Welcome to Edition 10 of Railroading in America Magazine! Note From The President
Edition 10 marks a point in this company’s history - our second year of publishing professional magazines that are written by railroad enthusiasts from all over the United States. Throughout my journey as co-founder and leader of this great organization, I have learned many valuable life skills - and so have our many crew members. This is not my normal company update letter, but instead a letter of gratitude for my crew members I take pride in calling my friends... a letter of gratitude for the companies that have helped us grow… a letter of gratitude for our readers… but most importantly a letter of gratitude to my parents. Our crew members never cease to amaze me. Their initiative to make this company and their skillset grow with every edition is quite amazing - and usually unheard of for a group of teenagers. They are always looking for ways to improve their articles. Whether it be the low of an article, their grammar, or even their photography skills - they are constantly improving. The crew members at Railroading in America Magazine are not only my co-workers, but people who I am proud to call my friends. They have integrity, zeal, honesty, loyalty, humility, humbleness, compassion, and a sense of responsibility. While celebrating our second year as a magazine publisher, I would like to thank Garrett Monnin, Max Harris, Jonah Collins, Walker Wood, Clayton Cook, Riley Ginger, Adam Zappacosta, John Barragan, and Carlos Llamas for their dedication to this company. Our partner companies have helped this magazine grow in all di ferent ways. Whether it be moral support, guidance, exposure, product reviews, friends, or content - they are always there to help us out. O Gauge Railroading magazine has been with us for just over six months, and to say that their team is gracious is an understatement! They’ve helped us reach new clientele, shared a table with us at York, allowed us to be their business partners and friends, and have guided and mentored us along the way. Thank you Rich Melvin, Alan Arnold, Allan Miller, Jim Barrett, and Ed Boyle for your continued support on our business venture together! A special thank you also goes to Lionel and MTH for being the first ones to send us products to review for the magazine! There are many other companies and organizations that we have partnered with in the last year. We’ve partnered with Metra, Progress Rail, the Notch 6 Podcast, the Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation, the Nashville Steam Preservation Society, the UP Steam Program, to name a few. To all of our exceptional friends and partners, thank you for your support. The most important people out of this colossal list are my parents, Frank and Jen. Without your support and devotion to this magazine we would not be where we are today. Thank you for loaning money to help us start this business. Thank you for taking me to York to sell magazines with one of my closest friends, Max. But most importantly, thank you for believing in me. Thank you for being there during hard times, thank you for supporting all of my wild ventures, but most importantly, thank you for loving me no matter what. Finally, thank you to all of our readers. Without your support, we would not have connections with any of these companies. Your dedication to this magazine is appreciated by everyone here. So without further ado, I would like to invite you to take a look at a new chapter in Railroading in America Magazine’s legacy - our tenth publication - marking our two year anniversary
Evan Cihlar RIAM President and CEO
Railroading in America is a newly founded magazine run by the next generation of railroaders. We pride ourselves on taking a di ferent and more lighthearted perspective than our competitors, and take extra steps to ensure we are reporting on quality and factual news.
Table of Contents
Page 1........................... The Columbia and Reading: A Shortline Reborn Page 3................... The Kentucky Steam Heritage Corporation and CSX Page 5............. An Interview with the New England Steam Corporation Page 8......................... Wintertime on the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad Page 10............................ Carina Borst: The IRM's First Female Fireman Page 14............. The North Pole Express at Steam Railroading Institute Page 17............. Rising Up: Firing the Future at the Strasburg Rail Road Page 20.............................. Kitbashing an HO Southern Pacific SD40T-2 Page 22.............................. HO Scale GP38-2 Rebuild and Repaint Part 2 Page 24................... Kato's Spirit of the Union Pacific SD70ACE Reviewed Page 26........... MTH Am leet Cars, Exclusive Capstone Paint Reviewed Page 29................................... The Pros and Cons of Using Smoke Units Page 31..................................................... Rich Melvin's Highball Column Page 33........................................................................ The Laughing Stock
historic Antonito Car Shop, where work is progressing on a D&RGW RPO that will be converted into a high-end concession car. Additionally, the restoration of Denver & Rio Grande coach 256 is coming along nicely. Future plans call for a special train to be used on weekends that will consist of five vintage D&RG coaches and Locomotive 168. Coach 292 is completed, and with two more coaches nearing completion, the dream is slowly becoming reality. Now you may be asking yourself, “Where the sta f to run the shops come from”? We actually have three master carpenters, and the rest of the team consists of train and engine crews, even Maintenance of Way employees. Everybody pitches in to help during the winter months. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Antonito for this issue, and hope you will come out to see the railroad for yourself someday.
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Carina Borst: Loving Mother and the IRM's FIRST Female Fireman Evan Cihlar
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It all starts when we are young. A mode of transportation that starts o f as a hobby, then a evolves into a passion, then - for some - a career. Carina Borst’s story is a little more special... a little more unique… and a little more loving.
firewoman) the IRM will have. Her drive behind it is that she has always been goal driven. “It’s what motivates me to do my best - I always put in 120%. Since there was never a qualified female fireman, I wanted to be the first. When I have a goal, I always stick to it and complete it. I want to be the role model for the young girls coming to the museum to prove that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything.”
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I had the pleasure of interviewing Borst just before Christmas of 2018 - and let me tell you, she’s someone that everyone will want to meet. Borst is not just a rail enthusiast and preservationist, she is most importantly a loving mother of her son, Zachary. Zachary has autism and Down Syndrome, and requires consistent medical attention, and is Borst’s entire world. Borst volunteers at the Illinois Railway Museum (IRM), and when I asked Borst what got her into railroad preservation, her answer was both unique and heartfelt. “I stumbled upon it on a whim - I did not have any experience or interest in railroad preservation at all until I started taking Zachary to the IRM. I took him for train rides a ter some marathons I ran. During those visits, I really enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere and wanted to give back by volunteering. I was looking into the cab from the steps of 1630 and one of the student firemen noticed my tattoo of 1630 (as my arm was dedicated to Zachary) and that’s what got my foot in the door at the IRM.”
Since Borst did not have any prior experience in railroad preservation, I was intrigued as to why she’s still working with the IRM. “The volunteer’s dedication… their drive and passion is really impressive. They have dedicated their lives to restoring cars, locomotives, electrics, diesels, and so many other things. Their passion rubs o f on you quite a bit. Part of my calling for going there is to promote the family events the IRM puts on - those events keep the museum running.” Borst does more than just maintenance around the museum and on the locomotives. She is going to be the first female fireman (or should I say
As I mentioned before, Borst also does maintenance and restoration projects around various departments at the IRM. She does most of her work in three departments: steam, track, and the museum’s magazine, Rail and Wire. Currently her main focus is on becoming a fireman, but during the winter season the 1630 needs some regular repairs to ensure its operational stability, so Borst is more than happy to help with this e fort. We all know that volunteering for organizations can take a lot of time out of your day. It can be a challenge to balance personal and work duties with volunteer work, but Borst knows how to maintain that balance. “Life presents its own challenges. Mine has some more constraints, as my husband and I are raising a child that will always need attention around the 10
clock. We have to manage his care and work full time jobs, while also finding time for friends and family. I love organizing myself and making allotted time slots for each task that I need to complete. I may not be able to volunteer every week, but when I do I usually spend 4-5 hours volunteering. Many of the guys spend their whole day there but I can’t always do that… even if I wanted to… I have to do what I can with the limited amount of time that I have. Before becoming a student fireman, I would spend about four to five hours every weekend volunteering. Now that I have started training, I spend closer to ten or twelve hours volunteering at the museum firing every weekend. This includes firing up the locomotive, maintaining pressure throughout the day, and shutting her down.” Steam locomotives are not just running pieces of history - they’re time machines, too. For Borst, the second reason why she loves volunteering at the IRM is because of the public’s reaction. “When I’m in the cab waiting to depart, the coolest part is seeing all of the kids and adults peeking into the cab. Knowing that you’re a part of the excitement that overpowers their emotions is a great feeling. Sometimes I get a little kid saying, ‘Mom! It’s a girl!’”
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Borst isn’t there to just have fun, she loves gaining knowledge from every experience she gets. When I asked her what her favorite locomotive or piece of equipment at the IRM to work on was, she responded just the way most of the IRM steam department would: “Uh, duh… Frisco 1630!!” Finally, I wanted to see a then-outsider’s perspective of what the future of rail preservation might look like, as many people think that this hobby is slowly dying and the next generation has lost interest. Borst responded: “Just based on Facebook and the IRM, you’re going to see a more diverse group of preservationists because it’s attracting a younger generation. More women are getting involved. I see a lot of wide-eyed, curious children that want to learn more and it is up to us to help them learn about it and get them involved as soon as they are of legal age to do so.” Carina Borst isn’t just a regular rail enthusiast or preservationist. She’s a mother that got involved in the great world that we call “steam preservation” because of her son. With that love came a new love: A love for steam, grease, coal dust, and most importantly, the love of preserving and making railroad history.
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ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN BRAHANEY
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Edition 10 of Railroading in America Magazine was made possible by... Evan Cihlar, President and CEO Garrett Monnin, VP and COO Max Harris, Publisher and Adman Jonah Collins, Editor-in-Chief
Special Thanks To...
Christopher Pollock, John Riley, Andy Wartman and Geo frey Donahue for submitting photos! Alex Merrill and Rich Melvin for guest writing! Nicholas Smith Trains for giving us a product to review! John Brahaney for drawing a comic! Our Readers for their continued support!
Walker Wood, Writer Adam Zappacosta, Writer Carlos Llamas, Writer Clayton Cook, Writer Riley Ginger, Writer
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Edition 11 of Railroading in America Magazine Publishes March 29, 2019!
Note from the Publisher
I am o ten asked how I manage to make time for train related activities on a daily basis. Between my highly rigorous high school classes, tons of homework, several clubs where I actively participate, and sleeping, it can be hard to find time to rail fan or work on my model railroad. Yet somehow I always find time to squeeze some trains into my already overbooked day. In my fi teen minutes of rest when I get home from school, I can usually be found running a train on my layout or doing some scenery work, or whenever I am driving home from a certain a ter school activity, I always take the scenic route which involves a stretch of road that parallels a Norfolk Southern mainline. Sometimes I’ll even do homework in my train room, just to be around the trains (this is a horrible tactic however, as I always end up distracted and running a train rather than taking notes). These things brighten my day, because trains are always there for me. I sometimes think that having such little, yet precious time with my trains everyday is part of what makes them special. I cherish all the time I get to spend with my trains because it makes my days better and brings a smile to my face. They make my life better, and help ease the pain of failing a physics test or going three weeks without a good night’s rest. Both model and real, you can bet your life that if I see a train, I’m going to stop for a second, observe, and smile.
Max Harris
RIAM Publisher and Advertisement Manager
Railroading in America Magazine
www.railroadinginamerica.com contact@railroadinginamerica.net (888)-204-0087
Railroading in America Magazine, LLC is a Registered Trademark with the State of Ohio. Copyright 2019. All Rights Reserved. Cover Photo Copyright Matthew Malkiewicz 2019.