News & Information



News & Information

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Latest News May 8
Museum News
Event Calendar
Preservation Information and Nickel Plate Equipment Rosters
Genealogy/Former Railroad Employee Information and Resources
Government Railroad Research Sites
Railroad Safety Information

Latest News

The Cincinnati Railway Company Acquires NKP GP-30 #902

The Cincinnati Railway Company (CNRY) has been successful in acquiring NKP GP-30 #902, AND will be restoring it to full NKP colors to be a companion to the now fully restored NKP 901. Though their regular duties will not be together, they will be on the same railroad and available for MUing on various fan trips.

In addition to these units being reunited, NKP caboose 783 is being purchased by some CNRY employees and will also be returned to full NKP livery. The caboose will be on the same line as the two GP-30s, thus operating photos of the three together will be possible.

As for the units assignments, the 902 will become regular power for the Cincinnati Dinner Train. The 901 and 902 will be together on the fan trips to Greensburg, Indiana and St. Paris, Ohio.

Norfolk Southern Nickel Plate Road Heritage Locomotive

Updated! 4-13-12

For a slideshow of the new NS NKP heritage locomotive #8100, please click here.

Member Paul Emch also found the following photos of the 8100 in action:

Rolling through CP Rochester
Passing through CP West Conway
Following a re-crew, passing through Baden
Arriving in Leetsdale to spot the train at the MolDok

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Museum News

#765 To Help Celebrate NS 30th Anniversary

UPDATE!

Norfolk Southern employees soon will enjoy opportunities to ride behind steam-powered excursion trains.

NS' "Employee Appreciation Excursions" will be operated on weekends this summer and fall in recognition of the corporation's 30th anniversary. Each of the railroad's 11 divisions will host several excursions.

"The chance to ride behind a living part of our history, to be with our families and coworkers, and to commemorate the remarkable progress we've made as a team in the last three decades are great reasons to come out and participate in these trips," said CEO Wick Moorman. "Besides, why should railfans have all the fun?"

The tentative schedule is:

June 2-3, Georgia Division
June 9-10, Piedmont Division
June 30-July 1, Virginia Division
July 14-15, Central Division
July 21-22, Lake Division
July 28-29, Dearborn Division
Aug. 4-5, Pocahontas Division
Aug. 11-12, Pittsburgh Division
Aug. 18-19, Harrisburg Division
Sept. 8-9, Illinois Division
Sept. 15-16, Alabama Division

Tickets will be for active employees and their family members only. They'll be available several weeks before each excursion and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of four per family. Quantities will be limited and tickets will be non- transferrable. Interested active employees will be able to sign up through the Employee Resource Center under "Employee Excursions." Tickets will be available two weeks prior to the scheduled event.

Employees who are regularly scheduled to work on the day of the event should have their immediate supervisor's permission before signing up for tickets.

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and the Fort Wayne Historical Society are providing the steam locomotives, equipment, and services to make these excursions memorable, fun, and of course, safe.

Southern Railway 630 will be used for the trips on the southern part of the system. No. 630 was built in 1904 by the American Locomotive Company at Richmond, Va., and is one of the three locomotives that will be used in NS' 21st Century Steam program over the next four years.

Nickel Plate Road 765 will be used for the trips on the northern part of the system. No. 765 was built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, and is familiar to many railroaders, having been in excursion service on and off since 1979.

More information about the Employee Appreciation Excursions will be distributed as it becomes available.

Much has been written lately about the Norfolk Southern's celebrated anniversary of the merger of the Norfolk & Western and Southern railroads, along with news of their producing 18 heritage locomotives in the paint schemes of its many predecessor roads, including the Nickel Plate. To add to the celebration, the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society has announced that they will join the festivities. The 765 "will pull a special business train, operating out of the railroad's terminals in Fort Wayne, Elkhart, and Muncie, Indiana as well as in Bellevue and Toledo, Ohio." To read more, please visit the FWRHS website news release here.

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Event Calendar

We now have an Event Calendar on which you may post any railroad related events such as train shows and swap meets, museum events, throttle time, excursions, etc. Please click here to post your event or read what others have posted.

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Preservation Information and Nickel Plate Equipment Rosters

NKPHTS Preservation List Existing NKP equipment and buildings.
NKPHTS Preservation Pictures
Nickel Plate Equipment Rosters and Rolling Stock Acquisition Year by Year
Our Links Page
Ohio Railroad Stations Past & Present (off site)

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Genealogy/Former Railroad Employee Information and Sources

We have received numerous requests as to where to find information on former Nickel Plate employees. Unfortunately, when the Norfolk & Western Railway took over the Nickel Plate Road in October of 1964, they moved all records to Roanoke, VA, or destroyed them on site to help bury the Nickel Plate name. Many records, if not most, including those of former employees, were destroyed. Some of our historical society members personally saved a few records that were scheduled to be destroyed just before they were loaded into a garbage truck or incinerator, but rarely have individual employee records turned up.

However, the Railroad Retirement Board is a Federal agency and the pensions paid by employees are literally "Federal" pensions. No railroad, especially the Norfolk and Western, could simply dispose of personnel records that would have anything to do with railroad retirement benefits. All during the course of an employee's career, they paid a portion of their pay to the RRB and it was administered by the employing railroad.

The Railroad Retirement Board provides a genealogical search service and links to other sources that may turn up information on previous employees of any railroad. Their specific web page that deals with this type of search is at:

http://www.rrb.gov/mep/genealogy.asp

You may also contact the RRB by phone at one of their field offices or by email. Contact information links can be found on their home page at http://www.rrb.gov/.

In addition, George G. Morgan has written some excellent articles about Social Security and Railroad Retirement and Railroad Genealogical information. His articles can be found at Ancestry.com through the following links. Please click on:

Many thanks to Jon Marx for making the NKPHTS aware of Mr. Morgan's articles.

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Government Railroad Research Sites

The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Directory Of Railroad History Research Locations
Railroad Maps 1828-1900 US Library of Congress Railroad Maps Site
DOT Investigations Of Railroad Accidents 1911 - 1966 Click on "I.C.C. Historical Railroad Investigation Reports (1911-1966)"

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Railroad Safety Information

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