined to hand over the switch keys to James J. Andrews. Hours earlier, Andrews and a group of Union spies stole The General locomotive from what is now Kennesaw, Ga., while the train stopped for breakfast. Andrews’ goal was to destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad, a major Confederate road that connected Atlanta and Chattanooga. “In this day

The Andrews Raid: A Timeline of Events

April 12, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

KENNESAW, Ga. – April 12, 1862. It was the one-year anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and the morning passenger train – pulled by the locomotive General – arrived in town. A band of Union spies led by James J. Andrews, the men planned to steal the locomotive and then destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad, a vital link between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tenn., in the heart of the Confederacy. The Andrews Raid, also known as The Great Locomotive Chase, ultimately failed. More than an “astounding adventure,” the raid was near genius. Thursday marks the 150th anniversary of

Norfolk Southern’s ‘Train Your Brain’ Safety Campaign Heads to Alabama

April 11, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Alabama, known for college sports, beaches, and space camp, among other things, will never be the same once Brainy, a giant, wide-eyed pink walking brain, arrives this week. Brainy, a hapless brain in need of training, is Norfolk Southern’s (NYSE: NSC) public safety mascot. Brainy is part of Norfolk Southern’s “Train Your Brain” public railroad safety program, now in its sixth year. Brainy reminds people to be smart and alert around highway-rail grade crossings and to avoid trespassing on railroad property. Alabama was selected as a target for the Train Your Brain campaign because it is a

Civil War Medal of Honor Donated to Kennesaw, Georgia, Museum

April 5, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

In a ceremony on Thursday, April 12, an Ohio family will donate a rare Civil War-era Congressional Medal of Honor to Kennesaw’s Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History.

State-Of-The-Art Traveling Museum to Be Part of Many Union Pacific Railroad 150th Anniversary Celebrations

April 1, 2012 Railfanning.org News Wire

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — The Union Pacific Railroad Museum is taking its Building America exhibit on the road, or at least out on the rails. The Promontory, a Union Pacific Railroad 1962-vintage baggage car, has been transformed into a state-of-the-art traveling museum. Complete with 13 large, dramatic graphics and the latest in interactive touch video screen technology, the Promontory will immerse visitors in Union Pacific’s 150-year history. The traveling exhibit is a smaller version of the Building America exhibit that will open at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on May 12, 2012. Traveling exhibit visitors will

150 years later, Andrews Raid still resonates

April 1, 2012 Todd DeFeo

KENNESAW, Ga. — Dozens of trains roar through town every day. They speed past the historic 1908 train depot in the heart of town A few feet away from the tracks, idly sits a 155-year-old steam locomotive that pulled into town a rainy Saturday morning nearly 150 years ago. It was the one-year anniversary of the start of the Civil War, and the morning passenger train stopped for a 20 minute breakfast. What nobody knew was that 20 men led by James J. Andrews planned to steal the locomotive and then destroy the Western & Atlantic Railroad, a vital link