Train sets!

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Thanks for the update Arthur

cool thanks for the update art

Hello everyone!
Sadly I have nothing to share at present (4:20PM CST on 12/19/2020), due to construction work on the Arlee Branch being stalled out again. I will let you all know of any developments however.

Hello everyone. happy Christmas!!!

Just wanted to let you all know that, as of 11:45AM on 12/25/2020, the railroad's situation looks like this:

1.) The railroad has received delivery of its newest locomotive (former CN Rail GP38-2W 4777), boxcar (former rbox 10824) and hopper car (former MILW 97802). The locomotive will take over as power for the railroad's wreck train while this train's now former power (former CR GP38-2 8276) has been reassigned to work the ADM Grain elevator and grain car yard in Oakdale. The boxcar joins the railroad's general freight car pool, while the grain hopper joins the Grain Express' equipment pool (and will begin carrying bulk loads of raw grain by the start of the new year).

2.) The railroad's 2nd 604301 (a former CP Rail cylindrical covered hopper) has now gone into service alongside its identical twin. This gives the railroad 58 active grain hoppers, but the PLRX has decided to start running its Grain Express in two separate trains in order to accommodate all of these cars. It still plans to retire its 1st 604301 from service, sell it to Archer Daniels Midland & move it to this company's grain elevator in Oakdale so it can be used as a storage facility once track work in this town has been completed however. 

3.) Construction of the Arlee Branch is currently suspended due to the winter holidays, but will be resuming at some point in the new year. 

4.) The railroad's three former CP Rail heavyweight MOW cars remain unusable to coupler and truck issues, but are still in storage at New Roanoke (they were moved there in response to complaints in early December 2020).

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Thanks for the update Arthur. I also hope you had a awesome Christmas too

Hello everyone!
Unfortunately I made a mistake in the number of active grain hoppers owned by the railroad. It turns out that the PLRX actually owns 57 grain cars (one of which will be retired from service and turned into a storage building at Oakdale's ADM grain elevator once track work in this town is completed). This will reduce the fleet to 56 cars, but the train could return to 57 cars at some point in the future.

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

P.S. In response to Josh's question, I had a decent Christmas but such could have been better (due to a certain someone's ongoing health issues).

Hello again everyone!
Don't have a lot to say here, due to the railroad being mostly shut down in response to construction work on the Arlee Branch (as of 7:45PM CST on 12/29/2020), but there has been some minimal operations performed. Unfortunately such has only been former ATSF GP38-2 3571 taking two cylindrical covered hoppers back to the railroad's freight yard at Hillside but such isn't entirely unexpected.

Please stay tuned for further updates a the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Hello again everyone!!!
The railroad remains shut down due to construction work on the Arlee Branch for the most part (as of 10:45 AM CST on 12/31/2020), but carloads of grain and malt barley are still be loaded at and transported from Rustyville's Cargill grain elevator. Unfortunately its only two cars at a time, but the PLRX's Board of Directors hopes to resume full-time operations as soon as physically possible.

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Thanks for the updates Arthur

Hello again everyone!!!
It turns out that I was 100% right about construction work on the Arlee Branch resuming in 2021, as there has been some early track work performed (as of 1:35PM CST on 1/4/2021). Unfortunately it will be some time before this line can host operations however, as this work consists of roadbed being installed. 

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

cool thanks for the update art

Hello everyone

As of 9:05AM CST on 1/6/2021, work on the Arlee Branch has stalled out again but such is normal. Also the railroad's newest covered hopper is very close to getting its first load of outbound raw grain.

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Hello everyone, Got some more updates to share (as of 8:55AM CST on 1/8/2021)! 

1.) Unfortunately track work on the Phoenix Line's Arlee Branch remains stalled out at present (which is generating a great deal of frustration and complaints), but the railroad's Board of Directors has a plan to get this work started again as soon as physically possible. 

2.) Surprisingly, the railroad has managed to purchase two more pieces of rolling stock (both cars were delivered to their new owner at the same time on 1/6/2021). These are a 50' insulated boxcar built by Fruit Growers Express (former British Columbia Railway 4660) as well as an 85' streamlined Baggage-RPO (or Railway Post Office) car built by the Budd Car Company (former CN Rail 9600). Even though the two cars continue to wear the colors and markings of their original owners, both of them have been assigned to their respective operating theaters (the boxcar joins the freight equipment pool, while the Baggage-RPO has joined the equipment pool used by the railroad's Officer's Special train).

3.) The purpose of Officer's Special service has been slightly modified so that special guests of the railroad can ride this particular train.

4.) The railroad's newest covered hopper (former MILW 97802) has now received its first load of grain, and is currently waiting for transport away from Rustyville's Cargill grain elevator.

5.) Unfortunately the railroad's three former CP Rail heavyweight MOW cars are still in storage at New Roanoke, but there's been some talk of bringing them back to Rustyville again in the past week or so. 

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Thanks for the updates Arthur

Hello again everyone,
There has been some developments regarding the Phoenix Line Railroad today (1/11/2021), and I'm letting you all know about them here

1.) Some more planning for the Arlee Branch has taken place but its anyone's guess as to when construction work will actually resume.

2.) The towns served by this branch line (Timberneck Gulch, Oakdale and Arlee) are still without rail service at this time but the railroad is hoping to resolve this problem as soon as possible.

3.) Some of the railroad's equipment (its 2nd 387397 and the three former CP Rail heavyweight MOW cars) remain in storage at New Roanoke at present but the cylindrical covered hopper (which was purchased from CN Rail) will probably be going into service sooner than the MOW cars (as their coupler and truck issues are still on-going).

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Hello again all!
Got another update to share with you (as of 9:50AM CST on 1/18/2021). While construction of the Arlee Branch remains stalled out, the railroad's 4008 (a former Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy steam locomotive) has been steamed up and taken for a light run on the PLRX's mainline (which took place on 1/17/2021). The test was a complete success, and there were no complications whatsoever.

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Thanks for the update art

Hello everyone, got some news related to the Arlee Branch to share with you today (5:10PM CST on 1/22/2021)!!!

From what I know, most of the Arlee branch will be single track but it will also have a few sections of double track to allow for two trains to pass each other. Unfortunately I have no information regarding the situation with Timberneck Gulch and Arlee, but Oakdale will be getting an unloading track as well as grain car yard. I also have no new information regarding the railroad's 3 former CP Rail heavyweight MOW cars.

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.

Hello again everyone!

Here is are a few more updates regarding the Phoenix Line Railroad's Arlee Branch (as of 8:00PM CST on 1/24/2021).

There has been some work on the general design of the section of the branch line that will be passing through the town of Timberneck Gulch, but nothing has changed in terms of the sections passing through Oakdale as well as Arlee. 

Please stay tuned for further updates as the Phoenix Line Railroad's story continues.