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 TOLL-FREE ORDERS $9.95 plus $2 shipping/handling. 1-800-899-8722 (Weekdays 9-5, Pacific time) (Outside U.S. 818-240-9130, Weekdays 9-5, Pacific hme) 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. 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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. SEPTEMBER 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.