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2. NOVEMBER 1988 November 1988 No. 300

P ACIFI C RAlL NE\f/S and P ACIFIC NEWS are Steve Schmollinger registered trademarks of Interurban Press, a Hot Sand and Drifting Snow ...... 20 California Corporation. A look at Santa Fe's dynamic Seligman Subdivision in PUBLISHER: Mac Sebree northern Arizona EDITOR: Jim Walker NEWS EDITOR: Dick Stephenso n Commuter Train Fever Sweeps Southern ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mike Schafer California ...... H.G. Ready 29 EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Don Gulbrandsen ART PRODUCTION: Mark Danneman Six serious rail proposals are under study in the quest for PRODUCTION MANAGER: Ray Geyer solving the region's transit problems CONTRIBUTING ARTIST: John Signor CIRCULATION MANAGER: Bob Schneider Departments: STAFF: Rail News ...... 4 Shortlines ...... 33 Michael W. Blaszak, David R. Busse, P. Allen Copeland , R. C. Farewell , Thomas Higgins, Letters ...... 6 Transit Herb Horton, Don Jewell , Norm Johnson, PRN Expeditor ...... 7 West Coast Light Rail Ken Meeker, Steve Morgan, Brian Norden, Clifford Prather, Karl Rasmussen, John A. Railroads Update ...... 34 Rushton, Joe Strapac, Charles Vercelli. BN ...... 8 Portland ...... 34 Soo ...... 9 San Francisco/BART ... 35 P ACIFIC R AILNEWS (USPS 862840) is pub­ SP ...... 11 L.A. Metro ...... 36 lished monthly by Interurban Press (a corpora­ tion), 1212 South Brand Blvd. , Gl endale , CA C&NW ...... 12 San Francisco/MUNI .. 37 91204. Second-class postage paid at Glendale, D&RGW ...... 14 Preservation ...... 37 CA 91209 and additional offices. POSTMAS­ TER: Se nd address changes to: PACIFI C Amtrak ...... 16 Out West ...... 38 RAILNEWS, P.O. Box 6128 , Glendale, CA AT&SF ...... 18 From the Past ...... 42 91205. ISSN 8750-8486. Rail Canada West ...... 19 Photo Stop ...... 44 CORRESPONDENCE: Please use P.O. Box 6128, Glendale, CA 91205 for ALL correspon­ Mexico ...... 19 Interurbans Newsletter . . .. 46 dence. UPS deliveries only to 11 5-C E. Palmer Regionals ...... 33 Extra Board Ads ...... 47 Ave. , Glendale, CA 91205. VIA ...... 33 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $27 (U.S.) for 12 issues , $49 for 24 issues. Foreign add $6 for each 12 issues . Single copy $2.75 (subject to COVER: GP50 No. 3849 is on the point of a Santa Fe intermodal train, X3849 East, caming through change without notice). First-class/air rates a rack cut in Kingman Canyon, Ariz., on a stiff uphill grade on April 30, 1988. The smake comes available on req ues!. from the stack af the second locamotive, C30-7 No. 8023. This scenic trackage is covered in "Hot Sand and Drifting Snaw" in this issue. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: The Post Office -STEVE SCHMOLLINGER does not regularl y forward 2nd Class Mail and P ACIFIC R!IIL N E I17S is not responsible for copies not forwarded or destroyed by the Post Office. Replacement copies/PO notifications will be bi lled. Please allow us at least four A NOTE ... weeks for any address changes. ADVERTISING RATES: On request, or call his issue marks an anniversary of sorts. Continuing a tradition (818) 240-4777 . T which extends back over 27 years, this issue is the 300th since Articles and photographs for the magazine are production was started in September 1961. welcome. When submitting material for con­ While not all of these issues were produced under the same leader­ sideration, include return envelope and post­ age if you wish it returned. P ACIFIC ship, they represent a continuing commitment by us here at Interurban R A ILN E\f/S does not assume responsibility for Press to bring you a quality product each and every issue. the safe return of material. Payment is made The actual issue number, whether 300, 400 or 500 is only a point of upon publication. reference. The significance lies in our determination to bring you a © 1988 INTERURBAN PRESS Mac Sebree, President variety of news stories, features and photos on Western rail subjects Jim Walker, Vice-President each month. Share with us this observation of a significant milepost! ARt.. ~ MAC SEBREE. JIM WALKER. DICK STEPHENSON and all the PACIFIC R AILNEws Staff

PACIFIC RailNEWS - 3 DA-I- · · -~

Montano Roil Link has acquired second-hand locomotives from a number of sources. Seen here at Livingston, Mont., on July 3, 1988, are ex-N&W 5035 1546, ex-BN GP9 1934,5040202 in MRL livery, Grand Trunk {ex-OT&ll GP35 6355 and BN GP9 1930. MRL also has ex-B&LE S09s and ex-SP S07s ond S09s. -LARRY ZEUTSCHEL

Quite a bit of real estate comes with the Grande's bid for SP would be best for the SP+D&RGW=SP, SP, noted Anschutz, adding that much of public and the railroad industry. Present Comments Anschutz it underlies the track and yards. He em­ at the meeting was Sen. Larry Pressler, a phasized that although what land is sur­ South Dakota Republican who urged the The 4-0 vote of the ICC to approve sale of plus "we will endeavor to sell, . . . we commission to swiftly approve the merg­ Southern Pacific Transportation Co. by will not dispose of property which is need­ er. This formidable array of support for the SFSP Corp. to Rio Grande Industries ed to support the railroad now or in the Rio Grande's bid came as a blow to Kan­ and its concurrent denial of the bid of future." One of the main positive aspects sas City Southern (KCS), which was also Kansas City Southern Industries on of the ICC decision is the end of months seeking ICC permission to buy SP. KCS Aug. 9, 1988, has set in motion the me­ of uncertainty as to SP's future. presented its plan for the future based on chanics for actual transfer later this year. Merger of SPT and the D&RGW will being the successful SP suitor. Rio Philip Anschutz, head of Rio Grande create America's fifth-largest railroad sys­ Grande Chief Counsel and Vice President Industries, released comments on Aug. 9 tem, ranking behind UP-MP-WP-MKT Sam Freeman quickly noted, however, which seem to answer some questions (24,074 miles), BN (23,476 miles), CSX that the KCS offer would leave SP sad­ about future plans. He said the combined (21,494 miles) and NS (17,254 miles). dled with a debt of more than $1.5 bil­ SP-D&RGW would operate under the The new system will go into business with lion vs. roughly $400 million under Rio banner of SP, although the Denver & Rio 15,046 miles of route and about 26,300 Grande's proposal. Moreover, because of Grande Western will "continue its own employees. Gross revenues for the two a massive antitrust judgement pending proud heritage of service as an integral lines last year was $2.5 billion ($2.3 bil­ against KCS of up to $600 million, an and pivotal part of the overall system." lion of which was generated by the SP). amount larger than the present assets of Noting that the Cotton Belt has for some ICC Ruling Specifics KCS, Freeman questioned whether KCS time used its own name while marketing ICC chairman Heather Gradison said is financially a viable suitor for SP. Final­ its service as part of the Espee system, the combined SP/D&RGW will "produce ly KCS indicted that if the ICC approved Anschutz said the Rio Grande identity substantial public benefits" not now the Rio Grande merger on Aug. 9 KCS would be continued. Headquarters for available. She added that "There are no would go to court to block the transac­ the combined railroad system will be in discernible harms to competition or to tion. San Francisco, with Denver being re­ essen tial railroad services." Union Pacific was represented at the tained as a major regional office. Manage­ The approval was preceded by a one­ meeting and expressed concern that its ment will be drawn from the SP and Rio day meeting of the ICC regarding the bids competitive position would be severely Grande-names of senior offices will be on July 27. During that meeting repre­ eroded if the merger was approved. UP announced before dosing of the pur­ sentatives from the Departments of Jus­ thus requested that if the ICC approved chase. tice and Transportation testified that Rio the D&RGW/SP merger that the ICC se-

4 • NOVEMBER 1988 verely restrict the merged company's op­ erations. Not one to remain silent, Rio Grande's Freeman stated that "Union Pa­ cific is a colossus that will continue to grow no matter what happens to SP." It is significant that no protective conditions were granted in the order.

San Diego Line Centennial Celebrated

The centennial of the completion of the Santa Fe line between Los Angeles and San Diego was celebrated on Aug. 19, 1988. There is conflicting evidence as to the exact date when service began. Official Santa Fe records indicate that the line was completed on August 12, 1888, when the gap between San Onofre and Fallbrook Jct., near Oceanside was closed. During 1887 track had been laid between Los Angeles and Orange, and between Santa Ana and San Onofre. A special train on Aug. 16, 1888 carried 150 business and A helping hand for the San Joaquin on Aug . 4, 1988, came in form of Santa Fe F45 5969, seen here between Avon and Mococo, Calif., on SP trackage. Train 709 is headed east to Bakersfield. The community leaders from Los Angeles to Santa Fe unit returned on No. 710. San Diego. -THEODORE PHILLIPS To mark the centennial many members of the Lexington Group (railroad histori­ ans), and representatives of the Sourhern subsidiary known as Pacer, will not be platform car designed for trailers or con­ California Chapter of the Railway and affected by the sale. PMT's Auro Trans­ tainers, which is a modification of the sin­ Locomotive Historical Society and the port Division, long associated with the gle-platform Front Runner car that cur­ Santa Fe Historical Society were guests of SPT name, was founded in 1935. rently exists), and an articulated auto­ Amtrak and Santa Fe Railway aboard San Trailer Train Company has four new rack car. Prototypes are currently being Diegan No. 578. Am Fleet business car types of flat cars now in planning or pro­ evaluated for the double-stack car and ar­ lOOOl-Beech Grove and Santa Fe Track totype testing. These include a stand ticulated five-platform car. A prototype Inspection Car 89 were on the rear of the alone double-stack car with a capacity of has been ordered for the auro-rack car, train for the trip to San Diego. Power for 167,000 pounds, an articulated five-unit which may well represent a new genera­ the train was F40s 326 and 222. The all-purpose car (for trailers or contain­ tion in the equipment used to move new group returned on Aug. 2l. ers), the all-purpose Front Runner (a two automobiles. Abour 55 percent of new Along the way, the train stopped to mark the centennial near El Toro (see photo), before continuing on. A bronze plaque to commemorate the event will be cast and then mounted in the new Irvine station (to be built next year near the spot). As we have commented on previous oc­ casions, a ride aboard the Track Inspec­ tion car is a treat. You can really see the railroad, and this was especially true of the rail project between Fullerton and Santa Ana. Work has been completed on laying the rail, and tie and ballast work is progressing. Anaheim siding is being ex­ tended, made possible by the grade sepa­ ration of Lincoln Avenue. At other points it was very easy to see what work had been done to the line. Further track work is expected next year in Phase II of the track improvement project, which should in­ clude the East Santa Ana to Serra seg­ ment. -DICK STEPHENSON Rail Briefs . .. On Aug. 8 PMT announced the sale of its Symbolic of a passing era is this side-by-side view of two SD40-2s-Katy No. 606 and UP Na. 3789. August 12 was the last day of an independent Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad; UP took over owner­ auto transport division; the sale is subject ship that day. Katy will, howeve r, be operated as a separate entity for a short time while labar and to approval by the ICC. Pacific Motor other agreements are finalized. An early 1989 merger of the Katy entity into UP is forecast. Transport Co., a separate SP trucking -UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 5

Grant Sections between Needles and Mo- jave. —JACK WHI7MEYER

Licensed railfans: New York-transplant Pete Teicher displays his appreciation of Conrail on his Calif. license plate. Its certainly one of the more unlikely railfan "messages" seen on the Pacific coast, snapped in June 1988. Any other entries? —DICK STEPHENSON

Abbreviation Corrections

San Diegan No. 578 paused briefly at milepost 186, near El Toro, to commemorate the 100th I found the article about the Needles Sub- anniversary of completion of the Los Angeles-San Diego route, near this point. (I. to r.) Arthur Lloyd, division in PRN 297 very interesting. Amtrak; Darrell Brewer, Chairman of the Sou. Calif. Chapter, R&LHS; Don Hofsommer, Executive I believe you might want to know that Director, Lexington Group; John Berry, President of Santa Fe Railway Historical Society; and Mike the ABS abbreviation on the timetable Martin, Special Representative Public Relations, Santa Fe Railway pose in front of AT&SF Track page illustrated is the abbreviation for Inspection Car No. 89, on August 19, 1988. Automatic Block Signal System, not Ab- —DICK STEPHENSON solute Block Signal; CTC is the abbrevia- tion for Centralized Traffic Control, not cars make their way to dealers aboard rail our time in on the Santa Fe. As the saying Centralized Train Control—TWC is the cars according to TTX. goes, "There's nothing quite so constant abbreviation for Track Warrant Control, In another equipment note, ITEL stat- as change." not Train Warrant Control. ed recently that the number of rail cars Finan's article and photos are excellent These abbreviations and names come has decreased by 21 percent since 1976 (PRN 297) for there is lots of railroading from The General Code of Operating causing shortages of many different types out there. Back in the days of steam, the Rules adopted by most Class I Railroads of cars. In many instances it has been freights were always running for the next operating west of the Mississippi during more attractive for the lessor of rail cars watering hole. But the big Northerns 1985 and 1986. to scrap them rather than invest capital in with their monstrous tenders would carry While the abbreviations and defini- rebuilding them. the mail and passengers nonstop between tions are only a small and almost insignifi- Needles and Barstow—often running 100 cant error in the article, they are certainly to 105 mph on those long straight down- evident to anyone who has familiarized hill runs in the days before tapes betrayed themself with the terminology used in such doings. rules exams. LETTERS When the Espee built the line, they got —MARTIN L. LEHNIS, IV every other section of land for five miles either side of their line. In the subsequent We thank Mr. Lehnis for setting us More Needles Lore deal with Santa Fe, they passed every oth- straight on these terms. Well of course it will always be the "Nee- er alternate section to John, so today each dles District" to us old timers who put railroad owns an equal number of Land BN Still Uses Orders A correction to the BN column (p. 15, PRN 296). Burlington Northern has not issued its last train order. Dispatchers at New Westminster, B.C. continue to move 1988 CATALOG READY traffic between Vancouver, B.C. and The Portola Railroad Museum, operated by Blaine, Wash. (international border) with the Feather River Rail Society, is one of the voil..3$150$2*4 train orders (one dated July 18, 1988 at- fastest growing museums in the country, now with over 75 pieces of rolling stock, BOOK & GIFT SHOP tached). including 25 engines. Our sales are what ol the —DEAN OGLE keep us going. All PROFITS go back into the museum. Our items are DISCOUNTED: CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM T-Shirts, Mugs, Buckles, Hats, Books, Over 1000 Titles Always In Stocki Correction in Title Tacks and much more. Also we have r thousands of paper items like: Timetables, M CALL US FIRST! -VG I should bring to your attention that Santa Forms, Photos, Brochures, and Printed Fe Railway Chief Ball's official title is matter from railroads all over the country Milepost 1 and the State Railroad Museum for sale. Many rare items. Large SSAE for are open 7 days a week 10 AM - 5 PM Chief of Police, not Chief Special Agent our 18 page (mentioned in PRN 297, p. 33). This catalog. PHONE ORDERS (916) 447 9665 VISA/MC came about on Oct. 1, 1983, when the 115 "1" STREET OLD SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 title of the department was changed offi- SEND $1.00 FOR CURRENT CATALOG cially from the Special Service Depart- P.O. Box 8 ment to the Santa Fe Police Department. Portola, CA 96122 PACIf IC COASI NAPIER RAILWAY HISNRICAl. SOCIETY. RICHARD I. SCHLEICHER

6 • NOVEMBER 1988 ]

DOUBLE-STACK DERAILMENT PROBLEMS: New 125-ton capacity double-stack equipment operated on both Union Pacific and Santa Fe lines developed problems during September, leading to derailment of the rolling stock on both roads. UP's incident was near Sloan, Nev., on Sept. 23, while Santa Fe had a September derailment near Summit, Calif. In each case the center truck of the five-car set derailed-caused apparently by the weight. Interim cure is to restrict the amount of weight loaded on each set to avoid the derailments.

ALCO IS ALIVE: Pride of the Pacific Region on NdeM is ex-Delaware & Hudson Alco PA locomotive No. 19, due out of the Empalme (Sonora) Shops in mid-October. The unit is scheduled to be assigned to general service on former FCP lines. For dyed-in-the-wool Alco PA fans, a trip to the area is a must, for there are ~o guarantees how long the unit will remain operational. We will publish further details as they are available. Groups in the U.s. have been trying to acquire at least one of the historic units (four went to Mexico nearly a decade ago) for preservation, but with not much success.

CANADIAN LOCOMOTIVE VISITOR: The long-awaited testing of a Canadian National wide-cab locomotive on Santa Fe finally took place in early October when CN SD50F 5456 visited the AT&SF. The unit made a Chicago-Kansas City round trip, was on display for Family Days at Corwith Yard in Chicago on Oct. 9 and then was to make a Chicago­ Los Angeles round trip.

NEIGHBORS NIX MUSEUM PLAN: Citing opposition from neighbors, the Nevada County ( Calif.) Historical Society has reluctantly dropped plans to rebuild a 1.2-mile section of the narrow-gauge Nevada County Railroad and operate steam trains as part of a county rail museum. Legal expenses and the high cost of preparing an environmental impact report were also cited as reasons for the decision.

NEW ESPEE LIVERY? Reports abound that Rio Grande is considering a new locomotive paint scheme. Time will tell if the familiar SP red-and-gray will become extinct. Next milepost in RGI's acquisition of SP was Oct. 13, on which date the acquisition was to be consummated. Kansas City Southern on Sept. 23 asked a federal appeals court in New Orleans to overturn the sale, but did not ask for an injunction to delay the transaction.

NEW BRITISH COLUMBIA NAME: With its purchase of B.C. Hydro Rail, Itel Rail has renamed it Southern Railway of British Columbia. On Sept. 27, Gerry Steven~on, a 27-year veteran BCH employee, was named president of the SRofBC; he has been in charge of B.C. Hydro Rail as vice president-railway operation since 1985.

RAIL FIGURE PASSES: Edd H. Bailey, 83, president of UP between Sept. 30, 1971, and Jan. 1, 1985, died Sept. 11, 1988.

KATY STILL KATY FOR AWHILE: Although Union Pacific took over the Missouri-Kansas-Texas on Aug. 12, the Katy operation will remain pretty much status quo (as it stands, M-K-T is being leased to the Missouri Pacific Corp.). We would doubt that Katy locomotives in green livery will survive long, and it is likely they will appear allover the Armour-yellOW system, as did the WP diesels.

ESPEE EXECUTIVES GET GOLDEN PARACHUTE: SP will pay cash bonuses totaling $12 million to 65 executives­ even if they lose their jobs after the railroad is sold to Rio Grande Industries (the sale was to close on Oct. 13). Examples are SP Chairman Denman McNear-$l.l million, and Executive Vice President Mike Mohan-$554,500.

KATY MOVES: About two-thirds of all Katy officials did not go over to UP, instead taking a buyout. Katy employees received UP paychecks as of Oct. 1, and a UP computer assumed crew calling as of Oct. 15.

AMTRAK NOTES: Astounded by the success of the new through Santa Barbara-San Diego San Diegan, Amtrak and Caltrans are considering additional through service-officials are surprised at the number of people traveling through Los Angeles. Of those boarding at pOints north of LA., 88 percent are destined for pOints south of LA. In total, 70 percent are destined to stations in San Diego County, 18 percent to pOints in Orange County and 12 percent step off at LAUPT. The trains have actually been making money, with a 140 percent farebox ration ... Despite SP's previous insistence that $8 million in track and signaling upgrade would be needed between Dallas and Houston before Amtrak service could start on the route, Amtrak intends to begin service as early as Nov. 15, 1988. Amtrak plans to spend $500,000 in initial repairs to accommodate the new thrice-weekly Houston leg of the Chicago-San Antonio Eagle.

PACIFIC Rail NEWS • 7 RAILROADS

Burlington Northern No. 58, a potash train to Willmar and Sioux City from Minneapolis, is seen at East Delano, Minn ., on July 24, 1988.500 SD40-2s 6614 and 745 are the uncommon trailing power. -ROBERT M . BALL

cago and Springfield were considered as proved. The $9.5 million rehabilitation possible locations for a third regional project proposes a combination of noise headquarters, but an in-depth analysis of abatement and access changes to reduce BURLINGTON future traffic movements revealed that the ire of abutting residents. St. Paul and Denver could adequately ad­ In a more positive gesture of goodwill, NORTHERN dress Company and customer needs. EN has reduced rates by 40 percent on the movement of hay in SO-foot boxcars. Corporate News Developments In effect until Aug. 31 , the move should Karl Rasmussen The Federal District Court has over­ help drought-beleaguered farmers and turned a Minnesota law passed during the livestock owners throughout the Midwest 1988 session which mandated cabooses on and West. certain categories of trains. The statute, A long term plan to increase box car Operating Department Restructuring which was to have gone into effect on utilization was worked out with CSX, Details Aug. I , was stricken as the Court ruled dubbed the "Economiser" plan. Dis­ During July, the EN formally announced the issue had been pre-empted by the counted rates will be offered on joint line plans to reorganize its Operations Dept., Federal Railroad Administration. The service between the East Coast and the slimming down to only two regions and decision will likely be contested by the Pacific Northwest, aimed at filling empty nine divisions. This action follows similar State of Minnesota; however, the rail­ lumber service equipment on the back­ moves on such properties as CSX and roads have been allowed to operate with­ haul to mills. Santa Fe. The new Northern Region will out cabooses during the interim time peri­ June 1988 was a record month for the be based in St. Paul, with division offices od. movement of grain and grain-related in Fargo, Havre, Minneapolis and Seat­ In another Minnesota-based issue, the products on EN, with 47 ,966 carloadings tle. The Southern Region will be head­ citizens of St. Paul continue to fight EN achieved. The previous high of 47,696 quartered at Denver, with a division level plans to expand the Midway inter modal carloadings was set in August 1984. office maintained at the Colorado capital hub. A consultant study stated that an Operating income for the second quar­ as well. Other divisional offices in the average of 427 trucks presently use the ter of 1988 was $177 million, an increase Southern Region will include Ft. Worth, Midway facility, expected to increase to of $46 million over the comparable 1987 Galesburg, Lincoln and Springfield. Chi- 700 should the Company's plans be ap- period. The Company attributed this per-

8 • NOVEMBER 1988 formance to increased traffic levels as well the program. As of late July, 32 units 6588 /6555 /6617 were observed at North­ as higher freight rates. Unfortunately, a from 1988's quota of 50 locomotives had town, and on Aug. 11 , sister 6593 was $230 million charge taken by subsidiary been turned over to the contractors. spotted at the same location. All four of El Paso Natural Gas obliterated the entire A total of six GP20s had been shipped these Geeps looked ragged and appeared profit. The recent division of corporate to Ziegler for overhaul, including 2006, to be stripped. On a more positive note, business functions into natural resources 2008, 2010 , 2036, 2041 and 2059. The former SP SD9 4316, now MRL, was and transportation segments will clarify 2010 had been involved in a wreck earlier noted dead in tow west on No. 119 out of future earnings reports. this year and will be used for parts only. Minneapolis on July 16. The Board of Directors has recently Nine GP30s have been retired and sent to BN continues to weed some of the older approved the acquisition of 150 high-ca­ EMD, including Nos. 2207,2223, 2224, U30Cs from the roster; 5327 was pacity (high cube) boxcars from Gunder­ 2226, 2236 , 2241 , 2242 , 2246 and 2249. scrapped at West Burlington during May. son, Inc. of Portland. The $9 million or­ Sister unit 2250 was retired in late April During August, BN is to acquire a group der will be filled in November of this and shipped to Morrison-Knudsen. of nine units when its original 15 year year. In related action, the Company or­ Among the GP35s, 2509 went to M-K, lease expires. The group will promptly be dered eight Beth-Combo cars, a combina­ while sisters 2501 , 2503 , 2513 , 2521,2535 sold to the LS&I, who intends to retire all tion boxcar/hopper car, from Bethlehem and 2545 were shipped to EMD. The fi­ its remaining RSD12s in the 1800-series. Steel. BN has also leased 550 new nal group of EMD road switchers shipped BN's fleet of coal power was not in 3,000 cubic foot capacity covered hopper off for remanfacture included nine great condition at mid-summer 1988 , as cars from Pullman Leasing, to be used in GP40s, all going to M-K: 3006, 3007, the road had experienced problems with cement and aggregate service. 3017 , 3024 and 3026 to 3030. the Oakway SD60s. The resulting with­ drawal of the burly EMDs from the coal New Coal Contracts Garnered Serious Mishap at Randall pool for corrective repairs placed quite a With intense competition being pro­ BN suffered a major pileup on the sin­ strain on the remaining SD40-2s and vided by other railroads for coal traffic gle track line between Staples and Little GEs. Many of the older U30Cs are start­ these days, BN announced several experi­ Falls, Minn. , on July 16, as 32 cars of a ing to show their age, throwing oil smoke mental agreements which may ultimately IIO-car No. 218 bit the ballast just south and seriously needing paint. Perhaps lead to long term contracts. Here is a brief of Randall. The train was carrying grain, some of the reliable SD40-2s will have to summary of that activity: fuel oil and sulfur, and set off a number of be placed back into the coal pool before Thirty thousand tons of coal were grass fires after the derailment. The sub­ cold weather hits again. shipped to Ontario Hydro at Thunder stantial wreckage took nearly two days to Thanks to John Baukus, Burlington Bay for test burning; the mineral was clean up, forcing detours via the former Northern, Darren Hill, Rick Knutson, handled by ship between Superior, Wis., GN to Willmar. A shortage of crews on RAILWA Y A C E and THE MIXED TRAIN . and the Ontario port. Another 150,000 that district caused some unusual oper­ tons of coal will be shipped to other On­ ations, including a massive 63-car com­ tario Hydro plants located on Lake Supe­ bined No. 1 and 33 out of Minneapolis on rior during August and September. the 17th, featuring LMX B39-8s In late July, 24,000 tons of Powder Riv­ 8518/8535/8559, GP50 3128 and FT38. er Basin coal were shipped from Nerco's Soo Spring City Mine to Vancouver, B.C., for Motive Power Miscellany LINE export to Japan. Mitsubishi Corp. will Citing continued strong coal and grain test the low sulfur coal at a Japanese util­ traffic, BN has gone shopping for addi­ ity plant later this year. BN is still actively tonal power to lease. To complicate mat­ trying to develop a market for Powder ters, it appears that the DM&IR has re­ Karl Rasmussen River Basin coal in the Far East. called most of its spare SD9/18 fleet to An agreement reached with Consumers handle a mushrooming movement of ta­ Power Company will result in two test conite on the Iron Range. One of the easi­ Corporate News Highlights operations in the lower peninsula of est augmentation moves found the recon­ In its second quarter report to sharehold­ Michigan this summer and fall. Forty-six structed LMX B39-8s 8503 and 8540 ers, Soo continued to paint an optimistic thousand tons of coal will move to the returning to BN on a lease basis, desig­ picture for the future, highlighted by a Cobb Power Plant located at Muskegon, nated as GECX 8000 and 8001. These new profit of 51 cents per share. The with the Powder River Basin coal loaded shiny gray hoods were spotted at North­ earnings of $4.8 million (which included onto vessels at Chicago for movement to town on July 25 , having worked into the results of the Lake States Division, the Great Lake State. From mid-August Minneapolis on No. 100, in the company sold to Wisconsin Central last October) through mid-October, BN and CSX will of B30-7AB 4020. compared with $2 million for the same team up to move two trains per week to Somewhat more unexpected power 1987 quarter. Operating revenue de­ West Olive, Mich. which showed up on BN in recent weeks clined from $158 million to $144 million, Empire District Electric of Joplin, included GATX (still painted B&O) although the 1987 figure included ap­ Mo. , will receive 500,000 tons of Powder GP40 3735, which arrived dead in tow proximately $22 million from Lake River Basin coal from Peabody's Rochelle behind three other GAT X units (SD38-2s States. Mine to Riverton, Kan. , through 1243/1 24211245 ) on the point of No. 808 Carloadings and total inter modal units Dec. 31 , 1989. in Minneapolis on July 24 . It has been handled for the second quarter declined reported that GATX will take possession 10 percent from 1987 levels, but were up Locomotive Rehabilitation Program of some additional GP38-2s coming off slightly if the Lake States component of Faced with a continual shortage of lo­ lease later this year (former MP?) and will total traffic is deducted from the 1987 comotives suitable for branchline and sec­ promptly lease them out to power-hungry figures . Carloadings of grain, automotive ondary service, the company has con­ BN. Another unexpected surprise and containerized traffic were all up from tracted with EMD, M-K and Ziegler (a showed up at Northtown on Aug. 13: last year's levels. major Caterpillar distributor) to rehabili­ VMV SDP45 6689. . Soo also announced that it sold a por­ tate 250 units over the next five years. Other strange motive power has ap­ tion of its trucking operations to CP While the final distribution arrangements peared on the BN in the past month that Limited, while concurrently liquidating have not been made as yet, Ziegler was has not been ready for line haul duty. On the assets of its Milwaukee Motor Trans­ guaranteed a minimum of ten units out of July 25, for example, SP GP35s portation (MMT) subsidiary. Due to high

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 9 operating costs and intense competition, outstanding stock of Soo may be offered Future Intermodal Trends Soo felt it more financially prudent to to an Eastern carrier, particularly CSX. Soo recently reported that six percent contract for truck cartage and intermodal Recent changes in CSX operating philos­ of its revenue was being derived from in­ support services. An example of the new ophy in Lower Michigan suggest that a termodal-related traffic, currently tied philosophy is the management of the long term commitment to moving inter­ heavily to its CP and SP connections. St. Paul intermodal terminal by Tri­ modal traffic between Kansas City/Twin With the rece nt approval of the Modal, Inc. Hiawatha Trucking, a divi­ Cities and Toronto/Montreal may be in D&RGW/Espee amalgamation, it will be sion of MMT, was sold to CP Express and the making. Sources indicate that CSX interesting to see if further container and Transport, Ltd. in May of this year. personnel have been inspecting Soo shop trailer business will be routed over Soo As speculated in several newspapers facilities and equipment over the course between Kansas City and Chicago. The throughout the Upper Midwest in recent of the past two or three months. months, Wisconsin U.S. Senator Robert existing container traffic handled out of Kasten has obtained preliminary approv­ Long Beach and Oakland may be aug­ Warner Road Intermodal mented with loadings from the Pacific al for an $8 million grant to accelerate Terminal Acquisition rehabilitation of the former Milwaukee Northwest. Prior to the recent ICC ac­ tion, however, Soo was exploring the Road main line across the Badger State . If In a purchase agreement dated Aug. 1, movement of containers out of Seattle approved in Congress, these funds would 1988, the City of St. Paul has offered Soo with UP and out of Vancouver, B.C. , with facilitate additional track work for calen­ $9. 1 million to acq uire the former Mil­ CP Rail. dar year 1989. waukee Road Warner Road ("Old Yard") Recent operational improvements have In June, the Board of Directors ap­ intermodal terminal as part of the Great expedited the movement of both trailers proved the acquisition of 21 new locomo­ River Road program. Should it accept the and containers out of the Winnipeg Gate­ tives for 1989. These are in addition to the offer, the Soo would relocate its intermo­ way on CPo Train 937 now handles Cana­ 21 SD60s approved earlier (6021-6041), dal operations to a facility to be built at dian-bound trailers directly our of Chica­ whose delivery has been postponed until the former Shoreham Yard in Minneapo­ go on the rear of the train, while the first quarter of 1989, because of lis. The Soo's Board of Directors was to counterpart 950 curs off container and scheduling difficulties at London, Onto consider this offer on Aug. 10, with the trailer loadings at the Warner Road termi­ The 42 units to be acquired in 1989 will City to respond no later than Aug. 19, nal, reducing congestion at St. Paul Yard have a net worth of $55 million and will 1988. and facilitating better connections with be obtained by means of long-term fi­ Under the terms of the purchase agree­ Sprint trains 208 and 212. nancing. ment, the City will acquire approximately 29 acres of land located southeasterly of Heavy Grain Loadings Across Sale to Employees or a Third Party downtown St. Paul, fronting on the Mis­ Northern Iowa After meetings with majority owner CP sissippi River. As part of the total settle­ The drought-related run-up of com­ Limited in July, representatives of Soo ment, the City will underwrite an estimat­ modity prices has increased the move­ management and labor are actively work­ ed $4.5 million projec t to construct a new ment of grain traffic on the former Mil­ ing on the details of an Employee Stock intermodal facility at the Shoreham site. waukee Road line across northern Iowa, Ownership Program (ESOP). CP man­ Finally, the Soo must agree to vacate the running east of Mason City to DUbuque. agement announced that it would sell its Warner Road site no later than Sept. I, A lack of extra trainmen and a number of 56 percent interest in Soo to employees, 1989 . plugged intermediate sidings combined another owner or owners, or would sup­ The City and Railroad had considered to give Soo a real bottleneck on this corri­ port a further shrinking in size of the rail an alternate site located adjacent to the dor. A typical " mortgage lifter" operated assets of the Company. CP has reaffirmed Soo's St. Paul yard (Pig's Eye), however, on this line was No. 230 out of Charles its desire to preserve its long-standing the excessive soil correction costs made City on Aug . 5, with SD40-2s traffic marketing relationship with Soo, the Shoreham location much more cost 6360/7721787 and SD40 739 leading 97 with the goal to further enhance intermo­ effective. The proposed settlement does cars, including 75 jumbo grain hoppers. dal and bulk commodity traffic flow in include an additive covering the increased the future. Union and management re­ operating costs of routing east and south­ Operational Highlights presentatives have announced a commit­ bound traffic over the BN between Min­ Unfortunately, we have two additional ment to present a detailed ESOP by mid­ neapolis and St. Paul. Additional infor­ "average" sized derailments to report this September. mation pertaining to this relocation (and issue . Train 222 derailed 11 cars near As observed in issue 298 of P RN, there probable changes in traffic patterns) will New Albin, Iowa, on June 7, causing an certainly is the distinct possibility that the be discussed in future issues of P RN. estimated half million dollars of damage. New Albin is located on the former Mil­ waukee Road line between LaCrosse, Wis., and Dubuque, Iowa, near the Min­ South American Steam nesota/Iowa border. On July 14, 13 cars 1988 Tours VIDEO VALUE!! of coal train 282 bit the ballast near Stew­ only $2:3.00 each (postpaid) art, Minn. , again on former Milwaukee • Tours to: Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, trackage. This incident was apparently Colombia and Guatemala THE SAN DIEG O TROLLEY· 59 mins. caused by a sun kink, a very common • Charter Steam Trains THE DEUTSCHE BUNDESBAHN . 1 hr 10 min. occurrence in this summer of 100 degree • Plenty of Photo Run-bys and Cab Rides THE P&W (Norristown to tem pera tures . • Linesid ing Opportunities Philadelphia) . 1 hr 7 min. Reports indicated that extensive pool • In-Depth Study of Rail Systems BOSTON'S ORANGE LINE· 1 hr 3 min . • Spectacular Scenery THE TROLLEYS OF PHILADELPHIA· 1 hr power is being used on the corridor be­ • Extra Time for Railfanning or Sightseeing THE TROLLEYS OF AMSTERDAM· 1 hr tween Kansas City and Chicago this sum­ • Write or Call fo r Brochure and Iti nerary many others. Similarly priced! mer. In addition to the customary Rio Trains U nliInited, Tours VHS - BETA - VIDEO 8 Grande and Katy units, KCS SD40/40-2s have shown up on inter modal/double c/ o The Travel Experience 24 HOUR ORDER LINE 215/632-4600 stack trains. Furher north, NS SD40 1430 M yers Street, Suite H (P) CARSON HOME VIDEO 3171 made several round trips between Oroville, CA 95965 (916) 534-8555 ~ BOX 42582, Phila., PA 19101 ./. Chicago and St. Paul on trains 202 and T ours organized by Chris W. Skow 203 during late July and early August.

10. NOVEMBER 1988 A typical example was No. 202 on Pacific, and separating once and for all July 29, where the " Thoroughbred" SP from its strongest rival , the Santa trailed Soo SD40-2 6612 and SD40 737. Fe. Carl Loucks NS appears to be paying off Soo for mile­ Merger of SPT and Denver & Rio .. .SELLING RAILROAD TIMETABLES age credits accrued on the Bensenville-to­ Grande Western will create America's Landers Yard transfer service in Chicago. fifth-largest railroad system, ranking be­ The 3171 was returned to the NS due to hind UP-MP-WP-MKT (24,074 miles), 199 Wayland St., North Haven, CT06473 mechanical ailments on Aug. 9. BN (23,476 miles), CSX (21,494 miles), and NS (17,254). The new system, as yet SPECIALS OF THE MONTH .. , Equipment Notes a few of the more than 100,000 items unnamed, will go into business with in our stock. We do NOT sell any re­ Sources indicate that Soo may upgrade 15,046 miles of route and about 26,300 prints. All are original railroad issue. its fleet with additional secondhand loco­ employees. Gross revenue for the two You'll learn about railroad operations motive purchases later this year. Possible lines last year was $2.5 billion, $2.3 bil­ from these ... sources include 20 GP40s from CSX or lion of which was generated by the SP. the hybrid CAT/Geep rebuilds being Long-term implications of the merger RULE BOOK - done by Ziegler and KATO Engineering. remain unknown at this writing. Which SEABOARD SYSTEM 1984. Over 200 Soo has started to clean house; some name, if either, will survive? Will there pages with operating. signal and com­ previously retired Geeps have left Shore­ be a new locomotive paint scheme/re­ munications rules. ham. GP40s 2022/2023/2065 were dis­ numbering? What facilities will be Hard Cover Binder $20. patched sans markings the first week of closed? Will routings change? None of CONDUCTOR'S INSTRUCTIONS - August, with sister 2030 and GP9 2405 these questions can be answered with cer­ Amtrak 1981 . Fare Ru les. Safety Ru les , prepared for movement by Aug. 14. tainty at the moment, although Joe Stra­ Operating Rules, PA Announcements. The paint shop has been busy in the pac is confident that definite planning etc. 200 + pages, Hard Cover three ring past month, as SD40 6402 and SD40A statements will begin to issue from both Binder $20. 6406 (fo rmer HLC 5019) received full headquarters by the end of September. AMTRAK EMPLOYEE TIMETABLE : Soo paint, while GP40s 2046 and 2059 We've heard that the Anschutz man­ Northeast Corridor, Schedules , we re " banditized." SD40-2 201 was agement has a detailed plan for improving Instructions. maps, Over 400 pages, patched and renumbered to 6363, while the SP locomotive roster, presumably in­ Binder $20. six more MP I 5s received the modified cluding both an expansion of the upgrad­ EMPLOYEE TIMETABLES: Line by li ne scheme: 1500 (ex-434), 1519 (ex-453), ing program at the Sacramento Locomo­ trackage. instructions, speeds etc ... .. 1536 (ex-470), 1538 (ex-472), 1546 (ex- tive Works and lease or purchase of CN-Prarie 1986 $ 8. 480) and 1557 (ex-49 1). At this writing, a additional new locomotives. So far, if this GTW-System 1982 $ 6. ICG-Midwest 1983 $ 6. maximum of 12 MPI5ACs, three active story has basis in fact, we have ye t to see MILWAUKEE RD Syst-82 $10. GP40s and five active SD40-2s remain in any particulars. One virtually-certain re­ N & W-Pocahontas 1981 $ 6. full Milwaukee paint. All units not slated sult of the merger, however, should be NS-Crescent 1987 ...... $ 8. for immediate retirement will be bandi­ the reopening to through traffic of the PRR-Eastern 1965 $ 8. tized by the end of 1988 for certain; better Modoc Line, SP's shortcut from Kla­ PC-Eastern 1971 $ 8. get those pictures today! math Falls to Ogden, which bypasses SBD-Florence 1984 $ 6. SBD-Nashville 1985 $ 6. Soo may join BN with a " mini-fleet" of both Roseville Yard and Donner Pass. SBD-Raleigh 1985 $ 6. fuel tenders, using frames from retired Combining a Modoc Line routing with SOO-SYSTEM 1986 $10 locomotives. Candidates include retired the 'Grande through Colorado will help SSW-Kansas City 1981 $ 8. GP20s 946 and 948 as well as SD I 0 561 SP become more competitive with the UP SP-Eastern 1986 $ 8. (with the center wheel removed from each and BN on shipments betwee n the SP-Northern 1986 $ 8. truck!). Northwest and Kansas CitylSt. Louis. UP-System (with MP) 1986 $ 8. Caboose happenings: Former Milwau­ On the other hand, most predictions of PUBLIC TIMETABLE SPECIAL: kee cabs 150 and 171 were noted in black the future imply further decline for the The history of yo ur favorite road told in patch paint in the past month, while Cot­ position of Denver as a major junction timetables. One from the 1940s. one ton Belt waycar 85 trailed No. 937 out of and shop point. It would appear that most from the 1950s, one from the 1960s ... 3 Minneapolis on August 13. through freight will be routed via Tennes­ System timetables fo r only $12.00. Thanks to LaVerne Andreessen, John see Pass and Pueblo (and on east via the Choose from ATSF,ACL,CB&O , Baukus, Mike Cleary, Fred Hyde, R AIL­ Grande's trackage rights on the erstwhile MILW.CRIP.CV.C&O.B&O,IC ,GN ,NH , WAY ACE and Soo Line Railroad. Missouri Pacific to reach the Cotton NYC,N&W.NP.PRR,SAL,SOU ,UP. Six sets for $60.00 Belt), rather than via the Moffet Route through Denver. Will Burnham Shops be EMPLOYEE TIMETABLE downgraded in favor of Sacramento? STARTER KIT: Ideal for the new col­ Hints are there to this effect, but we have lector. Ten employee timetables, hours of interesting reading about rai lroad op­ no definite word as yet. SOUTHERN erations. One each from the SP . Cotton Belt to Disappear UP,ICG .SCL,SOU,ATSF.BNMP, PACIFIC ROCK ISLAND. and CPo Al l ten for Numerous reports of an impending $25.00. corporate disappearance of the Cotton Belt have been fueled by spottings of var­ Joseph A. Strapac Our monthly catalogue lists hundreds ious SSW diesels with their road name of items. No charge, sent with each painted out. As yet, there is no word that order, or send a SSAE. this move, contemplated as a very late ICC Approves Rio Grande + SP! step in the Santa Fe-SP merger, is really With a 4-0 vo te, the Interstate Commerce about to take place. Commission approved on August 9 the The immediate need for a separate Cot­ sale of the Southern Pacific Transporta­ ton Belt evaporated in 1980, when the Carl Loucks tion Company to Rio Grande Industries, ICC conditioned the " Union Pacific . .. SELUNG RAlLROAD TIMETABLES apparently ending nearly eight years of Mop-U p" merger with a release of the SP 199 Wayland St., Norrh Haven, cr 064 73 uncertainty for the people of Southern from constraints of the Ogden Gateway

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 11 Decision. In this rate case, being able to numbers between 8585 and 8796, by Au­ Cotton Belt Division. James Clark was divide a freight rate with the Cotton Belt gust of 1988 the fleet had dwindled down named Superintendent, headquartered at worked to SP's advantage; that need no to one-9754-built in April of 1972 . Its Kansas City, while Carl Bradley was ap­ longer exists. last two compatriots, 8689 and 8717 , were pointed District Superintendent at Pine It should be pointed out as well that retired at the end of July. Bluff. Bob McClanahan, former Pine ownership of an "independent" Cotton Despite its theoretically more fuel-eco­ Bluff Superintendent, retired in July Belt offers SP two important financial ad­ nomical four-cycle engine, the U33C after a long career with SP. vantages: (1) The SSW emerged from proved more expensive to maintain than (SP UPDATE) bankruptcy some 41 years ago, and thus its two-cycle competitor from La Grange, has no "elder" bonded debt to service. Its causing the fleet to drop out of service fixed costs, therefore, are rather low. (2) when SP had a locomotive surplus. The Unlike its parent, the SSW owns but one GEs did not endure long periods of inac­ major yard and relatively few branch tivity, and most of them spent the entire CHICAGO & lines, and as a result can call itself a bridge decade of the '80s rusting away on dead route-with a small proportion of its op­ lines. NORTH erating revenue plowed back into termi­ nal expense. A dividend statement from Rail Unification South Of WESTERN the Cotton Belt, as read at One Market Los Angeles? Plaza in San Francisco, would show a rel­ A Union Pacific intermodal customer Michael W. Blaszak atively great proportion of gross income in Long Beach, International Transporta­ surviving to become net; why shoot the tion Service, wants to load containers di­ golden goose? rectly onto flatcars from ships , causing Seventh Circuit Clears FRVR Sale UP to dispatch more trains (seven instead Operational Changes The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on of the present two) from the Harbor. Aug. 23 affirmed District Judge Paul SP, in common with its neighbors, has Urban development, however, has sur­ Plunkett's March 16 decision permitting been consolidating its train dispatching rounded much of the UP's Harbor the North Western to sell its lines be­ activities to 'an ever-diminishing number Branch, and neighboring property own­ tween Green Bay and Milwaukee to of locations. Recently, the dispatchers ers are resisting any expansion of service. FRVR Corp. The three appellate judges from Kansas City and Lafayette were The Long Beach Harbor Commission is unanimously held that North Western ar­ moved to Houston. Under discussion is investigating the possibility of arranging guably was entitled to sell these lines un­ the possibility of the dispatching present­ trackage rights for UP trains over SP's der its union agreements making the un­ ly located at Pine Bluff, Tucson, and San San Pedro Branch, rather than the pre­ ion's challenge of the sale a " minor Antonio being moved to Houston as well. sent UP route through North Long dispute" for Railway Labor Act pur­ Beach. Residents near the SP line are al­ poses, which the courts may properly en­ New Locomotives ready protesting the expanded SP service join. C&NW, obviously pleased by this The four initial examples of General that resulted from the opening of the In­ ruling, is currently discussing with ITEL Electric's new "Dash-8 B40" locomo­ termodal Container Transfer Facility at Corp., FRVR's owner, when this transac­ tives, boasting a once-astounding thou­ Dolores (near L.A.lLong Beach Har­ tion will be closed. sand-horsepower-per-axle, arrived via bors), so a simple trackage rights agree­ Conrail at East St. Louis from Erie, Pa. ment might not be sufficient. LSLM Progress on Monday evening, Aug. 1. They were Instead, the long-discussed massive Rail Development Corporation, the ap­ started there, and run across Missouri on upgrading of SP's San Pedro Branch into parent success or to LSLM Railroad a Sprint train to Kansas City, where they a sort of Unified Harbor Railroad, with Corp. has reportedly lined up sufficient received radios and formal acceptance. sound-walled, grade-separated rails, financing to close its purchas e of They departed on Tuesday, Aug. 2, on might now get a hearing. Intermodal traf­ C&NW's lines north and west of Green the BNSXF for Los Angeles Harbor fic at the harbors is booming, and is clear­ Bay, which it hopes to do as soon as possi­ (ICTF-Dolores), and were immediately ly outstripping the capacity of both free­ ble now that C&NW has secured a favor­ turned around on another run. ways, so some creative steps will have to able ruling from the Seventh Circuit in We were surprised to discover that they be taken in the near future. As we've so the FRVR case. This sale, of course, in­ were lettered for the Cotton Belt (instead often said, "watch this space! " cludes the North Western's stored Alco of SP), and numbered in the 8040 series, C628s, which would return to ore-hauling Division Consolidations rather than the more logical 8100 group. duty in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. They are outwardly identical to B39-8 SP consolidated the Western and Sac­ units, 8000-8039; their only spotting dif­ ramento Divisions into the new Western­ Legislation Ends August 4 "Strikelet" ference is that they carry large (nearly Sacramento Division effective Aug. 1. The struggle between the North West­ square) GE builder's plates of a new de­ Mike Irvine was appointed Superinten­ ern and its brakemen over management's sign. Inside, the prime mover now oper­ dent at Sacramento, Harry Ballance Dis­ effort to reduce the size of freight train ates at what was once predicted as the trict Superintendent at Oakland, and for­ crews from four persons to two went to upper horsepower limit for this Cooper­ mer Western Division Superintendent the brink of a strike-indeed over the Bessemer design. Whether or not the Erie Dave Medley was named Superinten­ brink-on Aug. 4, but the work stoppage Works can find even more horsepower dent, Operations Planning and Control in was quickly ended by politicians wary of for future models remains to be seen. San Francisco . He reports to E. L. inconveniencing the railroad's many cus­ Meanwhile, watch for the new 8040s! "Buck" Hord, who was recently named tomers and commuters in an election Assistant Vice President, Operations year. Last Of The U33C Units Planning and Control. With the changes President Reagan's emergency board As of mid-August, SP was operating on the Sacramento Division, the Oregon had recommended on July 1 that C&NW just one of its onetime fleet of 212 GE Division's territory was shifted south­ and the United Transportation Union set­ U33C locomotives, bought between 1969 ward to include the main line to Tehama, tle their dispute by agreeing to eliminate and 1975 in competition with EMD's Calif. (where the East and West Valley half of the railroad's brakeman positions SD45s. All the rest qre out of service, lines join), south of Redding. immediately, reducing train crew size retired, or off the property in the hands of Farther east, the Pine Bluff and Kansas from four to three, and to submit future scrap dealers. Originally, occupying City Divisions were combined into the disputes over the size of specific crew as-

12. NOVEMBER 1988 signments to arbitration. Both parties ini­ spokesman Chris Knapton , had oc­ demise of long-time competitors Rock Is­ tially re jected that approach, and they curred. land and Milwaukee Road, and with were unable to reach an alternate agree­ T he legislators responsible for the C&NW's successful penetration of the ment in negotiations with National Medi­ strike-ending bill made it clear they ex­ Powder River Basin coal fields. ation Board offi cials which commenced pect C&NW and UTU to settle their dif­ on July 25. C&NW then reversed its po­ ferences by Sept. 9 and that, if the iss ue is Successful Second Quarter not resolved, legislation fo rcing the par­ sition by announcing on Aug. I that it CNW Corp. reported second-quarter ties to implement the recommendations would accept the emergency board's rec­ net income of $20 .84 million on Aug. 3, ommendations if UTU would do the same of the emergency board would be en­ considerably higher than the $2.08 mil­ prior to Aug. 4, but the union rejected ac ted. The rail road and the union re­ lion profit posted in the corresponding the proposal as a "scam." sumed talks on Aug. IS. 1987 period . These results, however, are By that time the controversy was gener­ attributable to the one-time gain of ating daily front-page stories in Chicago's Chairman Wolfe Dies $22.2 million from the sale of the Doug­ major newspapers and commanding an James R. Wolfe, chairman and chief las Dynamics snowplow unit. C&NW's increasing percentage of broadcas t news executive ofCNW Corporation and presi­ railroad operations lost $1. 74 million time, since UTU's threatened strike over dent of C&NW from 1976 through las t during the qua rte r , d own fr om a C&NW's scheduled imposition of two­ July ll , died of cancer in Chicago's $4.91 million loss las t year. Settlement of person crew operations on Au g. 4 would Rush-Presbyteri an- St. Luke's Medical antitrust claims continued to take their end rail service for 41,000 generally high­ Center on Aug. 9 at the age of 58. Re­ toll on the railroad's bottom line as the income and often influential commuters. ports had circ ulated for several years that company paid out $5 .97 million to Hous­ The news coverage and vo ter interest Wolfe was in poor health, but neither he ton Power & Light Co. Another deal re­ caused politicians representing the com­ nor the company would discuss his phys­ lated to litigation in Beaumont, Texas, muters to spring into ac tion. Former ical condition. A third-generation rail­ over the railroads' role in the failure of the Presidential candidate Sen. Paul Simon roader, Wolfe had gone to work for the ETSI coal slurry pipeline scheme, also CD-Ill.) quickly introduced a joint resolu­ Chicago, Burlington and Quincy upon announced on Aug. 3, saw C&NW enter tion to extend the Railway Labor Act graduation from law school in 195 3. He into a new long-term coal transportati on cooling-off period to Sept. 9, thus delay­ subsequently re presented the National contract with Lower Colorado River Au­ ing the strike and preserving commuter Rail way Labor Conference, the indus­ thority and the city of Austin , Texas, as service . Simon persuaded the Senate to try's bargaining unit, in negotiations with part of the settlement of their antitrust pass the measure on Aug. 3, but ran into the railroad unions through 1968, when allegations. The new contrac t presum­ opposition when he asked the House to he joined C&NW. Wolfe is credited with abl y grants rate concessions on C&NW­ consider it that same day. Rep. John Din­ preservIng the North Wes tern as an inde­ originated Powder River Basin coal in lieu gell CD-Mich. ), chairman of the House pendent railroad in an era which saw the of a cash se ttlement. Energy and Commerce Committee , re­ fused to fast-track the bill through the chamber before a strike ac tually oc­ curred. As the strike deadline approached, ILli­ nois House members concocted a scenar­ io designed to continue commuter service Graysons while satisfying the demand of the power­ ful committee chairman. The congress­ men persuaded UT U to delay the start of the strike fr om 12: 01 a.m. on the fo urth ...... ~ to 9 a.m., after the commuter rush had occurred, if the railroad wo uld agree to delay eliminati on of the brakemen till l1tJllte then. They then prevailed upon Dingell C tS to bring the Simon resolution to a vo te, l1 and upon President Reagan to sign it, im­ _____ . .., W Easy to blow mediately after the strike commenced. C& NW's cooperation was solicited and , ~ t I ~ For kids 4 to 104 after a considerable delay Cfo r reasons Sanitary mouthpiece which may be apparent from our next 'f r item), obtained late in the day. Authentic look and train sound On the promised strike day of Aug. 4, Pat. Pen . after the morning rush-hour commuter trains had run as scheduled, C&NW cut REVOLUTIONARY NEW DESIGN IN TRAIN WHISTLES off its brakemen, UT U set up its picket The new deSign of the GRAYSONS 5 CHIME TRAIN WHISTLE not only sounds but looks lines, Dingell allowed the Simon resolu­ like a steam train whi stle from the past. We believe we have captured that sound with a tion to come up for a vo te, the resolution lower, more mellow 5 chime in a compact whistle you must hear to appreciate. was approved and President Reagan Unlike most train whistles on the market the GRAYSONS 5 CHIME TRAIN WHISTLE is signed it into law, all in about two hours. easy to blow, a 4 year old child can blow it with little effort. It has been developed with a Service disruptions were minimal; trains more sanitary mouthpiece you place to the lips, not in the mouth. en route at 9 a. m., continued to the near­ The GRAYSONS 5 CHIME TRAIN WHISTLE has the appearance of an authentic old time est terminal and only five commuter steam whistle. The complete whistle is made of a lightweight, high impact material, 1'I. x 7 trains operating between 9 and II were inches, making it comfortable to hold and break resistent. ca nceled. If homeward commuters re­ turning to North Wes tern Station that GRAYSONS ENTERPRISES afternoon hadn't read the papers, they 600 S. PARK ROSE AVE., MONROVIA, CA 91016 probably would not have known the SEE YOUR DEA LER - DE ALER I NQUIRIES WELCOME " strikelet," as it was termed by Metra

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 13 Council Bluffs Tornado symboled PRKWT (Proviso-Kansas City A tornado touched down in north [SSW]). PRKWT departs Proviso Council Bluffs during the afternoon of around noon and is scheduled for delivery July 15, destroying several homes and to Cotton Belt by 6 a.m. the next day. RIO ravaging the adjoining yards of C&NW This train has no eastbound counterpart. and Chicago Central and Pacific. The GRANDE storm ripped the roof off C&NW's engin­ Depots Demolished ehouse, deposited debris across the tracks North Western's wood frame station at and blew cars out the north end of the Merriman (74 miles east of Chadron), R. C. Farewell yard with 92 mph gusts. Damage from Neb. , one of the las t depots on C&NW's the tornado disrupted C&NWoperations western Nebraska lines was razed in in the area and prevented interchanges Goodby to the Rio Grande June. Up in Casper, Wyo., the owner of with Union Pacific for three to four days. the former C&NW brick depot decided On Aug. 9 the ICC approved Phillip Ans­ chutz's plan to buy Southern Pacific Iowa Ramp Closed to tear the vacant building down to make room for the proposed extension of David Transportation Co. Robert Starzel, In a somewhat surprising move, Street across the North Western tracks spokesman for the Anschutz Corp. said C&NW announced on Aug. 9 that it and an adjoining parking lot. Demolition that the two railroads will roll under the would close its Council Bluffs TOFC was expected to begin July 21 and take Southern Pacific banner. Moreover, Ans­ ramp on Sept. 1. Meanwhile, the railroad about a month. C&NW vacated the struc­ chutz noted that he will make San Fran­ has engaged a contractor to load and un­ ture in the '50s, when it was sold to oil­ cisco the headquarters for the combined load stack cars at Boone and has posi­ man Fred Goodstein. Goodstein died in rail network. This announcement means tioned a sideloader at Des Moines for in­ 1983 , leaving the property to a founda­ that top corporate executives of Rio termodal handling. tion bearing his name which apparently Grande, as well the Anschutz manage­ ment team, will move to the Bay Area. has no interest in preserving one of Clinton Car Shops Starze! stated that cutbacks of between Convert Boxes to Flats Casper's few remaining historic struc­ tures. 400 and 800 positions will probably be After completing the conversion of 188 evenly split between the present SP staff in San Francisco and Rio Grande staff in jumbo covered hoppers to two-bay ce­ Riverton Line Saved? ment hoppers in May, the Clinton car Denver. shops commenced work on their next A Riverton, Wyo., company has project, the conversion of about 200 insu­ stepped forward to purchase C&NW's Merger Results and Plans lated boxcars to skeleton intermodal flat­ endangered line to that point, which the There are no major changes expected cars capable of handling 48-foot trailers. company is presently trying to abandon. until the Anschutz management team fig­ C&NW is performing the work for Bonneville Transloaders, the prospective ures out the best way to deal with their XTRA Corp. owner of the ex-Fruit buyer, would use the line to shorten the new rail network, and that could take a Growers Express cars; following conver­ distance it presently trucks soda ash for significant amount of time. sion XTRA leases the cars to C&NW. transloading to Burlington Northern rail­ Robert Starzel stated that the Rio The first converted car, C&NW 780100, cars. The line connects with BN at Sho­ Grande's motive power will not be re­ rolled out on May 19. The conversion bon; C&NWoperates 86.4 miles over BN painted. He did state, however, that the program should be completed by Octo­ from that point to Illco, near Casper. D&RGW logo and/or name would not ber. Bonneville offered C&NW $100,000 for appear on trains of the SP. Other changes the line subject to several conditions. Frisco 1522 Ferried on C&NW may include the final closing of the C&NW is planning to file for abandon­ D&RGW Burnham Shops for all but rou­ North Western hauled St. Louis-San ment of a segment of the Marshalltown tine run-through maintenance of motive Francisco 4-8-2 1522 from the St. Louis Subdivision, Central Division between power. It may mean the end of the dead area to Chicago on July 22 as the steamer Hampton and Steamboat Rock, Iowa, fleet of D&RGW GP35s, but could mean deadheaded north for freight and excur­ 28 .2 miles. Through traffic was routed rebuilding or renewal of the D&RGW sion service on Wisconsin Central. SD40- off this onetime Minneapolis and SD45s. Only time will tell. 2 6873 drew the assignment of piloting St. Louis main and onto the parallel ex­ the locomotive and its train of tank car Rock Island "spine line" several years Track Enhancement Projects (for water), boxcar (for tools), ex-Santa ago. The company also wants to drop its ex-Rock Island trackage between Sibley Rio Grande has been expecting to ac­ Fe caboose and ex-Frisco sleeper Cimar­ quire SP and its traffic flow patterns, and ron River from Madison Yard near and Ocheyedan, Iowa, 10.7 miles, but the Commission rejected its application has been anticipating that SP tonnage will St. Louis to Proviso Yard near Chicago. be rerouted from the UP connection in The train stopped for servicing at South on July 19 because of anomalies in its en­ vironmental report. Ogden to Rio Grande's trans-Rockies Pekin and Nelson, Ill. After its excur­ main lines. Therefore, Rio Grande is con­ sions, the 1522 was returned to St. Louis More SD45s to be Activated tinuing to bring the Moffat Tunnel main via the reverse route. C&NW 6564, the line up to absolutely top condition. 16-cylinder re-engined SD45, piloted the Due to continued high traffic levels , Initially, early summer work was inter­ steamer on the Aug. 15 southward move. C&NW is planning to activate from 25 to rupted by the daily flow of Rio Grande 50 stored SD45s. The company is pres­ tonnage. In order for completion by New Chicago-Kansas City Train ently evaluating these locomotives at Oel­ merger date, an all-daylight work "win­ Last spring C&NW won a contract wein to determine which units can be dow" on the Moffat Tunnel main line had from General Motors to resume hauling fired up most economically. As of late to be created. Trains that would interfere auto parts bound for GM's Van Nuys August, the 903 , which will be the first of with the work schedule, with the excep­ (Los Angeles) Camaro/Firebird plant be­ these units to be reactivated, was in Oel­ tion of westbound Amtrak No.5, were tween the Grand Trunk Western connec­ wein Shops for repairs. routed via the parallel Tennessee Pass tion near Chicago and the Cotton Belt Thanks to Wayne A. Kling, Michael M. main line. For example, up until recently, connection at Kansas City. To handle this Barlels, THE FII ST MIIIL, TH E MIXED usually only train No. 138 traveled east­ business, starting July I, the company TRAIN, and TH E NORTH WESTER N DIS­ bound over Tennessee Pass. Lately, it has commenced operation of a new train, PIITCH. been joined by train Nos. 130, 146 and

14. NOVEMBER 1988 150. Westbound traffic patterns allowed found things somewhat back to normal, for either train No. 177 or 179; now both with No. 103's consist containing 28 vans commonly move over Tennessee Pass. and motive power provided by D&RGW Jq8q Bail SDSO 5507, GP40 3075, and GP40-2 Passenger Service 3109. Rio Grande utilized the wintertime Ski Cale'ldars Foreign Motive Power Train equipment for two special oper­ Steam • Diesel • Electric ations this summer: the Winter Park Fun BN motive power continues to be uti­ Train and a pair of weekend runs in con­ li zed frequently on Rio Grande unit coal All junction with the Winter Park Jazz Festi­ movements, especiall y train Nos. 707 val. The latter were called the Jazz Trains and 708 operated over the Moffat Tunnel Color and were passenger trains of the finest main line, the Joint Line and the Craig • caliber. Operated on July 23 and 24, each Branch. The BN power is usually present Steam daily Jazz Train consisted of 17 cars, in the form of U30Cs or C30-7s from pulled by spotless D&RGW 3120, 3133, BN's coal-service motive power pool. Ex­ and and 3148 (GP40-2, two GP40s). The front amples include Aug. 2, when eastbound Diesel section was composed of matching Ski No. 708 was powered by D&RGW 55 11, Train equipment. The rear of the train BN 5524, BN 511 2 and BN 55 12 (SD50, THOSE MAGNIFICENT TRAINS. The tenth consecutive collection of inspiring and included maroon Roaring Fork Railroad three C30-7s). Mid-train helpers were nostalgiC pictures of American trains. NOW Co. dome S ilver COil, Anschutz corporate D&RGW 5374 and 5410 (two SD40T- AVAILABLE in BOTH WALL (12x24") slyle or as dome California, Ski Train parlor car 2s). a DATEBOOK (5x7"). Item C901-Wall calendar (12 views) 58.95 Glenwood Springs, and Anschutz corpo­ The Tennessee Pass main line also sees Item C902-Datebook (36 views) 58 .95 rate round-end observation Colorado. foreign motive power. July 29, for exam­ Add S1.50 s/ h for each The Jazz Train was assigned train ple, found D&RGW SD40T-2 5346, BN No. III westbound and No. 112 east­ C30-7s 5119 and 5132 , and BN U30Cs 1 bound, numbers normally reserved for 5353 , and 5813 powering a unit train of special passenger operations or the Ski empty APAX, OPSX and CCTX bathtub 9 Steam Train. Another special movement oc­ gondolas westbound over the Tennesee 8 5lEI~~i!4 Action! curred Aug. 2, when early-morning west­ Pass main line (seen at Wolcott, Colo.). 9 bound hotshot No. 287 departed Denver SP motive power is frequently run ~ -~ with California and recently rebuilt ob­ through on operations between Ogden servation Kansas trailing. In addition to and Kansas City; more will likely be THE GREAT DAYS OF STEAM-29th year of the two passenger cars, seventeen rev­ showing up. Examples include train the Calif. Southern Ry. Calendar, pub. by enue cars were included in No. 287's con­ No. 226 of Aug. 3 eastbound toward Orange Empire Railway Museum. Vintage sist, with motive power provided by b / w views of steam on NYC, UP, L&N, SP, Kansas City powered by SP SD45T-2R Southern, Kaly, AT&SF, Frisco plus PE & D&RGW 5516, 3038, and 5343 (SDSO, 6785, SP SD45 8958 and SP SD40T-2 Fresno traction. 11 xl7" GP40, SD40T-2). Encouraged by a 8358. On the same day, train No. 126 Item C910 Add S1.00 s/ h 54.95 100 percent increase in ridership last win­ crossed the Moffat Tunnel main line east­ ter, ANSCO Corp., operators of the Rio bound powered by D&RGW SD40T-2 Grande Ski Train, will start seasonal runs 5378 , SP SD40T-2 8525, SP SD45E 7527 Trolleys! on Nov. 26 this year. That is the earliest and SP SD45T-2R 6806. start date in the train's 42-year history. Also on Aug. 3, the Tennessee Pass Allin The operating season fo r the train is main line had a different sort of visitors. scheduled to continue on weekends Assigned to westbound train No. 177 COLOR through April 9, 1989. There may be dai­ were D&RGW SD40T-2 5408, AT&SF ly operations between Christmas and SD40-2 5114 and AT&SF C30-7 8055. At New Year's Day, according to Craig Grand Junction, the trio was cut off and RED CARS/YELLOW CARS, now in its 4th Meis, general manager of ANSCO, but a returned eastbound on loaded unit-coal year! Six Pacific Electric and six Los Angeles final decision will not be made until train No. 758 via the Moffat Tunnel main Transit Lines views. A favorite. Pub. by Orange Empire Railway Museum. Opens to Sept. I. It should be noted that although line. It required mid-train helper set 12x24". ridership almost doubled to 14,500 per­ D&RGW SDSO 5515 and SD40T-2s 5346 Item C911 Add S1.50 s/ h 58.95 sons last year, the train still lost money and 5388. The Joint Line is not exempt due to first-year financing costs associat­ from foreign power. Rather than the ex­ AND ed with the acq uisition and rebuilding of pected suite of green BN power on the TWO Steam Calendars from Whistle Stop the ex-Tempo equipment presently as­ Pub. (due early October): point of train No. 707, July 26 found SOUTHERN PACIFIC and the SANTA FE both signed to the Ski Train service. Cotton Belt SD45T-2 9375 , SP SD45 feature great b / w vintage views. Opens to 9020, and BN U30C 594 1 pulling 105 12x18 W'. Reserve now! Rajlblazer Notes Item C912 (Southern Pacific) 56.50 empty CCTX bathtub gons north to Den­ Item C913 (Santo Fe) 56.50 Train No. 103 , the westbound Rail­ ver. Add S1.50 s/ h for each blazer, has been running with a consist that THOSE MAGNIFICENT PLANES. Great D&RGW GP30 Notes COLOR views of airliners in far-flung places can best be described as erratic. Rather and airports by Ronald Hill, famous photog­ than the expected 20 to 30 vans with two The ranks of reactivated GP30s (long rapher on the go. Opens to 12x24". ItemC903 Add S1.50 s/ h S8.95 or three GP40/40-2s for motive power, considered "B" units by Rio Grande) the train has been running with up to 50 have increased. Joining D&RGW 3023 HOW TO ORDER-If combining more than one vans and five motive power units. Its and 3028 is 3024, noted working with calendar, deduct 50c from shipping total. Yes , schedule remains unchanged; the extra GP30 3006, the resident Colorado use VISA/ MasterCard (min. S20). Send card no., expiration date. Phone orders OK (no collect motive power maintains speed and sc hed­ Springs switcher, in the head-end of train calls). Calif. res. add 6'X. sales tax. ule. Examples include Aug. 9 when No. 167 southbou nd down the Joint Line INTERURBAN PRESS No. 103 was noted roaring up the Front late on Aug. 3. Upon reaching Pueblo, P.O. Box 6444 Range with 50 vans and containers 3024 was promptly dispatched west over Glendale CA 91205 powered by D&RGW 3081, 3135 , 3137, Tennessee Pass as part of train No. 151. (818) 240·9130 (no collect calls) 3068 , and 3071 (five GP40s). Aug. 10 " Normal" GP30s 3002 and 30 11 were the

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 15 resident transfer-service duo at Denver's Aug. 17 when the westbound Southwest ing dodge ball on the freeway. No wonder North Yard through July and early Au­ Chief stalled on Raton Pass and had to the train is frequently late in arriving at gust. Finally, GP30 3013 was noted on double the hill. Though the train had four L. A. And, since most sets of equipment the head-end of eastbound hotshot train Amtrak units, one was out of fuel and make one and a half round trips per day, No. 200 rolling over the Moffat Tunnel another had died. Remember that a dead if they get late enough, it may delay or main line during the early afternoon of unit weighs more than two passenger cause the cancellation of another train. Aug. 3. cars, so dragging that extra weight around There is so little spare equipment as­ takes more effort. The train was six hours Aspen Branch Status signed to this service that, except in rare late across Arizona and on to Los Ange­ cases, it just is not possible to make up a With the demise of the Roaring Fork les. train out of the yard. Railroad Company's project to return Another operational problem which af­ Another problem of major proportions passenger trains to Aspen via Rio fected both Amtrak and Santa Fe was that was the derailment of the northbound Grande's Aspen Branch, the future of the the Federal Railroad Administration used SDX at Fallbrook Jet. (just north of southern part of the historic trackage is its car T-IO to inspect the Santa Fe track­ Oceanside) early on the morning of open to question. From a junction with age between Newton and Albuquerque in Aug. 18. This closed the line to all traffic the trans-Rockies main line at Glenwood early August and imposed a speed limit of for the better part of the day, and passen­ Springs, some 32 .8 miles of Aspen 80 mph for passenger and 60 mph for gers were cross-bussed between San Juan Branch track remain. The first 15 miles freight. There were some low joints found Capistrano and Oceanside (with related south from Glenwood Springs lead to the (similar to findings made on the San delays). Mid-Continent coal load-out at Carbon­ Diego line in January 1987), some of dale, Colo., and are welded rail. The Mid­ which require welding, so speed was re­ Sick Motive Power Continent coal load-out uses train stricted at those points for three days. This summer has seen an increase in Nos. 749/750 (export unit trains destined Add in some flash flooding and washouts motive power failures of about 32 per­ for West Coast ports) , and train between Albuquerque and Gallup, N.M., cent, according to the National Assn. of Nos. 7981799 (84-car unit-coal operations and you can see why it has been weeks Railroad Passengers (NARP). With pow­ cycling to and from the Geneva steel mill since this train was on time. er in short supply, maintenance crews near Provo). South of Mid-Continent, Space does not permit all of the very have been hard-pressed to get units re­ however, the rails are rusting. The pres­ late trains to be listed or explained, but paired and back on the road to meet ent end-of-track occurs at an iron ore­ suffice it to say that it is usually a good scheduled needs. load-out and small yard located at Woody idea to call and check on a particular day's We mentioned last issue that UP re­ Creek, some seven miles north of Aspen. train before sitting hours at trackside. quested that two units be assigned to the There is little activity on this part of the Desert Wind. This uses up just about the San Diegan Update branch. Indeed, rocks and debris are on last extra unit available from the L. A. the right-of-way in places. The Rio As we closed out this column last issue, pool. If needed elsewhere, the unit is re­ Grande's right-of-way into Aspen still ex­ just a couple of the cab cars able to control moved from No. 36 , but this has not ists unrestricted; it has been converted a train had been returned to service. By commonly happened. One unit was saved into a hiking and cycling trail. Rails and late August all had had air brake repairs. when cab cars were returned to control ties, however, have been removed along Business on the line continues to boom, the Santa Barbara side of the San Diegans , the trail, as has the bridge which formerly with ridership running about 17 percent eliminating the need for two units there. crossed Woody Creek Canyon. ahead of last year. On many weekend Frequently No. 774 arrives from Santa trains there are standees, making it diffi­ Barbara in L. A. with one unit which is cult to walk through the train and/or col­ removed, and two fresh units from the lect tickets. roundhouse are used. 363 3;j The Del Mar racing season, which runs In investigating a report that there was . I ~ I AMTRAK/ from late July through early September, a 12-car limit on San Diegan train-length, added some extra patrons. The race we have found that this was not, as ~NmtraK ' PASSENGER track's attendance is down about 20 per­ thought by some, imposed by Santa Fe; cent from last year due to other locations rather, it is dictated by the revised plat­ offering off-track betting (with race re­ form length at San Diego. Two F40s and :... sults via satellite). Still, Amtrak has add­ 12 cars will fit without fouling Ash Street, Dick Stephenson ~ ed extra cars to mid-day trains 774 and the first crossing north of the station (and 576 southbound and lengthened the the scene of lots of railfan photography Problems and More Problems schedule of No. 585 and redesignated it over the years). The middle track will August will be remembered as a month No. 591 through Sept. 11. hold 10 cars, while the third track has no when ridership was high and on-time per­ The biggest problem, as was touched platforms, and is used for equipment that formance was low. In terms of revenue, on somewhat last month, is that any oper­ lays over, or as a running track. Amtrak is having a great year, recovering ational problems on the San Diego line On Miramar Hill one F40 can handle almost 70 cents in revenue for each dollar have quite an effect. When the brakes on seven cars. In the last couple of years, of cost. This is a significant increase. On No. 774 could not be released after the most mid-day and mid-week trains have the other hand, with widespread prob­ train made a meet at Anaheim on been five or six cars long. Today just lems with both equipment and motive Aug. 12 , the cab car had to be removed. about every train is at least seven cars, power, on-time performance has slipped The train was backed the five miles to and this extra weight affects acceleration badly. Orange, where it was wyed; then it pro­ for those trains. Enginemen tell us that al­ If you go down to your local depot to ceeded in the " pull" mode. All of this though they look alike on the outside, pick up Aunt Lucy, and the train is an took time. On Aug. 13 , No. 774 arrived units really do have individual personal­ hour or so late, you might grumble a bit, at San Diego at 2:45 p.m., the time it was ities, with some being much slower than but it's not too bad. Recently throughout due to depart as No. 581. That schedule others. Another official, not with Am­ the West there have been many much is also fragile, as it meets No. 576 near trak, indicated it is about time for the more serious delays, with long-haul trains Miramar (if on time), No. 578 at Serra, F40s to get a complete overhaul from the such as the Southwest Chief being up to and the freight (SDX), frequently at Va­ frame right on up, in recognition that 14 hours late. lencia, before passing No. 580 on double they have accrued many, many miles, and One of the classic delays occurred on track west of Fullerton. That's like play- have just about reached the half-way

16 • NOVEMBER 1988 e would like to share with you the thrill of Pentrex vid­ eotapes. Our crews have traveled throughout North America to bring you exciting foot­ age of today's rail­ roading action. These two preview tapes offer a great opportunity to sam­ ple our productions at a terrific price!

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P.O. Box 94911 Pasadena, CA 91109·4911 GIANT POSTER AVAILABLE If you would like a 20 x 30 inch full color poster of this incred­ ible photo, we can send one in a special mailing tube_for just $10,00. Write For Our New Catalog point in their expected life. Time and Buena which was seen on the rear of ence, AT&SF Vice President-Operations money to do this may be scarce, but it No. 576 on Aug. 27 . Native S on was get­ Michael Haverty said "While a major would be money well spent by Amtrak. In ting some wheeUtruck work done on consulting firm has forecast the demand general, many of the F40 fleet have seen Aug. 27 at the Amtrak repair facility. for new locomotives at around 300 annu­ heavy shopping in the last two years, but Other private cars making an appear­ ally for the next five years, I think the with the miles they rack up and the many ance in L. A. during the month included actual number could be more than triple starts and stops, the process is never-end­ La Condesa and Palm Leaf. Amtrak that amount. Santa Fe alone has need for mg. 10001-Beech Grove arrived in L. A. on approximately 300 high horsepower, Aug. 14 on the rear of the Desert Wind. Bus Contract Signed four-axle locomotives even after we get The car was used for the centennial cele­ delivery of 40 new units this year." Amtrak and Greyhound signed a con­ bration of the San Diego line (see news tract for coordinated bus service connect­ pages). Revenues and Income Up ing a number of cities served by Grey­ Thanks to Ed Von Nordeck, John Ar­ AT&SF reported operating income of hound with Amtrak trains . Called buckle, Bill Farmer, J erry Kurl, Sue Cam, $68.4 million in the second quarter of Thruway service, the new service allows O. Fishel and Roger Konoske. 1988 versus $6l.8 million in the corre­ Amtrak to sell through tickets, and then sponding period in 1987. Operating rev­ divide the revenue with the bus line. enues improved seven percent due to a Some examples of new routes covered by nine percent increase in carloadings this agreement include DuluthiSuperior­ which was partially offset by a two per­ Minneapolis/St. Paul, Omaha-Des SANTA cent decline in revenue per carload. Oper­ Moines, Omaha-St. Joseph-Kansas City ating expenses increased seven percent and Chicago-Rockford -J anesville-Madi­ FE due to higher equipment rentals, fuel son. Some of the connecting service in costs and transportation labor charges. California is covered by this agreement, while others are provided by charter com­ Run-Through Increases panies. Dave Busse Starting Sept. I, 1988, conductors and brakemen operated trains between Wins­ Construction Begins New Train Service low, Ariz. , and Belen, N.M., instead of Work started during early August on changing crews at Gallup. Locomotive improvements at Amtrak's Redondo Jct. Santa Fe implemented numerous freight engineers have been doing this for over 18 (ex-AT&SF) roundhouse. A number of schedule changes on July II as part of a months. In mid-September, engineers small shop buildings have been demol­ plan to improve service and reduce ex­ began running through between Kansas ished. Other rehabilitation work will be penses involved in handling conventional City and Wellington, Newton, or Arkan­ completed in coming months as part of carload traffic. Most notable of the new sas City, Kan. , eliminating the change at the project. trains is No. 821 , operating from Barstow Emporia. The changes are a result of two to Belt Railway of Chicago's Clearing recent arbitration awards. Private and Business Car Movements Yard (bypassing Argentine) with blocks August was another interesting month for Belen, Wellington and Fort Madison. Abandonments and Closures for the movement of privately owned and It replaces Argentine-BRC train 32l. Santa Fe filed on Aug. 15 to abandon business cars. On Aug. 22, SP 140-Stan­ Train 823 operates from Los Angeles to its Blackwell-Tonkawa "Industrial Spur" ford arrived in L. A. on the rear of the Kansas City, where it is delivered by in Oklahoma, which has been out of ser­ Sunset Limited. It was pulled out of the N&W, also bypassing Argentine. vice since Oct. 2, 1986, due to a washout. depot by two SW1500s. New SP GP60 New Locomotives The company has authority to abandon 9612 was added to the motive power be­ its Wilder Jct.-Leavenworth line in Kan­ cause of the extra car. That same day SP Santa Fe's new locomotives are having sas, while UP wants to buy the portion in GP40-2 7655 was used on the point of the some teething problems, with the GP60s Bonner Springs. AT&SF also filed to Coast Starlight north from Los Angeles. (4000-series) experiencing power assem­ abandon the two-mile remnant of the old Two days later SP 100-Airslie arrived on bly, turbo and air conditioner failures and main line (2nd Subdivision) between the Sunset Limited. the Dash 8-40Bs (7410-7429) losing trac­ Chapman and Pasadena, Calif. Native Son made an L. A.-San Diego tion motors. Six Santa Fe one-man stations in New round trip on Aug. 20 , as did Classic Rail Additional new diesels? Included in re­ Mexico were closed on July 1: Portales, diner-lounge 5011 on Aug. 27 . Also get­ marks quoted from the RAILWAY AGEl Rincon, Las Cruces, Vaughn, Roswell ting into the act was Rail Ventures Yerba Irving Trust Railroad Finance Confer- and Artesia. The Portales and Rincon sta-

Purely Passengers . • • Na me ______No other magazine covers passenger trains ' like Passenger Train Journal. Street ______Amtrak, Commuter, TranSit. And the Cit y______vanished varnish of fragrant memory. Sta te ______Zip ______News, features, photos, every month! o Check enclosed o Charge to 0 MasterCa rd 0 Vi sa po BOX 6128 • CiLENDALE CA 91205 Exp, Da te 0 $2711 yr 0 $4912 yrs Ca rd umber ______(Outside USA add $6 per year) Si gnature

18 • NOVEMBER 1988 tions sit between tracks; these might be balance horsepower hours. Also, Besse­ mins power plants; the five still having demolished. The Vaughn station is used mer & Lake Erie SD9s Nos. 825 , 827, GMs are RDCI Nos. 6133 and 6134, by track and signal crews, noted the Por­ 830, 841 and 843 continue to be leased. RDC2 Nos. 6207 and 6213 , and RDC4 tales NEWS TRIBU NE , while a business­ GTW, in a joint deal with Helm Leas­ No. 6450 (the last of this type in revenue man has discussed leasing the Artesia sta­ ing, had purchased 44 Missouri Pacific service). tion. Billing and clerical services were GP38-2s as of late 1987 . While some of Central Western Railway transferred to the Clovis regional freight these have been rebuilt, some are being office . leased. The management of Central Western Railway in Alberta has convinced P.L.M. Belen Improvements Freight Cars Railcar Management (the world's largest An $11 million capital program for the CN's acquisition of second-hand U.S. railcar owner) to open a maintenance fa­ Belen, N. M., facili ties, to begin in Au­ box cars continues. More have been pur­ cility in Big Valley, a community served tumn 1988 and extend into 1989, was an­ chased from Conrail (reported to be ex­ by CWR. nounced on Aug. 9. The program in­ Erie Lackawanna). CN announced in cludes a new yard office building (under May that all freight cars will be scrapped construction soon), a new bridge, modi­ in London, Ontario, until 1990. CANAC, fied and new locomotive fueling facilities, a division of CN, sold a small group of major track reconfiguration work and the box cars to Cuba. addition of a third mainline track. Santa MEXICAN Canadian Pacific Abandonments Fe's tracks first reached Belen in 1908. RAILROADS Hearings were held in Castlegar, B.C., Locomotive Retirements regarding CP's proposed abandonment of With delivery of new locomotives in its Boundary Subdivision fr om Robson 1988 , AT&SF will retire its 35 U23Bs. It (30.7) to Midway (1 26 .6). Also involved C. R. Prather is also offering for sale 13 upgraded GP7s would be the Carson and Carmi spur (all chop nose). lines. There might be some interest in West Coast Passenger Service starting a shortline railroad in this area­ The establishment of upgraded passenger the line carried 2,174 carloads in 1986 bu t service between Guadalajara and No­ it lost $1 ,106,310 (or $509 per car). gales/Mexicali has been stalled by the RAIL CP would also like to abandon its Chis­ shortage of available new and rebuilt el Lake Subdivision between Optic Lake equipment. Four complete sets of cars are CANADA (0.00) and Osborne Lake (71.05). This required to protect this service. Railroad line, located in Manitoba, lost $1 ,005,777 officials have proposed a stopgap measure WEST handling 1,077 cars in 1986 . to ease the mounting pressure to start CP Locomotives quality service on this route. The propos­ Tom Higgins al is for a train consisting of five new None of the former Conrail GP35s coaches, a diner, and a lounge running were in E-L colors, as previously report­ one hour ahead of the present schedule End of Newfoundland Narrow-Gauge ed here. The leased Algoma Central units for Nos. 1 and 2. When there are enough have a very similar color scheme which The end of railway operations on the last cars available to run El Cosleiio with re­ narrow (3'6") gauge lines in the Province may have been mistaken for E-L livery. built sleepers and additional coaches, it of Newfoundland, effective Sept. I, was M636 No. 4711 returned from Peaker will operate as a Star Service train. When announced on June 16 by CN. Provincial Service in Brighton, Mich. , on June 19, trains 1 and 2 are upgraded, unrebuilt highways will receive an C$800 million where its MLW 16-251E engine was re­ sleepers may be added to the secondary expenditure for upgrading to help handle placed by one of Caterpillar manufacture. trains so that passengers that cannot af­ the 20 percent of cargo which had moved About 20 of the leased ex-B&O GP40s ford the higher fares charged for Star Ser­ by rail. have been mothballed due to the summer vice will have an option. slowdown in traffic. Leased Conrail CN Motive Power GP35 Nos. 2269 and 3642 have returned Passenger Car Notes CN is presently renumbering a portion of home after developing mechanical prob­ Steps are being taken to improve the its diesel fleet. The 5500 series will be­ lems; 23 units remain on lease to CP. reliability of the cars used on the Copper come the 4700s, the 5600 series will join GP9u No. 1633 is back in service after Canyon route, including the cars pur­ the 4700s, and the 9900 series will be­ being involved ina shop fire last March. chased from the County of Los Angeles. come the 5500 series. SD40-2 No. 6043 is equipped with an The major improvement is the installa­ GM1 Nos. 1008, 1010, 1011 and 1028 end-of-train device. tion of diesel generators, which will allow will be rebuilt with their original A1A­ Vancouver Island for better air conditioning than the old AlA trucks for continued branchline ser­ axle-powered generator. vice; they will be renumbered into the GMD GP38AC No. 3002 arrived on Twenty of the former Pacifico's light 1600 series. Retired GP9s 4311 and 4240 the E&N on June 16, and Nos. 3000 and weight primera especial coaches have been have been remanufactured into GP9u 3001 were scheduled to arrive shortly sent to Mexico City for rebuilding. Three "mother" Nos. 724 117242. thereafter. This means that there were cars have been purchased from Overland Recent retirements include: GP8s 801- three GP38s and four unrebuilt GP9s in Rail Travel. The Mojave River (ex-UP 803, NF-31O No. 913, C424s 3209, 3219 CP's island stable. As of the beginning of diner), Afton Canyon (ex-UP lounge), and and 3231 (only four are left in this series), summer there was al so an SW8 Tehachapi (ex-SP sleeper) were delivered SW8 No. 7156, SW900 No. 7606 (the (No. 6701) in Victoria. to the FNM (NdeM) at Mexicali, Baja last of this series), SW900 Nos. 7911, RDCls assigned to Vancouver Island Calfornia. 7924,7936,7940,7942 and 7943, and S13 service have been sent back to Toronto to Nos. 8501, 8503 and 8508. have Reset Safety Devices installed. Shorts RDCI No. 6134 and RDC2 No. 6207 The FNM is having trouble meeting Grand Trunk Western Power will maintain service until RDCI the demand for freight cars to carry the Grand Trunk Western GP40-2 No. 6133 returns. Of VIA's 69 RDCs, all grain harvest in various parts of the Re- Nos. 6421 and 6424 are leased to CN to but five have been re-engined with Cum- Continued on page 33

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 19 "'0., ~,4NP &JNIID IID~TI TIJNGJ ~JN(Q)~ A Look at Santa Fe's Dynamic Seligman Subdivision in Northern Arizona

Left: The Aubrey CI iffs are in the backgraund of this view at dusk of the front of a pig train blasting uphill into view near milepost 435 (between Pica and Seligman) on July 18, 1985. Right: A westbound Hyundai stack train negotiates an S-curve on the Crookton-Williams line change route near East Crookton (milepost 418.3) on April 25, 1988. On the point of the quartet of power is S040-2 No. 5152. Below: Extra 5267 West, headed by the locomotive of that number (an SOP40Fu, ex-Amtrak No . 645) climbs out of Seligman with a mixed consist on July 18, 1985.

Fe's Seligman Subdivision (of its Arizona Division), with endpoints at Needles and Winslow, and the Arizona Divide in between. The man at the CTC board, the Seligman Sub "west end" train dispatcher, will probably be busy for the better part of his work shift. Thick rail traffic from North­ ern and Southern California, Texas, and the Midwest fun­ nels through his territory. But the CTC board doesn't tell the whole story, because this isn't just another busy piece of a far-flung railroad. What sets the Seligman Sub apart is the scenic backdrop against which its multi-train action unfolds. Certainly, segments of other railroads have heavily-traveled roadbeds, but few of those segments are set in territory that offers greater contrasts for the casual or serious rail photog­ rapher to record than Northern Arizona. Hot sand and drifting snow. Menacing thunderheads and turquoise blue sky. Roller-coaster chaparral and flat-topped mesas. One would doubt that all these contrasting combina­ tions could accurately characterize a small region of the U.S., let alone a single subdivision of a major transcontinen­ tal railroad. Unlikely as it may sound, these words well describe the Seligman Sub. In fact, they might even describe the sights taken in on a single day by a crew working this geographic and meteorologic grab-bag. Santa Fe's double­ zona. The two black lines represent the north and south track crossing of this provocative land offers the adventurous tracks of the railroad main line. It will be a while before the rail photographer a myriad of high-impact possibilities. In­ train reaches us here at Santa Fe Railway's Division Oper­ deed, once you've observed and photographed the often ations Center in Winslow, Ariz. high-density rail action in this dynamic setting, you're likely The train leaving Needles is not the only one causing red to leave with images in your mind and camera that you'll not lights to shine on the Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) soon forget, nor want to. display board. This is high-density rail traffic country, Santa The Southwest, as typified by the Seligman Subdivision,

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 21 Below: This early-day Santa Fe view is cap­ tioned, ''This view shows the track near Flagstaff, Ariz., as originally laid for the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad, now the main line of the Santa Fe west of Albuquerque. Now almost continuous double track, with rock or lava as a dustless ballast, heavy steel rails and a well -kept right-of-way make trav­ Cyrus K. Holliday, Santa Fe's first chief. E. P. Ripley, president of the AT&SF Railway from eling a real pleasure over the western -THE KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 1896 to 1920. plains." TOPEKA -THE KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, -THE KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL TOPEKA SOCIETY, TOPEKA

has played a key role in shaping the image and operation of Santa Fe. In many ways, AT &SF has mirrored the character of this region, from its "warbonnet" paint scheme and the "cross" in its corporate emblem to its Navajo and Hopi track gangs. For diesel enthusiasts, the Seligman Sub is hallowed ground, for it was this stretch of steel that scales the Arizona Divide that helped to inspire the first use anywhere of diesel­ electrics in mainline freight service. With the longest sus­ tained railroad grade in the U.S. (which was murder on brake shoes before the advent of the dynamic brake) and the need for frequent water stops in a land not known for its abundant water supply, this relatively small piece of railroad played a big part in bringing about the railroad diesel revolu­ tion. Importance of the Seligman Sub to the Santa Fe Today, it would be hard to conceive of a Santa Fe without its distinctively Southwestern flavor. And, although it's not the only state that makes up the Southwest, the Santa Fe granted land along the 35th parallel by the U.S. government, without Arizona in its blood would be quite a different but which had quickly fizzled for lack of funds. Santa Fe's animal. Luckily, hoards of "yellow bonnet" diesels traverse leadership saw in this abandoned project the opportunity to the Arizona Divide every day. From the standpoint of corpo­ keep the dream alive of reaching the West Coast. AT &SF rate profits, the continuous welded rail of the Seligman Sub entered into a partnership with the St. Louis and San Fran­ is worth its weight in gold. But during the early days of cisco (or "Frisco") Railroad to take advantage of the Atlantic AT&SF, it was not always so. & Pacific charter. It was planned for the jointly sponsored From its inception by Cyrus K. Holliday, the Atchison, A&P to stretch from Albuquerque into California. Entering Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad's ultimate goal was to reach the Arizona in 1881, A&P work gangs laid around two miles of Pacific Ocean. Holliday's railroad began by building on the new 52-pound rail per day. The gangs included local Navajos old Santa Fe Trail, which stretched from Topeka, Kan., and Apaches, who proved to be excellent track workers. across the prairie, through southeastern Colorado, and over One of the biggest challenges of the project was to span steep and tight Raton Pass before descending into its name­ Canyon Diablo between Winslow and Flagstaff. Sections of sake pueblo. (The railroad narrowly captured Raton in a race the quaint iron bridge built there were shipped by wagon with archrival Denver and Rio Grande.) Although at that across the desert in advance of track building. Track con­ point the question of which precise route to take to reach the struction was halted for six months while the bridge was Pacific was still up in the air, the subsequent loss to the completed. Once over this huge structure, which was later 'Grande of the route through Royal Gorge helped cause replaced by a more modern span, the rails headed up over Santa Fe to find a route farther south over Raton. With the Divide. Raton under its belt, the stage was set for the Santa Fe to Towns and stations sprouted along the right-of-way as the head for the California coast through Northern Arizona. railroad built westward-Winslow at 4,856 feet above sea Enter the Atlantic & Pacific (A&P), a railroad originally level, Flagstaff at 6,894, Riordan (summit of the Divide) at chartered by John Charles Fremont and others, which was 7,335, Ash Fork at 5,126, present-day Seligman, 5,234,

22. NOVEMBER 1988 Kingman, 3,341, and Mellen (now Topock) on the east bank movements. By 1920, the 167 miles between Winslow and of the Colorado River, at 520 feet. Yampai were double-tracked, and by 1929, the stretch from When A&P workers reached Needles in 1883, they found Yampai to Needles boasted a second artery. Trains boiling the Southern Pacific Railroad waiting for them at the east up from the Colorado River Valley, through Kingman Can­ end of a line from Mojave, Calif., which had been built to yon, and topping the Divide were passing westbound coun­ keep the on-coming competitors out of the Golden State. terparts without either of them having to enter a siding. The SP turned over little, if any, traffic to the A&P, as the Quite a comeback for a line that had nearly turned to streaks intention was to strangle it. Eventually, the A&P was nearly of rust across the high desert! abandoned because of the lack of traffic and its poor physical state. When the Santa Fe Railroad was reorganized into the Today's Seligman Sub Santa Fe Railway in 1895, Edward Ripley was elected presi­ Today, the Seligman Subdivision, part of the old A&P, is dent of the new company. More than any other individual, an integral part of AT&SF's "engineered main line," de­ he was responsible for salvaging the stretch of ballast and rail signed to keep a daily fleet of 20-30 trains moving quickly in through Northern Arizona, as well as boosting the traffic both directions. When a Seligman Sub dispatcher is guiding that traveled over it. When others wanted to abandon the the movement of multiple freight trains and Amtrak's S owh­ A&P, Ripley favored rebuilding it. At Ripley's insistence, west Limited, he's probably thankful for the modern conve­ the railway purchased complete control of the A&P property niences of continuous double track and CTC (which allows in 1896 for a little over $18 million, a paltry sum compared opposing trains, as well as those headed in the same direc­ to the now-proven potential of the line. In the early years of tion, to operate on different tracks). His concern is to move the 20th Century, AT&SF decided to convert the single the trains from one end of his territory to the other in the track between Needles and Winslow to double high-iron due shortest possible time, especially those having expedited to increasing traffic congestion in this vital corridor. The schedules. Even with reverse signaling, this isn't always second main line would ease gradients and speed opposing easy. Many of Santa Fe's hottest hotshots ply this subdivi-

" ~

The original iron bridge over spectacular Canyon Diablo (milepost 311.7) was an en· gineering marvel. -THE KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, TOPEKA

The 698 train, a hot Texas·L.A. speedster, switches at Canyon Diablo (milepost 311.7). The odd-looking appliance hanging over the switch, a gas-fired heater which keeps snow from clogging this much-used switch, testifies to the extreme conditions that can prevail at this point on the east side - ~..: ~ .. of the Divide...... A.~ ... , - ,"'":'<~:~':; -... ~:*. '''':::.;;'.:.'~'L~

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 23 Above: Rounding a sweeping curve on the north track of Kingman Canyon, Extra 5360 West is in the charge of a quintet of locomotives; 5D45u No. 5360 is on the point. The second diesel is C30-7 No. 8061 , the third unit is 5DP40Fu No. 5254 (ex-Amtrak t-jo . 635). The yellow on the first two "Merger" units is showing signs of age in this April 30, 1988, view. Below: The 951, heoded by 5D40-2 No. 5105, rounds 0 curve upgrade at Franconia (milepost 552.7) in the Mohave Desert (in California it's Mojave, in Arizona it's Mahave) on April 23, 1988.

24. NOVEMBER 1988 sion, but at least an equal number are not on such rigorous schedules. The trick is to keep these less-expedited trains moving as fast as possible without slowing down the speed­ sters. Add to this run-through traffic the daily presence of track maintenance crews and locals, and you can see why the dispatcher can have some memorable days at the office. Early Dieselization By the late days of Santa Fe steam, trains crossing the Divide spent a lot of their Arizona trek in sidings until brakes cooled and tenders were refilled. Trains often re­ quired helpers over the Divide from Winslow, and out of Ash Fork, both east to Riordan and west to Crookton. A million gallons of water had to be hauled into Ash Fork and related points every day to quench the steamers' thirst. In the 1930s, Santa Fe's management had started looking seri­ ously at an alternative means for pulling tonnage over its lines. A test of Electro-Motive Corp. diesels on the relatively light Super Chief passenger train blossomed into an investi­ gation of how to apply this same technology to heavy freight movements. The result, in 1938, was a diesel freight demon­ strator working on the Divide. Not only could this EMC beast pull longer trains over the Divide without the need for water and maintenance stops, but it was also much easier to slow the train on the long descending grades because of the diesel's dynamic brake. Reducing Crew Changes The advent of the diesel, coupled with a massive line relocation between Crookton and Williams in 1960, served to speed movements considerably and eventually to reduce crew changes. The length of a single crew's run is largely a function of how many stops it has to make along the way. The two crew "districts" (the equivalent of what the Santa Fe now calls a "subdivision") that once made up the run between Needles and Winslow during the steam era are now one. The Kingman District (Needles-Seligman) and the Third District (Seligman-Winslow) became one continuous

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 25 crew of a drag in danger of not reaching journey's end under the 12-hour legal work limit to swap assignments with the crew of a hotter train at Seligman. Even though crews now run through and the old districts are fused, it still takes two dispatchers to keep this 300-mile racetrack running smooth­ ly. The person controlling movement on the old Kingman district is called the "Dispatcher for West End," and the one calling the shots for the former Third District, "Dispatcher for East End." Land of Contrasts To give you a taste of what Northern Arizona can be like, let me tell you a little about my first acquaintance with railroading across the Divide. It took place during a trip there in July 1985 to photograph Santa Fe's hot action. My first day on the Seligman Sub included a lot of railfanning as well as a crash course in Southwestern meteorology. Heading east through Needles around noon, the temperature was flirting with 120 degrees. The weather had been hot and devoid of clouds clear across the Mojave Desert. Approach­ ing the Colorado River and Arizona border at Topock, the pavement on Interstate 40 seemed ready to melt. I had been casually pacing the 891 (Southern California-Chicago high­ priority) train and other eastbounds across the Needles Sub­ Extra 8140 East, a Hyundai unit double-stack train, tops the vertical curva­ ture at Maine (milepost 362.5). This April 27, 1988 scene typifies the rol ling division. landscape of the Arizona Divide, whether an desert, chaparral, or in pine Departing a pit stop at Kingman on U.S. Route 66, I forests. The train sports five big units-C30-7 No. 8140 is on the point-to looked over my shoulder to see the 891 accelerating onto the tackle the heavy grades in this area. Walapai Flats just east of town. The Flats constitute virtually the only respite that eastbound trains get from the 126-mile run in February 1985, although the districts remained sepa­ grade between Needles and Yampai. The hotshot had been rate in the timetable and continued to be operated under slowed by the stiff grade that climbs 2,500 vertical feet separate dispatchers. between the Colorado River and Kingman. Cruising into High-horsepower diesels had shrunk the time for the Nee­ Crozier Canyon ("Valentine" on the railroad), my '72 Impala dles-Winslow trip to between nine and 11 hours. Despite was neck-and-neck with the 891's pigs. modern traction, heavy drags do sometimes set a slow pace. A few seemingly harmless clouds had shown up in King­ It's not uncommon to hear the dispatcher instructing the man, but upon entering the Canyon, the weather became

A Santa Fe 951 train, led by 5040·2 5105 and three six-axle GEs, rounds a curve after crossing the Colorado River at Topock, Ariz. (milepost 565.1, 13 miles from Needles, Calif.), on Apri l 23, 1988. The 951 is authorized for the standard 70 mph running on this stretch, but the grades between here and Kingman will often restrict its speed. The train is headed for Chicago from Richmond, Calif.

26. NOVEMBER 1988 Extra 5065 West, a hat westbound pig train, glides through a giant S-curve at Eagle Nest (milepost 41 0) an the Crooktan­ Williams line change, with SD40-2 No. 5065 heading an all­ EMD quintet, on April 26, 1988. The filion which this curve sits attests to the huge omount of rock ond dirt that AT&SF moved in the construction of this relocation.

stiflingly humid. This was something I hadn't expected­ eastern terminus of the Seligman Sub, an intermodal east­ humid weather in Arizona in the summer? As the Chicago­ bound had been stopped on the North track by a flashing bound trailers veered away from the highway into a more hot-box detector. Another train headed in the same direction remote part of the Canyon, I stopped to set up for a shot of a had halted on the same track behind it, patiently idling until train following close behind. The moist air in Crozier's con­ the problem ahead of it could be solved. fmes was dead still and swelteringly hot! The sky was dark with clouds, but the rain hadn't reached Between Valentine and Seligman, which is 55 miles to the this location yet. I decided to try my hand at photographing east and 2,000 feet higher, the temperature became tolerable in this " interesting" weather, rain or no rain. Looking back again. My Chevy had managed to overtake the 891, as the toward the storm over Flagstaff and the San Francisco Peaks four then-brand-new GP50s on the point had had to drag through a 300mm lens, one could see 10 miles of railroad their tonnage up the 1.42 percent grade to Yampai Summit. stretched out ahead. Like the roadbed on the western side of Once the train was over the top, though, my advantage soon the Divide, the right-of-way on this eastern approach was evaporated. With the mysterious Aubrey Cliffs to the left anything but flat. and rolling hills to the right (where the rails were hidden), I While setting up the tripod in red dirt for a shot of the two looked back to see the 891 dart out of a gap in the landscape freights stacked up on the main, a third headlight appeared like a scared jack rabbit. She was doing better than the on the horizon. Crazy weather or not, this was big-time highway speed limit, and it was obvious that her engineer railroad watching at its best! The third light turned out to be was taking full advantage of the lay of the land and immacu­ the 891, which the dispatcher had routed onto the South late roadbed to keep his assigned cargo moving at least as fast track to get around the trains holding on the North main. as the competition. Saying "Good-bye" to the 891 for a After she appeared, the eastbound with the now-solved hot­ second time in Seligman, I found the ground wet-it had box problem was freed by the dispatcher. Prime movers rained recently-and the landscape covered with colorful filled the cool desert air with heatwaves and diesel smoke as, grasses, a far cry from the barren Mojave. The contour of first the train on the North track, then seconds later the 891 Santa Fe's right-of-way here was as unexpected as the weath­ passed, sprinting the remaining mile to their crew change. er, looking like ribbons laid on a wrinkled carpet, unlikely That night, as I watched rain blow horizontally in front of for heavily-used roadbed. It was mid-afternoon, but looking the motel room window, as part of Arizona's annual "mon­ east, the sky was dark. soon" season, a continuing parade of trains could be heard At West Crookton, 10 miles east of Seligman, the main line passing through the Santa Fe fuel racks not far away. The crossed under the highway and headed off on its own to the sights and sound of my first day in Northern Arizona had left northeast. This was the west end of the 1960 Crookton­ an indelible image in my mind of Seligman Sub railroading. Williams line change. With the weather threatening rain, I Moving from one end of the sub to the other had been like a didn't dare try to follow the "new" roadbed. The dirt main­ caleidescope of dramatically different railroad scenes­ tenance-of-way road, which was the only apparent way to freights on barren desert under blue sky at one end, intermo­ follow it, looked like a sure-fire way of getting stuck in red dal hotshots mixed with lightning and red earth at the other. Arizona mud. The pre-1960 right-of-way was visible north This small taste of the exotic flavor of the Santa Fe in this of Route 66, part of which is still used by trains to and from regi'on had whetted my camera's appetite for more opportu­ Phoenix, east of Ash Fork. nities to record it. Glad to meet you , Seligman Sub! East of Williams Junction, the darkness I had seen from Seligman had become bright bolts of lightning and torrential The Second Arizona Fling 1 rain. Most California natives aren't used to seeing dynamic Rush ahead to late April 1988. The Northern Arizona weather, and my initial reaction to it was, "I won't be stop­ landscape again comes into view, this time through the wind­ ping to photograph here, thank you!" The main line rejoined shield of an '86 Toyota 4 x 4. On this second trip to photo­ the freeway at Williams, and a steady stream of eastbounds graph the Seligman Subdivision, the sunshine on the desert and west bounds meandered through the downpour and the between Needles and Kingman shifted to snow showers by pines of the Kaibab National Forest. Eastbound diesels the time I reached Williams Junction. Yes, the Divide's made decidedly more racket than those headed west, until weather is still the same bag of unexpected tricks, but the reaching the summit at Riordan. Santa Fe had some new things to offer. "Merger" red units Rolling downgrade on 1-40 toward Winslow, the pine trees appeared on many freights, refugees from the aborted at­ quickly thinned out again into open desert. Just west of the tempt to combine the AT &SF and the SP. New, too, were the

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 27 Lightning strikes the western horizon as two eastbounds hold on the north track near Winslow on July 13, 1985. The closer freight has been stopped by a hot-box detector. The blur of headlights at right is traffic on adjacent 1-40. colorful Hyundai unit double-stack trains that run regularly ent was chopped almost in half and maximum curvature over this route, as well as stacks making up pieces of other straightened to 1 degree. freights. More trains sported ETDs (End-of-Train Devices) Northern Arizona, a land of dynamic scenery and weath­ than in 1985, and the company had converted Seligman Sub er, a land of extremes. A land covered with history and hot-box detectors to the kind that speaks English. It's obvi­ legend. A place where a photographer can stand at milepost ous that a lot of changes, some big and some small, have 410 on the Santa Fe near a spot called "Eagle Nest" and have taken place in the competitive '80s on this slice of the once­ no trouble hearing a downhill train miles distant. An evening moribund Atlantic and Pacific. sun hugging the horizon reflecting its rays off four continu­ My second trip to the AT&SF in Northern Arizona in­ ous steel rails in the foreground, scrub pines and small high­ cluded a four-wheel drive exploration of the Crookton-Wil­ lighted clouds in the distance help to put that " Southwest­ liams line change. This realignment of the main line, com­ ern" touch on the scene. A bright light appears at the west pleted in 1960, is an awesome memorial to what a railroad end of the glistening tangent. After picking up another lens can do when it brings its minds and resources to bear on a out of the Toyota, you perch on a cut a little above track-level task. The scale of rock-cutting and earth-moving that took and watch. The scene is gorgeous! A camera can't adequately place on this 44-mile stretch is nothing short of behemoth. describe it, but you give it your best shot. The train-a Why did AT&SF spend the effort and ·money to build the hotshot-is getting a short rest from its fight with gravity on line change? The grades on the old alignment between the uphill trend of the western slope. It closes in fast, then Crookton and Williams out of Ash Fork sloped to 1.8 per­ flashes by. As quickly as it shows up, the speedster's pigs and cent eastbound and 1.42 percent westbound, with curvature UPS vans are gone, racing off into the rolling geography of as tight as 10 degrees adding to the stress. After considering the Divide, the landscape of the old A&P. the amount of time and motive power required to lift tonnage It's headed east, toward the snow-capped San Francisco in this challenging terrain, the railroad decided to spend Peaks, still visible from the top of the cut in evening's fading $20 million to cut a flatter alternate route. And cut they did! light. This is one of the many faces of the Seligman Sub. The result is a relatively high-velocity expressway with Come and see for yourself-and be ready for anything. sweeping S-curves and deep slices through hills. The gradi- You'll be glad you made the acquaintance.

28 • NOVEMBER 1988 The eastbound Desert Wind (No. 36) posses Highgrove, near Riverside, Calif., in December 1987 after passing through scenic Santo Ana Canyon on Santo Fe's former Third District (now Son Bernardino Subdivision). -DICK STEPHENSON COMMUTER IRAIN FEVER SWEEPS SOUTHERN CAUFORMIA Six serious rail proposals are under study in the quest to remedy the region's transit problems.

by H. G. Ready

ven as nightly work rocks downtown Los Angeles for the region's Metro Rail starter line and as construc­ E tion proceeds all along the route of the Long Beach­ Los Angeles light rail project, commuter rail proposals, long derided by the region's transportation professionals, are staging an impressive comeback, even if only in terms of numbers and pounds of paper. The Pacific Electric, of course, historically was the re­ gion's commuter railroad. Southern California had never had the type of mainline railroad commuter service which was common in some midwest and eastern cities. Thus with the loss of the PE the region lost everything: commuter rail, J interurbans and trolleys. The transit genie was kept safely bottled up until Los Angeles County voters approved a sales tax measure in 1980, portions of which were to fund the construction and oper­ ation of regional light and heavy rail lines. With that vote, the genie was let loose and it's just not the same old L.A. anymore. Before it was rerouted between Son Bernardino and Los Angeles via Fullerton, Not only were the pros turned loose to build the subway a westbound No. 35 (Desert Wind) scoots through Glendora, Calif., on the and light rail, everyone decided to get into the act. Six then-Second District (now Pasadena subdivision) of Santo Fe in March 1984. serious commuter rail proposals are now in various stages of -DICK STEPHENSON

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 29 Train number 42, one of the Las Angeles-San Bernardino Santa Fe locals, is north of River Station an a very misty Feb. 15, 1947. Motive power is AT&SF No. 1468, a 4-4-2 vintage 1909. The last run of No. 42 was made Sept. 26, 1953, by motor car M-180 . G. M. BEST/ BOB KERN COLLECTION

analysis. One, from Oceanside to San Diego, is a lead pipe LOSSAN report of 1987. The Orange County Transporta­ cinch to take place; another, from San Clemente to Los tion Commission in July of 1988 went on record supporting Angeles, is highly probable; still a third, from Oxnard to Los the immediate implementation of this service. While clearly Angeles, is also highly likely, although the Southern Pacific enjoying strong Orange County support, this service is re­ has yet to come to the table in a constructive way. The ceiving a lukewarm reception from the Los Angeles County remaining three-Saugus to Los Angeles, San Bernardino to Transportation Commission. The problem at the L.A. end is Los Angeles, and Riverside to Orange County-are feasible , long and involved, but basically boils down to two issues: the but less certain. In fact the principal obstacle in virtually professional transportation staff recommend building every case is not lack of money but railroad opposition. L.A.'s own transit network (in contrast to using someone else's) and don't wish to divert funds from L.A.C.T.C.'s Oceanside-San Diego own construction program to commuter rail. Santa Fe too has concerns, notably congestion on its dou­ As part of its program of projects to generate voter sup­ ble track main between Fullerton and Los Angeles, but port for a local transit sales tax, San Diego officials included those issues are technical and negotiable. The L.A. Commis­ a commuter rail service from Oceanside to San Diego on the sion may ultimately have to accede to the insistent demands Santa Fe line. The measure was approved in November of of its counterpart to the south, particularly when the service 1987 and San Diego officials have just begun the process of is linked as a traffic mitigation measure to the 1990 widening cranking the service up for a start date in the early 1990s. In of Interstate 5 through Santa Ana. Best bet? It's close to a this case, Santa Fe is cooperative because of its interest in sure thing. selling the San Diego Subdivision. Whether local officials have sufficient funds to acquire the right of way immediately Oxnard-Los Angeles is another question. Virtually the only thing which could This is the one line which has seen commuter service, if derail the newest (and second) California commuter rail line only for a few months in late 1982 and early 1983 . The would be an inability to reach agreement on a purchase plan. clamor for this service is strong. Political figures from both Since Santa Fe wants to sell, the betting money is that a deal parties have championed its cause. The L.A. Commission is will be cut and the trains will roll. cool to spending its money here, but may have no choice since there's no other San Fernando Valley project in the San Clemente-Los Angeles wings on which to spend money and deflect public anger Santa Fe also wants to sell the rest of the San Diego regarding worsening traffic congestion. However, the villain Subdivision, beginning at Fullerton. Since the locals have in the piece is SP. While apparently just as interested as indicated that commuter trains must be a part of the pack­ Santa Fe in securing public funds to upgrade its trackage, it age, Santa Fe has agreed to include them as part of the has shown little of the finesse and cooperative spirit shown discussions. Commuter service was recommended in the by its competitor. Witness the $44 million dollar track reha-

30. NOVEMBER 1988 One of the short-lived doily Oxnard-Los Angeles commuter troins is seen orriving ot LAUPT on 0 foil morning in 1982 behind SP GP9E 3852. This service, operoted by SP for Coltrons, wos beset with 0 number of problems, the most serious of which was 0 basic disagreement on the cost of operoting the service-the strugg le was finally resolved by the I.C.C. in fovor of Sf' -INTERURBAN PRESS

bilitation program on the San Diego line . While the SP Coast between Anaheim and Riverside to replace the lost capacity. Line could stand some targeted track and signaling work, The L.A. Commission is cool to the proposal and is in fact the dimensions of the problem are modest. Best bet? South­ studying an alternative project to acquire the line between ern Pacific will slowly come around as a result of pressure L.A. and Pasadena to build light rail. Notwithstanding from its friends in Sacramento. Commission coolness, this may happen. The Santa Fe wants it to happen and Schabarum is Chairman of the Commission Saugus-Los Angeles this year. This route is promoted by Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who is in a heated runoff election with Riverside-Orange County former Supervisor Baxter Ward. Antonovich beat Ward in a This service would use Santa Fe trackage between down­ campaign eight years ago which ridiculed the Oxnard com­ town Riverside and Irvine in Orange County. Both County mute train. The Saugus service would use SP tracks. While Transportation Commissions have come out in support of SP may bend on the Oxnard service, the odds of similar the service, and Riverside has included it in its program of cooperation here are low. This is the SP route to the San projects for a sales tax initiative in November of 1988. The I Joaquin Valley. On the other hand, there is a strong pent-up problem here is with Santa Fe. While the commuter propos­ demand for service from Valencia and Newhall to Los Ange­ allists almost $25 million in direct mainline track improve­ les. Still, this one is definitely a long shot. ments to the San Bernardino Subdivision, the railroad is icy to the idea. A thaw might occur if funds are not forthcoming San Bernardino-Los Angeles from the purchase of the Pasadena Subdivision between San Supervisor Pete Schabarum of Los Angeles and Senator Bernardino and Los Angeles. The proposal as presently Ruben Ayala of San Bernardino are rallying support for this designed has a handful of trains during peak commuting project. Santa Fe is supportive. It would like to sell the line hours. Some would consider that a trivial trade-off for over but the deal would require not only the purchase of the line 10 miles of new double track, paid for by public agencies. but the double tracking of its San Bernardino Subdivision Best bet? Not likely in the short term, but you never know.

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 31 Introducing Rail Premier Video

FIR S T IN A SERIES

For devotees of the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe, the name Gerald Best needs no From the movie camera introduction. We take you back to the late 1920s and early 1930s for Best's own movie of Gerald M. Best about the Lark, the Daylight, the Grand Canyon Limited and, yes-the Santa Paula Local! Best knew the great trains of that great era, and he photographed them very well. California Limiteds Thanks to Mrs. Gerald Best they have been preserved and are offered to you today. You'll see long trains of Pullmans leaving the old 1929·30 L.A. Central Station, climbing Cajon, thread­ ing Santa Susana-Steam Triumphant! Gerald Best had the Warner Bros. touch for the dramatic, as you'll see in the many unusual camera angles in this black & white classic . With research by Donald Duke and Bob Kern, modern narration and sound has been added to produce one of the most pleasing steam videos ever! BONUS FOOTAGE: The Mt. Tamalpais gravity car!

FR541V or B, 30 mins ...... 39.95

Other New Video Listings The Water Level Route TROLLEYS OF BALTIMORE We visit this great streetcar city in 1946, when green PCCs vied NEW YORK CENTRAL 19005 TO THE 19705 for track space with Red Rocket deck-roof cars, MU trains to The NYC ran its trains with style, dash and grace and Bill Warrick has Sparrow Point, yellow Peter Witts, rural runs and heavy city traction action. From the color film by Sid Silleck previously put together a magnificent 55 -minute documentary stretching from the offered in two sections. (Ready October) 1905 Empire State Express to the end of the 20th Century Limited era. FE1 03V or B ...... 24.95 You'll delight to K-Class Pacifies, Niagaras, Mohawks, Dreyfuss-designed Hudsons • the Century inside and out in color - the Mercury- James 3 from the Toy Train Society Whit comb Riley and other name trains • first generation diesels • Grand Central - Buffalo Union Terminal - Cleveland UT - La Salle Street Station TOY TRAINS IN ACTION • the Main Line- Big Four- Michigan Central • Pacemaker Freights and Featuring Lionel 's Cavalcade of Trains , 1950s and 1960s, peddlers • Testing the earliest electrics in 1904 • Multiple sections of the vintage train video ads , steam locos at the Gilbert Hall of Science, wacky toy train shorts, and more . Century at Elkhart. This video is assembled from many sources plus GV078V or B, 60 min ...... 29.95 Warrick's own camera and is about half and half color and B/ W . We proudly present it as one of our LIONEL MODEL RR FILMS first two Rail Premier Series Videos. Railroad Story (1951), Iron Ponies (1952) and Wonderful World of Trains (1960); giant layouts, expositions, how they FR543V or B, 55 mins ...... 39.95 made 'em. Mid-Century tinplate railroading supreme! GV077V or B, 60 min ...... 29.95 MODERN PACE IN TRANSPORTATION TOONERVILLE TROLLEY Here's a color & sound video telling how the Missouri Pacific blazed a new trail in container The Fontaine Fox cartoon classics, made in color, 1936! Meet shipping-back in the early 1950s! One Eagle passenger runby, limited locomotive action but the Skipper, Powerful Katrinka and the wackiest trolley ever! fascinating for those interested in changing rail technology. GV076V or B, 30 min ...... 24.95 FR544V or B, 16:30 min ...... 14.95

TRAINS OF TOMORROW Why is it that powerful new high-speed passenger trains are being developed every­ where but the U.S.? This color documentary shows us England's IC-125, France 's INTERURBAN TGV, Japan 's Bullet Train and other amazing new rail developments. We can learn from this video . Films/VIDEOS FR545Vor B, 23:15 min ...... 19.95 PO Box 6444, Glendale CA 91205 DEALER INOUIRIES INVITED

SHIPPING: Add $1 Per Video V = VHS B = Beta (Californians add 6% Sales Tax) Railroads columns continued from page 19

public. The problem seems to be worst along the Pacific coast and the Texas bor­ der . .. The second volume of the late Francisco Garma Franco's HISTORY OF MEXI CO'S RAILROADS is now available. Railfanning Along the Mexican Border From time to time I will include infor­ mation regarding railfanning on Mexican railroads near the U. S. border. I hope that this will help those who want to see a II> little of railroading in Mexico but do not care to travel very far into the country. I would appreciate assistance from readers who have information on border inter­ changes along the Rio Grande. Please f send your information to C. R. Prather, P.O. Box 925, Santa Ana, CA 92702. A few general comments about visiting Iowa Interstate 468 pulls loads out of UP's Council Bluffs (Iowal East Yard on July 27, 1988. Dressed rail facilities across the border in Mexico. up in official IAIS livery, the Paducah (Ky.) rebuild-on ex-Illinois Central Gulf unit-looks great in U. S. Citizens do not need any special doc­ block with red and yellow accents. uments to visit border cities. It depends -GEORGE COCKLE on the locality as to how far into Mexico you can travel without obtaining a tourist and auto permit. At Mexicali, you can ing under Chapter II of the U. S. Bank­ On some days the Canadian carries follow the railroad for over 60 km. Most ruptcy Code. three Calgary sleepers, making a total of railroad employees are very friendly, Concessions include free movement IS cars (this in spite of the fact that the however you should remember that the over ICR tracks of CM&W locomotives VIA Train Specifications book calls for 14 railroads are government-owned, and you going to repair shops, and elimination of cars). With one diner, this train is still should not do anything that could get yo u the mark-up on fuel supplied by ICR to having four or fi ve sittings for dinner, into trouble. Since many auto insurance CM&W. ICR said the concessions were even with the Skyline cars also being used policies are not valid in Mexico, you may worth $1.3 million annually. as reserved diners for coach passengers. want to purchase insurance at the border CM&W has alleged that ICR unfairly The entire passenger car yard in Win­ or through the Auto Club. diverted traffic to its own tracks when it nipeg has been ripped up. VIA stores its Thanks to Ed Von Nordeck. sold off 630 miles to the CM&W last backup cars and train sets on the station spring, and talks on this matter are con­ tracks. tinuing between ICR and CM&W's trust­ Thanhs to Thomas Higgins for this infor­ ee, Daniel R. Murray. They hope to settle mation. CM&W's lawsuit, since the ICC has held up the spinoff of the new ICR from par­ REGIONALS ent company IC Industries until the CM&W matter is settled. (Michael W. Blaszak)

LaVerne W. Andreessen VIA RAIL Chicago, Missouri & Western The State of Illinois is attempting to loan CANADA CM&W $14 million to keep it afloat, but Cedar Rapids & Iowa City has received wants CM&W's acquisition debt subor­ the GP9 used as No. 302 on the Path dinated to this loan, which CM&W's se­ Dick Stephenson Finder train at Fremont, Neb., in 1987 . cured creditors-Citicorp and Heller Fi­ It had been Iowa Railroad 302 , originally nancial-oppose. Judge John D. It is reported that VIA's Rockies in Day­ Milwaukee Road 302 . Schwartz must decide whether to permit light train is about 70 percent full. A re­ Harvest States Co-Op, in the Superi­ the new financing. He is apparently look­ view of official VIA consists for the first or, Wis., area, has received former Port­ ing to TAD (Transportation and Distri­ two months of operation indicates that land Traction SWI No. 200 from dealer bution Associates) to advise him as to they vary from three to five cars for each ILS. It joins another SWl, No. 507 , whether CM&W is viable and has a de­ section , with the Banff section having which was originally IC 9022 (first), be­ cent prospect for paying back the state's more cars than the Jasper section. One fore becoming IC 607, then Columbus & loan. spare Daynighter car is kept in Vancouver. Greenville 507. Its last J.D. was "GM" Management of the Illinois Central The train leaves with two F40s and one 507 (meaning built by GM). It then went Railroad told Judge Schwartz in bank­ steam generator unit; in Kamloops the to a locomotive dealer in Cedar Rapids, ruptcy court hearings in Chicago on train is split into two sections, with an­ Iowa, later a bank held title until the sale Aug. II that they are willing to make other steam generator unit added to the to Harvest. some unilateral concessions to show good Jasper section. The Banff section runs to A Whitcomb 25-tonner has been ac­ faith to the CM&W, which is now operat- Calgary. quired by Ideal Basic Industries from

PACIFIC RailNEWS - 33 Locomotive Marketing (an ALA dealer). the current San Diego order (being as­ It was originally U.S. Air Force sembled just across the street) or lease No. 1142. up to 12 cars from San Jose. Money for Intermountain Transportation Ser­ either is presently unavailable, but there PORTLAND vice at Boise, Idaho, has acquired GP38 have been talks with San Jose, and techni­ LIGHT No. 201 from Wilson Railway Corp. of cal issues have been addressed. Due to Des Moines, Iowa. Originally built as differences in the handicap lifts, it is un­ RAIL C&O 3853, it was to have become CSXT clear how Sacramento would circulate the 2053 under that railroad's major renum­ "foreign" cars if they enter service ... bering plan. also, no sign of vintage operations coming Steve Morgan Two ex-SP SD9s are recent additions to R T Metro-yet. to Montana Rail Link's stable. They are: Patronage Update No. 4316, ex-3808 (originally 5347) and San Jose-A ride on the new down­ Patronage on the Metropolitan Area Ex­ No. 4361, ex-3956 (originally 5483). town segment proved most enjoyable. press (light rail line) remains strong. Ex­ Another RELCO leased unit is in use at Top speed on the Mall is 10 mph, with cept for April, weekday ridership for each Oregon Steel Mills in Portland. RE 509 some 8 mph curves. Daily ridership has of the first six months of 1988 was higher is an SWI built as B&O 203. It was re­ climbed (due to the extension) from 600 than for that of the corresponding month numbered before going to Relco. to 3,000. No doubt a certain amount of in the previous year-a clear indication Ziegler Equipment of Babbitt, Minn. , lunch trade is involved, as the LRT cars that ridership is growing. The ave rage has acquired these BN GP20s: 2006 and circulate through downtown every 15 number of weekday boardings for the 12 2008 (ex-GN 2006 and 2008), 2036 (ex­ minutes. The first vintage trolley is cur­ months ending June 1988 was 19,600- CB&Q 900), and 2041 and 2059 (ex­ rently in the LRT barn being readied for slightly more than the equivalent figure CB&Q 905 and 923). full public use, which reportedly will be­ for the 12-month period from September The I.C.C. has approved abandonment gin Columbus Day weekend. Work on a 1986 (system opening) through August of 46 .7 miles of Oregon & Northeastern second vintage car is underway in Kelly 1987, even though the latter period bene­ Railroad line from Burns (milepost 3.5) Park which hopefully will be ready for fitted from the atypically high ridership to Seneca (milepost 50 .2). mall service in time. The further exten­ of the system's first few months, when it The Pioneer Railroad has purchased sions will come in 1990 and 1991 , when was more of a novelty. Lamoille Valley 7803 and 7804 (ex-D&H the San Jose area has a full system and a Surprisingly, Saturday ridership has Alco RS3s); Pioneer also has an option to large ridership. The new mall segment remained, on average, higher than week­ buy ex-D&H 7802 and 7805. The loco­ features a tunnel under the SP, complete day: 19,800 per Saturday for the 12 motives are to be stored in the Peoria, Ill., with a flood signal in case high water oc­ months ending June 1988. The Sunday area pending operation of the new short curs in the underpass. The tunnel is deco­ average for the same period was 10,000. line . (Mike Clasing/THE MIXED TRAI N) rated with tiles and is quite attractive. SP The various Rose Festival events held Thanks to Ken Ardinger for most of the mo ved a local freight across the top dur­ each June always give these figures an information used in this column. ing my visit, which resulted in a rather extra boost, especially on Saturday's, and nice photograph. The system's art de­ this year the average-Saturday-boardings partment also made another nice poster figure for June was 32,900-some 4,000 commemorating the June 17 opening. more than in June 1987 . Single cars are still the rule on the Santa Clara County Transit light rail line. Westside Line Discussions TRANSIT As stated previously, a light rail line San Diego-(This city usually merits running west from downtown Portland is its own column, but the following con­ the current highest priority for any new cerns its latest order of Duewags, now Tri-Met LRT line, and preliminary engi­ West Coast being completed in Sacramento.) Five of neering on the proposed Westside Line Light Rail Update the new cars (Nos. 1031-1035) were on has been underway since early this year. hand at the firm's assembly building in However, the alignment adopted by the By Herb Horton Sacramento in mid-July. Number 1031 is Tri-Met board five years ago is now being the farthest along. Two of these will re­ criticized by many westside residents and Mid-July visits disclosed these interest­ portedly be sent to Monterrey, Mexico, some business groups and citizens as not ing items: on behalf of Siemens for a demonstration/ being the best choice. The outer terminus Sacramento-A scissors crossover is display for a possible LRT line in that would be at some point along 185th Ave­ being installed in the middle of the K Mexican metropolis. The new cars are nue in all cases (unless the city of Hills­ Street mall to enhance operations. While air-conditioned (" Winnebago") and will boro, farther west, convinces Tri-Met to this is a busy spot, the one-block separa­ have new sealed-beam overhead railroad­ build the line ou t to there from the start), tion of tracks through much of the rest of style headlights, a la Sacramento and but what route the line should take to get downtown made this the best location Pittsburgh, Pa . Up to 11 cars will be on there is the focus of this new disc ussion . .. . The Sacramento light rail line now hand by September, when the first unit Instead of following the BN right-of­ averages 15 ,300 riders on weekdays. will be sent to San Diego. Truck assembly way west from Beaverton, some say the Four-car-train operation includes a is done by a separate firm in South Sacra­ line should follow SP's Tillamook morning trip from Watt/80 at 7:27 a.m. mento; these assemblies are joined to the Branch, located nearby (a longside Or­ and the return from 13th St. (an add car in the final step. New door-trouble egon Hwy. 8). Others recommend that point) around 4:30 p.m. RT Metro cars are indicators are also on the cars. Shipment upon reaching the junction of Sunset cut off at three separate points: Watt/80, may be by rail or truck. Hwy. (U.S. 26) and Oregon Hwy. 217, Butterfield and 13th Street ya rd . Sacra­ the line should split, with a short spur mento wants to obtain more cars to ex­ BART-A look at this heavy rail sys­ south to the center of Beaverton and the pand peak service, as 50 percent of daily tem disclosed several C cars in service , main, longer portion of the line continu­ ridership occurs in a four-hour span (two primarily on San Francisco-Concord ing west on Sunset Highway (which has a hours a.m., two hours p.m.). RT Metro trains, mostly in cab service, although wide median from here west). Any of the has two options: Purchase six more cars some mid-train use was also noted. The three alignments could be extended to from Siemens by "piggybacking" onto highest number seen was 356. Hillsboro without any problems.

34 • NOVEMBER 1988 Since the alignment between down­ town and the 26/217 junction is also unde­ termined (with reference to the surface­ lIandcill' 1880::; Ki~6 !ulll)J C I" L'S" 3c USA 20c vs.-tunnel questi on covered in past "". installments of this column), the only 'givens' are that the line would serve this , - -,., / junction and central Beaverton, following Centenniafof• RailWay Service Highway 217 between those two points. Portland -Oswego After some public meetings and more S ! ~: IO:,! evaluation, the final alignment for the en­ m~";:L c _ ~ . bc~ · tire line will be decided upon by the end W-C'-~-. ", ,,'."~_ . _ ~-----:<'R'F1 :1 of the year, and will then be studied in JULY 23. 1988 detail during the second half of the two­ LAKE OSWEGO, OREGON 97034 year preliminary engineering evaluation 100 Years period. oj Railway Service Vintage Trolley Updates Port land - Oswego 1888·1988 There is good news and bad news on this subject. The bad news is that by early

August, it was apparent that the gener­ This ~pecial cover was issu ed to commemorate the centennial of rai lway service between Portland and ator-trailer-powered vintage trolley ser­ Oswego, Ore. on Ju ly 22, 1988. (If you wont one, see address in Portland Light Roil column in PRN vice on the former-SP Jefferson Branch 299) line between Portland and Lake Oswego - from STEVE MORGAN would almost certainly not resume in 1988 . The governmental entities involved are still open to discussing the idea, so the vintage cars, and for the few modifica­ Marin al so had to withdraw because it there is still hope for a resumption in the tions which will be needed on the light could not generate enough property tax future, but it is not likely to happen any rail line's signaling system. Correcting an revenues to finance its leg of the system in earlier than spring 1989. earlier description, the vintage trolley the early years. It had been the plan to use The good news is that the planning for carbarn wi ll be located perpendicular to excess revenues from San Mateo County the vintage trolley service which will op­ the I-S freeway (adj acent to Coliseum Sta­ for Marin work in the initial construction erate on the light rail line between down­ tion), completely underneath the free ­ period. town Portland and Lloyd Center is finall y way-not "alongside" it. There is now a The withdrawals left BART with the in full swing. A formal Reques t For Pro­ proposal by a few local business and po­ three central counties which built the posals (similar to a bid request) for the litical leaders to make the ca rbarn larger present system and the 4.S-mile Muni two replica vintage trolley cars which are and to incorporate a small , static trolley Metro subway, which was part of the to be built for this service was issued on museum into it, but at this point Tri-Met BART financial package approved in Aug. 12 (the date on which this column is not very supportive of that idea. The 1962 by the electorate. was written). True to earlier promises, March 1988 installment of this column Political leaders in the three BART the specifications for the " new-vintage" provided further details on the down­ cars appear to require them to be, down town-to-Lloyd Center vintage trolley pro­ to the smallest detail (induding function­ ject. ing parts such as windows), virtually ex­ act duplicates of the cars after which they are patterned: the Portland "Council Crest Car" Brill design exemplified by No. S03 of 1903. Apart from the use of rf.t -'=;j secondhand trucks (likely to be Mel­ BART bourne W2-type), in general only those III bO \ modifications necessary to make the cars do L , 0 \ compatible with MAX line's Automatic --F-Y-a-n-k-M- a-Y-i-n-o- Train Stop system and other signalling, W and with MAX's wayside wheelchair lifts and "frogless" overhead wiring will be Political and fin ancial agree ments have made. The specifications repeatedly em­ been reached that will expand the 71. S­ 1989 Calendar phasize that the appearance of authentic­ mile BART system to more than 100 Santa Fe & Southern Pacific ity is to be given paramount importance miles by the early 21st Century. .. lWO separate but equal by the manufacturer. In May, BART directors representing black & white calendars. Final proposals (induding preliminary Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francis­ 18W' x 12" open. price quotes) from prospective builders co counties, finally reached an agreement With unpublished views of the were due by the end of September. After with San Mateo County to extend the sys­ evaluation of the proposals, a preferred tem south of the Daly City sta ti on. Best of the West manufacturer was to be selected , and ne­ The agreement ended a dispute that $6.50 each. gotiations on final price and other terms began in 1961 when the San Mateo Coun­ At dealers or direct would proceed between Tri-Met and the ty Board of Supervisors withdrew San Add $ 1.50 shipping for 1sl calendar. so: each additional. builder. Tri-Met hopes to be ready to Mateo County from the then fiv e-county CA residents add 42~ each tax. award a contract for the cars in Novem­ system . Marin County soon thereafter ber, with delivery to be set for sometime withdrew reluctantly for two reasons. Whist/estop in the first quarter of 1990 . The first was the refusal of directors of Meanwhile, final design work is under­ the Golden Gate Bridge & Highway Dis­ way for the small carbarn and short track PUBLICATIONS trict to permit trains on the Go lden Gate 2490 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107 segments which will have to be built for Bridge. -----(818) 796·7791-----'

PACIFIC RailNEWS • 35 counties vowed that San Mateo County line, about 10 miles long, will only have At the 17 -acre site near the old PE Cota would never be allowed back in the transit two stations, at Castro Valley and Dublin. crossing with the Union Pacific (between district without paying a princely sum. When this work is completed, BART the Long Beach Freeway and the Los An­ The BART people argued that there will have expanded from 34 stations to 45 geles River), crews are erecting the oper­ were large suburban areas in Alameda stations, and from 71. 5 miles to 102.6 ations and shop buildings while the fo un­ and Contra Costa counties that pay full miles, including the possible extension dation is being prepared for the paint BART taxes but are distant from rail sta­ from North Concord to West Pittsburg. shop. The operations building will house tions. The argument was that they should San Mateo County vo ters in June ap­ operating personnel as well as provide fa­ get rail lines before the rebel San Mateo proved a half-cent sales tax for road and cilities for washing of and specialized County people, who have paid nothing. transit improvements. The package in­ maintenance for LRVs. Major mainte­ The agreement that ended the dispute cludes extending the Peninsula commut­ nance and repair work will be done at the calls for San Mateo County to pay er train service (Cal train) to a new down­ shop building. $200 million to BART. The money will town San Francisco station in the vicinity Work is also underway at this site for be matched with federal and state assis­ of First and Mission streets, and also for the car storage yard; concrete bases for tance to build two extensions in Alameda grade crossing and other improvements the overhead pole supports are in and and Contra Costa counties. on the 47-mile San Francisco-San Jose rock ballast has been spread in prepara­ In addition, San Mateo County will use line. tion for construction of yard tracks. This sales tax revenues matched with state and A clarification is necessary regarding yard will be home to the 54 cars assigned federal funds to construct an extension the BART news reported in the August to the Long Beach line . south from the present Daly City termi­ PACIFIC RAIL NEWS. The article should By March 1989, when the finishing nal. (Because of technical problems with have stated that the maximum train touches are being put to the yard and the topography, the Daly City station is length is 710 feet-not 750 feet-and that buildings, the first LRVs should be arriv­ just beyond the San Francisco boundary the maximum length of the stations is 700 ing from Japan to begin inspection and and inside San Mateo County, and the feet. Since the doors are some distance testing procedures. The site is expected to new Daly City Yard nearing completion from the front and rear of the train, the be completely finished by July 1989 . also is in San Mateo County.) fi ve-foot-long cabs of the A cars can ex­ Meanwhile, down the line, approxi­ Here is how BART is to be expanded: tend beyond the station platforms. mately three miles of continuous-welded -A San Mateo County line will be T he A cars are 75 feet long, the Band C rail and concrete ties are in place begin­ built south from Daly City to the vicinity cars, 70 feet. ning just north of Willow Street at the of San Francisco International Airport. The maximum BART train is 10 cars separate right-of-way, running north to At that point a transfer station will be long, made up in any of the following the abuilding LA River bridge. An early built to both the Peninsula commuter combinations: August inspection showed the first poles trains on the Southern Pacific line and to A cars front and rear and B cars in for the overhead wires being erected. an automated people-mover that will run between, 710 feet; Band C cars only, 700 While work continues, Long Beach to the airport. In addition to the airport feet; A cars front and rear and Band C Boulevard in the City of Long Beach is stop, stations will be built at Colma, cars in between, 710 feet; all C cars, 700 being widened in preparation for track South San Francisco and Tanforan. The feet. One A car and one C car with B cars construction. This work requires curb approximate cost is $590 million. Most of in between, or Band C cars in between, se t-backs, relocation of utilities and simi­ the line will be built along the SP San 705 feet. lar changes before actual track and over­ Bruno Branch and on the abandoned In late July, about 30 of the 150 C cars head work can begin. Market Street Railway 40-Line interur­ on order were on the property. The new At the other end of the line, construc­ ban right-of-way. automatic train control equipment tion workers are preparing Flower Street -The present Concord line will be ex­ aboard the C cars and being installed in for the five-block tunnel which will con­ tended to North Concord on the edge of the A cars is performing quite reliably. nect the Long Beach line with the heavy the Naval Weapons station. If Contra In political news, Director Arthur Metro Rail line at a joint underground Costa County voters approve a half-cent Shartsis of Oakland, an attorney practic­ station at 7th and Flower. Preliminary sales tax in November, there will be funds ing in San Francisco, resigned recently work includes not only curb and sidewalk to construct BART as far as West Pitts­ and El Cerrito City Councilman Howard changes and relocation of utilities, as in burg. The line, if it goes all the way to Abelson was named as his replacement. Long Beach, but also installation of un­ West Pittsburg will cost about $425 mil­ Abelson is an attorney whose clients in­ derground support beams to protect lion and from Concord, will follow the clude the Bay Area Electric Railroad As­ workers constructing the tunnel using the abandoned Sacramento Northern Rail­ sociation, operator of The Western Rail­ "cut and cover" method. way right-of-way to Highway 4 at North way Museum at Rio Vista Junction. Norm's Notebook: Speaking of the new Concord. A station will be built there, Director John Kirkwood of San Francis­ rail yard brings up the point of where the then the line will follow Highway 4 to co also is a railfan and is owner-operator fully-automated cars for the Century line West Pittsburg. BART already has ex­ of the priva te car Yerba Buena. Both will be stored and maintained. It would press bus parking lots at station sites. Abelson and Kirkwood will have to run appear that these incompatible cars will - In Alameda County, $602 million for the posts at the November election. require a separate yard and faci lities. If so, will be spent on two extensions. The ex­ are we to assume that this is an example of tension covered by the San Mateo County the cost savings to be realized in selecting financial pact will take BART from the Los this mode? Wouldn't one facility for both Fremont station to Warm Springs near lines-using one type of car-be more the Santa Clara County border. The other ANGELES cost effective and efficient? line is being financed by a half-cent sa les The Canadian Experience tax approved two years ago by Alameda METRO County voters (there also will be federal From correspondent Gary Woodley in Canada, we heard more about Van­ and state funds) and will extend BART Norm Johnson from the Bay Fair station to Dublin. Pre­ couver's experience with automated rail liminary engineering has begun on this cars-called SkyTrain. Long Beach Update line, which will run in the median of In­ Since the line became operational in terstate 580 , which was rebuilt some years Construction continues at several points January 1986, three people have bee n ago to provide space for the trains. This along the Long Beach light rail route. killed; all from being run over by one of

36. NOVEMBER 1988 the trains. A fourth death, also a crash fi nal track segment to reach the Cal train fatality, occurred in 1985 during testing Depot at Fourth and Townsend streets. of the system. T his mile-long link will run from the al­ B.C. Transit, which operates Sky­ ready scheduled Embarcadero extension Train, claims there is no failure of the terminal near Bryant Stree t to King system . However, a passenger on board Street, and then on King to Sixth Street the train in the most recent incident stat­ alongside the Caltrain Station. It is ex­ ed that nothing happened when he pected to cost approximately $15 million Brian Norden pressed the 'emergency strip' located and be completed by 1995 . above the windows. (This strip is not an BART is financing this extension un­ Another Milwaukee Road E-unit has emergency stop device; it only electroni­ der an agreement with the City because been saved for preser va tion purposes. A cally notifies the train control center. In both Eas t Bay counties are ge tting direct member of Tennessee Valley Railway other words, there appears to be no emer­ BART line extensions and none are to be Museum has purchased Milwaukee E9 gency stop feature accessible to passen­ built in San Francisco . Extensions to No. 36C and is moving it to that muse­ gers. ) Muni's Metro Subway, which BART fi­ um. It was built in 196 1 and saw service According to B.C. Transit, the com­ nanced and built, are considered as relat­ pulling bile vel commuter cars out of Chi­ puterized train system is supposed to shut ed to the entire BART system and thus cago. Also at the museum in Chatta­ down automatically if something lands on money spent on these projects is consid­ nooga, Tenn., is Southern Railway E8 the 'platform intrusion plates' located be­ ered the City's share of BART's expan­ 6914. tween the tracks in the stations, extend­ sion funds. (SMOK E & C INDERS , TVRM ) ing outside the stations for two meters in New Car House Planned In Washington State, the Mount Rai­ either direction. There has been no expla­ nier Scenic R.R. has acquired the Con­ nation as to why these plates apparently In conjunction with this extension don, Kinzua & Southern home- built rail­ did not work in any of the train deaths. Muni is planning to build a car house bus which has been on display at Hepner, The question has to be asked: Could somewhere near the King Street termi­ Ore. The Western Washington Forest In­ any of these deaths have been prevented nal. This would be a mid-day storage yard dustries Association's Camp Six Muse­ by a human operator at the controls in the for LRVs in the downtown area , so that um, in Tacoma, Wash., is the new home train who could have reacted to the situa­ the cars would not have a deadhead to and of Mt. Vernon Terminal No. 4. This 35- tion? from Metro Center for storage as is now ton model ML8 Plymouth was built for Four deaths in such a relatively short done. This car house would also be home the US Army (No. 7604), then went to period on one line ought to give pause to base for the E-Embarcadero and F-Mar­ White City Terminal & Utility (No. 2) re-think the decision to operate the same ket Street PCC cars and the historic before going to Mt. Vernon. system here. Is this a risk the LACTC is streetcar fl ee t, and will include shop fa­ (Ken Ar-dinger) prepared to take? cilities to maintain these cars. No site has The Kelso, Calif. , depot of Union Pa­ been selected ye t, but several possible lo­ cific is set to join the growing number of cations are under study. preserved depots. Kelso is a small oasis in the desert located on the line between Museum Trolley Coach Barstow and Las Vegas. It once was the Another historic trolley coach will be base for helpers working up the east­ MUNI coming to Muni in the near future, as bound grade to Cima. The building is to Day ton, Ohio, has donated one of their be donated when the Kelso Depot Fund few remaining Marmon-Herrington can provide insurance and upkeep. T he coaches to the city. Transportation is now station is one of the few remaining mis­ Don Jewell being worked out and the trolley coach sion-style depots of the Los Angeles & should arrive in the Bay Area on a railroad Salt Lake Railroad . Three years ago the fl atcar within the next couple of months. 64-year-old building was to be demol­ Rail Line Extension ished, but an alliance of environmental­ Plans to extend Muni's light rail lines Fare Up a Dime ists and the Bureau of Land Management along the Embarcadero got another step Fares for Muni rose on Aug. 1 to 85¢ saved the building. closer on Thursday, July 14, when the (they had been 75¢ since 1986). Cable car (Los Angeles D AILY NEWS) Bay Area Rapid Transit District Board of fares rose from $1. 50 to $2 at the same City of Los Angeles Travel Town is the Directors approved construction of the time. site of two different preservation and sup-

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PACIFIC RaiINEWS. 37 port groups. The American Southwest stopover was brief, but we kept tripping Railway Assn. is undertaking the resto­ over railroad relics all week. The next ration of for mer Union Pacific club­ morning we detoured to Keeler, where lounge car No. LA-70 1 Lillie Nuggel the narrow-gauge ended against the edge whi ch was built for the 1937 CilY of L os of Owens Lake. Keeler is still a scratch of Angeles train . T he Southern California a place, and perhaps a dozen youngs ters Scenic Railway Assn. is involved with were standing on the abandoned right-of­ the res torati on to operating condition of way waiting fo r a school bus. Santa Fe motor car M-I77. Both of these There never was a railroad within orga ni zations are helping the city Parks Death Valley National Monument, but and Recreation Department bring about Harre W. Demoro ju st over the eastern boundary is New the cosmetic restoration of the entire col­ Ryan, a still-intac t borax mine that was at lection. the end of the Death Valley Railroad, a The woman in the motel offi ce frowned narrow-gauged line that connected with through her desert suntan. " I've lived the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad near around here fo r a while," she said, " but I Death Valley Junction. Both railroads have never heard of that place." were built by interests involved in the We were checking in for the night at Pacific Coast Borax Co . FIVE FULL HOURS OF Lone Pine. "That place" was Owenyo, Within the fences of the Ryan plant SPECTACULAR NONSTOP where the Southern Pacific's narrow­ there also was a two-foot-gauged industri­ gauged line had met the SP standard­ al railroad (called the Baby Gauge) that RAILROAD ACTION gauged branch from Mojave. An Auto may still be partly intact. 3 VHS Video Tape CasseHes Club map of the Owens Valley of Califor­ tor only $49.95 postpaid. Much of the grade of the Death Valley nia hinted that the " site" of Owenyo was Railroad, abandoned in 1931 , is visible Presenting approximately where a dirt road met a along Highway 190, and DVRR No.2 is THOSE WONDE RFUL TRAINS Brand new Collector's Series of railroad videotapes poorly paved highway northeast of Lone displayed at Furnace Creek Ranch. Pine. For a brief period, this now almost­ VOLUM E 1 TRAINS OF TEHACHAPI The paved road took us east, past the forgotten railroad was the only reliable • Powerful locomotives on the point, at ramshackle building that had been SP's way to reach Death Valley, which was just mid-tra in and on the rear of Southern Lone Pine (standard-gauge) station. We being discovered as a tourist site. To en­ Pacific and Santa Fe trains grinding up drove straight toward the Inyo Moun­ courage tourism, the DVRR bought a and down a 2.5% grade around sharp tains, straight toward nothing that looked three-foo t-gauge Brill gasoline motor car curves in the beautiful Tehachapi Mountains. We show you the loop in all like Owenyo , or anything else. in 1928 that met T&T trains at Death its glory, as well as other railroading I fi gured later that we had turned left, Valley J unction and took the passengers action in and around the beautiful or north, just about where the narrow­ to the Ryan mine, which had closed in town of Tehachapi. Ou r crew spent two gauge line had been situated . Finally, the 1927 and was being developed as a Death months filming hundreds of trains. road turned to gravel, and this had to be Valley resort by the borax company . • I ntroductory five hour first volum e of nonstop railroad action in a long Owenyo . Also in 1927 , the borax firm began coll ector'S series that will take you all T here was no trace of the hotel or sta­ work on Furnace Creek Inn, and passen­ over America, view ing those wonderful tion, or the other buildings and facilities gers from the DVRR were taken from trains.Destined to become a favorite in that had ser ved until the narrow-gauge Ryan by highway to the new inn, which is railroad videotapes. line was abandoned in 1960. within the boundaries of the monument ******** YOU GET ******** Jo kicked loose a rotted tie of narrow­ that was es tablished in 1933 . Although • 5 hours of spectacular nonstop gauge wid th, and I took home a sliver my wife prefers the desert fo r its stark railroad action • Sur prise bonus railroad from it to Dale Champion, a coll eague beauty, not because of abandoned rail ­ videotape if ordering for first time whose family pioneered the Owens Val­ road rights of way and mining history, she • Full color and live sound ley. Dale still calls the railroad "The Slim agreed that the Furnace Creek Inn's • Special Introductory Price $4995 Princess" and cusses Los Angeles for cocktail lounge deserved a visit several • History of the Loop, a map & more • Prompt Shipment stealing wa ter from the Owens Valley. times las t April because it is framed with _. .. _. _...... _. __ ... Check or Money Order ._-_. __ . __. _.... __ .. Our destination in early April was DVRR bridge timbers. RDM VIDEO PRODUCTIONS Death Valley (at the end of the wildflower East of Death Valley, along the distant 2832 East Avenue R- 14, Palmdale. CA 93550 season) not railroad ruins, so our Owenyo margin of California that some people

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38. NOVEMBER 1988 TWO NEW RAILROAD VIDEOS!

SILVER RAILS and GOLDEN MEMORIES Tribute to Rocky Mountain Railroad Club 50th Anniversary. Features 16mm colorlootage by Irv August filmed on the club's history· making excursions. Memorable scenes on the O&RGW Narrow Gauge. Colorado & Southern (Standard Gauge). Great Western Railway. Manitou & Pike. Peak Railway. and Union PacHlc·s 4·8-4. A decade of Steam . filmed 1952 to 1962. Introduction by Irv August. Narration by Rege Cordie. With sy ncdubbed sound. 72 minutes. Plus Previews of other Rocky Mounlain Railroad Club Programs from the Irv August 16mm Film Collection ...... $54.95

,._ .~ ~f -l'-"' ~ J .~. ..' ~. - DOODLEBUG. A term of ridicule-and endearment, yet nothing penetrated so deeply into the folklore of American rail­ roading as the rail motorcar. Temporary savior of rural railroading, the "gas Photos by Dave Gross car" sputtered and jolted its way ASSAU L T ON SNOW along the branch lines of our youth. The story of a shortline mountain railroad's battle with th e Doodlebugs came in all sizes and shapes, and were built by hundreds of manufac· Blizzard of 1988. You're tracksi de and on board as Wyoming & Colorado first generation diesel F-unlt. hit walls of snow in turers and backshops. Brill and EMC were the giants, but there was tiny Skagit and " punch and back out" plowing. U.P. Rotary Snow Plow versatile Hall-Scott, not to mention Mr. McKeen and his knife-nosed rail torpedo. 900080 clears track west of Laramie. Beautifully photographed Interurbans Without Wires surveys all major and most minor railcar builders and by Dave Gross on ex· Unlon Pacific Coalmont and Saratoga their products and is, we believe, the first comprehensive book to appear on the subj ect. Branche•. Narration by Rege Cordie. 52 minutes. In color and live sound ...... $49.95 We range from Maine to California with extensive documentation, including complete construction lists compiled with the help of such experts as P. Allen Copeland, Al OTHER TITLES AVAILABLE Barker and the staff of Ex tra 2200 South. Many, many rar!'! photos-a few in color. Scale o Ch.llenger '82 · U.P. 3985 1982 Trips. 55 min ...... $49.95 drawings, vintage ads, too! o U.P. "Chaltenger" 3985 · 198t Coverage. 55 min ...... 39.95 DOt..... WHt . UP. D&RGW. Utah Rwy. 55 min ...... 39.95 CHAPTERS include early steam cars ... gas cars-the pioneers . . . the o Legend of tho Rio Gr.nd. Zophyr . 52 min ...... 49.95 lightweights (battery cars, trucks, railbuses) ... gas cars-the standard era ... o Oleael. on tho U.P. · DDA40X. SD·40. U30·C. 60 min . .. 49.95 the railcar goes streamlined . .. railcar rarities. o Oleaal. on tho Union Poc/l1c ... Tho s.quel . 60 min..... 49.95 o Sieim Over Sherman · U.P. Steam in '50 's. 55 min . .... 49.95 200 Pages, 320 Photos and Illustrations, 8Vzxll" hardcover with color o Rio Gr.nd. Of Tho Rocklo. · '50's Std. & N.G. 59 min ...... 49.95 Harlan Hiney jacket painting, Endsheets, Index (Special 66) o Exeur.lon to the Thlrtle. · Rare 8mm Colo. N.G. 52 min.. .49.95 o Rio Gr.nde N.G. In tho RItfH . 8mm N.G. 58 min ...... 49.95 CALIFORNIANS o A Fortlo. Momory · D&RGW. ATSF. S.P.. RGS. 24 min ... . 34.95 PLEASE ADD 95 o N.rrow G.ugo Video Vlgnott • . Colo. N.G. 55 min . .... 39.95 6% TAX $29 o O&RGW N.G. Frt. Tr.ln. · 1967 (Silent) 60 min. . 49.95 SHIPPING: o O&RGW N.G. Stock &P... . Tr. · 1967 (Sile nt) 60 min .... 49.95 51.50 o Ran. Aero .. The SummH . Cumbres & T oilec. 28 min . ... 34 .95 -1 o Doubteheader '83 · Cumbres & Tollec. 28 min. . . •• .. 24.95 .. o Snow Tr.ln: Rio Gr.ndo'. Sid Speclel . F·9. 28 min . ... 34.95 o The Sugar Cine Tr.ln . Hawaii's 3' LK&P. 20 min ...... 24.95 o Lo.t Sto.mor. of tho C&S . 1958 Std. Ga. 52 min ...... 49.95 o Tehach.pl Pt. I: Tho Santa Fe · Diesel. 57 min ...... 49.95 o Tohach.pl Pt. II: Tho Southorn Paclflc . 52 min. ... 49.95 o The flo Gr. nde Tod.y . 2 Hr. Special. 120 min ...... • 59.95 o The RftI" Expr... - Steam on 15 roads. 52 min ...... 49.95 o Allegheny Rail. Vol. I: 8&0 · Bill Price8mm Films 55 min. 49.95 DEALER o Allegheny Ran. Vol. II: WM · Bill Price8mm Films. 52 min .. 49.95 INQUIRIES INVITED SP ECIFY VHS or BETA II 0 DEALERS WELCOME Shipping & Handling $2 .50 (U .S. & Canada) Foreign $5 .00 FREE DESCRIPTIVE BROCHURE VISA or . -=. = MasterCard ' ~ " INTERURBAN PRESS, 13031 770-8421 ;- _ ; TR A 'S- ANGLO ROOKS ---~ ~VIDEO PRODUCTIONS (IP. O. SO' 6444. GI, .d. I" CA 91205 -= I' 6447 S Heritage PI W/Englewood . GO BOllI

PACIFIC RailNEWS - 39 think is in Nevada, can be seen the marks district) and Goldfield . T he BG won the ey-losing ways is still evident in the desert and abutments of the Tonopah & Tide­ construction race by a few months but the along U.S. 95. We'll discuss those relics , water, which had a standard-gauged gas­ contest for bankruptcy ended in an ap­ and the Tonopah & Goldfield, in the next electric car for the Death Valley tourist proximate tie. The results of those mon- column. trade, and was abandoned in 1940. From Death Valley Junction, we paral­ leled the T&T grade which was clearly visible along U.S. 127 south to Shoshone, and breakfas ted in a restaurant that didn't seem to have a name. It did, however, MODELER have T &T pictures on the wall and a framed T &T dispatcher's sheet next to The magazine for railfans who model. Every issue is packed full of useful the door to the bar. prototype information plus how-to articles that modelers of all skill One needs a good guide book (we had levels will enjoy. David Myrick's two-volume RAILROADS OF NEVADA AND EASTERN CA LI FORN IA) In the November-December issue: to sort out the ghost railroads north of Death Valley Junction. Three railroads, On the " Covered Wagon Trail " with the T&T, Bullfrog Goldfield and Las Ve­ Pennsylvania Railroad E-units­ gas & Tonopah, served Rhyolite, Nev. , featuring one of PM's famous full­ now a ghost town. We fo und LV&T sta­ color centerspreads! tion on Golden Street, still with its order Soo Line Diesel Photo roster board. The building is no longer a gift Southern Pacific RBl boxcars shop and is being claimed by the desert. M odeling a modern plastics plant Both the LV&T and the Bullfrog Gold­ Kitbashing a concrete grain field raced to finish the first railroad be­ elevator tween Rhyoli te (in the Bullfrog mining

Available at your local hobby sh op or by subscription- only $27 for 12 issues,

Statement of Ownership, Management a nd Circulation INTERURBAN PRESS . P.O. Box 6128. Glendale, CA 9 1205-0444 (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)

1. TITLE OF PUBLICATION: Pacific RailNews l B. PUBLICATION NO., 862840 2. DAT E OF FILING, Sept. 13, 1988. 3. FREQUE NCY OF ISSUE , Monthly 3A. NO. OF ISSU ES PUBLI SHED ANNUALLY, 12 3B. ANNUAL SUBSCRIPT ION PRICE , $27.00. 4. LOCAT ION OF KNOWN OFFICE OF PUBLICATION, 1741 Go,deno The Derby Horse Railway Ave., Glendale, CA 91204; P.O. Box 6128. Glendale. CA 91205. 5. LOCATION OF HEADQUARTERS OR GENERAL BUSINESS OFFICES OF PUBLISHER: Some as item 4. and the World's First 6. NAMES AND COMPLET E MAILI NG ADDRESSES O F PUBLISHER, EDITOR, AND MANAGING EDITOR: George M . Sebree III, P.O. Box 6128, Glendale, CA 91205; James W. Wolker Jr., P.O. Box 6 128, Glendale, CA 91205. Managing editor: N/A. ELECTRIC FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVE 7. OWNER: Interurban Press. a California Corporation, P.O. Box 6444, John R. Stevens Glendale. CA 91205. 8. KNOWN BONDHOLDERS, MORTGAGEES, AND OTHER SECURITY HOLDERS OWNING OR HOLDING I PERCENT OR MORE OF TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS, MORTGAGES OR OT HER SECU RI T IES, The Derby Horse Rail way, formed in 1885, opened as an electrifi ed line George M . Sebree III, James W. Wolker Jr.• Charles Dillefsen, George in 1887, The Worl d's First Electric Freight Locomotive arrived there in April Krombles, Mike Clayton .. 9. NIA 1888. Freight service quit by 1889 and the locomotive was retired that year. 10. EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION, Average No. Actual No. Miraculously it was not scrapped and was rescued by the author in 1982. It is Copies Ea . Copies of Issue Ouring Single Issue now at th e Shore Li ne (Branford) Trolley Museum at East Haven , Conn. Preceding Published 12 Months Nearest to Filing Dote A. Total no. of copies (net press run) 8,853.88 8,900 B. Paid circulation I . Soles through dealers & carriers, street vendors & counter sales 4,596.33 4,542 2. Moil subscription 3,666.08 3,745 C. Total paid circulation 8,271.25 8,393 D. Free distribution by moil, corri er or other means, somples, complimentary & other free copies 105.67 106 E. Total distribution (sum of C and OJ 8,376.92 8, 499 F. Copies not distribu ted 1. Office use, left over, un-occounted, spoil after printing 402.08 401 2. Returns from news agents 97.18 0 G. Total (sum of E. FI and 2- should equal net press run shawn in A) 8,853.88 8,900 • 65 pages (7 % x 9 1f2" ). • Softcover. I certify that the sta tements mode by me above are correct and complete. James W. Wolker Jr., V.P. • 25 photographs. The World's Oldest Electric Freight l o co· • 3 Drawings + 1 map. m otive (above) a nd the Va n De peole­ equipped s treet railway (above, right). Stock No. BX13 ...... $7.50 WRITE FOR CATALO G (Calif. res. add 6 % sales tax)

40. NOVEMBER 1988 CheckOu

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PASSENCER TRAIN ANNUAL 1988 • By the editors of passenger Train Journal. Includes a complete Illustrated Amtrak roster, plus highlights of the past year, Night Train Photo section, Along the Heritage Trail, Her Majesty Rides the canadian Ralls, Transit Pictorial and a tribute to the 20th century Limited on the 50th anniversary of Its streamlining. 80pp, color & b/w photos, 8V2x11 " softbound. ISBN 0-937658-13-8. PTJ488(1.50p/hHSeptemberl ...... • ...... • ...... $17.95

WHEN EASTERN MICHICAN RODE THE RAILS III: Detroit to the West· By William Henning, Jack Schramm and William Andrews. Continues the Michigan Inter­ urban stOry, this time covering Detroit to Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Grand RapidS. Railroads, buses and boats, too! 224pp, 338 photos, 8V2X11" hardbound with color Jacket. ISBN 0-916374·80-7. special 109 (2.00 p / hHSeptemberl ...... $39.95

RAIL VENTURES: The comprehensive Planning Guide to Rail Travel In the U.S., Canada and Mexico· By wayflnder press, Editor, Jack Swanson. Traveling Amtrak, VIA, Mexican varnish. Station locations, where to stay, what to do; maps of rail routes and cities; tips for travelers. A beautiful little book, the last word In rail travel guides. 360pp, 6x9" softbound with color cover. ISBN 0-9608764-9-9. Item X-14 (2.00 p/hl (In stock) ...... $12.95

BACK IN PRINT!!

TEXAS ELECTRIC AL8UM • By Rod varney and the Texas ERA. Out of print since 1976, this f ine photo album of the Dallas area Interurbans is back! Main coverage Is of the lines north to Sherman-Denison and south to Waco and Corsicana. 96pp, 116 photos, maps, timetables, etc. 8V2 x11" softbound. ISBN 0-916374-01-7 . special 62 (1.50 p/hHLate September) ...... $13.95

RIDE THE 81C RED CARS· By spencer crump. Los Angeles didn't know how lucky It was when It had 1,000 miles of electric rail­ way, but now on the eve of the rebirth of traction In L.A. Spence tells It like It was. Now back In print. 256pp, 200-plus photos, 81hx11 " hardbound with color Jacket. ISBN 87046-047-1. TAB247 (2.00 p/hHOctober) ...... $29.95

SAN DIECO & ARIZONA: The Impossible Railroad • By Robert Hanft. A new edition, bringing the San Diego Trolley stOry up to date. Covers construction and operation of Spreckles' spectacular pike and now back In print. Lavishly Illustrated; 224pp, 326 photos, 8V2x11 " hardbound with Jacket painting by John Signor. ISBN 87046-071-4. TAB271 (2.00 p/hHOctober) ...... $39.95

INTERURBAN PRESS PO Box 6444, Glendale CA 91205 Please add stated shipping DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED prices. Californians add 6% tax (6%% in L.A. CO.l Pans down and headlights and running lights off, Milwaukee Road Little Joe electric No. E77 "slumbers" in the solitude of a September evening at remote Avery, Idaho, in 1971. Avery was the diesel (steam in earlier years}-to-electric change point on Milwaukee's venerable Pacific Coast extension, and was at the west end of the Rocky Mountain segment of electrification. The wires came down in 1974. -MIKE SCHAFER

As Marinette, Tomahawk & Western SW7 No. 23 pulls the Bradley (Wis.) interchange, back-to-back 500 Line F7 A's lope into town with the daily westbound freight out of Rhinelander in 1974. Some aspects of this scene have changed considerably: Instead of 500 Line Fs, one is more likely to see a Wisconsin Central GP35m; in fact, WCL now has trackage rights over the MT&W from Tomahawk to Bradley Junction. But the MT&W continues to thrive as a lumber/paper hauler shortline in upper Wisconsin. -MIKE SCHAFER

42. NOVEMBER 1988 Things are not always what they seem. Here are two Baldwin VO- 1000 switchers, Nos. 202 and 206, in two liveries of the Frisco (merged into BN in 1980) at Springfield, Mo. on Feb. 25, 1978. Under their hoads are EMD engines; both were repowered in August 1959. Both were retired in July 1979. -J. HARLEN WILSON

FROM THE ~AST .

~:------~~---\~------~~------~~~.------..- -

This 1959 view at Marysville, Calif., has a number of now-gone features. The railroad, Western Pacific, is now part of Union Pacific (the "Feather River" symbol is worn off the nose of the lead locomotive). The lead diesel is FTA No. 9030, originally built as No. 903C. It was retired in December 1963. The second unit is an FT B-unit and the third is an F3 . All are now retired. The catenary above was used by locomotives of WP-subsidiory Sacramento Northern; the Marysville-Yuba City trackage was its last vestige of electric operation. -DON HANSEN

PACIFIC RaiiNEWS • 43 UP varnish burnished the rails at Altamont an Aug. 27, 1988, when an Officer's Special headed west to Oakland. Powered by GP40X 90 and 5040-2 3646 (nate the new white numbers an the rear of the unit), the seven-cor train included business cars Selma and Feather River. It departed Oakland for the East an the morning of Aug . 28. The shiny objects behind are wind-powered electric generators. -NEIL LANG

. pHOTO STOp

UP's new Roadrailer service, symboled CHOARZ, heads south at Thornton Junc­ tion, III. , an July 2, 1988, behind new 5060 No. 6066. The new service fea­ tures a late-night departure from the Ch icago area. -R. B. OLSON

44 • NOVEMBER 1988 A remarkable shot for 1988-MoPac blue is very much in evidence in this view of symbol MPHOT at Okay Junction, Oklo., on Aug . 2, 1988. Behind 5040- 2C 6058 are 5040 3001, U30C 2992, a GP38, a U23B and another GP38! About one-third of the forme r MoPac blue units remain in old point at this t ime. -TOM CARLSON

UP SD40-2 No. 3476 leads th e PONPZ as it heads east near North Powd e r, Ore., on July 15, 1988. The expedited t rain includes stocks, rocks and pig s in its consist. -JEFF TORRETTA

PACIFIC RailNEWS - 45 MEXICO ON THE MOVE: Allen Morrison provides an ORLEANS NOTES: that New Orleans riverfront trolley update on light rail construction in Mexico City and Guada­ line opened on schedule, on the first day of the Republican lajara. STE's Tren Ligero (light rail) still runs only to the National Convention. And the crimson trolleys received shops at Huilpuko/Estadio Azteca. The rest of the route to wonderful national media attention, including footage on Xochimiko is near completion, but, unaccountably, the line ABC-TV and a picture in USA TODAY. will stop short of the center of the city by one kilometer (the PCC cars ran into the center of town). The 17 Tren Ligero BIG PLANS FOR PHILLY: SEPTA has unveiled a grand car~ach built from 2Y2 PCCs-are the only eight-axle expansion plan for rapid, commuter and light rail service. articulated vehicles in this hemisphere. Meanwhile, Guada­ The proposals include a wholly-new LRT line from 69th lajara's six-axle Tren Ligero cars from Siemens-Duewag Street Terminal to Newtowp Square in Delaware County, an were scheduled to be on display in the city in October. The extension of the Route 10 subway surface trolley from 63rd opening of the line has been postponed from November & Malvern to the Overbrook station on the Paoli-Downing­ 1988; the official date is now given as February 1989, but town commuter rail line, and conversion of the Ivy Ridge­ Morrison would be surprised if the line opens before 1990 or Bala Cynwyd commuter line to LRT, using both the railroad even 1991. The new line will make use of the 5.3 km trolley­ and the old Fairmount Park trolley right-of-way and con­ bus subway which was built with the idea that the tunnel necting with Route 10. There also would be an extension of would be converted to rail use. Trackless trolleys started the heavy rapid transit line from Fern Rock to Red Lion using the tunnel in 1976 but TB wire is now down, and Road and from Pattison Ave. through the Navy Yard and conversion to light rail use has begun ... BART BLUES: over into New Jersey. But given SEPTA's daily struggle Bay Area Rapid Transit is having trouble with its new simply to stay operational, one assumes that these plans will French-built rapid transit car. Alsthom Co. has delivered 30 gather dust for some time to come ... a model of the new at $1.3 million per copy, and the shells for 45 more are on the SEPTA Norristown car has been unveiled. A fleet of 26 of way. But the remaining 75 body shells (which are to be the 65-foot-Iong cars will be delivered 'early in 1990. The assembled into completed rail cars at Union City, Calif.) are model, incidentally, included a pantograph on the roof al­ being held hostage to a bitter strike at the Alsthom plant in though the Norristown line is third-rail. France, with no end in sight. The work stoppage has been marked by violence. And, BART General Manager Keith Bernard says the 28 new cars now in everyday service have NEW LOOK FOR THE TOWER: Cleveland's Terminal turned in an unsatisfactory performance. There's talk of a Tower, built by the Van Swearingens for intercity passenger hefty lawsuit if things don't shape up soon ... BART direc­ trains and their Shaker Heights Rapid Transit in the 1920s, tors have given the Bay Fair-Dublin rail extension top prior­ has been down on its luck. Passenger train tracks were ity for construction, but it's expected that the extension to ripped up in the early 1970s, and, even though the east-west the San Francisco International Airport won't be ready rapid transit line joined the Shaker Rapid in the tower base­ until 2010. ment, the two rail systems served different parts of the building. Now, thanks to private developers, the Tower is TWIN CITIES TOPICS: It looks like a "go" for the Minne­ getting a $173.6 million renovation which will include a apolis light rail system. Hennepin County has approved a world-class luxury hotel, a shopping mall and office space. preliminary engineering contract which may top $10 million And the two rail transit lines will now come together in the on a 29-mile system that would cost about $1 billion to build same concourse, permitting across-the-platform connec­ and [mance. The initial system incorporates lines from tions ... DART in Dallas is picking up the pieces from the downtown Minneapolis to the University of Minnesota, defeat of its rail referendum. Although it has put rail plan­ southeast along the Hiawatha corridor and northwest. Later ning on a 30-day hold, momentum has emerged for building legs would be built south to Bloomington and southwest to a scaled-down, one line-at-a-time light rail system. GAM­ Hopkins. It's likely that the University line would tie direct­ BLERS SPECIAL: Construction was to begin in September ly into an LRT line St. Paul wants to build along University on the Las Vegas peoplemover, the continent's first maglev Ave. (re-creating the "Interurban" streetcar line which system. Only 1.3 miles will be built initially, linking a sports bowed out in 1954) and that the Hiawatha line would eventu­ and convention complex north of the downtown area with ally be extended to the airport. Biggest unanswered ques­ the downtown casino district. But an extension to the famed tion: will the downtown network be in tunnel or on the Strip and the airport south of the city is possible-after the surface? Both options have their vocal partisans ... NEW new technology gets a chance to prove itself.

46. NOVEMBER 1988 EXTRA BOARD ADS

PA CIFI C RAILNEWS reserves the right to edit all WANTED: Rail boo ks, paper coll ec tions, Cyclope­ WANTED: Southern Pacific steam locomoti ve c1as­ copy and refuse any listings. Ads cannot be ac­ dias, O ffi cial Guides, pocket cal endars, employee llS, sific llion and assignment books and d iagram books. knowledged, nor can proof copies be sent. Closing railroadiana. Steve Balan, 19822 Lexington, Hun­ Also , OI her technical inrormation. Employee timeta­ date: 20th of3rd month before issue date. Count all ti ngton Beach , CA 92646. 299- 302 ble special instructions for all Espee divisions. T. R . numbers, name and address. Home/office street C lul e , 4 Co tt o n wood Ln. , Sea l Beac h , address and telephone number must accompany ad CA 90140. 299- 302 order, even if not included in copy. RATES: 13¢ a WELLS FARGO uniform hut ton hlazer set. T wo word/$5 minimum. Payment in advance. large, six small , $6. 50. Joseph Lai oiL' , P.O. Box 3, VIDEO. A NEW RELEASE! Opemlion M elm . W it ­ Melhuen. MA 0 1844. 295-300 ness and ride along while several M. ctnl commuter RAILROAD RADIO SCAN NERS. Car mobile and lines and trains arc covered in thi s video of Chicago's hand -held-Bearcat and Regency. Several crystal and WANTED: Long Beach area Pacific Electric, steam Metropolitan Rail. Witness freight trains that "'Ietra programmable models in stock from $ 11 9.95 to and bus p hotos pre- 1935 for fo rthcoming book on runs alongside with ' Sec BN E9s , F40s , F40Cs and . $299.95 . Crystals for most \XIestern rail roads in stock city's history. Ralph Forty, 22 9 \XI. 6th., L ong Beach , modern interurbans! Free Metra timetables! 2 + at $5.95 each . Stop in or write for yo ur railroacl radio CA 90802. 300-303 hours. $2 6.95. Still Ava il able' Railroads From needs. Send SSAE fo r info rmation. Iron H orse H ob­ Across Ih e /101 idwesl GIld Wes/. Mixture of Amtrak, bies, 3529 Clayton Rd. , Concord, CA 945 19. 267t[ AT &S F , BN , C&NW, D &RGW, EJ &E, M ilwa ukee, BLEDSOE RAIL SLIDES: 20 new hi gh q ualit \· Sao) U P and morc! Including Abo Canyon , Joint RAILROAD CONDUCTORS' uniform bUll ons. 35 111 111 slide set s now

OVER 35,000 LOCOMOTIVE SLIDES. 1,620 companies, 142 pp. catalog and first installment of RAILROAD HOBBY SHOP. Scanners, antennas, 400 + slides from the Al an Miller co ll ection including some crystals left for Unidcn-eve n fewer for Regen­ cab units of fall en fl ags, SP black wid ow, AT &SF cy. Model trains in HO , N and Z scale , plu s books, ze bra-stripe scheme and more. Our 2 1st year- offer­ magazines, videos and supplies. Big new location ! ing high q uality d uplicate slid es. $6 for catalog, su p­ Co-located with Rara Avis T rains. Across rrom EI plement , sample and dollar cou pon. Porreca , Box 22 , Monte Ce nter-behind the restaurant. Noon to Boulder, CO 80306. 298-303 6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Replies only wi th SASE. IRON H ORSE TRA INS. Gary Holmes, proprietor since July 1986. 3494 Clayton Rd. , Concord , CA 945 19. OVER 12,000 TRAIN D epot photos for sale. Send (4 15) 682 -5775 . 300-305 $1 for li st of your state. Robert N iesz, 17 15 B Ave . N.E., Cedar Rapicls, IA 52402 296-307

COPPER CANYON (Mexico): Ride 400 miles fro m desert to mountain to sea over 39 bridges and through 86 tunnels. Friendly groups of less than 30 people Bac k in business .. THE WESTERN RAILROADER 12 Full Color 8 x 10 with many extras on this full y opera ting, single-track, Se ri ol1 s Ra il Hi slO r), Onl )" captioned photos Short lines -Tract ion· Loggers-St cam-Electri c· Di ese I mountai n rail road . Th ird A nnual Rail fan tour $5.00 post paid U.S only Fd'IY Yl'a rs of se rvice by [he \\Iest's senior hisrorica l journal March 4- 13; free brochure from Doug Rhodes, Ado­ Canada $6.00 postal money order. No" Pu bl ished Quam ri y-SIO.OO pe r yea r be Tours, Box 12334, Albuq uerq ue, N M 87 195 . Please allaw 3 - 4 weeks delivery. (505) 873- 11 55. 299-301 The Western Railroader Post Office Box 2268 Mystic Valley Railway Society, Inc. Huntington Beach, CA 92647-0268 P.O.Box 486, Hyde Park, MA 02136-0486

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PACIFIC RaiINEWS • 4 7 Those Magnificent Planes 1989 calendar For the fifth consecutive year, we feature Ronald Hill's calendar of commercial aircraft from around the world. $8.95

The 1989 'TMT' datebook is a coDec· tion of 36 fuD·color images of classic railroads. Measuring 5"x7", this is a Red cars/ must for your desk. (spiral-bound) $8.95 Yellow Cars Shipping-add $1 per calendar Overseas-$4 surcharge 1989 calendar California residents add 6% tax. Early views of LA. the At your favorite dealer or bookstore Pacific Electric, and the or order by mail from: l.A narrow-gauge. $ 8.95 D Mastercard D VISA CHARLES DITLEFSEN P.O. BOX 1807 OR CALL TOLL-FREE: MILL VALLEY, CA 94942 1-800-227 -6162