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Great American Railroads
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For more than 34 years, Byways has been covering the leading destinations along the highways and byways of North America. Some of the most well-known, and least known, destinations to discover in the United States and Canada.
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PREVIEW By Steve Kirchner, Editor & Publisher
elcome to the Great American another one-of-a-kind. It’s the National Railroad Railroads 2017 edition of Museum, the only nationally recognized railroad museByways magazine. This issue um in the United States. It features a large collection of rolling stock spanning is traditionally one of the most popular more than a century of railroading and a number of hisof the year. toric locomotives, including a General Motors Aerotrain We begin our journey at Promontory and Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4017 (one of the world’s Summit in the State of Utah. Bill largest steam locomotive types). Graves takes us to the location where on May 10, 1869 The museum is also home to British Railways Class two railroads joined as one, completing the nation’s first A4 No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower and train used by continental railroad. The impact on the United States was enormous, some would compare its importance to the Supreme Allied Commander and his staff in the that of the Internet today. The country was now one United Kingdom and continental Europe during World War II. nation, from coast to coast. The final stop is to Northern Minnesota, and the In Northern California, Mary Charlebois travels Duluth -- Lake Superior through the redwoods aboard the Railroad Museum and 131-year old Skunk Railroad. North Shore Scenic It’s not really a skunk, but like a Railroad. skunk you can smell it and hear Dr. John Kirchner takes it before you can see it! us to Duluth’s 1892 Union Scenery along the Redwood Station, a preserved French Route has rightly been described Chateauesque structure. as magnificent, pristine, stunToday it is home to the ning, grand and glorious. Mary Lake Superior Railroad says the train itself is a beautiMuseum, one of the fully maintained museum, nation’s premier railroad staffed by knowledgeable and collections. Meticulously welcoming folks, eager to tell Taking photos at the National Railroad maintained, the locomothe Skunk Train story. Museum. Byways photo. tives and rolling stock are The Rio Grande Scenic displayed in a compact, but Railroad in Colorado travels on accessible manner, that allows close-up inspection by tracks over historic La Veta Pass that date all the way visitors. But it is more than a museum. It also has an back to 1878. But it was closed to passenger traffic in the operating railroad, the North Store Scenic Railroad, 1950s. The line opened again for passenger trains in which during summer and fall, from May through mid2006 initially offering excursions, then expanding to holiday rides, dinner trains and mountaintop concerts, oper- October, provides passengers with a journey along the pristine shores of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great ating both steam and diesel locomotives. Featuring spectacular rails that curve and wind Lakes. In What’s Happening, we celebrate the 100th anniverthrough steep rocky grade, and mountain meadows with sary of one of the greatest race horses, Man o’ War. It will elk, eagles and bears, the railroad offers an unforgettable be the highlight of a year-long celebration at the experience. Kentucky Horse Park beginning on March 29, his birthIn his Byways column, Bill Graves visits Missouri to day. ride the Ozark Zephyr. Bill says the train has the feel and Man o’ War is a true American icon, born in Kentucky ambiance of a 20th century train. The train goes south before going on to capture the country’s imagination by into Arkansas, or north up to Galena, Missouri. Both are winning 20 of 21 races, smashing records and setting the 40 miles round trip. They go through the Ozark foothills, bar that all other thoroughbreds are measured by. over trestles and in and out of tunnels, some as long as We hope you enjoy this issue of Byways. half a mile. Next, it’s on to Wisconsin, to Green Bay to be more specific. Known for its NFL Packers, Green Bay has Byways • 4
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Volume 34, Issue No. 1 2017
Features
On the cover. Duluth - North Shore Scenic Railroad northbound train to Two Harbors. Photo courtesy Dr. John A. Kirchner. For more on the Duluth - Lake Superior Railroad Museum and North Shore Scenic Railroad, see page 38. Byways Great American Railroad coverage begins on Page 8.
Great American Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Promontory Summit & the Golden Spike National Historic Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Riding the Skunk Train, California’s Redwood Route. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Traveling the Ozark Zyphyr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Wisconsin’s National Railroad Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Minnesota’s Duluth Lake Superior Railroad Museum & North Shore Scenic RR . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Departments
Byways Instant Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Byways Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
What’s Happening
Kentucky Horse Park Honors 100th Anniversary of Man o’ War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Coming in future issues of Byways ..... Mountains & Valleys, Ocean Views, Rivers & Lakes and much more!
Next Up: Mountains & Valleys. The chapel on the campus of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Byways photo.
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The Jupiter and Central Pacific 119 at Promontory Summit, Utah. Photo courtesy Bill Graves.
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Promontory Summit & the Golden Spike National Historic Site By Bill Graves
Great American Railroads
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The coal-fired 119 of the Union Pacific met the wood-burning Jupiter at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869. Photo courtesy Bill Graves.
e Americans have a congenital fascination with trains. It’s more evident among males and more conspicuous among us over fifty. Maybe it’s because trains are such an immense part of our country’s heritage, which we seem to appreciate more the older we get. Steam-powered trains first ran productively on this continent in 1830. Twenty-five years later, nearly half of the railroad tracks that had been laid in the world had been laid in our new Republic. At the time of the Civil War, 31,000 miles of rail, more than in all of Europe, linked America’s eastern states. But I don’t know much about the railroads of the East; I’m just now learning about the ones in the West. Today I am in Ogden, Utah. Yesterday I was out at Promontory Summit, at the Golden Spike National Historic Site. It’s 60 miles west of here, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It was there that the rails of the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific met, after crossing 1,776 miles of desert, rivers and mountains, to form our nation’s first transcontinental railroad. The date was May tenth1869. At Promontory, I met Art and Pat Roe from Victoria, Texas. They were on the last day of their two-month stint as volunteer workers there. This was their second year. They put in a lot of hours, over 700 between them, saying they were some of the most satisfying of their lives. Refusing to be labeled as “experts” on the history of the western railroads, they were as close as I will ever get to anyone who is. “The Union Pacific, working on the Great Plains, was 10 • Byways
laying one or two miles of track every day. Coming from the other direction, the Central Pacific, stuck in the mountains, was barely moving. But in 1887, the Central Pacific hit the flatlands in Nevada. After that, for the CP there was no looking back. There was one day, April 28th of 1869 actually, when a 3,000-man crew of the Central Pacific set a record that still stands -- ten miles and 56 feet of track laid in one day.” Art was doing the talking while Pat was making us coffee. We were in their tidy motorhome, which they probably should have been organizing to leave, as that was their plan for the day. “If we don’t get out until tomorrow -- what’s the difference?” Pat said, as she poured coffee, then sat to join in the conversation. They talked for an hour; I took notes. With due credit to the courageous explorers who drew the maps of the West and the gutsy pioneers who filled them in, it was those who built the railroads across the West that made this continent a country. There were the Chinese, the Irish, and, of course, our countrymen, who had just finished fighting each other in a war. They came from all over the world to labor in burning heat and freezing snow at jobs often as dangerous as working in a combat zone. Newly freed slaves joined the work gangs, as did Indians, even Indian women. The numbers were huge. At its peak, the work force approached the size of the Civil War armies, with twelve to fifteen thousand working on each line. Next to winning the Civil War and abolishing slavery, building the first transcontinental railroad was the greatest achievement of the American people in the nineteenth
century. “Nothing like it had been done before -- anywhere,” Art said. “Remember that the United States was then among the youngest countries on the planet. We had not yet celebrated our first centennial.” “That is the beauty of this job,” Pat said. “When I tell visitors, especially children, how the railroad changed the face of the nation, how those men built it with their bare hands -- and the kids go ‘Wow!’ That’s awesome.” The idea of a continent-spanning railroad became a hot topic in U.S. political circles in the 1830s. Until the “Great American Desert” and the Rockies were bridged, the vast western territories would be part of the nation in name only. A rail line to the Pacific would boost trade, shorten the emigrant’s journey and help the army control Indians hostile to white settlement. The argument then was not “if” or “when,” it was “where.” Anticipating great financial and political rewards, northern, midwestern and southern senators made cases for locating the eastern terminus in their regions. Until those self-serving issues could be settled, nothing would happen. After all, the land on which the railroads would build belonged to the government. And only the government could bankroll such an enormous project. Interesting, but perhaps not surprisingly, the transcon-
Art and Pat Roe from Victoria, Texas. Photo courtesy Bill Graves.
The ceremony for the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869, completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. At center left, Samuel S. Montague, Central Pacific Railroad, shakes hands with Grenville M. Dodge, Union Pacific Railroad (center right). Byways • 11
tinental railroad really started in California -- a brand new state, which until 1855, had no rails or locomotives, certainly no experience at building a railroad. While politicians back east argued away time, a young engineer named Theodore Judah was surveying the Sierra Nevada Mountains, preparing the way for the Central Pacific Railroad, which he and a group or Sacramento merchants had formed. Feeling pressure from the West, as well as concerns about its allegiance to the Union, Congress finally acted in 1862. The Civil War was in its second year. That took the Southern Senators out of the debate over the location, and a central route near the Mormon Trail was chosen. Omaha would be the eastern terminus. Congress authorized Judah’s Central Pacific to build eastward from Sacramento. In the same act, it chartered the Union Pacific Railroad, which would build east to west. Although ground was broken at both ends in 1863, rail laying was put on hold while the country’s attention, not to mention assets, focused on the Civil War. With its end in 1865, labor, expertise and supplies again became available. Since the United States had no money to pay the railroad companies, they instead gave them bonds for every mile of track laid. It also gave land grants: a right-of-way for the roadbed plus ten square miles on each side of the track. The intent was to give the railroads an asset that they could turn into cash, with which to finance construction. To stimulate a speedy completion, Congress sweetened the pot in 1884, extending the land grants out to 20 square miles. “By 1868,” Art said, “the Central Pacific crews had crossed the Sierras and laid 200 miles of track. The UP had put down 700 miles of rail on the plains. Each had its problems: the CP the mountains, the UP the Indians. Finally, on that day in May, seven years ahead of schedule, two locomotives pulled up to the one-rail gap left in the track. After a golden spike was symbolically tapped, a final iron spike was driven to connect the railroads. The CP had laid 690 miles of track and the UP 1,086. The United States was now a nation, coast to coast.” The wood burning “Juniper” of the Central Pacific and the coal-fired 119 of the Union Pacific were the two locomotives involved in the golden spike ceremony. They faced each other, cowcatchers almost touching, with men hanging all over them for the famous champagne-passing picture. Exact copies of those two locomotives are fired up at Promontory every morning in the summer and are driven from the engine house out to the precise spot where that picture was made. In the desert sun, they shine and glisten like the brightly polished main line train at Disneyland. I suspect that tourists would complain if they looked like the black, oily workhorses they are supposed to replicate. Richard Carroll, age 24, is one of the engineers. Four times a day, his fireman, Dave Hayden, shovels just the right amount of coal into 109 and Richard takes it for a 12 • Byways
The original Golden Spike used to connect the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways in 1869 near Ogden, Utah. This spike was driven in by Leland Stanford and is on display at the Cantor Arts Museum at Stanford University.
spin. The site has 2.5 miles of track and he uses about half of it for these demonstrations. Dave said the Juniper, when operating, would burn three cords of wood in 30 miles and use 2,000 gallons of water. Richard said that he gets many questions about the engines, and a constant one about the site. “They ask me, ‘Why did they build it way out here? Why not make it closer to the Interstate so we wouldn’t have to drive so far?’ Of course, I explain that this is where it actually happened. But you kind of hope that by the time they leave, after looking at the pictures and things, they chuckle at what a dumb question it was.” About the author: After seeing much of the world as a career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to take a closer look at the United States. He has been roaming the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and is the author of On the Back Roads, Discovering Small Towns. of America. He can be reached at Roadscribe@aol.com.
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Riding the Skunk Train, California’s Redwood Route By Mary Charlebois
Into the redwoods aboard the Skunk Train Northspur Express. Photos courtesy Mary Charlebois. Byways • 15
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n the days before roads and trucks could do the job, the Redwood Route was king. The 131-year old Skunk Train made it possible to move gigantic redwoods from remote mountain forest, to lumber mills in coastal and inland towns. Today the train is classified as historic. Excursions vary from a 1-hour Pudding Creek Express, roundtrip from coastal Fort Bragg, to the magnificent 4.5-hour Northspur Flyer, roundtrip from inland Willits. The trains nickname, Skunk, came from the smelly fuel once used. While it didn’t actually smell like a skunk, it was said that like a skunk, you could smell it before you could see or hear it.
Northspur Flyer “All aboard for Rodgers, Summit, Crowley, Clare Mill, Burbeck, Shake City, Irmulco and Northspur.” On a cold and rainy morning, in Willits, I boarded the Northspur Flyer, otherwise known as Skunk Train. Diesel locomotive #64 pulled out of the depot with 11 passengers, one engineer, one conductor and one hostess on board. The locomotive, passenger car, an open-air observation car and the dining/bar car set off gently rocking with several blasts of the train whistle. The 40-mile round trip Northspur Flyer climbs the eastern slope of the California Coastal Range. Meandering through redwood forest, cross Noyo River several times and pass inside the Coastals using Tunnel 2 near Summit. Switchbacks leading down into Noyo River Canyon crisscross 8.5-miles to cover a straightline distance of less than one mile. Hairpin turns are visible below you as the train moves down the canyon. 16 • Byways
Skunk Train, California Western Line, Fort Bragg. Departing for Pudding Creek Express. Dining/Bar car aboard the Skunk Train. Photos courtesy Mary Charlebois.
No matter what weather conditions or season, wildlife sightings are abundant. Deer, bear, mountain lion, fox, rabbits, raccoons and squirrels make the forest home. Countless species of birds, nest and feed among the giant redwoods. Osprey can be sighted nesting near water where they catch fish often larger than their bodies. Ravens soar on thermals and perch in trees. Their distinctive call echoes through the woods. Arriving at Northspur, passengers may detrain to explore and commune with redwoods. A camp kitchen serves up tasty fare made from family recipes. Sandwiches, chili and soups are complimented with salads, hot beverages and loads of condiments. I was infatuated with the pulled pork sandwich topped with as many homemade pickles as my bun would hold. Even in misty or rainy weather you’ll have a dry seat at the covered picnic tables and serving area. Had it not been rainy that day, I’m sure all passengers would have been reluctant to re-board and return the way we came on Redwood Route. Along the rails to Northspur, whistle stops with names like Rodgers, Summit, Crowley, Clare Mill, Burbeck, Shake City and Irmulco are marked with small white and black signs. Once busy communities and an integral part of the logging and lumber industry, most have been reclaimed by the forest and disappeared. There are a few hardy individuals and families still living in these remote woods along the tracks. The train is a lifeline to them during harsh weather when roads to their remote property can become impassable. Landslides and floods are frequent occurrences in winter. Passengers may still flag down a train at a whistle stop or be dropped near their home. Mail, packages and gro-
Skunk Train Conductor Tyler Phillips.
Lunch at Northspur Camp while riding the Skunk Train Northspur Express.
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Video Click for Skunk Train’s Pudding Creek Express, passing Pudding Creek Estuary.
ceries are delivered when roads are inaccessible. Some Model Railroad In Fort Bragg, your Skunk Train ticket grants you homesteads have been passed down for generations. Others have new families working and living off the admission to the Mendocino Coast Model Railroad and Historical Society. Located behind the depot, logging land. and railroad history are depicted in G-Scale. Model Pudding Creek Express trains run along 1,300 feet of track, representing 6-miles Blues skies, sunshine and the conductor calling, “all full-scale. The model railroad appeals to all ages. aboard the Pudding Creek Express” began my second Bridges, trestles, a lumber mill, logging camp, pier and Skunk Train excursion. From coastal Fort Bragg the town of Fort Bragg are perfectly recreated in miniaCalifornia, the historic Skunk Train boarded over 75 pas- ture. sengers and crew for a one hour, 7-mile, round trip along Trains for all occasions Pudding Creek Estuary. The Skunk offers many special themed excursions. A The diesel locomotive pulled two passenger cars, an open-air observation car and a dining/bar car along the camping train takes passengers 17-miles east of Fort first tracks laid by the California Western Railroad 131- Bragg to camp overnight on Noyo River. Sunset BBQs, years ago. The train moved redwoods, lumber, passen- excursions with live music, Christmas trains and other gers and freight in the days before adequate roads holiday and event trains are scheduled throughout the year. crossed the California Coastal Mountains. Scenery along Redwood Route has rightly been Rolling along Pudding Creek Estuary is a bird lovers dream. You’ll see osprey, egrets, herons, ravens, ducks described as magnificent, pristine, stunning, grand and and songbirds. Trestles cross creeks and estuaries numer- glorious. Conifer forest, rivers, creeks, trestles, wildlife ous times. As the tracks curve, a view of the entire train and history’s artifacts line the tracks. Photo ops are endmakes for exceptional photo ops. Watch closely as you less. The train itself is a beautifully maintained museum, pass woodlands, meadows and forest. Wildlife is abun- staffed by knowledgeable and welcoming folks, eager to dant here, especially deer in the early morning and at tell the Skunk Train story. I love train travel, something we have far too little of dusk. The occasional fishing cabin peeks through the brush. Out-of-the-way homes sit atop ridges overlooking in the U.S. The Skunk Train is an unforgettable trip. You’ll occupy history and nature while taking in the the estuary. Outside on the open-air observation car, passengers of view. All aboard! https://www.skunktrain.com all ages watch the scenery pass while listening to the conductor’s narration of Skunk Train and logging histoAbout the Author: ry. Inside the dining/bar car, adults enjoy cocktails, wine Mary Charlebois, also known as MaryGo, is a or beer. Soft drinks are offered for youngsters. Popcorn freelance writer, photographer, and videographer. and snacks satiate everyone’s appetite. Returning to the depot the gift shop stocks everything Her daily beat is Mendocino County and San skunk, except the smell, of course. Books with photos Francisco. She lives in Fort Bragg, Mendocino and history of the train, logging and community are County, California. Mary is a Journalist member of available. Train whistles, toy skunks, tee-shirts and more ITWPA. keep the memory of the trip alive. See her work at https://wheremarygos.com. 18 • Byways
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The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad
The Rio Grande Scenic Railroad travels on tracks over historic La Veta Pass that date all the way back to 1878. Photo courtesy Rio Grande Scenic Railroads. Byways • 21
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Steam engine on the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad. Photo courtesy Larry Lamsa.
he Rio Grande Scenic Railroad in Colorado trav- over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains via Veta Pass, dates els on tracks over historic La Veta Pass that date all back to 1899 and is a successor to the original 3 ft narthe way back to 1878, but had been closed to the row gauge La Veta Pass line of the Denver and Rio public in the 1950s and only used for freight. Featuring Grande Railway, completed in 1878. In keeping with the spectacular rails that curve and wind through steep rocky Denver and Rio Grande Western slogan Scenic Line of grade, and mountain meadows with elk, eagles and the World, the trip between Alamosa and La Veta offers views of several of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks. bears, the railroad offers an unforgettable experience. Much of the Old West was built by railroads. And The line opened again for passenger train in 2006 initially offering excursions, then expanding to holiday while the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad put many rides, dinner trains and mountaintop concerts, operating towns on the map, none went up quite as quickly as both steam and diesel locomotives in and around the San Alamosa. The narrow gauge rail into town was completed on Luis Valley. June 22, 1878, and shortly after, a train full of assorted The 4 ft 8.5 in standard gauge route, featuring a climb 22 • Byways
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pre-built buildings from nearby Garland City were brought in and put into place that same day. Rumor has it, in fact, that the men who worked the line had breakfast in Garland City that morning, and were later served dinner in the same building that evening, in Alamosa. Located in south central Colorado and surrounded by the dramatic Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges, Alamosa is the San Luis Valley’s largest town (10,000) and serves as its cultural and economic center. The town’s Main Street pubs, cafes, coffee shops and retail shops are just a short walk from the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad’s depot. The mighty Rio Grande winds through town and alongside picturesque Cole Park, a
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The La Jara Station.
great spot for a sunset walk after a day on the train. Alamosa depot and travel over the majestic La Veta Pass By 1890, and for the following half-century, Alamosa to the mountain town of LaVeta to explore the quaint was the hub of narrow gauge railroading in America. The downtown before the return trip. busy depot hummed day and night with the activity of Retro dome cars have seating in a glass sunlit dome both passenger and freight trains from Denver, Durango, top to take in all the beautiful scenery traveling over La Santa Fe, Salida and Creede arriving and departing dai- Veta Pass in fully air-conditioned comfort. ly. The Club cars have a full-service bar and armchairThe freight trains supplied the developing valley with type seating and full air conditioning. ore, lumber, cattle, sheep and farm products, and in turn, All excursions operate with an open-air car as well. agricultural and mining products were shipped out. Less Onboard food and beverage service is available than a decade later, after years of unsuccessful survey- throughout the day, made to order right on board your ing, a workable route was found and the narrow gauge train. https://www.coloradotrain.com rail would be replaced by standard gauge from the town of La Veta over La Veta Pass and into Alamosa. Today, more than 100 years later, the same standard gauge rails are still in use, carrying both freight and passengers over La Veta Pass on the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad and the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad. Excursion trains offer a great seat on select weekdays during the summer. Prepare to discover history, mining tales, wildlife sightings, geology and did we mention bears? See the Rockies on the longest and highest standard gauge railroad in Blanca Peak in Colorado at 14,351 feet is the Colorado! Depart from the historic highest peak of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. 24 • Byways
Mountain Rails Live concert series and special events (including the popular Rails and Ales) are held from spring to fall.
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Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves
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Traveling the Ozark Zephyr
n North America we have over 300 tourist trains. I’ve ridden maybe thirty. Most of them are leisurely, scenic rides in hundred-year-old passenger cars. Some are dinner trains. A few, like the Grand Canyon Railway, provide round trip travel to a destination, and even offer different classes of service. It’s rare to find one still using a steam engine. Most of these old trains survive with a work force of volunteers, like small-town museums. The key people in the operation get paid, although those jobs are often seasonal. We as a nation travel by highway or air, yet the spirit of this country seems to remain a country of railroads. I suppose in time this will diminish, and these old trains will disappear. But for now, we have more of them running in the continental U.S. than. in all the rest of the One of the dome cars on the Ozark Zephyr.
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world combined. And each one is unique. The Ozark Zephyr, mid-last-century vintage, operates out of Branson, Missouri, called the “Live Music Show Capital of the World.” And about that they are probably right: Where else do you find 50 live-performance theaters, some of them offering three shows a day? Riding the Ozark Zephyr is a different experience from riding those trains that stop mid-journey to
Conductor Ralph Craig. Photos courtesy Bill Graves.
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Welcome aboard! Photos courtesy Bill Graves.
accommodate masked train robbers. I call the Zephyr, operated by Branson Scenic Railway, an unadulterated train ride, not a “theme-park” adventure. It has the feel and ambiance of a 20th century train.
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And it goes faster than the poky scenic rides. The reason it can whip along at 25 mph is that the track is owned and maintained by the Union Pacific Railroad, which it uses daily hauling empty coal cars.
Branson Scenic Railway engine on the Ozark Zephyr.
ago,” Ralph said. “I wanted a job. I told my wife, ‘I’m going to let the Lord pick it out for me.’ A couple days later, I was walking by the train depot. I had a tap on my shoulder…turned around and nobody was there. So I said, ‘OK God, I’ll go in and look. “I asked the lady inside if they needed anybody. She said, ‘maybe yes, and maybe no.’ Since I had it on good authority that the answer was really yes, I filled out a job application. “The following Friday I got a call asking me if I could ride on Monday. They said be there by nine. I was there at eight. I have felt blessed ever since.”
About the author: After seeing much of the world as a career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to take a closer look at the United States. He has been roaming the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and is the author of On the Back Roads, Discovering Small Towns. of America. He can be reached at Roadscribe@aol.com.
United States Naval Academy
Undergraduate College of the U.S. Navy
The train goes south into Arkansas, or north up to Galena, Missouri. Which direction it goes is determined daily by the traffic on the UP line. The train is made up with two diesel engines, one on each end. Some days the engineer doesn't know which engine to get into until it’s time to leave. Using the UP track may make a day’s work a bit uncertain for the engineer, but it makes for a more comfortable ride for the rest of us. The UP road bed is in top shape, not the norm for tourist trains. Both are 40 miles round trip. They go through the Ozark foothills, over trestles and in and out of tunnels, some as long as half a mile. “The kids love to be in a dome car when we go into a tunnel, when everything suddenly goes black,” Ralph Craig told me. He is a trainman. His uniform is that of a conductor, right down to the gold chain hooked to a pocket watch. His job, as I saw it, is talking to everybody, punching their tickets and shouting “all aboard” at the right time. At age 75, he brims over with the energy of guy who loves what he does. “My wife and I came here from Kansas seven years
Guided Walking Tours include the Naval Academy Chapel, Crypt of John Paul Jones, Statue of Tecumseh and the history and traditions of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD. HISTORICAL, EDUCATIONAL, JEWISH CHAPEL AND MILITARY REUNION TOURS
Naval Academy Gift Shop Restrooms, Exhibits, Film
U.S. Naval Academy Campus.
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Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center (410) 293-8687 (410) 293-3365 (fax) www.usnabsd.com/for-visitors Visitor Center Hours January-February: 9 am - 4 pm March-December 9 am - 5 pm Photo ID required, ages 18 and over
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Located on the Fox River near Green Bay, Wisconsin, the museum is the only officially chartered National Railroad Museum in the United States. Byways photos.
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Wisconsin’s National Railroad Museum
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T
he National Railroad Museum dates to 1956, when local residents advanced the concept of a national museum dedicated to American railroad history. It is located in in suburban Green Bay, Wisconsin. Two years later, a joint resolution of Congress recognized the museum as the National Railroad Museum. It is the only nationally recognized railroad museum in the United States. The museum is one of the oldest institutions in the United States dedicated to preserving and interpreting the natio’'s railroad history. The National Railroad Museum has a large collection of rolling stock and spanning more than a century of railroading and a number of historic locomotives, including an Aerotrain and Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4017 (one of the world’s largest steam locomotive types). The Aerotrain was a streamlined trainset introduced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in the mid-1950s. Like all of GM’s 32 • Byways
body designs of this mid-century era, this train was first brought to life in GM’s Styling Section. The Big Boy was built to carry Union Pacific traffic over the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. Weighing over 1.18 million pounds, Big Boy could generate 6,100 horsepower, and would replace up to three engines pre-
British Railways Class A4 No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower and train used by the Supreme Allied Commander during WWII. General Motors Aerotrain .
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Union Pacific’s Big Boy replaced three engines in taking trains over the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. 34 • Byways
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A pullman sleeping car with seats reconfigured into a bed. Byways photos. One of many steam engines at the museum.
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viously required to haul UP trains over the Wasatch. The museum is also home to British Railways Class A4 No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower and train used by the Supreme Allied Commander and his staff in the United Kingdom and continental Europe during World War II. In addition to the rolling stock, there is a museum building housing a wide variety of railroad artifacts, an
archive, and photography gallery. There is a standard gauge track around the perimeter of the grounds. There is also an 80-foot high wooden observation tower with views of the Fox River and Green Bay. The museum hosts an annual Day Out with Thomas event, where Thomas the Tank Engine pulls young friends past the exhibited rolling stock. In October of every year in preparation for Halloween, the grounds of the museum are the site of the Green Bay Preble Optimist Club’s haunted attraction, “Terror on the Fox,” which uses the trains for “haunted” rides through the grounds after dark, along with other attractions. The National Railroad Museum houses over 5,000 artifacts, including textiles, uniforms, tools and personal items. The photograph collection includes 15,000 photographic prints, slides, and film negatives representing railroading in the United States geographically from 1890 through the present day. A 25-minute tour of the museum grounds is offered in vintage, full-size railroad equipment. Along the way, the conductor describes various rolling stock, points out highlights of the museum, talks about railroad safety and discusses the hobo culture. The train ride is pulled by a diesel locomotive. Museum admission includes viewing of Last of the Giants, a 25-minute documentary chronicling the Union Pacific Big Boys. If part of a group tour, the museum can provide Hobo Lunches, where you can dine like a real rail rider! Ask for hobo (box) lunch menu and pricing information when you make your tour (10+) reservation. http://nationalrrmuseum.org
The museum’s 80-foot high wooden observation tower offers views of the Fox River and Green Bay. Byways photos.
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Minnesota’s Duluth -- Lake Superior Railroad Museum & North Shore Scenic Railroad By Dr. John A. Kirchner
North Shore Scenic RR #192 along the shore of Lake Superior at Duluth. In the distance is the famous Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge, built in 1905, and on the National Register of Historic Places. Photos by John A. Kirchner. 38 • Byways
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North Shore Scenic RR #192 on a passenger train at Duluth Union Station, site of the Lake Superior Railway Museum. Photos by John A. Kirchner.
uluth’s beautiful Union Depot, completed in 227, the massive 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone articulated steam 1892, was for many years the focus of intense rail locomotive built during World War II for the Duluth, activity. In 1910 seven different railways saw the Missabe & Iron Range Railroad. Weighing in at 566 tons, it and its 17 sisters were among the world’s largest operation of more than 50 passenger trains. steam locomotives, for many years hauling 180-190 car Today the preserved French Chateauesque structure is trains (18,000 tons) of iron ore to dockside at Duluth and home to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, one of the Two Harbors for dispatch by lake ore boats to steel mills nation’s premier railroad collections. Meticulously on the shores of the Great Lakes. It was retired in 1960. maintained, the locomotives and rolling stock are disA perfect complement to the behemoth is a 60-ton played in a compact, but accessible manner, that allows close-up inspection by visitors. Passenger service ended in 1969 and in 1973 work began to create the museum, an ongoing project that has involved the efforts of thousands of dedicated volunteers. The excellent collection includes railroad equipment with a Midwestern focus, including steam locomotives, electrics, and diesels, and freight and passenger cars from many different railroads, both public common carrier lines and industrial and logging railroads. It’s hard to single out favorites, but this visitor was particularly impressed with No. Hanna Ore Mining Co. #307, a 60-ton GE electric built in 1928 and 40 • Byways
used in iron ore mining on the famed Missabe Range.
Iron Ore dock at Duluth, with CN train in background. The Duluth-Superior area is still a major trans-loading point from rail to lake boat for ore shipments of taconite—pelletized iron ore.
maroon and cream electric locomotive, No. 307, from the Hanna Ore Mining Company, which along with its many sisters worked for years bringing iron ore out of the Missabe and Vermillion Range’s open pit iron ore mines for treatment and trans-loading to mainline trains. It was built by General Electric in 1928 and initially
worked at the Wabigon Mine. The last of its genre, it joined the museum collection in 1974. One of the most exciting things about a visit to this Duluth treasure is that the museum is more than just a static display. It also has an operating railroad, the North Store
Massive electric locomotive of the former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. Built by GE in 1915, it was at the time the most powerful locomotive in the world.
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Station yard entrance of Duluth Union Station (peaked roof), home of the Lake Superior RR Museum.
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Scenic Railroad, which during summer and fall, from May through mid-October, provides passengers with a journey along the pristine shores of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. Several options are available to travelers, including full day round-trips on the Two Harbors Turn, but most popular is the Duluth Zephyr, which makes 1-1/2 round-trips up a portion of the line to Two Harbors. The evening Pizza and Music Train is also a popular choice for kids. Also be sure to check the line’s website for special trains which run from time to time. Operating a fleet of historic diesel-electric locomotives, and an occasional steam excursion, the North Shore Scenic line has some locomotive treasures. My personal favorite is No. 192, an EMD (GM) NW-5, one of ten of the type built in 1946-47 for the Great Northern Railroad. It has the look of a switch engine, but with an extended cab that includes a steam generator, allowing it to steam heat local passenger trains in the severe upper Midwestern winter. Duluth itself is worth a visit. One can still see iron ore trains delivering taconite (pelletized iron ore) to the local ore docks. Boat excursions on Lake Superior are also recommended, allowing close views of the ore docks, the shore line, and the city’s famous aerial lift bridge, a harbor landmark dating from 1905. But best of all, whether the city or the museum or its railroad service, the people of Duluth and environs are a friendly and welcoming lot. All aboard!
Old wooden wedge snowplow, Northern Pacific #19 – built in 1907.
About the Author.
Dr. John A. Kirchner is Emeriti Professor of Geography and Transportation at California State University, Los Angeles. In addition to his teaching and research interests, he was worked as a tour organizer and tour leader for special interest commercial group travel, focusing primarily on railway travel and photography in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Massive 2-8-8-4 articulated #229 of the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range RR at the Two Harbors RR station, northern terminus of the North Shore Scenic RR. Sister locomotive #227 is inside the Duluth museum.
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r Video o f k c i l C
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Kentucky Horse Park Honors 100th Anniversary of Man o’ War with Year Long Celebration
he life and legacy of one of America’s original sporting heroes, the legendary Man o’ War, will be the highlight of a year-long celebration at the Kentucky Horse Park beginning on March 29, his birthday. “Man o’ War is a true American icon, born in Kentucky before going on to capture the country’s imagination by winning 20 of 21 races, smashing records and setting the bar that all other Thoroughbreds are measured by,” said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director Laura Prewitt. “We are excited to announce not only an amazing exhibit, but also numerous events that will be held here at his final resting place, the Kentucky Horse Park, and throughout central Kentucky.” Entitled Man o’ War: The Mostest Horse That Ever Was, the exhibit will open on March 29, coincidentally Man o’ War’s birthday, at the Kentucky Horse Park and will contain never before seen artifacts of his 44 • Byways
Man O' War ran his final race in 1920.
illustrious career as a racehorse, a sire, and from his life in the Bluegrass as one of the state’s most well-known and visited residents. “We took the name of the exhibit from Will Harbut, the man who took care of him most of his life here in Kentucky,” said International Museum of the Horse Director, Bill Cooke. “There are so many pieces of history with the Man o’ War exhibit that racing fans will be thrilled to see.” The entire list of Man o’ War events will be announced on March 29, but Prewitt previewed some of what can be expected. “There will be a number of events beginning with his Photo courtesy International Museum of the Horse. birthday, a legacy mural of Man o’ War that will be painted in downtown Lexington, special Man o’ War-themed horse farm tours will be offered sire can be traced down today to the most recent Triple Crown winner, the great American and much more that will involve fans of all ages.” Pharoah. Thriving in the golden age of American sport, Man o’ War dominated sports headlines, often overshadowing legends
g n i n e p p a H s ’ t a h W
such as Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey and Bobby Jones. His dominance of the sport was followed by a successful career at stud in Kentucky, siring Triple Crown winners and numerous other champions. His power as a
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“The story of Man o’ War is truly a remarkable one,” said Prewitt. “Our goal is to celebrate his life and equally encourage visitors to experience all that the Kentucky Horse Park has to offer.” For more information, visit: www.KyHorsePark.com
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Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America. Byways is emailed to more than 4000 tour operators /Travel Trade through the Internet. Subscriptions are complimentary. An iPad & iPhone version is available for consumers in iTunes in the App Store. An Android browser version is available at www.issuu.com/byways. Byways’ distribution includes motorcoach companies, tour operators, selected travel agents, bank travel managers, school band and athletic planners, meeting planners and the travel trade. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine at 502-785-4875. ©Copyright 2017 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher. Editor and Publisher Stephen M. Kirchner
Advertising Director 502-785-4875
Internet bywaysmagazine.com byways@motorcoach.com Byways on Facebook Byways on Twitter
Advertisers Index Bedford Tourism & Welcome Center, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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Life Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Colorado Spring Convention & Visitors Bureau, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Mystic Seaport, Connecticut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kentucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Randolph County, West Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Ross-Chillicothe Convention & Visitors Bureau, Ohio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Silverado Casino/Franklin Hotel, South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 St. Louis Convention & Visitors Bureau, Missouri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Springfield Tourism, Kentucky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
U.S. Naval Academy Visitors Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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