History – Page 8 – Railfanning.org

News Wire

[ April 3, 2025 ] Morningstar DBRS: Canadian High-Speed Rail Project Gains Momentum with Progressive PPP Model World
[ April 3, 2025 ] APM Terminals Buys Panama Canal Railway World
[ April 2, 2025 ] Missing New Jersey ‘Merci Train’ boxcar Located, to be Restored Miscellaneous
[ April 1, 2025 ] Norfolk Southern: Industry-First Program Cuts Supply Chain Emissions for Customers Norfolk Southern
[ April 1, 2025 ] IAM District 19 Reaches Tentative Agreement with National Carriers’ Conference Committee Rail Carriers Miscellaneous

The End of the Southern’s Crescent

October 2, 2012 Todd DeFeo

While Amtrak started its operations in 1971, not all railroads gave up passenger service. Southern Railways’ Crescent route between New York and New Orleans was once such example.

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.

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.

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.