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WHEEL CLICKS Today, however, the AAR believes this metric has become HIGH-SPEED RAIL GETS A BIG BOOST less useful, and so has decided to stop providing it in Rail Time Gov. Jerry Brown scored a big win for California's $68 billion Indicators, at least temporarily. With fewer cars moving in and high-speed rail project by persuading fellow Democrats to out of storage as a result of changing economic conditions, it dedicate a steady future funding source for it in the state budget. suspects that various aspects relating to the way rail cars are The $108 billion 2014-15 general fund approved June 15 used are adversely affecting this metric. For example, loaded rail includes $250 million this year from the state's cap-and-trade cars are often used as temporary "warehouses" and might not greenhouse gas emissions fund. More important to rail move for more than 60 days, thereby counting for the purposes supporters is the promise of 25 percent of all cap-and-trade of this metric as "in storage" when, in fact, they are being revenue each year, which could eventually total $3 billion to $5 actively used. A change in the length of time a car is used this billion a year. way could make it appear to be moving into and then, later, out The money is a fraction of the state's overall spending plan . of storage. The AAR is currently attempting to develop a new But to high-speed rail officials and the governor, it signals the metric that, it hopes, will offer an improved measure of freight state's investment in the beleaguered project, which has been car utilization. saddled by delays and court challenges that have left it with little [Info. from AAR Rail Time Indicators via Charles Varnes] operating cash and uncertain political support. Rail officials believe the ongoing revenue will be enough to RULING COULD MUDDLE RAILS-TO-TRAILS leverage bond borrowing and start work on new parts of the A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on ownership of former railroad project, such as a segment connecting northern Los Angeles easements means an uncertain future for existing and proposed County to Burbank. Building that section of the rail line could rails-to-trails projects, the Statesman Journal reports. In an 8-1 help generate goodwill from the politically critical Los Angeles opinion in March, the court determined that railroads were built area and blunt criticism over the decision to start constniction in on property right-of-way easements that expire when a line the less populated Central Valley. The renewed attention to high- ceases to be used by a railroad company. speed rail funding also is a reminder of its most pressing Though the ruling affects only a specific case, it could have problem: Where will the rest of the money come from? broader implications — that governments didn't have the right to A Sacramento County Superior Court ruling last year, which turn former railroad easements into public walking or biking is on appeal, has essentially blocked the state from selling $8.6 trails. The ruling stems from a land dispute in Wyoming , where billion in voter-approved bonds that are supposed to be the the Medicine Bow Rail Trail, a popular biking trail, crosses primary source of construction funds for the first 130-mile property owned by Marvin Brandt. segment from Merced to Bakersfield. The state also owes the When the Brandt family was granted the land in 1976, a federal government a $180 million matching payment due July railroad ran through it. The easement, according to court records, 1 as part of the $3.5 billion in federal grants awarded to was "subject to those rights for railroad purposes as have been California. granted to the Leramie Hahn's Peak & Pacific Railway [Info. from Pasadena Star-News] Company, its successors or assigns." However, the Brandt family argued — and the Court agreed — that when the railroad AAR STORED FREIGHT CARS REPORT was completely abandoned by 2004, the easement became void DISCONTINUED as well. The Association of American Railroads created the stored The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit that advocates freight cars metric in early 2009, when an enormous number of for the creation of public trails along unused railroad paths, rail cars were being placed into storage as traffic plunged by a called the ruling a "disappointing decision." "Just like our result of the severe recession. The organization defined a freight national parks, these former rail corridors are public assets in car as "in storage" if it had a loaded revenue move since 2005, which we all share and benefit," wrote Kevin Mills, senior vice but not in the past 60 days. president of Policy and Trail Development for RTC. As the economy and rail traffic slowly recovered, the metric It's worth noting that along the coast in Tillamook County, offered a useful way to visualize how the recovery was this proposal could be a rails-and-trails project. While the Port proceeding. We believe that changes in the number of cars of Tillamook Bay no longer uses the length of railroad, the counted as "in storage" largely reflecting the fact that rail cars Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad operates tourist trains along a 48- are stored when they are not needed due to lack of demand, and mile stretch of working rail line from its base in Garibaldi. are taken out of storage when demand improves. [Info. from The Oregonian via Caroline Hobson] Werkema's Oakland Terminal Railway presentation as shown at Stockton this year. Steve Crise was able to obtain a copy of it, and will share it with us. Our second feature will be a revised version of Ed Saalig's Winterail presentation WHEEL CLICKS from a prior year, covering additions not included in his JULY 2014 VOLUME 78, NO. 4 wonderful book, The Amazing Journey of Santa Fe's RDC Cars! Both of these programs enjoyed rave reviews at EDITOR DICK FINLEY their respective Winterail meetings! Be there, and bring TECHNICAL EDITOR CHARLES VARNES digital briefs!0 MAILER JOHN STALLKAMP CALTRAIN NEWS by MIKE GONDRON Opinons expressed in unsigned articles are those of the editorial In January and February of this year, Caltrain took its annual board, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Society, its ridership count. The results were impressive but not surprising. officers or directors. Opinions in signed articles are those of the Average weekday ridership is now at 52,611, an all time record author only. All rights reserved. ISSN: 0043-4744. and a 54 percent increase since 2010. That is nearly double the number of riders since 2004 when Baby Bullet service was Published monthly by PACIFIC RAILROAD SOCIETY, INC. The Society is a California chartered , nonprofit organization of those who introduced. The annual ridership count also showed that Caltrain share an interest in railroad operations, travel and history. Address carries an average of 5,874 riders with bicycles each weekday. and telephone are the same as for Pacific Railroad Museum. The high demand that resulted in service constraints during PARTICIPATING MEMBER $45.00 per year peak commute hours, with some trains operating at 133 percent SUSTAINING MEMBER $60.00 per year of capacity or more. The potential purchase of equipment from CORPORATE MEMBER $110.00 per year Metrolink mentioned in last month's article will help take some LIFE MEMBER $500.00 pressure off the most popular trains, but the cars would have to PACIFIC RAILROAD MUSEUM is operated by Pacific Railroad Society undergo refurbishment and that could take up to a year. at 210 W. Bonita Ave. , San Dimas, CA 91773. Telephone: (909) Deteriorating conditions on the Track 1 side of the Quint 394-0616. Museum e-mail: [email protected] Open Mondays: Street bridge at Milepost 3 in San Francisco is causing delays for 12-5 p.m.; Wednesdays: 12- 5 p.m.; Saturdays: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. some northbound trains. Track 1 is generally used for MUSEUM CURATOR DAVID HOUSH EXCURSION DIRECTOR MARTI ANN DRAPER northbound movements. During off-peak hours, trains are using WEBMASTER RUSSELL HOMAN Track 2 for movement in both directions, but during peak hours, INTERNET Home Page: http://www. pacificrailroadsociety.org trains using Track 1 are being slowed to 10 mph to minimize strain on the bridge. Next year, plans are to remove the bridge, BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF PACIFIC RAILROAD SOCIETY, INC. which was built in 1907, and build an earth berm to replace it. PRESIDENT VIRGINIA GRUPP VICE-PRESIDENT WILL WALTERS On May 10, residents and local dignitaries gathered at Posy SECRETARY RICK REYES Park in San Bruno to celebrate the completion of the grade TREASURER RICHARD WEIGLE separation project that took Caltrain tracks over San Bruno, San DIRECTOR (2012-2015) DAVID ABBOTT Mateo, and Angus Avenues. The mile-long project, which cost DIRECTOR (2014-2017) STEVE CRISE $155 million , was started in 2010. It includes three new DIRECTOR (2012-2015) MARTI ANN DRAPER pedestrian underpasses and a new San Bruno station with a 200 DIRECTOR (2013 - 2016) ANDY NOVAK DIRECTOR (2014-2017) ED SAALIG space parking lot that opened on April 1. In 2002, the California Public Utilities Commission ranked San Bruno Avenue as the PRS MEMBER MEETINGS fifth most dangerous crossing in the state. July 2, 9, 16, PRM Open Wednesday, 12:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. On June 5, Caltrain held a public hearing to receive comments 23, 30 210 W. Bonita Ave., San Dimas, CA 91773 on proposed "adjustments to its codified tariff " In other words, July 3 PRS Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Valencia Rm.