'OJ Scale Power
Amtrak
AMTRAK "F40PH" Phase /I Nos. 230-328 OMI #0430.2 Features factory paint and lettering appli ed with head li ghts and Kadee couplers installed.
ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE "5040-2" Nos. 5020-5027 with 116-lnch "Snoot" Nose (Left) OMI #0500 ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE "5040-2" Nos. 5028-5172 with 81-lnch "Snoot" Nose (Right) OMI #0501
NORFOLK & WESTERN "5040-2" High Hood Version Nos. 1625-1639 (Left) OMI #0509 NORFOLK & WESTERN "5040-2" Low Hood Version Nos. 6189-6207 (Center) OMI #0510 SOUTHERN "5040-2" High Hood Version Nos. 3250-3328 (Right) OMI #0512 All of these fine are handcrafted in brass by Ajin Precision of Korea in 0 scale with a 26-inch minimum operating radius. Photos by Mardan Photography. PACIFIC RAIL Fro m the H ear t I and tot h ePa c i fie NEWS
PACIFIC RA/lNEWS and PACIFIC N EWS are regis tered trademarks of Interurban Press, a California Corporation,
PUBLISHER: Mac Sebree Uncle Pete's Feather River GP35s EDITOR: Don Gulbrandsen ART DIRECTOR: Mark Danneman These ex-WP units are the last GP35s on Union Pacific's roster ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mike Schafer EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Michael E, Folk 18 Ken RaHenne CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Elrond Law rence EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: Dick Stephenson CONTRIBUTING ARTIST: John Signor PRODUCTION MANAGER: Ray Geyer CIRCULATION MANAGER: Bob Schneider BN's Mississippi River Route RAILROAD COLUMNISTS Busy action and great scenery along BN's Lakes Division-3rd Sub AMTRAK/PASSENGER-Dick Stephenson 655 Canyon Dr .. Glendale, CA 91206 Courtland Sears AT&SF-Elrond G, Lawrence 24 908 w. 25th SI.. San Bernardino, CA 92405 BURLINGTON NORTHERN-Karl Rasmussen 11449 Goldenrod SI. NW. Coon Rapids, MN 55433 CANADA WEST-Doug Cummings 5963 Kitchener St .. Burnaby, BC V5B 2J3 I DEPARTMENTS I C&NW-Michael W. Blaszak 910 N, Sherwood Dr, LaGrange Park, IL 60525 4 EXPEDITER 34 SHORT LINES D&RGW-Richard C. Farewell 6 UNION PACIFIC 36 MEXICO 9729 w. 76th Ave .. ANada, CO 80005 40 SOO LINE ILLINOIS CENTRAL-David J, Daisy 8 BURLINGTON NORTHERN 746 N, Bruns Lane Apt, A. Springfield, IL 62702 9 ILLINOIS CENTRAL 41 TRANSIT MEXICO-Clifford R, Prather 10 SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES 45 PRESERVATION p,O, Box 925, Sonta Ana, CA 92702 12 AMTRAK/PASSENGER 46 CITY SCENE PRESERVATION-Brian L, Norden p,O, Box 3012, Industry, CA 91744 13 CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN 50 IMAGES OF RAILROADING REGIONALS (EASD- George Widener 14 CANADA WEST 54 PRN LEITERS 7934A N, 64th Ct .. Milwaukee, WI 53223 16 ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE 55 PRN CLASSIFIEDS REGIONALS (WESD-Allen Meyers 15056 Binney St .. Hacienda Heights, CA 91745 SHORT LINES-Robert C. Gallegos p,O, Box 379, Waukesha, WI 53 187 PACIFIC RAILNEWS (USPS 862840) is published monthly by Interur EDITORIAL ADDRESS: Submit all photos, article submissions SOO LINE-Karl Rasmussen ban Press (a corporation), 1741 Gardena Ave., Glendale, CA and editorial correspondence to: 91204. Second-class postage paid at Glendale, CA 91209 and ad PACIFIC RAlLNEWS 11449 Gcldenrod SI. NW. Coon Rapids, MN 55433 ditional offices, POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: PACIF p, O, Box 379, Waukesha, WI 53187 SP/ SSW- Joseph A. Strapac IC RA ILNE WS , P,O. Box 6128, Glendale, CA 91225, ISSN 8750-8486, (414) 542-4900 P.O, Box 2268, Huntington Beach, CA 92647 FAX: (414) 542-7595 UNION PACIFIC-Wayne Monger SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $30 (U,S,) for 12 issues, $58 for 24 is BUSINESS ADDRESS:Address all correspondence regarding 1300 Southhampton Rd. #21 4, Benecia, CA 94510 sues. Foreign add $6 for each 12 issues, Single copy $4.50 post paid from Glendale office (subject to change without notice), subscription and business matters to: Interurban Press TRANSIT CHANGE OF ADDRESS: The Post Office does not regularly for P,O, Box 6128, Glendale, CA 91225 CHICAGO-Wynne DeCitti ward 2nd Class Mail and PACIFIC RAILNEWS is not responsible (818) 240-9130 LOS ANGELES-Norman K, Johnson for copies not forwarded or destroyed by the Post Office. Re FAX: (818) 240-5436 placement copieslPO notifications will be billed, Please allow SACRAMENTO-Robert Blymyer MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: For all s ubscription us at least four weeks for any address change, SAN DIEGO-Chris C ucchiara problems and inquiries call: 1-800-899-TRACK SAN FRANCISCO/ MUNI-Don Jewell SUBMISSIONS: Articles, news items and photographs are wel WESTERN TRANSIT NOTES-Richard R, Kunz come and s hould be sent to our Wisconsin editorial office, © 1990 INTERURBAN PRESS When submitting material for consideration, include return en Mac Sebree, President CITY SCENE velope and postage if you wish it returned. PACIFIC RAILN EWS Jim Walker, Vice-President BAY AREA/ CENTRAL VALLEY-Ken Rattenne does not assume responsibility for the safe return of material. Payment is made upon publication. CHICAGOLAND-Mike Abalos DENVER/ FRONT RANGE-Rich Farewell ADVERTISING RATES: Contact Interurban Press, P,O, Box KANSAS CITY-Wayne Kuchinsky 6128, Glendale, CA 91225; (8 18) 240-4777. LA./S, CALIFORNIA-Dick Stephenson NORTH TEXAS-Kirby Pople PACIFIC NORTHWEST-Steve Hart COVER: Displaying the new face of Burlington Northern railroading, rebuilt GP40M 3513 leads a ST, LOUIS-Scott Muskopf and Paul Fries No, 2 train near Savanna, "I., on BN 's scenic Lakes Division-3rd Subdivision. Fo"owing the MiSSissip SOUTH TEXAS-Carl M, Lehman pi River from St, Croix, Minn" to Savanna, the 3rd Sub is a busy (mostly) double-track main linking TWIN CIlIES-Steve Glischinski Chicago and the Twin Cities; the line boasts several priority freights, including doublestack traffic WASATCH FRONT-Dave Gayer to and from the Pacific Northwest and BN's growing Expediter service, Tom Danneman
PACIFIC RAILNews • 3 Denver & Rio Grande Western disappearing? Since Rio Grande Industries purchased SP there has been much speculation that the D&RGW image would be dropped-but to date it hasn't h~ppened. In fact, black and orange was very much in evidence June 4, 1990, as Rio Grande's new GP60s (3155 and 3156) made their maiden run on RGI rails, heading west through Springfield, III., on the BIASM. Steve Smedley
ICC OKAYS SP'S K.C. LINE speeds to 60 mph over the en branch lines. Santa Fe has al PURCHASE: With a 5-0 vote tire route. The addition of this ready sold 500 miles of track the Interstate Commerce Com line will give SP a 17-state, age in 1990 and hopes to dis mission approved the $86 mil 15,500-mile rail system and its pose of another 900 miles of lion sale of Soo Line's 532-mile second entry into Chcago in branches before the end of the line from Kansas City to Chica the past year. year. Rumors persist that other go to Rio Grande Industries, large chunks of the AT&SF despite opposition from Chica MORE BELT· TIGHTENING may be slated for downgrading go & North Western, Kansas FOR SANTA FE: After a poor and/or sale over the next few z City Southern and Burlington first-half financial performance years. "Disposable" lines may z Northern. In making its deci in 1990 (the railroad was prof include the Raton Pass line sion the commission found no itable but failed to reach pro and the trackage to Denver, likelihood of a substantial less jected income), Santa Fe has though Santa Fe officials de ening of competition resulting announced further moves to cline to comment on their sta from the sale. As part of the cut costs. The biggest news is tus. A possible indicator of the transaction, RGI receives track the scheduled 1991 move of downgrading of the Denver age rights over Soo's Chicago Santa Fe headquarters in line was an announced sched Milwaukee line; for its part, Chicago to an off-line location ule change which saw a July 1 Soo Line retains traffic rights in suburban Schaumburg, Ill. discontinuance for the OKCDV I between Kansas City and In addition, 300 salaried em ODVKC intermodal trains; just Chicago for trains with prior or ployees across the system will one manifest through freight subsequent hauls elsewhere lose their jobs. Effective Sept. each way- new symbols on the Soo system. 1, the railroad will eliminate 344/443-will ply the line each Several hurdles remain be two division headquarters, day, also handling the limited fore SP is up and running on Newton, Kan. , and Winslow, intermodal traffic in and out of the line, including resolution of Ariz. , becoming a four-division Denver. trackage rights disputes with railroad: Eastern, headquar C&NW and BN and completion tered in Kansas City; Southern BN AVERTS PLANNED of negotiations with railroad in Euless, Texas; Central in Al STRIKE OVER CONCRETE labor unions. Once in control of buquerque, N.M.; and Western TIES: A strike against Bur the line, SP has announced it in San Bernardino, Calif. lington Northern by the Broth will invest $50 million in capi Also part of the shake up is erhood of Maintenance of Way LLI tal improvements to increase an increase in efforts to sell Employees was averted when 4 • AUGUST 1990 a Texas judge issued a re straining order barring the employees' planned work stoppage. The BMWE , whose members repair and maintain BN's track, accuse the railroad of contracting out some 40 percent of its concrete tie work to non-union firms in di rect violation of agreed upon terms. BN is a leader in the in stallation of concrete ties, and was the first major railroad in the U.S. to use the material extensively. The process is complicated, and uses equip ment owned by Herzog Con tracting Corp. , of St. Joseph, Mo. Only the contractor's em ployees are allowed to operate the equipment, and there-in lies the dispute. The directive barring the strike expired July 5, at which time a hearing was to be con As part of a major Canadian promotional blitz, a full train of VIA equipment was decked out in full red ducted to determine whether white-and-blue Diet Pepsi regalia (actually just easily removeable vinyl) for a cross-country trip. The the order restraining the work train is shown at Jasper, Alta., on June 8. After completing its three-week Vancouver-Halifax trek, the ers should be made perma train, including F40 6400, was returned to its regular VIA livery. Walt Stringer nent. The railroad has also submitted a petition to the Na tional Railroad Adjustment by the year 2000; and a second four people. In its 230-page re crew acted reasonably but with Board in Chicago for an expe on the feasibility of introducing port the NTSB refused to blame incorrect information. dited arbitration hearing to service to areas that have the the train crew for the 69-car de To prevent the reoccur settle the dispute. potential to cover their operat railment, although it found the rence of such an accident, the ing expenses. engineer could have averted the NTSB made 23 safety recom AMTRAK'S REAUTHORIZA· accident during a brief period in mendations and SP, as a result TION BILL PASSES: Presi NTSB ISSUES SAN which the train crested steep of its own in-house investiga dent Bush has ageed not to ve BERNARDINO CRASH RE· Cajon Pass. The NTSB decided tion, has already implemented to the new $2 billion Amtrak PORT: The National Trans that because the train was 50 some of the proposed changes. reauthorization bill. The origi portation Safety Board blamed percent heavier than the crew The derailment, one of the nal bill, approved by both management practices for the thought, and because the train worst in SP's history, has al Houses of Congress, contained 1989 SP freight runaway in San had 25 percent less braking ready cost the company at a controversial rider-allowing Bernardino, Calif., which killed power than was believed, the least $20 million. review by the ICC of Class I railroad sales to non-carri ers- which elicited the veto. The veto drew mixed reactions from railroads, but was strong ly supported by some, includ ing UP, BN and AT&SF Forty-eight hours after the Senate failed-by a two-vote margin-to override the Presi dent's veto, Sen. J.J. Exxon, D Neb., reintroduced the bill without the rider. The House and Senate approved the Bill by voice votes and President Bush agreed to let the bill be come law (though he may not Sign it) . Although money for Amtrak may be appropriated without a reauthorization bill, Amtrak officials lobbied hard for this reauthorization pack age as it included $17 million in tax-related savings. Without the reappropriation bill Amtrak officials concluded that there would not be enough money for capital improvements. The One of many highlights of a successful 1990 National Railway Historical Society Convention in St. Louis, bill requires that Amtrak sub Cotton Belt steamer 819 is returning to its Arkansas home base with a passenger consist in tow. The train mit two reports to Congress: is shown crossing the St. Francis River near the Missouri-Arkansas state line on June 17. The September the first on its plan to eliminate PRN will present more coverage of the St. Louis convention which boasted excursions pulled by four dif all federal operating subsidies ferent steam locomotives-UP 844, SLSF 1522 and N&W 1218 in addition to the 819. Randy Woods
PACIFIC RAILNews • 5 UNION PACIFIC
The rock forma.ti~ns ~nd snow fences are a dead giveaway that this eastbound is scaling the heights of Wyoming's Sherman Hill. Note the un usual power mix I~ this May 27, 1990? photo: An 5040-2 on the point, joined by a pair of C30-7s and a single Dash 8-40C. This line is solidly Dash 8 country and seeing the once-dominant EMO model leading is-believe it or not-- nication. Reflecting the merger incorpora (Coal Rochelle Mine to Cora, Ill.) train Harriman Dispatch Center Update tion of MP and MKT, there are now five would soon be taking. After a daylight trip In 1989, most of the Union Pacific west of main radio frequencies used on the UP : along the Mississippi River over the Omaha, Neb., was placed under the con channell 160.410; channel 2 160.470; Chester Subdivision to Cora and the "rail trol of the centralized Computer Assisted channel 3 160.515 (formerly UP channel 2); to-barge" terminal, train and guests re Dispatching (CAD) system in the new Har channel 4 160.740 (formerly UP channell); turned to Dupo Yard where people and riman Dispatch Center in Omaha. By the channel 5 160.590. The current UP employ equipment went their separate ways. end of 1991 this center should control all ee timetable lists the channel used in each In other St. Louis area coal train news, dispatching functions for the entire UP sys subdivision. Another radio frequency of early April saw the end of the daily train tem, with the former Western Pacific line importance is 160.680 , which is the main running over between Consolidated Coal's between Salt Lake City and Oakland the fi radio frequency used around many of UP's Burning Star NO . 5 mine and the Union nal piece of railroad slated for conversion. major yards. Electric power plant at Rush Island. This In 1990, UP planned to convert the few train had been operating since the mid- remaining pieces of original UP trackage, 1970s, traveling from the mine on the Illi plus all former Missouri Pacific and Mis Passenger Special Operated For New nois side of the Mississippi along the souri-Kansas-Texas trackage, to CAD con Coal Business Chicago Sub for 22 miles to the junction trol. In April, segments placed under control with the Chester Sub at Gorham, then of the Harriman Center included the Denver Between May 6 and May 10, UP and south 39 miles to Capedeau Junction and and Salina subdivisions (the old "Kansas Pa Chicago & North Western combined por six miles up the Cape Girardeau Branch to cific"), the former MoPac line between Os tions of their passenger-car fleets to host interchange with Burlington Northern at awatomie, Kan., and Pueblo, Colo., and all an Energy Special Train for executives of Rush Junction. BN now delivers all coal to other ex-MP trackage under the control of the companies involved with new unit the power plant, most of it low-sulfur coal the Kansas City dispatching office. In May, coal trains moving four or five times per from Wyoming. UP's service over the Cape the interlocking plants in Kansas City, in week between Rochelle Mine in the Pow Girardeau Branch will continue with a lo cluding Broadway Tower, plus the former der River Basin and the Cora Rail to Barge cal three days per week from Chester, Mo . MoPac Kansas City-Omaha Falls City Sub Terminal at Cora, Ill. , 70 miles south of St. was placed under CAD control. Louis on the Mississippi River. Eight UP Branch Line News With the centralization of dispatching cars were combined with C&NW equip functions, the importance of clear commu ment to form an impressive 18-car passen The ongoing struggle in the Palouse coun nications across the thousands of miles of ger train that departed Bill, Wyo. , east try of eastern Washington to stop UP's pro railroad has increased. To eliminate areas bound on May 8. Traveling by way of the posed abandonment of 69 miles of the where trackage is controlled by several Marysville Sub to Kansas City and then Tekoa and Pleasant Valley branches con different dispatchers, UP has been chang the Sedalia Sub to St. Louis, the train fol tinues to make the news and gain new al ing the frequencies used in radio commu- lowed the same path that the new CROCD lies. At stake is the transportation system 6 • AUGUST 1990 for a large part of the pea and lentil crop while Port of Long Beach traffic grew by grown in the U.S. Opponents, which in New Railroad Across Nevada? 10 percent. Forecasters are expecting the clude both U.S . Senators from Washington, number of doublestack container trains the governor of Washington, Speaker of The little railroad town of Caliente, Nev., moving in and out of the port area to in the House Tom Foley (who represents this stirred up a lot of controversy by announc crease from the daily average of 15 in 1990 part of the state) and even the U.S. De ing that it supported a proposed $700 mil to an amazing 53 per day by the year partment of Agriculture, are turning up lion railroad line from the UP at Caliente to 2020. Pressure from the two ports and the heat on both the ICC and UP to stop the proposed federal nuclear waste dump government agencies should force the rail abandonment until money and a shortline at Yucca Mountain. Until this time, almost roads to sign a preliminary agreement by operator can be found to save the rail every public agency in Nevada had been the end of 1991. lines. Pea and lentil growers are claiming fighting the proposal to bring nuclear that without rail service, the economics of waste and spent fuel rods to a storage site having to truck their crops to processors in the nuclear testing grounds north of Las The Ebb and Flow of Traffic would force most of them out of business. Vegas. As part of this proposal, the De Most of the pea and lentil crop is pur partment of Energy needs to build a rail Anyone who has spent time along a major chased by the federal Commodity Credit road from a mainline connection with UP railroad has probably noticed that there Corp ., which sends it overseas to impover or SP to the proposed disposal site at Yuc are certain days when the traffic seems to ished nations. Sales and shipments of ca Mountain. Three routes have been pro be high, and other days when there are these crops for export has increased in re posed for this "nuclear railroad;" the peo fewer trains than normal. Using data from cent years, with reports showing UP han ple of Caliente simply went on record sup March 1990, let's look at Union Pacific's dling nearly 25,000 tons from these lines porting the plan to build from the UP con weekly flow of traffic. UP boasts 284 regu in 1989 and a projected 31,000 tons in nection in their town 130 miles west to larly scheduled through freights, not in 1990. A decision by an ICC administrative Yucca Mountain. The plan presumably fol cluding coal, grain or soda ash unit trains. law judge on this abandonment case was lows the roadbed of the Pioche Branch, Not all of these trains operate every day of expected by the end of June. which was torn out in 1983. the week, and some run only once per In eastern Idaho, local citizens are still The second proposed line connects Yuc week under the specific train symbols. trying to recover from the reversal of an ca Mountain with the UP at Jean, Nev., 35 Thursday is UP's busiest day for trains de ICC decision preventing abandonment of miles west of Las Vegas and 110 miles parting their starting point, with 221 the 32-mile Teton Valley Branch between from the waste depository. The third pro scheduled. This is why Saturdays along Ashton and Tetonia, and are now trying to posal (and the most outlandish) is to build the UP in Wyoming are usually the best find a way to stop UP from tearing up the a line from the SP and UP near Carlin, Nev., for traffic. From the peak on Thursday, the line. The State of Idaho is still attempting south over half the length of the state, pos number of scheduled trains departing de to reverse this latest ICC ruling through sibly following the route of the long-extinct creases to 217 on Friday, 203 on Saturday the federal Circuit Court of Appeals. As is Eureka & Palisade Railroad. If and when and a low of 195 departing on Sundays, usual in such a case, there is even talk of this nuclear waste dump is in service, it climbing back upward to 202 departures turning the railroad into a tourist opera will mean a lot of high-value shipments on Mondays, 217 on Tuesdays and 218 on tion that would draw from the large num over the connecting railroads-as UP has Wednesdays. ber of visitors on their way to nearby Yel found over the past three years with the shipments of waste from Three Mile Island lowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Motive Power Notes Another UP branch line in Texas is re to a storage site at Scoville, Idaho. portedly on the verge of becoming the UP finally sent back the final locomotive it state's newest shortline railroad. Govern Progress in Las Vegas had on a less than a five-year lease, Helm ment leaders in south Texas and Mer Leasing (ex-SP) SD39 5325 ... Retired dur chants Management Corp. of St. Louis are Resolution of UP's problems in Las Vegas ing May were nine more locomotives, five awaiting ICC approval for a plan to pur continues. In May, UP announced that it of which were part of the "Mexico Fleet." chase the 48-mile Crystal City Branch be would build new fueling facilities at Locomotives retired after service in Mexi tween Gardendale and Crystal City, plus Barstow or Yermo, Calif., close to the Cal co included GP40 MKT 171 and UP SD40s the 12-mile long Carrizo Springs Branch Nev fuel pipeline. In early June, UP was 3031, 3056, 3110 and 3113. Also retired between Crystal City and Carrizo Springs. given approval to purchase 80 acres of were U23Bs MP 4525 and UP 551, GP40 According to press reports, the railroad is city-owned land northeast of downtown MKT 208 and SD40-2 MP 3130 ... GE has expected to be named the Crystal City Las Vegas. On this site, UP will construct once again been utilizing Sherman Hill in Railroad Co., and a locomotive has already new team tracks, an auto unloading facili Wyoming for high-altitude locomotive been purchased. This new railroad will ty and an intermodal facility, leaving its testing. This time Dash 8-32B GE 832 haul agricultural and petroleum products downtown land vacant for development. spent ten days at Buford, Wyo. , going from the area; 900 carloads are projected through economy and emission testing. in the first year of operations. UP is once again looking into the feasibili In California, the long-quiet, former Harbor Intermodal Traffic Consolidation ty of using fuel tenders on the Labadie Sacramento Northern line through Solano Delayed unit coal trains in the St. Louis area. If this County- from the SP connection at Can idea is approved for trial, a pool of 28 non to the current end of track at Mon A $500 million project designed to consoli SD40s would have to be specially tezuma-has been getting some press. date all intermodal traffic in and out of the equipped for the service. Apparently, the line is a candidate for sale ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach by Thanks to Dan Schroeder, Bill Maltby, or abandonment and the county Board of 1997 is being held up because the three John M. Carr, Vic Neves, George Cockle, Supervisors is upset. To protect what they participating railroads-UP, SP and Gene Wilson, NORTHWEST RAiLFAN, FLIM feel is a vital rail link to a planned deep AT&SF-cannot agree. The plan calls for SIES, THE MIXED TRAIN, Union Pacific Rail water port and industrial complex in the all intermodal traffic to travel over an im road, Curt Howell and Ken Meeker. Montezuma/Collinsville area, the county proved Alameda Street corridor consisting supervisors sent letters to UP opposing of dual tracks and a "private" truck road any plans to remove the track. It was just way. Areas of conflict include problems this possibility of a large industrial devel with access to the corridor, equal treat IT'S CIRCUS TIME opment in the area that prompted Western ment of all carriers and SP's worries about From Ju/09 to SepIO, the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Pacific to leave this rather-isolated line in return on investment and UP and Santa Fe Bailey Circus "Blue" train will be roaming California. place. Incidentally, Western Railroad Mu (/'he "Red" unit will cover TX KS IL WI MO.) Jfyou gaining an advantage once they begin to want to know where they'll jump next, subscribe to seum is located along this line at Rio Vista use the SP-owned Alameda Street corri Flimsies - it 's just $25/year for 26 issues. Junction and uses the tracks for some ex dor. In 1989, traffic levels through the Port Flimsies , P.O. Box 6776-P, Orange, CA 92613 cursion trains. of Los Angeles increased by 30 percent, PACIFIC RAllNews • 7 BURLINGTON NORTHERN Minnesota to USX in Birmingham, BN has Update on Schedule Changes International Coal Movements contracted to move 1.5 million tons of pel As reported in last month's column, BN In conjunction with its expansion of do lets from the Fairlane Plant after July 1. made a number of schedule changes to mestic coal markets, BN continues to ex The Eveleth plant was closed for heavy its intermodal fleet in early April, periment with international customers for maintenance from mid-May until July 1, prompted by the ever-evolving state of Powder River Basin products. 56 ,000 tons but will be operating at full capacity to international shipping. As a follow-up to of coal will be shipped to Endesa, the meet this and other contracts. that action, a new pair of stack trains, 5 Spanish state utility, from the Antelope A little-known unit-train movement op erates on an as-needed basis into the Du and 6, was instituted on May 1 to move mine in Wyoming. This coal will be deliv containerized traffic between Tacoma ered to Cook Coal Terminal in Metropolis, luth! Superior port, handling bentonite and Chicago. Priority train 6 departs the IlL, for transloading into barges for move clay for use in making taconite. On April 18, the 04-UB401 departed Superior with West Coast on Tuesday, Wednesday and ment to New Orleans and final shipment 93 empty hoppers, powered by SD40-2s Thursday, bound for Chicago connec to Spain. tions with Conrail and Norfolk Southern. A second international marketing op 8037 and 8139. Westbound counterpart NO.5 operates portunity will involve a joint move with SP twice a week, moving mostly empty and FNM for the Comision Federal de Operational News Shorts boxes to port. One of the first such Electricidad of Mexico. The coal will be trains to be spotted was NO.6 departing mined from the Buckskin Mine near As cited in previous issues, BN continues Northtown on May 11 , with 18 dou Gillette, Wyo., and will be interchanged to experiment with new coal-train ven blestacks powered by GP40-2s 30611 with SP at Fort Worth. tures, aimed at securing long-term con 3048, B30-7 A 4008 and dead-in-tow CSX tracts. In a first-time joint operation with GP406576. Wisconsin Central, a TS944 arrived in Min In other schedule-change news, No . 15 Remanufactured Locomotive Status neapolis on May 13, with 109 cars destined has been reduced to a six-day-per-week Burlington Northern continues to receive for Wausau and Green Bay consignees. Because of increased demand being operation out of Chicago (daily except its 1990 allocation of remanufactured EMD Monday) and has been authorized to han road-switchers. Since late April, BN has placed on the fleet of coal hoppers as dle Boeing cars between Northtown and received GP39Ms 2833, 2834, 2881 and signed to the low-sulfur pools, utility Seattle. Autorack train 33 has been au 2883 from Morrison-Knudsen, while Union Electric has added three sets of thorized to handle Tacoma-destined trail GP39E 2924 arrived April 27 , and sister five-bay rapid-discharge cars (ACCX re ers and containers behind its market-de 2910 on May 3. The GP39Es are commonly porting marks) for service across Nebras pressed auto-related traffic. BN has used on Expediter trains at present, with ka and Iowa. Concurrently much pool dropped No. 46 from its Expediter fleet, the 1990 class (2910-2919, 2921, 2922 , power, including Kansas City Southern leaving two trains each way per day be 2924 and 2934) getting the prime assign SD40-2s and assorted Santa Fe six-axle tween St. Paul (Midway Hub) and Chica ments. And, despite the seemingly con EMD units, has been regularly assigned go (Cicero Hub). Number 18 is now stant modifications and serviceability to trains in southern Iowa. CSX SD40-2s scheduled to depart the West Coast on problems with the CAT rebuilds, BN has have also been regularly used on trains Sundays only and was observed arriving ordered five additional GP20Cs from Gen JJ328/ 329 and TT328/329 in this area. in Chicago on April 18, with 32 cars eration II at Babbitt, Minn. Another joint operation with CSX found a pulled by GP39M 2812, B30-7A 4117, CSX unit train of coke moving through the GP40 6836, SD40-2 6908 and GP35 2541. Twin Cities on May 29 , bound for Also, manifest train 142 has been autho Unit Train News Shorts Spokane. Symboled as an X03, the 98-car rized to be consolidated with No. 160 drag of CSX system coal huppers was east of Eola, IlL , for delivery to CSX at After last year's successful movement of powered by SD40-2s 7864/805117841 and Barr Yard. taconite from Eveleth Mining in northern GP40G 3084. WEST A stunning look back at the year in railroading For fans of Western and Midwestern railroading, 1989 w as an exciting, colorful year. RAILS WEST 89- from the publishers of PACIFIC RAILNEws-captures the mem orable railroad images from last year in a spectacular, color-rich pictorial cel ebrating modern railroading at its best. Featuring images from America's finest rail photographers-Blair Kooistra , Dick Dorn, Steve Smedley and many others. If you enjoy contemporary railroading, or are simply a fan of superb rail photography, RAILS WEST 89 is a book you'll never forget! 80 pages, 69 coior and 71 B&W images, 8 liz" x 11" softbound. Compiled by Eirond G. Lawrence. PRN405 , ...... ONLY $22,95 Add $2 plh. Calif. res. add 61/, /63/, % tax. 8 • AUGUST 1990 Interline operations with Grand Trunk rebuilt and will be released as the second Western have emphasized unit coal trains Motive Power Shorts 6906, replacing the original unit de thus far in 1990, although a notable move stroyed at Fargo, N.D. , in early 1989 . on May 31 found a drag of welded rail In addition to the fleet of 40 GP39Vs com ARES equipped SD40-2 6785 arrived at moving to Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific for ing from VMV later this year, the Paducah Rockwell Industries in Cedar Rapids, installation between Virginia and Interna firm has contracted to repair wreck-dam Iowa, on May 2 for modification. It is ru tional Falls, Minn. The solid string of GTW aged GP50 3162, and has done a complete mored Chicago Central & Pacific may be equipment was powered by BN GP39-2 paint job on SD40-2 7107 .. . West interested in satellite technology along 2731 and GP20C 2006. Earlier in the Burlington shops continue to work on the withBN. month, GTW GP40-2 6416 and GP38-2 three F9s formerly used as snowplow Thanks to Burlington Northern, John 5708 worked No . 162 between Galesburg power cars. Cab unit 972567 and booster Baukus, John Brem, Mike Cleary, Bill and Chicago. Trackside observers should 972574 were being stripped for overhaul Ewinger, Darren Hill, Fred Hyde, Michael be alert for a group of eight former UP as of early May, while F9A 972569 re Kiriazis, Dave Kroeger and Tom Robinson. SD40-2s acquired by GTW/Helm for re mains "as is" pending upgrading for use Individuals interested in forming a BN building purposes, which will be num as a backup unit to her two sisters for di historical organization should contact Jeff bered in the 5900-series and used on BN rector's specials later this year .. . Wreck Hendricks at R.R. 2, Box 819, Hettinger, originated coal trains. damaged UP SD40-2 3282 continues to be ND 58639. ILLINOIS CENTRAL IlL , and volume in May prompted loading CTC Single-Track Project Update seven days a week. A few trains altered Amtrak Versus Illinois Central planned loading schedules when the mine Two sections of IC double-track main line failed to supply enough processed coal to Complaints of chronically late Amtrak in Illinois were converted to CTC fully load each train. During May, 30 trains trains over the IC have spawned threats of equipped single track during May. The w ere scheduled for loading, and this level legal action directed at IC. United States main line between the south end of the of business should have continued in Senator Paul Simon asked that Illinois yard at Effingham, Ill. , south to Edge June. Many of the new unit trains travel Central stop giving its trains priority over wood, Ill. , went Single-track on May 23, south to the BRT river terminal on Paduc Amtrak's City of New Orleans, and he cit and the northbound main was removed ah & Louisville at Grand River, Ky. , for ed IC's move to a single-track main line as from service from Paxton, Ill. , south to the eventual movement to Georgia Light & the major cause of delays. Amtrak's Chair north yard limits at Rantoul. The former Power plants. man Claytor concurred that IC's single northbound main between milepost 113.0 track plan is not conducive to expedited and milepost 115.8 is now designated as a passenger train operation. Between siding with power switches at each end. East St. louis Yard Changes February and April this year, Amtrak trains on the line produced a mere 15 per Illinois Central is reportedly considering cent on-time rate, with an average delay Line Sale Opposed discontinuing its use of Alton & Southern's of one to two hours. Adding to the conflict Gateway Yard for switching in the St. are reports from recent City riders that Several public hearings have been held Louis area; two- or three-hour delays for Amtrak, not IC, is responsible for a large over the proposed $5 million sale of two IC trains waiting to enter the yard have percentage of the delays. IC branch lines-Sullivan, Ind.-Newton, been reported, and IC sources complain of Ill. and Newton-Browns, IlL-to the Indi problems with outbound trains not being ana Rail Road Company. A few years ago correctly blocked. This summer, Illinois 1989 Results ICG sold the segment of the Effingham, Central may turn to either Terminal Rail IlL-Indianapolis, Ind. line east of Sullivan, road Association or Gateway Western to Illinois Central earned $547 million in Ind., to Indiana Rail Road. Several groups do its St. Louis yard work. revenues and $85 million in operating of local farmers , shippers and IC employ income, of which $399 million of revenue ees on the line have testified at public and $80 of the operating income was hearings before Federal Judge Paul Cross Covington Derailment earned after Prospect Group, Inc. took opposing the new sales-they say selling control of the railroad. The IC operating the line will cost up to 40 IC employees On May 24 a northbound IC freight de ratio was down to 84.4 percent in 1989, their jobs and possibly limit access to railed near Covington, Tenn. Fourteen as compared to highs of 90.5 percent in freight cars for grain loading. Later this cars left the rails, and 45 minutes after the 1988 and 93.5 percent in 1987. A large summer Judge Cross will recommend to wreck a tank car exploded, forcing the the ICC whether to waive the normal reg evacuation of some 600 local residents be ulation to permit the INRD to purchase cause the tank car was believed to be car the line. rying vinyl chloride. The exploded tank car was later discovered to be loaded with less-harmful denatured alcohol. During the New Coal Trains fire tw o more tank cars of denatured alco hol caught fire and burned for more than - Volume I - Several new coal trains have been received 48 hours. The derailment, caused by an OVER THE BRIDGES from Santa Fe in St. Louis for delivery to overheated journal bearing on one of the RIDGWAY TO Lis, Ill. The trains are going into East St. GATX tank cars, closed the main line for TELLURIDE 106 Full-Color Views Louis with Santa Fe power over the Gate over 48 hours between Fulton, Ky., and 443 B& W Photos way Western; AT&SF power is removed at Memphis, Tenn., disrupting Amtrak and 25 Maps· 26 Bridge Drawings A 416·PAGE ILLUSTRATED CHRONICLE the GWWR yard and IC power is added. IC freight service. No injuries were report From the beginning of the RGS at Ridgway In 1890 The first trains consisted of around 75 ed, and none of the diesel units on the POSTPAID IN U.S.A. _ $ 6500 AT&SF hoppers with six or seven AT&SF train left the track. The Tennessee Public S11N'DANCE PUBLICATlON S !I!;mi!uL.. GPs for power, often including GP30s. Service Commission is investigating the Q 250 BROADWAY DENVER, COLORADOB0203 Coal traffic is up at the Brushy Creek train crew's error in providing an incorrect MasterCard I VISA Accepted • 303 1777·2880 Mine on IC's Edgewood Cutoff near Harco, consist list to the fire chief. FREE FULL · COLOR CATALOG PACIFIC RAILNews • 9 portion of the current operating plan has interest in Trailer Train Company and 66 along the main line between Memphis, been aimed at reducing operating ex percent of its interest in an industrial Tenn. , and New Orleans, La. The main line penses and capital expenses through park near New Orleans. in central and southern Illinois was also the following: converting approximately A quick overview of the IC locomotive hit by minor washouts . .. SD40s No . 6017 500 miles of double-track main line to roster as of May 1 shows that IC owns a and No . 6024 were reported back in ser CTC single track; employee reductions; total of 554 locomotives. Of these, 388 are vice in the new IC black paint scheme . . . and productivity improvements. During listed in active service (44 units are in the Correction to the SD40 review: No . 6002 1990, IC management planned to repay a shop, leaving a total of 344 available for not No. 6004 was the former ICG orange minimum of 20 percent of its long-term service), 94 are listed as stored due to and-gray SD40 equipped with the experi debt from sales of certain non-essential bad-order problems, two units are in the mental black stripes on the nose and the assets and from profits. According to IC paint shop, 16 units are leased to other large ICG orange reflective lettering on sources, the railroad has already railroads and 54 units are ready for service the side. It is rare now to see a locomotive reached this goal and is moving to repay in storage. on any IC trains in one of the older paint more of the long-term debt. The assets schemes. At the present rate of repainting to be sold are non-operating assets (pri of the locomotive fleet, all the current IC marily real estate, much of it in the General News locomotives will be repainted by the end Chicago area), as well as surplus rail of this year. and certain out-of-service rolling stock. The heavy rainfall and flooding during Thanks to Sonny Seller Jr., Jon Roma, In addition, IC has sold 75 percent of its April and May caused several washouts Joseph H. Yarbrough and William Evetts. SOUTHERN PACI LINES change Commission, SP stated it expects able (read new) locomotives for cross A Losing Year to avoid default, though if it does not meet country container trains. It appears letters Last year, combined SP and Rio Grande rail the minimum performance level, it will at of intent have been sent to both GE and operations lost $30 million; D&RGW netted tempt to renegotiate the financial pack EMD concerning a 1991 locomotive order, $35 million, while SP lost $65 million-the age. SP blames its financial problems on but either or both letters are revokable up worst loss since 1936. Carloadings were the company's railroad operations, not on through the end of July. up 4.2 percent for the combined roads in other ventures under its corporate umbrel And, as SP plans for new locomotives, 1989, but revenue per car dropped 4.7 per la. The good news is that railroad rev it looks like the reactivation of Rio cent in that same period. On the other enues rose to $590.4 million from $576.6 Grande's first-generation motive power is, hand, SP Transportation Company did offi million during the first quarter. SP noted, with few exceptions, over. The last cially show a profit of more than $98 mil however, that higher sales were offset by stronghold for GP9s and SD9s, Denver's lion, because it was able to sell over $350 riSing costs for fuel and maintenance, and North Yard, has lost its high-hood fleet of million in real estate during the year. In ad by price competition from other railroads transfer and switching units. Replace dition, SP Telecom (a common-carrier com and truckers. ments include GP30s and/or early GP40s munications subsidiary) generated more Railroad operations aren't expected to which, in turn, were recently bumped than $21 million in income. become profitable until perhaps 1993. from mainline duties by the return of Initial reports from 1990 are even Chairman Phil Anschutz speaks in a new, D&RGW GP35s and GP40s from lease to gloomier. Southern Pacific reported that its 45-minute employee video titled "1990 and SP. Mid-May saw D&RGW GP30 3010 and first-quarter operating loss widened to $38 Beyond" to rally the troops. He is quoted GP40 3077 assigned to North Yard for million from the $22.6 million reported as saying "there's lots of misinformation transfer duties, while the end of the during the same period last year. If SP's going around about SP, and I hope this month found a duo of GP30s, 3010 and losses exceed $50 million for the first half will set (the record) straight." 3018, assigned the same function. of 1990, or $90 million for the entire year, "Bumped" GP9s and SD9s have been re turned to storage at Denver's Burnham it will fail to meet the minimum financial New Power AntiCipated performance level agreed to by SP and its Shops in operational condition. lenders as part of the Anschutz purchase In the face of trying times, SP still needs financing package. If SP fails to meet more first-class road locomotives to retain Trash Trains from Los Angeles these standards, the lender group, led by its competitive position in the intermodal Bank of America, could declare a default. business. Despite layoffs in the Mechani Local governments in Southern California In a recent filing with the Securities & Ex- cal Department, operations demand reli- have become concerned with disposal of THE LITTLE DEPOT A tradition in Southern California for over 20 years The latest in books, videos, collectibles and models. In Hobby City .. . between Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. 1238-A S. Beach B\vd. Anaheim, CA 92804 (714) 828-5080 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 10 • AUGUST 1990 Cotton Belt GP60 9676 is part of an all-EMD quintet powering a heavy eastbound doublestack train near West Palm Springs, Calif., on March 31 , 1990. Even in the face of unsatisfactory financial reports, SP is still forging ahead to expand railroad operations. Rumors indicate that SP may finally expand operations into Chicago with a new LACHjCHLA intermodal hotshot via its ex-CM&W line. Dick Stephenson solid waste; most of the available landfills merly the SFBLL, now designated BLSFL Locomotive Works in addition to the 205 will be filled within two or three years. As working out of Bloomington to Springfield. people laid off last December. SP cited a result, we once again read about "trash The ASBIM (Alton & Southern-Blue Island poor business conditions as the reason. train" proposals. Interestingly, this lowly manifest) and counterpart BIASM now While some activity continues at Sacra subject is viewed as potentially lucrative change crews at Bloomington and pick up mento, there will be no more GRIP units by both Santa Fe and Southern Pacific, any through freight routed from Spring upgraded there in the foreseeable future. each of which is promoting service over field by the BLSFL. The BLJOL (Blooming In fact, the last two SD45T-2 upgrades in its rail lines to desert depositories. ton-Joliet local) has been abolished in fa the 1989 budget remain incomplete on the Southern Pacific offers a plan to load vor of a BLBRL (Bloomington-Belt Railway shop floor, with little chance of re-enter trash at City of Industry and haul it east to local) train which will be called daily ex ing service any time in 1990 .. . The sec Ferrum, on the east shore of the Salton cept Saturday at 2 a.m. to run to Clearing ondary line renewal project in the San Sea. There trains would leave SP rails for Yard in Chicago. The reverse BRBLL will Luis Valley between South Fork and Del those of the presently moribund Eagle be called on the same days at 9 p.m. Cur Monte, Colo. , is now complete, and track Mountain Railway. This road, owned by rently, grain traffic on the line is nonexis speed slow orders over the line have been Kaiser Steel, once hauled iron ore down tent. Rumors persist that two new opera lifted ... This season's track-upgrade pro from an open-pit mine in the mountains. tions are being considered for the line, in ject on the main line between Grand There it was picked up by SP locomotives cluding a new CHLA hotshot and a chemi Junction and Helper continues. Major and crews and hauled over Beaumont Hill cal products unit tank train from Texas. work has shifted from the Whitehouse/El to the Kaiser Mill at Fontana. One interesting note is that all trains on ba siding area eastward into Ruby The current proposal is to fill up that the line except the steel trains are using Canyon; associated traffic windows, de hole in the ground with solid waste; pre cabooses. lays and slow orders are wreaking havoc sumably there will be no future market for No sooner had we commented on the on trans-system schedules .. . SP has an the iron ore still remaining unmined under issuance of a Chicago Region timetable nounced a 10-percent rate increase for Eagle Mountain. The proposal calls for than SP came out with a new one. carloads of frozen commodities moving hauling 16,000 tons (at least two complete Timetable No . 1, which initiated SF's style east from Oregon, California and Arizona. trainloads) of trash per day to the mine on the former CM&W, is destined to be a Southern Pacific is considering a plan to site; at that rate the pit will be filled in collector's item, since it contained detailed rehabilitate 1,000 insulated and refrigera about 100 years. passenger train schedules for those Am tor boxcars this year "to support the ship trak services between Joliet and Alton pers' needs for many years to come." In which were inherited from CM&W. New addition, a rate increase for TOFC/COFC Chicago Line Update timetable No. 2, effective May 8, conforms traffic is in the works ... SP has hired Don almost exactly with all the other SP Orris as chief of marketing for SP Trans Bloomington became SP's central Illinois timetables; it will itself probably disap portation Co .; Orris' formal title will be crew-change point effective June 7 for all pear the next time an Eastern Region President, Southern Pacific Distribution. jobs except the two TOFC trains (ESCHQ timetable is published. So far, neither a Orris is responsible for building American and CHEGA) and Amtrak trains. The move formal division map nor a profile appears, President Companies into a highly ag eliminates the 90-mile Springfield-St. but a separate page is devoted to con gressive land-shipping business. Orris Louis crew district and creates two even densed Amtrak schedules. noted he will "bring more focus" to SP's sized districts, reviving practices em marketing plan. One could infer that ployed by predecessors GM&O and ICG. changes already in progress, including SP crews are in the process of rebuilding -Shorts putting SP's sales staff closer to its cus several tracks at Bloomington Yard to fa tomers, will continue. cilitate the change. Operations affected by On May 7, SP announced the furloughing Thanks to H. W. Farewell and Steve the change include the Ridgely Turn, for- of 60 more employees at the Sacramento Smedley. PACIFIC RAILNews • 11 AMTRAK/PASSENGER County's John Wayne International Air three Superliner coaches and a Sightseer Of User Fees and Commuter Rail port. Carolyn Ewing, deputy director of lounge spliced between F40s 233 and 289. By a margin of about four percentage Caltrans, representing the governor, com Three round trips were planned, but so points, California voters approved not one, mented that it was encouraging to sense many wished to make the journey, the the "rail renaissance" in California. She al crew graciously agreed to make a fourth but two rail and transit funding measures in the June 5 primary election. The key to so praised the station's ability to "connect round trip. Proposition 108, which was endorsed by the modes" of transportation. The un Originally known as Tropico, a separate the governor and other state officials, is a manned Irvine station is a useful, pleasant community annexed into the City of Glen building with ample parking. nine-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax-ap dale in 1917, the present depot was con proved in Proposition lll-which will be structed in 1923 and opened the next year. phased in over the next five years. Propo When Amtrak took over passenger service sition also allows state spending limits to Commuting from Orange County in 1971, Glendale was not a stop for the be increased, effectively ending the 12- Coast Daylight/Starlight. However, it was year-old so-called taxpayer revolt. The sec Subtle but significant changes have taken soon added and has prospered over the ond transportation bond measure, Proposi place with the Orange County-sponsored past 19 years; commuter trains and light tion 116, was jointly sponsored by the commuter train since service started on rail have been mentioned for the depot in Train Riders Association of California April 30. On June 1, service from Irvine the future. (TRAC) and the Planning and Conserva began, allowing commuters from Orange tion League. These votes demonstrate County to travel south to San Diego Coun that Californians are not only tired of con ty. And on June 11, bilevel commuter cars, Am-Notes gestion and roadway problems, but are leased from CalTrain, entered service. It willing to fund projects to assist alterna had been hoped to have these cars in ser The Southwest Chief departing L.A. on tive transportation modes (even including vice by June 1, but they were delayed, May 23 developed motive power problems bikeways). The exact allocation of these and arrived on June 2 in L.A. on a very early in its trip causing Santa Fe to add an funds has yet to be determined, though tardy Coast Starlight. Ridership has in old friend, SDP40F 5252, at San Bernardi many agencies have already drawn up creased steadily with this new service, no. When seen leaving Argentine Yard in "laundry lists" with projects that could due in part to commuter-catered privileges Kansas City, the train was about six hours benefit from the monies. Although many such as the preferred parking that van late, and it arrived Chicago over seven projects are proposed for Southern Califor pools enjoy at Santa Ana. hours late. The supply of locomotives re nia, there are a number of others identi mains tight into this summer season. For fied for the Central Valley and Bay Area. example the Desert Wind frequently oper Special Supports a Cause ates with only one F40. The condition of Amtrak's motive power is tenuous, and the Irvine Depot Starts Service On May 31 , a special passenger train oper shortage of power means that not every ated on Southern Pacific from Glendale to thing that could be done gets done during Amtrak's newest station in the West Ravenna and return to support Proposi layover servicing and routine maintenance. opened June 1 when Irvine, Calif., became tions 116 and 117 (supporting commuter Amtrak switchers 761 and 598 left LA a stop for three daily San Diegans. Dedica rail and wildlife protection). A number of in freight service during May, presumably tion ceremonies were held on May 16, celebrities held a morning press confer for Beech Grove. GP7 761 had not been with government, railroad and military of ence, then boarded the train which trav used for many months and had donated a ficials on hand. Train 576 was the first to eled into Soledad Canyon for lunch at a number of parts. CF7 598 was the least stop at the new station, discharging local wildlife preserve. The train returned to used of the three such units aSSigned to officials and VIPs in time for the 2 p.m. Glendale at 4:30 p.rn. Southern Pacific LA CF7s 593 and 594 and SSB1200 566 ceremony. Cab car 9631 broke a ceremoni SD40T-2 8264 and SD45T-2R 6861 handled carryon the chores around the coach yard al banner marking Irvine's welcome of private cars Native Son, Columbia River and depot. When these are down, an F40 Amtrak. The station features the concept and La Condesa. Many enjoyed the pleas fills in (and on rare occasions, a P30). of intermodalism: Greyhound, Amtrak and ant day from the platform of the ex-Santa Orange County Transit District call at the Fe cafe-lounge-observation. location, and space remains for the depot Southern Pacific's participation in the KCS Passenger Notes to become part of the planned Orange event was not surprising, as it was one of County monorail system that in its first the major corporate supporters of Proposi Kansas City Southern operates two busi phase would link Irvine with Orange tion 116. Potentially it stands to benefit ness cars, Kaysee and Tolmak, both sta from line improvement projects through tioned near Joint Agency Yard in Kansas out the state which will result from the ap City. In their current paint scheme, mist TRACTION proval of Proposition 116. Santa Fe, and to gray replaced white for the roof, the plat Prototypes and Models a lesser extent Union Pacific, also stand to forms are done in stainless steel, and they benefit with possible line sales for com sport the traditional smoked windows. " The magazine for the traction enthusiast" muter rail. Both units appear to be in very good • Great Photos • Book Rev1ews shape. A surprise on a May 25 visit to • 36 10 44 pages • Hints Kansas City was to find diner 56 in • Leiters • Maps Glendale Depot Rededication Knoche Yard, having come north on the rear of a freight train. This is one of two The City of Glendale officially marked its dining cars that remained on the KCS ros acquisition of the Glendale station from ter in 1970. Car 59 was sold in 1974 to Am SUBSCRIBE TODAY Southern Pacific with a rededication cere trak, becoming No . 8044, while car 56 mony on June 2. Elected officials were on 6 Bi-monthly Issues $1 6 stayed with KCS. The striping was very Only ...... 00 hand for the festive event, which included faded on one side of the car, a result of speeches, entertainment, free food and a years in the sun. 12 Iss ues Only .. 5300 0 14-mile round-trip train ride to Los Ange Thanks to Bill Farmer, John Arbuckle, Mail to: Box 526, Canton , Ohio 44701 Dealer Inquiries Welcome les. The special train utilized equipment Ed Von Nordeck, David Adams, Norm Pe laying over from the Sunset Limited, with terson, Bernie Simpson and Mike Hunt. 12. AUGUST 1990 CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN Bids Submitted for Cowboy Line On May 27 the Omaha WORLD-HERALD re ported that two parties had submitted bids to buy North Western's Norfolk Chadron, Neb., "Cowboy" line by the com pany's May 18 deadline. In response to the paper's questions, C&NW representative Leslie Cleveland confirmed that the bids had been received but declined to identify the two bidders or predict when the North Western would act on their proposals; she said only that the bids were being re viewed. The paper reported, though, that the bidders were believed to be George Gustafson of Chicago and Midwest Rail Association of Fremont, a partnership con sisting of former railroad engineers Greg Weber, H.C. Furst and Casey O'Neil. C&NW Leases Power to CSX North Western reached agreement during May to lease 32 locomotives to CSX Trans· portation for an indefinite period. Due to soft traffic levels, C&NW has had a sur plus of power for most of 1990. As of early June, the following 30 North Western units had been reported leased: GP40s- 5501 -5506, 5508-5511, 5516-5517, 5520, 5522, 5524-5525, 5528-5529, 5535, 5537; SD40s-869-870, 872, 878, 882, 886, 889, 892, 923, 926 (all C&NW's remaining SD40s). The remaining leased units were to be delivered pending inspection and ac ceptance by CSx. By the end of May the yellow-and-green veterans had been spot ted in such CSX locales as Walbridge (Toledo), Ohio, and Muskegon, Mich. Chicago & North Western S050 7020 leads a westbound empties train back to the Wyoming PLM Units on the Move coal fields for reloading on June 9, 1990. Still several hundred miles from its destination, the drag glides through tree-lined trackage in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, on C&NW's busy east-west A splash of color on C&NW rails was pro main line; the train will switch to UP trackage when it reaches Nebraska. George Kleiber vided by Professional Leasing Manage ment's ex-Union Pacific SD40s, which 55-mile movement to a landfill at Trenton, brick station, constructed in 1890, lost it moved from Wilson Railway Equipment Mo. Although Trenton is also on the Spine passenger traffic on July 23, 1963, when during mid-May. PLM units 3000, 3004, Line, the landfill operator is not moving C&NW dropped its Twin Cities 400 and 3019,3021 and 3041, all painted in PLM's garbage by rail to that point because he Rochester 400. Thereafter, the railroad dark blue-and-white paint scheme, left lacks the Missouri permit needed to trans sold the vacant station to an entrepreneur Wilson in Des Moines on C&NW train DM fer garbage from rail to truck in that state, who converted it to the Depot House PRA on May 16. Several PLM units were even though Missouri officials argue that restaurant in 1967. The restaurant closed spotted laying over at Proviso Yard the fol transportation of reloaded garbage from in August 1979, and later the building was lowing weekend before they were deliv Lineville into the state also requires a per purchased by the Salvation Army and ered to an unknown connection. mit. What is clear is that the greatly re transformed into a secondhand store. duced cost of burying trash in rural areas Rochester's former Chicago Great West (it costs $15 to bury a cubic yard of ern depot, meanwhile, is likely to be saved There May Be Garbage in Those Cars garbage in Missouri, versus $40 to bury and restored. The wooden building, that same amount near New York) means constructed by CGW predecessor Winona Garbage may be the railroad growth com that more urban trash will be shipped & Western in 1899, served both CGW modity of the 1990s, and North Western -hopefully by rail. trains and Jefferson Lines buses until the has been active in securing trash busi bus line was forced out by construction of ness. One movement which has come to a new parking ramp adjacent to the sta light involves refuse from Brooklyn and A Tale of Two Depots tion in 1987. Thereafter a group known as the Bronx in New York City, which is Save the Depot, Inc. , was formed to raise baled and shipped by boxcar to Lineville, The former C&NW station in Rochester, funds to relocate the structure, which was Iowa, on North Western's Spine Line via Minn., stands in the path of the four-lane accomplished in August 1987. The group an unspecified route. At that point the Fifth Street expansion project and, as a re is now trying to find a permanent home garbage is transloaded to trucks for the sult, faces almost-certain demolition. The for the depot, which has been stored near PACIFIC RAILNews. 13 a Rochester Public Utilities plant, along City through arbitration (May 1990 PRN, track-from the Rock Island estate.) SP re the stretch of former CGW trackage which page 14), Southern Pacific has been trying fused, and although the differences be remains in downtown Rochester-now op to negotiate an agreement with the North tween the two parties has narrowed in erated by Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern, Western which would lead to that result. subsequent negotiations, they are still no still referred to by train crews as the However, securing that consent will cost where near an agreement. If it can't meet "Great Western." SP dearly. According to the Journal of North Western's price, SP's only recourse Commerce, the North Western initially de is litigation-a risky and time-consuming manded that SP pay $80 million for the prospect. And it's doubtful whether the In SP Won't Give Up right to use the joint line. (To put that de terstate Commerce Commission would mand in perspective, C&NW paid $93 mil have jurisdiction over the dispute. Having been defeated in its effort to force lion in 1983 to buy the entire St. Paul Thanks to Mike Liebenow, Jim its way onto the joint C&NW-Soo Line Kansas City Spine Line and northwest Sea crest, George F Davison, David C. trackage between Polo, Mo., and Kansas Iowa branches-some 720 miles of Kroeger and the C&O Historical Society. CANADA WEST ington. CN is claiming this section of track ished in an accident shortly after its re Canadian National lost C$175,451 in 1988. building in 1983. CN has started grading for a new wye Angus is now commencing a program GP9 4603 assigned to Edmonton (Calder) connection in the north-east quadrant of its to rebuild CPR's early standard SD40 units was stored unserviceable April 9 and is former interlocking at East Junction-North into SD40-2 specification; five of the 5500- now awaiting rebuilding. This unit was Edmonton; the purpose is to allow west 5564 series were stored unserviceable at originally Northern Alberta 202, and was bounds on the Wainwright Sub to turn Angus pending upgrading: 5511 , 5552, still in the NAR blue paint when pulled northeastward to the Fort Saskatchewan 5515, 5550 and 5564. Further west, Ogden from service. This leaves just three CN and Scotord industrial area, 20 miles up the Shops in Calgary has released nine more units still in the NAR-colors, GP9s 4606, Vegreville Sub. In the opposite direction, SD40-2s with Positive Traction Control for 4607 and 4609, all similarly assigned to trains handling chemicals from the complex increased hauling capacity: 5940, 5973, Calder. Typical assignments for the three would head southwestward toward Ed 5962, 5706, 5981 , 5703, 5761, 6011, 6022. survivors are yard switchers at Lloydmin monton, then eastward from the new con Recent retirees include SW8 6702 and ster or Edson, train 519 and the Calder nection without having to operate in and SW900 6710. The 6710 spent most of its Wabamun turn which operates Mondays, out of Calder Yard. At present, this traffic service life assigned to South Edmonton, Wednesdays and Fridays. either runs via Calder or is lifted by east working with sister 6711; the latter is now Recent rebuilds from the Transcona, bounds on the Vegreville Sub and operates working as the Odgen Shop switcher. In Man., backshop are GMDls 1180, 1171 via the slower and longer ex-Canadian early March, SW8 6708 was leased to La and 1181 (formerly 1080, 1071 and 1081, Northern route through Vermilion, Lloyd farge Cement in Exshaw while that firm's the 1080 and 1081 originally NAR 302 and minster and North Battleford. regular switcher, ex-AC&HB GP7 166, now 303). As with earlier 1100- series rebuilds, numbered 12, was undergoing repairs at the original AlA-AlA trucks have been Ogden Shops. exchanged for flexicoil B-B trucks, fuel -CPRaii A recent column mentioned that CPR tanks were enlarged, ballast was added trains handling loaded autoracks do not and controls were modified for use in The CPR GP9 rebuild program has been use the new low-grade Mount MacDonald transfer service. All three rebuilds are completed with the release of the final Tunnel route; instead they use the steeper now aSSigned to Winnipeg's Symington three units from Angus Shops in Montreal, original Connaught Tunnel. What we didn't Yard. 8239 (ex-8665), 8240 (ex-8674 and 8241 explain was the reason, that the powerful GP38-2 4735 is now in Pointe St. (ex-8681). CPR no longer operates any fans tend to suck up coal dust which accu Charles Shop to become hump-control unit GP7s or GP9s in their original high-short mulates on the tunnel lining from CPR's 7528; slated to follow are 4733 and 4734 hood configuration; 169 of the GMD units heavy coal train traffic. The coal dust in which will become 7532 and 7530 respec were rebuilt for yard and transfer service turn would get deposited on the new au tively. (including nine ex-Toronto, Hamilton & tos. CPR has also banned open carloads of With CP Rail having constructed a line Buffalo units), carrying numbers 1500- woodchips through the new tunnel for the eastward into Kelvington, Sask., CN has 1652 and 1682-1697, while 50 were rebuilt same reason. applied to abandon the west end of its for road service, 8200-8249. All are still in Preeceville Sub from Preeceville to Kelv- service except for 8202 which was demol- Passenger VILLAGE DEPOT A Diet Pepsi television commercial, shot ,.'..... " ....11 1"•• ,.:1 11 •• l1li1 1... 111111- , May 15-19 between Jasper and Hope, B.C., featured CN equipment including; VIA F40PH 6400, VIA 615 (baggage), 14224 Chateau Roberval (sleeper), 16517 ~ Wascana (diner), 14220 Chateau Pap PACIFIC NORTIIWEST ineau (sleeper), 15516 Tweedsmuir Park (sleeper-lounge-obs), and several CN HEADQUARTERS FOR: TOFC cars with Suzuki Samurai automo MODEL TRAINS biles. All the equipment was painted in Ride a Kawasaki LRV over SEPTA'S Pepsi colors. The train arrived in Vancou BOOKS former RED ARROW LINES ver May 20, the TOFC cars were removed, VHS/ BETA - 70 minutes £33.00 postpaid. and "Pepsi'd" VIA steam generator car VIDEOS 24 HOUR ORDER LINE 215/ 6.32·4600 15451 was included. The consist was due many more to cl100se from. send SASE to depart Vancouver June 6 on a cross 725 ROW RIVER ROAD CARSON HOME VIDEO Canada promotional trip ending in Halifax COTTAGE GROVE, OR 97424 BOX 42582, Phila., PA 19101 on June 26, where the equipment would 1.:;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; (503) 942-5117 ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:,1 be returned to VIA and VIA colors. 14. AUGUST 1990 VIA has privatized its Rocky Moun taineer service, the weekly Canadian Rockies tour train introduced last year, to a new company called Mountain Vistas Railtours. The 1990 season began May 27 with leased VIA equipment (and the Rocky Mountaineer crest superimposed over the VIA logo on the carsides). This train had previously operated from Van couver, dividing at Karnloops with one section going to Jasper and one to Banff and Calgary, but it appears that only Banff/Calgary service will operate this year. Power is being provided by a pair of ex-Santa Fe B36-7s (7488 and 7498) leased from GE. Meanwhile Blythe & Co. , which bought the rights to the old Canadian route from Toronto to Vancouver via Calgary, has post poned the inaugural run of its Royal Cana dian until 1991 , awaiting refurbished ex-SP bilevel cars from a rebuilder in the U.S. VIA Rail has contracted with CN's CANAC division to sell all VIA equipment rendered surplus after the January service cuts. None of the approximately 260 pieces (including locomotives, steam-gen erator cars, baggage and passenger cars) The first run of the privately operated Rocky Mountaineer is shown at Field, B.C., on May 28, will be sold until all interested parties 1990. The train, a summer-only, Vancouver-Calgary operation following the most-scenic have been given lists and details. VIA has portion of the CPR Canadian route vacated by VIA in January, is now run by Mountain Vistas retained the option to accept or refuse of Railtours. Power for the train is two ex-Santa Fe B30-7s leased from GE . Philip Easterling fers , and has stated that special consider ation will be given to Canadians who The final unit of the GE Dash 8-40CM Meanwhile, work started in May to re want to use the equipment in service to order, No . 4622, was delivered to Prince turn the 198-mile Fort St. James-Sloane the Canadian public and visitors. Mean George by CN on May 20. Contrary to B.C. line to service; the first log trains may be while, VIA has given a one-year extension Ministry of Transport regulations, the lo moving off the lower portions of this line to CN Pointe St Charles Shops to complete comotives had their horns mounted on the as early as November. Plans call for open modernization of its remaining 157-car roof about two-thirds of the way back on ing about 140 miles of track this year and stainless-steel passenger car fleet, includ the unit, rather than at the front of the the remainder next year. With this fall's ing conversion to electric heat. unit, restricting the new power to a trail expected completion of track upgrading ing position until modified. Initially, the on the Fort Nelson line, it is expected the GEs were used on one through train in 3,000-h.p. units will be allowed to run -Be Rail each direction per day-the PV south and through to Fort Nelson and the M420s will VP north. As additional units were re be transferred south to work these log Royal Hudson service began May 20 with leased for service, some were used north trains. The anticipated initial traffic is 2-8-03716 substituting for 2860 which had of Prince George, but not in Locotrol ser 13,000 cars per year or approximately 65 undergone a major overhaul this winter vice. It was expected that by June a sec cars per working day. and was not expected to be ready for ser ond through train would operate with Operationally, BC Rail switched sys vice before mid-June. The 3716 is in rough GEs, and that all would be running be temwide to MBS (Manual Block System) shape and operating on a temporary cer tween North Vancouver and Prince dispatching effective May 13 , and for the tificate-it is in need of extensive repair. George thereafter. As these units are last hour or so on the evening of May 12 While this work may be done, it is expect equipped with the new Locotrol 2 system, while the changeover was carried out, not ed the 3716 will be laid up after 2860 re crew training and qualification is required. a single train ran on the railroad outside of turns to service, pending a decision by its Meanwhile, the 4606 and 4614 (on her first yard limits. All trains, including the pas owners (the B.C. government). trip) were involved in a minor sideswipe senger jobs, are now run as extras. This As of early June, eight of the nine BC at Quesnel, and were quickly dispatched change was preliminary to adoption of the Rail Budd cars had been repainted in the to the Squamish backshops for repairs. CROR (Canadian Railway Operating new colors, and the ninth car was due to What about the Alcos, you ask? By the Rules) rule book, which will replace the fa be done by mid-month. BC Rail has pur end of May eight units had been retired: miliar UCOR (Uniform Code of Operating chased three more VIA Budd cars, RDCls 713,718,727 and 729 were interchanged Rules) in early 1991. 6102 and 6128, and RDC2 6211. They were to CN May 24 en route to GE in Montreal, to have been delivered in late June and and the 714, 724, 725 and 730 were out of will probably be operated for the summer service being readied for shipment. The Industrials as is, with upgrading to BC Rail standards 707 was also out of service at Squamish to follow in the fall. pending a decision, to repair and send to Howe Sound Pulp at Port Mellon, B.C. , CAT engined RS18 609 emerged from GE , repaired and retain or simply turn over took delivery of its new ex-CN SW900 the paint shop April 30 to be subjected to to GE "as is." As of early May, eight units (7935) in early May. It is now numbered two weeks of extensive scrutiny by BC were to be kept for at least 18 months: 950-001 and painted blue . .. IPSCO (Inter and Caterpillar personnel. The 609 traveled 702,706,710, 715, 719,720, 723 and 726. provincial Pipe & Steel) at Regina has also as an extra unit to Lillooet on the way The "other" M630, the 711 , a 17-month resi taken delivery of an SW900, No.6., former freight May 15 and 16, then was released dent of the depths of Seton Lake, was not ly CPR 6714 .. . Vancouver Wharves in for Squamish Yard service on May 28. scrapped in March as originally planned. North Vancouver has obtained ex-CPR S3 Work on the second conversion, the 617, is The 711 was removed from its lakeside 6503 on loan from the West Coast Railway well under way, and the third unit in the home in late May and was sitting partially Association, for use as a spare locomotive. program, the 623, has entered the shops dismantled on three flatcars in Lillooet on It had previously rented a BC Rail S13 in preparation for rebuilding. May 29 awaiting further movement. when an extra unit was needed. PACIFIC RAILNews • 15 SANTA FE service sees traffic moving from the North trailers will travel via the 991's eastbound Super Fleet Update west to Barstow on a five-day schedule, counterpart, the 199 train. Between Rich and traveling to Los Angeles, San Diego, mond and Chicago, the Quantum trailers Santa Fe's new GP60Ms continue to arrive and Phoenix on a seven-day schedule. The will move eastbound on 991 trains (includ and by June 12 at least 10 of the four-axle three railroads are currently in the process ing the 9911Q-LANY on Mondays), while units were rolling on the AT&SF system: of developing a northbound schedule, and westbound trailers will ride on the 199, units 100, 101, 103, and 105-110. All Santa Fe is now giving Union Pacific its 189, and Q-NYLAl899 trains. GP60Ms have been assigned to the high traffic from the Southwest at Stockton, The Quantum traffic has grown steadily, speed intermodal pool, operating between Calif. Once UP and BN work out the de and both AT&SF and J. B. Hunt expect the Chicago, Kansas City and Los Angeles. A tails concerning their portions of the new added service to greatly expand Quantum's minor problem with the 100's automatic service, a complete northbound schedule presence in the transportation market. To brake valves caused the locomotives to be will begin over all three roads. date, the service has performed smoothly, banned from the point of trains, but the and J. B. Hunt personnel are very satisfied units were repaired in Kansas City, and with their relationship with Santa Fe. The as of mid-June the "Super 60s" were once Quantum Service Expands companies are already considering contin again commanding high-speed power con ued expansion into the Northern California sists along the Santa Fe. Santa Fe recently announced the expan and Kansas City markets. sion of its growing Quantum service, which the railway and partner J.B. Hunt Santa Fe Enters the Bieber Gateway began in 1989. Beginning July 1, the ser Business Shorts . .. vice will be expanded to include three Well, not physically, but the railway got as new corridors-Los Angeles-Kansas City, Santa Fe began seeing significant increas close as it could get to entering the Pacific Richmond-Kansas City and Richmond es in automobile traffic to various Ford fa Northwest (for now), as Santa Fe, Union Chicago. Between L.A. and Kansas City cilities along the railway in late May and Pacific and Burlington Northern estab eastbound trailers will move on the 893 early June. The Kansas City auto facility lished a new southbound service from the train, while westbound trailers will move was loading 132 bilevel and 12 trilevel au Pacific Northwest to California and Ari on the 198 train (Quantum traffic will also to racks per week (which translates into zona via the Bieber Gateway on May 24. move west on the Tuesday and Wednes 20-30 cars per day, six days a week). The Utilizing UP's former Western Pacific line day-only 188 trains). Between Kansas City railway's auto loadings at Honda's Rich to Bieber (which WP used as a connection and Richmond, eastbound trailers will mond facility have been strong as well, with Great Northern, later BN) the new move on the 991 train, and westbound with an average of 150 carloads of autos 16 • AUGUST 1990 moving east out of Richmond every week. DUring the month of May, Santa Fe han dled a record 1,446 carloads of motor vehi cles into the Houston, Texas facility ... During the month of June, Santa Fe han dled a test shipment of Mercedes Benz au tomobiles from Ridgeland Heights, N.J., to Commerce, Calif. , routed from Conrail to AT&SF via Streator, Ill. The shipment rep resented Mercedes' first involvement with rail service since the 1960s- if successful, it would result in a significant volume of new automobile traffic to the West Coast. Derailments and Detours On April 30 at least five Southern Pacific trains detoured over AT&SF rails between West Colton, Calif., and Phoenix, Ariz.-the result of an SP derailment in Yuma, Ariz. The SP trains, which were resymboled during their "stint" on Santa Fe rails, consisted of the westbound BSMFS- 27 and eastbound trains AXAVT2-29 , LADAF-30, FXCHTl-29 and AXMFS-27. The final eastbound detour passed through San Bernardino, Calif., at 6: 10 p.m. on the 30th. All of the trains featured SOlid-gray SP consists, made up almost en tirely of Dash 8-40B/GP60 power. Contrary to what you might be led to believe by the preponderence of red-and-silver in the A second detour over Santa Fe rails oc railfan press these days, Santa Fe is still running blue-and-yellow locomotives. On March 7, curred on May 25-26, when Rio Grande 1990, 5045 5305 leads a westbound east of Williams, Ariz., as the warming temperatures of trains were forced to use AT&SF rails be approaching spring break the snowy grip of winter. Robert Gottsch tween Kansas City and Pueblo, Colo., be cause of a tornado at Hoisington, Kan., ploding the tank load of gas. Fortunately ing ball recently, as did the former East which derailed 88 coal cars on Rio the 191's high speed prevented injuries, Tower, which guarded the Santa Fe-BN Grande's route to Kansas City. Rio Grande although three trailers at the rear of the crossing in Amarillo until its demise on ran about 12 trains over the Santa Fe dur train were scorched when they came to a April 23 .. . The 1990 wheat harvest in ing the detour period. stop beside the burning vehicle. The truck Kansas is expected to be the best ever, Santa Fe trains have also had their driver actually walked away from the acci possibly doubling the 1989 totals. As of share of derailments. On April 21 , the east dent, although the truck virtually melted early June, Santa Fe had 3,000 hoppers bound 875 slammed into the rear of the into a pile of metal. stored, awaiting the start of grain orders 961 at Mountainair, N.M. , derailing 17 cars. And in the early hours of May 20 , GP35 . . . The automobile ramp at Albuquerque, The westbound Q-NYLA train then hit the 2881 uncoupled from its work train in Au N.M. , and the outbound facility at Okla derailed cars as it passed the two trains. gusta, Kan., and rolled alone until turning homa City won the 1989 Vehicle Trans Fortunately, no serious injuries were over on a BN connection track, blocking portation Quality Award in early June. reported. Apparently the eastbound train both the BN main line and an AT&SF aux Santa Fe's Albuquerque facility is one of had been stopped at the east end of the iliary track. The 2881 suffered heavy dam only four ramps in the country to receive two main tracks, with the 961 stopped be age, and will probably be scrapped. the award for three consecutive years ... hind it, when the 875 rear-ended the 961. Santa Fe's former passenger and freight May 2 also saw an incident on AT&SF station in Prescott, Arizona has been ear rails when the 1-191-01 hit a tank truck of Santa Fe Shorts . .. marked for a grand restoration, as the city drip-gas at Pampa, Texas. Lead SD40-2 is making plans to restore the 1905-built 5148 rammed the truck at 68 mph, knock The remaining four stalls of the Amarillo, depot to its original appearance, and use it ing the tank away from the tractor and ex- Texas, roundhouse came under the wreck- Continued on page 34 • --r:;;;:::J- SOMETHING NEW IS ALWAYS COMING DOWN THE TRACK FROM GANDY·DANCER \I I 0 EO , RATON PASS, PART I RATON PASS, PART II Experience the daily operations in this two-part series, as the Santa Fe struggles to move tonnage over famous Raton Pass. Witness the brute horsepower of multi-unit lash-ups and helpers required to double and triple the hill, as Q-Service piggybacks and Amtrak twist their way over the 3.4 percent grade. The action on the Santa Fe never ends! Each part - $49.95 - 90 mins., quality color, stereo sound and narration. Order from Gandy Dancer Productions, 1430 41st Avenue, Greeley, CO 80634. (303) 351-0758. Check, M.D., Visa, MC. PACIFIC RAILNews • 17 ABOVE: A pair of GP35s have long been the standard power for the Reno Local. At Parr Avenue Yard in Reno in 1984, the UP-WP merger is two years old, but 3008 and 3001 still of fer a profile appropriate for the Feather River Route. RIGHT: The year 1989 saw the ex-WP GP35s-now in UP livery-as regular power on the old Tidewater Southern, running between Stockton and Turlock, Calif., via Modesto. Unit 784 leads a short southbound into Modesto while flaunting a low-placed herald and a now-missing rotating signal light assembly. Built between 1963 and 1965 and rebuilt in 1979 I these ex-Western Pacific units are the last GP35s on the UP roster TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEN RATTENNE uring the early 1960s, Union Pacific acquired a small those ancestral WP units, seen working yeoman duties on lo but respectable fleet of Electro-Motive's 2,500-h.p. cals and in yards in selected Western locations. GP35 locomotive. UP had warmly embraced the DGP35's predecessor model, the GP30, purchasing The Western Pacific Years 112 of them along with 40 of the custom-built cabless GP30B . Between May and July 1964, "Uncle Pete" took delivery of 22 In 1962 Western Pacific was concerned about the escalating turbocharged GP35s in addition to purchasing EMD demon costs involved in maintaining its aging fleet of FT diesels. In strators 5652 and 5654 (which were built in 1963) for a total addition, train tonnages were increasing and the ancient FTs count of 24 (numbered 740-763) locomotives. Over the years, were not able to keep up with the pace of the day's competitive the company retired these squat successors to the GP30 and market. Western Pacific's mainline motive-power fleet of 1962 by 1982 only a handful remained. However, late that year the consisted mostly of the aforementioned FTs, along with F3s, company inherited more GP35s from merger partner Western F7s (and FP7s), GP7s, GP9s and GP20s. The FTs were, of Pacific (Missouri Pacific had already purged most of its fleet course, the oldest units on the roster and not worth rebuilding. and removed the turbochargers on the balance, derating A locomotive replacement program was instituted by the them to 2,000 h.p.). This sudden influx of WP GP35s was a railroad to rid itself of these diesel liabilities and obtain new welcome relief, as UP's remaining four-axle units were past technology horsepower. Three years previous, WP began its their prime and ripe for retirement. locomotive replacements with the delivery of ten 1959-built The significant thing about WP's GP35s was that they had GP20s. The mechanical department was impressed with the all recently been rebuilt and upgraded, making the locomo 2,000-h.p. turbocharged locomotives, and when EMD's com tives reliable additions to the now-underpowered Union Pa petitors began offering higher-horsepower diesels, WP was cific system. Today, the only GP35s left on the railroad are there to sample. 18 • AUGUST 1990 UNCLE PETE'S FEATHER RIVER First in line was General Electric, offering to demonstrate strate its new 2,750-h.p ., six-motor Century 628. WP agreed. its new U25B. After generally favorable tests, the mechanical In June, a four-unit set of demonstrators arrived and hauled department advised that, while the units performed well, the freight round-trip between Stockton and Roper Yard in Salt conservative WP should hold off purchasing any GE products Lake City. Once again, while the units performed admirably, until the units proved themselves in service on other rail the mechanical department was concerned about the same roads. In April 1963, WP instead turned to EMD and ordered new-technology issues as with the U25B. EMD's 567D engine ten GP30s. EMD informed WP officials that by the specified had proven reliability (the GP35s were powered by the delivery date (nine months hence) the locomotive builder 567D3A), and WP decided to pass on the Alco C628, returning would no longer be offering the GP30 in its catalog. instead to EMD to order another ten GP35s. (It should be not The order was changed to the about-to-be-introduced ed that WP never did purchase any six-axle poweLl The re GP35, specifying low noses (WP's GP30 order had specified maining FTs were failing fast, and competition with Southern high hoods). Pyle-National headlights and dual cab controls (a Pacific (which had a shorter overland route than WP) was feature all WP road-switchers to that date had been equipped heating up. Units 902A-902D and 904A-905B were traded with). During that year, the railroad shipped FTs 903A-903B, back to La Grange for parts credit on the new units, which 907A-907D, 910A and 910B to EMD as trade-ins. The first were delivered to WP during 1935. GP35 to arrive on the property was the 3002 on Nov. 25 , 1963, The ten new locomotives, 3013-3022, were built in April with all ten units in place by year's end. Two more units, 3011 1965, just prior to EMD changing the frame design and and 3012, were ordered and delivered in November of the fol adding a rooftop central air system. Because the GP35 was lowing year using components from wreck-damaged GP9 730 packing 625 h.p. into each D67 traction motor, Western Pacific and GP20 2003. experienced frequent electrical problems in the form of ther In 1964 Alco contacted the railroad, offering to demon- mal overload. The mechanical department's solution to the POWER PROFILE iiiiiiiiiiiiii PACIFIC RAILNews. 19 ABOVE: GP35 3002 models its origi nal silver-and-orange paint at Del Paso siding in Sacramento. Note the single Pyle-National headlight and five-chime horn. Dave Stanley, col lection of Ken Rattenne LEFT: Later in their service lives, 3006 and 3002 wear WP's "New Image" paint as they await their next assignment in Fremont, Calif. By this date (February 1983), the units had been rebuilt by M-K; in service the pair normally worked locals north to Union City and south to along the San Jose Branch. BELOW: The paint anomaly in WP's GP35 fleet was the 3003-the only hood unit to wear the Pumpkin II scheme. (Pumpkin I was an exper imental scheme applied to several FTs in the 1940s.) Shown in Portola in the late 1960s, the solid orange unit wasn't repainted until the early 1970s. RIGHT: In July 1987 you could still find the GP35s working with GP30s on the Feather River Route, like on this Stockton-bound local accelerating out of Oroville, Calif. problem was to rewind the D67 motor or replace it outright with the GP40-specification D77 traction motor. WP eventual standardized on the D77 and stopped stocking replacement D67s altogether. Other mechanical changes included were the removal of the fireman's-side control stand on the 3012 in 1974 for use in a new engineer training school, and the installation of fuel saver devices during 1977. With the advent of fuel savers on most turbocharged units, EQUIPPED WITH FUEL SAVER was sten ciled in orange on the cabsides. Of the 22 GP35s on the roster, five met fatal mishaps. Units 3011 and 3016 were destroyed in a wreck at Floka, Nev. (42 miles east of Gerlach on the old Fifth Sub), on March 28, 1970. Two others were destroyed by Burlington Northern in sepa rate incidents: the 3021 at Bend, Ore., in July 1971, and the 3007 at South Seattle, Wash., in November 1977. And finally, "Zephyr" paint scheme which reigned supreme on the railroad 3018 was wrecked and cut up for scrap at the site of a derail from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s. During that period, the ment at Deeth, Nev., on Sept. 12, 1981. (An interesting note is GP35 orders could be distinguished by the type of lettering that Union Pacific showed a proposed number of 796 for the on the long hood: The first 12 units had WESTERN PACll'lC ill 3018, yet the unit had been off the roster for a year and a half black letters, while the 1965 order featured white Scotchlite before the merger.) letters. The only paint-scheme anomaly was the 3003, which The fleet was delivered in the handsome silver-and-orange was the single hood unit to wear the sOlid-orange-and-black 20 • AUGUST 1990 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii POWER PROFILE iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii PACIFIC RAILNews. 21 Securely part of the UP roster and decked out in Armour Yellow, two ex-WP GP35s pulled passenger duty for UP's Family Days picnic train. Shown bound for Blairsden at Clio in Feather River Canyon, the 783 has nine coaches on the drawbar and another GP35 on the rear end. _ _U--"-N----o;IO---"-N_PA--"'--C"'--I_FI GP35 ROSTERC-,,------It· • _ "Pumpkin II" paint. Until the advent of Perlman Green, the JULY 1990 fleet wore feather medallions on the cabsides with a small Notes black number on the lower front corner of the cab. When the Number Date built green-and-orange scheme was adopted in 1970, WP not only 740-761 1964 Retired repainted the units but attached new coupler cut levers, re 762 1963 Retired, ex-EMD demo 5652 moved all footboards and slowly replaced the Pyle-National headlight with a twin-sealed beam version. 763 1963 Retired, ex-EMD demo 5654 The greening of the GP35 fleet eventually yielded two ba Ex-WP 3001 782 1963 sic schemes: As originally painted, solid orange tiger stripes 783 1963 Ex-WP 3002 adorned the nose and rear of the units; by the mid-1970s the 784 1963 Ex-WP 3003 stripes on the nose gave way to a staggered WP with a single 785 1963 Ex-WP 3004 tiger stripe just below the P. To most fans, an already bad 786 1963 Ex-WP 3005 paint scheme got worse. While it went mostly unnoticed by 787 1963 Ex-WP 3006 observers, there were actually three shades of green used 788 1963 Ex-WP 3008 during the 1970s. The first green units were painted MacLeod 789 1963 Ex-WP 3009 Green in 1970, then in 1971 a slightly lighter shade was used, 790 1963 Ex-WP 3010 referred to as Perlman Green. Finally, in 1973, a still-lighter Ex-WP 3012 shade, known as Sterling Polyurethane Green, became the 791 1964 standard. Nonetheless, popular opinion has all green-and-or 792 1965 Ex-WP 3013 ange units referred to as Perlman Green. 793 1965 Ex-WP 3014 By 1979, the GP35 fleet was becoming difficult to maintain, 794 1965 Ex-WP 3015 and the railroad decided to overhaul the remaining 18 units 795 1965 Ex-WP 3017 on the roster. Morrison-Knudsen contracted to do the work, 797 1965 Ex-WP 3019 and the units were sent to Boise, Idaho, for remanufacture. 798 1965 Ex-WP 3020 Mechanically, each GP35 was completely overhauled with the 799 1965 Ex-WP 3022 trucks rebuilt and parts of the electrical syst em upgmded. The 567D3A prime mover kept its 2,500-h.p. rating, but a more-powerful auxiliary generator was installed to handle 22. AUGUST 1990 Runaway Twins WO of the 18 units Union Pacific inherited from Western Pacific molished. When UP took over the Feather River Route, the run Twere the 3014 and 3020, which were involved in a runaway away twins were languishing in WP's Oroville Yard , where they accident shortly before the merger was consummated. On July were eventually joined by much of WP's diesel fleet in spring 1983. 27, 1982, the crew of the Reno Local tied down its power (the UP finally decided to repair both units, a decision based on two aforementioned units) on the main track in front of the yard the need for four-axle power. The 3014 was the first to undergo office at Parr Boulevard in North Reno. Not long after, the 3014 surgery, emerging from the Salt Lake City shops as UP 793 . WP and 302Q-which were shut down- began rolling downgrade to 3020 sat around for a couple of years before shop forces finished ward Reno without a crew. it as UP 798 . In so doing, the 798 (shown above working the Tide After traveling nearly two miles, the escapees headed up an water Sub) kept its WP low nose, but minus the signal light. It is aligned spur at approximately 30 mph towards several tank cars the only unit to date to wear its UP shield above the handrails. To loaded with LPG (liquid propane gas). Only 100 yards short of complete work on the 798 , shop forces grafted a new long hood causing a devastating explosion, the two GP35s derailed and from retired UP GP35 763 , the cab from retired Missouri Pacific flipped over on their sides. When the dust settled, the 3020 had its GP38-2 203 1 and the trucks from a retired UP GP30B. To some, dynamic brake grids flattened, and the 3014's cab was nearly de- the former 3020 represents the ultimate merger unit. cab air-conditioning. In addition, the fireman's control stand three-chimer and a strobe light mounted on the cab roof. was removed from the units so equipped, Nos. 3001-3010. UP After repainting, most of the GP35s returned to their old requested a dual white oscillating headlight be installed on haunts on the Feather River Route to work as road-switchers the nose of the short hood. All units emerged from Boise or take on local duties. painted in WP's "new image" scheme, which featured solid or ange ends and orange cabsides. Today Contrary to what many people believe, these units were kept on the books as GP35s; no "u" designation was given by Today, Union Pacific's 18 GP35s are the last 567-engined WP to denote upgrading, mainly because the railroad consid road diesels on the roster. Their current haunts tend to be ered these units rebuilt, not upgraded. Northern California and Nevada, though the units can be seen in Southern California and occasionally wander to other The Union Pacific Years parts of the system. The latest modification to the units is the removal of the Enter Union Pacific. On Dec. 22 , 1982, Western Pacific was classification lights and nose-mounted signal lights, a task merged into UP and shortly thereafter UP relegated WP's started in the late 1980s; at least a couple of G P3 5s still retain GP35 fleet to local-switcher status. The 18 survivors (actually their signal lights as this is written in spring 1990. The units only 16 units were serviceable due to two units being are also distinctive (along with former WP GP40-2s and re wrecked in 1982 in a runaway accident on the Reno Branch) built GP40s) for their boxy rooftop air-conditioners, another could be found working WP's yards from Fremont to Reno. In M-K feature added during rebuilding and handy for those fact, Reno was the last holdout of green-and-orange GP35s on long days in California and Nevada deserts. Because WP had the former WP. the GP35s rebuilt, they are in generally good condition and Finally, in 1984 the 16 serviceable units rotated back to can be expected to remain an active part of Union Pacific's North Platte, Neb., to be painted by UP in the now-current roster for the foreseeable future. "shield" scheme. As each unit was painted Armour Yellow UP sees its GP35 fleet as big switchers, using them in and Harbor Mist Gray, it received a new number, starting yards and on local jobs and turns. Common haunts are the with 781 and ending with 799. Because of the nose-mount Tidewater Subdivision between Stockton and Modesto, Stock ed signal lights, all shields were applied low on the nose, ton Yard, Milpitas Yard (in the south San Franciso Bay area), making them almost invisible to observers. Soon after UP the B&L Local out of Portola, Calif., and the Reno Local in began repainting WP's GP35s, the company decided to stop Reno, Nev. It's also not uncommon to find them working the painting diesel trucks silver; only a couple of GP35s actual big desert yard in Yermo, and in Las Vegas. No matter where ly ended up with silver trucks, the balance having the now you find them, photograph them; there are no others of their standard gray trucks. Along with their new paint, each kind left on the system, and the day will come when they go GP35 had its five-chime horn replaced with UP's standard the way of UP's GP30s. POWER PROFILE iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii PACIFIC RAILNews • 23 BNls Mississipp'i River hile the Midwest certainly cannot boast the moun BN's rail traffic between the upper Midwest and Chicago and the tain scenery and wide-open vistas that railroad pho mid-Mississippi valley must traverse this piece of trackage. Lines tographers in the West cherish so dearly, there are from Galesburg and Chicago converge at Savanna for the journey Wscenic stretches of main line in middle America with upriver to Minneapolis. Once there, lines split off to the Pacific backdrops that can take the breath of even the most-diehard Northwest, Lake Superior, and the Mesabi Range in northeastern Western raillan. A noteworthy example is Burlington Northern's Minnesota. spectacular-and busy-route along the upper Mississippi River. Throughout much of its trek along the Mississippi, the railroad BN's Lakes Division-3rd Subdivision, formerly known as the is carefully perched on a narrow shelf of land between the river Chicago Region's 4th Subdivision, follows the Mississippi River and steep limestone bluffs. These bluffs are often referred to as for 265 miles from Savanna, Ill. , west (in a railroad sense; north palisades due to their similarity to formations found along the west geographically) to St. Croix in Minnesota. Before the merger Hudson River, and they make an impressive backdrop for laihoad in 1970, the route was part of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and photography. Because this route follows the river, elevation varies was a vital link to the Great Northern and Northern Pacific; it re little; the overall change on the entire 3rd Subdivision is only 100 mains as important a connection today as it was then. Like "The feet (Savanna 590 feet above sea level, St. Croix 690 feet). The Funnel" between Sandpoint, Idaho, and Spokane, Wash., most of proximity of the bluffs to the river does force the line to continu- 24 • AUGUST 1990 Route WISCONSIN Lakes Division I 3rd Subdivision IOWA ~_~_ CHICAGO BN's line along the upper Missis sippi blends busy mainline rail roading with pleasing riverside scenery and quaint, out-of-the way hamlets. The 104 train of May 18, 1990, passes through Genoa, Wis., en route to Chicago, pow ered by recently rebuilt GP40M 3521 (ex-BN 3035) and GP50 3148. Tom Danneman BY COURTLAND SEARS ously meander, but the speeds of most freights rarely drop below of ABS, there are small stretches of predominantly single track the permitted maximum of 60 mph. The ''O's'' Twin City Zephyrs with CTC (Centralized Traffic Control). were actually able to maintain a 90'mph pace over most of the The track structure remains mostly 112-lb. jointed rail, making route and held station-to-station speed records at one time. it quite scary to watch cars violently hunting back and forth as a While passenger service is now gone (except for the occasion train passes. BN is improving ride quality by welding joints in the al Amtrak detour or BN director's special), you can still imagine a field. In addition, 132-lb. continuous welded rail is being put set of silver E-units with stainless cars in tow racing along the down in some areas. river, since physically very little has changed in the 20 years There are numerous crossovers, with both facing and trailing since BN unfurled its banner. The route is still almost entirely points. However, most must be manually operated with speeds ABS (Automatic Block Signal) double-track territory. TWC (Track restricted to 10 mph. In addition, running against the current of Warrant Control) is in effect over these parts of the line, which traffic imposes a 49 mph speed limit. Therefore, traffic generally run between CTC Savanna and CTC Galena, CTC milepost 184.9 runs right-handed. If a faster train is about to overtake a much and CTC Ports, CTC milepost 241.38 and CTC Graf, CTC milepost slower one, the dispatcher may actually request that the slower 303.85 and CTC East Winona, CTC Winona Jct. and CTC Trevino, train back through a reverse crossover to the wrong main to per and finally, CTC Mears and CTC Prescott. Between the sections mit the hot-shot to pass. PACIFIC RAILNews • 25 WIS82 ~ ~ -BN ~% -Other railroads ~;Q e- -Roads ~ Savanna to North La Crosse ABOVE : Expediter 42, led he town of Savanna (milepost 143.7) marks the start of by a lone GP30 rebuild, T Burlington Northern's route along the Mississippi. Al passes a pair of yellow though Savanna's importance as a railroad town has diminished boards at milepost 148. greatly over the years, it is still a busy place. Along with BN, Trackwork near Savanna Soo Line's Chicago-Kansas City main line (which is in the pro this morning in October cess of being sold to SP) passes through town. Savanna was 1989 was slowing trains. once a crew-change point for both roads, but now only Soo Steven Cigolle OPPOSITE trains stop here. BN's crews run from Chicago or Galesburg all PAGE: Nearing Savanna the way to La Crosse, a distance of about 300 miles on both and the end of its journey down the 3rd Subdivision, routes. Both railroads still maintain yards at Savanna, although BN 204 passes the bluffs of the large ex-Milwaukee Road yard is all but gone, with only Mississippi Palisades State three tracks in use. Park on Independence Savanna marks the point where BN's main lines from Aurora, Day 1988 powered by Ill. (Lakes 2nd Subdivision), and Galesburg, Ill. (Galesburg 3rd GP50 3135 and B30-7AB Subdivision), join together for the journey to the Twin Cities. 4041 . Courtland Sears The actual junction is at Plum River, 0.1 mile east of Savanna Yard. Traffic on the Galesburg line has increased substantially over the past couple of years to approximately eight freights per day. However, most of the tonnage still travels to and from Chicago. As westbounds approach Savanna, they must call the La Crosse dispatcher for a track warrant to proceed on to the 3rd Sub. The dispatcher, who is based in Galesburg, will usually give permission to proceed on the westward (north) track from CTC Savanna to CTC Graf (milepost 296.3), located just south of La Crosse. Eastbounds must also call in to release previous track warrants to Savanna. In addition, the C&I dispatcher on the Aurora-Savanna line and the Mainline dispatcher on the Galesburg-Savanna line can often be heard announcing upcom ing meets on these CTC single-track mains. Proceeding west from Savanna Yard, BN's line curves north ward and crosses the Soo tracks at grade. The automatic inter locking for the diamond occasionally delays BN, as Soo Line Savanna Army Depot Y trains change crews right on the circuit. Once over the cross ing, ABS signaling starts, and the rails continue northward along the east bank of the Mississippi River. After passing un der the Route 52/ 64 bridge, they run adjacent to Mississippi Palisades State Park (a great bluff-top photo vantage point) and make a large sweeping curve along the river. A few miles west of the state park, the railroad passes the Savanna Army Depot; it's not wise to photograph in this area. The line then continues in a northwesterly fashion, passing Blanding Landing Recre ation Area and Chestnut Mountain Ski Area. Much of the ter rain here is rolling hills, with the tracks occasionally hugging against the bluffs. Just west of the Galena detector (milepost 169.1) and the Crawford detector (milepost 236.5) . CTC remains in effect on small town of Aiken, ABS ends, and CTC begins. BN joins the two tracks for another 2.7 miles until Prairie du Chien (mile Chicago Central & Pacific (ex-Illinois Central Gulf) at Portage post 239.7), where ABS double track begins again. and runs on CC&P trackage all the way to East Dubuque (mile Probably the most scenic part of BN's route along the Missis post 185.0). This trackage agreement dates back to the 1880s sippi River lies between Prairie du Chien and La Crosse. Fortu when Chicago, Burlington & Northern, a subsidiary of CB&O, nately, it also happens to be the easiest section to photograph, was constructing the river route. Illinois Central already occu as Wisconsin Route 35 parallels the tracks closely most of the pied the narrow shelf of land between Portage and East way. After cutting through the center of Prairie du Chien, BN Dubuque and did not want Burlington to share its traffic base at begins running next to the bluffs on the way to Lock & Dam No. Dubuque, Iowa. To prevent CB&N from building along the river, 9 and Lynxville. IC laid down numerous extra sidings as a roadblock. A truce About six miles west of Ferryville, the railroad passes under was worked out in November 1885 with the courts ruling that Route 82, then continues into DeSoto, where trains are scanned the right-of-way should be shared. However, that ruling was re by the DeSoto defect detector (milepost 269.9) . Beyond DeSoto, versed in 1887, and it wasn't until 1889 that an agreement was it's a quick trip to Victory and a large, sweeping curve. Farther finally reached whereby the IC took total control of all trackage upstream, at Genoa, the tracks pass a large power plant, along between Portage and East Dubuque but gave Burlington full with Lock & Dam No . 8. The river at this point is well over a trackage rights. mile wide, and the BN hugs its edge most of the way to Stod While the players now have different names, the feelings are dard. In this area, westbound trains call into the CX operator at still the same; BN would love to take control of the segment North La Crosse to say that they are "by Stoddard" and to re from CC&P. Although CC&P traffic is relatively light, its trains ceive instructions for their arrival at the yard. can still give BN headaches. On the eastern end, CC&P winds The line passes under Route 35 at Herrington and reduces to down the Galena River valley to Portage. Eastbound CC&P single track 1.5 miles west at CTC Graf. Before entering North freights must cross over here, thereby blocking westbound BN La Crosse Yard, BN trains must cross Soo Line's Chicago-St. traffic. A similar situation exists at East Cabin in East Dubuque, Paul main at Grand Crossing (milepost 299.9). This older, ex although it is much more intriguing. As the BN continues along Milwaukee Road line cuts across the interior of Wisconsin and the river bank, the CC&P splits off and enters a tunnel under then parallels the Burlington on the opposite side of the river to the bluffs. It then curves around underneath the bluff, exits the the Twin Cities. Although it is about 25 miles shorter than BN's tunnel, and immediately crosses the BN at grade on its way to a route, Soo trains must contend with much steeper grades. bridge across the Mississippi. The Soo tower at Grand Crossing remains in operation to Past East Dubuque, BN trains are on their own rails again. deal with traffic congestion in the area. The proximity of the The line then crosses into Wisconsin and passes through some crossing to both the BN and Soo Line yards forces switchers to of the most remote territory on the entire subdivision, much of tie up the diamond as they work. In addition, BN westbounds it with the bluffs right next to the railroad. South of Potosi, Wis., must stop on the crossing for crew changes. If Soo trains are there is a defect detector at milepost 197.5. Past Potosi, the anywhere nearby, the tower operator will not allow a west tracks swing to the west-northwest towards Cassville. There, bound BN train onto the circuit. The result can be a traffic they turn back to the north and pass by the outposts of Glen nightmare. For BN, it's not uncommon to have three or four Haven, Bagley and Wyalusing. trains waiting to arrive or depart the yard. At Ports (milepost 235.6), the ABS ends and the line slims Activity at the yard varies. A switcher can usually be seen down to a single CTC-controlled track to cross the Wisconsin shuttling cars back and forth during the day. In addition, it River on a large deck bridge (which is visible from adjoining occasionally makes a trip downtown to service local industries. Wyalusing State Park). The single track continues until Craw Cars are set-out and picked-up at the yard by many of the ford, where the line forks into two CTC main tracks after cross mixed-merchandise trains, especially those in the 200-series. ing the Wisconsin & Calumet, which meanders across southern The locals for the 3rd Subdivision are also based out of North La Wisconsin to Priarie du Chien and interchanges some traffic Crosse, and power for the locals and work trains is stored on a with BN. Located between the bridge and Crawford is the small lead track located just north of the yard office. PACIFIC RA ILNews • 27 North La Crosse to St. Croix eaving the west end of the yard, trains return to the main at L Sullivan, where ABS double-track begins again. After the line crosses the Black River, it enters the Upper Mississippi River Na tional Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Although much of the area is wetlands, BN's tracks stay high and dry on an elevated concrete causeway. Like westbounds near Stoddard, eastbounds can be heard calling in to the yard office to announce their arrival. Crews will often say that they are "coming across the prairie," re ferring to Prairie Harmon around Trempealeau. LEFT: Train 100, shown passing through Alma, Wis., had plenty of power on July IS, 1989, including a pair of Oakway 5060s, a GP39-2 and an 5040-2. The Oakways were once rare on this line, having been originally dedicated to coal trains. In 1989, many of the units were released into general service and started turning up on the 3rd SUb. Courtland Sears ABOVE: A GP50 still in tiger-stripe paint is joined by one of the new GP20CATs leading Expediter No. 44 north of Maiden Rock, Wis., on May 20,1990. Tom Danneman At Trempealeau the BN runs between Perot State Park and down the BN from St. Croix and almost always have North West the river, then actually heads out into the river on a long cause ern power. way. While on the causeway, the line reduces to single-track CTC Past Alma, the railroad crosses Buffalo Slough and then fol near East Winona (milepost 325.7) where Green Bay & Western's lows the Mississippi River until Nelson. At Trevino, the line slims main terminates. GB&W operates a train Monday through Friday down to CTC single track in crossing the Chippewa River. It then (GB&W No. 1) from Green Bay to East Winona. Cars are inter returns to twin ABS tracks at Mears, just after passing the Trevi changed with BN, and a return trip is made Tuesday through Sat no detector at milepost 362.5. urday as GB&W NO.2. After Pepin, the railroad begins to twist around the huge East Winona is also the junction with the now-defunct and bluffs in the Maiden Rock area. The town of Maiden Rock is locat infamous Winona Bridge subsidiary. Winona Bridge was the ed about four miles west of the rock itself, and in between there key part of a BN plan which attempted to bypass unions to run is an impressive view of Lake Pepin. At Bay City, the line curves Expediter-type trains to the Pacific Northwest with smaller out of the bluffs and into town and then continues on to Hager crews. The railroad, having had little success in dealing with City. labor on the issue, decided to give the 1.07-mile Winona Hager City is officially called Hager by the railroad and is home Bridge Railroad trackage rights between Minneapolis and the to the Hager defect detector (milepost 392.5). In this area there Pacific Northwest for the purpose of running the trains. Al are two road bridges offering overhead photos, one located east of though the plan was given initial approval by the ICC , it was town on Route 63 and the other west of town on county road W . later struck down in the courts. The bridge was recently de Route 35 ends at Hager City, but you can follow the line on county stroyed by fire and subsequently, BN filed to abandon the one road E. The railroad is well inland at this point, and it continues mile line. that way until Diamond Bluff. In between the two stations the Single track continues until Winona Junction (site of a former tracks are straight, but the bluffs make a nice backdrop. Chicago & North Western crossing at milepost 328.2) and in so Prescott (milepost 407.6) is the last town located in Wisconsin doing passes the Winona Junction detector at milepost 327.5. and features BN's towering lift bridge over the St. Croix River. One quarter of a mile west of the old junction, BN returns to ABS The railroad reduces to single track just east of town and then double track and crosses under the Route 54/43 bridge. The line becomes a bidrectionally signaled two-track main just past the heads inland for a short distance, passing Fountain City, Merrick bridge at Burns, Minn. It's only three miles from Burns to the final State Park, and Cochrane. Much of the territory west of the park station on the 3rd Subdivision, St. Croix Tower (milepost 410.5). is farmland with the bluffs visible in the distance. The next sta At St. Croix Tower, Soo Line's Chicago-Twin Cities line merges tion on the line is Alma; just south the town is another of the with BN's line for the remainder of the journey into St. Paul. many Dairyland power plants. Originally, coal for this plant was Movements along this joint trackage, together with the section delivered from the Powder River Basin by BN, but C&NW took from Prescott to St. Croix Tower, are authorized by BN's East the contract away a few years ago. Trains serving the plant run Hump dispatcher at Northtown Yard in Minneapolis. PACIFIC RAILNews • 29 BNIS LAKES DIVISION 3RD SUB FREIGHT SCHEDULE EASTBOUND WESTBOUND ~ Dme at La Crosse ~ ~ Dme at La Crosse ~ 46 03:00-05:00 SI. Paul-Chicago Expediter 19 02:00-06:00 Chicago-Laurel (MRL) TOFC/merchandise 4 03:00-08:00 Seattle-Chicago TOFC/COFC 241 02:00-09:00 Galesburg-Superior low priority merchandise 18 06:00-12:00 Seattle-Chicago TOFC/COFC/stack 33 04:00-07:00 Chicago-Seattle autoracks 42 07:00-09:30 SI. Paul-Chicago Expediter 1 05:00-09:00 Chicago-Seattle/Portland TOFC/COFC stack 144 07:00-11 :00 Minneapolis-Memphis merchandise 15 06:00-09:00 Chicago-SeattlelTacoma stack/COFC 2 07:00-15:00 Portland-Chicago TOFC/COFC 7 07:00-11 :00 Chcago-Tacoma Sea-Land stack 204 08:00-15:00 Minneapolis-Chicago low-priority merchandise 101 09:00-12:00 Chicago-Pasco merchandise 44 10:00-14:00 SI. Paul-SI. Louis Expediter 47 10:00-12:00 Chicago-SI. Paul Expediter 100 13:00-00:00 Pasco-Galesburg merchandisellumber 143 11 :00-16:00 Memphis-Minneapolis merchandise 142 17:00-00:00 Superior-Chicago merchandise 45 13:00-17:00 SI. Louis-SI. Paul Expediter 34 14:00-03:00 Seattle-Chicago auto racks 103 15:00-17:00 ChicagO-Pasco merchandise 110 18:00-04:00 Pasco-Chicago (Conrail) merchandise 41 17:30-19:00 Chicago-SI. Paul Expediter 8 21 :00-05:00 Tacoma-Chicago Sea-Land stack 3 19:00-21 :30 Chicago-Seattle TOFC/COFC stack 104 21 :00-06:00 Minneapolis-Chicago merchandise 13 19:00-22:00 Chicago-Portland TOFC/COFC stack 40 22:00-01 :00 SI. Paul-Chicago Expediter 107 23:00-05:00 Chicago-Minneapolic merchandise 12 22:00-07:00 Seattle-Chicago Stack/COFC 9 Anytime Chicago (East Coast)-Tacoma Sea-Land stack 10 Anytime Tacoma-Chicago (East Coast) Sea-Land stack 11813 Anytime La Crosse-Prescott local turn 11812 Anytime La Crosse-East Dubuque local turn NT401 Anytime Granite City Steel, SI. Louis-National Taconite NT400 Anytime National Taconite-Granite City Steel, SI. Louis ET421 Anytime USX, Birmingham-Eveleth Taconite ET420 Anytime Eveleth Taconite-USX, Birmingham HT421 Anytime USX, Birmingham-Hibbing Taconite HT420 Anytime Hibbing Taconite-USX, Birmingham US501 Anytime Occidental Sulfur Train UP202 Anytime IMCX Potash Train UP302 Anytime CN Potash Train NOTE: This is a guide for what could run on the 3rd Sub on a given day; not US500 Anytime Occidental Petroleum Sulfur Train all of the above trains operate on a daily basis. Operations he route along the Mississippi River is one of BN's busier T main lines. There is a little bit of everything on this line, from general merchandise and ore trains to hot pig and dedicated stack trains. As can be seen from the schedule, up to three dozen scheduled freights can traverse this piece of trackage on any giv en day. In previous years, most of the traffic was headed to and from the Pacific Northwest. Since the introduction of BN's Expe diter Service, however, the Chicago-Twin Cities corridor itself has become increasingly important. BN's hot intermodal trains are about evenly divided between the normal Chicago-Pacific Northwest trains and the Expediters to and from St. Paul. Of the long-distance trains, seven carry pre dominantly TOFC. These are trains 1 and 3 to Seattle, 13 to Port land, 19 to Laurel, Mont., 2 from Portland, and 4 and 18 from Seat tle. All of these long-distance trains can have blocks of conven tional TOFC/COFC, doublestacks, and autoracks mixed together. Train 19 is a bit unusual in that it moves both intermodal and general merchandise freight. In an effort to consolidate business, Burlington Northern changed the operations of its Pacific Northwest pig trains during 1989. The major change involved Seattle and Portland trains 3 and 13. These trains usually ran close together, with 3 leaving Chicago just ahead of 13. When traffic levels were low, the two were often combined as a 3-13. For a few weeks during summer 1989, this combined train was given its own individual sym bol-11. Train 11 ran to Spokane, where the Portland traffic was split off and run as train 5. The symbols changed again during fall 1989, when BN began running combinations of trains 3, 5, and 23 from Chicago. Symbols 5 and 23 were utilized for dedicat ed Seattle and Portland trains respectively, while 3 became a combined SeattlelPortland train which set out its Portland block at Spokane (to be forwarded by new Spokane-Portland train 13) on the way to Seattle. In December 1989, however, BN was ex pecting a jump in traffic and reverted back to the original operat ing scheme utilizing trains 3 and 13. Like No. 3, train 1 also started carrying both Portland- and Seattle-bound traffic in the fall 1989, with its Portland block set out at Spokane and run on an 11 train between Spokane and Portland. This change remains in effect. BN's short-haul intermodal business is taken care of primarily by the Expediters. In 1987, the railroad finalized a labor agree ment allowing smaller crews on all Expediters of 40 cars or less carrying only traffic new to the railroad. Anyone who has watched the Expediters since their inception can attest to the 30 • AUGUST 1990 ABOVE: A spectacular view of the river line from Lookout Point at Mississippi Palisades State Park near Savanna, III. In October 1989 a load ed taconite train-NT40D-is bound for the St. Louis area behind a quartet of 5040-25. steven Cigolle OPPOSITE PAGE: Leaving the St. Croix River lift bridge, train 44 enters Wisconsin in October 1988. Leading is GECX 8001,oneoftwo B39-8s wrecked and later rebuilt. Courtland Sears fact that the service has boomed and the key to this success has business is booming. Blue Hanjin containers often make up a been dependability. While the Expediters average only about 50 large part of 12's train, and Hanjin can supply enough containers mph, they keep to an extremely tight schedule. The result has for an all-Hanjin Advance No. 12. BN now has a westbound coun been a service started as one daily train each way between terpart to No. 12 in train 15. Like No. 12, it is made up predomi Chicago and St. Paul hauling a couple of TOFC flats blossoming nantly of a variety of stack and COFC equipment. into a true network of reliable, fast freights. Other high-priority trains on the 3rd Sub include 33 and 34 Today, there are up to seven Expediters per day over the 3rd which carry autoracks to/from Seattle (33 actually runs to Port Subdivision alone: trains 40, 41, 42, 46 and 47 which handle busi land via Seattle). Until 1988, train 33 was handling an increasing ness between Chicago and St. Paul, and trains 44 and 45, which number of other types of cars, especially doublestack, and an Ad operate between Memphis and St. Paul via Galesburg. Often, vance 33 was a common sight. That fall, however, BN rededicat these trains are long enough to warrant an extra crew member, ed these trains to autorack service only. While train 33 always de and it can be difficult to tell an Expediter apart from one of BN's parts out of Chicago, eastbound 34 can leave from various depar conventional pig trains. ture points out West. Therefore, one will often hear about a 34VA Not only has BN's Expediter service taken off over the last few (Vancouver) or 34YA (Yardley/Spokane) in addition to the normal years, but so has its doublestack business. On the 3rd Sub, Nos. 34 out of Seattle. 7, 8,9 and 10 are Sea-Land stack trains which operate between Although intermodal business has increased dramatically over Tacoma and Chicago. Train 8 terminates in Chicago and is bro the past few years, BN still transports a fair amount of general ken down into several blocks for shipment to other locations. Its freight over the 3rd Subdivision. Westbounds include trains 143 westbound counterpart, No. 7, is similarly assembled in Chicago and 241 from the Galesburg Division and trains 101 , 103, and 107 for the run to Tacoma. Trains 9 and 10 run through all the way from Chicago. Of the eastbounds, 100 and 144 go to Galesburg from Tacoma to Little Ferry, N.J. Until this year, these trains were while 104, 110, and 204 head for Chicago. Any of these trains interchanged with CSX at Chicago for movement to and from may be required to do work along the way. However, this duty is Buffalo and further interchange with Delaware & Hudson/New generally performed by the 200-series trains. York, Susquehanna & Western. Now, they run via Conrail As mentioned previously, BN also runs unit ore trains along (TV550/TV551) between Chicago and Buffalo, where they be the river route. These trains carry taconite pellets (70 percent come D&HlNYS&W NY-9 and NY-l0. iron ore) from the Mesabi Range in northeastern Minnesota to BN's eastbound general-user container train is No . 12 from points south. The NT400/NT401 (National Taconite) trains, which Seattle. This colorful train utilizes a variety of equipment, ranging have been running for a number of years, service Granite City from numerous types of stack cars to conventional flat cars. Occa Steel near St. Louis, Mo. , and use small BN ore jennies exclusive sionally, stack equipment is in such short supply that an all-con ly. BN also started service in early 1989 to a USX steel plant near ventional COFC No. 12 will run, but stack cars are the norm. Birmingham, Ala. These trains are symboled as either Number 12 often has one or even two additional sections when ET420/ET421 (Eveleth Taconite) or HT420/HT421 (Hibbing PACIFIC RAILNews • 31 LEFT: The setting sun casts a soft light on BN 143 as it roars past milepost 382 near Maiden Rock behind the eclectic power mix of LMX 8537, SD40-2 8119 and SW1500 305 in July 1989. ABOVE: The 204 train of July 14, 1989, rounds the sweeping curve at Victory, Wis., behind a trio of SD40-2s surrounded by scenery typical for much of this beautiful Chicago-Twin Cities route. Both photos, Courtland Sears OPPOSITE PAGE: A hint of au tumn is in the air, and a tinge of yel low has appeared on trees as a Chicago-bound Expediter snakes along the Mississppi south of Ferryville, Wis., on a brisk October day in 1988. Mark Danneman Taconite) and utilize both BN ore jennies and small BN hoppers tion, BN began handling unit sulfur trains in December 1989, which can be loaded with coal. The USX trains move to Centralia, symboled as US5001US501. These trains originate on CN's Ram Ill., where they are interchanged with Illinois Central. They then River Subdivision and are run to Occidental Chemical in Florida run on the IC to Memphis, where they are handed back to BN for via CN, Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific, BN and Norfolk Southern movement to Birmingham. Although BN does go directly to Mem (629/630). A combination of GATX and OCCX tank cars have phis, this routing was necessary to avoid bridges which could not been seen on these twice-monthly movements. handle the weight of the ore cars. A few industries along the river rely on BN to ship raw materi After unloading the taconite at USX's Fairfield plant, the empty als and goods. On-line business is serviced by two local turns coal cars are transferred to USX's Oak Grove mine, where they are that are operated on an as-needed basis out of La Crosse. East loaded with coking coal. The trains then run back to the IC at bound train 11812 runs as far as East Dubuque, while 11813 runs Memphis, but instead of returning to Centralia, they are inter west up to Prescott. changed with Elgin, Joliet & Eastern at Matteson, Ill. EJ&E deliv The Midwest is home to a wide variety of BN motive power. ers them to the USX plant in Gary, Ind., where they are unloaded The tiger-striped GP50s (which are quickly being transformed into and returned to BN at Eola, Ill., for transport back to Minnesota. whiteface units), cabless B30-7ABs and LMX B39-8s can be seen Besides the taconite trains, BN also operates potash in good numbers on the 3rd Subdivision. As would be expected, trains-symboled UP202 and UP302-on the 3rd Sub. UP202 runs the SD40-2 is also quite prevalent. In addition, one can see plenty predominantly with burnt orange IMCX covered hoppers, while of GP39-2s, GP40-2s and the rebuilt GP30s, GP35s and GP40s. Lo UP302 often has Canadian National covered hoppers. Empties are cals usually run with an older, lOW-horsepower Geep (GP9, GP38 returned via the mixed-merchandise trains to Northtown. In addi- or GP38-2). You won't see too many big GE units or the new 32. AUGUST 1990 SD60Ms, as they are mostly dedicated to coal train service be but between these points, trains can pop up without warning. Ra tween Wyoming and Texas. This was once true of the Oakway dio bases are located at various points along the line, and trains SD60s ; however, a number of the blue-and-white units were re activate each base by transmitting a two-tone signal. Each base leased into general service in 1989 and have been showing up has its own unique code (Example: 34 for the Onalaska Radio), regularly on the 3rd Sub. and when the base receives the tones, its signals back with an ac Foreign power has been quite plentiful in recent years with knowledgement tone. Base locations and their railroad names (in BN leasing many types of locomotives from a variety of sources parentheses) are as follows: Savanna (Mt. Carroll), Cassville (Ball and with run-throughs and horsepower-hour paybacks becoming town), Prairie du Chien (Pikes Peak), DeSoto (Lansing), North La more common. Currently, Helm Leasing and EMD Leasing units Crosse (Onalaska), Nelson (Wabasha), and Bay City (Red Wing). are common on the 3rd Sub, though Kyle GP40s and Rio Grande With an endless number of scenic locations in which to photo SD45s have been among other recent leased visitors. Units from graph trains, a trip to BN's Mississippi River Route is a must. Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range, Soo Line, Grand Trunk Western Winters are extremely harsh and summers can be quite hot, so it and Southern Pacific presently show up along the river on a regu is recommended that you visit in late spring or in fall. Early Octo lar basis, along with occasional CN or even Duluth, Winnipeg & ber is an especially nice time to visit as the leaves are usually Pacific power on the potash trains. very colorful. Whatever the month, expect a variety of action on BN road channell (161.100 MHz) is the frequency predomi one of the most scenic rail lines in America. nantly used for radio transmissions along the Mississippi, with Special thanks go to Steve Cigolle for providing assistance in road channel 2 (161.160 MHz) occasionally active. Airwave chatter preparing this article and for accompanying me on numerous at the ends of the subdivision and near La Crosse is quite heavy, trips to the EN. PACIFIC RAllNews • 33 Continued from page 17 Harvey House depot in Barstow, Calif. , dated, two-story depot for several years as a centerpiece for a major redevelop may be on its way to a secure future. The recently obtained an $886,632 state grant ment project to take place in the historic Fred Harvey Historical Museum, a non to develop the Harvey House into a transit areas surrounding the depot ... Yet an profit Arizona corporation that has collect center for Amtrak trains and intercity bus other former Santa Fe depot has been tar ed more than 15,000 pieces of Harvey es, and is expected to receive an addition geted for restoration, this time in Clare House memorabilia, has been looking for a al $1.6 million grant in the near future. mont, Calif. , on the Pasadena Sub. The home and thinks it may have found one in When completed, the restored depot could City of Claremont, which purchased the Barstow. The railroad history group not become a reminder of the days when 75 depot from AT&SF in December 1989, only wants to move into the city's 79-year Harvey House depot-restaurants could be hopes to convert the depot into a transit old depot, but is willing to share costs of found along the Santa Fe Route. center, for both bus and (when it begins) opening a museum, dining room and gift Thanks to Jay Hawk, Santa Fe RaH commuter rail transportation ... And final shop center. The City of Barstow-which way; O.R. Bixler, Jim Grey, Starpacer, ly, it appears that Santa Fe's classic former has looked for a way to restore the dilapi- Luke Sinclair and the San Bernardino SUN. SHORT LINES tween 5,600 and 5,800 carloads; for 1990 cause of an Iowa Southern embargo due to Amerail Operates on Lubbock Cluster the goal is 7,000. The lines haul a variety of poor track conditions. The 39-mile seg traffic including cotton, grain, oil and ag ment from Chillicothe to the connection The American Railway Corp.-a sub gregates. According to Mr. Mendenhall, all with the Norfolk Southern main line at sidiary of Temco Corp., a railcar leasing of Amerail's trackage is operated under Brunswick was most recently operated by company based in Chicago-began opera yard limits allowing a top speed of 20 mph, the Chillicothe Brunswick Rail Mainte tions April 2 over three of Santa Fe's five thus making for an easy chase. And for the nance Authority and is now operated by lines radiating out of Lubbock, Texas (re benefit or railfans interested in photogra Pioneer interests. ferred to as the Lubbock Cluster). Am phy, Mr. Mendenhall described the local According to Guy Brinkman, president erail, as emblazoned on the four ex-Katy Lubbock scenery as, "Flat, no trees." of Pioneer (parent company of W&GR) , his Geeps operated on the new lines, is now company has leased the line for 60 years. the owner of the Lubbock-Seagraves, Floy Both W&GR and Pioneer are headquar dada-Plainview and Doud-Whiteface lines; Pioneer Picks Up Its Second line tered in the former Wabash/Burlington de these are Santa Fe's former Seagraves, pot in Chillicothe. The railroad is operat Floydada and Lehman subdivisions. Am Remember Pioneer Railroad, the company ing five days per week with crews going erail, headquartered in Brownfield, is di that attempted to raise capital for a short on duty at 7 a.m. and working the line as vided into two operating divisions: Sea line operation through a stock offering needed, with an average two trips per graves, Whiteface & Lubbock Railroad aimed at railfans? (Ads were run in sever week to Brunswick. W&GR rosters an ex which operates the former Seagraves and al magazines.) Well, after the successful Seabord Coast Line GP8 and an ex-Conrail Lehman subdivisons, and Floydada & acquisition of West Jersey Railroad in RS3 repowered with an EMD prime mover. Plainview Railroad which operates the for New Jersey as well as an unsuccessful at mer Floydada Sub. tempt to acquire BN's Alpha-Aledo branch Currently, crews go on duty at Brown in Illinois, Pioneer Railroad Company be Nevada Northern News field at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, gan operations over a 39-mile stretch of with one train assigned to the Lehman ex-Wabash trackage in Missouri-now There was some interesting activity along sub, and another to the Seagraves Sub. On known as Wabash & Grand River Rail the semi-dormant Nevada Northern this the Floydada Sub the F&P train goes on way-on April 1. past spring. The classic depot at Cherry duty at 8 a.ill. at Plainview Monday, This stretch of trackage was once the Creek was picked up and moved by truck Wednesday and Friday. Power for the oper Wabash main line into Council Bluffs, 45 miles south to near Ruth, Nev., the end ation consists of four ex-MKT GP7s-the Iowa, and has seen a number of operators of the run for the tourist train operating former 91, 105, 113 and 118-delivered by over the past years including Colorado & out of East Ely, Nev. The depot was moved Wilson Railway Equipment in Des Moines, Eastern and Iowa Southern on the stretch not only because it can be used by the Iowa, in Amerail's red-white-and-blue liv out of Council Bluffs and Chillicothe tourist operation, but also because con ery. Tom Mendenhall, president of the Southern, Northern Missouri Railroad and struction of a massive coal-burning power short lines, says service frequency along a local development commission on the plant that should revive freight service on the F&P will increase as traffic warrants. stretch out of Brunswick, Mo. The line to the NN has started at Cherry Creek. This Last year the three lines generated be- Council Bluffs is no longer in service be- new power plant is being built by the Los Visit the largest full-service hobby shop in the Twin Cities, where model ers and railfans alike will feel at home. Along with a wide selection of model ing supplies, we stock every new rail road book and video title and carry all railfan magazines. OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK IN THE HEART OF THE METROPOLITAN AREA 458 N. Lexington Parkway St. Paul, MN 55104 (612) 646-7781 34 • AUGUST 1990 I SAVE hiit $$$ ... BOOKS & TAPES Price, shown are for check or VIsa/Master Card. JJ S Add 2 no per "pc order shoe Canada SS./book order -+ S1.each h.cvr book; Canada #3!Tap. ord.r. Minn. resident. add 5% .al .. tax. S.nd SAE ror complet. fr •• Video and/or book II.L VIDEO RAILS VIDEO TAPES Golden Ag. SP Steam Vol III 33.95 N&W 611 60 min 42.95 Blu. Mountaln.UP, Vol I, II .et 42.95 Rio Grande Work Train 60 mn 33.95 Battl. Up Sherman Hili 60 min 42.95 PENTREX VIDEO TAPES .. St. Loul. Steam Cel.bratlon NRHS 26.95 B •• t 1989, SF, CSX, .t.am 2 hrs 35.95 Sand Patcb (CSX!B&O) 60 min 31.95 Today'. SL Loul. RR. 60 mn 31.95 BERKSHIRE PROD TAPES B.r.a Tow.r, Conrail 1 hr 24.95 Cllmbln To The Canyon (Grd Cnyn) 33.95 HOPEWELL VIDEO TAPES Gr.at Mod.1 Railroads Vol 5 35.95 Santa Fe Salute 60 min .xc.lI.nt 35.95 614T Ace of Black Diamonds 1985 35.95 ColIl.r Cro•• lng, 30mn CSX 35.95 Texas Steam Survivors 40 min 35.95 WB VIDEO TAPES America on Ralls, Sect 2 or 3 ea. 35.95 Texas Mexican has received new GP60 869, delivered on May 27, 1990. The unit (shown minus Salute to Soldier Summit 60 min 44.95 the cabside heralds applied later) was buill as part of Cotton Belt's latest order with EMD and is Blu. Ridge Steam N&W 82 min 51.95 identical to those units (except for paint) right down to the "SSW" letters sewn into the seat backs. Rail. Alon~ The Rockies SF,BN,RG 44.95 Kindig'. Diesel. Part 135m UP 35.95 One question, though, is the role of the snow plow in steamy southern Texas. Arthur I. Dietz La.t Steamers on C&S 52 min color 44.95 The FlflI .. Expr.ss 15RR. '50. 44.95 Legend Rio Grande Zephyr 52 min __ ~ Angeles Department of Water & Power, some trackage rights on Conrail at Sheff, GREEN FROG PRODlJCTIONS the same organization that owns Nevada Ind. The transaction was expected to close SF Ody.... y Vol I, 2 tapes 2 1!2hr 87.95 IIl1nol. Central 69.95 Northern. Completion of the power plant is about June 1 ... Fort Worth & Western SCHOI I. VIDEO PROQl I<:rIONS still over five years away, so don't look for has taken possession of a former Santa Fe Early Diesels, 90 min 40.45 rehabilitation of the NN trackage from the heavy Pacific, the 3417, formerly on display American Steam Vol I, 85 min 49.50 lJP Steam Vol I & II set i4....U SP connection at Cobre, Nev., or the UP in the Cleburne, Texas, city park. Tarantu IlQQKS. lI.ted b.low are 10% below lI.t connection at Shafter, Nev., for some time. la, the parent corporation, hopes to have price, add $2Jorder UPS ·=new the steamer up and running within 12 to Onrlands "'tst Ten Yean" Sevr 9.95 RRln~ In Th. Rockl .. Colo Anl#18 33.95 14 months for use on a proposed dinner The Rio Grand. Southern 280pp n.w 39.95 Short stuff train operation. The company is also in the More Gr.en Machln.s, BN 144p 31.95 N&W lst Generation Diesel., 288p 39.95 process of acquiring eight to ten passenger HI~h Green to Marceline, SF 41.95 As mentioned in last month's column, Ore cars for the excursions which will operate DI ..el. Ov.r Donn.r, SP l04pp 43.50 gon, California & Eastern is still serving over FWWR's seven-mile line. In addition, Mllwauke. Road Remember.d 168pp 33.95 Pltt.bur~h & West Vlr~lnla RR 384p 41.95 Witco Chemicals in Klamath Falls, Ore. The the company hopes to acquire a second Ste.1 Rail. Aero•• America Colr 37.95 7602 and 7604 were kept from storage for steam locomotive ... Service over Farm Lo~ Train. or South.rn Idaho 17.95 use with this operation . .. Pend Oreille rail's Elk City-Sayre, Okla. , line is about to Vol 7 Pullman Std Lib Southeastern 535 Maln.treet. or Northw.. t 160pp 39.00 Newsprint at Usk, Wash., has acquired an increase. A sulfur mine about two miles SP Bay Area Steam, reprint 33.50 SWBm for use at its facility there ... Ca west of Sayre has volume enough to war Qtr Century SF Con. 1st. Scn 208p 14.25 P.nn.y Steam A to T 208pp 30.95 mas Prairie Railroad, the Idaho short line rant a special train to handle cars bound SP P... ~r Train. Vol I N I~ht Trn. 38.25 jointly owned and operated by UP and BN, for points in Florida. Previously, this line Trains of Amerka, color 34.95 operated a series of excursions in May us was operated only as needed .. . Wiscon Alliance & Ev.rywher. W •• t S.cr 22.50 The Mllwauk •• Electric. 310pp 44.95 ing equipment borrowed from UP . .. In sin & Southern has painted an ex-Metra E Green Bay & W ..tn First 111 yrs 33.95 ternational Terminals in Portland, Ore., unit (WSOR 522) in the road's maroon-and Motive Pow.r or the UP, Kratvllle 34.50 has acquired a rare Aleo T6, No. 9602. This silver scheme .. . Texas-New Mexico Rail Berkshlr. & Tex.. Types, 192pp 34.50 Katy Pow.r 1912·1985, Collla. 29 .95 unit is former Oregon Steel Mills 756 ... road has acquired a former Western Mary The T&P RR 1925.1975, Colli.. 38.95 Boeing has reportedly acquired a Geep, land GP7 painted in the green-and-cream The Great Northern RR, Wood. 63.50 colors of Intermountain Transportation HI.tory of UP In Ch.yenne 89.95 which arrived in Seattle on May 19 painted The Nickel Plate Yrs, Hlr.lmakl 31.50 dark blue and carrying the reporting marks Systems. Current operations call for trains Feather River Rte, Part I 160p 35.95 TBCX ; the unit will probably work one of to run from Lovington to Monahans on NYC Llghlnlng Strip. 1944·64 37.95 Wednesdays and Saturdays with return N&W Giant or St.am, J.frrl ..... 333p 34.50 Boeing's plants in Renton or Kent . . . Hetch H.tchy & It. Dam RR, 298p 45.95 Southwestern Railroad is in the process of trips on Thursdays and Mondays ... P.nnsy DI ••• I Yrs Vol I or II eo 39.50 acquiring 129 miles of Santa Fe branches Austin, Todd & Ladd has picked up a pair SOFT COVER BOOKS ,add 52Jorder .hP2 in two disconnected segments, between of ex-Santa Fe GP7u's (numbers unavail Ev.rywh.r. West, CB&Q 176pp 15.95 CB&Q Pa •• gr car Diagram. 192pp 16.95 Whitewater and Santa Rita, N.M., and able). In addition, AT&L General Manager Milwaukee Rd East 176pp 15.95 Shattuck, Okla. , to Morse, Texas. Appar Tom Mendenhall has gone on to become SPSF Motive Pwr 1986 21.50 Spokane PorUand & S.altl. S.cvr 15.95 ently, Southwestern's backers are also in the president of American Rail Corp. in Narrow Gage In Rockies 224pp 19.25 volved with Wyoming Colorado Railroad Texas ... Finally, Border Pacific has ac Paclnc 2572'. Family Album 21.95 and Oregon Eastern Railroad. Expect up quired ex-MKT GP7 96 . The unit arrived in UP Fr.lght cars, Metcalfe, 216p 20.95 Grand. Gold, Payne 120pp 16.95 dates on this sale in the months to come full UP yellow and gray but without any Remarkable GG.l, Zimmerman, 72p 8.00 ... Illiana Railroad Company hopes to lettering. I would like to hear from anyone SF Streamliners 12.45 strike an agreement with Kankakee who knows where BP's ex-SP RS11 is. N&W Steam, La.t 25 Yrs, 94pp 9.50 Beaverville & Southern to operate a stretch Thanks to Tom Mendenhall, Guy Perry's Hobbies of former Conrail trackage in eastern illi Brinkman, Wayne Monger, J.J. Ryczkows 114 Vernon Ave., P.O. Box 68P nois, a 21-mile section of former Big Four ki, N ORTHWEST RAiLFAN, THE SHORT L INE, 24 Hr. FAX (507)249-3244 trackage running from Sheldon, Ill., to MODERN RAILROADS REGIONALS AND SHORT Morgan, MN 56266 (507) 249-3173 Swannington, Ind. This deal also includes LINES and LOCOMOTIVE NOTES II. PACIFIC RAILNews • 35 c. R. PRATHER most inbound motive power and passen cious of people hanging around the rail Railfanning Nogales ger trains are turned) sees six-day-a road and do not want their pictures tak week service with mixed train No. 22 en. It is advisable to leave the area The major railroad connection along the leaving on Monday, Wednesday and Fri where these officers are working. Arizona-Mexico border is at Nogales, day and a freight operating from Nogales where Southern Pacific interchanges on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. -Shorts with its former subsidiary, Sud-Pacifico These trains depart Nogales around mid de Mexico, now the Pacific Region of Na day and return late the following day. Reports from the former Chihuahua al tional Railways of Mexico. The railroad Motive power for the branch trains is Pacifico lines indicates there are motive crosses the line just east of the auto en normally B-B units, with four or five units power problems. Many of the autovias try into Mexico, but the railway facilities used on the freight. The branch leaves (railcars) are out of service, and some are are located about three miles south of Nogales on a 2.7-percent grade and is used as regular coaches. Trains 15 and the border. After crossing into Mexico, difficult to follow by auto. 16, El Amigo del Desierto, between Ciu stay on the major street heading south, Passenger service on the main line, dad Juarez and Madera run with two lo Highway 15. No tourist card or vehicle the Nogales District, consists of local comotive-pulled autovias as coaches. permit is required if you are going to passengers Nos. 3 and 4 and Star Ser Most of the eight GP28s are out of ser stay in the Nogales area, allowing you to vice trains Del Pacifico Nos. 1 and 2. vice as are the two FM H16-44s ... FNM travel 12 miles into the country. FNM's Number 4 departs Nogales at 7 a.m. and had a freight train runaway on the Cuer yard is on your left as you head south out normally consists of an express car and navaca line, near Mexico City. The 42-car of Nogales. four or five coaches. Train 2 leaves at train lost its brakes on the 2.3-percent The passenger station is on the west 3:30 p.m. and runs with a baggage car, grade at Contreras and rolled backwards ern edge of the yard. The ticket office in regular first-class coach and two special until it derailed on a curve ... Work is the 1960-built facility is open only for a first-class coaches. The schedule calls progressing on the railroad facilities at short period before the departure of pas for No . 1 to arrive at 11: 55 a.m. and No. the new port at Topolobampo (near Los senger trains. Locomotive and car facili 3 to get in at 9 p.m., but don't be sur Mochis). FNM is exploring the possibility ties are located on the east side of the prised if the trains are several hours late. of running stack trains over the ex-CalF's 10-track yard, opposite the passenger The timetable lists two daily freights Copper Canyon line to a connection with station. You can usually see about ten lo (Nos. 11-12 and 51-52) and a tri-weekly Santa Fe at Ojinaga/Presido. After run comotives (in various paint schemes) local (Nos. 41-42) in each direction, but ning of a test train it was discovered that here, depending on which trains have ar these trains may be annulled or extras two tunnels will need work ... Mixed rived or departed. Former Pacifico loco run in their place. During the winter train service is offered between Chi motives of Aleo/MLW and GE heritage vegetable season, an all-TOFC service is huahua and Ojinaga whenever there is are most common, including GE U23Bs, operated that has one or more perish freight to move, which has been nearly U30Cs, U36Cs and C30-7s and Alco/MLW able trains arriving at Nogales each daily recently ... Passenger service has RSlls, RSD12s , C628s, M420TRs, morning on the first-class schedule of been upgraded between San Luis Potosi M424Ws and M636s. Rebuilt Aleo RSD5s No. 11. A southbound freight usually de and Tampico with the inauguration of El are commonly seen, although these Em parts early afternoon, and sometimes a Huasteco. The train is not Star Service, palme shop products appear to be more northbound train will arrive during this but offers regular first-class and special like a GE than an Aleo. period. Traffic carried in addition to pro first-class coaches on an improved The branch to Agua Prieta (its junc duce includes cement, autos from the schedule. A mixed train was the only tion is at a wye north of the yard where Ford plant at Hermosillo, imported grain, service on the route before the April 16 copper concentrate off the branch, start-up of this new train. All stations chemicals and farm equipment. Freight will be served, but no express will be Own a Piece of History trains are usually short by U.S. stan handled ... Tracks 8 and 9 at Buenavista dards and powered by one or two loco Station in Mexico City are being rebuilt from the motives; however, three or four units of to handle electric-powered trains .. . Great Name Trains ten help freights climb the grades into Hawker-Siddeley coaches are being re Nogales on both the main line and the built into two classes: 5600 series coach e,~~er Drlll17-$ branch. es have diesel generators for power, re C 36 • AUGUST 1990 DENVER. RIO MISSOURI KANSAS TEXAS GRANDE WESTERN The Union Pacific has si nce purchased Spectacular railroading thro ugh the the "K aty" but Pen trex trave led the sys Rockies. Travel the Front Range, Royal tem In 1988 before the merger. Witness Gorge and view Amtrak and the famous the famous green paint of the Katy and Ski Train. also its operations through Texas, Okla STEAM TO LOS ANGELES 90 Minutes #PEN-DRGW $59.95 homa and Kansas. The most complete coverage of the steam 60 Minutes #PEN-KA TY $49.95 event of 1989. Both the UP 8444 and SP THE ALASKA RAIlROAD 4449 travel to Los Angeles and their side Climb into the cab of an F-unit and ARKANSAS. MISSOURI by-sid e trip over Cajon Pass is spectac travel between Anchorage and Fair RAIlROAD ular! banks. Plus, visit the Whillier Shuttle This is an " up close and personal" look at 75 Minutes #PEN-LASTEA $29.95 and freight operations. this all Alco railroad. 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Two Hours #PEN-1988 $59.95 90 Minutes #PEN-CAJON $59.95 IY DAYLIGHT TO THE FAIR ORDER TOLL FlEE 24 HRS. A DAY The wo rld 's most beautiful steam loco motive. The 1984 trip from Portland to Ne w Orleans. Includes free audio cas 1·8 ·950· 33 selle recorded in cab! CAll TODAY FOR QUICK DEUVEIlY 90 Minutes #PEN-DA Y $59.95 BLACKHAWK RAILROAD FILMS JUST $19.95 EACH Did you ever wonder what hap· Both photographed by J. W. Deely and GREEN MOUNTAIN RAIL letter informing the old convict that he pened to those Blackhawk railroad E. R. Blanchard and organ score by will soon visit the prison. At the same films? The Blackhawk film collection Robert Israel. Black and white. ROADING ON THE RUTLAND! time, a parole is granted and the father was the first chance many railfans 30 Minutes BH·IOO $19.95 WHEN STEAM WAS KING. se nd s a letter in the name of another had to view vintage film footage of GREEN MOUNTAIN RAIL· informing the son that he had died. ROADING ON THE RUTLAND Returning to the railroad to be near his our nation's railroading history. WHITE PASS" YUKON! Photographed in 1951 ·52 by Fred son, he arrives in time to foil a plot to Blackhawk released numerous RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN! McLeod. The Rutland Railroad came wreck the Limited. Both piano scores by films in the 1950's and now Pentrex BUSTLING NARROW GAUGE into being in the 1890's through the com· Jon Mirsalis. Black and white. is proud to make these early films WHITE PASS AND YUKON bination of the Bennington and the Rut· 47 Minutes BH·500 $19.95 available to our audience of today. Photographed in 1951 by Woodrow land Railway and the Central Vermont's Our selection includes theatrical re· Gorman. You'll see a variety of White Bellows Falls·Burlington line. In the 1920's it was a part of the New York RAILROADIN' (1941) leases with a railroad theme along Pass narrow gauge Mikes - as many as This film was made by the General Elect· Central system. A three week strike in with films produced strictly for the three on a train - working the 3.9 per· ric Company to show America on the 1953 ended passenger operations and cent grade up the Pass. And a variety of move with her system of railroads. 1941 railfan. They are in both black and another strike in 1961 closed the line for mixed trains, passengers, and freights - steam, diesel, and electric locomotives white and color. Some have sync good. Blackhawk® Orchestral score. along the Yukon - on high trestles - and trains of the times from all ove r the sound while others have a musical snaking along ledges high above the Black and white. score to accompany the action. The nation. From Daylights to Hudsons, canyon bottom. Color. steam is covered; Railway Express to quality varies with each film since WHEN STEAM WAS KING Here is steam power from coast to coast meat and grain loadings are shown. some were made as early as 1912! RIO GRANDE SOUTHERN - TRESTLES OF OPHIR as it was twenty·five to thirty years ago. Great shots! This is for all fan s. Color. Be sure to take advantage of our Photographed by Woodrow Gorman in Incl. locomotives and trains of the New 27 Minutes BH·600 $19.95 introductory offer of just $19.95 per the years immediately before World War Haven, New York Central, Bessemer tape. II, and in 1950. Shows vintage motive and Lake Erie, Chesapeake and Ohio, STEAM " DIESEL ON THE power and ro ll ing stock mixed with that Pennsylvania, Nickel Plate, Louisville leased from the Denver and Rio Grande and Nashville, Erie, Great Northern, BESSEMER" LAKE ERIE! All Blackhawk films available in Western and spectacularly pictures the Northern Pacific, Union Pacific, Texas THE DIESElS ROAR ON THE VHS only. most fabulous stretch of mountain rail· and New Orleans (S.P.) and Santa Fe. Photographed and produced by Carl PENNSY road in the United States which reached Photographed by Fred McLeod Dudley. Piano score by Jon Mirsalis. its pinnacle in the Ophir Loop. Color. "Steam & Diesel" was filmed in 1951·52 Color. so we see passenger service in the twilight BERKSHIRES AND HUDSONS THE BUSTLING NARROW GAUGE $19.95 20 Minutes BH·400 ye ars. The final run of the dail y (except OF THE BOSTON" AUJANY! See the San Juan on the Rio Grande as it prepares for its westbound trip from Sunday) local between North Bessemer RAILROADING IN THE Alamosa and over the mixed gauge to THE GRIT OF THE GIRL and Greenville, PA is shown. "Diesels Antonito. Then a major sequence of a Roar" was filmed between 1952 and the NORTHEAST TELEGRAPHER/ early 60 's. See fi ve "Geeps", the west· BERKSHIRES AND HUDSONS OF westbound freight approaching IN THE SWITCH TOWER Cumbres pass with 47 cars (1648 Tons), bound "Duquesne" a Baldwin "Centi· THE BOSTON & ALBANY THE GRIT OF THE GIRL TELE· and going around the big loop on the east pede" and much more, a great many of Our film was photographed between GRAPHER (1912) side of the pass. Scenes of the westbound which are now gone. Actual sounds 1936 and 1951 , mostly in the area of ANNA Q. NILSSON, HAL CLEMENTS, San Juan at Cumbres, and eastbound recorded on the scene. Black and white. Springfield, Mass. Some of the trains GUY COOMBS, HENRY HALLEM, 24 Minutes BH·700 $19.95 yo u'll see are the New England section of San Juan coming up the 4 percent grade MIRIAM COOPER the Twentieth Century, the New England and around windy point. While the detective's away, thieves will section of the Wolverine, the first day's Every title has a marvelous organ score play and the job of nabbing the noto· THE THUNDER OF STEAM IN run of the New England States, and performed by Robert Israel on the rious Smoke·up Smith falls to Betty. THE BWE RIDGE Simonton Theatre Pipe Organ. Color. Wendell Wilkie's campaign train. AII·in· Knowing the game is up, Smoke·up Photographed by Fred McLeod 31 Minutes BH·200 $19 .95 all, it's a great view of the fading days of steals an engine with our heroine in hot Most of the scenes were photographed in steam, when steam had reached its high pursuit, but he doesn't stand a chance. 1958 in the mountainous area on the point. Black and white. DANGER LIGHTS (1930) Kalem excelled as an early producer of Norfolk & Western's main line between RAILROADING IN THE JEAN ARTHUR, LOUIS WOHLEIM railroad dramas and found double duty Roanoke and Bedford, VA. YOIi'lI see NORTHEAST The railroads and railroad men are hero· for many. Wheneve r accidents or injury the N&W's tough articulated locomo· Made in the 1930s and 1940s, when the ic in their dedication to the tenet of giv· threatened the release schedule of its ti ves in the 2·6·6-4 and 2·8·8·2 wheel preponderance of motive power was still ing the best possible care to each other popular Hazards of Helen series, Kalem arrangements, pulling and pushing on steam. On the New Have n you11 see 4·6· and their trains. The climax is unex· reached into the vault for an appropriate the mountain grades, and the n7w mod· 4s, 4·6·2s, 2· I 0·2s, and electric. On the pected and thrilling. When life is at its film and The Grit ofth e Girl Telegrapher ern 4·8-4 passenger locomotives on some New York Central 4·6-4s and a 4-8·2; on bleakest, the true blue railroaders rise to was one chosen for release as The Girl of the road's name trains such as the the Central Vermont, 0·6-Os , 2·10-4s, the test. This film belongs in every rail· Telegrapher's Nerve, the 69th Hazard. Powhatan Arrow, the Cavalier and the 4·6·2s; while on the Delaware & Hudson road lover's collection. Black and White. Black and white. Pocohontas. The actual synchronized sound is music for every rail fan. Color. yo u'll see 4·6·2s and a 2·8-0. 73 Minutes BH·300 $19.95 IN THE SWITCH TOWER (1915) 20 Minutes BH·800 $19.95 W ALTER EDW ARDS, FRANK BORZAGE Check or Money Order Visa/MasterCard This is the story of a father who neglected his son for drink, and went to prison for VHS or BETA his part in a barroom brawl. It is as touching today as it was over a half· >?~ (All Blackhawk films available in VHS only.) century ago. Years pass and the boy, now grown·up and working for the same rail· ~ Please add $3.00 shipping per order. California road his father had, realizes that his residents please add 6.75% sales tax. anger over the years was a foolish reac· P.O. Box 94911 tion. Forgiving his father, Frank sends a Pasadena, CA 91109 I Continued from page 36 five days ... FNM is planning to operate Pacifico have been removed for rebuild between FNM and GE for the first 100 lo a unit train to carry automobiles from the ing. Box lunches are supplied during the comotive kits of a planned 300-unit or manufacturing plants near Puebla to the period the diners are not used .. . FNM der. FNM will lease the units for 10 years port of Veracruz ... Contrary to earlier is now painting cabooses boxcar brown and after that period will take title ... A reports, the tourist railroad on the nar rather than the traditional yellow. fire on the 500-foot-long bridge over the row gauge line at Cuautla is still operat Thanks to Bill Farmer, Ed Von Rio Elota, between Culican and Mazat ing. The trains are pulled by a diesel ... Nordeck, Paul Kakazu, Dave Norris, Dan lan, closed the former FCP main line for The diners on the west coast trains Del Hadley and EXCELSIOR. 500 LINE marginal lines in North Dakota and Mon four SD40-2s. Number 484 followed shortly States to Study Chicago-St. Paul tana could be leased to a shortline opera behind with 90 cars (including 75 grain), Line Upgrade tor, with particular interest in the thinly led by another four-unit set of the husky trafficked line to Whitetail, Mont. EMDs. A third eastbound out of Mason The states of illinois, Minnesota and Wis City (230) found SD40-2 779 leading SD40s consin have commissioned a consultant 74617541749 , 90 cars and a D&RGW ca study to determine the feasibility of up Salvage of Brooten Line Begins boose. SD40s 745, 749 and 754 later han grading Soo's Chicago-St. Paul main line to dled a 121-car No. 231 out of Marquette, 125-mph standards. These standards As expected, Soo wasted little time in sal including 69 empty grain hoppers for would allow the movement of higher vaging valuable rail materials from the Cedar Valley Railroad. Soo is also using speed passenger trains, though the pre eastern end of the Brooten Line. There are extra symbols 488/489 between Marquette sent density of freight traffic would pro several segments of welded rail on the por and La Crescent, Minn., for handling over hibit increased passenger train usage. The tion of the route approved for abandon flow from scheduled trains 222 and 223. final report is due in December. ment (Genola, Minn., to Superior, Wis.) which will be used for the upgrading of other lines in western Minnesota and the Kansas City Line Changes Secondary Line Rationalization Dakotas. Removal equipment was spotted Considered in Moose Lake, Minn., on May 20, and on In preparation for the planned sale of the May 31, No. 77 handled 23 empty flatcars Kansas City line to Rio Grande Industries, Having observed Norfolk Southern'S recent and a pulling machine en route to Superior. Soo is seriously considering the elimina success to effectively "rationalize" much of tion of Savanna, Ill., as a crew-change its secondary trackage in Ohio and Indi point. Bensenville-based crews would ana, Soo is considering similar action in Equipment Inventory then be worked as far west as Nahant, Minnesota and the Dakotas. Operations on Iowa. In the past month, the volume of SP the former Milwaukee main line west from Earlier this year, Soo published an inven pool power seems to have diminished Minneapolis to Ortonville are tenuous at tory of equipment assets for its annual re somewhat on a systemwide basis, al best, as BN is evaluating possible alter port. Soo reported that it owned or leased though interline coal trains often feature nate routes to move the surviving WISX 399 locomotives, 189 of which produce pure sets of foreign units. On May 6, a No. coal trains. The remaining locally generat 3,000 or more horsepower. Aggregate fleet 196 empties drag worked through Ot ed agricultural business could readily be horsepower was set at 961 ,150. Sao also tumwa, Iowa, with SP SD40R 7305 and served by a short line or regional carrier, reported that its freight equipment fleet SD45R 7513, while an eastbound loaded with area lines Dakota, Minnesota & East has been reduced to 12,295 cars, with an train into Chicago on May 12 sported Rio ern and Minnesota Valley possible candi aggregate capacity of 1.083 million tons. Grande SD45s 5331/5315/5322 and SSW dates. The freight fleet was broken down as fol SD45T-2 9270. In the Dakotas, the proposed "Prairie lows; 2,022 boxcars of various configura Rail" is dead for now, as CPR wants to tions; 6,312 covered hoppers; 1,396 gon maintain the Portal line to move traffic out dolas; 1,151 open top hoppers; 1,370 flat Intermodal Update of western Canada. Some of the currently cars; and 44 cars lumped into the "other" category. As reported last month, the volume of in termodal traffic moving between CPR and Soo via the Railrunners is rapidly increas 3rd ANNUAL FREE TRIP RAFF LE Northern Iowa Grain Movement ing. New symbol 505 is operating three or Win a roundtrip tour onboard the four days per week, though it is limited to private open observation car For those Sao buffs who are suffering 80 cars and 6,000 feet in length. CPR has "VIRGINIA CITY" and dome car through the monotony of SD60 pairs on added symbol 504 between Toronto and "PLAZA SANTA FE", which will be nearly every mainline train, a trip to north Montreal, so an extension to Chicago can coupled to the rear of Amtrak's eastern Iowa would be refreshing. As of be expected at any time. And after months California Zephyr between Oakland late May, grain (corn) traffic on the former of CPR SD40s powering trains into Chica and Reno on September 22-24. Milwaukee east/west line through Mason go, May 2 found train 500 powered by a Sponsored by the non-profit Feather City has increased, with considerable ton trio of Sao SD40-2s 77817771772 pulling 83 River Rail Society as a fund raising nage moving to barge loading points on cars, while No. 501 had a massive train of drive to build the Portola Railroad the Mississippi River. Traffic moving be 96 cars, pulled by CP SD40 5410 and Soo Museum's Visitor's Center. Passage tween Mason City and Marquette is now SD40 6411 and SD40-2s 774/66201780. on the private cars being given away entrusted to quartets of SD40/SD40-2s. The increase of intermodal traffic mov GP38-2s and GP40s are occasionally used by Trains Unlimited, Tours. Drawing ing in and out of Canada has had a carry to fill out motive power consists on princi over effect on the Sprint trains operating September 15, 1990. Tickets: $3 pal trains 230/231/232/233 as well as local between Chicago and St. Paul. On May 25, each or 5 for $1 O. freights 630 and 631. On days with excep for example, No. 212 handled 11 cars of Feather River tionally heavy grain tonnage, extra sym trailers and 27 cars of containers behind Rail Society bols 484 and 499 are utilized. SD60M 6061, while No. 208 moved 22 cars P.O. Box 8 On May 25, for example, No. 232 han Portola, CA 96122 of trailers and four of containers behind dled 94 cars into Marquette, powered by sister 6062. Number 209 is again operated 40. AUGUST 1990 on a fairly regular basis, and was spotted on June 2 with SD60s 6008 and 6026 han dling 32 cars. Other intermodal business into St. Paul is regularly moved on trains 213 and 941. Motive Power Shorts In May, GP38-2 4420 and SD40-2 6614 were repainted in the new scheme. SD40-2 788 underwent dynamic brake modification, and sisters 787 and 6608 will follow. At least 49 road units had received complete ditch-light packages by June 1, including 26 SD40/SD40AlSD40-2s and 23 SD60/SD60Ms . . . Leased EMD SD35s 1536, 1557 and 1565 arrived at St. Paul Yard on May 29, ready for service on bal last trains. Former N&W sister 1558 was receiving heavy repair work at Shoreham in early June and likely will be added to the lease fleet later in the year ... Sao has ordered seven additional GP/CAT rebuilds from Generation II, taking an option for an eighth such unit. Some of the ex-Conrail GP9s stored at Shoreham may be used as hulks for this program. Thanks to La Verne Andreessen, John Red 500 Line 5060 6043 is trailed by white rostermate 6034 as the pair hauls an eastbound Baukus, Mike Cleary, Fred Hyde, Michael grain drag through Red Wing, Minn., on March 1, 1990. The train is passing the NSP trash Kiriazis, Dave Kroeger and Sao Line Rail to-power plant as it travels Soo's line along the west bank of the Mississippi River en route road. to La Crosse. David E. Nixon PRN STAFF TRANSIT south of Jackson. (which connects with the stub of the now Chicago In its new incarnation, it will link a new fitfully active line to Evanston at Bryn building complex spanning the block be Mawr Avenue in the Sauganash neighbor COMING SOON TO A RAIL LINE NEAR tween Wacker and Franklin (and ultimately hood) has been sold to developers. This YOU: The new Loop light rail line, Metra, Sears Tower to the north) with Union Sta line was once considered for a rapid tran and Chicago Transit Authority rail (and tion and eventually North Western Station sit link between the Skokie Swift (with bus) services are to benefit from a $2.2 bil as well, via disused rail right-of-way in the which it connected at Oakton) and O'Hare lion, five-year capital improvement pro west bank of the river. A subsequent con Airport ... Metra is standardizing the gram unveiled late in May by outgoing Illi nection to the Clinton Street station of the forms it provides commuters when their nois governor James Thompson. Major Congress rapid transit line is also possible, train is delayed. Identical notes will be projects proposed for FY1991 (beginning as w ell as an eventual further extension available from ticket agents downtown to July 1, 1990) include: $50 million toward one block westward from that point to the prove to often-skeptical bosses, teachers the purchase of locomotives for Metra; $23 new Greyhound station. East of the river, (and even spouses) that the bearer's train million for the rehabilitation of a number long-range plans include a tie-in with the was indeed late-something that happens of CTA rapid transit stations; $20 million slowly growing pedway system now cen less and less of late . . . Chicago's mass for track improvements at Union Station; tered on City Hall and the Civic Center. transit agencies will have to spend mil $15 million to renovate North Western Sta lions to comply with soon-to-be-passed tion; $14 million for track and structure re METRO MEMO: The Greater Rockford Air legislation requiring 100 percent accessi placement at La Salle Street Station; $13 port Authority will conduct a $300,000 bility on buses and trains in the U.S. The million for refurbishing portions of the study of the possibility of building a high biggest burden will fall on Metra, which Congress Street rapid transit line; and speed rail link between O'Hare and will have to make every coach accessible; $4 million toward continuation of design Greater Rockford Airport, quite possibly the agency had hoped to provide just one work for the Loop light rail distributor line. along the Illinois Tollway in conjunction car per train with a lift or similar device. Some of the funding (largely obtained with Commonwealth Edison. The utility Metra has 686 cars in its regional fleet. through increased bonding authority) will has easements along a considerable por The CTA, for its part, plans to include an be used to match federal monies either in tion of the express roadway . . . Metra has elevator in each of the stations it reno hand or to be sought. won the Harriman award for exceptional vates; only 14 (of 143) have one now . .. employee safety in 1989. The 2,000 Metra The latter agency has promised that sum DOWN UNDER: A former streetcar tunnel employees who directly operate the for mer travel on most of its rapid transit lines under the Chicago River is to be refur mer Rock Island, Milwaukee, IC Electric will be cooler than last year. Save for the bished for pedestrian use by a combina and GM&O lines had an on-the-job-rate of Skokie Swift, Ravenswood and Evanston tion of public and private funding 6.74 injuries per 200,000 man-hours lines, which still use survivors from the sources. The tunnel, built around the turn worked, second only to the Rio Grande. dwindling fleet of 6000-series cars (and of the century as an alternative to the of The low rate is even more significant in their single-unit cousins), the bulk of the ten-open bridges spanning the then-busy light of the commuter agency's labor-in 1200-car fleet is air-conditioned, and waterway and last used in the early tensive operations . . . The C&NW right-of stepped-up maintenance will be in place 1950s, runs from Franklin to Clinton just way south from Oakton Street toward during the hot months to minimize air-con Mayfair within the village of Lincolnwood ditioning unit failures. PACIFIC RAILNews • 41 itage trolley service on the Banfield line between downtown and Lloyd Center. Finally, Project Break Even, Tri-Met's idea to buy land in Gresham and lease it for use as a shopping center seems to have been placed on the back burner. Income from the lease along with increased rider ship was supposed to make MAX prof itable. For less money, Tri-Met could prob ably extend MAX to an existing shopping center not far from the Gresham terminal. Glenn Laubaugh Vancouver The Scott Road terminus of the SkyTrain extension across the Fraser boasts the busiest park-and-ride lot on the system; about 1,800 drivers each day attempt to park their automobiles in the lot that has a capacity of only 1,300. The Fraser Highway (at King George Highway) will be the ultimate-and fi nal- terminal for SkyTrain south of the Fraser. Attention after completion of the extension southward from Scott Road will San Diego Trolley car 1060 pauses at the appropriately named Gaslight stop en route to the be directed toward rapid transit for Co San Diego Convention Center on May 28, 1990. Until the entire two-mile Bayside line was ready for operations (scheduled for June 30), shuffle trains were running every 15 minutes on quitlam and Richmond; the former will be weekend days between 12th and Imperial and the Convention Center. Jack Whitmeyer a SkyTrain line, the latter mode as yet un determined. Three stations, to be financed jointly with private developers, are pen The Transportation 2000 Committee Portland ciled in for the extension: at 108th Avenue has identified two lines that should rate and King George, at the Whalley Town priority consideration after West Side: Centre at 102A Avenue and 135th Street, Detailed planning continues on the West Portland-Milwaukie and Portland Airport as well as the Fraser-King George termi Side MAX light rail extension to Beaver Clackamas Shopping Center. Long-range nus. Construction has already begun, with ton. The topography of this line will differ goals include branches to Tigard, Vancou completion scheduled for 1993. from the Banfield line, as areas of the ver (Wash.), Lake Oswego and Forest The North Shore Numismatic Society West Hills are over 1,000 feet above sea Grove. Lines from Milwaukie to Oregon has released a medallion, minted in both level. Many citizens prefer a tunnel under City and Clackamas are back-burner pos bronze and pure silver, commemorating the West Hills, as that would minimize sibilities. the centennial of public transit in the damage to "The Canyon" of Washington Ridership on the Banfield line is in Greater Vancouver area. The design fea Park. Tri-Met staff prefers a surface route creasing, and will probably continue to tures the first electric streetcar and a Sky because it would cost less, and thus stand rise after the opening of the new Conven Train unit, against a backdrop of the new a better chance of being funded. A surface tion Center in September. If the money Fraser River SkyBridge. For details, con route would also be able to serve Wash can be found, Tri-Met would like to pur tact the Society at Box 86315, North Van ington Park Zoo. chase five more cars. couver, BC V7L 4K6. Originally, the West Side line was to be By the time this reaches print, a group David Shore 12 miles long, however funding has been of governmental agencies hopes to have a approved for design work for an extension trolley running on a seven-mile portion of to Hillsboro. Design work must move quick the ex-SP "Red Electric" line between Port New Orleans ly if the extension is to be included with the land and Lake Oswego, where a demon initial line, but there are fewer obstacles. stration was run a few years ago with a Contrary to earlier reports, UMTA has not The route will follow the old Oregon Electric double-decker from Blackpool. Eventually, funded the new CBD loop line as yet. Railway, now part of Burlington Northern. this line could tie in with the planned her- Elsewhere on the system, a third Mel- PASSENGER TRAINS: Don't get left behind! PASSENGER TRAIN JOURNAL North America is experiencing a rail passenger boom, and Name ______Passenger Train J ournal is here to report it-and has been for over 20 years . Not only do we cover the development of Street ______Amtrak's new Viewliners, or why Burlington'S E unit City ______powered passenger trains are so successful ,. we also savor State ______Zip _ ___ the misty memories of the passenger tram past. WIth dazzling photography, detailed maps, useful rosters and plenty of good reading every month. o Check enclosed o Charge to 0 MasterCard 0 Visa Exp. Date ______(I) INTERURBAN Card Number ______'~ .' . ' PRESS ' .::::. .. :...... , PO Box 6444, Glendale CA 91225 : ~~~ !~ "' ~. :, 0 $301 1 year 0 $5812 years (Ou tSi de USA add $6 per year) Signature ______ 42 • AUGUST 1990 bourne car is at Carrollton Station, freshly (SACOG) recently adopted a list of trans the East and South Line through the Great painted in Riverfront red livery, but not as portation improvements for the Regional American Plaza station and, eventually, yet numbered. From the dying Chat Transportation Improvement Program the Mission Valley Line around the Santa tanooga Choo Choo have come ex-NOPSI (RTIP). Four of the top six projects are light Fe Depot. The first of two diamond-config 952 and the derelict double-truck open car rail extensions, including an unexpected ured sections of the wye arrived in early from Rio de Janeiro. Carrollton Station, by contribution of $1 million from Placer Coun May, with the next segment expected in the way, is being extensively rebuilt, and ty for a rail extension in the 1-80 corridor to late May. MTDB is counting on timely in when the project is completed will look Roseville. It was just a year ago that the stallation so pre-revenue testing may be exactly as it did when constructed in City of Folsom contributed $43,000 to a gin on June 10 ... With the entire line 1892-93 for the New Orleans & Carrollton study for extending light rail in the Folsom about to open, shortening Trolley head Railroad electrification. corridor. The popularity of light rail contin ways is on the minds of company officials L. C. Hennick ues to grow in California as many politi again. Four four-car trains now run on cians see the successful RT Metro system each line during the rush hour, and more when doing business at the Capitol. are needed. Several months ago, MTDB l.A. Metro talked of initiating a 10-minute headway STATION RELOCATION: The Alkal Flat/La within a year or two. Further study found A certain calm has settled over the Los Valentina Station has been temporarily that, schedule wise, every 7.5 minutes Angeles rail transit scene, almost as if all moved one block north on 12th Street to would be more practical. MTDB is looking eyes are on the new Long Beach Blue Line the block between 'C' and 'D' streets. The into the cost of purchasing additional which will have been in operation less new temporary station will be used until than a month when you read this. For the LRVs to meet the demands of running late 1990 when the 12th Street double more frequent trains. moment the discord and politicking over tracking project is finished. The perma where to build the next rail routes have nent station will be built between the in TROLLEY TO SCHOOL : Officials at the subsided as all parties expectantly watch bound and outbound tracks at the original University of California at San Diego the beginning of a new era in public trans station location between 'D' and 'E' streets. (UCSD) , once opposed to the idea, have portation in L.A.-the return of electric rail changed their minds about having part of transit to an area well known for its love STREET CLOSURE: Meanwhile, on the the North Line extension run through their of the automobile. other side of downtown, 12th Street south La Jolla campus-as long as the red cars That love, however, has turned bitter of Whitney Alley (where peak period extra sweet in recent years as the key to its won't disrupt the school or surrounding vehicles are stored) will be permanently community. Their concern in the past cen bliss-mobility-has become less evident. closed. Wooden barricades will be re tered on the electrified trains potential A rapidly growing population with resul placed with curbs and planters to keep au electromagnetic interference with campus tant increasing congestion and frustration to traffic from interfering with rail service. on the highways has seriously eroded the science and research projects. Additional California lifestyle so keyed to auto usage. ly, it was felt that the university's earth TIMETABLES IN TRAINS : RT Metro quake research lab could be affected by vi The freeway shootings of a few years ago timetables are now on permanent display were stark examples of this frustration. brations from the trains. Three routes are inside each rail car. The new enlarged proposed through the campus and one The big question is whether this growing timetables are mounted behind a Plexiglas could be chosen by June. MTDB hopes to discontent will motivate auto users to turn window in the articulation joint area about start building north from Old Town within to rail transit in sufficient numbers to justify five-and-a-half feet above the floor. the next five years. The proposed line is the concept in this erstwhile autotopia. Robert W Blymyer At the moment the rail option is in favor expected to cost about $300 million and, in with a significant number of urban Califor time, run as far as Oceanside. nians- even in the Los Angeles area San Diego DEVELOPMENT FEES FOR TRANSIT?: where Amtrak operates a quasi-commuter BAYSIDE KICK-OFF: It wasn't a whistle service to Orange County and San Diego. The San Diego Association of Governments stop campaign at 12th and Imperial on (SANDAG) is eying development fees on While highway congestion has no doubt May 3, despite the looks of San Diego & new homes and businesses to help finance encouraged a turn to rail, there is little Imperial Valley's business car, No. 100, question that much of California's highway various countywide projects, including decked out in red-white-and-blue transportation. The planning agency claims problem stems from inadequate funding of bunting, and an assortment of politicians its highway infrastructure. At nine cents a there will be a $4 billion shortfall for fund holding court on the rear platform. The oc ing over the next 20 years. Proposed levies gallon, California's gasoline tax rate is casion marked the opening of a short seg about the lowest in the nation. The state's could average $6,750 for a new home and ment of the Trolley's Bayside Line. MTDB more than $22,000 for a store. once-famed highway system has been Chairman James Mills spoke of the many showing this financial neglect for years. different energies of the community com COMMUTER RAIL : The battle over a loca Thus California, and particularly ing together to make the Trolley the suc greater Los Angeles with a high percent tion for a commuter rail station in the Del cess it is today. Until June 30, when the Mar area was thought to be over when the age of the state's population, is at a turn rest of the two-mile, $46-million line ing point in transportation. As to success Solana Beach City Council approved a site opens, trains are running between 12th at Lomas Santa Fe Drive and Cedros. Now, with rail transit in the Los Angeles area, and Imperial and the San Diego Conven the vote on that may be out for some time. tion Center on Harbor Drive every 15 min Norm Johnson utes from 10 a.ill. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday only. One-way fare is 50 cents, Sacramento with free transfers from other light rail 50u-rH SHORE and bus lines . . . When finished, the Bay COMMUNICRTIONS NEW CAR ARRIVES: A press conference side portion will be added to the East Line was held on May 30 at the Siemens As and terminate at 12th and Imperial after "For the BEST sembly Plant to celebrate the arrival of the looping through downtown . . . So far, the first carbody of the lO-car Sacramento or rest of the construction is on schedule. in railroad videos"n' der. The delivery schedule from the North Work at Kettner and G streets is complete, PENTREX • GREEN FROG· VIDEO RAILS Sacramento plant is Nov. 1 for the first car, after overcoming extensive utility, HOPEWELL· INTERURBAN • WB • HERRON then a couple of cars per month until the drainage, track-laying, signaling and PLUS MOREl last cars are delivered April 30, 1991. paving problems. Broadway and Kettner BETA or VHS • Check or Money Order Boulevard were closed to auto traffic for Can or Write for free Catalog LIGHT RAIL TO PLACER COUNTY: The three weeks to prepare the area for instal P_O_ Box 55716· Seattle, WA 98155 Sacramento Regional Planning Agency lation of the three-way wye that will route (206) 821-8659 PACIFIC RAILNews • 43 Citizens for a Better Solana Beach say they 1992. They're worried that the proposed drum up interest from mass transit and pri don't like the decision. Circulating peti station at Poinsettia Lane will draw too vate funding sources to initiate commuter tions, the group wants to put the matter on much commercial and criminal activity. service between Oceanside and San Diego the ballot. Eight hundred signatures are North County's growth is explosive, and harbors using air-cushioned jet-boats they needed for the November general election; it's understandable that long-time resi compare to a Boeing 747 on water. The trip 1,200 for a special election. The group con dents hate to see their quaint beach towns would take about 45 minutes, cost $5 one tends the new station will result in traffic crawling with more people. The growth way and offer up to 350 patrons the ser congestion and a lower quality of life. means good transit services will be even vices of a first-class airliner. If financing is Meanwhile, homeowners up the road in more important in the future, and that has obtained, it could begin operating about Carlsbad want more police protection sparked a transit alternative. Representa the same time as the commuter trains. when the commuters start running in late tives of SeaJet Cruise Lines are trying to Chris Cucc11iara PRESERVATION Concluding several months of hard work by volunteers from Pacific Railroad Preservation Association, restored Spokane, Portland & Seattle 700 was unveiled in May. In this view recorded on June 10, 1990, the "Lady" as the engine is affectionately known, is tested at SP's Brooklyn Yard in Portland, Ore. On the 13th, the 700 took a BN-sponsored test run to Kelso and was later slated to travel to Wishram. Greg Brown year's schedule calls for four trips per 5057 have been joined by Southern Pacific Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge weekend instead of three, including two Aleo RS32 (DL721) 4004. The 4004 and kin Saturday runs at 5 and 8 p.m. and a Sun were familiar sights in the Bay Area during Durango & Silverton began its 1990 operat day matinee leaving at 1 p.m. the 1960s and 1970s, working freights and ing season in fine form this year. Opening Midland's big ongoing project in Kansas even emergency passenger service. Since day, May 5, found a second section added City is restoration of ex-Rock Island E8 652 1979, the 4004 had been owned by Simplot to carry heavy passenger traffic between (remembered as the railroad's bicentennial Corp. of Pocatello, Idaho, and had worked Durango and Silverton. Moreover, the first unit). Bad weather and work on AT&SF switching the company's massive fertilizer section was run with 15 cars and required 3822 slowed efforts on rebuilding the E plant. In late 1989, Feather River Rail Soci the services of a helper between Durango unit, but an August completion date is ety completed negotiations with Simplot and Silverton. On the point of the first sec planned. At that time the unit will be and the locomotive was donated. It was fi tion up the Animas River were helper ex shipped to the museum at Baldwin City for nally moved to Portola via Union Pacific af D&RGW K28 476 and road engine K28 473; use on the dinner train and excursions. ter a FRRS crew went tQ Pocatello and ex-D&RGW K36 No. 480 powered the sec Following completion of 652, Midland's changed out the wheels on the locomotive. ond section. D&RGW railroad-related next project will be restoration of ex The Portola Railroad Museum now has structures located next to the Silverton de Kansas City Southern baggage-RPO No. a Baldwin Locomotive Works diesel in its pot that were transferred to D&S from Rio 30. Tentative plans call for the restored car collection. An agreement has been reached Grande have been tom down. These struc to be displayed at the Topeka Railroad with the owner of the well-traveled DS-44- tures included storage buildings and car Days on Labor Day Weekend. 6 that in the past few years has been used servicing structures; all, however, were in by Napa Valley Wine Train and most re a state of serious decay. cently Rail Car West (formerly Solano Rail Feather River Rail Society Car) repair shop at Oroville, Calif. As the railcar facility has lost its lease on the old Midland Railway Historical Association This spring, the operating group of the WP roundhouse at Oroville and is moving Portola Railroad Museum in Portola, Calif., to a new facility near Wadsworth, Nev., The Prairie Pioneer dinner train made its has increased its collection of historic FRRS will acquire the Baldwin in exchange 1990 debut May 11 featuring newly remod diesel locomotives by two. Completing the for a long-term lease of one of the muse eled ex-Santa Fe baggage car 3822; the operating displays of early "second genera um's GE 80-ton locomotives. 3822 is now a kitchen car and replaces tion" diesel locomotives, Western Pacific Thanks to R.C. Farewell, Wayne Mon combine 441 in the train's consist. This GP20 2001 and Milwaukee Road U25B ger and MILEPOSTS. PACIFIC RAILNews • 45 CITY SCENE San Antonio offers a unique electric opera tion, Texas Transporta tion Co., which shuttles cars between SP and the Pearl Brewery. In August 1988 TT No.1 has just delivered cars to the SP and is about to back into a siding to pick up brewery-bound cars. Just a few yards away, No. 1 will jump onto Jones Ave. for street running en route to the Pearl facility. Carl M. Lehman San Antonio, Part 4: Dinner Train and Industrials Texas Southern and There's more to railroading than just Class Iopera tions, and San Antonio has a handful of interesting Texas Transportation Co. rail companies that will offer a good diversion from the usual mainline fare. One of these is the Texas Southern (TS) dinner train. Texas Southern originated in August 1986 when local businessmen George Pierce and Harold Schroeder purchased seven F-units from United t States Steel's Atlantic City, Wyo., works (F7As ('35 723A, 724A and 726A; F7Bs 712B, 723B, 724B and N 726B), and started collecting vintage passenger cars. A small group of workers toiled until March 1987 fixing up three of the locomotives and ten 1-35 cars for service. The TS paint scheme is based on Santa Fe's warbonnet livery, with silver and blue (not coincidentally, the colors of the Dallas Cow boys) replacing stainless steel and red. Two F7As were painted and renumbered 100 and 104 (for merly 723A and 726A) along with F7B 101 (ex- 723B). In addition to the Fs, TS uses SWl 504 for switching, ex-Belton Railroad 504 and originally Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis 504. Sherman Sf vi Q) Over the years its original TRRA red paint has fad SAN ANTONIO ed to a light pink. :;;~ Texas Southern leased the SP diesel shop in San Antonio shortly after the SP moved all locomotive servicing to Kirby. During the day you can see and photograph the TS locomotives and just about all the passenger cars (currently more than 20), a va n riety of coaches, dome cars and both lightweight 46 • AUGUST 1990 and heavyweight observation cars. Texas South To New Braunfels ern's goal for passenger car restoration is to return each car to its as-delivered appearance, inside and out. The company has been quite successful in LAFARGE CORP. achieving this standard and recently earned a BAlCONES $1.25 million contract to rebuild seven Amtrak CEMENT PLANT baggage cars. TS initiated operation in 1987, running a handful of special trips, including a Dallas-San Antonio run Western Railroad and in September carrying people on their way to see Pope John Paul II. Gifford-Hill Co. Krugger Rd. Revenue dinner trips did not start until September 1988. Running Thursday through Sunday evenings, the train first ran on the SP from the Amtrak station west to the interchange with the UP (ex-MP) where it swung south on the main t for about a mile, then switched to the Corpus Christi Branch. The train took a 35-mile trip on the branch to Pleasanton, where the power ran around N the train and returned to San Antonio. In January 1989 the dinner train started using _Industrial Railroads the SP main line for its entire trip. It now runs ++++++t Union Pacific west 50 miles to Hondo, where the power runs --Roads around the train for the return trip; trips depart 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and return to San Antonio at 10 p.m. Two A-units are always used, back-to-back, because of the runaround procedure. D There are usually from seven to nine cars each "" Ql trip. The TS uses the SP's road frequency, 161.550, J:: U during dinner runs. o "0 8'u Texas Transportation Co. o Z "0 Another unique San Antonio rail operation is is Wearing paint inspired Texas Transportation Co., a small electric railroad by Santa Fe and the that takes cars from the SP to the Pearl brewery, Dallas Cowboys, paired including a segment of street-running down Jones Texas Southern F7 As 100 FM 2252 and 104 lead the com Avenue. The company has two yellow electric pany's dinner train west freight motors: No.1 is a steeple-cab, and No . 2 is GIFFORD Hill CO. GARDEN RIDGE PLANT Exit 177 bound at Withers, in similar, but smaller and with end platforms. Street southwest San Antonio car number 300, owned by the Witte Museum, was I on Southern Pacific's used to carry passengers on the line until 1988, To San Antonio main line. Carl M. NOT TO SCALE when rising insurance premiums and other priori Lehman ties brought the service to a stop. One of the freight motors works the SP interchange almost every weekday between 10 and 11 a.m. The inter change is just west of the Texas Southern shops, at the intersection of Sherman, Austin, and Jones. Industrials to the North About 20 miles north of San Antonio is the Gifford Hill Co. Garden Ridge Plant, which operates two switchers, an Alco S-series numbered 101, and a GE center cab with no number and a severely bent frame. To reach this gravel company, take Inter state 35 north to exit 177. Turn west on Farm-to Market (FM) 2252, go until you get to Old Nacog doches Road, turn right and in about a quarter mile you will cross the tracks where the Alco works. A few miles farther north on 1-35 off exit 183 is another industrial operation worth a visit, Western Railroad. The short line is owned by the Lafarge Corporation and switches its Balcones Cement Plant with three switchers, SW1s 534 and 1007 and SW1200 9617. Western Railroad interchanges cars with two Union Pacific lines, the ex-Katy on its east side and the ex-MP on its west side. Still farther north on 1-35 is yet another gravel works, TXI's Hunter plant. At exit 195 take the scheme) and ex-Santa Fe CF7 2428, recently paint road west to Hunter Street (FM 1102), turn north ed in the full Santa Fe "blue bonnet" scheme. and in a quarter mile you will cross the tracks that None of these companies allow non-employees lead from the ex-Katy main line into the plant. TXI on their property, but the locomotives can be pho has at least two locomotives, an old Baldwin tographed from public road crossings when they (when last seen it was painted in Katy's red switch and interchange cars. PACIFIC RAILNews. 47 ~ ~!'tNf'REA/CENTRAL VALLEY SOUTHERN PACIFIC'S SOUTH AND EAST BAY LOCALS DAVENPORT - Trackage used by SP locals --Other SP routes Seaside Local ____ Wann Springs Tunt SAN FRANCISCO through Friday, and 7 p.m. on Sunday. The train works Newark (via the Centerville Main) then Mission works Centerville, Niles, Decoto and Hayward (on Bay'lUrn SF's Decoto Line). The train will also make a run to Pleasanton and Livermore via Union Pacific track age rights if need be. A pair of SW1500s is the nor mal power. / Hollister Local Broadway Local On duty at San Jose at 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, this local performs all work Pacific Ocean between San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. The local To Salinas Permanente Local---- then runs down to Carnadero (milepost 83.2) and ~ works the 11-mile Hollister Branch. Return to San Jose is usually about 9 p.m., with the power a pair of GP9Es. SP's South and East Bay Locals Mission Bay Turn/Warm Springs Turn Not too long ago the Mission Bay Turn was So , you are going to the San Francisco Bay Area on based out of Tracy and traveled over Altamont Pass vacation (or maybe for a little business) and you're to perform its work in the Bay Area; today the job is wondering, "what's running these days on the called from South San Francisco. On duty at 11 p.m. Southern Pacific?" That's a good question, as no Monday through Friday, the Mission Bay Turn oper through freights are currently being operated on ates south to San Jose to pick up cars, then travels the Coast Line through San Jose, and aside from over to the east side of the bay to Warm Springs CalTrain and Amtrak, there doesn't seem to be Yard using the Milpitas line. much action. But there is. While you'll have trouble In Fremont, the Turn sets out its train and then finding any road freights in the traditional sense of picks up inbound traffic for San Jose and South San the word, the Bay Area is loaded with locals operat Francisco, departing San Jose, northbound ing a mix of SD9Es, GP9Es and SW1500s. And best (timetable westbound) by 5 a.m. If the train is run of all, many of these jobs are in scenic areas with ning late, it will be held until 8 a.rn. to follow the easy access from public roads. Let's take a brief look morning commute rush up the Peninsula. Power for at Southern Pacific's Western Division lineup as of this job is generally two or three GP9E/SD9E units, May 1990 for the south and east sides of the bay. though occasionally, if traffic warrants, larger road power will be used. The South Bay Newark Switcher Broadway Local The Newark Switcher works out of Newark (junc This train is called for 2:05 p.m. Sunday through tion of the Centerville and Mulford lines) Sunday Friday at San Jose (the power is tied up at the through Friday, with a call time of 4 p.m. The single roundhouse). The Broadway Local performs local SW1500 is charged with local switching in the switching between Sunnyvale and Broadway (in Newark, Alvarado and Albrae areas, tying up across Burlingame) on the Peninsula commute line. The from the one-story Newark Tower when not on duty. train seems to have the most work in the Redwood City and San Carlos areas and returns to San Jose Permanente Local about 9 p.m. The permanente local is on duty at San Jose at 2 If the Santa Clara Turn has brought inbound p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, working the loads of rock into San Jose, the Broadway will make 16-mile Vasona Branch to the Kaiser Permanente another run to Redwood City to spot the loads at Cement plant in the Cupertino Hills via Campbell the Granite Rock Company, on the Redwood City and Saratoga. This is one of the more-colorful Harbor line. Power for this job is usually a pair of branch lines in the Bay Area as it follows the origi GP9Es or an SW1500/GP9E combo. nal route of the old South Pacific Coast Railroad as far as Campbell. Power is a pair of GP9Es, though Hayward Turn when coal loads are needed by the cement plant, as This local works out of Warm Springs Yard in many as five GP9/SD9E units may work the steep Fremont with a crew call time of 12 :05 p.rn. Monday grades of the line. 48 • AUGUST 1990 10AWSM (1st Oakland-Warm Springs Merchandise) lowed on the line north of Santa Cruz because of Crossing Soquel Creek This train is called at Oakland for 1 : 30 a.m. , lighter rail. in Capitola, Calif., working to Warm Springs then returning to Oakland Southern Pacific's Santa about 9 a.m. Used mostly to haul traffic to Warm Seaside Local (also known as the Monterey Local) Cruz Local heads north Springs for distribution, and to pickup outbound One other colorful train to shoot while south of towards its namesake traffic from the various locals. San Jose is the Seaside Local. This job is called at city in October 1987. Powered by a trio of re 9 a.m. Monday through Friday at Watsonville built GP9s, the train is ul 20AWSM (2nd Warm Springs-Oakland Merchandise) Junction (in the town of Pajaro). The train works timately bound for Dav Called on duty at Oakland by 1 p.m., works to the Watsonville/Pajaro area, then heads down the enport. As evidenced Warm Springs, returning to Oakland around 7 p.m. 12.9-mile Monterey Branch to work Castroville, by this photo, the route Moss Landing and Seaside (where the branch of the Local is arguably 30AWSM (3rd Warm Springs-Oakland Merchandise) currently terminates). Usually a single GP9E is the most scenic branch Called on duty at Oakland for 7 p.m., with return assigned. line in the San Francisco to Oakland around 10 p.rn. Bay Area. Ken Rattenne Santa Clara Turn Monterey Bay Another Salinas-called job, on duty at 5 p.m. This train follows the northbound Amtrak Coast Santa Cruz Local Starlight as far as the Granite Rock Quarry at Lo While not technically in the Bay Area (Santa gan, where the train makes a pickup. Monday Cruz residents have few kind words for their valley through Friday it continues on to San Jose with neighbors), the Santa Cruz Local is the most pic loads, then returns with empties. Five or six turesque job to work on SP's Western Division. This GP9/SD9E units assigned. train is called for 7:05 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Salinas (MP 118.2), operating to Daven Warm Springs Turn port on the 20.3-mile Davenport Branch (beginning Also known as the Salinas Hauler, the WST is at Watsonville, milepost 100.5) and return. At Santa called at Salinas at 7 p.m. to run traffic between Cruz, the line runs along the beach and boardwalk, Salinas and Watsonville Junction and the yard at then connects with the Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pa Warm Springs. Works Monday through Saturday cific (SF's old Olympia Line, which technically was with three to six GP9/SD9E units, returning to Sali known as the Santa Cruz Branch). You can follow nas about 2 a.m. the tracks north along highway 1 to Davenport, I would like to acknowledge the Central Coast shooting the train with a Pacific Ocean backdrop in Chapter of the NRHS's newsletter, the FERROEQUI several places. From two to five GP9E/SD9E units NOLO GIST, May 1990, for much of the information can work this train. As a note, SD9Es are not al- presented in this month's column. PACIFIC RAILNews • 49 ABOVE : A westbound BN freight emerges from 2,220-foot tunnel 17 in the remote Devil's Canyon (Wash.) sec tion of the ex-SP&S High Line in February 1987. Just months affer this photo, trains were rerouted off this spectacular Pas co-Spokane line onto parallel ex-NP trackage. Ed Austin LEFT: One of Ameri ca's best-known railroad bores, Col orado's Moffat Tunnel is a major part of the colorful history of Denver & Rio .' Grande Western and its predecessor roads. In July 1974, the Rio Grande Zephyr greets daylight at the west por- tal, just yards from Winter Park Ski Area. l O. Re pp RIGHT: An eastbound Santa Fe freight sees light momentarily be tween the two tunnels near Alray, in California's Cajon Pass in May 1987. Vis- ible to the right is Southern Pacific's tun nel-free route out of the L.A. basin. Ronald C. Hill ______r-_t~___~_~--~T--H-R-O--U-G--H--T-H--E--M-O--U-N--T-A-I-N __ S OF RAILROADING (NOT AROUND THEM) 50 • AUGUST 1990 PACIFIC RAILNews • 51 52 • AUGUST 1990 -!f----=-r- t~ THR O U G H TH E MO UNT A IN S OF RAILROADING ( N O T AROU ND THE M) "--- - LEFT: Weather-worn UP 3530 has the HKLA (Hinkle-Los An geles) in tow as it maneuvers through the rocky reaches of the Bear River Canyon in northern Utah in May 19B9. The spectacular trackage, com plete with tunnel and a high bridge over the river, is also the route of Amtrak's Pioneer, though passengers miss out on this scenic vista with the train's nighttime passage. Richard Kundert ABOVE: A trio of Union Pacific Dash 8-40Cs emerge from the tunnel east of Weath erby, Ore., into the rugged scrubland of the Snake River country of eastern Oregon on April, 17, 1990. RIGHT: Burling ton Northern 8074 and 7159 emerge from tunnel 15-olong the Columbia River in Wash ington near Bonneville Dam-trailed by a seemingly all-green train on June 21, 1989. Both photos, Mel Finzer PACIFIC RAILNews • 53 , ~ Carl Loucks PRN LETTERS ... SELLING RAILROAD TIMETABLES 199 Wayland St. , North Haven, CT 06473 Not a Clone but you seem to have "turned the corner" in May. Photographic and reproduction SPECIALS OF THE MONTH .. . Right after sending you my infamous quality, layout, choice of type styles-all of a few of the more than 250,000 items in our "Clone of TRAINS" letter, you came out with these contributed to a landmark issue. stock, We do NOT sell any reprints. All are the new PRN format and instead of My only quibble: The far-too-cute original railroad issue. You'll learn about dumping the Transit section you "Heartland to the Pacific" subtitle. As the railroad operations from these .. . expanded and improved it beyond my Aussies say, this generates a "technicolor expectations. I look forward to PRN every laugh." Basically, I'm very proud of what THE END OF AN ERA: month, not only for the transit section, but you have accomplished in the last decade Public system timetables of the last year of (even if some of you now live too far east service before Amtrak. for all the other interesting articles on B&O/C&O Joint ...... 8/01/70 railroading. Yes, you are indeed not a of the magazine's namesake ocean). Illinois Central ...... 12/13/70 "Clone of TRAINS," but a far better book. STEVE VAN DENBURGH Louisville & Nashville ...... 12/10/70 Congratulations and keep up the good Carson City, Nev. Milwaukee Road ...... 10/25/70 work. Missouri Pacific ...... 2/10/70 ROGER JENKINS UP Symbol Correction Norfolk & Western ...... 8 /01/70 San Diego, Calif. Penn Central (East-West} ...... 3/03/71 A minor mistake crept into the caption R F & P ...... 12/11 /70 Track Ownership Switched Seaboard Coast Line ...... 12/11 /70 under my photo on page page 41 in the April issue (PRN 317). The train pictured, Southern Pacific ...... 10/20/70 I'd like to point out a minor error in the Each timetable ...... $6. 20GRBA-24 is a soda ash train, not a grain Twin Cities City Scene article on Daytons train. The soda ash trains are handled just Five for ...... $25. Bluff and the Joint Line (PRN 318, May All ten for just ...... $40. the same as the grain trains by being split 1990). The map on page 49 indicates that at Nampa, Idaho. UP uses the "0" symbol EMPLOYEE TIMETABLES: Soo owns and maintains track 2 and BN for soda ash, the GR for Green River The best way to learn about railroad opera track 1. Actually, BN owns track 2 along (Wyo.) and BA for Barnes Yard in Portland. the river from Newport to St. Croix and tions. Line by line, branch by branch com CURT HOWELL plete details. Soo owns the more-direct line between Corvallis, Ore. ATSF-Eastern Region 1989 ...... $12. the two points. ATSF-Western Region 1989 ...... $ 12. KEN BEHLING CN-Great Lakes 1989 ...... $10. Maple Grove, Minn. Cowboy Line Schedule Update CP -Toronto/London 1988 ...... $12. CNJ -System 1971 ...... $10. Turned the Corner I just received the June PRN and read the CSX - Atlanta 1987 ...... $10. Cowboy Line article; my congratulations GTW/DT&I System 1981 ...... $9. In addition to geochemistry, railroad on a job well done. With the line in limbo NS - Eastern Div 1987 ...... $9. I wanted to get up there and shoot it ' NS - Decatur Div 1987 ...... $12. photography, good beer and many other PC - Eastern Region 1971 ...... $9 . pleasures, I enjoy the craft of science before who knows what. The line has P & L E - System 1978 ...... $12. editing. With the latter as credentials, been in every rail publication for months Rock Island System 1979 ...... $15 . permit me to compliment you regarding and yours are the first pictures of it I've SOO LINE - System 1987 ...... $12 . the cosmetic quality of PRNs May issue. seen. SP - Eastern Region 1986 ...... $10 . I've seen flashes of brilliance in the past, For your information the operating SP - Western Region 1987 ...... $10. schedule of the train has changed again. ANY FIVE ABOVE FOR JUST $40. At present, the call times for trains operating out of Chadron are: Chadron EMPLOYEE TIMETABLE Valentine, 10 p .m. Sunday; Valentine-Long STARTER KIT: Pine and return, 4 p.m. Monday; Ideal for the new collector. Ten employee timetables, hours of interesting reading about Valentine-Chadron, 8 a.rn. Tuesday; railroad operations. One each from the SP, Chadron-Rapid City, 12:01 a.m. UP , IGC , SBD,SOU, ATSF, BN, MP , L&N , Wednesday; Rapid City-Chadron, 12:01 and GN. a.rn. Thursday; Chadron-Casper, 8 p.m. All ten for $35.00 Thursday; and Casper-Chadron 4 p .m. TOM CARLSON MAJOR RAILROAD McCook, Neb. EMPLOYEE TIMETABLES You'll receive seven different ETTs cover ing various divisions of these major lines. Random dates from the 70's and 80's. Choose from : IN THE MIDDLE OF THE Relaxation ATSF ...... 7 ETTs for ...... $30. ACTION AT THE PASS CN ...... 7 ETTs for ...... $30. and great family ICG ...... 7 ETTs for ...... $30. fun in the heart of L&N ...... 7 ETTs for ...... $30 . the scenic redwoods. A perfect day's adven· N&W ...... 7 ETTs for ...... $30. ECONOLODGE ture aboard the historic SP ...... 7 ETTs for ...... $30. trains or motorcars of the ANY FOUR SETS FOR ...... $100. CAJON'S BEST famous Skunk Train. Leave New Catalogue Issued Monthly Fbrt Bragg on the Mendocino LODGING VALUE Sent with each order or SSAE or Willits Depot on Hwy 1Ol. Fbr brochure or reservations, EconoLodge write or call the Skunk Train, Carl Loucks Box 907 P , Fbrt Bragg, CA 95437. 8317 Hwy. 138, Cajon Pass .. . SELUNG RAILROAD TIMETABLES Corner of 1-15 & Hwy. 138 Jtlii~J (707) 964·6371. 199 Wayland St., North Haven, cr 06473 Phelan, CA 92371 Ridethe WSkunks (619) 249-6777 54 • AUGUST 1990 PRN CLASSIFIED ADS PACIFIC RAll.NEWS reserves the right to edit all copy what you have-we'll make one-time payment for evening following the dinner break. Tickets 58.00 in and refuse any listings. Ads cannot be acknowl the right stuff. Call Bob Schneider 818-240-9130 advance and 510.00 at the museum entrance the edged, nor can proof copies be sent. Closing date: Mon-Thurs 1-7 p.m. Pacific Time . 315 UF day of the event. Contact Feather River Rail Soci' 20th of 3rd month before issue date. Count all ety, "Railfan's Day," P.O . Box 8, Portola, CA 96 122 or numbers, name and address. Home/office street HJPHOTO: Quality duplicate color slides. AT&SF, SP, phone (9 16) 832-4131 for more information. 321 address and telephone number must accompany UP, WP, Amtrak: excursions, vacations, lineside: Ca ad order, even if not included in copy. RATES: 20e jon Pass , Tehachapi, Colton, etc .. Europe 1964-65. WANTED : Railroad books, paper collections, ency a word/$5 minimum. Payment in advance. Over 20 ,000 slides in my collection that covers clopedias, rule books, operating manuals, pocket from 1955 to present. LSSAE for free list and sam calendars, lanterns, china and railroadiana. Steve ORIGINAL, KODAK -PROCESSED SLIDES : 120,616 ple. Herbert Johnson, 43735 17th Street East, Lan Botan, 19822 Lexington, Huntington Beach, CA B&W negatives, mostly Midwest, Southern main caster, CA 93535-4312. 321 92646, (714) 962-1126 320-325 line , shortlines and industrials, List sample 51. Rail fanet 7.290MMZ Su ndays 1700UTC. Tim Colbert UP 844 RARE MILAGE TRIP. UP 844 operates excur 13609 Colony Lane, Burton, OH 44021. (216) 834- sion Salina to Oakley, Kansas, over Kansas Pacific 1737. 318-321 to recreate the "Pony Express" Route. Trip runs Sat urday, Oct. 20, 1990. Fare is 5120.00 + sales tax, in STEAM TRAIN LOVERS: Large lot for sale in Duran cludes box lu nch & return bus. Contact Great Back Issues go, CO, Watch the D&SNG train from your patiO! Plains Transportation Museum, P.O. Box 20 17-C, Wi Frontage on tracks, views of train, Animas River, chita , KS 67201-50 17. (3 16) 263-0944. 321 Available mountains. Caboose Junction Lot #2. Lot # 1 home is two converted cabooses. L. Lindahl, P,O , MID AMERICA'S CURRENT SLIDE LIST now available. Box 365 , Ruth , NV 89319. 320-321 AT ORIGINAL COVER Wide variety of original slides , featuring one of the SANTA FE ROUTE TO THE PACIFIC by Phil Serpico. An in largest selections of train/ action shots available. PRICE! Roster shots also available. 52.50 for list and 2 sam depth historical review of southern California Some issues are in limited quantities, branchline construction from Los Angeles to Port ples. Send LSASE to Mid America Rail Pi x, 3425 W. Ballona, Redondo 8each, Santa Monica and the 79th SI.. Chicago, IL 60652 321 -322 so hurry! For a complete list. send a modern day operations at Los Angeles Harbor self-addressed long (# 10) envelope to and Lang Beach. Clothbound edition, 172 pages, 1990 RAILFAN DAY at Portola Ra il road Museum. over 240 photos and illustrations including 9 maps Saturday, September 15, 1990. Historical freight PACIFIC RAILNEWS and 4 color plates, 534,95 postpaid, Calif, res. trains operated for the photographers from 10:30 P. O. Box 6128 a.m. to 6:00 p .m. using EMD, Alco, GE, Baldwin add 6 1/2% tax. Buyers outside U.S, add 52.00 ship Glendale, CA 91225 ping. Dealers welcome. OMNI PUBLICATIONS, Box and steam power. Multi-media shows in the 900566 , Dept PRN, Palmdale, CA 93590. 319-321 RAILROAD BOOKS (many out of p ri nt). Railroad postcards and PACIF IC NEW S index for issues 1 through 245, SSAE for list. Chatham Publishing Co .. P.O. Box 283 , Burlingame, CA 94010. 314-325 OVER 12,000 TRAIN depot photos for sale. Send 51 for list of your state, Robert Niesz, 17 15 B Ave, N,E., Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 314-322 CANADIAN PACIFIC (BEAVER), Frisco, Missouri Pa cific, Northern Pacific, Pacific Electric, Pike's Peak, Santa Fe, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific and Western Pacific uniform button blazer sets. Two Watch a nd ride as 15,000 horses power a mile of hotshot TOFC/COFC across Santa Fe's Dublin Subdivision - one of the toughest large, six small, 56.25 each. Joseph Lajoie, P.O. Box railroad lines Texas has to offer. Battle137 miles of curves nnd grades on one of the least-known, least-photographed lines in 3, Methuen, MA 01844. 316-321 the United States. Get on board for a show that's 8S exciting 8S any you've se6n! INTERURBAN VIDEOS is looking for railroad and THE AmON NEVER STOPS! PROFESSIONALLY PHOTOGRAPHED AND EDITED. 28 MINUTES COLOR AND SOUND. traction sound effects that can be dubbed onto AddS3°Oshipping vintage silent footage. We have several upcoming 95 Che MONTEREY AND PACIFIC GROVE STREET CAR ERA In the world of electric traction, the Monterey and Pacific Grove Street Railway had everything going for it . .. except fate itself. From its start in 1890 as a financially successful horsecar line to its demise as an abused street railway, the M&PG had expanded even more successfully than the horsecar era . . . but simply was not destined to be, The line was controlled by several utility companies over a period of time, who literally robbed the railway system of any profits, When the motor coach appeared on city streets, the owners quickly "adjusted" their priorities, and the electric railway was Jeft to die a quiet, premature death, Erle Hansen brings you the story of this unique California operation, along with a look at the M&PG's colorful variety of equipment and rolling stock. For fans of classic electric railroading, Monterey and Pacific Grove Street Car Era is a book you won't want to missl Softbound with color painting by J ames Reese. ISBN 0-916 374-91-2. MONTEREY & PACIFIC GROVE STREET CAR ERA, 64 pages, 70 B&W photos, 8'hx11" softbound, B112 (Ready May) add $2 p/h "., ...... • , .• "., .• "., .• ,. " .• , ...... ,16,95 ~ INTERURBAN ; c.,. PO Box 6~~G~n~~CA 91225 I 181 8 1240·9130 FAX 18 181 240 ·5436 I PACIFIC RAILNews • 55