80 pages MOSTLY COLOR!
The 1993 edition of the North American Light Rail Annual continues our tradition of total coverage and lavish use of color photographs, detailed maps and rosters, with authoritative updates on LRT systems in operation and under construction. Plus an expanded heritage trolley section and our exclusive 1993 User's Guide. You won't leave home without it!
Illustrated Feature Articles Include:
• New Systems: Dallas and Denver
• Developing Systems: Los Angeles
• Redeveloping Systems: San Francisco
• Pioneering System: Skokie Swift
• Technology: Looking toward the 21st Century
• Prairie Systems: Edmonton and Calgary
• System at the Crossroads: Boston Photos: Calgary (top) and Philadelphia Red Arrow (above), • Heritage Trolleys: What's in a Name? by Mac Sebree, Interurban Press.
User's Guide edited by Richard Kunz. Other authors include A Special Issue Of William Middleton, George Krambles, Van Wilkins, Julian Wolinsky, Robert Willoughby Jones, Andrew D. Young and PASSENGER TRAIN® Mac Sebree. JOURNAL
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INTERURBAN PRESS. P.O. Box 6128, Glendale, CA 91225. FAX (818) 240-5436 PACIFIC RAIL NEWS
8 r s ster than the landscapes they run through 1 Steve���� Schmollinger�����
f i �S a� d d termOdal naftie 2 0 ���IDave: Cramme :� r �� ��:��� :�!�
4 e a r i� h industrialized valley 2 Mike�� Abalos� � �: :� ���!�:� Focus Nebraska: Omaha's Gauntlet 34 UP and BN main lines cut right through the heart of downtown Gary Voogd
Focus Washington: Providence Hill 38 A stiff test for BN motive power along the former NP Lindsay Korst
Images: Land of 10,000 Lakes A C&NW SD50 leads a coal train past 10th Street in downtown Omaha in December 1989. GaryVoogd 48 From trailers to taconite, Minnesota boasts a varied rail scene
PACIFIC RA/lNEWS and PACIFIC NEWS are registered trademarks of Interurban Press. a California Corporation. DEPARTMENTS PUBLISHER: Mac Sebree I I EDITOR: Don Gulbrandsen 4 EXP EDITER 34 FOCUS NEBRASKA ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Andrew S. Nelson 8 BURLINGTON NORTHERN 38 FOCUS WASHINGTON ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Carl Swanson SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES AMTRAK/PASSENGER CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Elrond G. Lawrence 10 43 EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: Dick Stephenson 12 CP RAIL SYSTEM 44 SANTA FE COMMUTER CHICAGO NORTH WESTERN ART DIRECTOR: Tom Danneman 13 46 & 14 REGIONALS 48 IMAGES OF RAILROADING ADVERTISING MANAGER: Richard Gruber UNION PACIFIC THE LAST WORD CIRCULATION MANAGER: Bob Schneider 15 54 TRANSIT 55 PRN CLASSIFIEDS © 1993 INTERURBAN PRESS 16 PRN ADVERTISING INDEX Mac Sebree, President/CEO 17 CN NORTH AMERICA 55 Jim Walker, Senior Vice President Don Gulbrandsen, Vice President
COVER: Santa Fe GP60M 136 leads ultra-hot QNYLA over the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal bridge near Lemont, III., on Oct. 25, 1992. Chicagoland's Des Plaines River Va lley is a pleasing mix of water, trees, industries and trains, with AT&SF, IC, SP, CC&P, Metra and Amtrak represented on the two main lines that follow the river. Mike Abalos
PACtFIC RAILNEWS (ISSN 8750-8486) is published monthly by Interurban Press (a corporation), 1741 Gardena Ave., Glendale, CA 91204. Second-class postage paid at Glendale, CA 91209 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: PACIFIC RAILNEWS, P.O. Box 25280, Glendale, CA 91225-0280. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $30 (U.S.) for 12 issues, $58 for 24 issues. Foreign add $6 for each 12 issues. Single copy $5 postpaid from Glendale office (subject to change without notice). CHANGE OF ADDRESS: The Post Office does not regularly forward 2nd Class Mail and PACIFIC RAILNEWS is not responsible for copies not forwarded or destroyed by the Post Office. Replacement copies/PO notifications will be billed. Please allow us at least four weeks for any address change. ADVERTISING RATES: Contact Interurban Press, P.O. Box 379, Waukesha, WI 53187; (414) 542-4900. MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE: For all subscription problems and inquiries call: (800) 899-8722 or outside U.S. (818) 240-9130 Burlington Northern'sSD60MACs demonstrate for Union Pacific on Wyoming's Sherman Hill with a westbound loaded grain train on June 22, 1993. This was the trio's first trip for UP after being received from BN in Denver. Thus far, BN is the only railroad which has made a commitment to a.c. technology, though others in the West, including UP and SP, are expected to follow suit over the next couple of years. J.L. Hickey
THE FLOOD OF THE CENTURY: Mississippi covered yard track Chicago & North Western: The Midwest has had water age in Burlington . BN routed C&NW's Merriam Subdivision, aplenty this summer, with Mis Denver/Lincoln/Omaha traffic following the Minnesota River souri and Iowa hardest hit along via Pacific Junction, Iowa, from Mankato, Minn., to St. the Missouri and Mississippi Kansas City, Springfield, Mo., Paul, was threatened as the rivers and their tributaries. and St. Louis, and other traffic river began to rise on June 16, What made the Flood of 1993 (SP included) over the C&NW cresting at Mankato on June difficult was the fact that all ma and Iowa Interstate. The ex 21. North Western tried to save z jor railroads were affected, ham Frisco through Springfield, its railroad by dumping riprap a pering detour possibilities, cre Mo. , proved to be a savior for along the river bank, but the ating frayed nerves, and not only BN , but provided a de flow overcame the barrier, prompting terse exchanges be tour route between Kansas washing out the roadbed at tween railroads. Here's what City and St. Louis for Norfolk several locations between happened to the major roads: Southern, AT&SF, SP, and Mankato and St. Paul. By June Gateway Western. Coal trains 21 C&NW had to suspend op Burlington Northern: The UK continued taking either the erations east of Kasota. Line," from Burlington, Iowa, to northerly route through the Meanwhile, on June 18 high St. Louis was closed June 27, Twin Cities, or the southerly water in the Cannon River forcing BN to detour coal trains route on ex-Frisco trackage. threatened Spine Line opera via Galesburg, ill., and West Other BN routes affected in tions near Faribault. A mud Quincy, Mo. But, by July 1, West cluded: Machens-Cape Gi slide at Kasper and flooding at Quincy yard was under 13 feet rardeau, Mo.; Pacific Junction, Faribault blocked the main of water, shifting Kansas City Iowa-Kansas City; Aberdeen that day, and some trains were traffic (including SP haulage Geneseso Junction, S. D.; Table detoured from Mason City to trains) over the Galesburg-Oma Rock-Wymore, Neb.; Sioux St. Paul via CP through June ha main line, with Kansas City Falls-Madison, S.D.; Barstow, 20. Another mudslide blocked bound traffic going as far west ill.-Clinton, Iowa; West Quincy the ex-CGW line, which DM&E as Ottumwa, Iowa, then picking Mark, Mo.; West Quincy-Cos uses to leave Mankato east up CP rails into Kansas City. grove, Mo.; Bayard-Council ward for Waseca and Winona. By July 5, though, the line Bluffs, Iowa; Albia-Des Moines, The Spine Line had started between Ottumwa and Iowa; Holdrege-Curtis, Neb.; to take a beating in late June LLI Burlington was closed as the and Lincoln-Nebraska City, Neb . when C&NW cleared out its
4.SEP TEMBER 1993 Belt and South St. Paul yards in the Twin Cities and moved ev erything to East Minneapolis, then suspended operations on the Spine Line when the City of South St. Paul built a sandbag levee across three of the yard tracks. To reduce traffic through the Cities, C&NW rerouted some coal trains, including those serving the Bayport, Minn., and Columbia, Wis., power plants, via Chicago. C&NW hosted CP detours as floodwaters submerged yards and trackage at Savanna, lll., and Davenport, Iowa, forcing CP to detour Chicago-Kansas City trains via C&NW and San ta Fe. BN's Chicago-Omaha main also closed and some BN freights detoured via the North Western. C&NW's Mississippi bridge at Clinton, Iowa, re mained in service throughout the emergency period. C&NW wasn't as lucky else where in Iowa. A washout east of Boone on July 5 forced ABOVE: Sweden's X2000 made C&NW to hold trains. On July quite a stir as it barnstormed the 8-9, more heavy rains resulted Midwest and West trying to sell the in washouts and flooding on public on the concept of high the east-west main line be speed rail. The F4 0-pushed train is tween Denison and Dunlap, shown arriving in Milwaukee on with flooding (up to 10 feet June 28 and entering the main at over the rails) also reported Cutoff, part of a circuitous move near Tama, Marshalltown, Car to avoid tight curvature south of roll and Missouri Valley. the city's station . INTERURBAN PRESS: C&NW shut down opera Tom Danneman RIGHT: Short line tions west of Beverly (Cedar Willamette & Pacific has painted Rapids) on July 9. The east its first locomotive, ex-Santa Fe west line reopened on July 11. GP 39-2 2314, which is shown on At Des Moines, floodwaters July 4 hauling a string of derelict breached levees on the Des passenger cars at Crowley, Ore. WPRR's GP 39 -2s are being paint Moines and Raccoon rivers on ed by SP 4449 engineer Doyle July 11, inundating downtown McCormack in Portland's Brook and closing Short Line Yard lyn roundhouse. Greg Brown and the Spine Line. Spine oper ations through Des Moines had not resumed by July 16. C&NW routed that traffic on its Plata, Mo., on the Des Moines and Santa Fe parked ballast C&NW hosted detouring Alton-Nelson, lll., line, where Branch, and between La Plata loads on one of the bridge Amtrak California Zephyrs due trains picked up UP rails for and K.C. on the Santa Fe. tracks to keep this vital link to BN's problems in southern the trip to Kansas City. Meanwhile, the waters from washing away. The trains Iowa, but not without incident. The most recent develop were approaching Santa Fe were moving-but at 10 m.p.h. Train 5 on July 8 was diverted ment occurred in Sauk County, territory. By July 7, the Grand and one at a time. to Des Moines when the east Wis., on July 18 when flash River had risen to 11 inches On July 9 Santa Fe bravely west line closed and passen floods tore through Devil's Lake below the bottom of the bridge claimed that it remained the gers were then bused to Oma State Park, tearing out a mile of east of Bosworth, Mo., and the only railroad in operation be ha, where train 6 had been ter C&NW trackage. As C&NW crest of the Mississippi flood tween Chicago and Kansas minated and turned to take didn't have a locomotive be was making its way toward City, but the company soon them west. On July 12, Amtrak tween the washout and the bal the swing bridge at Ft. Madi had to eat those words. By the resumed CZ operations over last quarry at Rock Springs, it son, Iowa. By July 8, every end of the day rising waters C&NW between Chicago and called upon Mid-Continent Rail thing in downtown Ft. Madi had covered the rails near Fort Omaha. Metra's ex-C&NW E8s way Museum to see ifit could son was under water, except Madison, forcing Amtrak to were used on the point of spare a unit to ferry rock. for one Santa Fe track, which annul the Southwest Chief some trains to activate North MCRM provided ex-Nekoosa engineering forces tried rais east of Albuquerque until fur Western's ATC system when Papers, nee SP, C-415 No. 21. ing with fresh ballast. When ther notice. C&NW freight locomotives the crew parking lot at the At 2 a.ill. on July 10, Santa were in short supply. After Santa Fe: Starting on July 6, Amtrak station filled with wa Fe reported that its two-track east-west service resumed on Santa Fe handled detouring ter, Santa Fe set up a tempo main line between Bosworth July 11, C&NW also hosted de Chicago-Kansas City trains from rary crew change point four and Mendon, Mo., including touring freight trains from BN, CP, NS and BN (including SP miles west of town. The Mis the Grand River bridge, was Santa Fe and Southern Pacific. haulage trains). NS trains oper sissippi rose to the steelwork impassable because of high As for Kansas City traffic, ated between Moberly and La at the bottom of the bridge, water. About 200 feet of right-
PAC IFIC RAllNews • 5 THE GREAT FLOOD OF '93
' This is was what C&NW's South St. Paul Ya rd looked like on June 27 affer city crews placed a six-foot wall of sandbags over the yard tracks. The Mississippi did not crest as high as expected, sparing rail facilities like this one south of downtown St. Paul. Bob Baker of-way, including a small westward to Newton, then ta Fe's haulage rights over BN lowing Santa Fe to restore Ar bridge at milepost 364.4, had down to Fort Worth on the old from there to Avard, Okla. At gentine Yard to more-or-Iess been washed away, along with Texas Chief route, then up to least one train continued down normal operation. Amtrak re two ballast loads that had St. Louis via SP. the IC to Jackson, Miss., turn sumed Kansas City-Albu been placed on the bridge to Just as bizarre was the fate ing west on the Kansas City querque service on July 12, stabilize it (as of press time of several westbounds that had Southern (formerly MidSouth) and connecting lines began de AT&SF still didn't know where stacked up at Lomax, Ill., the to reach Santa Fe rails at Dallas. touring trains onto the newly the cars were). "We expect op night of July 9. Santa Fe sent At least one train operated from reopened Santa Fe. erations on a portion of track them on this circuitous detour: Chicago to St. Louis via IC and By July 16 floodwaters at between Chicago and Kansas Santa Fe to Galesburg, BN to Southern Pacific to reach BN. Fort Madison receded and San City to be halted for one week Bushnell, Ill., Toledo, Peoria & Trains S-CHLA and S-LACH ta Fe restored one track to op or more," vice presidents Russ Western to East Peoria, then operated via UP between eration. The company began Hagberg and Mike Franke told onto the NS, presumably to De Chicago and Fort Worth, using diverting trains via the BN from the troops as they embargoed catur, Ill., and St. Louis. These Santa Fe west of there. Bucklin to Kansas City. Mean all traffic between Lomax, Ill., trains continued westward on Several trains used the "po while, receding waters in west and Carrollton, Mo. the BN to Avard, Okla. lar route" (according to CSOC ern Missouri allowed Santa Fe Kansas City was also inun As Santa Fe came to grips wags) over BN between Chica to begin surveying the damage dated on July 10. Most of the with this disaster, it resorted go and Denver via Minneapolis and driving piles for a tempo city's low-lying grounds, in to a variety of detour routes: and Laurel, Mont. Ironically, rary bridge. Repairs were ex cluding the West Bottoms, Trains 199 and 991 operated one detouring Santa Fe train pected to be complete, and the were flooded. The east end of via Conrail between Corwith became stuck behind a line reopened, by July 27. Argentine Yard was under wa Yard and Ogden Junction in washout in North Dakota. A footnote to this devasta ter and four feet of sludgy Chicago, and via C&NWIUP to Some St. Louis traffic, tion was the flooding of Sedg bilge was sloshing around in Stockton Tower, Calif. Trains blocked when Gateway West wick, Kan., on July 13. This side the locomotive shop. 188, 198, 881 and 891, and pos ern's Mississippi River bridge town, served by the Newton Trains continued to arrive and sibly others, used the same at Louisiana, Mo., was shut Wichita segment of the depart Argentine's west end, route between Corwith and down by the Federal Railroad Arkansas City Sub, became but service was curtailed. Julesburg, Colo. West of there, Administration on July 7, was completely surrounded by wa When the decision was UP's Denver route was used sent over Conrail from Chicago ter, forcing Santa Fe to discon made to shut down the Chica for access to the Denver to St. Louis. (Reportedly, tinue operations. go-Kansas City line on July Pueblo Joint Line and Santa GWWR suffered its worst dam 10, Amtrak train 4 was being Fe's Raton Pass line. age in the vicinity of the Mis Union Pacific: The flood vic held at Lawrence, Kan. Am Trains V-CHLA, 138 and oth souri River bridge at Glasgow, tims on the UP system were trak ordered the train evacu ers serving Belt Railway of Mo., and a long-term line clo the Falls City Subdivision be ated and sent passengers Chicago's Clearing Yard used sure was expected.) tween Kansas City and Oma onward by bus. According to Illinois Central's line between By July 13, the floodwaters ha, the River Sub between Jef reports, the train deadheaded Chicago and Memphis and San- had receded at Kansas City, al- ferson City, Mo., and Kansas
6 • SEPTEMBER 1993 City, the Kansas City terminal area including the northern end of Coffeyville Sub, and the eastern end of the Marysville Sub near Bonner Springs, Kan. On July 10, the Kansas Riv er in KC. rose eight feet in one hour, shutting down the Kansas City Terminal Railroad for a few days and cutting con nections between UP routes through Kansas City. Given the number of trains UP moves through this area, the conges tion was staggering. The Sedalia Sub, normally UP's eastbound route between KC. and St. Louis, had to pull quadruple duty with the River Sub out of service (water was reported just below the signal heads) with both east and westbound traffic sharing the rail with detours from other carriers (Amtrak's St. Louis Kansas City trains were tem porarily annulled). UP was quite selective when it came to accepting detour movements from NS, GWWR, SP (relations The closure of BN's southern Iowa, main line forced Amtrak to detour the Califo rnia Zephyr over the C&NW were strained when SP tried to for several days. ATC -equipped S060 8031 leads the westbound CZ out of Chicago on July 7. A few days move more than its fair share later, C&NW ran short of pilot power and three ATC-equipped Metra E8s piloted the trains. David Barone of trains) and Santa Fe. As of July 26, the River, Falls City, Chester and De Soto the end of June and then suf feet of water covered the was closed by high water, then subs were out of service. After fered severe erosion damage. tracks in Davenport (including via C&NW's east-west main short-term closures and delays, Around 6,000 carloads of bal Nahant Yard) and a dike was line and/or Santa Fe's Chicago the Marysville and Coffeyville last were needed to stabilize built over CP trackage in Mus Kansas City route. subs were back on line by July the line which reopened July catine. As of July 21 flood wa 14, but more rain July 21-25 13. CP detoured some of its ters still covered the tracks Southern Pacific: SP property closed both lines again. Mason City traffic via C&NW's and the line was not expected went relatively unscathed Spine Line. CP experienced its to open for another two weeks. through the flooding, but SP CP System: CP's river line be worst problems in the Daven Sao detoured Kansas City traf operations were disrupted. As tween La Crosse and Dubuque port/Muscatine, Iowa, area be fic over BN's Burlington-Ot previously noted, SP Chicago was flooded for a short time at ginning in late June. Several tumwa, Iowa, route until it KC. and St. Louis-KC. track age rights trains had to be de toured thanks to flood damage on the BN and UP. SP's bridge over the Mississippi near Illmo remained open and the Pine Bluff route absorbed detouring trains from both SP and other carriers-traffic was running 25 percent higher than normal on this route in July. Heavy rains and flooding in Kansas on July 22 inundated SP's Topeka yard and caused several washouts, closing the busy line west of Kansas City. Quick action by the railroad re stored service in just three hours, though a 10 mph slow remained in effect. Thanks to Mike Blaszak, Mike Hasbargen, Cal Bodfish, Dave Kroeger, Linda Gustis, Darren Hill, Paul L. Schumann, Bob Baker, Michael M. Bartels, Mike Furtney, Leslie Cleve land Hague, CP Rail, Wayne A Santa Fe work train attempts to keep one main open through Ft. Madison, Iowa, on July 7 as the railroad Kuchinsky, Joe Brice, Dick fought with the MiSSissippi River. Santa Fe had to move its crew change four miles west due to flooding Stephenson, Karl Rasmussen, near the depot. By July 10 flooding in Missouri and Illinois closed the K.C.-Chicago main. Steve Smedley Elson Rush and IAlS. PRN
PACIFIC RAILNews • 7 TON NORTHERN the Twin Cities (See this month's Expediter section for more flood details).
Avard, Okla., Connection Details
As reported in last month's PRN, BN's agreement with Santa Fe will help develop additional intermodal traffic between the West Coast and Birmingham, Ala. In sup port of that master plan, Santa Fe will sta tion staff at BN's intermodal facilities in Tulsa, Okla., Memphis, Tenn., and Birming ham to oversee new business moving be tween those points. Initial plans called for one train to operate each way per day, al though within a matter of weeks, plans called for a second train in each direction to provide "premium" service. Symbols 72, 73 and 77 have been designated to handle this Santa Fe traffic, while existing Tulsa-Mem phis symbol 174 will be extended west to Avard to accommodate overflow business. The first westbound train reached Avard on June 16, while the initial eastbound move hit BN trackage the next day. The new agreement requires BN to meet 85 per cent on-time train performance on certain schedules, with Santa Fe to pay premiums to move the hotter trains. AT&SF willalso pay to lengthen sidings at Jeff, Mo., and On June 25, Burlington Northern, expecting high water south of St. Paul, detoured train 203 Todd, Okla., because of the increased over the Chicago & North Western from Chicago to Minneapolis. The train, shown here pass lengths of the new trains. Other sidings ing classic wig-wags at North Lake, Wis., was the only train detoured over the Adams Line as the crest of floodwater never reached expected levels. INTERURBAN PRESS: Tom Danneman may have to be extended later. The initial term of this agreement is five years and north of Alton, Ill. While BN and other area may be extended thereafter. With the estab Flooding Hampers Midwest Operations carriers should have relished the thought lishment of this service, the" America's of increased bulk commodity shipments Transportation Group" VCA between the Like many of its Midwestern competitors, by rail, damage to portions of the former two carriers has been formally eliminated. Burlington Northern has suffered through Chicago, Burlington & Quincy main lines nearly three months of flood damage dampened any hopes of benefitting from across portions of the system, beginning the floods. On June 25, BN management Customer Service Consolidates back in mid-April between Cape Girardeau felt that the main south of St. Paul would and Wittenberg, Mo. That segment of the likely be overcome by high water and In an attempt to keep pace with its principal River Division was underwater until mid made plans to route traffic via Lincoln, competitors, BN will consolidate its cus May, while part of the Galesburg Division Neb., and/or other carriers. As it turned tomer service operations in Fort Worth, was damaged near Hannibal, Mo. This out, No. 203 was the only train operated Texas, by the end of 1995. This action will stage of flooding necessitated the routing via a foreign road (Chicago & North West close 150 offices located across the U.S., of trains 143/144 via Springfield, Mo., ern), leaving Chicago that day and reach with 600 jobs expected to be relocated to while Galesburg Division trains operated ing St. Paul 24 hours later. Plans were also Texas .. . Continued government investiga via Kansas City. During this period, some made to divert intermodal trains 2 and 12 tions into grain storage procedures in the unit coal, grain and potash trains also op via Wisconsin Central, while most other Pacific Northwest may taint an otherwise erated via a Kansas City-Springfield-St. eastbound hotshots were to operate via great crop year. The months of heavy rain in Louis routing. Montana Rail Link to Laurel, Mont., BN to the Midwest will certainly reduce yields By mid-June, the monsoon-like rains Terry, Mont., then via the former Milwau this fall, and Northwest elevators have also shifted north to southwestern Minnesota, kee Road to Aberdeen, S. D., then south via benefited from a continued movement of where portions of the former Great Sioux City, Iowa, to Lincoln. Westbound grain from Canadian farmers to Washington Northern between Willmar, Minn., and trains 1, 7, 15, 17 and 33 would be routed State for storage and eventual export ... Sioux City, Iowa, were occasionally via Lincoln and Sheridan, Wyo., to Laurel With the expansion of markets in the Pacific washed out. By June 18, a 1,000-foot and MRL. But as the crest did not reach Rim, BN should garner additional traffic be washout near Marshall, Minn., caused a the expected level, none of the contingen tween Spokane and Seattle/Tacoma/Port three-day hiatus of train movements, cy plans were exercised. land. As both the Stevens Pass and with most tonnage diverted via the Twin By early July, the crest on the Mississip Columbia River corridors often operate at Cities to Galesburg, Ill. pi moved southward, and operating prob capacity, management may have to assess By the last weekend in June, the crest lems developed at several locations, includ the potential of operating rail traffic via ei of the floodwaters had moved down the ing a large washout at milepost 187 near ther the now-dormant ex-Milwaukee or NP Minnesota River to St. Paul, creating an East Dubuque, Ill. Because of this washout, corridors ...Test coal trains continue to op other water surge on the Mississippi to plans were made to divert some traffic to erate across the Springfield Division, with ward St. Louis. One of the immediate re C&NW's Spine Line via Rochelle, Ill., to St. the DD448/449 symbols to Pascagoula, sults of this flooding was the closure of Paul. High water at Burlington, Iowa, also Miss. (via CSX), now completed. InJune, the Upper Mississippi to barge traffic required BN to divert several coal trains to more traffic was routed to Pascagoula, origi-
8 • SEPTEMBER 1993 nating from Rio Grande mines at Arco and Conrail pool power has been heavy dur Energy, Colo. New BN origination symbols ing June and July, with SD40-2s and SD50s are AR and EY respectively, with 11O-car the most prevalent power notes. A colorful plus trains rating a two-unit pusher south of example found No. 110 leaving Northtown PACIFIC RAILNEWS Springfield to Thayer, Mo. Some of this traf on July 5, behind EMD SD40-2 6301, SD40-2 fic is being delivered to Illinois Central at 7023 and Conrail SD50 6708. One day earli Memphis, while the balance is given to CSX er, train 1 arrived in Minneapolis with a NEWS STAFF at Birmingham. City Utilities of Springfield pure CR team of SD40-2 6415 and C30-7A is testing Colorado coal again, with four 6575, while on June 15, CR SD40-2 6414 News/information submissions: If you would like to trains operated between Terror Creek and and SD40u 6969 were idling at the North share items on any of the topics listed below, please Kissick, Mo., in April and May. BN uses town diesel shop .. . Santa Fe pool units contact the appropriate columnist at the address list symbols S0 102/103 for the traffic, which is have also been commonplace, including ed for each section. NOTE: Do not send photos to the columnists. expected to become a regular operation by such oddities as SF30C 9556 on No. 33 into fall 1994 ... BN appears to have taken some the Twin Cities on June 26, GP35u 2888 at short haul grain business away from Santa Chicago on June 30 and SDF40-2 5250 on RAILROAD COLUMNISTS Fe, moving unit trains two or three times No. 33 on July 4 ... Rounding out the vari per week from Saginaw to Galveston, Texas, ety of off-line power, SP SD40T-2 8261 AMTRAK/PASSENGER-Dick Stephenson using symbol F94 ... BN will upgrade and spliced SD40-2 7926 and B30-7 AB 4095 on 444 Piedmont Ave. #128. Glendale. CA 91206 expand its Aurora, Neb., yard to replace NO. 6 out of Northtown on June 19. AT&SF-Elson Rush trackage that will be lost when an overpass P.O. Box 379. Waukesha. WI 53187 BURLINGTON NORTHERN-Karl Rasmussen is constructed in Grand Island. Four tracks 11449 Goldenrod St. NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448 will be rehabilitated and extended, while a Operational News CN NORTH AMERICA-Mike Cleary new stub track will be constructed to pro 1395 W. Jessamine #206, St. Paul, MN 55108 vide additional storage capacity. Symbol 688 has been established as the C&NW-Michael W. Blaszak fourth eastbound manifest schedule be 211 South Leitch Ave., La Grange_IL 60525 tween the West Coast and Pasco, Wash., COMMUTER-Dick Stephenson Motive Power: SD70s Tested originating at Everett, Wash ... BN is using 444 Piedmont Ave. #128_ Glendale, CA 91206 CP RAIL SYSTEM-Karl Rasmussen its Havelock (Neb.) rebuilt 55 1000-series 11449 Goldenrod St. NW, Coon Rapids. MN 55448 During June, EMD and BN collaborated to coal hoppers to move the Cyprus North D&RGW-Richard C. Farewell further test a pair of SD70 demonstrators, Shore taconite pellets on trains ST814/815. 9729 w. 76th Ave., Arvada. CO 8CXXl5 based out of Eola, Ill. BN provided a pair of Cyprus North Shore and DM&IR are work ILLINOIS CENTRAL-David J. Daisy 9200-series SD60Ms to serve as active re ing with BN management to examine the 746 N. Bruns Lone Apt. A, Springfield.IL 62702 sistance to evaluate the adhesion charac potential for an all-rail movement out of Sil MEXICO-Clifford R. Prather P.O. Box 925. Santo Ana. CA 927rY2 teristics of the new units. The tests were ver Bay, Minn .. . Somewhat surprisingly, REGIONALS-Dave Kroeger performed on the main line east to Cicero solid sets of BN locomotives have been 525 6th Ave., Marion, IA 52302 as well as on the branch from Montgomery used on Dakota, Milmesota & Eastern trains SHORT LINES WEST-Wayne Monger to Ottawa, Ill., six days per week ... BN during June and July.With DM&E's fear of 1409 Tillmon St.,Su�un City. CA 94585 will be contracting with Morrison Knudsen the impending consolidation of operations SHORT LINES EAST-Bob Thompson to provide 25 rebuilt SD40s, to be num between Union Pacific and C&NW, the road Route 6. Box 207 _ Paris, TX 75462 bered in the 73 10-7334 series. The rebuilds has been actively seeking to develop mar SP/SSW-Joseph A. Strapac P.O. Box 1539, Bellftower. CA 90707 willbe built from retired C&NW SD45s .. keting and equipment alliances with BN ... TRANSIT-Mac Sebree Recent leased power surprises showing up Boxcars of aluminum ingots as well as other P.O. Box 250280, Glendale. CA 91225-D280 on the BN include NRE (ex-UP) SD40 3040 hot manifest traffic are now moving on for UNION PACIFIC-Wayne Monger at Galesburg on June 12, Helm Leasing mer autorack train 34 into Minneapolis. On 1409 Tillmon 51.. Suisun City, CA 94585 SD40-2 6100 on train 143 in Minneapolis on June 11, for example, a heavy 89-car No.34 June 26 as well as Detroit Edison SD40 002 arrived in Minneapolis, behind SD40-2s CONTRIBUTING TRANSIT COLUMNISTS train 19 at Northtown on July 4. Sister 013 7924/8130/8052 and B30-7AB 4076. Only 30 Robert Blymyer. Chris Cucchiara, Don Jewell, also wandered the BN, part of the three cars of this train were racks, plus three cars Richard R. Kunz. Matthew G. Vurek unit set provided by GTW to balance BN of intermodal traffic. Outbound 34 got out of units operating through Chicago to Lower Northtown with a 28-car train, powered by FOCUS CORRESPONDENTS Michigan on various coal trains . . . Recent GP39V 2978 and EMD GP38-2 826. slug set conversions spotted in Galesburg Thanks to Mike Bartels, Mike Blaszak, Mike Abalos, Greg Brown, Rich Farewell, Paul on June 12 included the 6262/6296 and Joseph Brice, Brian Carlson, Mike Cleary, Fries, Dave Gayer. Wayne Kuchinsky. Carl M. 6263/6297. With this action, at least two of Morris Hobson, Glenn Lee, Mike Murray, Lehman. Scott Muskopf. Dan Pope, Ken Rat the four ex-Frisco SD38-2s have been modi NORTHWEST RAILFAN, Tom Robinson and tenne. Dick Stephenson fied for use with the new TEBC6 slugs. TRAFFIC WORLD.
SUBMISSIONS: Articles, news items and photographs are welcome and should be sent to our Wisconsin edito rial office. When submitting material for consideration, ARNOLD T, include return envelope and postage if you wish it re I I turned. PACIFIC RAILNEWS does not assume responsibility SA RS for the safe return of material. Payment is made upon � publication . •V:A .wo new t apes .. See the trains and motive power you read about in PRN and other news magazines! Our 2-hour VHS Hi-Fi Stereo EDITORIAL ADDRESS: Submit all photos, article sub videos each feature a variety of non-stop mainline action shot at different locations throughout the Midwest or South missions and editorial correspondence to: west - without narration over the live sound - each tape includes a handy information/line-up sheet. PACIFIC RAILNEWS P.O. Box 379, Waukesha, WI 53187 SOUTHWEST SAMPLER MIDWEST SAMPLER VI (414) 542-4900 April 1993 August 1992 - June 1993 FAX: (414) 542-7595
Over 90 trains, including: SF and SP mainline action in Over 100 trains, including: The last BN E-units, CR SO- BUSINESS ADDRESS:Address all correspondence re New Mexico and Arizona featuring SF 20-cylinder power, 60M's, EMO SO-70M's, IAIS Aico, SF Willow Springs line garding subscription and business matters to: new SF C42-8W's , SPSF merger paint, SP semaphores, relocation, WC new SO-45's, CNW GP-50's plus AMT, Interurban Press P.O. Box 250280, CA 91225-0280 ORGW units, new SP paint and MORE! CCP, EJ&E, KCS, SOO and MORE! Glendale, (818) 240-9130 $24_95 per tape / $4 S&H per order / Send for free catalog FAX: (818) 240-5436
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PACIFIC RAILNews • 9 SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES nois Central), utilizing older ICG bottom door hoppers, EYCRC (Energy Mine-Con rail transfer) and EYTPC (Energy Mine Topeka, Kan.). Additionally, the high-production Ener gy Mine, served by Rio Grande's Craig Branch, recently has been shipping coal west to Los Angeles Harbor for export. The westbound operations have been symboled EYLAC (Energy Mine-Los Ange les Harbor coal). There has also been an increased need for coal in the Denver area. In response, Front Range power plants have been or dering coal from an Arco mining operation on the western slope of the Rockies. Ac cess to Arco's mine is provided by Rio Grande's North Fork Branch, connected to the main line at Grand Junction, Colo. Re cent unit coal movements from Arco's mine, over the Rockies via the Moffat Tun nel main line to the Denver-area power plants, have been symboled as ARNNC (Arco Mine-Ray Nixon coal) and ARVLC (Arco Mine-Valmont coal).
EMO's demonstrator S070Ms have been roaming Southern Pacific's system since June. Here On the Ties Again 7000/7001/7002 climb the 3 percent grades of Tennessee Pass with an eastbound train comprised of 105 BN hoppers at Red Cliff, Colo., on June 21, 1993. J.L. Hickey On July 2 at 11: 55 a.m., eastbound GJDVM, (Grand Junction-Denver manifest), stubbed move Dayton Avenue Tower to a new lo its toes near the west end of Plainview, Co Taylor Yard Changing cation in a park-like setting. lo., during its descent down the Front Range toward Denver. The train consisted Where once a busy hump yard thrived, of six locomotives (SP 7372, 7444, SSW now acres of level dirt, crisscrossed with New Operations 7787, SP 7482,6782 and UP 3370) followed surveyor stakes and sewer line excava by about 15 empty TOFC flats trailing at tions lie, all a part of Taylor Yard's meta A new westbound operation appeared as least 50 empty grain hoppers, the latter morphosis into an industrial development. of July 1. It has been symboled as DVRVQ destined for transfer to the Burlington The landmark Dayton Avenue Tower at (Denver-Roseville quality) and has a late Northern in Denver for reloading. East of the south throat of Taylor Yard (near evening departure from Denver's North Tunnel 8, at about milepost 26, the rear of Dodger Stadium north of downtown Los Yard. Although symboled as a top-priority the train went into emergency. The front of Angeles) has been retired-even the origi "Quality" train, initial DVRVQ consists de the consist was on a sharp left-hand curve nal main line has been severed. Only the fine the operation as a longer-distance just west of Rainbow Cut and thus the drag locomotive facilities at the original round equivalent to departed general freight of the rear of the train pulled the first eight house site remain. DVROM (Denver-Roper manifest). empty piggyback flats offthe railhead and With ample assistance from Metrolink, The strike in the Eastern U.S. coal fields toward the inside of the curve. the main line has been moved from the has had a ripple effect on Rio Grande unit During the derailment the train broke eastern edge of the property to the west, coal operations. The following new coal in two between the first and second flats, next to the locomotive facilities. Metrolink symbols have been noted: EYMSC (Energy however at that point the consist was al wants to build a third main line past its fa Mine-Memphis), operated using NORX alu most stopped and little significant damage cility at Taylor's southern end and plans to minum hoppers, RYlCC (Hayden, Colo.-Illi- occurred other than to the trackage struc-
• ALCOS KEEP ROLLING ON THE ARK ANSAS & MISSOURI
• SOUTHERN PACIFIC'S DESERT MAIN LINE THROUGH NEVADA
• TWIN CITIES SWITCHER MINNESOTA COMMERCIAL
• FLOOD COVERAGE CONTINUES
10 • SEPTEMBER 1993 ture. There were no injuries to the crew. both General Electric and Morrison Knud ness warrants. SP 1521 and 1540, both Because the derailed cars pulled toward sen before the year is out. SD7Rs, were assigned to work train ser the inside of the curve, the adjacent siding The other end of the motive power vice on Colorado's Craig Branch but died was also blocked. It was late in the spectrum has also been active. Witness during the effort. They were dispatched to evening of July 2 before traffic could pass June 26 when the"S outh Helper" dis Denver's North Yard for storage until bay through the derailment site. Speed restric patched from Rio Grande'S North Yard to space at Burnham Shops became available tions through the site remained in effect help loaded coal tonnage south down the for repair work. until mid-morning on July 6. Joint Line to the crest of Palmer Lake hill consisted not of an expected duo of SDs, but rather a quartet of B-B power. Not only Railfanning In Texas Locom otives Monitored in Real Time that, but exactly one-half of the quartet were venerable D&RGW fossils living on In our July column, we requested that SP has announced it will purchase a new borrowed time. The quartet consisted of readers provide information on good loca computer system to monitor the immedi D&RGW GP40-2 3094, GP35 3039, GP30 tions where out-of-town visitors could ob ate location and mechanical condition of 3021 and GP40-2 3100. serve Southern Pacific action. each of its 1,900 locomotives. Planners in Other vintage D&RGW power has been Gabe Eggleston has provided us Denver are now able to make decisions in showing up in the most interesting places. information on operations in Hearne, a real-time environment regarding assign Consider D&RGW SD45 No. 5321 noted Texas, located 60 miles southeast of Wa ment, inspection and maintenance of each working BN trackage at Clarendon Hills, co and 70 miles northeast of Austin. locomotive in the fleet. IlL, with a string of NORX hoppers in tow. Hearne is a junction for shipments from Once a mysterious art practiced by a few Equally unexpected was D&RGW SD45 No. the West and Gulf coasts. Essentially ev skilled practitioners using magnetic num 5315 rolling on Illinois Central rails at ery train from California destined for East bers on wall-size boards, fleet control has Champaign, IlL, with 60 covered grain hop St. Louis, Ill., splits from the Sunset Route been reduced to a science. Even though pers as its assigned tonnage. Not working at Flatonia (east of San Antonio) and comput erized locomotive record keeping the hoppers alone, No. 5315 was helped by heads northeast to Hearne, where the has been part of SP operations for more CSX 6084, Conrail 6317 and SP 6827. As a cutoff joins SP's Dallas-Houston artery than 20 years, this new effort puts current point of explanation, No. 5313 had worked before continuing north to Coriscana and information into the hands of planners and D&RGW train TCICC (Terror Creek Mine the Cotton Belt connection. dispatchers when they need it, rather than Illinois Central coal) to Lis, Ill. , where IC Anywherefrom 16 to 20 SP freights several hours later as was previously the bagged the locomotive quartet to run grain pass through Hearne daily. Amtrak's Dal case. It is hoped that the new Locomotive hoppers to Centralia, lll., while the unit las-Houston section of the Texas Eagle Management System will assist in SP's coal train was being unloaded. comes from Dallas on the SP (it does not plans to become a fully scheduled railroad, Other D&RGW SD45s recorded out stop at Hearne), essentially a reincarnation allOwing planners to assign locomotives in earning revenue were No. 5329 assigned Texas & New Orleans' SunbeamlHustler advance of the times they are needed. to CLAIC (Coleto Creek-Axial Mine ), 5324 service, abandoned in the 1950s. being fueled at North Yard on June 28 pri The Union Pacific Longview-Laredo, or to working south on DVPUM (Denver Texas, main line, which sees 20 or so Dem onstrators and Fossils Pueblo manifest) and 5340 working on Ju trains per day, also runs through Hearne, ly 6 as part of the head-end power as providing enough interchange traffic for Electro-Motive Division demonstrator Signed to drag the second section of SP to justify a small yard and several yard SD70Ms 7000, 7001 and 7002 were evalu HYICC (Hayden-Illinois Central coal ) east jobs. Nearby, GATX Corp. operates a large ated on Rio Grande Craig Branch unit coal bound over the Rockies to Denver. Not to tankcar cleaning and rebuilding plant with trains recently. The trio arrived on June 13 be left out, D&RGW GP30s 3016 and 30 18 its own locomotives. There are always and were promptly sent to Denver's Burn have replaced the SP slug set assigned to more than 100 cars awaiting attention. ham Shops for evaluation and set-up. June Denver's North Yard. SP 3792, a GP9R, al Thanks to Gabe Eggleston, John P. 14 found the trio hostled to North Yard for so worked North Yard for a few day s in Krattinger, G. Ray Hound, Allen Copeland, assignment to revenue operations. The late June before being dispatched south to Harry Wong, Dave Bernstein, Orlo Elfes, units first appeared in Southern California Pueblo for yard duties. The "Kodachrome" Bruce Bird, H. W. Farewell and the SP on June 23. Look for demonstrators from GP9 may make trips to Alamosa if busi- Transportation Co. Information Network.
from G� V� This lineonce double tIaCK hosted one of the liNtS: trains ClIicagobetween and the citiestwin which was the 400's. Now COOle with Backttacksee videosani the roote4
PACIFIC RAllNews • 11 CP RAIL SYSTEM ness between the Twin Cities and Louisville, Ky .. allowing access to lucrative CSX and NS interchange traffic. With its publicly touted interest in moving freight from Canada to Mexico via the U.S., CP may further explore the establishment of intermodal schedules between the Twin Cities and Mexico, via Kansas City. With the potential for additional traffic mOving from Toronto and Montreal to Mexico, CP may generate sufficient intermodal units to justify the establishment of a friendly connection at Kansas City, perhaps with Santa Fe, Southern Pacific or Union Pacific .
LMXs And C40-8s
To balance horsepower-hour credits ac crued by Soo SD60s operating on BN coal trains, a trio of LMX B39-8s was delivered to Soo/CP in St. Paul on June 14. Units 8500, 8506 and 8538 have been regularly used on Sprint trains between Chicago Three 500 GP38-2s lead a Dresser Turn north of Oakes, Minn., on June 15, 1993. 500 retains and Minneapolis, although they have been service rights over the WC from St. Paul to Dresser, Wis., and the ballast quarry located there, spotted on regular manifest schedules. A which produces the Dresser traprock seen all over the Soo/CP system. Steve Glischinski typical sighting found the 8506 paired with Soo GP38-2 4409 on No. 423 in Min Minn., was used as a temporary staging fa neapolis on July 4 ...The LMXs were not Mississippi Valley Operations Disrupted cility for northbound traffic, while the old the only GE products assigned to Sprint Soo Humboldt Yard in Minneapolis was train schedules in the past month, as Since late April, CP System operations in pressed into duty as the principal classifi C&NW C40-8s 8505/8520 worked No. 421 the Mississippi River Basin have been dis cation point for Twin Cities traffic. During into Minneapolis on June 26. The husky rupted by heavy rains and regular flood the two days cited above, an average of C-Cs no doubt worked a coal train into ing. Unfortunately, the high water experi two dozen locomotives could be spotted at Portage, Wis ., and were expedited back to enced in the Quad Cities area during April Humboldt awaiting switching chores or the Twin Cities due to a concurrent mo and May were only a precursor of the se road duty. Because of BN's fear that its tive power shortage on the part of C&NW vere problems that occurred between the Dayton's Bluff Yard in St. Paul would go un ...A remarkable string of all gray-and-red Twin Cities and St. Louis during late June der water, three TT124 coal trains bound Soo Geeps led No. 223 out of St. Paul on and early July. Because of the nearly con for Weston, Wis., were delivered to Soo/CP June 24, consisting of GP38-2s 4508/4436 tinuous torrential rains pounding southern at La Crosse, operating via Galesburg, Ill., and GP9s 40214231 ...An unexpected Minnesota and Iowa in the early weeks of rather than the customary Sioux City-Will "caboose" on the tail end of No. 436 summer, Soo/CP was forced to detour its mar-St. Paul routing . through Lanark, Ill., on June 6 appeared in Chicago-Kansas City traffic over the the form of a Metrolink commuter car, Chicago & North Western during the last eastbound for possible evaluation or test week of June. Then operating difficulties Future Intermodal Corridor Plans ing by another transit authority. on the C&NW in the vicinity of Clinton, Iowa, forced Soo/CP to reroute Kansas As CP System considers future marketing City traffic over Santa Fe in early July. On opportunities through the North American Motive Power Developments the evening of July 6, train 221 was noted Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), its operat on the Indiana Harbor Belt in LaGrange, ing and engineering staff are analyzing pro In mid-summer, CP formally transferred 29 Ill., bound for the Santa Fe interchange at posals that would significantly alter the units to its Delaware & Hudson subsidiary, McCook. Due to the lack of a wye in the movement of intermodal traffic in the U.S. an action similar to the nine units "sold" to northwest quadrant of that crossing, Soo One of the major assumptions in these sce Soo in 1992. Included in this paper transac power pulled the train backwards from narios is that CP will continue to deempha tion are : RS18us 1805, 1810, 1811 and 1828- Bensenville to McCook. Problems north of size use of its own yard facilities in the 1830 ; GP9 8227, 8230 and 8244; SD40s Sabula, Iowa, also forced Soo/CP to detour Chicago area. Recent actions taken to 5510-5512, 5514, 5518, 5519, 5521-5523, some traffic over the Burlington Northern downscale classification operations at 5526 and 5534; and SD40-2s 671-676, 3245, between Savanna Ill., and La Crosse, Wis. Bensenville support this theory, coupled 3253 and 3254 ...The first Soo units over High water problems on the upper end with just-reached agreements with Indiana hauled and repainted at the Ogden Shop in of the Mississippi forced CP to close St. Harbor Belt and Belt Railway of Chicago to Calgary were SD40 741 and SD40A 6407, Paul Yard late June 25-26. Backed-up water use joint terminal facilities managed by which were spotted on No. 574 in Min from the adjacent Pig's Eye Lake compelled those carriers. To that end, it appears that neapolis on June 24. The only noticeable Soo/CP forces to remove all locomotives Bensenville will be retained for local van physical change was the headlight place and most freight cars to higher ground (at and container loading and off-loading only, ment on the 6407, remarkably moved back other yards in Minneapolis). Traffic contin with through traffic bypassing Chicago. to the top of the cab. This former Illinois ued to operate between La Crosse and St. CP is also considering establishing Central unit featured a short hood-mounted Paul throughout the period, with special at through schedules between Buffalo, N.Y., headlight, whose relocation certainly im tention paid by engineering forces to ero and Minneapolis (perhaps extending the proves the appearance of the CP logo on the sion prone areas. The long double-track schedules of existing trains 260 and 261) short hood ...While Ogden is working on segment between Hastings and Vermillion, and the potential cultivation of new busi- the 25 SD40, SD40A and SD40-2 rebuilds for
12 • SEPTEMBER 1993 Soo, Shoreham has begun a painting pro Leasing SD40-2s used in Canada, while the if these units will be used on a lease basis gram for the 4400-series GP38-2<;. Units trio of National Railway Equipment SD40-2s or will be purchased for eventual rebuild 4404 and 4406 were completed during June have been spotted on D&H. Soo continues ing and placement into CP's growing fleet and used on the circus train to Milwaukee to use the SD35s as day-to-day overflow of 3,000 h.p. EMD units ...Retired Soo in early July ...Perhaps the first CP "Red units as traffic volumes warrant ...M636 GP40s 4602 and 4612 were observed in Barn" to be dressed in the new corporate 4729 suffered an engine room fire in west Pocatello, Idaho, on June 25 on a west image is the 9000 ...CP plans to repaint lo ern Ontario in early June and may be set bound UP freight, apparently bound for comotives into its new image at a rate of aside for retirement. In the mean time, ru Boise and delivery to Morrison Knudsen. 100 units per year ...Locomotives leased mors persist that CP will make a deal Thanks to Mike Blaszak, Mike Cleary, by Soo earlier in 1993 have been shipped to through Helm Leasing to acquire up to 25 Morris Hobson, Fred Hyde, Kipp Meyers other parts the system, with the eight Helm ex-BN SD40-2s later this year. It is unknown and NORTHWEST RAILFAN.
COMMUTER and might only be open long enough to higher average running speeds, in part due Metrolink Ridersh ip Boom s handle localized production for L.A. and to the greater distance between stations. San Diego. Officials and crews deserve praise for Even without the booming business of free getting City of Industry, East Ontario, Ped rides on the Riverside line, daily ridership ley and Riverside stations open in time for averages have continued to grow, up from Dispatching Territory Expands the start of service to Riverside. In an all 5,000 to more than 8,000 between June to-familiar pattern, a lot of work was done and early July. While Metrolink is not for Metrolink has expanded the territory that at the last minute (and even after) to com everyone who works downtown, a large it dispatches, to include the entire line plete station parking lots, lights and mark number of riders have sampled the service, from Mission Tower to Santa Clarita (Val ings. For the dedication of Riverside and and many use it at least periodically. ley Subdivision), Mission Tower to North Pedley stations on June 12, Metrolink host Tower to Santa Clarita (Valley Sub), Mis ed extensive festivities including enter sion Tower to Ninth Street (ex-UP River tainment, and a train with two F59s and Purchasing Addition al Cars Sub, the San Gabriel Sub (L.A. to Clare eight cars to shuttle riders the eight miles mont via Baldwin Park), and the Pasadena between the two stations. Thousands The competition between builders Morrison Sub (San Bernardino to L.A. via Pomona were handled on that day. On display at Knudsen and Bombardier has sparked an and Pasadena, eX-AT&SF). Riverside station were two old heavy interesting series of discussions in terms of weight passenger cars from the Orange car purchases, and raised some pricing and Empire Railway Museum, ex-UP dorm funding questions. The basic issue is the Bridge Replac em en t lounge 1530, and ex-AT&SF combine 2602. purchase of additional cars, either 24 or 30, The most interesting train of the year local depending on available funding and price. Work on replacing the bridge over the L.A. ly was the move to get the cars back to San Metrolink staff recommended the board River near Dayton Tower is progressing Bernardino with the honors handled by purchase 30 "California " cars, to be built by very nicely. By mid-July, the footings had Santa Fe warbonnets GP60M 157 and Morrison Knudsen at the new Pittsburgh, been completed, and components for the B40-8 507, which were assigned that day Calif., plant, modified for commuter use. new double-track bridge had arrived and to the Kaiser road-switcher job. At the June board meeting, both Bom were being assembled. On July 11, two Thanks to Ed Nordeck, Bill Farmer, bardier and MK made presentations that in F59s were used on a work train as de Harry T Stone and Eddie Sands cluded details of price, delivery dates, fea pressed-center flats were spotted on site tures and the number of jobs that would be near the bridge location and unloaded. It created in California. A decision was post was unusual to see a Metrolink "freight" poned to the July meeting, while board train and to see the crews working on a members and staff researched a number of Sunday to minimize interference with main issues, including funding sources, the word line movements through busy CP Dayton, ing of the state bond initiative, and costs as adjacent to the maintenance facility. sociated with the California car contract. Legislators and state officials were visited by the delegation from Metrolink. Another Station Open ing A SYSTEM WIDE LOOK A T THE At the July meeting, the staff once again recommended purchasing cars from Because station development is handled by FOX RIVER VALLEY RR Morrison Knudsen, though the costs were local cities , not all stations on the Metrolink slightly higher per car. There was a lively system can or did open when service was discussion at the board meeting with fur started on a particular line. Opening in late ther input from both car builders and state spring on the San Bernardino lines were officials. A decision on the purchase was stations at Baldwin Park, Upland and Rial again deferred for a month while alternate to. Construction continues on the Sylmar See exciting freight as funding solutions are explored. At stake is station on the Santa Clarita line. Design FRVs vintage EMD Locomotives work the industries and paper mills of eastern the startup date for Riverside-Fullerton work has been done on the station at Cal Wisconsin, serving the Fox Cities from Green L.A. service, which may be delayed eight State-Los Angeles, east of downtown on Bay south to Milwaukee and Manitowoc. to nine months, if MK-built cars are pur the San Bernardino line. Unfortunately, this SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER! chased, and the total cost of the order may station cannot be sited with the current 100Min .• VHS • Color be $7-10 million higher. The cost and tim bus stop and elevator, and will need its $3495 Uve Audio ' Narration ing factor were things that the commis own installations. A student deSign group ().JJ+ Reg. $38.95 Offer expires 10/30/93 sioners agonized over, feeling that every was involved in laying out the station. Plus $3.00 S/H - WI Residents add 5% sales tax possible avenue should be explored. In Montebello, on the Riverside line, Bombardier has said if it receives a there has been lively local debate on where contract for as few as 24 cars, it would es to locate the station. A number of commu tablish an assembly plant in Southern Cal nity leaders have openly disagreed as to ;;pU'siipiis("; ifornia. That would create about 25 jobs, the site. The Riverside line benefits from P.O . BOX 217 . WI 54720
PACIFIC RAllNews • 13 REGIONALS and three crossovers in Laurel yard, ex printing paper from the Mead Publishing BC Rail St rikes tending Clarkston siding, installing shifted Paper Division in Escanaba, Mich., to a load detectors at Reed Point and Tuscor, location in Missouri. Contracts covering BC Rail union workers and rebuilding four ex-Chicago & North Plenty of CSX power is plying WC rails expired Jan. 1, 1993, and talks to negotiate Western SD40s to SD40-2XRs. Other track as a result of the Duluth, Missabe & Iron a new contract broke down June 18. An ille improvements include installing more than RangelWCICSX taconite contract and sub gal wildcat strike led by four workers oc 100,000 ties and 1,039 tons of welded rail. sequent power paybacks. June 26 saw curred on June 16 at Prince George. Later, MRL began servicing Conda Mining's Twin Cities-Stevens Point, Wis., train 6 with 1,600 workers voted 77 percent in favor of a new quarry near Pipestone in March. This CSX SD40-2 8122 leading WC GP35M 4006, walkout, setting June 19 as deadline. The was the first train on the Whitehall-Spire and leading again the next day, with WC deadline passed and workers then began Rock Line since an Amtrak inspection SD45 6531 and GP35 726, all sighted in the rotating strikes, starting at North Vancouver train traveled the route in November 1982. Twin Cities. CSX units 8203 and 8368 were on June 23, Prince George on June 25, MRL expects to buy of all its ballast from on Stevens Point-North Fond du Lac trains 8 Sqaumish June 29-30, and Lillooet July 2. this quarry, with some 100,000 tons com and 2 between June 22 and June 25. Unions want an 18-month contract with ing from here in 1993. WC's Wisconsin Public Service's Pul a 7.5 percent pay increase retroactive to Montana Rail Link is off to a good start liam Plant (Green Bay, Wis.) coal trains are Jan. 1, and another 4 percent pay increase in 1993. Carloadings ending in March to running now on the Fox River Valley from in 1994. The unions seem to be sensitive taled 79,603 units, a 24 percent increase Fond Du Lac and Neenah as connections to the economic havoc a full strike could from 1992. Bridge traffic accounted for are in place for this operation. cause (BC Rail said it would lose $800,000 58,549 units, up 35 percent, and originated per day in a full strike). which is why ro traffic was up .7 percent. tating strikes were called. Gateway Power News So far, 270 workers have been laid off and passenger traffic is down 54 percent. Kyle To Upgrade Kansas Branch Lots of variety has been seen recently on BC Rail claims it is losing $250,000 per day. the Gateway Western main across Missouri. Kyle Railroad plans to rehabilitate the Scan Santa Fe SDFP45 96 was seen leading a dia Branch running between Scandia and westbound June 1, while MPI 9019 strayed MRl' s Capital Improvements Concordia, Kan., this summer, which will al east trailing on an eastbound June 9. Santa low it to run two to four trains per day on Fe's newer C40-8W's have been spotted on Montana Rail Link is investing $16 million the route. Why does Kyle want to rehabili several trains . Numbers 860/836/842 were in its 1993 capital improvement program. tate a 13.8-mile line that sees a train every seen on a eastbound stack train on June 9, Projects include building two new tracks few weeks? The answer is simple-money. while 862/857/903 were on an eastbound This rehabilitation will allow Kyle to in hotshot June 23. According to GWWR ob crease track speed to 25 mph, and more im servers, dispatchers have been complaining portantly give the railroad better access to about the lack of power the Santa Fe is giv Beloit, junction with the Solomon Division ing them, so now most trains are running and access to UP in Salina, Kan., and conse half Santa Fe and half GWWR power. quently a savings in operating expenses. Kyle currently connects with the Solomon Division by running from Belleville Soo/CP Over IAIS-Again to Clifton and onto Concordia, about a 55- mile trip. By upgrading the Scandia Branch, Similar to operations in April Soo/CP began Kyle will cut the trip to 18 miles, thereby in detouring its trains over the Iowa Inter creasing operating efficiency and saving lo state on June 27 due to high water over comotive turn-around time at Clifton. the Davenport Subdivision in downtown Davenport. Most of the detours on the IAIS took place at night, as Burlington Northern WC: 1 Million Shipped wouldn't take any detours from 8 a.m to 6 p.rn.from Savanna to Barstow, Ill., just east On June 8 Wisconsin Central handled its of the Quad Cities. 1 millionth rail shipment, a carload of But IAIS began having flooding prob lems of its own on July 8-9 when heavy SANTA FE 1940-71 In C% r, Volume 3: rains in western Iowa closed its line into Albuquerque-LosAngeles will be here Ocl. Isl., Council Bluffs west of Atlantic. Then floods on July 10-11 in Des Moines had the rail 1993. Visit Tehachapi and Djon in the days The Original Slideseller road closed as of July 20. IAIS detoured when bigsteam worked side-by-side with the first Original slides sold on approval from road trains around the Des Moines mess on generation of diesels. PA's and FT's vie for the late 1950s to the presen t. BN's Albia Branch via Albia, Iowa. space with 2-10-2's and ROC's. Everything Reasonable, quantity discounts, good Chicago Central also became a flood vic from the "Valley Flyer" in 1940 to FP45's in selection. State your requests, tim on July 9 as it closed its line from Deni son to Council Bluffs due to torrential rains. 1971. Order th is book today at the special pre see before you buy! The railroad remained closed until July 12. publication price of: The Limited Cost Auction. No CC trains were detoured, and the road $40 + $3.50 postage, $5 foreign. Give street only accepted one detour (it doesn't like six Wr ite Fo r Details. address for UPS delivery . NJ res. add $2.40 tax. axle power on its railroad). a westbound BN After 10/1f-/3, price is $49.95. coal empty out of Dubuque, Iowa. Dan Pope Thanks to Montana Rail Link, Arizona 5703 Shady Hill Lane, Arlington, TX 76016 Morning Sun Books, Inc. & California. Pete Briggs, Chis Butts, Lar ry Stirler, Dave Burman, Greg Sieren, 11 Su!:Sex Court +5' The Original Slideseller Michael Ud elhoven, Allan Hunt, and the buys colledions! Edison, NJ. 08820 BOOKS oro. Michelson Brothers.
14 . SEPTEMBER 1993 N PACIFIC division from just east of Kersey, Colo., Interm odal Expansions east to Fort Morgan and then from Fort locomotive News Morgan to Union. The line west of Fort Union Pacific has expanded its intermodal Morgan has not been seen regular freight GP40s 651-665 have been sold to Kansas service by adding three new trains from service in more than two years. Traffic City Southern and are being delivered to Chicago to Stockton, Calif., and Portland, that once rolled over this former Omaha Morrison Knudsen at Boise, Idaho, for re Ore., and second-day service to and from Denver route from Nebraska to Colorado habilitation at the rate of three per day. Chicago and Salt Lake City on seven-day has since been rerouted through Union Pacific 20 (Republic 2,000 h.p. per-week schedules. Another dedicated Cheyenne, Wyo. switcher) is at North Platte, Neb., and will intermodal doublestack train to Stockton be returned to Neff Yard in Kansas City for broadens the initial "Pacific Eagle" joint inspection. It is scheduled for testing and doublestack service with American Presi Su prem e Court Nix es SP Appeal evaluation on western end of the system dent Lines that began in January. later this summer. The United States Supreme Court de The following SD40-2Rs completed their clined to review a case brought forth by trip through UP's Life Extension Program Hastings, Neb. , Relocation on Schedule Southern Pacific. At the heart of the suit located at Jenks Shop in North Little Rock, is the claim that SP does not owe UP $57 Ark. : 3145, 3171, 3176, 3187, 3334, 3215 Despite heavy rains this spring, UP offi million in trackage rights fees for moving and 3232. And the following GP15-1s lost cials expect the track relocation project in its trains between Pueblo, Colo., and St. their MoPac lettering and paint in June: Hasting, Neb., to be completed on sched Louis, a route that sees almost no UP 1687, 1691, 1724, 1726, 1727 and 1730 ule. Once the bypass is finished, UP trains between Pueblo and Kansas City. Santa Fe delivered Burlington Northern freights will use a new 5.4-mile double SP argued that the Interstate Commerce SD60MACs 9500, 9502 and 9503 and Amer track route around the city. Currently, 40 Commission departed from its stated ican Association of Railroads test car 112 to to 60 trains per day ply the Marysville merger policy in setting the user fee the UP in Denver on June 21. They were Subdivision through Hastings, creating without providing sufficient reason. SP used in scheduled freight service until de motor traffic delays in the city. also argued that it was unfair for the rail livered to Norfolk Southern in Memphis, road to have compensation based on Tenn., on July 7. Their routings included higher return on UP's investment than movements to the Pacific Northwest, the Forty Miles in Colorado to Go UP was getting from its own shipments Wyoming coal fields, Texas, Kansas City, on the line. Simply put, the weakest rail St. Louis and Arkansas. Union Pacific announced it will abandon road in the West now has to pay the Thanks to George R. Cockle and Union more than 40 miles of the Julesburg Sub- strongest $57 million. Pacific Railroad.
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PA CIFIC RAILNews • 15 TRANSIT Red Line across the San Fernando Valley are Slipping away, due to warfare among local political and community leaders that never seems to stop. Most other parts of the vast L.A. basin have put on a united front for rail transit, and have won com mitments for service. A good example is Pasadena, which is fighting to get the Blue Line extension completed by 1998 despite a major funding shortfall. San Fernando Valley pressure groups cannot agree on a route, nor a mode, nor a timetable. One major faction, headed by powerful County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, wants a monorail to be built over the congested Ventura Freeway. An other faction favors a subway as a direct Red Line extension from its intended North Hollywood terminal (it won't get there until 2001) on a different route. While Valley leaders bickered, the MTA adopted a six-mile subway route with sev en stations that will take the Red Line into the heavily Hispanic East Side of Los An The Los Angeles-Long Beach Blue Line is a stellar performer in any LRT league. Weekday rider geles, and agreed on how to fund it. The ship now tops 42,600, and that's very high for light rail. Here's a Blue Line train snaking around route will run between Union Station and the corner at First Street and Pine, downtown Long Beach, in May 1991. D. C. Warner Whittier and Atlantic boulevards, with sta tions also at Little Tokyo, First Street and as it shifts from running southwest to Boyle Avenue, Brooklyn and Soto Street, Chicago south, to west, then south again. The ter First and Lorena Avenue, and Whittier and minus at Midway Airport is actually about Arizona Av enue. The Little Tokyo station MIDWAY LINE TO OPEN • October 1 has two blocks from the jetways, but a cov would be built on existing surface trackage been tentatively set as the opening day for ered passageway will connect. next to the Red Line Shops. the new Midway rapid transit line of the A contract dispute between CTA and a The East Side line will cost $2.4 billion, Chicago Transit Authority. It is the first major supplier of signals for the Midway and federal funding has been assured. all-new rail line to open since the Skokie line held up final resolution of the opening Swift and is the first to serve the city's day timetable. southwest side. Portland
Midway will be a pioneer in several re - spects. With the new Morrison Knudsen Dallas LRV CONTRACT AWARDED • A $90 mil cars, it is the first line to have single-per lion contract for 37 new six-axle light rail son crewing and an exact-fare system that DART MILESTONE REACHED • A con cars has gone to Siemens Duewag. Tri eliminates cash handling by station tract for construction of the first leg of Met chose Siemens to build the first low agents. The new 3200-series cars, with DART's South Oak Cliff line approved in floor cars to be put into operation in the microprocessor-controlled propulsion sys June marked a milestone for the city's 20- U.S. They will be powered by a.c. motors tems, will comprise trains of up to eight mile light rail starter system. Approved with state-of-the-art 32-bit microproces cars. The entire 256-car order should be in was a 1.8-mile link from Morrell Avenue to sors for reliable control and fault diagnos Chicago by late December. Illinois Avenue costing $14.5 million with tic capabilities. Improved power control CTA was able to use railway rights-of completion set for 1996. should bring greater energy efficiency. way for most of the route, although this DART now has more than 10 miles of The cars will be built at Siemens' resulted in a sawtooth profile for the line construction under way. Construction of Sacramento shops, with the first car to be the 3.5-mile tunnel under North Central delivered in 1995 and the last in early Expressway on the northern segment to 1997. The Sacramento plant currently is Park Lane was halted in April when producing new LRVs for San Diego, St. " " . - C onnectlons methane gas was discovered. DART Louis and Denver. According to Siemens, Q hoped to solve that problem by July. the Portland order makes it the leading AllOtller1Iew video fr om A&R! supplier of LRVs in North America with From Bh.ckhawk films,we arc pleased to present a more than 400 ordered since 1975. CB&Q-connected video! Connect with "The Los Angeles While the Portland LRVs are to be the Burlington's Last 4-8-4" #5632 on a 1963 NRHS first low-floor cars in the U.S., this design fa n trip in Colorado. Connect with a day "At The BLUE LINE STILL A HIT • Daily Blue Line has been proven in Europe, where Hub ofthe Burlington" in Galesburg, IL.Connect ridership hit a weekday average of 42,600 Duewag introduced the first low-floor car with the D&RGW and the WP aner a jaunt on the in Geneva in 1984. "Q" in a dome on "The California Zephyr". Con riders in April, which is a record. March nect with the WPin "Western PacificFast Freight I' ridership was 39,375. On the other hand, The new cars will join 26 conventional and a remarkable ex-CB&Q 4-4-0 on "The Red Line ridership languished at figures six-axle cars now operating on the Gre Manchester and Oneida" .hortline in Iowa! varying from 10,750 to 12,000, indicating sham line. Tri-Met plans to operate two VIIS- 40 Minutes - Color & 81W- Narration - Sound that the new subway system needs to be car trains on the combined Gresham-West extended before it will perform. This won't Side route consisting of one 1983-1986 A&R Productions $29.95 happen until about 1996, when three major Bombardier-BN high-floor car and one PO 8o� 492, Kensington, CT 06037 Plus S3.S0 ror UPS. stations will be added along Wilshire Blvd. low-floor car to make every train accessi Phone (203) 828-8312 MIC & VISA Chances for a major extension of the ble to the disabled.
16 • SEPTEMBER 1993 tion as a backstop for the streetcars; offi to ramp tracks to the surface in the middle San Franci sco cially the F-Market will replace the 8-Mar of The Embarcadero near Howard. This ' ket ETB line. The new Market Street tracks two-year contract is under construction.
MUNI GETS A MOVE ON • Developments feature a row of mature palm trees in the Segment two is further along and will re have come thick and fast this summer in devilstrip, an idea that has been the sub sult in a beautified Embarcadero Boulevard San Francisco. The J-line extension from ject of some criticism in the neighborhood. with the LRV line in a center strip. Tracklay 30th Street to Metro Center finally began The final stretch of new Market Street ing began in July between Howard and revenue service in June when every other track construction, between 11th and Harrison, where a station with a raised plat J-car was extended over the new track Duboce, should begin this year and be form is under construction. age. At the same time, M-cars were cut completed in 1994. The first of the rebuilt Muni will receive $30 million in federal back to St. Francis Circle to permit recon Philadelphia PCC cars is expected to ar grants to help buy 60 new electric trolley struction of the trackage near Stonestown. rive from Morrison Knudsen this summer. buses, cable car rehabs and other work. Trackwork for the new F-Market Street If all goes well, the F-Market streetcar ser However, operating funds are still very tight. line has been completed between Duboce vice could begin by Christmas 1994. BART's experiment with owl service and Castro except for the J line crossing at Another major Muni proj ect is finally un ended in July. The Friday-Saturday Church. Tracks on Noe and 17th Street al der way : the LRV extension from Market overnight runs needed 1,600 riders a night so were completed, except for curves con Street toward the Caltrain Depot at Fourth to break even. Only 220 used the service. necting the J line to the new Market St. & Townsend and beyond. Currently, two Thanks to Siemens, MTDB, Don Jew line and a new layout at 17th and Church. phases are in progress: one from Embar ell, Charles Ve rcelli, Los ANGELES TIMES, New overhead wire also went up in cadero Station to Howard Street and from SAN FRANCISCO CHR ONICLE, RAILWAY AGE, July ; the F-Market car line will have dou Howard to Berry Street. The first segment Mike Murray, Los ANGELES DAILY NEWS ble overhead to permit trolley bus opera- will bring the subway around the corner and DALLAS MORNING NE WS.
RTH AMERICA result, CP now has 70 percent of the busi 218: Vancouver-Toronto expedited traffic. New Reliability Initiative ness and CN was forced to offer the 25 per Operates daily, arriving 12:01 a.m. cent rate cut on the business that it was 260: Vancouver-Toronto OOCL dou Over the next two years CN North Ameri able to keep. Furthermore, the potash com blestack traffic. Operates Wednesdays, ar $ ca will invest 100 million in what is de panies have considered shipping potash riving 9:30 a.m. scribed as a "radical reconfiguration of in through the U.S. to Tacoma rather than to 262: Vancouver-Toronto Evergreen Lines formation systems technology that will de Vancouver. The commission is recommend doublestack traffic. Operates Wednesdays, liver more responsive customer service ing an acceleration of the deregulation of arriving 7:15 p.m. and fundamentally change the way CN the transportation industry in Canada. 264: Vancouver-Montreal OOCL dou manages its freight business." blestack traffic. Operates Wednesdays, ar CN President and CEO Paul M. Tellier riving 8 p.m. $ said about 50 million will be spent on com Prairie Region Operations 304: Edmonton-Montreal general freight. puter systems and their integration into CN, Operates daily except Tuesdays, arriving $ 35 million on computer equipment and the CN's Prairie Region includes all trackage in 4:50 p.rn. remainder on training and implementation. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and western On 340: Vancouver-Chicago general freight. Software for the new system is cOming from tario. In addition to handling huge amounts Operates daily, arriving 11: 59 p.m. the Santa Fe and will include transportation of grain, coal, potash and sulfur, this region 352: Edmonton-Winnipeg general freight. information systems, service scheduling also handles a large part of CN's general Operates Tuesdays and Wednesdays via technology and customer billing modules. freight traffic. All east-west freight traffic Dauphin, arrival time unknown. Approximately 8,000 employees that are must pass through Winnipeg. West of Win 354: Edmonton-Winnipeg general directly involved in delivering customer ser nipeg, traffic arrives and departs to and freight. Operates daily via Dauphin, ar vice will be trained in the application of the from all CN points in western Canada. To riving 7: 30 p.m. new systems as they are introduced the east, trains arrive and depart to and 356: Edmonton-Winnipeg general freight. throughout the system. CN's goal is to from eastern Canada via Sioux Lookout or Operates as required, arriving 2: 30 a.rn. achieve a minimum of 95 percent reliability, the U.S. via Fort Frances, Ont., and the Du 358: Prince George-Winnipeg BC Rail lum up from the current rate of 75 percent. "The luth, Winnipeg & Pacific. A secondary line ber. Operates Tuesdays and Wednesdays, day when we a freight railway the way run extends south to Emerson, Man., where CN arriving 3 p.m. airlines is not far away," Tellier said. run interchanges with Burlington Northern. 360: Prince George-Winnipeg BC Rail lum The new system is not expected to cause Following is a summary of high-priority ber. Operates daily except Tuesdays and further layoffs among CN's workforce. and interregional freight trains operating Wednesdays, arriving 4:40 p.m. west of Winnipeg as of June 1993. Not in Westbound cluded are several intraregional freight 201: Montreal-Vancouver intermodal traf Potash Traffic Down trains as well as the large numbers of unit fic. Operates daily except Tuesdays, de trains operating in this corridor. Primary parting 10 :30 p.m. While appearing before a committee to traffic type is listed, although most trains 203: Windsor-Vancouver autos. Operates comment on the report of the National will fill out with other types of traffic as re daily except Tuesdays, departing 10:20 p.rn. Transport Act Review Commission, CN quired. Dates and time of operation apply 211: Toronto-Edmonton intermodal traffic. President and CEO Paul Tellier cited CN's at Winnipeg. Unless noted, all trains oper Operates daily except Tuesdays, depart declining potash traffic as an example of ate via Rivers, Man., and Melville, Sask. ing 8:30 p.m. how tough the competition is in the rail Eastbound 213: Toronto-Vancouver intermodal traffic. way industry. He said that CN used to car 204: Vancouver-Montreal intermodal traf Operates daily except Mondays, departing ry 70 percent of the potash traffic in Cana fic. Operates daily, arriving 5: 30 a.rn. 7 a.m. da with CP carrying the remainder. 212 : Edmonton-Toronto intermodal traffic. 215: Toronto-Calgary expedited traffic. The balance began to shift last summer Operates daily except Mondays and Tues Operates daily departing 2:30 a.m. when the potash companies approached days, arriving 9:30 p.rn. 219: Toronto-Edmonton expedited traffic. CN for rate cuts. CN offered to reduce 216: Calgary-Toronto intermodal traffic. Operates daily except Tuesdays, depart rates by 15 percent and CP responded by Operates daily except Mondays and Tues ing 4:35 a.rn. offering to reduce rates by 25 percent. As a days, arriving 2:45 a.m. Thanks to TRAFFIC WORLD.
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 17 18 • SEPTEMBER 1993 : -L···· · o()- ' ·k· :' ' " Again
Stev� S�hmoninger
. ' ' . ,aridscapes charige" They may (J.ppear st�tic tq ,fllllte eyes, , changes m them takmg. , piaceL too slovyiy to be perceived im:mediately, ' But closer :obseivati0n�and.time-often reveal, , radical change, , Landscapes Come in' different forms, There are man-made landsoapes as well as natural ones, Tillie·the industrial landscape, for instance, 'It doesn';t starld, still, CQmIYetitlun, sees to that. ,Rafuoads are, part of this' iandsc,ape, and, most ill , e een , the U,S, in r.ecent y ars hav8 b pressure.d by market forces to 'whittle, their operating plcint,in� to efficient transportation. pipelines �d tearri up· wIth, other ' entities ' such' as, truckmg cOl:npanies . With whoriJ: they ha::V.e synergies. Witness Santa ' Fe's' hot 99.1 --symbol crossing the Merced River ' Bridge 'in central Caiifornia in March ,1991. The --trairi's speed is app,roxlrmitely 60 niph, its stan- ' , dard 70�mph,tempa momentarily 'interrupted to ' , all9w 5,000 tons ,to 'safely negotiate curVature 'on, , tlie bridge' approach, Iis trio of million-dollar , Cti,eseis,are wiling on -wE!ll-miJ.J.ntamed 136�p.ound, 'welded__ rail' and roa,-obed, im impiovement turned ,prereqUisite to successful :mainline',rail roading, The ,symbol's Uhited, Parcel 'Service trailers will" in 'oays to come, be jomed by grow- , ing number.s cif trailers from J,B, Hunt Trucking, , . , tradjtiOnally a, nerce'competitor of'railJoads.- ' " ' In the distance, the 991's, rear pigs prance, , toward the 'rIver across a horizori that has' seen , some changes ofits own r,ece:qtly, A viciou� ' e ' freeze the previous Dec mber killed all almond orchard there, and ,the farmer,has since p1,liled .'the old trees'out and planted new ones in their stead, Had' the :ma-ture, trees still been st'and-' ' ing;' the',trailers on the horizoI:\' would have -- been hidden from us, In.- a t'ew years: the local horizon .will look ' ' ,mUch as it dio.before t,he 'blast Of chill Alaskan air' descende'd on this tiny valley, IIi fact, It would be ,surprising if the landscape ill the' Merced River , Valley didn't stay cibqut the same for'years;after- . ward, in shrill contrast,,it's'doubt;tui that the San- , ta Fe ar any other member of the U,S, railroad' scene VItill remainUnchang ed for long, PRN
PA CIFIC RAILNews . 19
LEFT: An aerial view of Southern Pacific's City of Industry Ya rd, looking west toward Los Angeles. The in termodal facility is on the left. ABOVE: SD39s 53 1 8/5308, whose maintenance base is Dolores Ya rd, pause at City of Industry, while an inbound trucker checks in at the main gate.
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID C. CRAMMER
n Oct. 1, 1992, Southern Pacific opened lifters along with one PC90 Mi (or re-opened depending upon your per jack side lifter, which can be spective) its City of Industry Yard to in used if one of the other termodal traffic to help alleviate the strain on lifters is down for repairs. someO of its other facilities in Southern Califor The lifters are kept busy nia. The Intermodal Container Transfer Facility seven days per week load Yard (ICTF) in Long Beach was close to over ing and unloading contain load, handling the heavy international contain ers. Twelve clerical per er traffic in and out of the Los Angeles/Long sonnel, 20 Southern Pacific Beach Harbor Complex-almost 50,000 lifts in Motor Trucking employees November 1992. Los Angeles Yard was work and three supervisors are ing at near capacity, handling 16,000 lifts in necessary to keep every November 1992 for containers originating or thing running smoothly. The destined for the LA Basin. It was clear that SP yard is strictly a run-through needed a new intermodal facility. doublestack container facility as no With crowded freeways in the central city trains originate or terminate at the yard. and the shops and trackage at Taylor Yard sold to Metrolink, Southern Pacific hoped to Logistics and Administration find additional space to load containers away from downtown L.A. With this in mind, Containers entering the facility by truck Southern Pacific turned to its City of Industry are logged in at one of the four gate booths Yard, centrally located between the harbor and given an assigned space, whereupon area and West Colton on the eastern out the yard inventory is updated. When a skirts of Los Angeles, built to handle block of cars for the appropriate train is be through-train doublestack containers. Three ing made up, the tractor operators receive a tracks, Nos. 401, 402, and 403, traverse the printout sheet, which assigns a given con pad and are worked by two Mijack 1000R tainer to a given wellcar.
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 21 ABOVE: A Mijack 1000R, capable of lifting a 100,000 pound container, lifts a "SPUD" off a doublestack car and onto a chassis. Long gone are the days when trailers were loaded circus-style. LEFT: Clerk George Olson enters data for an inbound train in the tower. Information logged into this computer system is shared between City of Industry and Den ver, SP's new operating headquarters.
Each printout notes the position of the car on the track, the number of the container to be loaded, and the slot the container is parked in (AAA001 would indicate the first slot on A pad). Further information on the designated container includes whether it is a load or an empty, its weight, its length and its destination. Once the wellcars have been loaded, they are inspected to see that every thing is in place and secured. Once everything is verified, the yard-as signed switcher moves the wellcar next to the main line for pickup by the appropriate train. Two switch jobs every 24 hours (two locomotives, three-man crew, and two 12- SP'S CITY OF INDUSTRY YARD hour shifts) are currently working the inter AND INTERMODAL FACILITY modal portion of the yard. Currently, yard lo comotives are stili being serviced by Dolores,
VALLEY BLVD. which sends out a road truck to perform the maintenance. Switchers are sent to Colton, though, for their gO-day FHA inspections. Once out of the yard and on its train, a container is logged into the computer as hav ing left. Ali of this information, plus the previ ous updates that were already forwarded to San Francisco and customer service in Den ver, means that the entire operation at City of Industry is constantly monitored both at the yard and SP headquarters. The administrative office deals with the myriad problems that crop up at this busy rail-
22 • SEPTEMBER 1993 road complex. With a 9 a.m. conference call co sitting idle while revenue-producing goods ordinating the day's events, City of Industry are waiting to be hauled for lack of a contain can coordinate containers so that they are er. SP's goals are to have outbound containers ready when their respective trains are sched leave the yard the same day they arrive and to uled to pick them up. The yard must also coor have inbound containers depart 24 to 36 hours dinate with ICTF, Dolores, Taylor, West Colton, from the time they are off-loaded. etc., as well as San Francisco and Denver to en sure that everything runs smoothly. Any poten We Know Where Your Container Is tial problems can be noted, planned for, and hopefully eliminated, including special loads As part of its customer-oriented stance, the that may need expediting as well as those with same computer network that tracks the special instructions from customers. The ad progress of a particular container in the yard ministrative department also coordinates with can also pinpoint its location as it travels the Crest-Conductor and makes sure he/she across the country. An inquiry into the SP has the people and equipment on hand to get computer network will bring out the last re the job done. Obviously, logistics are important, ported location of the car the container is on even to the point of making sure that fuel and hence its location. No more jokes about trucks arrive to feed the lifters. how the needed item may be on a siding at El Paso, Texas, as the computer can now state Room For Expansion with accuracy exactly which siding and when it got there. Monitoring specific locations is In October 1992 Industry performed 10,200 becoming even more specific with the Amtech lifts and followed up the next month with automatic reporting modules now being in 8,600 more. The initial results exceeded pro stalled on flatcars, that have successfully test jections of 7,000 to 8,000 lifts per month, ed in runbys at more than 90 mph. though traffic varies with the seasonal cycles But while technology is helpful, it only goes (a severe winter storm in the East is going to so far. It takes people willing to work hard to cut down on what is loaded or unloaded in the keep things moving, people who insist on a California sunshine). Industry was designed quality performance, and who intend to ex to handle approximately 16,000 lifts a month ceed their goals by not resting on their laurels, before expansion is needed. Should the Indus people dedicated to a program that puts safe try Yard become strictly intermodal, there is ty and service as their first two priorities, and room for an additional 24 tracks at the West people willing to be innovative and ready to Colton hump to handle the increased load. handle challenges that lie ahead. When container traffic increased, and with For their kind assistance in preparing the move to doublestacks in the mid-1980s, this article I want to thank Herman Madden, demand often exceeded the supply of flatcars , Linda Pitchford, Jack Martin, Mike Furtney, containers and truck chassis. With the in Jack Gauthier, George Fernandez and
creased inventory of flatcars supplied by the Jeffrey Estes. PRN TTX Corporation, as well as railroads supply ing their own wellcars, part of this problem TOFC Clerk George Fernandez assigns a truck to a has been alleviated as more truck chassis slot on one of the five pads. With increased inter have become available. SP has aided in solv modal traffic on SP, scenes like this one have be ing the container shortage problem by provid come commonplace. ing its own 48' x 102" containers (nicknamed "Spuds " because of their code SPDU) sport ing the new speed lettering logo.
Rules & Goal Setting
Setting constant goals illustrates three of the primary rules of intermodal transfer: 1) consistency 2) consistency 3) consistency. There is a definite strategy behind these rules. Sporadic three-day service may seem a better deal, but if the customer can absolutely depend on a four-day delivery time, orders can be placed with confidence that the sched ule will be adhered to. It is this on-time deliv ery goal that SP is striving toward; the old days where the train left on time and the cus tomer be damned no longer cuts it. If a train has to wait to get a valued customer's con tainer out that day, it will wait. Another goal City of Industry has is pre venting container shortages. Shipping empty containers to parts of the system where they can be utilized is one way to solve this prob lem. With more and more customers becoming used to the efficiency of rail transport, it does not make economic sense to have a container
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 23
ABOVE: In Santa Fe's pre-warbonnet era, 5040-2 51 1 4 leads Kansas City-Chicago train 321 under the Division Street overpass at the southern edge of Lockport on July 15, 1986. RIGHT: Chicago Central GP38 2000 leads three other Geeps, including a pair of ex-MoPac Helm lease units, on a Plaines-bound unit coal extra. The train is shown at Willow Springs on April 19, 1991. Both photos, Mike Abalos.
The First Line
The construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal helped blaze the trail that would eventually become Chicago & Al ton's route into Chicago. The canal path struck southwest ward from Chicago's business center, near the end of the South Branch of the Chicago River at Bridgeport. Nearly 10 miles downstream, the canal begins to parallel the Des Plaines River near the site of Chicago Portage. As built, the I&M Canal follows the southern edge of the Des Plaines Val ley, seemingly cutting through a tunnel of old growth forest. The canal continues for nearly 25 miles, flowing into the more & Ohio in 1947, Illinois Central Gulf in 1972 and since 1988, navigable Des Plaines River at the northern edge of Joliet. the modern-day Illinois Central. As the canal was being finished, Captain Benjamin God frey commenced construction of a rail line between Alton The Second Line and Springfield in 1847. With a new charter and more avail able capital, the line pressed northward from Springfield in In contrast to the Alton Route's checkered history, Santa Fe to Bloomington in late 1853 and on to Joliet in 1857, where it route's ancestry is not as complex. Originally built as the connected with the recently completed Joliet & Chicago Chicago & St. Louis Railway around 1885, the line also plotted Railroad, which had built parallel to the canal's south side. a route through the relatively flat valley, but the line fell some By January 1858, the Chicago & Alton operated through 150 miles short of St. Louis, ending at Pekin, Ill. Enter the trains to Chicago, eventually leasing the Joliet & Chicago Chicago, Santa Fe & California Railway, which purchased the line in 1864. Over the next 125 years, the first rail line Chicago & St. Louis in November 1886. With the construction through the Des Plaines River valley would see a succession of the Kansas City-Chicago " Airline" under way in March 1887, of name and ownership changes, most recently Gulf, Mobile the Santa Fe reached Ancona, lli., 350 miles east, in November,
26 . SEPTEMBER 1993 where it connected to its new property, then rehabilitated the northerly 95 miles. Operations into Chicago commenced in ear ly 1888. The line's Santa Fe identity has remained intact throughout the last 105 years, though the failed Santa Fe Southern Pacific merger of 1987 almost changed that. Ironically, Southern Pacific trains now operate through the valley via Illi nois Central trackage rights between Argo and Joliet.
Down in the Valley in 1993
Now, let's look at today's rail routes in the lower Des Lyons Plaines River valley-specifically, the area between Lyons and the northern limits of Joliet.
Illinois Central's Joliet District
Less than a half mile southeast of the river bend at Chica go Portage is the south end of Glenn Yard, Illinois Central's current primary classification yard. While most tonnage out of this ex-GM&O yard is destined for points on the original IC "Mainline of Mid America" to New Orleans, several road switchers head south most days of the week to work on-line indus tries. Just past the yard's south throat, the main line ducks under Harlem Avenue and turns southwest along the north edge of Sum mit. Here, the remnants of the Illinois & Michi gan Canal and the larger Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal parallel IC's right-of-way on the north side; the Des Plaines River flows parallel about a quarter mile to the north. Past Summit, the line enters a relatively inac - Railroads cessible five-mile stretch be Streets tween Argo and Willow
RIGHT: A long, long way from tunnel territory, SD4OT-2 850 1 leads CHPBM, bound for Pine Bluff, Ark., westbound through Lemont on Feb. 17, 1993. Mao bv Erik Coleman Charles Streetman
PACIFIC RAILNews • 27 28 • SEPTEMBER 1993 Springs . Indiana Harbor Belt's main line crosses at the recent ly closed Argo Tower, where Southern Pacific's Springfield District trains access IC trackage to and from Belt Railway of Chicago's Clearing Yard, less than a mile to the southeast. The massive CPC Industries Argo Processing Plant and Shell Oil's loading facility occupy the area immediately south and west of the diamonds. The Joliet District encounters civilization briefly at Willow Springs. A metal-and-glass commuter shelter and a pair of plat forms mark Metra's Heritage Corridor Willow Springs station, located underneath the Willow Springs Road bridge. South west from this point, the tracks pass through the Cook County Forest Preserve District, still following the I&M Heritage Corri dor Pathway. Four miles west of Willow Springs, near Sag Bridge, the line bridges the Calumet Sag Channel; the "Sag" flows into the Chicago Ship Canaljust north of the rail span. Past the through-truss bridge, the Joliet District enters the wide bottoms near the old station site of Lambert (milepost 21.6), where several petrochemical industries are served. Just east of downtown Lemont, the tracks and Chicago-Joliet Road parallel and cut a narrow path through the old business district, curving almost due west before ducking under the Lemont Road bridge and passing by the rehabilitated ex-Al ton depot now used by Metra. Leaving Lemont, Chicago-Joliet Road becomes New Road, still paralleling the tracks to the south as both routes curve to the southwest, crossing the Cook-Will county line. About a half mile past the county line, both rail and highway enter a wide sweeping curve through the massive Uno-Ven Romeoville Refinery complex. At the north edge of Lockport (milepost 32), past the abandoned Texaco Refinery, the tracks shoot down a narrow alleyway through Lockport's original business district, passing by the site of the I&M locks near Pi oneer Settlement. The tracks pass the ex-Wabash Symerton depot, relocated to the northwest corner of the Ninth Street grade crossing during the late 1970s and Metra's restored ex Alton depot at 14th Street. South of the depot, the tracks dis appear into the woods at Delwood Park, continuing its south southwest alignment for another mile before going under the Elgin Joliet & Eastern main line and passing behind the old state prison at the north edge of Joliet.
Santa Fe's Chillicothe Subdivision
Across the Stevenson Expressway (Interstate 55) from Glenn Yard, the two-track Santa Fe main breaks off its south west alignment as it heels into a curve to cross the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal at Bridge 9-C. After bridging the canal, the tracks turn westward and cross a short fill. The Des Plaines River is bridged for the first time at milepost 11.2. Un like the Alton's route along the relatively straight I&M Canal, much of the Santa Fe's route follows the contours of the river valley. Twenty-five curves exist between Bridge 10 and Joliet Yard, compared to the 10 curves on IC's Joliet District. Past the curve at milepost 12, the tracks head under First Av enue (State Highway 171), where the switches to the McCook In dustrial Spur and the east end of McCook Yard are located. At milepost 12.9, the Santa Fe reaches the "BOCT Cross ing. " In reality, this is the Indiana Harbor Belt crossing, but the tracks are owned and maintained by CSX between Blue Island and Superior, 1.5 miles north of the Santa Fe diamonds. During the past year, this junction with the IRB has taken on greater importance, as several manifest freights and the new AT&SFI Chicago & North Western Wisconsin Electric coal trains keep the tracks on the north and south wyes well polished.
LEFT: A day in the Des Plaines River Valley gives a good glimpse of Santa Fe. in the 1990s-Chicago-Richmond, Calif., train 199, one of the hottest on the railroad, roars westward through Palisades with a string of pigs. The three B40-8s and lone GP60M are barely into their 2,000-mile journey on Oct. 12, 1992. Mike Abalos
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 29 ABOVE: SSW GP60 968 1 leads CHASM (Chicago-Alton & Southern cated at Romeo, just south of the 135th Street crossing. At manifest) westbound through Lockport on Aug. 25, 1991. Andrew R. this point, the tracks head south toward Lockport, where a Taylor TOP RIGHT: GP8 7722 leads Illinois Central Job RS-04 at Division sweeping curve passes under the SH 7 bridge, skirting the Street in Lockport on Jan. 27, 1991. CENTER RIGHT: GP60M 102 leads valley bottoms along the Chicago Ship Canal before disap train 199 past the new alignment at Willow Springs. Once the UPS fa pearing into the woods near the Lockport Locks. The tracks cility goes on-line, it will mean even more intermodal traffic for then enter a long curve that ends just short of the Elgin, Joliet AT&SF. BOTTOM RIGHT: Three junker Geeps, including a rare GP28, & Eastern bridge at the north end of Joliet Yard. lead a Plaines coal train in the early days of the Chicago Central on July 16, 1986 at Romeoville. Three photos, Mike Abalos Keeping Abreast of Operations
Just west of BOCT Crossing is the east end of Harbor sid Of the two railroads running through the valley, Santa Fe is ing, which parallels the south track to the west end at the by far the busiest. Well-known intermodal speedsters like crossovers at Hodgkins, where the lead to GM Yard diverges 199/991 and ONYLA/OLANY "Mail Trains " mix it up with an in from the north track. From milepost 15, where the main line creasing number of manifest trains, along with the York goes under I-55 to Willow Springs, major changes occurred Canyon, N.M.-Oak Creek, Wis., coal trains that run several during 1992. The construction of Santa Fe's new Willow times weekly. Eastbound traffic is heaviest Saturday through Springs intermodal facility serving the massive new UPS facil Wednesday, while westbounds dominate Friday through Mon ity adjacent to the site necessitated the realignment of nearly day, so weekends can be quite busy on this end of the Santa Fe. two miles of main line around the southern perimeter, along There are few shootable eastbounds in the morning. Regu side the Des Plaines River. This added a pair of curves and lars include the 891 and 581 trains, usually getting into Cor eliminated the Willow Springs Road grade crossing, now with before 10 a.m. Late morning possibilities include mani bridged at the yard's west end. The new Willow Springs fest trains 331 and 851, both of which use the south wye at crossovers are located west of the new overpass. McCook to reach the IRB for the short run to Belt Railway's Coming down off the new fill, the tracks meet up with the Clearing Yard. Summers are best for shooting the late after original alignment at milepost 17.6, and the next 3.5 miles curve noon/early evening glut of eastbounds on the Joliet-Romeo through the backwoods of northern Willow Springs, Santa Fe segment. Westbounds can be had any time of the year during Park, Palisades and Burr Ridge, all small villages that have daylight hours as the route alignment favors photographing grown into fairly affluent subdivisions straddling the Cook-Du outbound trains, especially in the Romeo-Joliet section. Morn Page county line. After passing under SH 83 bridge, the tracks ing regulars include eastbound train 103, REA-Oll (The Wil curve along an isolated 2.9-mile stretch along the south edge of low Springs "011 Local"), REA-041 (The Joliet "041 Local") the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, where the Argonne National and the ONYLA (normally called the "mail train " by dispatch Laboratory Reservation is located. A spur to an industrial park ers and crews). On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the north of Lemont leaves the north track at milepost 22.8. 197 train is added to the mix, usually run ahead of ONYLA. The Des Plaines is bridged a second time at milepost 24.4 Sometimes, during the latter part of the week, a second and the Chicago Ship Canal is crossed on a through-truss mail train is called, leaving Corwith around 11 a.m. After a bridge that used to swing open for water traffic. Between short midday lull, the two stars of Santa Fe's intermodal fleet, mileposts 25 and 26, four curves are negotiated, temporarily the 199 and 198 trains, are dispatched from Corwith at 2 p.m. slowing any piggyback train's 70 mph pace. Just past the and 4 p.m., respectively, passing through the valley within Cook-Will County line at milepost 26.6, the Santa Fe passes the next 45 minutes. New to the westbound fleet is the "Ve the Thompson Steel Works, then curves behind the Uno-Ven hicle Train, " VCHLA, departing from Belt Railway's Clearing Refinery, both sources of hefty local local loadings for Santa Yard Wednesday-Sunday around 4:30 p.m., entering Santa Fe Fe road switchers. A set of CTC-controlled crossovers are 10- rails at either McCook or at Corwith if traffic on the IHB
30 . SEPTEMBER 1993 promises significant delays. Either way, VCHLA usually fol lows Amtrak's westbound Southwest Chief. Speaking of Am trak, both trains are afternoon runs. Number 4 passes through the area between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., while No. 3 is carded out of Chicago Union Station at 5 p.m. Wisconsin Central also makes an appearance on Santa Fe iron. An intermodal transfer run connecting from the inbound Wisconsin Central train 218 takes a long piggyback cut from Schiller Park over the Indiana Harbor Belt to the north wye at the Santa Fe interchange at McCook. Upon receiving permis sion from the Chillicothe Subdivision dispatcher, the WC transfer enters the Santa Fe main for the short run to the Cor with Yard ramp. The WC transfer operates Monday-Saturday, reaching the McCook interchange around 9 a.m. inbound, re turning outbound around 11:30 a.m. Radio activity on the Santa Fe is constant, and with a good scanner the Corwith Yardmaster and the dispatcher can always be heard. Westbounds out of Corwith usually call for the signals at the Belt Railway crossing at Nerska and at the BOCT (IRB) Crossing at McCook, and there's a talking detector at milepost 22. All transmissions are heard on frequency 160.650. Though the Illinois Central Joliet District isn't exactly a beehive of activity, a little patience along this line will be re warded. Monitor frequency 160.920, as the Joliet District dis patcher and the IC operator at Corwith Tower coordinate train movements. All trains operating between Argo and Joliet must have a track permit, many of which are issued via radio. These permits provide information such as locomotive number and direction, what limits the train may operate etc. All trains must report their times at Joliet and Argo, the operating limits of most track permits, helping to track down Southern Pacific freights and the occasional Chicago Central coal trains. Illinois Central operates a pair of daylight road switchers
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 31 High-speed intermodal trains aren't the only action along the Des day-Saturday, PBCHM (Pine Bluff-Chicago manifest), by Joliet Plaines River as GP20s 3062 and 3070 backing local 04 1 over the around noon, and BLCHL (Bloomington-Chicago Local freight) bridge at Lemont on June 12, 1987, attest. The increasingly rare GP20s by Joliet between 4 and 6 p.m., or later. PBCHM and CHBLL were still prevalent on the Santa Fe at this date. Charles Streetman are better photo possibilities in the summer between Joliet and Romeoville. Sporadic grain and potash extras are also run. south of Glenn Yard. Job RS-03 spends its day switching the The other tenant operation is the Chicago Central , which industries at Argo, while RS-04 works farther down the line moves unit coal trains between the Belt Railway interchange between just west of Willow Springs and Joliet, usually re at Lemoyne (milepost 7.9) and Commonwealth Edison's turning to Glenn between 4 and 6 p.m. Plaines Generating Station south of Joliet. Us ually powered The balance of activity on the Joliet District is tenant opera by a colorful five-unit Geep lash-up, the trains are run at any tions. Amtrak provides the most trains as the route is part of time. Monitoring a scanner will help to determine when these the Chicago-St. Louis corridor, featuring three daily round trips, trains are on the line. including the Chicago-San Antonio Texas Eagle. A fourth pair of trains, the Chicago-Springfield Loop runs Monday-Saturday Getting to Locations (See current Amtrak schedules for times). Metra provides local commuter service, operating a pair of eastbounds in the morn The Stevenson Expressway (I-55) is the primary route to ing and a pair westbound in the afternoon Monday-Friday. follow both railroads between Harlem Avenue and La Grange Since Southern Pacific assumed freight operations on the Road. Though access to IC's Joliet District is limited to the ex-GM&O Chicago-St. Louis route, traffic has steadily in Metra platforms at Summit (milepost 11.9), the Santa Fe can creased. Currently, there are pair of predictable daily south be reached via Lawndale Avenue in McCook, using either bound trains operating out of Belt Railway's Clearing Yard : Harlem Avenue or First Avenue northbound exits. On Harlem ' CHPBM (Chicago-Pine Bluff manifest) and CHBLL (Chicago (SH 43), go north to the first traffic light past the Santa Fe un Bloomington local), departing at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., respec derpass, turning left onto 47th Street, then head west about a tively. Both trains contact the IC Corwith Tower operator for mile to the next traffic light at Joliet Road. Turn left here and permission to enter the IC main at Argo, and both must pull drive about a quarter-mile to the next light at Lawndale. Turn south down the northbound main to reach the trailing left again and head for the tracks. If approaching from First crossover at milepost 14.2 where, upon receiving permission Av enue (IL 171). exit at Joliet Road, turn right at the light at from the Corwith operator, a reverse move is made to put the the end of the ramp, then turn right at the second light on train on the southbound track. At Romeoville, all trains des Joliet Road; this is Lawndale Avenue. tined for the SP contact the SP dispatcher on frequency Another favorite location for Santa Fe fans is the 67th Street 161.280 to obtain permission to occupy the three Direct Traffic crossing at Hodgkins, reached via the north La Grange Road ex Control blocks between Joliet and Mazonia. Northward trains it off I-55 and turning right at the first traffic light north, taking can be heard reporting clear of these DTC blocks at Joliet. 67th Street about a mile east to the tracks. If coming from Mc Regular northbound SP trains include HOCHF (Houston Cook, use Joliet Road westbound past the Electro-Motive Divi Chicago forwarder), usually by Joliet between 6-8 a.m. Mon- sion plant and the quarries to East Avenue. Turn left and head
32 • SEPTEMBER 1993 south to 67th Street, turn left again and drive toward the tracks . Church Road, at the Willow Springs firehouse. Turn left and Those more adventurous will want to use the south La head west to the stop sign at Wolf Road, turning left again. Grange Road exit off I-55, crossing the long bridges over the Follow Wolf Road to 91st Street. To reach the tangent east of Des Plaines valley and exit at south Archer Avenue (SH 171). Santa Fe Park, turn left, or turn right to reach Mahoney Curve Take Archer south to the traffic light at Flavin (Willow at Palisades, about a half mile west of County Line Road. Springs) Road and turn right and head across the bridge to Look for Mahoney Drive on the left to reach the curve. Always the Santa Fe's new overpass. Past here is a road on the left be alert when scouting in this area. Because of the numerous used to reach Columbia Woods, sandwiched between the curves, the trains-rolling at 70 mph-can sneak up on you. main line and the river. The driveway into the woods stays Archer Avenue parallels IC's Joliet District to the south, close to the tracks on the south side, allowing for easy access. passing through Paw Paw Woods and Detonte Woods. Access Other locations between here and SH 83 can be reached by to the tracks is limited to a public crossing at Detonte Woods, taking Willow Springs Road north to the light at German just past the junction with 95th Street on the north side. To follow the line farther, take Archer west to the intersection with SH 83 at Sag Bridge and follow SH 171 south across the Cal Sag Bridge to the light at 111th Street and turn right onto Joliet-Chicago Road. This road becomes Main Street through downtown Lemont, then New Avenue past the Metra depot. Aside from following the Joliet District through the valley, the Santa Fe can be accessed via McCarthy Road south of the canal or via a frontage road at the north end of the State Street-Lemont Road bridge, on the west side. Other Santa Fe access includes Romeo via 135th Street and Lockport via Divi sion Street. SH 171 continues south out of Lockport into Joliet. Take some time to do a little exploring along the river and through the woods and discover the variety of railroading in the lower Des Plaines River valley. PRN
LEFT: Child meets parent as a Chicago Central Plaines coal train meets IC local RS-04 at Lemont on April 19, 1991. Illinois Central spun off its Chicago-Council Bluffs/Sioux City route to CC in December 1985. BELOW: Amtrak's eastbound Southwest Chief is approximately 40 minutes out of Chicago's Union Station on July 4, 1987, as it rolls past at Romeo. Both photos, Mike Abalos
PACIFIC RAILNews • 33 ------
Running the o Dlaha Gauntlet
34 . SEPTEMBER 1993 ------
Heavy Traffic and Steep Grades Prevail in the Heart of the City By GARY E. VOOGD
LEFT: A nice balance of both GE and EMD power leads Council Bluffs-Avondale, La., unit grain train GOCBAV upgrade past Tower B on April 28, 1990. BELOW: Running three hours late due to slow orders on sun kink-prone track to the west, the California Zephyr rolls downgrade into Omaha in July 1990. Both photos, George R. Cockle
".AInyone wh o thinks the railroad is provide a lot of action for the railfan. The between east and west. Summit is the :n dead in America should visit lines Mr. Duncan refers to are tracks of junction of UP's Falls City and Council Omaha, Nebraska. The Un ion Pacific Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Bluffs subdivisions as well as where the lines-Omaha is the railroad's headquar that skirt the south side of downtown. BN crosses over the UP on its way west. ters-refuse to be relegated to the mere Call it a gauntlet, a choke point, a fun The courts have continually forced UP to outskirts and industrial sections of town, nel, or just a pain in the neck for dispatch share its bridge with the other area rail as they are in most cities. Th ey parade ers, this corridor provides a prime train roads. The bridge facilitates the inter thro ugh downtown Omaha, secure in the watching location, and there is plenty of changes of numerous coal trains, allows kn owledge that without them and the public access to excellent photo vantage transfer runs between several rail yards in stockyards they serve, there probably points. From these spots one can witness Council Bluffs and BN's Gibson Yard in Om wouldn 't be any city in the first place. " a daily parade of long freights, unit coal or aha, and enables UP trains from its Council grain trains, transfer runs, switch jobs and Bluffs Yard access to the rest of the system. from OUT WEST power moves. Between the bridge and Summit are by Dayton Duncan Operations through this corridor center three miles of grueling 1.25 percent grade, Penguin Books, 1987 around UP's bridge over the Missouri River the toughest grade on the UP between at one end, and the junction called Summit Omaha and North Platte. It is a major ob The stockyards no longer provide much on the other end. The UP bridge over the stacle for westbound trains and can force rail traffic, but downtown Omaha does Missouri River is a primary rail connection the use of helpers on taconite unit trains.
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 35 ABOVE: Just moments after departing Union Pacific's sprawling Council Bluffs, Iowa, yard on its westbound journey, Chicago & North Western GP50 5084 is about to face the steep est mainline grade on the UP in Nebraska as it grinds out of the Missouri River valley in April 1988. INTERURBAN PRESS: Carl Swanson RIGHT: Two Dash 8s and one 5060 drag a taconite extra through town on Jan. 14, 1991. M.B. Foley
Summit Connection One of the primary purposes of the wye is Heavy Traffic Through Downtown to take pressure off the busy Marysville Summit will gain even more significance Sub, particularly by allowing empty coal Union Pacific runs eight symbol trains now that the new wye (some call it Wimmer trains to return to Wyoming via Omaha. in and out of Omaha each day. It also han Wye after its designer) is open. The Summit Union Pacific recently invested $25 million dles 12-18 interchange trains with Chica wye provides a smooth connection between in the Falls City Sub, upgrading it to a 50 go & North Western, mostly unit coal UP's Falls City and Council Bluffs subdivi mph railroad capable of handling 35 trains trains, and UP also interchanges unit coal sion. The two subdivisions run parallel to per day. The Falls City Sub normally hosts trains with Chicago Central. Several locals each other from Summit to about the 16th an average of three freights each way per operate in the area each day, too. Adding Street Bridge, but due to traffic patterns day (including new intermodal symbol up all the traffic, the Council Bluffs Sub there was never a connection to allow NPMEV). and is currently seeing an influx through Omaha averages 43 trains a day. northbound trains to go west or eastbound of westbound empty coal trains and low-pri Chicago & North Western has trackage trains to go south without first running into ority general merchandise freights detoured rights on the UP through the corridor and Council Bluffs Yard for the runaround move. around track work on the Marysville Sub. once had a line branch off near Summit,
36 . SEPTEMBER 1993 but this line has been abandoned. In fact, case at both Vinton and Martha streets . yard is in the middle of town and fairly in part of the C&NW right-of-way was used Vinton, 36th and F streets form a semi accessible to the public. by UP to construct the Summit connec circle around Summit and provide numer A scanner can be of great use in the tion. Kansas City Southern has trackage ous photo angles. The interstates through Omaha area to follow what is happening. rights into Omaha over the Falls City Omaha meet at an interchange built di The most-used frequencies are: 160.740 Subdivision, won as a condition of 1983 rectly above Summit. When the current (UP), 160.410 (UP), 161.100 (BN), 160.890 Missouri Pacific merger. These rights highway construction is completed, ac (C&NW), and 161.190 (CC&P). amount to about one train per day each cess to the Summit area will be quite easy. Downtown Omaha is rapidly changing. way, usually with UP power, and always To get to downtown Omaha from 1-80, The 1980s saw the closure of UP's locomo with UP crews. take the 13th Street exit and turn north. tive and car shops, and the removal of Parallel to the UP, and on a slightly From westbound 1-480 take the Dodge most of the industrial trackage in the tougher grade, is Burlington Northern's Street exit and turn left on 10th Street. A downtown area. The 1990s will see the line through Omaha. The line crawls up Rand McNally or AAA map of Omaha will continued renewal of Omaha's riverfront. from Gibson Yard, which lies along the be indispensable for finding access to the Changes may include the severing of BN's Missouri River. It adjoins the UP just east corridor, although Omaha is easy to navi line to industries in north Omaha, leaving of the former Union and Burlington passen gate in as numbered streets run north CC&P's drawbridge over the Missouri as ger depots. An interchange track here al south while named streets run east-west. the only rail connection to this part of lows trains to crossover between the two Railfans with a good map in hand may town. B'lt as long as there are railroads, lines. West of the depots, the BN line runs also want to seek out the various rail you can bet trains will be charging up the next to then and climbs above the UP until yards in Council Bluffs. The C&NW and hill out of downtown Omaha. it crosses the UP just south of Summit. CC&P yards are on the northern edge of Thanks to Joel Boucher, George R. Burlington Northern runs three trains town. The Iowa Interstate, Burlington Cockle, the Camerail Cl ub and Photo per day in each direction through the cor Northern and Council Bluffs Railway yards graphics for their assistance with this ridor. It also handles daily locals and sev are near 1-80 on the south side. The UP article. PRN eral unit coal trains each week for local power plants. Amtrak enters Omaha on the BN line twice daily. The eastbound DOWNTOWN FORMER UNION STATION California Zephyr is scheduled to arrive at OMAHA / TO MISSOURI R E TOFC AR A 6:25 a.m. and depart 25 minutes later. The OMAHA, NEB. E • C����I� ���FFS westbound Zephyr is due at 12: 05 a.m. � -++++t:::t. .�TO NORTH and leaves at 12 :30...... UNION PA CIFIC* ;;.::;::: � �-' --1f--+.!.!!.""""""OMAHA Other traffic on the corridor includes the ...... BURLINGTON NORTHERN TO daily transfer runs between the C&NW, (AMTRAK)* GIBSON BURLINGTON ANDV YA RD CC&P, UP and BN yards in Council Bluffs AMTRAK STATIONS ROADS (NOT ALL SHOWN) to BN's Gibson Yard in Omaha. These � transfers require a switchback move to reach Gibson. Trains come off the Missouri • MAINLINE TRACKS ONLY River bridge onto the interchange track ; MAP BY GARY VOOGD AND TOM DANNEMAN after clearing this connection, they must back down to Gibson Yard. Trains reverse MARTHA ST. jj this move to get back to UP rails. MARTHA ST. CO�� CIL Photography Along Corridor BLUFFS I SUB", The Omaha rail corridor is primarily be hI li BANCROFT ST. low street level and there are numerous VINTON ST. overpasses offering photographic vantage points. The Summit area is an ideal place to
photograph trains as eastbounds usually ,,�o, wait at the top of the grade for clearance in N ,,11 11 to UP's Council Bluffs yard, and westbound trains put on a show as they grind upgrade. Another popular spot to watch and photograph trains is 10th Street near the former passenger depots. The bridge runs north-south and has parking and side walks on both sides. Union Pacific's TOFC/COFC yard is located where the passenger tracks once were and provides TO NORTH PLAnE a diversion between trains.
The former Union Station is now the F ST. Western Heritage museum. The former Burlington Station has had several owners and has gone through attempted renova tions. It is currently vacant. Amtrak has a station just to the east of the former Burlington depot. There are several other bridges that LST. L ST. make ideal photo locations besides the one at 10th Street, including the spans on 16th, 24th, 36th, Martha, Bancroft, Vinton, F and 0 streets. Several of these are older STOCKYARDS structures with little traffic, sidewalks on each side and low guardrails. They are slowly being replaced with less railfan friendly structures, though; such is the
PA CIFIC RAllNews • 37 38 • SEPTEMBER 1993 A challenge fo r locomotives on BN's fo rmer Northern Pacific route through eastern Washington
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY LINDSAY KORST
or some 17 years Burlington North ern had two mainline routes be tween Spokane and Pasco, Wash., the former Northern Pacific and the former Spokane,F Portland & Seattle "High Line." In 1987 BN, not needing two maintenance intensive routes (the NP route was used for eastbounds and the SP&S was used for westbounds) between the two cities, for sook the tunnel- and trestle-laden SP&S route along the Snake River in favor of the recently upgraded NP line. Along this former NP route lies oft-over looked and seldom-photographed Provi dence Hill, located 57 rail miles north of Pasco. Unlike the parallel ex-Spokane, Portland & Seattle right-of-way with its water-level profile, BN's Pacific Division, 7th Subdivision is a winding, hilly test of motive power and equipment-and a headache for dispatchers.
LEFT: Burlington Northern SD40-2 7108 leads B30-7A booster 403 1 and a westbound inter modal train through the double S-curves north of Paha, Wash., on May 29, 1993. Prior to 1987, this train would have used the for mer SP&S route along the Snake River.
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 39 Up on Providence Hill
As EN prepared to abandon the SP&S "High Line," it upgraded the ex-NP route. The line between Spokane and Pasco was beefed up with concrete ties, continuous welded rail, 8, 100-foot sidings and Cen tralized Traffic Control. Many of the sig nals and related hardware are sun-pow ered, with solar panels mounted tracks ide near installations. This route currently sees up to 25 trains a day with a healthy mixture of dou blestacks, TOFC, autoracks, grain trains, general merchandise freight (i.e. lumber . .. products) and an occasional loaded unit coal train. Amtrak's Portland section of the Empire Builder climbs Providence Hill westbound about 4: 30 a.m. and eastbound around 9:30 p.m., however, the lucky pho tographer may catch an hours-late NO. 7 during summer's early morning light. The line is relatively flat eastward from the sprawling Pasco hump yard (geographi cally northward) and closely follows U.S. 395 the 36 miles to Connell. Once east of the CTC siding at Connell, the line begins its serpentine course up Providence Coulee, splitting away from the highway. It's a steady, twisting 12-mile, 0.5 percent climb to the next siding at Cunningham, a com mon spot for meets as it is the foot of the eastward climb to Providence. Cunning ham, which can be reached via Hatton and Lind-Hatton roads, is a photogenic spot for westbounds as three grain elevators brack et the tracks. The grade stiffens here to 1 percent for the 7.3-mile climb to Providence. Once in Cunningham, follow the tracks east to a nice little spot with a tight S curve and solar-powered signal. A few miles east of Cunningham, take Damon Road to the talking detector at Beatrice. Past Beatrice, Lind-Hatton Road comes back to the line near the summit of Provi dence Hill. At the grade crossing with Lind-Hatton Road, the line makes a broad, almost horseshoe curve to the left and en ters a short cut to reach the 1,550-foot summit. This cut is an excellent place for photos of both east and westbounds. There is a sandy access road just east of the grade crossing that takes you right to trackside. The "Providence" station sign is the beginning of a 5,700-foot siding used mainly for setting out defective units or cars. The line descends eastward to the next CTC siding at Sand, whose east switch can be reached over a dusty access road. Sand is the base of the westward 1 percent climb to Providence and as such is a frequent meeting point for trains. Just west of Lind, the line passes under the remains of the Milwaukee Road Chica go-West Coast main line (now merely a
hiking trail). The bridge has been removed, -i but the high embankments, concrete pil ings and arched approaches still stand, making a great shot with a long lens. At Lind, be sure to check out the quaint wrought iron sign the townsfolk have erected that features a prairie wagon, a TOP: Burlington Northern whiteface 5040-2 6805 crests the summit of Providence Hill with a steam locomotive and what appears to be westbound freight in May 1993. One of the several solar panels along this route can be seen an SD40-2 belching smoke like a 4-8-4. at the left. ABOVE: A lash-up of four- and six-axle locomotives descend the hill with a west Just east of Lind, and near the junction bound grain train at Cunningham, Wash., on April 17, 1993. of State Highway 21 and U.S. 395, the line
40 • SEPTEMBER 1993 banks around a very tight curve and be- gins the long, gradual climb toward Ritzville. This is a good spot to shoot "down on " as the roadbed curves sharply under the overpass. From here, the route follows U.S. 395 closely all the way to Ritzville. It's upgrade here for eastbounds and quite curvy, so train speed rarely ex ceeds 30 mph. It's easy to get ahead of an eastbound at this point and set up a shot at Paha, the next CTC siding, about 9.5 miles east of Lind. Meets are frequent here and you can sometimes get a meet shot from the west end of Paha nicely framed with signals and the ubiquitous grain elevators. Just east of Paha on U.S. 395, look for two red barns on either side of the road. By pulling over to the east
RIGHT: At Lind stands a vestige of the Mil waukee Road's Puget Sound Extension, abandoned in March 1980. Here BN 8045 East, an eastbound intermodal train, passes the concrete abutments of the former Mil waukee overpass in April 1993.
(north) of the barns and looking TO SPOKANE back down the line, and using a 200 mm or larger lens, you can get a re- n b B URLING TO N NORTHERN cu t d l �nit grain:�:' trains ��: look����� sensa���tional�it:C�� as they��� snake RITZVILLE 90 along in four different directions at once. TO SEATTLE d Past Paha, the line finishes its descent �===::;: ======""" OVER J:9�0 �P to Ritzville, continuing on east to Spokane. In Ritzville there is an ex-NP red brick de pot, albeit separated from the tracks by a PROVIDENCE most unphotogenic chain link fence. Ritzville is a good spot to spend the night, with adequate food, gas and lodging avail HILL able for the weary railian. But watch out for speed traps through town. The best time to visit the Providence Hill area is late spring/early summer when the hills turn a soft green before reverting to the sagebrush beige of summer. East ern Washington is usually cold in winter (20-30 degrees Fahrenheit) and very hot in summer (90-100 degrees). The Providence Hill line is definitely worth checking out if you have some time N to spend in the Pacific Northwest. It may not have tunnels or evergreen forest a la Stevens Pass, but it features good, un crowded road access, frequent daylight trains that are easy to chase and abundant r---�----��------�26r------�� photo opportunities to satisfy the most TO PULLMAN discriminating railian. PRN
o MILES 10 I I
SCALE 1:500,000
111111111111111 BURLINGTON NORTHERN
INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS
OTHER HIGHWAYS
* TALKING DETECTORS
U.S. HIGHWAYS
STATE HIGHWAYS TO MAP BY LINDSAY KORST ______PASCO AND TOM DANNEMAN L.- ....J
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 41 PASSENGER TRAIN ANNUAL 1993, PA SSENGER TRAIN JOURNAL's popular companion edition will be arriving soon.
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his year 's ANNUAL features the best of both the new and the old in passenger railroad ing. In-depth feature articles include: Amtrak's highly successful California Capitol T Corridor; the intense competition between the Milwaukee Road's Hiawathas, Chicago & North Western's 400s and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy's Zephyrs in the Chicago- Twin Cities corridor; and a detailed look at the now-retired Chicago Metra/Burlington Northern E-units and the locomotives that replaced them. Also featured in this edition is the Ye ar in Review, highlighting in words and pictures the major passenger railroading events of 1992. And, as always, PASSENGER TRAIN ANNUAL features some of this country's best railroad photographers in 64 color-packed pages. AMTRAK/PASSENGER r The route of the Southwest Chief was personnel from inspecting the track until A Fine Mess severed for several days when Santa Fe five hours after the accident. The north I lost its bridge over the Grand River in bound Coast Starlight terminated at Santa If you were booked on the either the eastern Missouri. Service to Chicago was Barbara, its passengers bused to San Luis California Zephyr or the Southwest Lim suspended for much of July. Obispo, where the southbound Coast ited during early July, chances are you Starlight had terminated. Both trains were had a horrendous time getting to where turned back to their original terminals car you wanted to go. Due to extreme flood "Genesis" locomotives In Servi ce rying revenue passengers. ing in both Iowa and Missouri, Amtrak suspended its operations between By the end of June, Amtrak had accepted Chicago and Kansas City and Chicago delivery of nine AMD 103s from General X2000 Doings and Omaha, after the routes those trains Electric. The new units started service in use were shut down by flooding. The CZ the East on the Auto Tr ain, but look for During June, Chicago and other Mid had been detouring over the Chicago & them soon on the City of New Orleans, western cities played host to the North Western-until the C&NW, too be Sunset Limited and the California Swedish X2000 tilt train. On June 17-18, came impassable for a few days. The CZ Zephyr. Only a few minor problems have the train operated between Chicago and is normally routed across southern Iowa been encountered so far in the first St. Louis, one of Amtrak's possible high on the Burlington Northern. The last CZ weeks of operation. speed corridors. The trainset then ap detour before the shutdown was divert Recent press releases from GE and Am peared in Milwaukee between June 28- ed south to Des Moines, after heavy trak have started using a new name, "Gen 30 for display and test runs west on the rains in western Iowa forced Amtrak to esis Series I, " for the fuel-efficient locomo CP System. annul the train at Iowa's capital and bus tive instead of the original name : AMDl03 In other X2000 news, Amtrak supris passengers west to Omaha. (AMtrak, Diesel, 103 mph gearing). ingly scheduled the Swedish trainset for Once the C&NW was back in service more revenue trips in the Northeast Corri during the week of July 12, the CZ was re dor on weekdays between Aug. 5 and instituted, but with an odd twist up front : Mi ssile Halts Coast Starlight Sept. 24, when it will cover existing C&NW was short on pilot locomotives (the Metroliner schedules. On three Saturdays, C&NW main line is equipped with AT C), An aborted launch of an Air Force missile Aug. 14, 28 and Sept. 11, the X2000 will so it borrowed Metra's three remaining E from Vandenburg Air Force Base in Cali cover trains 206 and 221. Standard Metro units, which are equipped with AT C, to fornia forced both Coast Starlights to ter liner service coach fares will apply for the lead the trains between Chicago and minate well before they reached their des weekday trains and special weekend fares Council Bluffs, Iowa. tinations as military officials prevented SP are available for the three Saturday trips.
� , p,,�. Curvt: :1\ (jap Rounds (ht: "X2000 X201J1J Collector'sEdition Prints, Posters, & Videol This beautiful painting by 1993 Amtrak Calendar artist J Craig Thorpe captures X2000 at Gap, PA, belween Philadelphia and Lancaster. 500 signed and numbered Limited Edition Prints 28" x 22". Regular Edition Prints, 20" x 1 6". 1993 National Tour Poster, 28)1," x 21". All shipped in protective tube. Video shows histolY of X2000, running in Sweden, arrival in the U.S., inaugural run on the Northeast Corridor and more. Color, sound, 35 minutes. Many other X2000 items and dle new tour T-shins and (Ote bag still available' \'{Trite for complete listing.
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PA CIFIC RAILNews _ 43 ELSON RUSH SANTA FE posal by Birmingham Southern Railroad to the San Bernardino Subdivision and for MK Rebuilds in Santa Fe' s Future? convert the site of the Ensley Works, a long give $46 million in debt incurred through closed steel mill, into a joint intermodal fa the San Diego Subdivision Rail Replace Last month we reported spotting MPI cility serving northern Alabama. The pro ment Project a few years back. SD45 rebuilds on a 338 train at Wellington. posed $30 million Birmingham terminal Work on the San Bernardino Sub contin These units, it turned out, hadn't random would be able to perform 300,000 lifts annu ues. The second track between Arlington ly wandered onto Santa Fe in pool service. ally, tripling the capacity of BN's Dixie Hub and May (4.2 miles) was added to the time On June 24 the company announced it at East Thomas Yard. Florida East Coast is table by general order on June 22. By early would be operating MPI 9017-9020 for 30 also interested in serving this facility, via 1994, Santa Fe expects to extend the sec days in order to "evaluate " the units. San trackage or haulage rights from Jacksonville ond track west to Esperanza, providing suf ta Fe stated the blue-and-gold units have over CSX (Santa Fe with a direct FEC inter ficient new capacity to reroute all through "special control features " but no speed change-what next?). All that's needed to freight traffic off the Pasadena Subdivision. recorders or radios, which prevents them build the proposed facility, according to BS, The second phase of the capacity ex from being used in the lead. is federal and state financing. pansion project, scheduled to continue Unofficially, we understand Morrison Also on June 15, UPS diverted its North through 1996, will see completion of the Knudsen would like to supply Santa Fe with Bay-Phoenix traffic via the Arizona & Cali second main track between Arlington and rebuilt second-generation EMD units, simi fornia. This traffic had been set out by the West Riverside and construction of a third lar to those rostered by BN. Santa Fe is in 991 train at Williams Junction, Ariz., for main from West Riverside to Highgrove terested, since such rebuilds would cost pickup by the 787 train. Now, the 991 sets and Colton to San Bernardino. less than new power, but wanted to sample this business out at Cadiz, where it con MK's products first. Ifa deal is made, it's al nects to ARZC train 807. most certain the rebuilding program would Meanwhile, according to an internal Names for the New Divisions involve foreign-road SD45 hulks, since Santa Santa Fe memo, "UPS is livid about the Fe's labor agreements restrict off-premises service we have been giving them across In PRN 354, we mentioned the restoration work on Santa Fe-owned locomotives. the entire system." Reflecting the disrup of traditional-size operating divisions. tions associated with the crush of new Names for these divisions were adopted business and the consolidation of dis on June 21, as follows : Freight Service Notes patching functions at Schaumburg, there have been several unforgivable gaffes in Santa Fe took its first step toward improv Name Te rritory HQ volving the hot trains, including an in ing train service on the new haulage route stance where a crew went dead on the to Tulsa, Okla. , Memphis, Tenn. , and Birm law and the dispatcher forgot to call a re Illinois Corwith-Ft. Madison, Iowa Corwith ingham, Ala. , on June 15, when it estab Eastern Ft. Madison-Emporia, Kan. Kansas City lief crew. The deserted train sat for 12 lished train 687 as a new priority symbol Kansas Kansas City-Topeka-Denver Newton hours before the error was discovered. (If operating between Tulsa and Clovis, N.M., and connecting branches UPS thought Santa Fe service was bad be Oktahoma Augusta, Kans.-Gainesville, Oklahoma City where Santa Fe intermodal trains swap fore, we wonder what it thinks now with Texas and Enid Sub blocks. The 687 train serves J.B. Hunt busi the main line out of commission.) North Texas Gainesville-Temple and Fort Alliance ness out of Arkansas and eastern Okla Worth-Brownwood/Sweetwater homa to California. Business has been South Texas Sweetwater-Temple-Galveston Temple light so far, with a sample train made up of Calif ornia Line Sale Completed and East Texas lines B40-8 7440 and 15 conventional cars. This Panhandle Emporia-Amarillo-Clovis and Amarillo train is called at 1 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednes The Metropolitan Transportation Agency, and Boise City, Okla.-Lubbock Sweetwater-Clovis-Carlsbad, Clovis days and Saturdays at Tulsa (as BN train successor to Southern California Regional Pecos New Mexico La Junta, Colo.-EI Paso and Belen 77) and arrives at Clovis about 1 p.m. Rail Authority, closed the third and final Clovis-Belen phase of the Santa Fe line sale on June 30 The first few Santa Fe haulage trains Arizona Belen-Needles and Phoenix Winslow serving Birmingham were pulled by a mix when it handed over about $60 million in Subdivision ture of Santa Fe and BN locomotives. Later, return for title to the 26.3-mile Harbor Sub So. California Needles-Los Angeles-San Diego San Bernardino though, warbonnet units, including at least division between Redondo Junction and Valley Barstow-Richmond Fresno one 90-class FP45, were spotted in Texas on Watson Yard. All told, Santa Fe collected K.C. Terminal Argentine Yard Kansas City Barstow the Q-BHLA, fulfilling the hopes of Santa Fe $482 million in cash through the Southern Barstow Term. Barstow Yard LA Terminal Los Angeles and Harbor Los Angeles fans in the Deep South. California line sales. In addition, MTA Subdivision Santa Fe and BN are conSidering a pro- agreed to fund expansion of capacity on
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44.SEPT EMBER 1993 Chico Chatter Santa Fe Adopts Alpha Train Symbols (Almost) Recently, we discussed Santa Fe's plans to In PRN 354 [May 1993], we reported that Santa Fe would replace the three-digit numbers as construct a new auto unloading facility and signed to through-freight trains with alphanumeric symbols. It's now offiCial: Santa Fe Will convert intermodal terminal at Devore, on the south all through trains except the hottest intermodal runs to alpha symbols on Aug. 1. It seems that, slope of Cajon Pass. Santa Fe nixed the when Santa Fe asked United Parcel Service what it thought about alpha symbols, UPS said It plan, and the leading candidate for the new would prefer to retain the number symbols assigned to the fast intermodal schedules it supports. facility now seems to be San Bernardino, Thus, trains 198, 199, 398, 891 , 893 and 991 will retain their numeric symbols. Many of the with the shops and A Yard being replaced other through trains, though, will switch from numeric to alpha symbols on the appointe� ?ate. by the intermodal terminal and the auto fa The accompanying table does not list the new prefixes for train type. The are as follows: H Pr� ority Manifest; "M" Regular Manifest; "V" Ve hicle Manifest; "P" Premium; 'T' TOFC/COFC. Stack cility occupying the site of the B Yard. train symbols remain the same except for a "1" or "5" succeeding the symbol. An arbitrator ruled inlate June that San ta Fe was not entitled to build a direct Priority Manifest Symbols Vehicle Manifest head-on connection from its Wood Street
Yard in Oakland across SP's main line to the Old New Locations V-ASKC PXKC1 Phoenix-K.C. Port of Oakland under the Richmond-Oak V-CHLA CHLA1 Chicago-L.A. land trackage rights agreement between 213 SRKC1 Streator-Kansas City V-HOKC PEKC1 Pearland-K.C. Santa Fe and SP. Earlier, the State of Cali 338 KC8A1 K.C.-Barstow V-KCAZ KCPX1 K.C.-Phoenix 339 KCRI1 K.C. Richmond fornia had decided not to pay for replacing V-KCHO KCPE1 K.C.-Pearland 344 KCOV1 K.C.-Denver V-LABA LA8A1 L.A.-Barstow the Oakland Terminal bridge over the SP as 368 KCLA1 K.C.-Los Angeles V-OKKC OKKC1 Oklahoma City-K.C. part of the 1-880 relocation project. As a re 435 LJTE1 LaJunta-Temple sult, Santa Fe won't enjoy direct access into 443 DVKC1 Denver-K.C. Intermodal the Port unless it reaches a deal with SP. 448 LJ8A1 La Junta-Barstow 476 OKWA1 Oklahoma City-Waynoka Prospects for that are remote, as the rela 185 CHDA1 Chicago-Dallas 506 SITE1 Silsbee-Temple 194 CHOK1 Chicago-Oklahoma City tionship between the two long-time rivals 51 7 DABE1 Dallas-Belen 197 DTEP1 oetroit-EI Paso has probably never been frostier. Santa Fe's 533 PEKC1 Pearland-K. C. 198 no change loss might be inconsequential, though, 534 TELJ 1 Temple-La Junta 199 no change since the Port has been unable to dredge 605 TESI1 Te mple-Silsbee 391 KCCH 1 K.C.-Chicago the harbor to accommodate deeper-draft 606 BGAM1 Borger-Amarillo 398 no change 616 AMBG1 Amarillo-Borger ships and, as a result, much of its business 581 DACH1 Dallas-Chicago 674 WAOK1 Waynoka-Oklahoma City 687 TLCV1 Tu lsa-Clovis is likely to slip away to Los Angeles, where 816 BAAV 1 Barstow-Avard 791 EPDE1 EI Paso-Detroit Santa Fe enjoys better access. 818 BALA1 Barstow-Los Angeles 891 no change Why would Santa Fe sponsor a one-day 81 9 BABK1 Barstow-Bakersfield 3-891 no change round trip of Amtrak's X2000 high-speed 828 BAWT1 Barstow-Watson 893 no change 2-828 WTBA1 Watson-Barstow trainset between Oakland and Fresno? It 991 no change 838 BASB 1 Barstow-San Bernardino Q-CHoA1 CHDA9 Chicago-Dallas did, and the trip took place on July 12. We 2-838 SBBA1 San Bernardino-Barstow Q-CHPX1 CHPX1 Chicago-Phoenix speculate Santa Fe is thinking about offer 839 BARI1 Barstow-Richmond Q-CVFW1 no change ing the northern portion of the Va lley Divi 844 BALJ1 Barstow-La Junta Q-FWLA FWLA1 Ft. Worth-L.A. sion for sale to a public commuter authority, 849 BAFR1 Barstow Fresno Q-GATE GATE 1 Gainesville-Temple 851 BACH Barstow-Chicago Ietaining heignt rights as it did in Southern Q-LAFW LAFW1 L.A.-Ft. Worth 853 BAKC1 Barstow-K.C. Q-LANY LANY1 L.A.-New York California, and wanted to whet the appetite 868 BASD 1 Barstow-San Diego Q-NYLA NYLA1 New Yo rk-L.A. of the local politicos for high-speed rail. 2-868 SDBA1 San Diego Barstow Commencing June 28, Santa Fe in 888 BALA9 Barstow-L.A. Premium stalled 52 miles of new rail between 2-888 LABA1 L.A.-Barstow Suwanee and East Baca, N.M., in a $12.8 91 8 BKBA1 Bakersfield-Barstow 188 CHLA1 Chicago-L.A. 938 RIBA1 Richmond-Barstow million project expected to consume one 189 CHRI1 Chicago-Richmond 948 RIBA9 Richmond-Barstow 388 KCSB1 K.C.-San Bernardino month ...Upcoming passenger specials 952 RISR1 Richmond-Streator 591 TECH 1 Temple-Chicago (non-Disney) : The Board of Directors is 955 RIDA1 Richmond-Dallas 881 LACH1 L.A.-Chicago slated to enjoy a ride from San Diego to Q-BAH01 BAH01 Barstow-Houston 889 BARI1 Barstow-Richmond Phoenix on Sept. 28. In late January, the Q-HOBA1 HOBA1 Houston-Barstow Q-BHLA BHLA1 Birmingham-L. A. entire business car fleet will travel to the Q-FRCH FRCH1 Fresno-Chicago Regular Manifest Q-LABH Super Bowl in Atlanta. Will Santa Fe have LABH1 L.A. -Birmingham Q-RICH RICH1 Richmond-Chicago its haulage rights into Georgia by then? 103 CHKC1 Chicago-K.C. Thanks to Jim Grey, J. Michael Kirk, 0. R. 133 MCKC1 McCook-Kansas City TOFC/COFC Bixler, Starpacer, Ja yh awk andLone Star. 233 ESKC1 E. St. Louis-K.C. 301 KCCH 1 K.C.-Chicago 169 CHRI1 Chicago-Richmond 305 KCTE1 K.C.-Te mple 2-1 69 CVRI1 Clovis-Richmond 322 KCES1 K.C.-E. St. Louis 171 DTCH 1 Detroit-Chicago 326 KCAM 1 K.C.-Amarillo 178 CHLA1 Chicago-Los Angeles BINDERS FOR YO UR 337 KCPX1 K.C.-Phoenix 181 CHDT1 Chicago-Detroit 352 KCSR1 K.C.-Streator 262 FMHS1 Ft. Madison-Hoosier Lift 425 NWTE1 Newton-Temple 263 ESKC1 E. St. Louis-K.C. 503 TEKC1 Te mple-K.C. 272 HSFM1 Hoosier Lift-Ft. Madison 505 TEGV1 Te mple-Galveston 332 KCES1 K.C.-E. St. Louis PA CIFIC RAILNEWS 515 SIBM1 Silsbee-Beaumont 578 oALA1 Dallas-L.A. EACH WIRE-TYPE BINDER 524 HONW1 Houston-Newton 583 DAKC1 Dallas-K.C. HOLDS 12 ISSUES 525 BMSI1 8eaumont-Silsbee 589 PEKI1 Pearland-Richmond 545 GVTE 1 Galveston-Temple 767 AQBE1 Albuquerque-Belen $8.50 EACH 565 TEH01 Te mple-Houston 771-1 PXCH 1 Phoenix-Chicago 623 AMKC1 Amarillo-K.C. 771-2 SHIPPING FlRST EA. ADDITIONAL PXWI 1 Phoenix-Winslow 668 AV BA1 Av ard-Barstow 771-3 PXBE1 Phoenix-Belen U.S. 52.80 .50 707 EPBE1 EI Paso-Belen 777 BEAQ1 Belen-Albuquerque CANADA 54.85 52.25 708 PXBA1 Phoenix-Barstow 871 LACH1 LA-Chicago FORIEGN 56.50 54.00 717 BEEP1 Belen-EI Paso 875 LADA1 L.A.-Dallas INTERURBAN PRESS 727 DMBE1 Deming-Belen 961 RICH1 Richond-Chicago 2-727 BEDM1 Belen-Deming P.O. Box 250280 985 RIPE1 Richmond-Pearland 757 PXBE1 Phoenix-Belen Q-BEEP BEEP1 Belen-EI Paso GLENDALE, CA 91225-0280 807 BAPX1 Barstow-Phoenix Q-RIBE RIBE1 Richmond-Belen
PA CIFIC RAILNew5 e 45 CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN
Operation lifesaver GP15-1 4410 and MP15DCs 1314 and 1316 pull Circus World Museum's circus train post Devil's Lake, Wis., on July 5, on its way to Milwaukee via the C&NW to Madison, Wis., then over the Soo/CP into the Beer City. Twelve days later, this trackage was ravaged by a flash flood caused by on eight inches of rain falling in less than three hours. INTERURBAN PRESS: Tom Danneman
miss UP's application to control C&NW as opponents, is that it does not request ap Oral Argument in UP Control Case fatally indefinite about UP's true inten proval of a specific transaction and there tions. Cunningham noted that the an fore the Commission cannot fulfill its legal "They say control is not control, and that's nounced sale by Blackstone Capital Part duty of assessing the public benefits asso baloney, " thundered attorney Paul Cun ners, L.P. and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jen ciated with that transaction. ningham as he ripped Union Pacific in rette of their C&NW stock would leave UP, Responding for UP, attorney Arvid Washington D.C. on June 22. The Inter with its 30 percent interest, by far the Roach accused the opponents of throw state Commerce Commission was hearing North Western's largest owner, confirming ing up roadblocks just "to get this case oral arguments on the motion of six rail C&NW's status as a UP satellite. The prob stopped or at least delayed. " Roach re roads, represented by Cunningham, to dis- lem with the application, according to the counted the long history of cooperation
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46 • SEPTEMBER 1993 between UP and C&NW and said all UP is also served. Industries along this line 10, pulled by CR 6718 and 6960 along with wants to do is continue that cooperation include an IBP packing plant at Perry Santa Fe 8026 and 8078, and a Proviso and vote its stock in C&NW like any other and the customary grain elevators. Belvidere extra on July 17, which featured shareholder. However, when asked by Santa Fe 8141 and 8147. Commissioner J. J. "Jake " Simmons Off-roster GP7s 4467-4469, 4477 and whether UP would proceed to acquire Abandonment News 4480, stored at Oelwein, Iowa, have been 100 percent ownership of the North sold to Columbus & Greenville Railway. Western, Roach replied "I don't foresee The ICC authorized North Western to These units, crudely spray-painted it, but I don't rule it out. " abandon the Wausau Subdivision between "CAGY" on the cab, passed through Pro The commissioners will probably take Duck Creek and Kelly, Wis ., in a decision viso Yard on July 2. Six other stored several months to decide whether to grant served on July 12. The commission found Geeps, numbers unknown, were sold to the opponents' motion to dismiss, and the that C&NW lost $426,047 operating this Central Kansas Railway in June. Iowa control proceeding will not progress dur 83.4-mile line in 1992 and would lose Northern hauled these from Oelwein to ing that time. $623,371 if operation were to continue dur Manly, Iowa, where train SSDMA (South ing a "forecast year" of April 1993 through St. Paul-Des Moines manifest) picked March 1994. Most of the traffic generated them up on June 11. Freigh t Serv ice Changes by the line (634 of 841 cars, or 76 percent) C&NW has been using a number of Soo came from Shawano Paper Mills, which Line SD60s to recover horsepower-hours Proviso-Kansas City trains PRKCA and doesn't oppose abandonment because it earned by North Western units running KCPRA have been cut back to Des Moines expects Wisconsin Central to pick up ser through the Twin Cities on the Columbia and are now symboled PRDMA and vice to its plant. North Western will contin (Portage, Wis.) coal trains. PRCBA (Provi DMPRA. The former PRDMAlDMPRA are ue to operate its trackage near Wausau as so-Council Bluffs manifest) of May 29, for now PRDMB and DMPRB . an isolated switching line. example, included Soo 6040 and GECX Until the Minnesota River flooding The abandoned segment of the Cow leased units 3008 and 3000 behind C&NW brought it to our attention, we had been boy Line between Crawford, Neb., and SD40-2 6906, while two Soo SD60s pulled unaware of a service change on the Oma Crandall, Wyo., was scrapped starting in train PRITA (Proviso-Itasca manifest) ha line in late 1992. At that time C&NW June. A late June inspection found rails through St. Paul on June 27. CP also de discontinued trains CBEMA and WACBA pulled off the ties between Van Tassell, toured at least one train over C&NW be between the Twin Cities and Council Wyo., and Harrison, Neb. tween Clinton, Iowa, and Chicago due to a Bluffs, replacing them with trains June 13 derailment at Forreston, Ill. MKEMA and EMMKA between Mankato SD40-2 6920 was released from Oel and East Minneapolis. Traffic between Motive Power Notes wein after rebuilding on June 26. GP38-2 Mankato and Sioux City is being handled 4601 headed to Oelwein (Transco) for by way freights, as C&NW concentrates Still short of locomotives despite the re fresh paint during late June. C40-8 8551 is through-Twin Cities-UP shipments on the turn of the GP50 fleet to service, C&NW the latest unit to receive the Operation Spine Line. leased a number (believed to be 30) of ex Lifesaver paint scheme. The way freight serving the Perry Santa Fe C30-7s from General Electric in To power way freights operating on the Subdivision in Iowa has been resymboled June. At Proviso on July 2 were Santa Fe east-west main line, C&NW has installed the WPY83. This job goes on duty sever 8017, 8046, 8075, 8084, 8129, 8131, 8141 ATC gear in several ex-Rock Island GP7s al days a week at Short Line Yard in Des and 8147. These units were held at Provi over the past few months. Locomotives so Moines and operates up the ex-Min so for mechanical inspection and installa equipped include 4107, 4145, 4160, 4165, neapolis & St. Louis to Perry, where it tion of multi-channel radios, after which 4183, 4197 and 4199. enters the former Milwaukee Road they were released for service system Th anks to Paul L. Sch umann, Bob Chicago-Omaha line to Herndon before wide. Examples of consists with blue-and Baker, Michael M. Bartels, Kenneth J. returning. A five-mile spur from Herndon yellow power include ELPRA arriving Pro Larson, Bruno Berzins, Heath R. to Yale, remnant of a Milwaukee branch, viso from Conrail at Elkhart, Ind., on July Houland, Jim Seacrest and Dave Kroeger.
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PA CIFIC RAILNews • 47 ______L_ __o n_ d__ o_ f_l_o�, o_o� o�L�o� k� e�s ______1� ______OF RAILROADING
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ABOVE: Two ex-Milwaukee Road SD40-2s, 209 and 205, both in the Hiawatha scheme instituted in 1983, roll a Soo freight through West Hoffman, Minn., on April 30, 1987. Mil waukee Road had officially ceased to exist on Jan. 1, 1986. John Gieske RIGHT: A Twin Cities & Western freight rolls through the Chestnut Street area south of downtown St. Paul on December 1991. TC&W took over the ex-Milwaukee Road main line to Ortonville, Minn., in July 1991. John Leopard OPPOSITE PAGE: Early morning light bounces off a DM&IR limestone train bound for the USX taconite plant in Mountain Iron, seen here at Keenan on Oct. 1, 1989. Limestone extras like this one are commonplace on DM&IR's Missabe Division main line. Mark Danneman
48 • SEPTEMBER 1993
L_ a n_d__ o_ f_l_o , o_o_o l_a_k___e s ___ 1�______OF RAILROADING
50 • SEPTEMBER 1993 OPPOSITE TOP: An eastbound drag meets a Council Bluffs-bound empty unit coal train at Heron Lake, Minn., on Chicago & North Western's Mankato line on a steamy Aug. 14, 1988. INTERURBAN PRESS: Carl Swanson OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Ex-Milwaukee Road SD10 549 leads an eastbound Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern freight into the Mississippi River valley at Minnesota City on Jan. 8, 1990. DM&E was Minnesota's first regional, launched in 1986. ABOVE: SD40 5907 leads a north bound Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific freight through Minnesota's muskeg at Central Lakes on July 18, 1991. DW&P ferries bridge traffic between Fort Frances, Ont., and Superior, Wis., for parent CN North America. Both photos, John Leopard
PA CIFIC RAILNews • 51 ______L_ a__ n_ d__ o_ f_l_o_,_o_o_o L_a_k_e_s 1� ______OF RAI LROADING
ABOVE: F9A 42 13 leads a loaded LTV Mining taconite train about to enter Cramer Tunnel west of Taconite Harbor on Oct. 7, 1988. When LT V's predecessor, Erie Mining, built this line in the 1950s, it had to ex cavate, then backfill with rock, its right-of-way due to the muskeg in this area. Robert Gottsch OPPOSITE TOP: Two GP50s lead Sealtle Chicago train 4 through Dayton's Bluff, just south of downtown St. Paul, on June 27, 1992. Dayton's Bluff is the premier train-watching location in the Twin Cities. John Leopard OPPOSITE BOTTOM: SD40-2s 755/773 lead 500 train 43 1 through Dresbach on Oct. 3, 1992. Just south of this point lies River Junction (located along the Mississippi River), meeting point for the main lines to Chicago and Kansas City. Eric Burnham
52 . SEPTEMBER 1993 PA CIFIC RAILNews • 53 BY ED RI PLEY
f there's one railroader who has every right to be up GB&W and FRVR employees are hanging tough. WC has set about the regulatory bonds that still afflict the in submitted its disputes with the unions to arbitration, dustry from the federal statute books, it's Wisconsin but the process grinds on, and on. Central's Ed Burkhardt. Not once, but twice, have cru Some of you are probably cheering the unions on be Icial WC corporate objectives been utterly frustrated by cause you'd like to see GB&W's Alcos soldier on a few federal intervention. more months , but consider the doublestack cars present When Burkhardt and his crew were setting up WC in many GB&W freights, many of them destined from during the summer of 1987, the least of their concerns Green Bay to Chicago, a straight-line distance of less may have been the Interstate Commerce Commission. Af than 200 miles. The GB&W/Burlington Northern clear ter all, the ICC had made it as easy for new operators of ance route used by these shipments measures over 600 existing rail lines to fulfill legal licensing requirements. miles. After assuming control of FRVR, WC wants to con New lines just had to give the ICC seven days advance vert that route to a high-clearance gateway for Green written notice of the takeover-no approval was required. Bay-Chicago stack service. But as long as the deal is tied WC had filed its notice and fully expected to commence up, WC can't move, and Green Bay paper traffic contin business as of the effective date of Sept. 11. ues to make the long trip to East Winona via the GB&W. But the commission stymied the startup. On Sept. 10, Many similar efficiencies have also been delayed, pre the ICC issued an order delaying WC's birth by 45 days, venting WC, and ultimately those of us who use paper, cryptically stating that it needed more time to think from enjoying the savings promised by the combination. about the "unique issues " raised by the transaction. The WC situation presents an excellent case for elim WC's prospective employees were sent home without inating the labor protection law and leaving that issue to pay, and many of the locomotives WC had rounded up the bargaining table. If there were no statutory labor were shipped off to the perennially power-short South protection, WC could have concluded its transaction last ern Pacific to earn a few bucks on lease. year and, as consumers, we'd all be benefiting from its A month later, with no clear explaination, the ICC re improved ability to compete. Similarly, other railroads versed course and allowed WC to begin operations on Oct. could quickly implement cooperative pro)ect<;> t\\a\ ��\.d 11. Scrambling to call back employees, streamline operations, improve service and equipment, the railroad overcame and save money without worrying its troubled start-up to become perhaps about the enormous cost of paying the most successful regional carrier. surplus employees up to six years In 1992, WC had convinced the ICC worth of wages for doingnothing . that its planned acquisition (through a At this point, I can visualize my subsidiary) of Itel-owned Green Bay & Sentenced union readers ripping this page out of Western and Fox River Valley was in the magazine, crumpling it up and the best public interest and should be stuffing it in the garbage . "But l�'l. \�'e approved. Almost a year later, though, of you who haven't, you must admit WC is still waiting to conclude this deal. to that a mandated six-year job guarantee Why? Lawyers know the source of is extravagant compared to what feder WC's frustration as 49 U.S.C. Section al law provides for other workers. The 11347. It's a provision of the Interstate statute applicable to the rest of the em Commerce Act requiring the ICC in all ployee world is the Workers Adjust- railroad cases involving merger, control Six ment and Retraining Notification Act, or trackage rights, "to provide a fair ar which requires employers to give em rangement at least as protective of the ployees 60 days advance notice of plant interest of employees" as those adopt closings and large-scale layoffs. Sixty ed by the federal government when it Ye ars days versus six years-quite a disparity. set up Amtrak and Cornail. This stan- The age when railroads could ab dard is generous-an employee losing his/her job, or end sorb the cost of six years of protection by raising their ing up with a lower-paying one, is protected against loss regulated rates is long gone; the Staggers Act and to of income for up to six years. What's more, a railroad can't day's intense price competition saw to that. And I don't complete an approved transaction unless it either first buy the contention that railroad workers deserve special reaches agreement with the affected employees, or an treatment because of their long and irregular hours, dif agreement is imposed through arbitration. ficult working conditions, layovers away from home, etc. WC avoided the obligation of protecting displaced You can say the same of airline employees, truckers and Soo Line employees in 1987 due to an ICC rule which, in offshore oil rig workers, and they don't get a mandatory effect, ignores the impact of "short line" sales on the six-year cushion in the event of a merger. employees of the selling railroad. The unions represent In any event, I'd make job protection a bargaining is ing the Soo employees, though, thought this was too sue. If rail employees, through their unions, want to ne substantial a transaction for the exemption and applied gotiate for a six-year protective period in case of a merg political pressure, accounting for the ICC's dithering. er, and the railroad agrees, fine. But I don't think it w Five years later, when WC sought to acquire GB&W and makes sense for the federal government to tip the bar FRVR, it was an established railroad and couldn't avoid gaining scales in labor's favor by mandating a six-year the onus of protection. So, WC planned to satisfy the minimum period for protection. protection obligation through an expedited deal with Oh, I know I'm dreaming about this. The Clinton Ad the smaller lines' management. Not so fast, the labor ministration, which considers itself beholden to labor, prodded ICC told WC in January 1993-you have to bar won't touch this issue, and the railroads themselves I gain with the employees, not management. On the non showed little interest in it during the Republican presi union FRVR, this meant negotiating with each employee, a dencies of Reagan and Bush. However, it would sure daunting task. (The employees shortly solved this prob make sense to start newly combined railroads off in life lem, though: they certified unions to represent them.) without being sentenced to six years of labor protection. As a result, WC's transaction is tied in knots. Fearing The status quo preserves inefficiency while stifling in J- perceived job losses, some of the unions representing vestment and innovation. Just ask Ed Burkhardt. PRN
54 • SEPTEMBER 1993 I
PRN CLASSI FIEDS NARROW GAUGE TRANSCONTINENTAL ---RA"ES:------45¢ a word/40¢ a word for ads running Minox, Zeiss, Contura, Detrola 400, Ektra, Kardon, Traces the ee or more months/$10 per issue minimum. Ranger, Zephyr, BOOMU, Cnopm, FAG, Pioner, TCB tb history of the l\yment in advance. We reserve the right to edit BC, Sagem, Alta, Canonhanza, Chiyotax, Honor, famous D&RG .11 copy and refuse any listings. Ads cannot be Ichicon, Leotax, Look, Melcon, Nikon, Nippon, NR Pac c acknowledged. nor can proof copies be sent. III. Peerless, Ricoh I. Sky, Snider, Tanack, Tower, Zeno Closing date: two months before issue date. bia, Zunow, Wheatstone, Star, Polkamaster, Mervar, sionifi fromExten Count all numbers. name and address. Home/of Lachenal, Hengel. Glass, Echo, Arnold, Ball, Benz, Arkansas Valley fice street address and telephone number must Borrenson, Delong, Hamilton, Illinois, Lange, Trask, to Salt Lake and accompany order. Mail to: Classifieds. Interurban Testore, Rubus, Kloz, Hornsteiner, Grancino. Descrip the latter years of Press. P.O. Box 379. Waukesha. WI 53187 tions, condition, prices - Edmund Juszczyk, 242 1 the Marshall Pass West 46th Street, Chicago, IL 60632. 358 Gunnison - TRACK CHARTS & PROFILES. Discover the detail oth Black Canyon er maps miss! Short lines to major roads. 510.00 for FAIRMONT MOTORCARS, for sale or will buy. Com - catalog. Dave Cramer, 21 1 4 Sheridan Drive, Madi plete or parts. G.R. Boots, P,O. Box 182, Paradise, remnant_ by son, WI 53704. 356-358 CA 95967-0 182. (9 16) 876-1 666. 356-358 Gordon Chappell & Cornelius W. Hauck:, SOpp...... __ plU8 P&H $2.00 WE MANUFACTURE railroad conductor caps, brass .,.$9.95 conductor badges, and conductor uniforms (sack coats, trousers, vests) in authentic railroad configu COWBFUL COWRADO rations. Ticket punches and coin changers also PRN AD INDEX in tb.e 1960'8 available. Write for pricing information: Transquip RAILROADS extraor all color collection of CompanY, 91 Bluejay Road, Chalfont, PA 18914 or An dinary ... A telephone 215-822-8092. 353-361 Colorado railroads duringthe 1960'8. A&R Productions . ... " .... ,'...... " " .... ' , .. , .... , .. ,16
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PAC IFIC RAllNews • 55 A PRODUCTION OF THE UNION PACIFIC HISTORICAL SOCIE'l'Y It LAST OF THE m