A Year of Milestones

2026 is shaping up to be a year with a lot of commemorative anniversaries - milestones, if you will, marking progress along a journey.  Like the railroad mileposts today, milestones back in the early days of canals and turnpikes helped travelers keep track of progress, and to know where they were along the route.  The markers also helped them to realize how far they had come, and perhaps how much further they would need to go.  

There is more to unpack on that topic.  Future posts this year will no doubt delve further into those discussions.  Today however I wanted to share a surprise honoring one of the important anniversaries this year:  the 50th anniversary of the creation of Conrail, the prototype railroad for the Onondaga Cutoff.  

The surprise is that one of my articles made the cover of Model Railroader magazine with my piece honoring Conrail's anniversary!

Conrail was created by the US government in 1976 in an effort to save the industry.   Railroads were going bankrupt at an alarming rate and change was needed.  And the changes worked, despite hardships.  The hard work and sacrifices by managers and labor brought the railroad back.  We've discussed it here before, and it remains a compelling story.  50 years later, there is a lot to consider.

Cover shots, meanwhile, are kept as a surprise each month for the lucky photographer whose work is chosen by the editorial staff to grace the cover.  It is fulfillment of a boyhood dream - really a lifelong dream - to have this experience.  And now to have it happen in honor of the birthday of the railroad we model on the OC?  This one is a new high that connects more than one world for me.  I am so grateful for what the OC has become, thanks to a group of railroaders and modelers that have put uncounted hours into planning, operating, and maintaining the railroad.  In a year of milestones, this is a big one for us.  

It's only February, but this sure is an exciting way for momentum to build into 2026.  More milestones to come.  We are honored to start with this one!