Canadian Pacific is no longer the only railroad with a train with railcars covered in Holiday Lights! CSX joined the roster of Holiday lights trains! The CSX Holiday Express was first seen with the B&O passenger consist late last week. The B&O passenger consist was recently traveling with the CSX Santa Train; since then it is now making its rounds with the CSX Holiday Express on CSX's main lines. The cars are decorated differently than Canadian Pacific's Holiday Train. 

As seen in the article's picture, CSX has four boxcars decorated in festive holiday lights. The fist boxcar is covered with the CSX logo, some trees, snowflakes, and Christmas balls. The second boxcar is decorated with the word "Holiday", bells, and presents. The third boxcar is decorated with the word "Express", candy canes, and more presents. The last boxcar is decorated with the American Flag, stars, the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, and toy soldiers.

This seems to possibly become a new holiday tradition for CSX. We hope they bring it back next year for another amazing show!

The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) has begun the process of phasing out one of their most iconic locomotives, the SD9043MACs. Earlier this year, the company's lease on the locomotives ended; however, the Indiana Rail Road started to have trouble finding replacement units for the locomotives. INRD initially sourced several CSX C40-8Ws in late 2022 to help work on the railroad; however, more power was still needed. INRD extended the lease on the SD9043MACs until they could find more motive power. The railroad eventually found some former Norfolk Southern SD70Ms; which the company is currently repainting and renumbering with some already operating on the rails. As of late spring and early summer, only two of the SD9043MACs have been removed from service and more are expected to be gone by the new year.

There are not many SD9043MACs left in the United States. Multiple companies did buy some of the 4,300-hp EMD SD9043MACs. The locomotives were introduce in 1995 and were designed to be able to hold a 6,000-hp engine that EMD was working on at the time. 410 total locomotives were purchased by three companies; those companies were CIT leasing (40 units), Canadian Pacific (61 units), and Union Pacific (309 units). In 2008, the Indiana Rail Road purchased a lease on 10 former CEFX SD9043MACs that would replace some of their older INRD SD60s. After 15 years of service, the backbone of INRD's operations is being phased out of service. The locomotives were amazing and power beasts, but their time has come. Indiana Rail Road's iconic SD9043MACs may not see southeastern Indiana and eastern Illinois too much longer, let alone into 2024.

Thank you for your service INRD SD9043MACs.

Just after ONE full year of SIDETRACK PRODUCTIONS existence, the group has hit over 50,000 views on YouTube. We are super excited to see so many people enjoy our rail related programs. We would like to say THANK YOU to all of you who have watched our programs. We are ready for another 50K and more views on our programs looking into the future. Our next big project revolves around Kirkwood Train Station in Kirkwood, Missouri and we hope you will like it!

The Colebrookedale Railroad of Pennsylvania has acquired Canadian National #5288, a 4-6-2. The tourist railroad hopes to restore this locomotive and two others for operations on their railroad. The other steam locomotives the Colebrookedale Railroad has on their roster is Superior & Ishpeming #18, a 2-8-0, and sister locomotive, to 5288, Grand Trunk Western #5030, also a 4-6-2. 5288 is supposed to be moved from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum to the Colebrookedale Railroad within the next couple of days.

In 1919, 5288 was built for the Grand Trunk. The locomotive was later transferred to the Canadian National. F. Nelson Blount purchased 5288 for the Steamtown collection in the early 1960s. The TVRM acquired the locomotive after it was sold to them in 2001. 5288 has been located on the TVRM's grounds for the last two decades sitting just outside of the Grand Junction Station. Once the TVRM decided to sell 5288, the Colebrookedale Railroad purchased it and will be relocating it to their Boyertown Depot until restoration can begin.

For More Information and Updates visit the Colebrookedale Railroad at:

www.colebrookdalerailroad.com

All or most kids can remember growing up with the show Thomas & Friends or just having some type of train thing around their house. For me, I had both. I loved playing with and watching trains. One of my first real train movies was called Challenger 3985 by Railway Productions. I loved that movie so much that the DVD has almost burned out; however, this article is not about my childhood of watching and playing with trains.

Before 2013, my grandparents and my family would go to Knightstown, Indiana. In Knightstown, there was a short tourist railroad called the CKS Railroad. The Carthage, Knightstown, and Shirley Railroad to visitors on a short train ride through eastern Indiana between the namesake towns of Knightstown and Carthage. As a family we would typically go for the annual pumpkin train. CKS #468 (blue locomotive pictured above) pulled the trains normally during the time I went and CKS #215 sat in the Engine House at the Carthage end of the line. However, due to the track degrading and not meeting FRA standards the CKS Railroad shut it's doors in August of 2013.

In the fall of 2017, my grandparents took my brothers and I to the abandoned railroad to look around. I was so sad to see the blue locomotive I feel in love riding with sitting on a siding, rusting away, not to ever be used again. I began filming the equipment at the Knightstown end of the line and we later then proceed to go to the Carthage end. I filmed some more on that end of the line. However, in 2021, the CKS locomotives got another chance.

CKS #468 and #215 were bought by the Kokomo Grain Company. The two locomotives were moved to the Company's grounds in Kokomo. As of my knowledge, the 468 and 215 are under operation on the Kokomo Grain Companies short rail lines on their grounds.

When I look back to the CKS, I am glad I filmed in 2017. The CKS is one of the reasons I do SIDETRACK PRODUCTIONS today. I wanted to preserve the memory of this great small railroad. That statement is what I stand by when I make videos for SIDETRACK PRODUCTIONS. "Our purpose is to show people what it is like every day to be a railfan or to work on the railroad. We want people to understand that railroading is not just about moving freight or passenger cars; railroading is about the people and these powerful, majestic beasts of machinery.  We want to preserve the railroading of today and yesteryear. We want to show locomotives and railroading from the Age of Steam to the Rise of Diesels and beyond." Preservation is, "the act or process of keeping something in existence," and that is exactly what SIDETRACK PRODUCTIONS wants to achieve.

I have taken inspiration from Railway Productions, Delay In Block Productions, CoasterFan2105, and others for the rail content I make. The CKS Railroad impacted my childhood and proceed to change my video world for the better for the rest of life.

In Mid-2022, Canadian Pacific acquired the Kansas City Southern. CP seems to be proud of buying out KCS and enabling Canada, the United States, and Mexico with a single, continuous rail service between all three countries. CP expects to generate 1 billion dollars within the first three years of this deal. At least, 60,000 truckloads annually will be removed from the interstates. Kansas City Southern seems to be disappearing in the United States and Mexico. For the time being, CP and KCS are still operating separately until the final parts of the deal are completed. If you are a railfan and you haven't got the chance to see KCS, we here at SIDETRACK PRODUCTIONS recommend that you go and take a photo or video of this fading Class 1 railroad before it is consumed by CP.

Even though the name of the Kansas City Southern Lines will disappear; it will live on in the new name of the merger, Canadian Pacific Kansas City.