1994 CALENDARS Richard Steinheimer's Ma5Jnificent Tralns® New for 19941 Master railroad pho­ Those Magnificent Trains® tographer Richard The ultimate train calendar! Featuring Steinheimer captures 12 stunning images of American rai/­ railroading's glory roading, steam and diesel, both old days in 12 fabulous and new. black & white 12" x 12", full-color images. A must for railfans of all ages. 12" x 12" ColoradoNarrow Gauge Classic railroading in the cen­ tral Rockies from the Colorado Railroad Museum. 12" x 12", full-color Those �nificent Trains Dafebook.® Howard Fogg's Trains A datebaok of Featuring 12 gorgeous new American railroading paintings of railroading's containing 36 full­ glory days by the master rail­ color jJhotos. road pOlnte'i Howard Fogg. 5" x 7", spiral-bound 12" x 12", rull-color PRICES 7 Calendar $12 2 Calendars $20 3 Calendars+ $9/each Order 5 and get one FREE Shipping $1 p!3r calendar for US and Canada American Streetcars Red Cars/Yellow Cars Foreign. orders add $4 per calendar Classic photos of trolleys from Early views of Los Angeles No COD's across America appear in this Transit Line yellow cars and timeless calendar. Pacific Electric red cars. 12" x 12", full-color 12" x 12", full-color US Funds Only CAresidents add 7.25% sales tax Visa and Mastercard welcomed AvailableQt befferhobbv , & book· ,shops c stores or c61/:l " 1a1.FREE 1- 800 227 6162 The Lakers Cruise across the Great Lakes in our 1994 calendar of these classic steamships. 12" x 12", full-color PACIFIC RAILNEWS Santa Fe's Harbor Sub 16 Memories of growing up along an unusual branch line Bob Finan and Joe Blackwell 24 UP's Nebraska Expressway The busy Council Bluffs Sub between Gibbon and North Platte Jim Gilley 32 Focus Colorado: D&RGW Tunnel 29 A Moffat Route monument to the conquest of the Front Range R. C. Farewell 3 Focus California: Portola 6 A rail enthusiast's paradise anchoring UP's Feather River Route Randy Woods M.D. Images: Illinois Central Santa Fe train U-SBWA at Harbor City, Calif., on the 48 Harbor Subdivision on April 24, 1993. Bob Finan A sampling of action along the "Main Line of Mid-America" PACIFIC RAILNEWS and PACIFIC NEWS are registered trade­ DEPARTMENTS marks of Interurban Press, a California Corporation. I I PUBLISHER: Michael W. Clayton 4 EXPEDITER 42 ILLINOIS CENTRAL EDITOR: Don Gulbrandsen CHICAGO NORTH WESTERN SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Andrew S. Nelson 6 & 43 ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Carl Swanson CN NORTH AMERICA 45 REGIONALS CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: 9 Elrond G. Lawrence UNION PACIFIC TRANSIT EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: Dick Stephenson 10 46 CP RAIL SYSTEM IMAGES OF RAILROADING ART DIRECTOR: Tom Danneman 11 48 14 BURLINGTON NORTHERN 53 PRN CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING MANAGER: Richard Gruber 32 FOCUS COLORADO 53 PRN ADVERTISING INDEX 36 FOCUS CALIFORNIA 54 THE LAST WORD 40 SANTA FE COVER: Another day ends as Union Pacific SD60M 6309 crosses the Platte River just east of North Platte, Neb., on July 3, 1992. In the distance, a Sand hills thunderstorm rages, having yielded to sunshine only a few minutes earlier. Starting on page 24, take © 1993 PENTREX a tour of one of the busiest freight lines in the world, UP's Council Bluffs Sub. Jim Gilley PACIFIC RAILNEWS (ISSN 8750·8486) is published monthly by Interurban Press (a corporation), 2652 E. Walnut, Pasadena, CA 91107. Second·class postage paid at Glendale, CA 91209 and additional mailing offices . POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: PACIFIC RAn..NEWS, P.O. Box 94911, Pasadena, CA 91109. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 530 (U.S.) for 12 issues, S58 for 24 issues. Foreign add S6 for each 12 issues. Single copy S5 postpaid from Pasadena office (subject to change without notice). CHANGE OF ADDRESS: The Post Office does not regularly forward 2nd Class Mail and PACIFIC RAILNEWS is not responsible for copies not forwarded or destroyed by the Post Office. Replacement copiesfP.O. notifications will be billed. Please allow us at least four weeks for any address change. ADVERTISING RATES: Contact PACIFIC RAiLNEWS. P.O. Box 379. Waukesha. WI 53187; (414) 542·4900. MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: For all subscription problems and inquiries call: (800) 899-8722 or outside U.S. (818) 793·3400. Like the Swedish X2000, Germany's InterCity Express toured the West Coast this summer. With Congress' re­ cent gutting of Amtrak's high speed budget, both the ICE and X2000 tours could be for naught. The train­ set, including its accompanying F69ACs, is shown at Martinez in Cajon Pass on Aug. 23 ,1993. Don R. Flynn SUNSET LIMITED DERAILS IN and 126 others were injured. the nearby Mobile River, be­ ALABAMA: At 2: 58 a.m. on Clifford Black, spokesman for came lost in the dense fog and Sept. 22, Amtrak's eastbound Amtrak, stated that 189 pas­ ended up in the unnavigable Sunset Limited derailed into a sengers and 17 crew members waters of the bayou, when one swamp known as Bayou Canot were aboard. All three locomo­ of the barges broke loose, just north of Mobile, resulting in tives (a new Genesis Series lo­ striking the bridge just prior to the worst wreck in the passen­ comotive and two F40s) and the Sunset's passage. ger carrier's history. Forty-four four of the eight cars in the people were confirmed dead, consist derailed. Coast Guard GOOD-BYE GATEWAY?: • helicopters and volunteer While other carriers were grad­ • boaters helped rescue surviv­ ually shaking the mud off their ing passengers and retrieve physical plants and resuming TENN. the dead, while divers were normal operations after the dispatched to look for bodies Flood of 1993, there was still in one Superliner submerged doubt as to whether Gateway in 25 feet of water and in the Western would survive. The lead locomotive. railroad, which lost its bridge GA. The train derailed as it tra­ over the Missouri River and versed the Bayou Canot suffered a 2,200-foot washout, Bridge, a single-track structure now needs a cool $12 million with an authorized speed limit for repairs. Getting that money of 70 mph. A 132-car CSX may be difficult, thanks to fed­ freight had passed the scene eral disaster relief allocation just before the accident and re­ rules. There is a pool of $21 ported no problems with the million slated for smaller carri­ structure. However, Coast ers damaged in the flooding, Guard logs showed that 12 but only 15 percent of that minutes before the accident, a money can go to a single state, tow captain with Warrior & and only 20 percent can go to a Gulf Navigation Co., radioed single carrier. The most Gate­ that he'd "lost his tow." Re­ way could receive in its first ports indicate that the tow, pass at the funding is $4.2 mil­ LLI lion. Reilly McCarren, GWWR's which was supposed to be on 4 • NOVEMBER 1993 president, stated, "Until I know whether or not that 15 percent cap will apply to us, we are a little bit in limbo .. based on our less than sterling record of profitability, I don't anticipate private capital be­ coming available to us. The possibility of a recurrence of the flooding makes it hard to attract private dollars." A limit in the amount of aid could put the railroad out of business. It is estimated that GWWR's Mis­ souri River bridge at Glasgow, Mo., will not be repaired until December, and only if enough federal money is allocated to complete the project. GWWR's future was further clouded on Labor Day weekend when a barge struck Gateway's bridge over the Mississippi River at Louisiana, Mo., causing $400, 000 in damage and closing the bridge until at least October. GWWR is currently detouring trains over Burlington Northern rails via Springfield, Mo. KYLE ON SOGGY GROUND: ABOVE: Another 4-8-4 is under With many in the industry talk­ steam, as former Milwaukee Road Class S-3 No. 261 rolls over ing about the travails of Gate­ Wisconsin Central trackage at way Western and its battle Owen, Wis., on Sept. 16, 1993, on with the Flood of 1993, few its way to North Fond du Lac, heard about the troubles expe­ Wis., for two North Fond du Lac­ rienced by Kyle Railway in Stevens Point excursions on Sept. Kansas. This summer's rains 18-19. Trailing the 26 1 are a tool shut down the company's car, a diner and lounge car. Solomon Division for 30 days, John Gruber RIGHT: Fox Valley & stranding more than 500 cars. Western was a little more than Kyle hired several cars for the eight hours old when ex-Green grain rush, but those cars sat Bay & Western C-424 321 worked still on Kyle rails while their the first FV&W job on former owners collected per diem GB&W rails, seen here at Wiscon­ charges, essentially leasing a sin Rapids, Wis., on Aug. 28, dead asset. Kyle's vice presi­ 1993. None of the GB&W Alcos dent and general manager, were stenciled "WC" and all are Rick Cecil, estimated that lost now stored. Andrew S. Nelson revenue would outweigh track a damage two to one. Kyle did suffer significant lines. The takeover was slated mer Milwaukee Road 4-8-4 No. operation, only the second Al­ track damage, however, with for late September. 261 over the Wisconsin Central co-built 4-8-4 in service. For rails under as much as 12 feet Lines included are the North­ from Fond du Lac to Stevens more information about future of water in some places. Fur­ western Pacific, the Schellville, Point, Wis., on Sunday, Sept.