Ross Rowland

Last updated

Ross E. Rowland, Jr. (born 1940) is a figure in United States railroad preservation. He has run public and demonstration excursions on existing railroads utilizing steam locomotives.

Contents

Early life and financial career

Born in Albany, New York, in 1940, Rowland's family relocated to Cranford, New Jersey, in 1945, where Ross frequented local railroad roundhouses as a child. [1] Rowland's father, grandfather and great-grandfather all had railroad careers which contributed to Ross's interest in trains as a child. At the age of 14, Rowland left his family home in 1954 to hitchhike following a dispute with his parents. After returning to Cranford, eventually a local friend would invite Ross at the age of 17 to start a career in the futures exchanges in New York City. [1] In 1966 Rowland founded Floor Broker Associates Inc. [2] He also served on the board of COMEX, a precious metals investment firm. Rowland would work in commodities for 33 years prior to retiring. [1]

During his commodities career, Rowland would be sued by Henry Leffert Ramm, who accused Rowland of an adulterous relationship with Ramm's wife Lynn Ruth Ramm in 1984. [3] Henry Ramm sued Rowland for damages. Rowland appealed the case for a jurisdiction dispute to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas under Judge David Hittner in the case Ramm v. Rowland in 1987 who denied Rowland's motion to relocate the case and returned the case to the Texas state courts.

Steam excursion career

Ross Rowland began operating steam excursion trains in the form of his newly formed High Iron Company on October 13, 1966, and he would subsequently create several trains that would be pulled by steam, including the Golden Spike Centennial Limited train in 1969. Rowland's most famous accomplishment was The American Freedom Train, a steam-powered exhibit train which toured much of the continental US over 1975 and 1976 in conjunction with the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. [4] Rowland's actions in setting up the American Freedom Train would lead to him being awarded an honorary lifetime membership in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. [2]

The American Freedom Train was met by some protest, particularly from American Indian Movement and People's Bicentennial Commission activists concerned about inadequate coverage on the train regarding African American and Native American history. Rowland responded to the criticism by offering a tour to some protestors while stating "We only have 700 linear feet, so we can't do everyone satisfactory." [5]

Rowland has been connected with and operated several U.S. excursion steam locomotives, including Canadian Pacific 1278, 1238, 1286, Nickel Plate Road 759, Reading 2101, and Chesapeake and Ohio 614.

ACE 3000 Project

During the 1980s, with a spike in oil prices, Rowland was instrumental in forming American Coal Enterprises, an organization dedicated to the design and production of modern, coal-fired, reciprocating, direct-drive steam locomotives designed to reduce or eliminate operational concerns associated with steam locomotives and to operate with enough efficiency to be economically viable to railroads. [6] Rowland managed to obtain permission from CSX Transportation to operate C&O 614 in freight service in 1985, to obtain data in order to finalize the ACE 3000 design. The ACE 3000 originally started development as a Steam turbine locomotive design, but was changed to a traditional reciprocating drive as development continued. [7]

A preliminary design for the ACE 3000 was developed, [8] but active development stopped prior to any effort to build a demonstrator or prototype when oil prices fell in the mid-1980s, and it appeared that the disparity between coal and oil would not be sustained at a level significant enough to expect that a coal-fired locomotive would be economically feasible.

21st Century Limited

In 1992, Rowland along with Ralph Weisinger proposed the 21st Century Limited, a theme train hauled by C&O 614 with custom railcars and displays. Rowland initially projected the train would run by 1996, and 614 was briefly wrapped in the colors of the train for a photoshoot to advertise the project. Rowland sought out several sponsors for the train and was able to sign Chrysler as a sponsor. [1] The project would eventually be cancelled. [9]

In the 1990s, Rowland operated public excursions on New Jersey Transit between Hoboken and Port Jervis until the retirement of C&O 614. Rowland has been a critic of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Steamtown National Historic Site. [10]

Pacific Wilderness tourist train

In the summers of 2000 and 2001, Rowland managed the Pacific Wilderness Railway (PAW) on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This short-lived tourist train consisted of a few older coaches pulled by 2 GP20 diesels, traveling from Victoria to the peak of Malahat before returning to Victoria. The operation was criticized for lacking any proper station or accommodations at Malahat, and a lack of scenic sights along the route. [11] Further criticism highlighted the age of the rolling stock, a failure to attract cruise traffic such as the success of Alaska's White Pass and Yukon Route, and the failure to bring in an operating steam engine due to weight limits on bridges over the PAW line. [11] The operation failed, and ended in July 2001. [12]

Later career

From 2007 to 2017, Rowland promoted the concept of a "Yellow Ribbon Express" for the benefit of the Wounded Warrior Project. [5] In early 2011, Rowland announced the planned operation of the Greenbrier Presidential Express, a luxury train set to operate from Washington, D.C. to the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV. [13] However, problems with capacity on the Buckingham Branch Railroad and with steam operation into Washington, D.C. killed the project's feasibility. By 2014, many of the passenger cars bought for the Greenbrier Express were sold at auction, bringing an end to the project. [14]

In the early 2000s Ross attempted to sell C&O 614 at auction, however no buyers surfaced. In 2002 it was announced Andrew J. Muller of the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad had purchased the locomotive from Rowland, however this deal would later fall apart and Rowland retained ownership of the locomotive. [15] C&O 614 was moved from storage in Pennsylvania to static display at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in 2011. [16] It was later moved to display in Clifton Forge, Virginia, at the C&O Railway Heritage Center, where it was displayed wearing the green paint scheme of the failed Greenbrier Express project.

In 2016, Ross Rowland founded a new "American Freedom Train Foundation" to promote a 2026 Freedom Train concept for the United States Semiquincentennial. [2] Criticism of the American Freedom Train 2026 and the prior Yellow Ribbon Express has come from railfans who have speculated they were projects whose primary goal was to fundraise money for restoration of Rowland's C&O 614. [5] Rowland volunteered to portray Santa Claus in a 2018 Toys for Tots train event. [17] Rowland frequently operates as a guest steam locomotive engineer at the New Hope Railroad, and was an avid boater as well until selling his ship the Hustler in 2021. [2] [18] In 2021, Rowland received a lifetime achievement award from the HeritageRail Alliance. [19]

In November 2024 Rowland sold C&O 614 to RJD America, with Rowland noting his desire to see the locomotive in steam again. [20] It is planned to be moved to the Strasburg Railroad in 2025 where it will be restored to operating condition. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B&O Railroad Museum</span> United States historic place

The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum and historic railway station exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) company originally opened the museum on July 4, 1953, with the name of the Baltimore & Ohio Transportation Museum. It has been called one of the most significant collections of railroad treasures in the world and has the largest collection of 19th-century locomotives in the U.S. The museum is located in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's old Mount Clare Station and adjacent roundhouse, and retains 40 acres of the B&O's sprawling Mount Clare Shops site, which is where, in 1829, the B&O began America's first railroad and is the oldest railroad manufacturing complex in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamtown National Historic Site</span> Railroad museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Steamtown National Historic Site (NHS) is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located on 62.48 acres (25.3 ha) in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pere Marquette 1225</span> Preserved PM N-1 class 2-8-4 locomotive

Pere Marquette 1225 is a class "N-1" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built in October 1941 for the Pere Marquette Railway (PM) by Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio. No. 1225 is one of two surviving Pere Marquette 2-8-4 locomotives, the other being 1223, which was on display at the Tri-Cities Historical Society near the ex-Grand Trunk Western (GTW) coaling tower in Grand Haven, Michigan, and both have the distinction of being the only surviving Pere Marquette steam locomotive left in preservation. No. 1225 was well known to be the basis for the locomotive used in the 2004 film The Polar Express, earning itself the nickname "the real Polar Express".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio 614</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive

Chesapeake and Ohio 614 is a class "J-3-A" 4-8-4 "Greenbrier" (Northern) type steam locomotive built in June 1948 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) as a member of the J-3-A class. As one of the last commercially built steam locomotives in the United States, the locomotive was built with the primary purpose of hauling long, heavy, high speed express passenger trains for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway such as the George Washington and the Fast Flying Virginian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio classes L-2 and L-2-A</span> American steam locomotive class

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's class L-2 comprised eight coal-fired 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotives numbered 300–307 and built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1941. They had roller bearings on all axles, and the first-built, No. 300, also had roller bearings on its side and main rods. No. 300 bore "Elephant ear" smoke deflectors from 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading 2101</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive (RDG class T-1)

Reading 2101 is a preserved American class "T-1" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive constructed in September 1945 for use by the Reading Company. Constructed from an earlier "I10SA" 2-8-0 "Consolidation"-type locomotive built in March 1923, the 2101 handled heavy coal train traffic for the Reading until being retired from revenue service in 1959. Withheld from scrapping, the 2101 served as emergency backup power for the three other T1 locomotives serving the Reading's "Iron Horse Rambles" excursions until being sold for scrap in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Western 90</span> Preserved American 2-10-0 locomotive

Great Western 90 is a class 12-42-F 2-10-0 "Decapod" steam locomotive owned and operated by the Strasburg Rail Road (SRC) east of Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in June 1924, No. 90 originally pulled sugar beet trains for the Great Western Railway of Colorado, and it was the largest of the company’s roster. In April 1967, No. 90 was purchased by the Strasburg Rail Road, and has been pulling excursion trains there, ever since.

The Allegany Central Railroad was a tourist railroad that took place in three different locations from the 1970s to the 1990s. It originally operated in Covington, Virginia, before ownership disputes moved it to Cumberland, Maryland. From there, ownership disputes moved it again to Staunton, Virginia. Rising insurance costs shut down the railroad altogether by the end of the 1990s.

<i>Greenbrier Presidential Express</i>

The Greenbrier Presidential Express was a proposed luxury passenger train that was planned to operate between Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States, and the train station at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The project was initiated in June 2011 but canceled in May 2012 due to numerous issues, among which were capacity constraints on the Buckingham Branch Railroad and Federal approval of the train's engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel Plate Road 759</span> Preserved NKP S-2 class 2-8-4 locomotive

Nickel Plate Road 759 is a class "S-2" 2-8-4 "Berkshire" type steam locomotive built in 1944 by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio as a member of the S-2 class for the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, commonly referred to as the "Nickel Plate Road". Built as a fast freight locomotive, No. 759 served the Nickel Plate until being retired in 1959 and placed into storage. In 1965, No. 759 was purchased by F. Nelson Blount for display in his Steamtown, U.S.A. collection in North Walpole, New Hampshire. The locomotive was restored to operating condition in 1967 by New York commodity broker Ross Rowland for use in hauling his Golden Spike Centennial Limited, a special commemorative train that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1969. Afterwards, No. 759 pulled numerous excursions for Ross Rowland and Steamtown until being retired once more and placed back on display in 1977. As of 2023, the locomotive remains on static display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and sibling engine No. 765 continues to operate in mainline excursion service.

The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society (FWRHS) is a non-profit group in New Haven, Indiana that is dedicated to the restoration and operation of the ex-Nickel Plate Railroad's steam locomotive no. 765 and other vintage railroad equipment. Since restoration, the 765 was added to the National Register of Historic Places as no. 96001010 on September 12, 1996 and has operated excursion trains across the Eastern United States. In 2012, the FWRHS's steam locomotive no. 765 was added to the Norfolk Southern's 21st Century Steam program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston and Maine 3713</span> Preserved B&M class P-4a locomotive

Boston and Maine 3713, also known as the "Constitution", is the sole survivor of the "P-4a" class 4-6-2 "Heavy Pacific" type steam locomotives. It was built in December 1934 by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M), hauling passenger trains around the New England region. In 1956, No. 3713 was given the duty to haul B&M's Farewell to Steam excursion between Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine, marking the end of steam operations on the B&M.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio 2716</span> Preserved American 2-8-4 locomotive (C&O K-4 class)

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway 2716 is a class "K-4" 2-8-4 "Kanawha" (Berkshire) type steam locomotive built in 1943 by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). While most railroads referred to these 2-8-4 type locomotives as Berkshires, the C&O referred to them as Kanawhas after the Kanawha River, which flows through West Virginia. Used as a dual service locomotive, No. 2716 and its classmates served the C&O in a variety of duties until being retired from revenue service in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading T-1 Class</span>

The Reading T-1 was a class of 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives owned by the Reading Company. They were rebuilt from thirty "I-10sa" class 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotives between 1945 and 1947. Out of the thirty rebuilt, four survive in preservation today, those being numbers 2100, 2101, 2102, and 2124.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 1309</span> Preserved American 2-6-6-2 locomotive

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad 1309 is a compound articulated class "H-6" "Mallet" type steam locomotive with a 2-6-6-2 wheel arrangement. It was the very last steam locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) in November 1949 and originally operated by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) where it pulled coal trains until its retirement in 1956. In 1972, No. 1309 was moved to the B&O Railroad Museum for static display until 2014 when it was purchased by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR), who undertook a multi-year effort to restore it to operating condition. The restoration was completed on December 31, 2020, and the locomotive entered tourist excursion service for the WMSR on December 17, 2021. This was the first time an articulated locomotive operated in the Eastern United States since the retirement of Norfolk and Western 1218 in November 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading Blue Mountain and Northern 2102</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive (RDG class T-1)

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern 2102 is a preserved "T-1" 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotive. Originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in March 1925 as an "I-10sa" 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive for the Reading Company, No. 2102 was rebuilt by the Reading's own locomotive Shops as a 4-8-4 "Northern" in September 1945, and it was used for pulling heavy coal trains for the railroad until being retired from revenue service in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reading 2100</span> Preserved American 4-8-4 locomotive (RDG class T-1)

Reading 2100 is the prototype of the T-1 class 4-8-4 "Northern" type steam locomotives constructed in September 1945 for use by the Reading Company (RDG). Constructed from an earlier 2-8-0 "Consolidation" type locomotive built in May 1923 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, No. 2100 pulled heavy freight and coal trains for the Reading until being retired from revenue service in 1956. Between 1961 and 1964, No. 2100 was used to pull the RDG's Iron Horse Rambles excursions alongside fellow T-1's Nos. 2124 and 2102. After the rambles ended, No. 2100 was sold along with No. 2101 in 1967 to a scrapyard in Baltimore, Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake and Ohio Greenbrier</span>

The Chesapeake and Ohio Greenbrier was a class of 12 4-8-4 "Greenbrier" type steam locomotives built by the Lima Locomotive Works between 1935 and 1948 and operated by the C&O. Like a handful of railroads, the C&O didn't name their 4-8-4s "Northerns", and instead went with the name "Greenbrier" after the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, a major resort on the C&O mainline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific 1238</span> Preserved CP G5c class 4-6-2 locomotive

Canadian Pacific 1238 is a preserved G5c class 4-6-2 "Pacific" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in June 1946. It was purchased by George Hart, who used it for excursion service in the 1960s. It was later sold to Jack Showalter, who operated it on his Allegany Central Railroad from the 1970s to the mid-1990s. In late December 2023, No. 1238 was purchased by the Waterloo Central Railway, and they have plans to restore the locomotive to operating condition.

The ACE 3000 was a proposed modern 4-4-4-2 coal-burning duplex drive steam locomotive design for Ross Rowland's ACE 3000 Project and for the American Coal Enterprises, the locomotive was designed by Ross Rowland and was developed by American Coal Enterprises in the late 1970s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "A 400-Million Journey into the 21st Century". njbiz.com. NJBIZ. August 9, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Susan (January 1, 2022). "Meet Ross Rowland, Train Engineer par excellence". thousandsislandslife.com. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  3. ↑ Ramm v. Rowland, Denied (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas).
  4. ↑ "The John Marsh Files Box 64 "American Freedom Train (1)"". Gerald Ford Presidential Library, Box: 64, File: John Marsh Files, p. 20. Gerald Ford Presidential Library.
  5. 1 2 3 Speer, Daniel (May 2022). The Rails that Bind: America's Freedom Trains as Reflections of Efforts to Form Cultural Consensus and Indicators of the Weakness of Cold War Memory (Thesis). William & Mary. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Ultimate Steam Page". Trainweb.org. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
  7. ↑ Boyd, Jim. The Steam Locomotive A Century of North American Classics. MetroBooks. p. 103. ISBN   1586636138.
  8. ↑ "U. S. Patent 4425763" . Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  9. ↑ "The 1996 - 2000 21st Century Limited". Accuen Media. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  10. ↑ "Attendance Shortfalls at Steamtown National Historic Site Prompt Calls for Privatization". National Parks Traveler. Archived from the original on 2014-08-14. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
  11. 1 2 BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. "E&N Railway Corridor Study: Analysis of Tourist Train Potential". E&N Railway Corridor Study: 6.
  12. ↑ "Pacific Wilderness" . Retrieved 2012-07-10.
  13. ↑ Arundel, John (2011-06-27). "Hotel Watch: The Greenbrier Express". Washington Life Magazine. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  14. ↑ Steelhammer, Rick (2014-09-14). "Greenbrier Express project still viable, despite "liquidation auction'". Charleston Gazette Mail. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  15. ↑ Huddleston, Eugene. "The Outstanding Features and Many Lives of C&O 614" (PDF). co614.com. Chesapeake and Ohio Historical Society. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Thoroughbreds of Steam to Stand Side by Side". Virginia Museum of Transportation. 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  17. ↑ Phillips, Don (December 3, 2018). "How Amtrak's Grinch Couldn't Steal Christmas". railwayage.com. Railway Age. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  18. ↑ Wrinn, Jim (May 1, 2018). "Ross Rowland on gloves, dinner companions, Anderson's Amtrak, C&O 1309, May 10, 2019, Big Boy, and much more". trains.com. Kalmbach Media. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Rail Preservation Award 2021 Winners" . Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  20. 1 2 Franz, Justin (November 8, 2024). "Chesapeake & Ohio 614 Sold, Restoration Effort Launched". Railfan & Railroad. White River Productions. Archived from the original on November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.