Eighteen short line and regional railroads are expected to send locomotives to the America 250 Locomotive Celebration, joining the six Class I railroads already committed to the three-day event set for August 28-30 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
The short line roster spans the country, from regional operators to small carriers with deep ties to their local communities. They include Aberdeen Carolina & Western Railway; Carolina Coastal Railway; Cincinnati Scenic Railway; East Penn Railroad; Florida Central Railroad; Genesee & Wyoming’s Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad; Genesee Valley Transportation; Lake State Railway; Minnesota Commercial Railway; Morristown & Erie Railway; Naugatuck Railroad; New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway; OmniTRAX’s Chicago Rail Link; Prairie Lines; Reading & Northern; R.J. Corman Railroad Group; and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.
Florida East Coast Railway, a Class II railroad, has also confirmed its participation and will send its America 250 locomotive to the event.
The short line and regional railroad locomotives will be displayed alongside nine specially painted locomotives from the six Class I railroads: BNSF Railway, Canadian National, CPKC, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific.
Locomotives from passenger railroads and from museums and preservation societies participating in the event will be announced soon.
The America 250 Locomotive Celebration is organized by the North Carolina Transportation Museum, White River Productions and Railfan & Railroad, and Trains magazine, to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. Scale Trains and Virtual Railfan are sponsors of the event.
Tickets are on sale now through the museum website, https://www.nctransportationmuseum.org/america-250-locomotive-celebration/.
The America 250 Locomotive Celebration will include unique photo opportunities, rotating locomotive displays on the Bob Julian Roundhouse turntable, and train rides pulled by a museum diesel locomotive.
Each day will feature a different lineup of locomotives and photography opportunities as equipment is rotated and repositioned throughout the event, ensuring a unique experience for returning visitors.