JANUARY 1994 • ISSUE 362 $3.50 HIGHER IN CANADA IL@�@rnID@Ldiwce;

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If you enjoy railroading, you should read L&RP. PACIFIC RAIL NEWS

The Blizzard of '67 20 How Santa Fe kept its trains moving through snow-bound Arizona Gordon Glattenberg

Beaumont & Beyond 26 Southern Pacific's oft-overlooked gateway to the Sunset Route Elrond G. Lawrence

3 Focus Missouri: BN's River Line 6 From famine to flood between Kansas City and St. Joe Carl Graves

4 Focus Illinois: Ie's Newton Branch 0 A thriving line serving the CIPSCO power plant Brian Carlson

Wi scon sin & Calum et F9 No . 106 lead s a shor t fr eig ht on the BRC at31 st Street in Cic ero, II I. Mike Abalos

PACIFIC RAILNEWS and PACIFIC NEWS are registered trademarks of Interurban Press (a California I DEPARTMENTS I Corporation), a subsidiary of Pentrex, Inc. 4 EXPEDITER 42 CN NORTH AMERICA PUBLISHER: Michael W. Clayton 6 REGIONALS 43 AMTRAK/PASSENGER ILLINOIS CENTRAL EDITOR: Don Gulbrandsen 9 SANTA FE 45 ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Andrew S. Nelson 10 BURLINGTON NORTHERN 46 UNION PACIFIC ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Carl Swanson SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES SHORT LINES EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: Mac Sebree 12 47 IMAGES OF RAILROADING CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Elrond G. Lawrence 14 TRANSIT 48 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Dick Stephenson 16 CP RAIL SYSTEM 54 THE LAST WORD CHICAGO NORTH WESTERN PRN CLASSIFIEDS ART DIRECTOR: Tom Danneman 18 & 55 36 FOCUS MISSOURI 55 PRN ADVERTISING INDEX ADVERTISING MANAGER: Richard Gruber 40 FOCUS ILLINOIS

COVER: Co tton BeltGP40M 7292, leading an ea stbound drag , blasts up the Beaumon t Hill grad e throug h San Timo teo Canyon (b etw een Ordway and EI Ca sco )on a win ter morning in January 1993. Sou thern Pacific' s sp ec ta cu lar ga teway to the Sun set Rou te isof ten ov erlook ed by fa ns flocking to Cajon and Teha c ha pi . Elrond G. Lawrence

PACIFIC RAILNEWS (ISSN 8750-8486) is published monthly by Interurban Press (a corporation), 2652 E. Walnut, Pasadena, CA 91107. Second· class postage paid at Glendale, CA 91209 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: PACIFIC RAILNEws, P.O. Box 94911, Pasadena, CA 91109. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: S30 (U.S.) for 12 issues, S58 for 24 issues. Foreign add $6 for each 12 issues. Single copy S5 postpaid from Pasadena 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 copieslP.O. notifications will be billed. Please allow us aL least four weeks for any address change. ADVERTISING RATES: Contact PACIFICRAILNEWS, 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) 793·3400. Union Pacific 's mechan callyi beleaguered E-uni ts hauled a series of execu ti ve specials across th e Pacif ic No rth west in Octobe r. The 95 1 is shown sou th of Melrose , Mont., on th e 1 1th, headed back to Poca tello af ter a tr ip up the Mon tana Subdivs ion to Silver Bo w, Mont. Armou r yellow tr ains also tr aveled to Eas tpor t, Idaho , and Sea ttle. Repor ts indica te th e Es la ter wen t back to VMV in Paducah, Ky., for mo re work. Kirk Petty

HEAD-ON IN WASHINGTON volved were compressed into the collision. An official ruling STATE: At 12:25 a.ill. on Nov. the space of two units by the on the accident is expected in 11, a 117 -car southbound BN collision. More than 20 rail cars nine to 12 months. freight and and 83-car north­ spilled onto parallel Interstate ALAMEDA CORRIDOR TALKS bound UP NPSEZ collided 5, and 10,000-15,000 gallons of BACK ON: head-on near Longview Junc­ diesel fuel spilled onto the After a two-month tion, Wash., on BN's Seattle­ tracks and along the bank of hiatus, talks resumed between Portland main line. The wreck­ the Columbia River. the ports of Long Beach and • age was ignited by diesel fuel, At the time of the accident, Los Angeles and Southern Pa­ • creating a fireball that took fog limited visibility to three­ cific concerning purchase of the seven hours to contain. All five quarters of a mile. The estimat­ rail portion of the Alameda Cor­ crew members died. ed speed of both trains was be­ ridor Project. Haggling over SP's The eight locomotives in- tween 40-55 mph, less than the $260 million price tag and 60 mph allowed on this double­ whether or not there were "tox­ track, CTC route. A National ic surprises" along the right-of­ Transportation Safety Board in­ way had stopped the talks. Ac­ vestigation team tested two sig­ cording to SP Vice Chairmen nals protecting the crossover Robert Starzel, the price would north of accident site and found stand, although LA Deputy them to be in good working or­ Mayor Michael F. Keeley re­ der, implying the BN crew failed fused to comment on the nego­ to obey both an approach and a tiations, leading one to believe restrictive signal. The UP engi­ that price is still an issue. neer put his train into emergen­ The project could get a big cy a quarter mile from the point boost from a bill introduced in of impact, but there was no evi­ the California state legislature dence of the BN crew taking a that would grant tax-exempt similar action. NTSB officials status to the project, which were compiling 72-hour histo­ could save as many as two ries of the five crewmen killed, percentage points in interest and were investigating the BN rates on bonds sold to finance dispatcher's activities prior to the corridor.

4. JANUARY 19LLI94 SINGLE TRACK OVER THE SIERRA: Southern Pacific has aggressively started convert­ ing the maintenance-intensive Donner Pass line to a single­ track, CTC railroad between Colfax, Calif., and Sparks, Nev.-apparently giving up on trying to lure UP trains onto the route. To date, rail has been pulled between Norden, Calif., and Shed 47 (Track 1, which had been out of service for about a year) and between Emigrant Gap and Shed 10 (Track 2). Reports indicate that Shed 10-Norden will be the next segment single-tracked. The project will result in a one-time savings of $20 mil­ lion, with further savings in operating costs by the elimina­ tion of one track. SP is also considering single-tracking lines between Colfax and Rose­ ABOVE: Six of Ca lifornia North­ ville (if California decides not ern 's "n ew " locomot ives , ex ­ to expand Amtrak Capitol Cor­ C& NW GP 15-1 s (n ote the nose ­ ridor service to Colfax) and mounted be ll ), haul a loaded Sacramento and Martinez. be et train out of Te hama, Ca lif., Ironically, when the line over on Oct. 31 , 1993. SP hands the Donner Pass was double­ Klamath Valley be ets over to tracked in 1925, California's CF NR for a tr ip down the ex-SP population was a mere 5 mil­ West Va lley line to the process­ lion; it now has a population of ing plant at Hamilton Ci ty . Vic 31 million, but the importance Neves RIGHT: Twenty years ago , of the route has declined, as BN had F45s working all over its has the flow of traffic over the system, includ ing three units that ended up on the Wiscons in & line, which has dropped by 50 Southern. BN 's ongoing power percent over the last 10 years. shortage prompted the railroad During the 1980s, SP ran four to procure the WSOR F45s on daily perishables trains on the long-term lease. The 1001 is seen Overland Route-today there on tra in 662 in Vancouver , Wash., are none, as all the traffic has on Oct. 17, 1993. Greg Brown been lost to trucks.

ICC BOWS OUT OF TRACK­ many small carriers from their BIG MACS AT LA GRANGE: Ont., for inspection by BN offi­ AGE RIGHTS DISPUTE: The Class I connections. Central During the weekend of Nov. cials. The units, 9401 and Interstate Commerce Commis­ Kansas Railway decided that 12-13, the first two of 350 BN 9402, are painted in a version sion voted to stand aside in the it would take the pressure off SD70MACs to be delivered of BN's dark green-and-cream long-running dispute between both itself and its customers through 1997 (eight of which executive paint scheme that is St. Louis Southwestern (SP) this fall by purchasing 125 may be on the property by the now worn by F-units BN-1 and and Union Pacific concerning used covered grain hoppers, end of 1993), showed up at BN-2 and E-unit BN-3. Number the amount SP must pay UP for freeing it from an often tenu­ Electro-Motive Division's La 9402 was scheduled to work trackage rights between St. ous Class I car supply. Most of Grange, Ill., facility from west toward Pueblo, Colo., on Louis and Kansas City. The 3-2 the cars will not leave CFR EMD's main plant in London, train 63 on Nov. 16. PRN decision means the dispute property, but will be used to will be settled by a federal dis­ move grain to points along the trict court Nebraska. SP also railway's lines, though some wants a ruling on its complaint may make it over to sister that UP has denied it equal ac­ road Kansas Southwestern. CALL FOR PHOTOS cess to trackage on the St. We want your finest Union Pacific photos Louis-Kansas City route. IDAHO NORTHERN & PACIF­ from the 1990s for an upcoming special pub­ lication. We especially need photos from ex­ IC STARTS UP: This newest MoPac territory, and of branchline opera­ NO LONGER AT THE MERCY Union Pacific spin-off started tions. Limit your contributions to 20 color OF CLASS Is: Short lines are operations on 294 miles of transparencies or B&W prints, and please in­ perpetually at the mercy of branches in western Idaho and clude postage to speed return of your pho­ Class Is in terms of car supply. eastern Oregon on Nov. 14. tos. Deadline is Feb. 15, 1994. For this pro­ SPECIAL The situation with the grain IN&P is a subsidiary of Rio ject only, please direct your contribution to: PUBLICATION hopper shortage has been par­ Grande Pacific Railroad. The ticularly vexing for Midwest­ new railroad's headquarters UP Special Publication From the Publishers of ern shortline grain haulers will be in Emmett, Idaho, and c/o Wayne Monger this harvest season, a situa­ IN&P will maintain another of­ 1409 Tillman Street PACIFIC RAIl:. tion aggravated by this sum­ fice in La Grande, Ore. No Suisun City, CA 94585 NEWS mer's flooding, which cut off word yet on motive power.

PA CIFIC RAI LN ews • 5 REG/ONALS

From the Green Bay area, WC is now using the ex-Milwaukee Road Oakland Street Yard for its TOFC/COFC and stack traffic with all other traffic now going to the ex-FRV North Green Bay Yard. The ex­ Green Bay & Western Norwood Yard is to­ tally closed, with the yard office and shop windows boarded up. All GB&W's Alcos are stored indoors either at Norwood or North Green Bay, although a few have been reactivated for local service; C-420 No. 323 was seen working at Oakland Street Yard in late October.

Gateway Bridge Opens

Gateway Western's bridge at Louisiana, Mo., was placed back in service on Oct. 11 following repairs necessitated after a barge on the Mississippi struck it in ear­ ly September. This enables GWWR to run on its own trackage as far west as Mexi­ co, Mo., and then over the Norfolk South­ ern via Moberly to La Plata, Mo., then the Santa Fe west to Kansas City. GWWR Damaged br idges over the Mississipp i and Missouri rivers forced Gateway Western through­ still uses both Burlington Northern and trains off the ir own railroad for months, necessitating detours over parallel AT&SF, BN, NS and UP Union Pacific for an occasional detour. routes. A GWWR detour is shown on the BN at Northview, Mo., in October 1993. Joseph Brice Work is expected to begin soon on the Missouri River bridge at Glasgow, Mo., winners in the railroad field were Class Is. which was nearly destroyed by the ram­ Wisconsin Central Quality In motive power news, SD45s 6500, paging Missouri this summer. The super­ 6501, and 6502 will be given computer structure will remain mostly intact, with For the fifth year in a row, Wisconsin Cen­ packages that are currently found in the deck, supporting piers and fill re­ tral was named a "Quality Carrier" in DIS­ SD60Ms, with the units still rated at 3,200 placed. If all goes according to plan, the TRIBUTION MAGAZINE'S 10th annual "Quest h.p. All of the former Santa Fe SD45s should bridge should be opened by February for Quality" program. Only 67 companies be repainted by the end of 1993; only nine 1994. GWWR GP38 2036, which was the receive this award each year, including were still in blue and yellow by the end of only unit to wear Chicago, Missouri & such giants as United Parcel Service and October. Former Fox River Valley units are Western colors, was released from VMV in Federal Express. WC was the only region­ all assigned now to North Fond du Lac, late October after rebuilding, now wearing al railroad to win this award; all the other Wis., and have been stenciled "WC." the standard GWWR scheme.

5�P�- Chiefs of/he Sail/a Fe Up Clear Creek on the Narrow Gauge­ Modeling the 5�P�- Colorado & Southern SP Steam Narrow Gauge to Switchers No Man's Land $37.25 A hardbound collection of 54 $17.95 $38.95 articles from the NARROW This 112-page softcover The story of the u.S. GAUGE AND SHORTLINE book consists of photos Army's 60 cm gauge GAZETTE, including an hmo­ with corresponding data railways in World duction, Layout Plan, Layout from the 1930s to the end War I. Over 200 pages Photo Album, and Index. This of the steam era, provid­ with 214 photos. Also book is the stOll' of the author's ing a visual review of the maps, scale drawings, HOn3 model railroad based "The Super Chler' 0-6-0's, 0-8-0's and shop anecdotes, locomotive on the Clear Creek District of "Santa Fe Steam at Cajon Pass" switchers of the southern rosters, bibliography, the 3-foot gauge Colorado & "Four Seasons at Raton Pass" "Chiefs of the Santa Fe" Pacific's Pacific Lines. and index. Southern Railroad. IEdelstein Hill, Raton Pass & Cajon! I Creal '50's and'60's acDonfeaturing " Warbonnet" cab CA residents add 8Y..% sales tax. Add $1.60 (U.S.A.) or $3.20 (foreign) shipping per book.(Foreign checks units andcowls, freight cabs and geeps, pLus-STEAM! - - ColorlB&W - Sound - Narra�oD must be payable through U.S. banks in U.S. dollars.) VHS 35 Minutes A&R Productions Order from: BENCHMARK PUBLICATIONS, LTD. BOI .. lngton, $34.95 PO 492 Ke CT 06037 Plu. S3.50 for UPS P.O. BOX 26 • LOS ALTOS, CA 94023 Orders 800-246-5898 M1C&VlSA

6 • JANUARY 1994 Kyle Locomotive Roster Current as of October 1993 PACIFIC RAILNEWS·

Kyle No. Former Owner Original Owner Model Date Built/Rebuilt

1101 SDAE 1126 SP 1126 SW8 1952 NEWS STAFF 1102 SDAE 1125 SP 1125 SW8 1952 News/information submissions: If you would like to SP 1121 SW8 1952 1103 SDAE 1121 share items on any of the topics listed below, please 1111* SDAE 1111 SP 1111 SW8 1952 contact the appropriate columnist at the address list­ 1756* SP 3374 GP9 1956 ed. NOTE: Do not send photos to the columnists, 1757* SP 3406 GP9 1956 and we ask that you please not ask the columnists to send you photos or information. 1826 IC 9431 GP28 1964 1827 IC 9432 GP28 1964 RAILROAD COlUMNISTS 1828 IC 9437 GP28 1964 KOG 701 GP28 1964 1829 MP 2001 AMTRAK/PASSENGER-Dick Stephenson 2036* SP 4109 SP 7230 GP20E 1962 444 Piedmont Ave. #128, Glendole, CA 91206 2037 SP 4111 SP 7201 GP20E 1962 AT&SF-Elson Rush 2040* SSW 4147 GP20E 1961 P.O. Box 379, Waukesha, WI 53187 2041 SP 4122 SP 7218 GP20E 1962 BURLINGTON NORTHERN-Karl Rasmussen 2042 SSW 4139 SSW 809 GP20E 1961 11449 Goldenrod St. NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448 2500 UP 783 WP 3002 GP35 Rebuilt MK 1980 CN NORTH AMERICA-Mike Cleary 2501 UP 787 WP 3006 GP35 Rebuilt MK 1980 1395 W. Jessamine #206, St. Paul. MN 55108 2502 UP 794 WP 3015 GP35 Rebuilt MK 1980 C&NW-Michael W. Blaszak 5321 BN 5321 U30C 1972 211 South Leitch Ave .. La Grange, IL 60525 COMMUTER-Dick Stephenson 5322 BN 5322 U30C 1972 444 Piedmont Ave. #128, Glendole, CA 91206 5331 BN 5331 U30C 1972 CP RAIL SYSTEM-Karl Rasmussen 1972 5332 BN 5332 U30C 11449 Goldenrod St. NW, Coon Ropids, MN 55448 5808 BN 5808 U30C 1973 ILLINOIS CENTRAL-Greg Sieren 5810 BN 5810 U30C 1973 1713 Elder Street No. 101. Waukesha, WI 53188 5819 BN 5819 U30C 1973 KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN-Michael Hasbargen 5820 BN 5820 U30C 1973 1208 Volley View Drive. Monett. MO 65708 5821 BN 5821 U30C 1973 MEXICQ-Clifford R. Prather 5918 BN 5918 U30C 1973 P.O. Box 925, Sonta Ana, CA 92702 5925 BN 5925 U30C 1973 REGIONALS-Dave Kroeger 5928 BN 5928 U30C 1973 525 6th Ave .. Marion, IA 52302 SHORT LINES WEST-Wayne Monger 5794 BN 5794 SLSF 858 U30B 1974 1409Tillman St.. Su�un City, CA 94585 5795 BN 5795 SLSF 859 U30B 1975 SHORT LINES EAST-Bob Thompson 5796 BN 5796 SLSF 860 U30B 1975 Route 6, Box 207, Paris, TX 75462 5799 BN 5799 SLSF 862 U30B 1975 SP/SSW-Joseph A. Strapac P.O. Box 1539, Bellflower, CA 90707 *Denotes units stored non-servicable at either Phillipsburg or Stuggart,Kan. SP (D&RGW)-Richard C. Farewell 9729 w. 76th Ave .. ANada, CO 80005 Kyle is also using Eastern Alabama Railway GP7 1550 (painted in new Kyle TRANSIT-Mac Sebree colors),Conrail GP30s 2200,2202,2210 and 2238,and Helm GP38s 2038 and 11111 NW 19th Ave .. Vancouver, WA 98685 2045. Kyle 1829 is painted in the new Kyle scheme. UNION PACIFIC-Wayne Monger -Thanks to Fred K. Meyfarth 1409Tillmon St.. Suisun City. CA 94585

SUBMISSIONS: Articles, news items and photographs are welcome and should be sent to our Wisconsin editori­ IAIS News M&NA Shorts al office. When submitting material for consideration, in­ clude return envelope and postage if you wish it returned. PACIFIC RAILNEwS does not assume responsibility for the GP10 405 has had a new generator in­ Missouri & Northern Arkansas leased two safe return of material. Payment is made upon publication. stalled at Iowa Interstate's Council Bluffs of its units to the Branson Scenic Railway, EDITORIAL ADDRESS: Submit all photos, article sub· shops, and should be back in service now. which serves the booming country & missions and editorial correspondence to: GP9 325 is currently getting a new prime western entainment center in Branson, PACIFIC RAu.NEWS P.O. Box 379, Waukesha, WI 53187 mover, and will emerge from the "Bluffs" Mo.: GP35 6527 and GP20 483. As for (414) 542-4900 with new paint and ditch lights. As part of Glenn Monhart's former Wisconsin & FAX: (414) 542-7595 CompuServe: 76307.1175 an ongoing program, units returned to ser­ Calumet F-units, the Federal Railway Ad­ America Online: Pentrex vice from bad order status will receive ministration reportedly found 96 defects ditch lights and automatic fueling equip­ during a recent inspection, and these Submissions sent via UPS, Federal Express or similar courier must go to the following street address: ment. IAIS units 495 and 600 are being units were waiting to be repainted and re­ PACIFIC RAn.NEWS held in captive service between Iowa City paired so that the BSR can use them. 923 Friedman Drive, Waukesha, WI 53186 and Blue Island due to the fact that Metra M&NA has picked up more units for BUSINESS ADDRESS:Address all correspondence reo changed radio frequencies in the Chicago freight service, ex-Kansas City Southern garding subscription and business matters to: area, and these are the only IAIS units GP7 slug 4164 and Carolina Piedmont Pentrex P.O. Box 94911, Pasadena. CA 91109 equipped with 99-channel radios. GP9 No. 20, once a New Haven unit. The (818) 793-3400 IAIS has made some capital improve­ latter unit will go to Springfield to re­ FAX: (818) 793-3797 ments this fall in Iowa. Walcott siding in place Santa Fe SSB-1200, which is sup­ Magazine Subscription Service: For all subscription east central Iowa, a popular spot for posed to go to South Dakota to another problems and inquiries call (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Pacific time): scheduling meets, was lengthened from RailTex operation. (800) 899-8722 or outside the U.S. (818) 793-3400 6,000 to 10,000 feet. Other sidings at Col­ Thanks to Wisconsin Central, fax, Booneville, and Atlantic have been up­ CHICAGOLAND RAILROADS, Scott Muskopf, © 1994 Interurban Press, a subsidiary of Pentrex, Inc. rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part graded and rebui lt, and new ties have been Michael Ud eJhoven, Sonny Sellers, Allan All in without permission is prohibited. installed between Newton and Brooklyn. Hunt, Bob Plough and Leroy Brandenburg.

PA CIFIC RA ILNews • 7 It's Back--and it's I Better Than Ever •

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• Special sections on WP, NP and MKT

• Railroading at night

RAILSWEST keeps getting better and better. This year's edition not only contains what you've come to expect from RAILS WEST­ outstanding photography covering today's Class I, regional and shortline railroads­ but we've also added chapters recollecting fallen flags Western Pacific, Northern Pacific and Missouri-Kansas-Texas, as well as a special section on night photography. All in 64 color-packed pages and all for only $9.95. Be sure to reserve your copy of RAILS WEST 1993 today. Ready in November. #RW093.

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Machovec Wreck

Santa Fe's Boise City Subdivision stretches 235 miles from East Tower, Amarillo, Texas (the tower is gone), to Las Animas Junc­ tion, Colo. Machovec (MACK-o-veck), Texas, milepost 58.3 west from Amarillo, is the junction with the Machovec Industrial Spur, a 5.7-mile track built in the early 1980s to reach shippers stranded by the demise of the Rock Island. Because there are no long sidings between Julliard (mile­ post 8.2) and Kerrick (milepost 100.1), the spur is used for meeting trains. On the foggy morning of Oct. 17, two Mill, Texas, coal trains, one loaded and one empty, were approaching Machovec from opposite directions. The empty train, C­ MLDV2-14, reached Machovec first and pulled past the switch on the main. The conductor lined the switch for the spur and climbed on the last car of the cabooseless train-as required by the rules-as the en­ gineer backed the train onto the siding. Santa Fe records indicate the crew of the empty train released its main track C4 0- 8W 856 leads Santa Fe Q- BA HO (Barstow-Houston quality )on the Lampasas Subdivision warrant at 8:40 a.m. According to union west of Br ownwood , Texas , on July 25 , 1993. In Br ownwood , the crew will stop to set out a sources, as the conductor was walking the string of empty trai ler flats be fore continuing eastward to Temple , Texas. Wes Carr mile or so from the rear of the train to the locomotives, the engineer climbed offthe suffered a broken neck; the engineer of Rob Krebs termed the flood's impact "dis­ engine and headed toward the switch to that train also was injured. The loads appointing," but pointed out that the flood line it for the main. At that moment the dis­ were led by BN SD40-2 8074, but most of "was beyond our control, and I think it patcher got on the radio and asked the the damage was sustained by the second will be understood" why the company crew to release its track warrant to allow unit on that train, UP SD40-2 3840, which didn't make more money. Krebs took ad­ the southbound loads to proceed. The engi­ ended up on its side, burning. The 3840, vantage of the dismal results by accepting neer climbed back on the locomotive, re­ due to its heavy damage, was later writ­ some one-time accounting hits that result­ leased the warrant, copied a new one, then ten off as destroyed. Oakway SD60s 9001 ed in a net loss of $2.8 million for the quar­ got off and walked back toward the switch. and 9067, the third and fourth units in this ter after special items. He never made it. The dispatcher gave consist, suffered less extensive damage. After the earnings release, Krebs trav­ the loaded train, C-DVMLl-16, a track war­ The investigation into this costly wreck eled the country beating the tom-toms rant past Machovec at 8:43 a.m. Apparent­ should yield some interesting testimony. about Santa Fe's future prospects. After ly short on time, the eastbound crew had telling the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES that "we've their train at or near the 49 mph maximum got our act together ... I've never felt bet­ as they barreled toward Machovec. Imag­ Flood's Impact on Earnings ter about the future," he journeyed to ine their surprise when, at 8:47, the points New York to inform securities analysts of the switch emerged from the gloom and Reporting third quarter earnings of $23.5 that "the railroad is full" during the annu­ diverted them onto the Machovec Spur and million on Oct. 22, Santa Fe Pacific Corp. al October traffic peak, giving Santa Fe an head-on into the waiting empty train. commented that the company would have opportunity to raise rates and thus profits. The collision derailed all eight locomo­ made another $32 million if it weren't for "With the effect of the flood behind us," tives assigned to the two trains, and 15 increased expenses and lost revenue re­ Krebs continued, "I expect Santa Fe's op­ cars. The conductor on the loaded train sulting from the summer floods. Chairman erating income to recover in the fourth

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PA CIFIC RAILNews • 9 quarter" and perhaps rise to $100 million. of Dallas during October. Steven' post 27 between Hodge and East Oro s, a refrig­ To drive his message home, Krebs sched­ erated carrier, will load its reefer trailers Grande, effective Oct. 5. Thus, trains on uled a business car special for the analysts on four Santa Fe routes: California (pre­ this subdivision now communicate on between L.A. and Phoenix Nov. 18-21. sumably both northern and southern)­ 160.590 MHz between Barstow and Chicago, California-Texas, California­ Lenwood (milepost 6.7), 160.650 MHz be­ Southeast and Chicago-Texas. Origin tween Lenwood and milepost 27, and Fifty New locomotives in 1994 points served will include California's Im­ 161.190 MHz between milepost 27 and perial Valley, with trailers full of citrus and Lambert. Santa Fe also shut down its With the fall traffic crunch straining the lo­ other products trucked to and from San transmitters at San Bernardino, Kaiser comotive fleet, Santa Fe included an order Bernardino, Calif., for rail shipment. Santa and Azusa, which covered the Pasadena for 50 new locomotives in the 1994 capital Fe also carries refrigerated trailers from Sub on 160.560 MHz. Santa Fe no longer budget. GE was the successful bidder, and KLLM Transport, Marten Transport and uses that frequency in California. it plans to construct 50 C44-9Ws for AT&SF Freymiller Trucking. During the October traffic crunch, from February through April 1994. The new The Birmingham, Ala., haulage route crews were in such short supply in South­ units, Santa Fe's first Dash 9s, will wear picked up a 79-car pipe movement to Ti­ ern California that the company notified red-and-silver paint. They will occupy a juana during September and October. San­ Needles-based crews it reserved the right new number series, but the company hasn't ta Fe handled the cars, loaded by Cast to deadhead them to Barstow for runs to decided which one, perhaps the 700s. Iron Pipe Co. in Birmingham, to the San Los Angeles, if needed. GE shipped the last two C40-8Ws from Diego Quality Distribution Center (modern On Oct. 15 Santa Fe opened its second the add-on 1993 order for 25 on Oct. 30. name for team track facility), from which it main track on the San Bernardino Subdivi­ (GE calls these C41-8Ws, though AT&SF is was trucked across the Mexican border for sion from May to Corona, a distance of sticking with C40-8W, and that is what installation of an underground drainage about three miles. the builder's plate reads.) The 950 and 951 system for the La Presa reservoir. were spotted at Corwith on Nov. 5. Due to Santa Fe began sporadic operation of Santa Fe's desperate need for more power, Memphis-Los Angeles train P-MELA in Asset Disposition Program these GEs were set up upon delivery to early November, in addition to UPS trains Corwith, rather than run through the GE 698 and 896. The P-MELA was spotted ar­ The 28-mile Borger Subdivision, between unit maintenance shop at Argentine, Kan. riving at Waynoka, Okla., with two TOFC Panhandle and Borger, Texas, has been The 1994 capital budget covers $500 cars. Another new pair of trains, Q-WLOK sold to Omnitrax, formerly Broe, which million in improvements, including the in­ and Q-OKWL, serve as connections to the took over operation of Santa Fe's Kansas stallation of 250 miles of new and second­ 893 and 991 trains between Wellington, branches as the Central Kansas Railway hand welded rail, 1.2 million ties and 2,400 Kan., and Oklahoma City. Carrying inter­ in 1992. The new Panhandle Northern miles of surfacing. Santa Fe will install modal traffic, auto racks and general Railroad started operations on Nov. 15. concrete ties on the south main of the Ca­ freight, these trains replace Oklahoma The line serves a Phillips Petroleum re­ jon Sub between Summit and Keenbrook, City-Wellington 476 and 674. finery and two carbon black plants. Calif. Second main track will be built be­ Crews of Santa Fe's daily train were usu­ tween Evanola and Largo, N.M., on the ally covered with carbon black powder Clovis Sub, and between Wellington and Southern California Radio Changes by the end of the run. Roland, Kan., on the Emporia Sub. CTC Pat Broe of Omnitrax has purchased will be extended from East Needles to The closing of the San Bernardino dis­ Santa Fe's interest in Denver Union Ter­ West Needles, Calif., and between patching center resulted in some radio minal Railway, which owns Denver Union Wellington (SK Junction) and Cicero, Kan. frequency changes on the former West­ Station. The station is currently undergo­ ern Region. The 160.650 MHz transmitter ing a $7 million renovation, with many at Victorville, Calif., was removed from hidden architectural details being re­ Freight Traffic Notes service, and as a result the transition stored to view. point from 160.650 MHz to 161.190 MHz Thanks to Jayhawk, Starpacer, O.R. Santa Fe announced a new intermodal on the Cajon Subdivision was moved Bixler, SAN BERNARDINO SAFETY TRACKER partnership with Stevens Transport, Inc. east from Lugo (milepost 50.1) to mile- and IRON HORSE NEWS.

BURLINGTON RTHERN

ity trains often held 24 to 36 hours waiting pacity on critical main lines. Rapidly ex­ When Demand Exceeds Supply for power. At major terminals such as panding markets in the Pacific Rim make Northtown in the Twin Cities, yard track­ Seattle, Tacoma, Wash., and Portland, Ore., Afterstruggling through two quarters beset age is often plugged with half a dozen key intermodal transfer points. Recent re­ with flood-related problems, BN manage­ trains lacking power. This ongoing night­ ports indicate that the annual tonnage ment was anxiously looking forward to a mare backs up classification tracks, receiv­ moved through the port at Portland will profitable fourth quarter. Apparently, strate­ ing tracks and eventually the main lines double by 2010. For the first eight months gic planning fell a bit short of the mark as where inbound trains await yard space. of 1993, loadings have increased 18 per­ the demand for transportation services has One temporary solution has been to cent from 1992 levels. Further aggravating greatly exceeded the equipment supply and leave trains standing on the main line to the situation is the inevitable restriction on physical plant capacity over the past six be later retrieved by a yard crew. In anoth­ barge traffic traversing the lower Columbia weeks. Prior to Oct. 1, interrnodal traffic er local innovation, dispatchers in the Pa­ River. Trackside observers should watch was growing at an annual rate of 7.2 per­ cific Northwest now control power assign­ the Spokane, Wash.-Sandpoint, Idaho, cent, stretching the supply of cars, as well ments for regional 600-series manifest "gauntlet" as well as the potential expan­ as vans and containers. With the double­ trains. A long-term solution will take place sion of capacity between Spokane and barreled impact of a national fuel tax in­ in 1994 as BN hopes to add another 1,000 Portland/Seattle in the coming year or two. crease, as well as higher cost for cleaner wellcars to its intermodal fleet. burning diesel fuel, the rail industry became Is this phenomenon only a temporary inundated with customers. "glitch" or a precursor of a more serious Profit Turns to loss And the impact of these changes on problem? Industry experts have indicated BN? A tight motive power situation has that the major obstacles to growth are out­ For the third quarter of 1993, BN net earn­ become a daily occurrence, with non-prior- moded terminal facilities and a lack of ca- ings dropped to $24 million, compared to

10. JANUARY 1994 $61 million recorded during the same peri­ od in 1992. BN stated that earnings were reduced $78 million because of flood re­ pairs as well as a one-time accounting charge. BN has also set aside a contingen­ cy account of $3 million to address claims related to 1992's Nemadji River derailment near Superior, Wis. On Oct. 3, the Brotherhood of Mainte­ nance of Way workers struck 1,000 miles of BN trackage between Galveston, Texas, and Pueblo, Colo., objecting to alleged un­ derpayment of per diem expenses. About 800 maintenance workers walked off the job, but returned to work the next day af­ ter a federal judge issued a temporary re­ straining order. The unexpected closure of National Steel's Keewatin, Minn., taconite plant in October will have a significant impact on BN operations. Shipments from this plant went to the Allouez Dock in Superior for loading onto Great Lakes vessels and via an all-rail routing to Granite City, Ill. The principal source of taconite for the Granite City mill has shifted to USX's Minntac plant at Mountain Iron, Minn., with BN and Oakway units regular visitors to Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range north of Duluth. Just about any power BN runs has shown up on road freights lately due to a locomotive short­ A postlude on the Great Flood of 1993: age. Intermodal train 65 departs Omaha on Sept. 4 with two GP9 Bs in the lash-up ; the cabless The former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy units are normally used in hump and transfer service in the Twin Cities. George R. Cockle between Keokuk, Iowa and West Quincy, Mo., was the last damaged main line to re­ open; trains returned to the line on Nov. 1. placing Sea-Land contract train NO. 7. for high-priority intermodal traffic in the The Crystal City-Cape Girardeau, Mo., cor­ On the manifest ledger, BN has added near future ...Garbage trains 93 and 94 ridor was reopened in late September, symbol 194 between Laurel, Mont., and Ft. are now making a pickup at Black River while the West Alton, Ill.-Mark, Mo., route Worth, Texas, operating on a daily basis. Junction, Wash., bound for the Roosevelt, began handling traffic on Oct. 24. This Montana Rail Link connection train Wash., disposal point ... BN is being con­ will reduce the stress on sister trains 196 sidered as a potential partner in the ex­ and 262 ...BN has completely recon­ pansion of RoadRailer service west from More Scheduling Changes structed its service between Minneapolis Chicago to the Twin Cities. and Memphis. Symbols 310 and 311 re­ With this fall's rapid growth in intermodal place former trains 144/143, while symbols traffic, BN has restructured its fleet of 312 and 313 will integrate the service for­ Operations: Dalhart a Crew Base? long-haul priority trains. Train 11 is now merly provided by trains 242/248 and daily, running in tandem with No. 3, de­ 2411247 ...Business is growing on the Due to congestion at the SP "Cotton Rock" scendent of the legendary PacificZip . new Santa Fe "Avard Connection" trains, crossing at Dalhart, Texas, BN is consider­ Loadings handled by No. 11, once desig­ with Avard, Okla.-Birmingham, Ala., train ing moving its crew change on the former nated an overflow train, have exploded 72 operating Wednesday-Sunday, while Fort Worth & Denver from Texline to Dal­ this fall; for example, on Oct. 23 No. 11 westbound counterpart 73 operates daily hart, getting some benefit from the fre­ rolled through Rochelle, Ill., with two except Monday. This primarily intermodal quent stops at the crossing. LMXs handling 45 cars, while train 3 fol­ service is powered by Santa Fe locomo­ Two coal trains collided in the fog at Ma­ lowed with just 33 cars. On heavy week­ tives, such as No. 73 at Springfield, Mo., chovec, Texas, on Oct. 17. Thirteen cars and end days, No. 13 is scheduled between on Oct. 8, with SD40-2s 5143/5133/5071 six locomotives derailed, with three of the Chicago and the West Coast. Train 5 is al­ leading 43 loads and one empty. Santa Fe units involved in a subsequent fire. SD40-2s so provided on Fridays out of Chicago, re- will be adding a second eastbound train 6790 and 8074 were destroyed by fire, while

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PA CIFI C RAI LN ews • 11 Oakway SD60 9067 was heavily damaged. with Morrison Knudsen for 75 more re­ taking anything but a direct route west, Oakway SD60 9001 and C30-7s 5093 and builds. The current group of 9023-9047 re­ zigzagging around the BN system on a va­ 5107 were also damaged to a lesser extent. builds continues to arrive, with the 9045 riety of trains. Indicative of the power shortage de­ spotted in early November with "Morrison EMD SD70M demonstrators 7000-7002 scribed earlier, when No. 34 departed Min­ Knudsen" spelled out on its flanks. Sister worked coal trains between Pueblo, Colo., neapolis on Oct. 23, its sole power was 9040 led BN B30-7 AB 4009 and MRL SD40 and Guernsey, Wyo., in early October ... GATX SD38-2 1242. Operations were more 206 on No. 34 into Minneapolis on Oct. 31. BN's 100 SD60Ms have accumulated an av­ bizarre on Halloween, as No. 883 departed MPI 9038/9041 teamed up with Santa Fe erage of 500,000 miles each, with a mean Northtown with a massive 1 66-car consist, SD45r 5385 and BN SW1500 44 on No. 152 time of 92 days between failures ...E9s powered by GATX SD38-2s 124111240, at Teague, Texas, on Sept. 30. Nos. 3 and 9920 remain stored out of ser­ spliced by SW1200s 199/171. BN's locomotive shortage is leading to vice at West Burlington, Iowa ...The fleet The first generation units continue to all kinds of wheeling and dealing to get of ex-MPIUP SD40s overhauled and painted plod across the Upper Midwest, with the more power on line. Reportedly, BN is ac­ by new owner PNC continu es to grow, with power team of GP28M 1539, SD9s 61081 cepting horsepower hours from Santa Fe units 3011, 3026 and 3107 spotted during 6134/6 118/6 120 and GP9B 602 noted at in lieu of cash for detour charges racked October. The 3026 teamed with Cornail Northtown on Oct. 23, while three days lat­ up during the floods. Consequently, GP40 3271 and BN GP40M 3508 on No. 14 er No. 208 arrived at Minneapolis with AT&SF warbonnets have been working in out of Minneapolis on Oct. 3 1 ...D ue to GP28M 1537 leading SD9 6 1 14, GP9B 600, unlikely places, including across Montana. continued wildcat strikes at coal mines in SD9 6237, SD40-2 6700 and GP10 1400. Another story indicates that BN offered the East, BN was able to borrow several California Northern free passage between CSX SD40s/SD40-2s in mid-October. Chicago and the West Coast for the ex­ Th anks to Mike Blaszak, John Brem, BN Considers MK for More Power DM&IR SD9s it recently leased. The catch: Mike Cl eary, Rich Farewell, P.J. Gratz, BN wanted to use the units under power Erik Harmon, Morris Hobson, Glenn Lee, Because of its continuing motive power to haul trains while en route. CFNR ac­ Mike Murray, NORTHWEST RAILFAN, Tom shortage, BN is rumored to be negotiating cepted, but at last report the units were Robinson and TRAFFIC WORLD.

SOUTHERN PA Fie LINES

to continue to make sizable asset sales ver for transfer to BN and return to MRL. Moyers Gets SP Back to Basics and how quickly the railroad can signifi­ Three CSXT SD40s working on SP in mid­ cantly improve its operating ratio, and August were replaced by CSXT C40-8Ws Southern Pacific's new president and chief its ability to absorb unusual items such 7843-7845 for evaluation of the model by SP. executive officer, Ed Moyers, recently de­ as the Midwestern flooding. " The switch was arranged by General Elec­ fined some of his plans for a turnaround. Herny Chidgey is SP's new chief me­ tric as a demonstration of the C40-8Ws per­ Moyers noted that these and other changes chanical officer. He has ordered a review formance under varied conditions. The trio are of a "back-to-basics " nature. Included is of all locomotives that are stored pending was put to work on Colorado coal trains be­ a workforce reduction from the present final disposition. SP's overall operation ginning in late August. 19,200 down to 18,000 by 1995. His other and route network is also being evaluated. There are additional happenings with targets include immediately improving cus­ There are three main areas of study under respect to GE motive power. SP's ex­ tomer service and improving the reliability way. The first includes the possibility of D&RGW Burnham Shops, once a pure-EMD of SP's locomotive fleet. Moyers expects to leasing out the Roseville, Calif.-Portland, bastion, has recently been overhauling plow some of the resulting savings from Ore., main line. Likely candidates for the SP's GE power. Included in the list of Burn­ these changes back into the railroad to the lease include Montana Rail Link and ham rebuilds are at least eight 7800-class tune of $80-90 million per year. Regarding Genessee & Wyoming. B30-7s. Also in the rebuild group was SP locomotive reliability, Moyers expects to re­ The second study involves the possibili­ B30-7 7878, which had been recently listed build, or contract the rebuilding of, 349 loco­ ty of exchanging trackage or haulage rights as retired due to electrical damage. motives this year, up from 191 last year. over Donner Pass with Union Pacific for the The ranks of D&RGW switchers recent­ Moyers' plans sound great on paper. opportunity to gain access to UP trackage ly decreased by in late October when However, Moody's Investors Service, a between El Paso (Sierra Blanca) and Ft. SW1200 No. 131 was involved in a head­ debt-rating agency, placed all of SP's Worth, Texas. The third study involves ac­ on collision with an empty BN coal train in debt under review for possible down­ quiring trackage or haulage rights over the Denver. Because of its age, the locomotive grading. Moody's cited " ...the uncer­ Burlington Northern between Denver and will probably be retired. tainty concerning the company's ability Chicago, which has had a favorable re­ Freshly painted SP GP40-2 7264 (nee sponse from BN. One item not likely to be SSW 7264) was noted at Denver's North resolved is that BN does not wish to grant Yard on Oct. 21 sporting a "speed-style" SP optional trackage rights to Kansas City. block SP herald on its nose. B30-7 7804 The Original Slideseller Another item from the BN study yet unre­ has also received the same treatment. solved is BN's related request for trackage MP15AC 2747 has turned up in Kansas Original slides sold on approval from rights between Kansas City and El Paso. City in speed lettering, apparently the first the late 1950s to the presen t. The corporate expectation that all of SP switcher to receive this treatment. Reasonable, quantity discounts, good SP's system maintenance-of-way repairs Denver-area Belt Line motive power selection. State your requests, will be centralized in Denver is one step had defaulted to SP GP9Es 3792 and 3835 during late September, but during October see before you buy! closer to reality. Ground was broken in Oc­ tober in nearby Adams County on the site the local job reverted to its traditional duo of D&RGW GP30s 3016 and 3018. Other The Limited Cost Auction. of former Denver & Salt Lake Railway's Utah Junction shops for construction of D&RGW GP30s are at work in interesting W' 1te For Details. SP's new systemwide repair facility. places. One was noted in mid-October as the second unit in Norfolk Southern's train Dan Pope W05 headed for Bellevue, Ohio. 5703 Shady Hill Lane. Arlington, TX 76016 Revolving Door for locomotives Three SD35Es, long used as trim and transfer locomotives at West Colton and The Original Slideseller late October, SP gathered its group Los Angeles, were renumbered in Septem­ buys colledions! Through of leased Montana Rail Link SD40-2s at Den- ber from 3102, 3103 and 3105 to 2957-

12 • JANUARY 1994 The KCGJQ (K ansas Ci ty-Grand Junction quality ) heads up the Tennessee Pass line at Leadville, Co lo., on Sept. 22, 1993. New SP President Ed Moyers recently questioned the need for this line in public comments, proving that the route's future is very uncertain. John Leopard

2959, clearing SP's 10w-3100-series block (Energy Mine-Conrail coal) and CVCRC and eliminating a minor conflict between (Converse-Conrail cOal). Energy Mine is lo­ Life in Alpine SP and Rio Grande rosters. This change cated on the Craig Branch; the Converse puts the SDs almost in sequence with load-out, however, is located on the North A correction needs to be mentioned about 2961-2970, the Texas SD35Es used primari­ Fork Branch. our comments on the Valentine Subdivision, ly as hump power at Englewood Yard in There are also three SP unit coal cycles which we stated was "serious desert, de­ Houston. Incidently, this is the fifth set of operating east to Springfield, Mo. Included void of services." Contrary to that observa­ numbers these units have carried since de­ are ARSFC (Arco-Springfield coal), CPSFC tion, Alpine, Texas, is a college town with livered from EMD in 1965. First they were (Co-op-Springfield coal) and EYSFC (Ener­ plenty of motels, gas, food, camping and an 4800s, then 6900s, in 1974 were upgraded gy Mine-Springfield cOal). The Arco load­ Amtrak crew change point. Marathon, to 6950s, and then became 3100s in 1980. out is located on the North Fork Branch, Texas, is a county seat and Marfa, Texas, is and the Co-op load-out is located in east­ also well-developed. Still, we suggest that ern Utah near Price and Helper. One very visitors take care, especially if you leave the Conrail-Bound Coal Trains interesting coal movement was noted re­ paved highways to follow the tracks. cently. BGODC (Banning-Oro Grande coal) Th anks to Leonard Ruback, Norm There are now two SP coal cycles dis­ was originated in Colorado and transferred Schultze, Tony Johnson, Ken Ardinger, patched south and east to Pueblo and then to UP at Oro Grande. It rated a pure string H. W Farewell, G. Kelly, SF Information to Conrail on a frequent basis: EYCRC of D&RGW six-motors for its 10,971 tons. Center and R. W Morgan.

AN HISTORIC RAILROAD JOURNEY IS COMING SOON!. .. GOLDENSPI KE SPECIAL! The Golden Gate Railroad Museum is proud to present the steam train trip of a lifetime! Celebrate the 125th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railway. Steam locomotive #2472 will pull an historic train from the San Francisco Bay Area (Oakland) to Ogden, Utah via Reno and Elko. --=� .... The Golden Spike celebration is planned for May 10th. Then take a fabulous 3 day run through Colorado's scenic Royal Gorge before the return trip. Oakland departure is scheduled for May 6th, 1994, return by May 22nd. Roundtrip, one·way and segment fares available for all Tourist, First and Premier classes. Limited seating. Plan now to join us! Be Part of History-Send for FREE Information Today! Send self· addressed, stamped envelope to: Golden Gate Railroad Museum: P.O. Box 3315, Redwood City, CA 94064. Dept. 5E

PA CIFI C RAILNews . 13 TRANSIT MAC SEBREE

scheduled to open in the fall of 1994, offi­ cials had planned to proceed in August with construction of a third line from Avila Camacho northwest to Zapopan. But now that's on hold, pending election of the next government, which may or may not have different priorities. Construction of the new system shops at Tetlan is proceeding. These will be big enough to service up to 150 cars. The 32 articulated cars on order for Line 2 from Bombardier/Concarril (up from 28) will be nearly identical to the 16 existing Concarril cars, except for door arrangements.

Los Angeles

PASADENA GO-AHEAD • To nobody's surprise, the MTA board has found the ad­ ditional $57 million needed to begin con­ struction of the Pasadena Blue Line. The budget approved Aug. 25 came up with only $40 million, about enough for detailed On Oct. 7, 1993, two San Francisco MUNI cars roll outbound near Be rnal Cu t on the recent­ planning. Engineers are ready to go ahead ly opened J Line extension. Every other J Line train now runs be yond 30th Street on the with the first construction contract, a dou­ new trackage to Metro Ce nter, which opened in June. Ray Barraza ble-track bridge over the Los Angeles Riv­ er. The light rail line, to be completed in 1998, will be built on the right-of-way of Dallas. However, DART is funding the Dal­ Santa Fe's Pasadena Subdivision. Dallas/Fort Worth las-Irving section of commuter rail. Because a costly protective plastic liner COMMUTER LINK STUDY • A $4 million was poorly designed, installed and in­ federal grant has kicked off preliminary Denver spected, water leakage has caused mil­ engineering and design for an important lions of dollars of damage to L.A.'s new part of the first segment of the Dallas-Fort FmST CAR DELIVERED • The first of 11 Red Line subway. That's the gist of a re­ Worth commuter rail line to be built on SD100 six-axle light rail cars wasdelivered port rendered by MTA consultants. Ground right-of-way once owned by the defunct in August from Siemens-Duewag's Sacra­ water, especially around Union Station, has Rock Island Railroad. mento, Calif., shops for a brief appearance been found to be highly corrosive. The lin­ First to be built will be the stretch to celebrate progress on the 5.3-mile starter er cost $2 million per mile to install. from Dallas to Irving, with completion line. As November's chilly weather came The bluntly worded report came on the targeted for sometime during 1995, but on, rail was being laid in the central busi­ heels of the discovery that portions of the the latest grant covers the Fort Worth-Irv­ ness district on Stout Street and all track­ subway walls were built thinner than ing segment, to open in 1997, and the work was finished in the Auraria area. The specified, raising earthquake hazard proposed downtown Fort Worth inter­ Operations Facility was formally dedicated fears. And speaking of water, Red Line modal transit center, at one-time the in August and the test track was ready. builders have been battling an under­ Texas & Pacific depot. ground river that flooded the excavation The rail link, to be called Railtran, will area near Hollywood Boulevard and Edge­ feature a rebuilt roadbed, depots, park­ Guadalajara mont on the Wilshire-Hollywood segment. and-ride lots and diesel-powered trains. Thirty pumps were put to work, a number The commuter link is not connected with DELAY FOR THmD LRT LINE • With the that proved insufficient. DART, the light rail system being built in second light rail line, Juarez to Tetlan, A November inspectiontrip found that much of the trackage, and several miles of overhead catenary, were in place on the Green Line, which will become L.A. 's sec­ FIRST -CLASS RAILROAD PINS ,. ond LRT route. When cars begin running, passengers will be treated to what may The BEST in railroad pins - well be the most boring LRV ride in North RR heralds, name-trains, America. They willhave close-up views of manufacturer's logos, sound walls, whizzing freeway traffic, and signs, builder's plates, occasionally the top of a building. and more. Another major Metrolink expansion Custom pin service for - was scheduled to take place Nov. 1. Week­ railroads, tourist railways, day one-way trips were boosted to 61 historical societies, clubs, from 48, with most of the new service museums and conventions. added to the San Bernardino line. How­ ever, a planned increase in Orange County round trips from one to three, with an ex­ tension to Oceanside, was deferred until next May because of delays in trackwork improvements.

14 . JANUARY 1994 construction of the Berkeley branch is de­ has added its approval to the commuter Portland layed due to indecision about extending the rail portion of the proposed $13.2 billion Lambert-International Airport perimeter. regional transit plan. The RTA came up WORK BEGINS ON WESTSIDE • Contrac­ with more than $2.5 million to complete tors lost no time after the Aug. 12 ground­ planning of the commuter train system ty­ breaking on Tri-Met's $688 million Westside San Francisco ing together Everett, Seattle and Tacoma. light rail line. By mid-September the rail Burlington Northern and Union Pacific right-of-way on the north side of the Sunset MARKET STREET PROGRESS • One of have both agreed to host the trains and Highway between the future west tunnel the maj or Market Street track reconstruc­ even contribute to upgrading the infras­ portal at Southwest 76th Avenue and the tion jobs is the junction with the J Line at tructure. Further, a $1.8 million federal Highway 217 interchange was being grad­ Market and Church streets. That was un­ grant was expected that would be used to ed, and encroaching buildings removed. der way in October, with all new dia­ study station locations, park/ride lots and The twin-tube tunnel, three miles long, monds going in and a track connection be­ connecting bus routes. also was under way with excavations be­ tween the two lines in the southeast The overall plan calls for a $9.3 billion ginning at both portals. The eastern two­ quadrant. The loop at 17th, Castro and electric light or heavy rail system to even­ thirds of the tunnels will be excavated by Market has been completed. tually replace or supplement the com­ a tunnel boring machine, while the west­ Bids were opened in September for muter rail, but this part of the proposal ern third will be blasted and mined. the remaining F-Market Line track recon­ isn't given much chance of passing muster Target for completion of the tunnel and struction between 11 th Street and with the voters. Downtown Seattle entry the Sunset Highway portion is spring 1996, Duboce. This work is expected to be for the electric rail would probably be the with opening of the 12-rnile segment from completed by early 1995. Third Street electric trolley bus tunnel, downtown to Southwest 185th Av enue set As ofmid-October, three rebuilt which was built with tracks "just in case." for Sept. 7, 1997. A further six-mile exten­ Philadelphia PCC cars had been delivered sion is scheduled to open a year later. by Morrison Knudsen from Hornell Shops, The extra six miles will take the MAX with the fourth due imminently. They are: Vancouver line to Hillsboro and cost $191 million. car 1055 (ex-SEPTA 2122) now painted in Meanwhile, because bids came in lower the PTC 1940sl1950s green-and-cream TEST RUNS FOR SKYTRAIN • Completion than expected, Tri-Met increased its order scheme, car 1054 (ex-SEPTA 2121) ap­ of the entire length of Vancouver's Skytrain for Siemens-Duewag low-floor cars from 37 peared in PTC silver-and-blue livery, and rail transit line is drawing near with the to 39. At 92 feet, each car will be three feet car 1062 (ex SEPTA 2101) wore Louisville beginning of test runs on the extension longer than the 26 existing Tri-Met cars. Railways green-and-cream. from Scott Road Station to King George in The plan is to pair one new car and one Surrey. Other stations on the three-mile ex­ old car, thus assuring access for people in - tension are Gateway and Surrey Central. wheelchairs. The present wheelchair lifts Seattle Thanks to Julian Wolinsky, Steve Mor­ on the Gresham line will be removed. The gan, L.A. TIMES, SAN FRANCISCO CHR ONICLE, Westside line and the Gresham line will be ANOTHER STEP FOR TRANSIT • The Don Jewell, RTN, VAN COUVER COLUMBIAN, operated as one long through-route. newly formed Regional Transit Authority Mike Murray and FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM. Tri-Met's new tunnel willhave one sta­ tion, at the Washington Park Zoo which, at 250 feet, will be the deepest in North Amer­ ica. It willhave four high-speed elevators. Other construction projects will be under DREAMS, VISIONS way. Downtown street trackage, serving & VISIONARIES Civic Stadium, should be under construction by next April, with the segments alongside COLORADO RAil.. Highway 217 and through Beaverton to ANNUAL No. 20 185th Avenue beginning even earlier. In the Mountains of Utah hy Jackson Thode Most of the new fleet will be stabled at & James Ozment. Early construction on the shops to be built near Southwest 170th Rio Grande in the Utah Desert and Across Avenue . LRT trackage in this area was to Soldier Summit. have been built on a BN (ex-Oregon Elec­ General Palmer's Other Narrow Gauge by tric) right-of-way, but it may be necessary Robert LeMassena. Mexican National for Tri-Met to pay an additional $3 million Narrow Gauge to parallel the BN tracks, rather than pre­ The Denver Post Frontier Days Special by empt them. BN doesn't want to give up Richard Kreck and Kenton Forrest. the trackage until it gets rights to operate The Greatest Train by Alexis McKinney. over nearby Southern Pacific rails, and the Union Pacific's Articulated Steam Power Photography by Richard H. Kindig. 240 SP so far has not been willing to negotiate. pages , over 300 photographs. In stocknow! $42.95 (please add $3.25 shipping & handling.) St. Louis Send $2.00 (refundable) for the CRM 1993 Book & Video Catalog EVERYONE LOVES METROLINK • Or so (Over 700 Railroad Books & Videos) it seems, judging by the crowds. Because midday and weekend ridership is higher For Fast Service For FAX Service than anticipated, MetroLink improved Credit Card Orders! Credit Card Orders! headways from 15 to every 10 minutes be­ tween 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday/Sun­ 1-800-365-6263 303-279-4229 day trains also run every 10 minutes be­ tween 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Two additional Income from booksales goes toward rail preservation park/ride lots have been put into service at East St. Louis and Forest Park stations. COLORADO RAILROAD MUSEUM The Airport extension beyond North Hanley station is still on hold because of a PO Box 10 delay in removing graves from a cemetery Golden, Colorado 80402-00 10 that stands in the path of the extension, and

PA CIFI C RAILNews . 15 CP RAIL SYSTEM

CP has begun the international move­ of 571. CP run-through power from train Fall Traffic Stretches Motive Power ment of refrigerated 48-foot containers 580 or unit potash or sulfur trains is often equipped with Thermo King cooling units forwarded to Canada from Chicago on this The normal fall traffic increase has caused owned by shipper C.H. Robinson. The long haul schedule. some problems for Soo, with some lower CHAU 780000-series equipment is now UP has committed a minimum of three priority trains operating with only one loco­ spotted on Sprint trains 421, 422 and 424 sets of coal hoppers to the Iowa Public Ser­ motive. Such was the case on Oct. 29 when between Chicago and Minneapolis, with vice power plant at Fruitland, Iowa, includ­ No. 223 handling 99 cars led by SD40-2 775 connections to trains 560 and 561 for for­ ing those with UNSX, IOPX and WRDX re­ met No. 222 handling 62 cars led by SD40-2 warding to Winnipeg. porting marks. Motive power for these 757 at Homer, Minn. In a related item, con­ Traffic on Chicago-Vancouver train 571 trains normally consists of three UP Dash tinued congestion at St. Paul Yard caused has increased substantially, forcing Soo to 8s or SD60Ms, which are pushed to the Nahant, Iowa-St. Paul secondary freight drop the auto racks for the Cottage Grove, limit when trains are doubled up the infa­ 222 to operate through to Humboldt Yard in Minn., ramp facility that were handled on mous Rutledge Hill out of Ottumwa, Iowa. Minneapolis during October. The train is the rear of this movement. Intermodal traf­ With the delivery of more state-of-the­ blocked out of Dubuque, Iowa, to provide fic, including COFC, doublestack ship­ art rear-end devices, few cabooses are better connections to Canada-bound ments and containers of contaminated now used on Kansas City line trains. This freights and transfer jobs at Humboldt. wastes, is now commonly seen on the rear has created some delays when trains meet, requiring back-up moves to fetch brakemen when switches must be relined. The movement of grain south out of Canada continues, sometimes in large unit blocks. On Oct. 24, train 560 handled 55 CPWX covered hoppers into St. Paul Yard.

Car Float to Close in 1994 Join profesional videographers Greg Scholl and Les Jarrett for Assuming reconstruction of the internation­ a fasci nating look at the al rail tunnel between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit continues on schedule, CP expects Chicago and Northwestern to close car float operations based in Wind­ railroad mainline west fr om sor during 1994. This "marine" arm of the Chicago to Omaha and system has existed in recent years solely to Fremont during the flood of 93. handle excess clearance cars banned from the tunnel. Even with the current remodel­ Over 500 miles of mainline. A ing, doublestacks will not be allowed be­ class-l railroad with variety. neath the Detroit River, necessitating con­ tinued cooperative agreements with Conrail or NS between Chicago and Buffalo. The Chicago & Northwestern mainline west serves as an Talks continue with Canadian National important funnel of transcontinental rail transportation fe eding over further route rationalization strategies Chicago with traffic generated on the Union PacifiC from points east of Winnipeg. Both Canadian trans cons west. This video was shot during the flood of 1993 and as an report that lines west of the prairie capital added bonus several detour trains appear on the tape are sufficiently profitable to avoid merging including Amtrak with former C&NW E-units. and abandonment applications. Highlights include: Because of major engineering projects Chicago area freight andcommuters on the Northwestern under way on other parts of the system (as well as repairs required on flood-dam­ A wide variety of diesels including GPTs and newest units aged lines). Soo contracted with an out­ Hot spots such as Kate Shelley, Rochelle, and Mo. Valley side firm to replace ties and resurface Flood coverage including detour trains and high water more than 70 miles of its Paynesville Sub­ InSide look at Proviso yard, and some cab fo otage division between Minneapolis and Glen­ wood, Minn. Work windows were estab­ Major bridges and towns in Illinois and Iowa lished four days per week, with train movements confined between the late af­ On-tape maps keep you informed as to locations shown. ternoon and early morning. ProfeSSional editing and narration. Av ailable in VHS, and PAL. U.S. shipping $4.00, Canada $5.00. Europe $12.00, PacifiC areas $16.00. Call or write at once. Fax: 513-732-0666 Bridge Line Division Update CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN MAINLINEWEST 2 hours and 30 minutes on a 2 tape set. As previously reported in PRN, CSX has Just $59.95 plus shipping established symbols R206/207 for forward­ ing CP trains 270 and 271 from the A joint project from Greg Scholl Video Productions and Railway Productions. Bridge Line Division (former Delaware & Hudson). These schedules are intended Mail Orders To : Greg Scholl Video Productions to move manifest traffic, with some P. O. Box 123, Dept. CNW, Batavia, Ohio 45103 TOFC moved to/from Norfolk Southern at Buffalo, N.Y. Trains 270/271 provide con­ Phone Orders to: Railway Productions 1-800-248-9670 necting service to Guilford at Schenec­ Visa and Mastercard accepted. tady, N.Y., and with the Soo at Chicago's Blue Island yard. Soo power can now oc-

16 . JANUARY 1994 casionally be seen as far east as Bing­ hamton, N.Y. CP MLWs continue to be fixtures on Bridge Line trains, with four­ axle units most common on trains 553/554 and six-axle units frequently on trains 555/556.

SD40s In, MLWs Out

As additional overhauled SD40s are re­ ceived from Helm Leasing, more MLWs are being withdrawn from service and stripped for scrapping. CP eventually hopes to amass a fleet of 40 SD40s and SD40-2s from Helm, with units 4062 and 4066 recently delivered from AMF in Mon­ treal; these units were augmented by ex­ Illinois Central SD40As 6013 and 6015. With the arrival of leased EMDs, head-end devices have been stripped from most six­ axle MLWs; only nine M-636s were still equipped by late September. With the re­ tirement of M-630s 4562 and 4569 as well as M-636 4705, only 40 six-axle units re­ main on the roster. C-630M 4503 and M-636 4714 are listed as stored unservice­ able and are likely retirement candidates Recently repainted S040 740 leads a CP work train laying continuous welded rail along the in coming months. siding at Homer, Minn. , on Aug. 6, 1993. With 25-30 trains per day ply ing the St. Paul-River The only former D&H Alco still running Junction main line , CP needed to replace worn-out jointed rail still in place. Jesse Kottner is RS-36 5017, while RS-ll 5002 has been out of service for about two months. Or­ lantic subsidiary in early 1994, CP will shipped east to balance power pools. ders have been issued to strip RS-ll 5009 convey eight surplus RS-23s (8026, 8027, CP added a nose door window to and RS-36s 5022 and 5023 for parts, with 8036-8038, 8041, 8042 and 8046) and 76 SD40-2F 9024 for safety purposes, a modi­ scrapping expected to follow. pieces of freight equipment to Windsor & fication expected on all "Red Barns " as Other CP locomotives recently retired Huntsport Railway Co. shop schedules permit. include RS-18us 1827 and 1863, GP38-2 SD40 5509 has been upgraded to Dash With the dearth of good leasable mo­ 3067, GP35s 5007 and 5009 and 2 standards, including the Q-tron wheel tive power at present, it looks as though SW1200RS 8160. Soo SD40 746 and roster slip package, with sisters 5501 and 5559 Electro-Motive Division will be working orphan SD40B 6450 are listed as stored expected to receive similar modifications with shop forces at Shoreham (Minneapo­ unserviceable, likely pending a trip to Cal­ by the end of 1993. A group of 21 SD40s lis) on the fleet of stored ex-Norfolk & gary, Alta., for overhaul and painting. equipped with new electronics were re­ Western SD35s. It is unknown whether CP SD40 749 and SD40-2 762 have recently assigned from Toronto to Winnipeg to be will lease these units or ship them off the emerged from Ogden Shop in the new du­ assigned to high-tonnage unit trains property once they are repaired. al flag paint scheme. (wheat, potash, coal), with an equal Thanks to Th omas Beckett, John As part of the sale of its Dominion At- number of high 5500-series SD40-2s Brem, Mike Cl eary and TRAFFIC WORLD.

GEN""'D":J:N"E R,.R,. LA.lUPS circa

• Fitted with 53/8" optical lenses • Oil burning, marker or switch models available • Newly manufactured • Original rugged design DENVER SOUTH PARK & PACIFIC RR DENVER & RIO GRANDE RR • 1953 R.R. Products NARROW GAUGE (Shown Above) NARROW GAUGE (Shown Above 1 of 7) catalogues available S25.00 U.S. • Price includes shipping, customs & duty in FULL COLOR LITHOGRAPHS continental U.S. Please ������ksfor by ART OLDS Plus Other R.R.'s & Subjects Biram. L. Piper 19.I:j5 �� Co. Ltd. est. 1902 For Black and White Order Sheet Send; Size 10 Self-Addressed Please forward certified check or money order in U.S. funds to: Stamped Envelope. For Color Sample, Include $1 .00 (Refundable). The Hiram L. Pi�er Company, Attn. Mr. B. Piper, P.O. Box 368, Kmgston, Ontario, Canada K7L 4W2. Please ensure sufficient To : Edgar W. Kruckeberg, 2200 Huntington Avenue postage for Canadian delivery. Sarasota, Florida 34232-3528 Phone & Fax: 1 -81 3-922-9140

PA CIFI C RAI LN ews • 1 7 CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN

movement to Scherer via Sheffield Yard, Chattanooga, Tenn., and Atlanta, using symbols 712 and 716. NS assigns a "mas­ ter" unit to the point of each train, cutting in a "slave" unit and one or two others mid-train in deference to its mountainous route. Power runs through over the entire 1,800-mile route (except for the masters and slaves). A C&NW locomotive made it to Scherer on the first revenue run, while NS units venture into Wyoming regularly. Empty consists return to Wyoming via the reverse route (NS trains 711 and 715). The transportation contract establishes a "cy­ cle time" of 148 hours for each Memphis­ Wyoming-Memphis round trip, with 120 hours allotted for transit over the UP and 28 hours for the turn on the C&NW. This significant new movement, which has the potential to become one of C&NW's largest, is expected to boost coal Four locomotives representing tour railroads lead a C& NW coal train at Alsop, Wyo. , on Sept. traffic to record highs in 1994. 28, 1993. More Wyoming coal will be rolling via a C& NW/UP/NS routing thanks to a new con­ tract to supply the nation's largest coal-tired power plant in Forsyth , Ga. R.J. Williams North Western to Move Headquarters mer Central of Georgia main line between Georgia Power Movement Begins Atlanta and Macon. Since its construction, Chicago & North Western Holdings Corp. Plant Scherer has burned Eastern coal-it announced in late October that it had sub­ The Robert W. Scherer Power Plant at can consume up to 14 million tons of coal leased 250,000 square feet of office space Forsyth, Ga., is the largest coal-fired power per year. Anticipating the tightening of the at the AT&T Corporate Center, 227 West complex in the United States, occupying Clean Air Act, management began plan­ Momoe, Chicago, from AT&T. North West­ 12,000 acres along Norfolk Southern's for- ning the plant's conversion to low-sulfur ern's sublease runs from 1996 through 2008 Western coal. Test burns of North West­ and begins at an attractive $8-10 per ern-originated Powder River Basin coal in square foot per year net rent. It will give 1990 and 1991 were successful and negoti­ the company a modern and attractive office ations resulted in a transportation contract and allow North Western to vacate the con­ Pictorial with C&NW, Union Pacific and NS. verted warehouse at 165 N. Canal, which has been known as North Western Center Volume 3 After the railroads operated an instru­ mented test train in late September, regu­ since C&NW consolidated its Chicago-area offices there in the early 1980s. Do you like colorful passenger trains lar service began with the loading of a powered by E-units and passenger F­ 11O-car consist at Belle Ayr Mine, Wyo., on units ...Wo uld you like to see a book on Oct. 3. Caballo Rojo Mine began loading trains for Plant Scherer shortly thereafter. C44-9W Order Increased these trains written by someone who Volumes initially were limited by the worked for many years as a Traveling amount of equipment available. The utili­ On Nov. 10, North Western announced Passenger Representative ... Would you ties had provided 461 new aluminum-bod­ that it would add 30 units to its previously like to read a book about the ied cars by the beginning of October reported order for 35 GE C44-9Ws. The passenger operations of a railroad that (RWSX 93001-93461, with rotary ends add-on group of units will be delivered really cared about passengers as well painted black) and one 115-car set of starting in January. C&NW's first C44-9W as their corporate image? Then this rapid-discharge hoppers with reporting was released on Oct. 23 in GE demonstra­ book is for you. This third in the series of marks CRL 5001-5115. Additional sets of tor paint and without a number. It was Great Northem pictorials features the UMPX and SEGX cars had entered this moved to the Transportation Test Center streamlined passenger era authored by service by late October. outside Pueblo, Colo., for high-speed test­ John F. strauss, Jr., former GN Ry. TPR, For now, two of Scherer's four units are ing of its new truck design and low-speed assigned primarily to the incomparable being converted to consume Western coal. testing of its stability on less-than-ideal Empire Builder. Included are passenger The other two will also be converted after track. Production units from the order car rosters, passenger advertisements, existing long-term contracts for Eastern were expected to ship by early December. timetables and much, much more. See coal expire. At that point, normal generat­ In addition to the new locomotives, GN's famous and colorful passenger ing demands would require the operation North Western is taking delivery of 1,300 new covered hoppers at a cost of $66 mil­ trains during the Streamliner Era. of three loaded and three empty coal lion. Of these cars, 1,000 are curve-sided Order by December 30, 1993 at the trains every day. Traffic volume is expect­ ed to total 700,000 tons in the fourth quar­ grain hoppers that will be used primarily special Pre-Publication Price of $40 + ter of 1993 and 4 million tons during 1994. to haul malt and barley for breweries. The $3.50 shipping/ $5 foreign. GN Volumes Operationally, C&NW originates the 490000-series cars are painted C&NW yel­ 7 + 2 are still available at $49.95 each + loads at Belle Ayr or Caballo Rojo and de­ low with large "CNW" initials on the $3.50 s+h/$5 Foreign. Order Today from: livers them to UP at South Morrill, Neb., right-hand side of the body. They will dis­ �we:a:::- just as it runs many other coal trains. UP place older and smaller covered hoppers �(W/L-W forwards the 11O-car consists to Memphis, to corn and wheat service, which in turn POBox 1734 PN Tenn., via North Platte, Kansas City and will permit the railroad to terminate the La Mirada. CA 90637-1 734 Little Rock, Ark., under symbols CBMGP leases of at least 500 covered hoppers. Dealer Inqu�es ore Invned I and CROGP. NS then takes over for the The remaining 300 cars are designed to

18. JANUARY 1994 carry cement, serving plants at Mason Chairman Robert Schmiege. C&NW moved C&NW, which is losing track space at Pro­ City, Iowa, and Rapid City, S.D. At the lat­ 595,225 loads during the period, about viso to intermodal expansion ...Metra's ter point they will replace old friction­ 10,000 more than in any previous quarter, four remaining ex-C&NW E-units, which bearing cars, which will not be allowed in while coal volume increased 20 percent gained fame this summer when they oper­ interchange service after 1993. over last year's levels. Schmiege expects ated over the C&NW main leading the de­ All of the new cars are being built by robust growth to continue into 1994. touring California Zephyr, were traded in Thrall Car Co. at Chicago Heights, Ill. to National Railway Equipment in Novem­ "This is the biggest order we've had for a ber. In return, Metra is getting a pair of long time, " said Thrall president John Car­ Short Items secondhand SW1500s. NRE moved the Es roll. To complete it, the plant added 50 to Silvis, IlL,where they face an uncertain new workers to its 900-employee roster. Another Simpson Timber lumber train de­ future. Two ex-C&NW F7s, 305 and 308, parted Seattle Oct. 3 as UP XSECH03. remain on the roster; they're assigned to North Western received the 48-car train at snowplow duty on the ex-IC electric lines. Power Shortage Revives More SD45s Fremont on Oct. 6 for movement to Chica­ Thanks to Heath R. Hovland, Dana go as C&NW NPPRE. Simpson wants this Grefe, Kenneth J. Larson, THE MIXED There's no question the new C44-9Ws will to be a weekly train, but holds and diver­ TRAIN, CRAIN'S CHICA GO BUSINESS and Nor­ be welcomed by North Western employees sions are proving to be a problem for folk Southern. when they arrive, since the railroad was swamped with traffic this fall and had to scramble to keep it moving. At one point there were more than 400 cars sitting in Short Line Yard in Des Moines with no pow­ RAILROAD er available to move them south. GE Super SHARE YOUR 7s 3000-3010 and 20 Santa Fe C30-7s leased earlier in 1993 remained on the property in­ ENTHUSIASM WITH THE to November, and SD45s became increas­ ingly common as North Western sorted WHOLE FAM ILY! through units in the Oelwein, Iowa, dead line to find candidates for reactivation. Way freight WWE07 toted five SD45s As easy to learn as Rummy, south from Oelwein on Oct. 1: 913, 950, Express™ offers hours of 954, 6481 and 6535. At least some of these returned to service ; 6481 teamed up with card playing fun fo r the SD45 6539 and SD40-2 6884 to move Provi­ so-Twin Cities train PRVPA (Proviso-Valley entire family. Colorfu lly Park) out of the Chicago area on Nov. 8. illustrated train cars make this an exciting addition to UP Control Case Cranks Up train games by the worlds

The Interstate Commerce Commission's largest manufacturer of denial of competing railroads' request to train games. dismiss UP's application for authority to $12.50 exercise control over C&NW has caused the agency to resume its consideration of this matter. On Oct. 28 UP and C&NW filed a "supplement to the application" that re­ Combines two American iterates their representations that they loves - railroads and don't expect a UP-r!&NW merger to occur in the near term. According to UP Chair­ cold cash! Empire man Dick Davidson, the standstill agree­ ment that prevented UP from buying more Builder® is a classic, than 30 percent of C&NW stock was termi­ award winning , and nated when Blackstone Capital Partners, L.P. and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette sold time-tested game which their interests in July. Nonetheless, David­ son testified, "our present intention is to is sure to make you a keep our ownership levels below 50 per­ winner with your family cent" after the control application is ap­ proved. Public hearings on the matter have and fr iends. $30.00 been scheduled for December.

Third Quarter Results For more infor ation, to r ques a catalo , or to C&NW Holdings Corp. on Oct. 26 reported � : � � a $4.6 million loss for the third quarter. ' orde : EurorallsTM , E �plre BUilder®, Nippon � . . Blaming the floods for part of its 10 per­ M Ralls™ , British Ralls™ , North American cent increase in operating expenses, Rails™ or Express™ , send a check or money C&NW took the opportunity to recognize a order plus $2.00 for shipping and handling to: number of extraordinary losses, including a charge for employee reductions and relo­ Mayfair Games, Inc. Dept. TRN 5641 W. Howard cations (apparently resulting from the st. Niles, I L 60714 or Call: (800) 432-4376 closing of Oelwein shops). These events served to "obscure what was otherwise a ======Make Qual ity Time Fun! ======very solid third quarter," according to

PA CIFI C RAILNews . 19 The

of '67

20 • JANUARY 1994 Nearly 30 years have passed, but the memories of how Santa Fe kept its trains moving through snowbound Arizona are still vivid

LEFT: Santa Fe RSD- 15 820 leads a freight through snow-fouled Flagstaff on Ch ristmas Eve 1967. The train was one of five eastbounds ba cked up by 84 inches of snow dumped during the Blizzard of 1967. BELOW: Despite the storm, Santa Fe managed to keep its passenger trains running through northern Arizona, though often a little be hind schedule. By Ch ristmas Day, th in gs were ba ck to normal , as evidenced by an F-unit-Ied No. 19, the westbound Chief, racing across old Highway 66 just west of Will iams Junction.

Text and Photography by Gordon Glattenberg

unny thing about being a railfan: summer of 1993: While thousands of whenever people talk about the people were suffering from the effects of great events of recent history, your rampaging rivers, railfans in the Mid­ tendencyF is to attach some train-related west were quietly thanking Mother Na­ memory to the story. That is especially ture for causing some of the best train true when it comes to the great storms watching of recent times. of history. Floods, hurricanes, blizzards, But let's go back a couple of decades, etc. always seem to spawn the unusual to another era in railroading, and anoth­ and the heroic in railroads, creating in­ er memorable storm. Northern Arizona delible memories for those of us who are is known for cold winters, with tempera­ lucky enough to avoid the misery that tures occasionally dropping well below nature unleashes while partaking of the zero. Every winter also brings some railroad-related riches. Consider the snow, but usually nothing comparable to

PA CIFI C RAILNews. 21 the amounts Donner Pass or Cascade ingly well. In fact, Chico's Route offered Summit receive. However, December travelers an alternative way to get 1967 brought the Grand Canyon State through the mess. (Remember, this was the "Blizzard of the Century, " and for during the days when Santa Fe was still two weeks normal life and ground trans­ running its own passenger trains-war­ portation in the Southwest were at a bonnet-hauled speedsters like the Chief. ) standstill. The storm raged off the Pacif­ During the height of the storm, Santa Fe ic Ocean, drenching Southern California reported that its Flagstaff depot was with heavy rains , then swept eastward, jammed with students from Northern leaving a path of deep snow across Ari­ Arizona University, who were attempting zona, New Mexico and Texas. Initial re­ to get home for Christmas after the ports blamed the 10-day storm for 39 school canceled classes and started the deaths . Especially hard hit were the holiday break three days early because Hopi and Navajo reservations in north­ of the storm. Santa Fe called in a rotary ern Arizona; thousands of tribesmen from the east end of the system, and bor-

On Dec. 25, an eastbound just east of and their livestock were stranded by the rowed a second one from Southern Pacif­ Flagstaff is work in g it s way toward even blizzard. Air Force helicopters were ic, and was able to keep its main line deeper snow in the Painted Desert around used to rescue people trapped by deep open, though trains were typically run­ Winslow. Leading the way is SD4 0 1715, snow and to drop food to livestock in a ning about 90 minutes behind schedule. later renumbered to 5015 and then re­ manufactured into an SD4 0u at San similar predicament. Santa Fe implored its crews to keep an Be rnard in o, trailed by an eye-popping Transportation corridors were also eye open for people stranded along the SD24/RSD 15/GP3 0/GP3 0/GP30 lash-up. snarled by the snow. Interstate 40/U.S. tracks, and gave instructions to stop and 66, the main highway through the re­ pick up anyone in distress. gion, was blocked west of Grants, N.M., As a Southern Californian, I saw the and dotted with stranded motorists. And storm as a great opportunity for winter what about Santa Fe Railway, whose railroad photography-without having to cross-country speedway traversed the drive across the country. The snow heart of the area hammered by the bliz­ stopped just before Christmas, when I zard? The railroad was shut down for a happened to have a few days off, so of time, but weathered the storm surpris- course I took off in my '66 Dodge for

22 • JANUARY 1994 northern Arizona, where snow lay thick been in service for seven years, and the The on the ground. CTC had been extended to Winslow. Al­ By the time I got on the road, the buquerque Division Timetable No. 10 al­ weather had cleared up, but Santa Fe lowed passenger trains 90 mph, and BLIZZARD still faced obstacles. My first indication freights 60 or 70 mph, depending on ton­ of '67 that the railroad wasn't back to normal nage ; it's the same today. was in Needles, Calif., where I encoun­ On the other hand, Santa Fe's trains tered train 17, the combined Super were very different from today's trains. Chief-El Capitan, running eight hours Instead of Amtrak's lonely Southwest BELOW: The deep snow in Flagstaff late and leaving town with two GP30 Chief, there were five daily passenger caused th is caboose a little trouble. Note pushers for the climb to Goffs. The next trains traveling each way on the main the Jordan spreader in the ba ckground. BOTTOM: A tr io of SD45s rolls an east ­ surprise was in Kingman, Ariz. , where I line : the Grand Canyon, Super Chief-El bo und through Flagstaff on Dec. 24. Lead found Southern Pacific rotary SPMW208 Capitan, Chief, San Francisco Chief, and unit 1865 later be came SD45r 53 04 and on its way back to Roseville. At the time, Fast Mail. (Trains 7 and 8 did take pas­ was sold to Wisconsin Ce ntral in 1993, it was one of SP's few remaining steam­ sengers west of Albuquerque; I had sev­ be com ing WC658 1. powered rotaries, and it was returned eral exciting rides on them in the 1960s, home as soon as Santa Fe's main line roaring along at 90 mph in their heavy­ was open. After that sight, I knew I had weight rider coaches.) Daily passenger some real surprises waiting ahead of me. schedules still ran out of Williams Junc­ tion to Phoenix and the Grand Canyon, LOOKING BACK, MY INTERESTS during the trip usually consisting of a couple of stream­ revolved around the weather and how lined coaches pulled by a GP9. Santa Fe dealt with the snow. Twenty-six The freight trains tended to look dif­ years later, I realize that the photos I took ferent, too. There were more box cars are probably more valuable as a record of then, and intermodal traffic was piggy­ how Santa Fe looked in the late 1960s-a backed trailers, not containers. There lot different than it looks today. were also daily unit coal trains from York In 1967, the Santa Fe across northern Canyon, N.M., to Kaiser Steel in Fontana, Arizona was very much the high-speed, Calif. Of course, every freight train end­ double-track railroad we see today. The ed in a caboose, still painted in a drab Crookton-Williams Junction relocation red (this was before the fire-engine red with its Centralized Traffic Control had paint scheme came along).

PA CIFI C RAILNews • 23 BO TH PHOTOS: Santa Fe's final storm clean-up job in Arizona after the Bl izzard of '67 was clearing the snow from Williams Ya rd on Ch ristmas Eve 1967. AT&SF called on rotary 199361 to do the job-probably the final time this piece of equipment worked west of Kansas. Providing power for the rotary was the trio of GP35 1377, GP3 0 1268 and GP9 736.

The biggest difference, however, was tired of them ; to this day I don't really in the hardware pulling the trains . Most miss them. The PAs were another story, of the passenger trains were powered for their appearance, sound, smoky ex­ by red-and-silver Fs, with mail trains 7 haust, and relative scarcity made them and 8 (and occasionally the Grand quite unique, and I put a lot of effort in­ Canyon) usually appearing behind Alco to photographing and riding behind PAs. By 1967, I had watched the Fs for them when they were still around. quite a few years and was thoroughly The mail trains split east of Gallup (into

24 • JANUARY 1994 trains 3 and 4 through Amarillo, Texas and the evening of Dec. 23 that I heard a The trains 7 and 8 over Raton Pass), and west maintenance-of-way crew talking about of Barstow, Calif., (into North and South 7 their task for the next morning, cleaning and 8). Number 7 often ran in two sections out the Williams yard with Santa Fe's BLIZZA RD to Barstow, which meant the next 8 dou­ own rotary, the 199361. of '67 bleheaded. Often Fs and PAs doublehead­ The rotary looked quite ordinary sit­ ed, and occasionally No. 8 wound up with ting there the next morning, like just an­ up to nine PAs on the pOint! other diesel unit. Once it got moving, In 1967, Santa Fe's transition from though, its plume of snow was the best mainly F-units to entirely road switchers show in town. As it worked, the main on freight was nearly complete. The noise was provided by the diesel unit heavy freight power was dominated by coupled behind to supply electric power 800-class Alco RSD-15s and 900-class to the rotary, so it sounded like a yard SD24s, and there were still plenty of switcher shunting cars. I chased it on GP7s and GP9s around. All of this power foot, staying on the sunny side. Eventu­ was blue-and-yellow. Yard switchers, ally, I found myself on a cleared-out still black-and-silver, were rare in north­ track, with the rotary coming toward me ern Arizona (Winslow was probably the only place to find them).

BACK ON THE ROAD in pursuit of the Great Blizzard of '67, I ran into snow just be­ yond Kingman, and the depth steadily in­ creased to the Arizona Divide at Riordan. It was deep, but not awesome: the offi­ cial depth was 84 inches at Flagstaff, but in truth it looked like half of that. Contin­ uing east, down into the Painted Desert toward Winslow, I expected the snow to taper off. Instead, it got deeper and deeper, with snow considerably higher than my car along the highway near Canyon Diablo. It got colder, too ; the temperature was only 21 degrees at high noon in Winslow. The treeless desert buried in snow was truly spectacular. Driving was quite an adventure for a Southern Californian. Every morning, my wheels were frozen to the ground, and there was an awful crunch when I started out. One morning, the parking brake was frozen as well, and I had to chip off the ice to get the car back in service. However, I never did put on chains, and I had rela­ tively little trouble traveling the roads in pursuit of Santa Fe trains. By the time I arrived in Arizona, Santa Fe had already endured the worst of the snowstorm's punishment. The SP rotary was on its way home, having helped clear the main line, and trains were mostly run­ on the adjacent track, throwing snow to A tracks ide work crew keeps a watchful ning normally, with maintenance-of-way my side-there was nothing to do but eye on a Santa Fe freight approaching Williams Junction station on Dec. 23 , crews just finishing putting things back curl up and let it pass by. As it did, a 1967. The effects of the storm are evident together. Still, there was enough disrup­ crewman leaned out of a trailing locomo­ on the front end of GP35 1324 as it passes tion to bunch trains together and provide tive cab and smirked, "Wet, isn't it !" an in frared switch heater with its west ­ some splendid photo opportunities. I en­ Despite my first-hand encounter with bo und tra in. countered a lot of rail traffic around the the snow, watching the rotary in action Arizona Divide, including five eastbounds turned out to be the highlight of the backed up waiting to get past Flagstaff trip. It was that the only time I've seen during the middle of the day on Dec. 24. one in action, and I believe it was the I spent my days out on the line taking last time that rotary ever worked west photos and didn't interact with the train of Kansas. And whenever people talk crews. Williams Junction was the place about their winter-weather experiences, to talk to railroaders, for there was still my mind naturally drifts back to 1967. an operator on duty there in 1967, and No, I wasn't a victim of the Great Bliz­ the waiting room was a nice place to zard, but it sure left me with a lot of

thaw out between trains. It was there on great memories. PRN

PA CIFI C RAILNews • 25

28 . JANUARY 1994 eaumont Beyond

The Road To Redlands

�the western end of Beaumont Hill lies SP's massive West Colton classification yard. Opened in July 1973, the 5.7-mile-long fa­ cility has become a major rail clearinghouse fo r SP in southern California thanks to the recent demise of Taylor Yard in Los Angeles. For railfans, the Pepper Street overpass at the yard's east end pro­ vides an excellent vantage point for traffic arriving from and departing fo r the Hill, as well as u"ains heading over the Palmdale Cutoff through Cajon Pass, both of which make We st Colton's east end a particularly active train-watching spot. Once out of Colton, the Sunset Route passes through the developing town of Loma Linda and skirts the western edge of Redlands before enter­ ing San Timoteo Canyon, passing through a num­ ber of postcard-like California settings. Suc h scenes are embodied in the early morning sight of freshly painted Cotton Belt GP40M 7292 leading an eastbound drag out of Redlands on a crisp, clear winter morning inJanuary 1993 (left) . The sunny skies belie the biting cold and the deafening exhaust of scarlet-and-gray hood units su"uggling through the enU"ance to San Timoteo Canyon. Farther into the canyon, B39-8 8039 rolls to­ wards Redlands from the opposite direction in March 1988 (above), emerging [i"om San Timoteo with a hot Sprint train in the fading light of a winter afternoon. The clean fO uf-,ode poweJ� more typical on Beaumont Hill than on Cajon or Tehachapi, is a visual complement to the golden hills and richly colored orange groves of the canyon's west end.

PA CIFI C RAllNews • 29 eaumont Beyond

Brilliant winter skies and post-storm greeil hills Hinda Speedway make a nice setting fo r a westbound helper move led by SD40T-2 8266 (above right) in November 1987, racing through the Hinda crossovers on a nce in San Timoteo Canyon's east end, tangent that could be called the "Hinda Speed­ the Yuma main line becomes a series of way. " It's a stretch where simply pacing a train long stretches of tangent as it approach­ from adjacent San Timoteo Canyon Road at dusk Oes a fi nal group of hills presaging the town of or dawn is half the fu n. In this view of a west­ Beaumont. Dropping out of the hills, fo rmer bound doublestack at sunset, a white bay-window "outlaw" Rio Grande GP40-2 3138 (above) has a caboose brings up the markers in its new life as a westbound manifest in tow, passing under South­ rolling railway police office (right) . Silhouetted by ern Pacific's ubiquitous cantilever signals on a the sun, however, it briefly r ecreates a time when May 1993 afternoon. The distinctive profile of classic railroad images such as this were common. Mount San Jacinto and the train's multi-colored But this is not a moment to analyze ...just savor helper team can be seen in the distant right side the quiet hum of steel wheels against steel rails in of the scene. the crisp air of a January 1991 evening.

30. JANUARY 1994 PACIFIC RAILNews • 31 eaumont Beyond

east at Cabazon, the main line runs along the Where The Streets base of 9,000-foot Mount San Jacinto fo r more than 10 miles before turning away toward the Have No Name low desert fl oor. In addition to nearby Interstate 10, Southern Pacific's desert main line is also characterized by ast of Beaumont the scenery changes from the forests of windmill fa rms between Cabazon rolling hills to stark desert as trains reach and Garnet (east of We st Palm Springs) that take the summit at Apex (located just east of advantage of the high winds that regularly roar EBeaumont) and begin their descent through San through the area. The windmills are in evidence Gorgonio Pass into the Colorado Desert. Farther as Cotton Belt GP40-2 7259 (right) leads three

32 . JANUARY 1994 Santa Fe SDs into Cabazon on a December 1990 nities, such as the sight of aging, but recently re­ afternoon; the four locomotives are struggling up painted, tunnel motors passing next to Mount the l.99 percent grade toward Apex. In January San Jacinto in the fading light of an August 1993 1993, SD45r 7534 pauses in Cabazon's sleepy evening. SD45T-2 9375-one of a relatively small downtown, waiting for an eastbound freight to group of 20-cylinder units that escaped the clear as snow-capped San Gorgonio Mountain Sacramento Shops rebuilding program-rolls a adds a balance of color to the palm trees that westbound freight out of West Palm Springs to­ once lined the platform of the former passenger ward the extended siding at Fingal (left) . The depot here (above). sun is about to set on another day of desert rail­ East of Cabazon, Southern Paci fi c's desert roading, Southern Pac ific style ...in a land railroad can create some striking photo opportu- where the streets have no name.

PACIFIC RAILNews • 33 eaumont Beyond

Sunsets on the Sunset Route

the sun sets behind the smoggy horizon of rounded the depot remain, accompanied by a re­ the distant Los Angeles Basin, a world of placement passenger and fre ight office. In a way, mystery and color begins to emerge over the image is symbolic of today's Beaumont Hill: BeaAumont Hill. In the desert near We st Palm while much of the mountain crossing's character Springs, the stars dot a velvet sky as an eastbound has been relegated to memories and history energizes a lonely block signal on a cool Novem­ books, a new generation of railroading has ber 1988 evening (left) . emerged, and is keeping alive the excitement of That same evening, Cotton Belt Dash 8 No. this unique Southern Pacific main line. 8047 (above) streaks eastbound through the for­ Cont-ributing EditoT ELTond C. LawTence is a public mer location of Indian We lls-now the city of In­ a!faiTs Tejnesenlative fO T the health care olganization dio (Spanish for "Indian")-passing the site of the Kaiser Permanente. He lives with his wife LauTa and old two-story passenger depot destroyed by fire in fo 'uT cats in San BernaTdino, Califom,ia. This is his 1966. Only the fo rest of palmettos that once sur- eigh th fe aluTe bylinefm ' PRN . PRN

34 . JANUARY 1994

BURLINGTON NORTHERN'S

Carl Graves

here can you find coal trains rum­ line south with the hope of connecting bling by neatly groomed tobacco their community with Kansas City. In 1867 fields, a functioning whiskey dis­ businessmen formed the St. Joseph & Wtillery built in the 19th century and a mean­ Council Bluffs Railroad, which reached dering, muddy river full of catfish and drift­ North Kansas City in 1869. The line fell un­ wood? That sounds like the hills of Ken­ der the formal control of the burgeoning tucky or Tennessee, but you can also find all Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in 1880. this along the Burlington Northern main line For decades freight activity was sec­ between Kansas City and St. Joseph, Mo. ondary to passenger traffic between K.C. This busy but rarely mentioned stretch of and St. Joseph. When Kansas City Union the BN features fast freights, a colorful vari­ Station opened in 1914, there were eight ety of locomotives and a well-maintained passenger trains each way per day on the roadbed flanked by the Missouri River to line, including locals to Leavenworth and the west and tree-covered bluffs to the east. Atchison, Kan., and St. Joe. The Pioneer It was also one of the track segments affect­ Zephyr, CB&Q's first regular service ed by the 1993 floods, but with the rails streamliner, began operation on this line high and dry after nearly a month under in 1934, providing service between Kansas water, things are back to normal. City, Lincoln and Omaha. These small-ca­ pacity trainsets were perfect for the inter­ History of the Line mediate-length trips over light rail. Train activity on the route gradually fell The iron horse entered this part of the Mis­ as passenger service declined after World souri River valley more than a century ago. War II and was not matched by an increase In spring 1861, when Union and Confeder­ in freight traffic. In 1948 there were only ate armies were gathering near Manassas five daily passenger trains (including one Junction, Va., for the First Battle of Bull Zephyr) each way. Centralized Traffic Con­ Run, workers were laying rails between St. trol came to major segments of the line in Joseph and Weston, Mo. That same year 1959, but by 1964 the number of passenger citizens in Council Bluffs, Iowa, graded a trains had dropped to three each way. By

36 • JANUARY 1994 FroID falDine to flood between Kansas City and St. Joe

OPPOSITE PAGE: Two eastbound manifests tread water through Waldron siding on July 21 during the Great Flood of 1993. BN continued operating trains as water covered the rails by coupling two trains and operating them pull/push through high water to prevent traction motor flashovers. Joseph Brice BELOW: In calmer times, an SEPX coal train rumbles under the 1-435 overpass near Waldron on Dec. 29, 1990. Carl Graves

...... '- ' :"\ . . ..' ," "

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PACIFIC RAILNews • 37 1970, when CB&Q became part of the new August when the Missouri left its banks, respectively. Monitor radio communications Burlington Northern, travelers between K.C. and when the water receded damage was on BN road channel l (161.100 MHz); a talk­ and St. Joe had only one daily train each so severe that the line's physical plant did ing detector is located at Weston. way, trains 35/36, each a solitary heavy­ not return to normal until early September. Although most regularly scheduled weight coach pulled by an E9. Through and trains-including hotshot intermodal No. local freight service was sporadic. Operations Today 21-journey the line at night, there is still In the late 1970s, the beginning stream an ample number of daytime moves. The of what would become a flood of Wyoming The line today is impressive. Five long busiest times of day are early morning, coal began moving over the line. With this passing sidings aid the dispatcher and midday and early evening, making late new coal traffic, stretches of the Missouri trains often fly by at 60 mph ; loaded coal spring and summer good times to visit. River line, which in spots had resembled a drags are limited to 50 mph. The line, part Fall is the busiest season because of extra tallgrass prairie, were significantly up­ of the Lincoln Division since September grain movements and a surge in inter­ graded. BN replaced 112-pound jointed 1992, is paralleled closely most of the way modal shipments peaking in October as rail with 132-pound rail. In the late 1980s by paved roads. Highway curves and low retailers prepare for the Christmas season. thousands of concrete ties, to absorb the speed limits make chasing difficult, but an Coal trains appear at any time. The pounding of heavy strings of coal hoppers, average of 27 trains traveling between K.C. most frequently seen trainsets are from were installed. Big-time freight railroading and St. Joe every day means that you have SEPX (Southwestern Electric Power at had finally come to the Missouri River line. no shortage of subjects in the viewfinder. Welsh, Texas, and Flint Creek, Ark.), GSNX But even the best-built line cannot Manifest freights make up 45 percent of (Gulf States Utilities in Mossville, La.), withstand the powerful forces of nature, these moves, with coal trains a close second GRDX (Grand River Dam Authority in Pry­ as was evidenced during the Great Flood at 40 percent, while intermodal and grain or, Okla.) and KCLX (Kansas City Power & of 1993. BN's route was closed in July and account for 10 and 5 percent of the traffic, Light, which has plants at Kansas City and

KANSAS � MISSOURI N

To Memphis

Aban. C&NW to Des Moines I BN'S MISSOURI RIVER LINE

KANSAS � �Q � �/ °L! ___ __ � �� /v �� C����� �� ,...------...... :..------, Noah's REGULARLY SCHEDULED MANIFESTS Ark _ BURLINGTON NORTHERN � fWl. Airport-l- � Qdginlt!gS:loatlgc 20 Seotfle/Blrmingham, Ala. 12,20 p.m. Ex. Thurs. •••••• ABANDONED RAILROADS 21 Birmingham/Seattle 3:05 a.m. Daily = INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS 120 Pasco, Wosh./Blrmlngham 8,30 p.m Ex. Wed. 121 Memphis. Tenn./Pasco 2 p.m. Oaily --- OTHER HIGHWAYS 122 Spokane, Wash./K.C. 4:15 a.m. Ex. Thurs. Thursdays ® U.S. HIGHWAY 124 posco/Blrmlnghom 1:10 a,m. 125 Kansas City/Laurel, Mont. 6 p.m. Dolly @ STATE HIGHWAY 126 laurel/Kansas City 4:05 a.m. Thursdays NOT SHOWN IS THE ABANDONED CRI&P LINE FROM 131 Tulsa, Okla./Minneopolis 70.m. Daily ATCHISON, KS., TO ST. JOE, MO. THE LINE CLOSELY 132 Minneapolis{Tulsa 9:45 a.m. Doily PARALLELED THE eN FROM RUSHVillE TO ST. JOE 161 Birmingham/Denver 2:15 a.m. Dolly MAP BY CARL GRAVES AND TOM DANNEMAN 182 Denver/Birmingham 10,20 pm. Dally

38 . JANUARY 1994 Ladue, Mo., as well as the Iatan power plant at Sadler, Mo ., just north of Weston). Operations do vary from day to day as coal (and to a lesser degree grain) may move either at night or during the day depend­ ing upon traffic flow. Just about any locomotive BN operates can show up on the Missouri River line, with Kansas City Southern units being fre­ quent visitors as many of BN's coal trains have KCS destinations. Santa Fe's regular round-trip St. Joe Local, which has track­ age rights over the line, adds its blue-and­ yellow in a big way-the train is large enough to require three units most days.

Along the Missouri Valley

The Missouri River line is riddled with good photo possibilities. The route, dou­ ble-tracked for several miles, starts at BN's massive Murray Yard in North Kansas City and follows a westward course along State Highway 9. Photos with the K.C. skyline in the background are possible along here, though wires OPPOSITE PA GE: 5040-2 7258 leads another 5040-2 and a C30-7 on an eastbound coal train at latan on Aug. 26, 1990. Coal bound for power plants located on the KCS tumed this once­ cause some problems. At Clarke, a signal quiet route into a busy main line. Dan Munson ABOVE: An Oakway-Ied eastbound grain train tower marks the end of the double track. plods across the Platte River bridge just south of Farley on Sept. 19, 1992. Carl Graves Two miles west is scenic Parkville­ which boasts non-railfan amenities such as craft shops, bed-and-breakfasts and good to gravel South Bluff Road, gives you ac­ located here is the little town of Rushville. restaurants-where English Landing Park, cess to some great locations. At one bucol­ Besides a volunteer fire department and a wedged between the tracks and the river, ic setting you can park your vehicle and grain elevator, which provides a backdrop offers numerous photo possibilities. Leave hike north to a set of signals. With a long for trains, there is little to detain you here. Parkville on Mill Street, which becomes lens you can grab a shot of eastbounds As you leave Rushville, the line and River Road, and then take Bluff Road to fol­ with wooded bluffs forming a scenic back­ road curve to northeast and U.S. 59 re­ low the tracks. You are still close enough drop-especially in autumn. Keep your places SH 45. A long lens here brings in to K.C. to pick up terminal talk, so you of­ scanner handy because the detector at We­ the not-too-distant bluffs that parallel the ten get ample warning of westbounds. The ston warns you of approaching trains. east side of the line. eastbound signal provides a two-minute Additional attractive locations can be There are several points of interest in warning for trains, which make little noise reached by hiking north from the signals. the final 13 miles into St. Joe. Halls siding is when approaching from the west. (South Bluff Road beyond here is no longer frequently used for meets and is accessible Two miles west, Bluff Road and the drive able due to flood damage.) At this at several points. Farther north, the U.S. 59 tracks pass under Interstate 435. There point you are in Weston Bend State Park. overpass provides elevation for shots of are excellent morning and afternoon vistas Walking to milepost 29 takes you to an easi­ trains in either direction. The final miles in­ for eastbounds from the overpass and sur­ ly scaled rock shelf that provides superb to St. Joe are not particularly scenic, but rounding embankment. West of here is the mOrning shots of trains in either direction several grade crossings offer photos and a east end of the Waldron siding, which saw with the Missouri in the background. You view of the roadbed of the recently torn up heavy flooding this past summer. can also drive into the park through the Rock Island branch. In St. Joseph the high­ Beyond the west end of Waldron siding main entrance from Highway 45. way veers away from the line, which be­ is the junction with SH 45. Turn left here At Weston, where the town and sur­ comes double track. There is a small yard in and head into Farley, a quaint burg with a rounding territory resembles Kentucky the city, numerous grain elevators and rem­ grain elevator, a pretty church and a general and Tennessee because of the hills, barley nants of once-important stockyards. store where a loquacious owner serves re­ fields and alcohol distilleries, the defect Sound interesting? It is. The Missouri freshments. There are several photographic detector is located next to the BN depot, a River line deserves your attention. The possibilities just south of the town's main well-preserved structure that provides a Great Flood of 1993 is gone, but the trains street, including a steel girder bridge over frame for photos and a place to talk with are definitely back. PRN the Platte River and a tree-lined stretch of BN maintenance crews. Weston also has track bisected by a gravel grade crossing. numerous distractions for non-railfans in­ By now the line is headed almost due cluding two wineries, a McCormick dis­ north, allowing you good photos of morning tillery built in 1842, antique shops, B&Bs, westbounds . Opposite of East Leavenworth and several eateries of varying quality. siding is a farm called " Oleo Acres-The Leave Weston on North Bluff Road, Cheap Spread, " and in the middle of this which parallels the tracks back to SH 45, lengthy Siding is a gravel grade crossing of­ and offers several morning across-the-field fering an excellent view of eastbounds. shots and one grade crossing. The junction Beverly, eight miles north of Farley, is a with SH 45 is near a highway overpass small collection of houses and the former that can serve as a photo spot for either di­ interlocking point for the abandoned rection almost any time of day. From the C&NW, nee Chicago Great Western, overpass you can also see KCP&L's Iatan Kansas City-Des Moines line. The highway generating plant. This facility receives unit overpass here is practically useless for coal trains by way of a balloon track that photography because of wires and a lack veers off the nearby Sadler siding. of walkways, but a left turn off Highway Nine miles north of Sadler is Armour 45 onto a gravel road before you reach the siding. Just beyond is Davies, where BN's Beverly Hills Antique Mall, then a right on- branch to Atchison, Kan., veers west. Also

PACIFIC RAILNews • 39 ILLINOIS CENTRAL'S

ILLINOIS

Text and Photography by Brian Carlson

n the age of deregulation and line trolled by Track Permit Control System, to the east. In 1904 the company provided spin-offs by Class I railroads, one where movements are authorized by a track electric service to Mattoon and in 1910 thing stayed pretty much the same : permit issued from the dispatcher. The changed its name to CIPS. IClass Is kept most of their lucrative speed limit over the branch is 35 mph. At CIPS serves an area of about 20,000 branch lines that serve electric generat­ the small inhabitance of Lis, 4.5 miles west square miles in central, southern, and ing plants. Such is the case with Illinois of Newton, the lead to the CIPS power plant western Illinois through company head­ Central's Newton Branch. diverges from the branch and heads south quarters in Springfield. The company op­ Illinois Central's Effingham District splits six miles to access the plant. The speed lim­ erates five generating stations : coal-fired off the Champaign District main line at it on this lead is 10 mph. plants at Coffeen in the south-central area

Effingham, Ill., at a wye. Built as a narrow­ of the state ; Newton in the southeastern gauge railroad in the late 1880s, the New­ The Plant part ; Hutsonville, also in the southeast; ton Branch runs 21.9 miles and terminates and Grand Tower in the far southwest ; in Newton, Ill. , at a point IC calls INRD Central Illinois Public Service Company be­ and an oil-fired station at Meredosia in Junction. IC interchanges with both Indiana gan operations in 1902 as the Mattoon City west-central Illinois. Railroad and Indiana Hi-Rail at Newton, but Railway Company, organized to provide The Newton Generating Facility boasts Central Illinois Public Service Company's streetcar service in Mattoon. The company two generating units. Unit 1 went on line Newton Generating Facility provides much later expanded its electric railway system in fall 1977 and Unit 2 in fall 1982. The of the traffic on the branch. The line is con- to link Mattoon with Charleston, nine miles plant is located on a man-made lake built

40 • JANUARY 1994 for cooling and has a total net generating capacity of 1.11 million kilowatts. The plant uses a scrubber to reduce harmful sulfur dioxide emissions and has a work­ force of more than 200 people.

Rail Operations

To feed its boilers, the plant receives anywhere from three to five coal trains per week. When Unit 1 is operating at full ca­ pacity, a 70- to 80-car train arrives twice each week from AMAX Coal Industries' Delta Mine near Harrisburg, ill. Unit 2 is shut down for most of the year but is acti­ vated when electricity demand is high, usu­ ally during the summer. When Unit 2 is on line, an extra 50-car train is brought in each week, and when Unit 2 is at full capacity, yet another train wil l be delivered. Al­ though CIPS prides itself in burning mostly Illinois coal, it does manage to sneak in one train of Western coal per week that origi­ nates at the Energy Mineon Southern Pacif­ ic's Craig Branch in Colorado, and is handed to IC at East St. Louis. These trains use Rio Grande hoppers and two to five six-axle SPID&RGW locomotives. As with power OPPOSITE PA GE: Three Illinois Central SD20s haul a coal train eastward on the Newton plants throughout the U.S., enough coal is Branch near Dieterich, III., on March 26, 1993. A cut of covered hoppers with lime for the scrubbers and a caboose has been cut in behind the power. ABOVE: An overall view of stockpiled at the plant to run at full capacity for a few days even if a train doesn't arrive. the CIPS power plant near Newton, III., shows a string of coal hoppers being unloaded. To haul the 3 million tons of coal per year to the plant, CIPS owns a fleet of 145 Thrall rotary gondolas, carrying reporting marks CIPX. Whole trains of these red-end­ Illinois Central's ed gons are a common sight on IC's coal lines in southern Illinois. CIPS also owns Newton Branch 40 covered hoppers that are used to haul lime for the scrubber. These cars are white and also carry the reporting marks CIPX. Rounding out the cars received at the plant are covered hoppers from any source used to haul soda ash for the scrubber. To move this collection of cars around the property, CIPS employs two locomo­ tives. Number 8 is a 300 h.p., chain-driven General Electric 45-tonner built in Decem­ ber 1957. It was transferred to the Newton plant from the Grand Tower facility and - ILLINOIS CENTRAL To Indianapolis, Ind. spends most of its time in the lime dump­ -- OTHER RAILROADS ing house waiting for a call to duty. The Indiana RR other unit, GP35 No. 2000, was originally -- ROADS (NOT ALL SHOWN) NEWTON leased from Precision National, but is now @ U.S. HIGHWAYS owned by CIPS. The GP35 spends most of ® STATE HIGHWAYS its time on the loop track, spotting trains MAP BY ANDREW S. NELSON AND TOM DANNEMAN for unloading. When IC delivers a train, the crew places it in one of the holding tracks on the north side of the plant. When it comes time to unload, the train is brought projects, work is contracted out, but for the The radio frequency for the branch is IC around to the other side of the plant to the most part, maintenance is done in-house. Road Channel l, 161.190. If you tire of the dump house. There the locomotive is de­ slow pace of the branch, the IC or Conrail tached and a car puller coaxes the gondo­ Across The Prairie main lines in Effingham might boost your las into the shed for dumping. pulse. Lodging can be found in either Effin­ After a worker uncouples the car, the ro­ Railfanning the Newton Branch is easy, gham or Newton and food and other neces­ tary dumper slowly turns the car upside­ as Illinois State Highway 33 parallels the sities can be found in either locale as well. down to empty it. At the bottom of the entire length of the branch. The INRD and The branch traverses some scenic stretches dumper is a huge bin capable of holding six IHRC interchanges are served by a daily of prairie, rolling past farmhouses and carloads of coal. From this bin the coal is ei­ turn called for 7 p.m. at Effingham. Coal through quaint little towns, so there are ther fed directly to the boiler or dumped on­ trains can show up at any time, although ample photographic opportunities on this to a stockpile for later use. After unloading, early morning is the best bet for catching little-known appendage of the IC empire. the cars are taken around the loop track one. The CIPS plant does not al low visitors I would like to thank Gary D. Harvey, back to the holding tracks for IC to pick up. on its property unless permission is previ­ Traffic Supervisor for CIPS; Charlie King, CIPS performs its own maintenance on ously arranged through the main office in foreman at the Newton plant; the employ­ plant trackage and keeps the track up to Springfield. The locomotives stay behind ees of the Newton Generating Facility; standards that rival that of anv Class I the fence at the plant and security is tight, Dave Hornbeck of IC; and Eddie Fisher for main line. For especially large or difficult so getting photos of them may be difficult. their assistance with this article. PRN

PACIFIC RAILNews • 41 RTH AMERICA

by CN) to a nearby pulp mill. The line is Cheam Blockade CN Slams Manitoba freight only and runs through some spec­ tacular countryside. A salmon dispute escalated into a block­ Canadian National has released a report ade of the main line through Fraser condemning the Manitoba Emergency Canyon, B.C., between Aug. 29 and Sept. Measures Organization for its handling of Another New Train 3. Cheam Native Americans blocked the a major derailment in December 1992. line with pickup trucks near Chilliwack, Twenty-nine cars of train 218 derailed on Another new train has been added in the B.C., after a weekend of confrontation Dec. 19 in the village of Oakville, between Chicago-Winnipeg corridor. Symboled with law officers. According to the Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie. Haz­ 378/379, these unit trains are unusual in Cheams, CN was involved because it is a ardous chemicals were spilled, which led that they are loaded northbound, the oppo­ government corporation. CN obtained an to the evacuation of the community. Resi­ site of all other unit trains in this corridor. injunction on Aug. 30, but the Cheams dents were allowed to return 24 days later Train 379 runs about three times per week maintained that the blockade was on their to face burst water pipes, damaged per­ and consists of about 80 Southern Railway land and that CN had no right to enforce ishables and other problems caused by covered hoppers loaded with phosphate the injunction. After CN obtained an en­ their hurried departure and several days rock received from NS at Chicago and des­ forcement order on Sept. 1, natives threat­ of below-zero temperatures. CN criticized tined for Imperial Oil Limited at Beamer, ened to rip up a section of track near Chill­ the EMO as being overly cautious, and Alta. Empties are either returned to Chica­ iwack. At one point, five masked men sat poorly informed about how to handle go as train 378 or on train 340, or are for­ in bulldozers and front-end loaders await­ chemicals, and for exluding CN from the warded to Benbow, Alta., for sulfur loading ing word from their leaders to begin the planning process for handling the situa­ before continuing to Chicago as train 378. destruction. They relented on Sept. 2 after tion. The EMO has denied the charges. This train has frequently been rating being promised a meeting with the deputy some interesting motive power consists. A fisheries minister and the blockade was few examples include train 379 at St. Paul removed the following day. RTCs May Relocate on Oct. 20 with Grand Trunk Western The shutdown forced the rerouting of SD40 5931/CN SD40s 5028/5009/5210/ some of CN's freight traffic, VIA's Canadi­ Rail traffic controllers in Winnipeg, Man., GTW SD40-2 5936 and on Oct. 24 with an and the Great Canadian Railtour's suspect that CN is planning to transfer GTW 5227/Detroit Edison SD40 0161 Rocky Mountaineer over CP Rail. Much of their jobs to Edmonton, Alta., by 1996. CN C&NW SD40-2s 6830/6877. The DE SD40 is CN's freight traffic was significantly de­ has denied the suggestion, but the compa­ on long-term lease to CN and the North layed. The blockade cost CN $3 million per ny has already consolidated some of its Western units were paying back mileage day in lost revenue. dispatching operations this fall, including owed to the GTW. moving the Saskatoon, Sask., office to Ed­ monton. According to the Winnipeg con­ trollers, the Saskatoon move is only the DW&P News first of what could be the closure of dis­ WINTERAIL '94 patching offices in Kamloops, Prince Get your photos now of DW&P locomo­ George, B.C., and Winnipeg in favor of a tives. SD40 5902 is the latest unit to be re­ RAILROAD PHOTOGRAPHY consolidated operation at Edmonton. painted into the CN North America EXPOSITION AND RAILROADIANA scheme. Sister unit 5909 is now at Battle SHOW & SALE Creek, Mich., for overhaul and may be re­ SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1994 Graham Sub Threatened painted as well. On a related note, GTW SD40 5931 was overhauled, repainted and CN has notified the National Transporta­ assigned to DW&P service in October. All tion Agency of its intent to abandon the eight of GTW's SD40-2s are now assigned Graham Subdivision in northwestern On­ to DW&P for service between Winnipeg tario. This 159-mile line connects with the and Chicago. Kashabowie Subdivision at Conmee, 30 With more trains operating in and out of miles west of Thunder Bay on the south Chicago from the DW&P, CN frequently end, and with the Allanwater Subdivision finds itself short of power at Belt Railway of at Superior Junction, five miles east of Chicago's Clearing Yard. When this occurs Sioux Lookout, on the north end. The Gra­ a set of GTW power, typically GP38s and ham Sub has not seen through-traffic for GP40s, is borrowed for use on train 341. SCOTIISH RITE TEMPLE . 33 WEST ALPINE AVE. several years. In years past it did occa­ These four-axle units typically make it only STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA sionally handle overflow traffic such as to Pokegema Yard in Superior, Wis., before 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. grain empties returning to Winnipeg, but being turned back on train 340. currently only the northernmost 30 miles QUALITY RAILROAD PHOTOGRAPHY THROUGH For several weeks in September and MULTI-VISUAL SLIDE PRESENTATIONS of the line see service, infrequent ballast early October, CSX power became a com­

Steve Schmollinger (Tehachapi) and trains from a pit near Watcomb. mon sight on trains between Winnipeg Brion Jennison (Winter Rails) headline and Chicago. Power observed consisted of WINTERAIL '945 list of photographers. including: Dick Dam. SD50s and SD40-2s paying back horse­ Honk Graham, Doug Koontz. Brian Solomon. Mark Wayman and a movie from Don Olsen .. Alberta Resource Railway For Sale power-hours. PHOTO PRINT COMPETITION The C40-8Ms, always a novelty for rail­ LARGE RAILROAD lANA SHOW & SALE fans in the Midwest, are being concentrat­ (TIMETABLES, VIDEO TAP ES, BOOKS, CHINA, APPAREL, The Province of Alberta has announced SCALE MODELS AND PHOTOGRAPHS) that it wants to sell the 233-mile Alberta ed west of Edmonton. A list of consists for FULL EVENT TICKET: $17 by advance mail only. Resources Railway, which is operated by all CN trains in Manitoba and eastern Make check/MO payable to: Canadian National. Its main stem runs Saskatchewan on Oct. 23 showed none of VIC NEVES - WINTERAIL '94 from Hinton (on CN's Edson Subdivision) the GEs in the area. P.O. BOX 23721 • OAKLAND, CA 94623-0721 to Grande Prairie. There is also a branch Thanks to BRS BRANCHLINE, CmCA GO­ Include SASE running from Peace River (on the former LAND RAIr."ROADS, Ken Jon es, Jim Lewis, Karl 'Presentations subject 10 change without prior notice. Northern Alberta Railway and now owned Rasmussen and Dale Wh itmee.

42 • JANUARY 1994 AMTRAK/PASSENGER

Exclusive: Aboard the Tennessee Pass and Royal Gorge Special

The annual convention of the American Association Of Private Car Owners (AAPRCO) in Sacramento, Calif. , on Oct. 21-24 produced a gathering of about 42 privately owned passenger cars, an im­ pressive sight as cars were strung out along the Sacramento River on the grounds of the California State Railroad Museum. Two special Amtrak trains brought the cars to that riverfront location. The public enj oyed the opportunity to tour the cars on Oct. 23 and 24 and attend the traditional open house (for a modest fee). For many, the main event was the spe­ cial train returning from Sacramento to Chicago via Feather River Canyon, Ten­ nessee Pass and Royal Gorge. Until the AAPRCO special operated (in both direc­ tions ) via the Gorge, there had not been a passenger train there since late 1967. After the 1993 AAPRCO convention in Sacramento, a 20-car PV special headed east via two notable freight-only routes, the ex-WP and the Tennessee Pass line. The special is shown wind­ ing its way up the Feather River Canyon at Rock Creek, Calif., on Oct. 25, 1993. Adam Clegg Getting It Together

Afterthe convention, switching of the cars The train was doubled over on two sta­ few minutes tardy on the 29th, after travers­ was done by the staffof the Sacramento tion tracks so as to not block any crossings. ing 2,705 miles and parts of six states in five Southern Railroad, the operating arm of the An hour and a half later, after servicing, and days. It had been a once-in-a-lifetime trip, CSRM. Things got off to a rocky start when addition of another F40, the train ventured and one which may never be repeated. the SSR's switcher derailed on one of the out on former Rio Grande trackage running fi rst moves. The cars were marshaled into as Second No. 6. Some of the best handling two primary cuts, one for the special train of the special was on the Rio Grande, as the traveling to Oakland and Los Angeles, train moved at a fast pace despite meeting which departed first, and then the 20 cars eight trains between Salt Lake and Grand bound for Chicago and intermediate points. Junction. The train was spotted on the de­ The consist of the second train included: pot Siding at Grand Junction for the night, Duluth Missabe & Iron Range RR Florida, Georgia 300, Northern Sky, Peter­ to time the next day's departure for the best

R . $40• son Canyon, Sierra Hotel, Prairie Rose, scenery watching. 120eg. Min47 95 95 Palm Beach, Hollywood Beach, Dagny L1V STEEL ORE LINES Ta ggart, Survivor, Chapel Hill, Caritas, Na­ LTV/Erie Mining RR tional Forum, Columbia River, Na tive Son, The Main Event F9's· Alcos· Baldwins Si lver Lariat, Na tional Border, Monterey, Bella Vi sta and the Pointe St. Ch arles. The train departed Grand Junction at 6: 30 �egMi�·95 $32.95 a.m., and it took three hours to move the Three Amtrak F40s arrived at the mu­ TACONITE TRAINS seum on Oct. 25 to pick up the Chicago­ 120 miles to Dotsero, Colo., where the OF MINNESOTA bound special. The train moved to the Am­ Tennessee Pass line branches off the Mof­ Iron Ore Roads: MIR ·CYPRUS· BN·LTV trak depot to load passengers and depart­ fat main. It was about an hour's ride to D ed shortly after noon. Minturn, where D&RGW SD40T-2 helpers Reg.120 Min47 .95 $40• 95 5369 and 5394 were added on the point to ALCOS ON THE assist the train over the pass. After the GREEN BAY&WESTERN Lookat the GBW Through the Canyon helpers were removed at Tennessee Pass Plus connecting RR'I siding, it was downhill to Pueblo, Colo. • Originally, plans were for the PV special to Beautiful scenery, snow capped peaks and Reg.100 Min38.95 $32 95 pause at Oroville, Calif. , for a couple of later, the steep canyon walls of the Royal NICOLET BADGER hours due to track work, but the late start Gorge, marked the landscape along a line NORTHERN from Sacramento canceled that. The train whose future is very uncertain, particular­ ��u':P. �D :��rltWi wound through the Feather River Canyon ly if SP secures trackage rights over the 33.95 $28.95 in fading light, but time and work-related BN east of Denver. i problems caught up with the train at Pax­ The special arrived in Pueblo late after­ ton, Calif., where it was held for an hour noon on the 27th. The train was serviced and the crew changed in anticipation of not before continuing on the Santa Fe to La making Portola on the hours-of-service law. Junta, Colo., freight-only trackage that The train rolled over the ex-Western Pacific hasn't had passenger service since 1970. I $1.00ea. additional in darkness, and a service stop at Win­ At La Junta, the special split, with one .�,"I.m._al'U 5% sales tax nemucca, Nev., consumed an hour and a section continuing to Chicago, and the re­ ChecklM.O./Cr.Card#,Exp. half. After that followed an impressive sun­ maining five cars heading west on the lit trip down Silver Zone Pass, and meets Southwest Chief for Los Angeles. with five westbound UP freights before fi­ After crossing Raton and Cajon passes, EXPRESS - nally arriving at Salt Lake City at 2:20 p.m. the five-car ensemble arrived in L.A. only a

PA CIFIC RAILNews • 43 AN \ INSIDER'S VIEW

The New York Central of the 1940's was a mighty railroad, with a never-ending parade of freight and these reels, and includes rare footage never passenger trains making their way along the well-main­ before seen by the public. We begin in black-and-white tained tracks of the Water Level Route. Steam was king days, during World War II, and move on into the realm Order Toll Free 24 Hours A Day as World War II began, with the mighty "Hudsons" still of color following the end of the war. Crack passenger the pride of the fleet. Within just a few years, sleek limiteds, local commuter trains, and plenty of freight 800-950-9333 diesel locomotives could be found at the head of many action are all found in abundance as we journey along important trains as well. the Central's mainline between Harmon and Buffalo, FAX 818-793-3797 Into this world stepped cinematographer Fred New York. We also visit the Harmon roundhouse and Beach. Hired in1941 bythe Central, Fredwent trackside watch as steam locomotives are serviced between runs. between 1941 and 1954 to record the many activities of Great railroading action, famous locomotives, sleek this great railroad. Much of the resulting film was used passenger trains, and beautiful New York scenery - to produce a number of public relations and employee they're all here. You won't want to miss this vintage tour .P training films, many of which survive to this day. Much of the New York Central - AnInsider's View. � P.O. Box 9491 1, more of the raw footage was left unused. 50 Minutes #NYCENT $39.95 Pasadena, CA 91 109

Check or Money Order Visa/MasterCard VHS Only CALL OR WRITE FOR FREE CA TALOG

Please odd $4.00 shipping per order. plus $1.00 for each additional tope. Canadian customers odd $5.00 shipping per order. plus $1.00 for each additional tope. All other International customers odd $10.00 per tope. California residents please odd 8.25% sales tax. 1/94. ILLINOIS CENTRAL

197 (Detroit-EI Paso) and V-CHLA (vehicle from BN ownership, while 6122, 6148, and sp to Get Trackage Rights? Chicago-L.A.). These trains were routed to 6157 have been outfitted with ditch lights. Memphis and forwarded to the BN. A cou­ IC has been adding Operation Lifesaver Southern Pacific may be vacating Illinois ple of 213s (Conrail Streator-Kansas City) decals to repainted locomotives, including Central's IMX facility in Chicago at the were routed to Effingham, Ill., on CR and 6146, 6148, 6154, 6157, 6159 and 9534. end of the year. SP and IC are reportedly handed to IC for the trip to Memphis. close to an agreement allowing SP to Santa Fe routed these trains northbound move into the Moyers Intermodal facility over the IC : O-LANY (Ouality Los Angeles­ New CTC Project in Homewood, Ill., while also giving SP New York), O-FRCH (Fresno-Chicago), 0- trackage rights on the IC from Chicago to RICH (Richmond-Chicago), V-BAME An 18-month CTC project started this fall Memphis, Tenn., using SP crews. SP plans (Barstow-Chicago/NS), V-OKCH (Oklahoma on the Yazoo District. To move trains more on running TOFC and doublestacks south City-Chicago), 791 (EI PaSO-Detroit), 851 effectively, IC decided to "light up " this and autos and TOFC north with two trains (Barstow-Chicago), 856 (Barstow-Chica­ dark territory that hosts all freight move­ each way per day. Ifthis agreement is go/NS), 881 (LA-Chicago), 952 (Richmond­ ments south of Memphis. (Amtrak 58/59 consummated IC will likely have to double Streator), 961 and 991 (Richmond-Chicago). and piggyback trains IOIII02 use the the capacity of the Moyers facility. All of these trains ran from Memphis to Grenada District.) New two-mile sidings Chicago, except the 952 trains, which were will be installed at Wicker, Rising Sun and handed to Conrail at Effingham. Pocahontas, all in Mississippi. The CTC IC Reported Second Quarter Profit Southern Pacific was a regular detour control from Memphis to Lake Cormorant, customer on the St. Louis District from Au­ Miss., was transferred to the dispatcher at IC reported income for the second quarter gust to mid-October. SP routed up to three Desk Four in Homewood, Ill., in late of $19.9 million before an extraordinary trains each way per day from Pickneyville, September. This section was previously charge of $23.4 million associated with the Ill., to East St. Louis, Ill. Northbounds in­ operated by the chief yard clerk at Mem­ company's refinancing of its subordinated cluded TXESO (Tenaha-East St. Louis phis under the authority of the dispatcher. debt. The 1993 second quarter earnings sprint), HOCHO (Houston-Chicago), SRASO were an increase of $3 million over the (Houston-Alton & Southern), EGCHO (Eagle same period in 1992. The results for 1993 Pass-Chicago), HOCHF (Houston-Chicago Black Diamond Update reflect lower labor and fringe benefit costs forwarder), DAESF (Dallas-East St. Louis), offset by leases and car hire costs. The BTASO (Beaumont-A&S) and PBASM (Pine As reported in the last column, IC had 1993 second quarter car loadings re­ Bluff-A&S manifest). Southbounds were been receiving test trains from BN at mained essentially the same over the ASPBM (A&S-Pine Bluff), CHPBM (Chicago­ Memphis for delivery to Evanston, Miss., same period last year. Increases in grain Pine Bluff), ASHOO (A&S-Houston) and symboled UBNEVIUEVBN. In mid-Septem­ and chemical loadings were offset by a ASHOD (A&S-Houston detour). ber there were three train sets rotating sharp decline in coal caused by the United In late September and early October, SP from the Power River Basin to Evanston Mine Workers' strike. had to detour many of these same symbols from BN. The trains were resymbolled due to more flooding in Missouri. UMEEV IUEVME, and operated for about a month. No new contract has been signed. Amtrak Wreck Prompts CSX Detours Orient No. 6 Mine started loading one Get Out Your Locomotive Rosters ... train per week for the Alabama State September 22's Amtrak derailment near Docks in Mobile as of late September. The Mobile, Ala. , forced CSX to find other Updating IC's locomotive roster, the follow­ trains are symbolled UORMOIUMOOR. routes to get traffic in and out of New Or­ ing locomotives were retired/sold during Orient was also loading one train per leans. This resulted in IC picking up some the first half of 1993. Most locomotives went week for the Consolidated Grain and extra traffic between Leewood, Tenn., (IC to Steel Processing for scrapping, except Barge terminal at Mounds City, Ill. The actually runs over the CSX from Leewood where noted: GP8s: 7701, 7705, 7706, 7711, coal is barged up the Mississippi River to to Memphis) and New Orleans until Oct. 3, 7716, 7717, 7723-7725, 7727, 7729-7732, Dairyland Power at Winona, Minn. The when CSX put the bridge back in service. 7734, 7739, 7741-7746, 7800, 7900, 7901, trains are symbolled UORMCIUMCOR. CSX train symbols that detoured were 7903, 7908, 7918, 7952, 7910, 7911, 7913 (to northbounds U281, 0602, 0614, X808, Mississippi Delta} 7914, 7917, 7954, 7962, X8 10, X875, X892, X898, X899 and south­ 7965, 7970, 7988, 7994 and 7996; 7700, IC Shorts bound 0579. The CSX trains not only ran 7703, 7704, 7707, 7722, 7726, 7850, 7908 with CSX power, but also had run-through and 7918 were sold to Pinsly Railroad; IC has purchased a reported 75 new coil power from SP and UP, making it confus­ GPI0s 8092, 8086, 8117, 8129, 8220, 8311 steel cars, to be built by Trinity Industries ing as to whose trains they really were. and 8314 (the latter two went to Atlantic & in Clinton, Ill. ...The siding at Effingham, Gulf) ; the following GPI0s were sold to Ill., is being shortened. The old Siding VMV: 8010, 8098, 8116, 8153, 8173, 8214, stretched all the way to the Conrail dia­ Summer Flood Detour Tally 8241, 8346, 8354, 8359, 8446, 8460, 846 1, mond, and when a northbound freight sat 8464 ancl 8466. Also retired were SW14s waiting for CR to clear, it blocked the Here's a wrap-up on the detours IC accept­ 1404, 1417, 1418 and 1479 ; GPl1 8728; grade crossings south of the diamond. The ed due to the summer (and fall) flooding. GP35 2550; GP38 9570 ; GP30 2250; GP40s shortened siding will be located entirely BN detoured into late August, and then 3029, 3105, 3116, 3127 and 3128; SD28 9451 within the yard ...Montrose Grain and again in late September and early October. (sold to National Railway); SD40 6053; and Feed will expand to a 30-car grain loading In October BN trains 143/144 detoured from SD40A 6024 (sold to National Railway). facility at Lis, Ill., by year's end, expecting Metropolis Junction, Ill. , to Memphis while Here are the latest ex-BN SD40-2s and an 800-car increase in shipments annually . train 21 went from Memphis to Centralia. their number changes : BN 6754-6759 to IC ..IC has added a pair of intermodal trains. Santa Fe ran a total of 44 detours over 6145-6150; BN 6761 to 6151; BN 6764 to I09III0 will be the new scheduled trains the IC from July 12 to Aug. 8. There were 6154; BN 6766 to 6155; BN 6768-6771 to between Jackson, Miss., and Mobile, Ala. 22 southbounds carrying the following San­ 6156-6159. The following units remain The trains are to start running Nov. 1. ta Fe symbols : 135 (Chicago-East Texas), with BN numbers : 6753, 6762, 6763 and Th anks to Brian Matsumoto, David 138 (Chicago-Barstow), 188 and 198 (Chica­ 6772. The 6145 and the 6772 have been Daisy, A. Lincoln, Brian Carlson, P.J. Gratz go-LA), 189 and 199 (Chicago-Richmond), spotted with flashing strobes, a holdover and Sonny Sellers Jr.

PA CIFIC RAILNews • 45 UNION PA CIFIC

SW1500 No. 53, a switcher at Fort Worth's Centennial Yard for the past two years. Another former MKT unit in its original colors, GP40 173, has been on lease in Mexico since 1989, but recently came back across the border.

Traffic Exceeds Plant Capacity

To keep pace with a projected 4-to-5 per­ cent annual increase in traffic through the year 2000, in addition to its ongoing dou­ ble-tracking projects through the Blue Mountains of Oregon and the Marysville Subdivision in Kansas and Nebraska, UP has announced it will add a third main track east from North Platte, Neb., with the first segment covering 13.65 miles. Eventually, UP will triple-track the Council Bluffs Subdivision between North Platte and Gibbon Junction, Neb. Traffic growth on this line has been phenomenal. Twenty years ago there was an average of 40 trains per day; today The CWLKM heads eastbound through Gray Summit, Mo., on UP's Sedalia Sub on Oct. 5, 1993. there is an average of 90 trains, with 150 The subdivision's crew district was recently lengthened to include the entire St. Louis-Kansas trains per day projected by 2000. City run, eliminating Jefferson City as a crew-change point for most trains. Dan Schroeder In addition to the third main, UP will re­ design the layout at Gibbon Junction to north of Houston. It arrived at the Jenks handle this influx of traffic. Land acquisi­ The Last Blue Unit? Shop in North Little Rock, Ark., in Novem­ tions have started for the project, slated to ber for its periodic inspection and a possi­ begin in 1995. The project includes build­ As 1993 came to a close, 11 years follow­ ble trip through the paint shop. ing a seven-mile track between Buda and ing the Union Pacific/Missouri Pacific During September and October, other a connection with the Marysville Sub one merger, there was one last UP-owned lo­ notable units received Armour yellow and mile south of Gibbon Junction. A second comotive wearing MoPac blue, GP38-2 Harbor Mist gray : SD40-2 3270, repainted two- to three-mile track will be built from 2310. (Five GP38-2s owned by TXL Leas­ and renumbered on Sept. 14 to 4270, and a connection with the other new segment ing-2075, 2089, 2092, 2103 and 2106- GP15-1 1685, both of which were the last south of Gibbon, which will then run currently work on the UP in MoPac blue.) units in their class to wear blue. The last north, cross the Council Bluffs Sub above The 2310 was working Trinity Sub locals former Missouri-Kansas-Texas unit oper­ grade, then descend to a connection with based out of Westfield, Texas, 20 miles ating on the UP was also repainted, the Council Bluffs Sub's north main track.

"GRAND ISLAND CROSSING" by noted 'rallroadlIlus/rato" Robert West. Union Pacific Wants Your Photos

We are seeking color pholOgraphs of our contempo· rary operations for our 1995 calendar. We need train piclUres and scenic views representing the four sea· sons from our 19·state service area. We will pay $ 100 for publication righlS for each photo used and credit Ole photographer on Ole calendar. Each phOIO should be labeled with your name, address and the location of the picture. Although Union Pacific will not assume responsibility for lost or d:unaged material, we will return phoIographs accompanied by SAS packaging.

Immediate release of Jelsma G raphics' first print, depicting the crossing of the Union Pacific and Transparencies are preferred. Burlington railroads in Grand Island, Nebraska in June 1954. It's 7:00 a.m., the sun is starring to 1IJe deadline Ja r submission oj photos is Marcil 1. rise as several trains converge at the junction. The westbound "City of San Francisco" is running Send entries to: late, while an eastbound C.B.&Q. Zephyr is waiting for a green signaL Printed on 80 lb, Saxony, John Bromley, Director Media Relations Loe embossed paper, mailed in round shipping rubes. Union Pacific Railroad 1991 Coming: CHEYEN E CROSSING CU.P. and B.N.) 1416 Dodge St., Room 605

Artisl proofs (1-80) 580.00 Omalla, t{F.

46 . JANUARY 1994 Expansion elsewhere on the UP will see damaged both the 9504 and Dash 8-40CW new track construction on the Little Rock A Bump on the North Platte Subdivision 9391, and derailed 27 loaded hoppers. The and Dallas subdivisions between Little wreck closed down this busy subdivision Rock, Ark., and Longview, Texas. Addition­ On Oct. 1, an empty 103-car westbound for 24 hours. Fortunately, both crew mem­ al sidings are also needed on the Fort Worth CRDJR coal train was approaching Key­ bers suffered only minor injuries. and Austin subs between Fort Worth and stone, Neb., on the North Platte Sub. The San Antonio. Increased traffic in the Pacific dispatcher in Omaha notified CRDJR's Northwest area will force UP to both build crew that it would meet an eastbound Other News and lengthen sidings on the mostly single­ loaded coal train a few miles west at Mar­ track Pocatello Sub between Rawlins, Wyo ., tin siding. A few minutes later, the crew of Two crew-change points on the system and Pocatello, Idaho. the CRDJR received panicked instructions have been downgraded to only occasional Freight yards and intermodal terminals from the dispatcher to stop, and for good use. Most trains will no longer re-crew at will also have their capacities expanded. reason: the engineer of eastbound CJRBD Jefferson City, Mo., on UP's Sedalia Sub, UP will build a larger facility south of had attempted to set the brakes as his approximately half-way between St. Louis Stockton, Calif. , to replace ex-WP facilities train approached Martin, but the brakes and Kansas City. And most trains will no in Stockton. New intermodal facilities will failed to respond from C41-8Ws 9502 and longer get a new crew at Winnemucca, also be built in Memphis, Tenn., and Port­ 9504, both of which had been in service Nev., as crews will now run the 348 miles land, Ore., while the Seattle facilities will for only eight days. of Feather River Division main line be­ be expanded. The Seattle project, which is When the westbound stopped just out­ tween Portola, Calif., and Elko, Nev. Only a $250 million, 250-acre container terminal side Keystone, the crew vacated the cab. slow secondary trains such as STSC being built by American President Lines, is As the eastbound approached, with what (Stockton-Salt Lake City) and NPST (North currently on hold as Burlington Northern is engineer Sandy Arnold would later de­ Platte-Stockton) will received fresh crews refusing to allow UP access to the facility scribe to the North Platte newspaper as at Winnemucca. via trackage rights APL wants UP to have. the most helpless feeling that anyone The former MoPac roundhouse at Hois­ Also planned are expansions of freight could have, the two-person crew jumped ington, Kan., will be torn down as it has yards at North Platte, Kansas City, Houston one-half mile from the point of impact been deemed a safety hazard. and the completion of the new hump yard while still traveling 25 mph. The resulting Th anks to George Cockle, Roy Lopez, at Livonia, La., scheduled to open in 1996. collision destroyed the 9502 and heavily Chris Fry and Union Pa cific Railroad

SHORT

Traffic levels are up on POTB thanks to the road Aleo RS-3s transferred to Magma ear­ Critter News opening of a gravel quarry operation near lier this year. In September SMARRCo No. Cochran. A daily unit train now makes the 8 was in regular service on the road The ex-Trona Baldwin AS-616s are being round trip from the quarry to the dump site freight. The other RS-3, SMARRCo No. 9, repaired and repainted for service at John­ at Hillsboro. Power for this train is one of was undergoing heavy repairs at the Mag­ ston Terminals at the Port of Muskogee, the ex-SP SD9Es and two recently acquired ma shops at Superior, and both units will Okla. Units 52 and 54 are slated to return ex-BN SD9s. Additional motive power is on be painted in the blue-and-yellow scheme to service, joining JT's ex-SP S- 12, while the way as ex-SP GP9E 3771 was being re­ recently adopted for SMARRCo. No . 53 is to be cannibalized. Number 54 paired and repainted by San Joaquin Valley has been repainted in Johnston's blue-and­ Railroad at Exeter, Calif. , before being de­ white scheme . The Baldwins are usually livered to POTB in Oregon. GP38-2s to San Manual visible from public property-Johnston Terminal requires a signed release before San Manual Arizona recently purchased entering its property. Baldwins Wither three more GP38-2s, allowing the retire­ ment or storing of the RS-3 fleet, except The era of Baldwin power on Magma Ari­ for the two units sent to Magma Arizona. Gravel and More SD9s zona has nearly come to an end. Only S-8 These GP38-2s will be numbered 18, 19 NO. 9 (ex-McCloud River 31) is active, used and 20. One ofthe units is ex-Santa Fe The State of Oregon has removed the previ­ as the switcher around the yard and mine, 2373, while the other two are ex-CSX. ous operators of the Port of Tillamook Bay and all three units were for sale. SMARRCo also recently purchased two Railroad and placed the property under the What prompted the change is the suc­ additional chopped-nosed GP9s for mov­ new Oregon Tillamook Railroad Authority. cess of the two San Manual Arizona Rail- ing the mine-to-smelter push-pull trains.

• FOLLOWING THE C&NW MAIN ACROSS EASTERN IOWA

• RETURN TO WASHINGTON CENTRAL RAILROAD

• BALDWIN-POWERED AMADOR CENTRAL IN CALIFORNIA

• UP IN EVANSTON, WYOMING

PACIFIC RAILNews • 47 ______lOF� RAILROADING 7,523 Strong

ABOVE: One reason Santa Fe dieselized early was that it had to ship water for steam engines throughout the desert areas it operated in, a costly procedure. Here three of the F7s that helped displace steam lead a west­ bound freight at Pueblo, Colo., on June 25, 1974. Ed Fulcomer OPPOSITE PA GE TOP: An A-B-A set of Fs lead Great Northern's morning pool train southbound from Centralia, Wa sh., on Aug. 25, 1958. Fred Matthews OPPOSITE PAGE BOTTOM: Two ex-Alaska Railway F7As were under lease from Mountain Diesel Transportation when they worked Idaho's Dry Valley Railroad, a local phosphate rock hauler, in late 1988. The pair are returning to Maybe Mine on Oct. 3, 1988. Unfortunately, the two units were wrecked in a runaway accident a few months later. Blair Kooistra

ome of us hated th em, and some of us drove hun­ Grande Western, Santa Fe, Western Pacific, Milwaukee S dreds or thousands of miles just to watch them-it all Road, Chicago & North Western and Chicago, Burlington depended upon your age. For those who were trackside & Qu incy all acquiring ITs between 1940-1945. Ironically, in the 1940s and 1950s, Electro-Motive Division's F-u nits the ITs not only doomed steam but otller builders, too, as were the bane of steam-powered railroading, with many the War Production Board restricted Alco, Fairbanks­ photographers refusing to "waste" film on them when Morse (starting in 1944) and Baldwin to building switch­ they showed up i n place of 4-8-4s and the like. Those ers (not counting Ako's RS-1) for the duration of Wo rld who came into the hobby in the 1960s and 1970s saw War II. So, ifa railroad needed a road unit during tlle war, them as unique, for by then they were fast approaching it either purchased steam power or ITs, giving EMD a extinction in Class I operations. huge lead in the road locomotive market by 1945. Conse­ When that 5,400 h.p. A-B-B-A set of FTs from La quently, the three other builders played catch-up until Grange, Ill., hit the rails fo r its 1939-1940 barnstorming the)1 dropped out of the market: Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton tour, railroading fo rever changed in the U.S. Granted, it in 1956, Fairbanks-Morse in 1963 and Ako in 1969. took some Class I roads another 21 years to totally F-u ni ts became the hallmark for carriers such as dieselize and some never rostered an F-u nit, but the Chicago Great We stern, which was famous for 150- to model's influence on the final retirement of steam is un­ 200-car trains lead by as many as eight Fs, and Santa Fe, deniable. Spanning a production life fr om 1939 to 1960, whose warbon net-attired ITs , F3s and F7s were the most one of the longest in U.S. locomotive history, General readily recognizable locomotives in the country-just Motors' U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries built 1,096 ITs, look at the number of model train sets fe aturing war­ 90 F2s, 1,807 F3s, 3,849 F7s, 30 1 FP7s, 241 F9s, 79 FP9s bonnet Fs sold since the 1950s. and 60 FL9s in both A- and B-unit configurations. By ilie 1970s, F-units were disappearing en masse from Except for Illinois Central, every m�or carrier west of the rails of We stern Class I carriers. While many Fs were ei­ Chicago purchased F-units directly from ENID Witll North­ ther traded in on new units or scrapped, Santa Fe elected ern Pacific, Great Nortllern, Rock Island, Denver & Rio to rebuild dozens of F7As into "CF7s" at its Cleburne,

48 • JANUARY 1994 EMD's Classic F-Units

Texas, shops, several of which continue to ply shon lines Few Fs work in freight service in the West or Mid­ throughout the country. By late 1970s and early 1980s, west today. The most notable exceptions are Wyoming very few Western carriers were still using Fs. Some notable & Colorado's FP7s and LTV Mining's well-maintained exceptions were Western Pa cific's fo ur F7As that regularly fleet of F9As and F9Bs. moved automobile traffic belween Stockton, Calif., and -A ndTew S. Nelson the Ford plant in Milpitas, U.S. Steel's Atlan tic City, Wyo ., operations, and Burlington Northern's covered wagons, which worked in Washington until July 1981. Further east, Rio Grande's F9s rarely we nt unpho­ tographed during their journeys over the Front Range witl1 the Rio Grande Zephy,; then shifted to Ski Tmin ser­ vice after the RCZ's 1983 demise. Seven Midwestern Class I carriers also used F-units in the late 1970s and in­ to the 1980s: Missouri-Kansas-Texas, Soo Line, Chicago & North Western, Illinois Central Gulf, Rock Island, Kansas City Southern and Milwaukee Road. C&NW held onto five F7As and two F7Bs fo r business train service that were seen throughoul the Midwest un­ til 1990 when cash-flow problems fo rced them into stor­ age. BN hadn't operated an F-u nit of its own in nearly a decade when an F9A and an F9B, wearing a new dark green-and-cream paint scheme, emerged from the We st Burlington, Iowa, shops in 1990 fo r business train ser­ vice ...alth ough they were rebu ilt to the point where they are essentially GP38-2s in F9 carbodies.

PACIFIC RAllNews • 49 ______E_ M__ D_ '_S _C__ IO__ SS _i_ C__ F_-u __ n_ it_s______1�OF RAILROADING

50 . JANUARY 1994 OPPOSITE PAGE: F7A 6160 rests inside Southern Pacific's Roseville, Calif., diesel shop in 1961. Bob Morris LEFT: D&RGW F7A 5734 leads three F7Bs and another F7A on an eastbound freight at Helper, Utah, on Sept. 4, 1966. A decade later Rio Grande's Fs gained famed hauling the renegade, non-Amtrak Rio Grande Zephyr. Ed Fulcomer BELOW: Milwaukee Road train 261, led by four F7s and two Geeps, slides up the west bank of the Mississippi Riv­ er and over Catfish Creek south of Dubuque, Iowa, on Oct. 29, 1977. By this date, Milwaukee's F7s, FP7s and F9s were in sad shape, and it wasn't uncommon for a crew to start out with six working units and find itself with only two on-line at the end of the run. Mark Nelson

PACIFIC RAILNews • 51 ______E __M D_ '�S�C�I �O �S �S �i C�F_- �u �n �i t�s � ______'�OF RAILROADING

ABOVE: The quiet of the Fourth of July weekend 1978 in Sunol, Calif., was shattered by the blaring single-note horn of Western Pacific F7A 913 leading the westbound San Jose Turn around the su perelevated curve and toward Niles Canyon. Wayne Monger OPPOSITE PAGE TOP: The last F3 in service in the Chicago area was Illinois Central Gulf, nee Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, 883A, which spent its last days in commuter ser­ vice on ICG's Joliet District. Here the 883A pauses for a commuter stop at Summit, III., on May 9, 1978. Mike Abalos collection OPPOSITE PA GE BOTTOM: BN used F9s in helper service over Mont ana's Marias Pass in the late 1970s. An A-B-B-A set negotiates the west side of the pass be­ tween Blacktail and East Java on Aug. I, 1978. Wa yne Monger

52 • JANUARY 1994 PA CIFIC RAILNews • 53

L BV ED RI PLEV

" he railroad is full, " Santa Fe Chairman Rob tains as well as a plan to stitch sidings between Gib­ Krebs announced in late October during one bon, Neb., and Menoken Junction (Topeka), Kan., into a of those pilgrimages railroad leaders periodi­ second main track. Also on UP's agenda are expansion cally Tmake to the investment shrine of New York. Hope­ of intermodal terminals at Seattle and Memphis. fully this startling assertion awakened any dozing ana­ Santa Fe, too, is stepping up to the plate with new in­ lysts and got them to start writing in their notebooks . termodal and auto terminals at San BernardinO, Calif., the Due to the enormous influx of intermodal traffic over the new United Parcel Service ramp at Willow Springs, IlL,and past few years, "we have an opportunity to allocate ca­ the massive Alliance freight yard and intermodal terminal pacity, " Krebs continued. "With a shortage of equip­ north of Fort Worth. Additionally, Santa Fe is considering ment, we have an opportunity to raise rates. " construction of additional second main track on its Clovis­ Obviously Krebs' message was tailored to his audience. Belen, N.M., main line. The suggestion of higher rates-and thus profits-was The important question from the railroads' perspective calculated to whet the stock-pickers' appetite for Santa Fe is whether these improvements will provide a return on common, and to ignore the flood-related slump in the com­ investment. They aren't cheap. Main track costs $1-2 mil­ pany's third-quarter earnings. And the chairman was lion per mile to spike down, even if the railroad already guilty of a little hyperbole, as there are still several routes owns the underlying real estate. A new from-the-ground­ (Denver, for example) where Santa Fe offers just a token up intermodal terminal like Willow Springs can easily cost one train per day. Krebs' remarks, though, were in line $75 million, plus a substantial investment in management with recent pronouncements from other railroads that time to stroke the local politicians and battle the NIMBYs. more capacity is needed to handle intermodal growth. Anyone who's been around the business for a while "This may be a turning point," Krebs noted. For the knows that, car for car, intermodal traffic is not the past quarter-century railroads have rarely been "full. " biggest contributor to a railroad's bottom line. Running Heirs to the overbuilt legacy of their forebears, railroads trains on more-or-less regular schedules (even if there operated more track and ran more trains than demand aren't 150 cars to move), staffing piggyback ramps and could support. New line construction was uncommon, maintaining track for 70 mph operation eats up most of and railroads were shedding excess the revenue generated by the trailers track as fast as the ICC would permit. and containers. With their ability to di­ When the political climate turned vert freight to a government-provided against abandonments in the mid- highway in an instant, intermodal ship­ 1980s, the big railroads began dumping pers have always driven hard bargains marginal lines on new operators, let­ Full with the railroads on price. ting them sink or swim in the cutthroat Krebs and his peers are betting that marketplace. Multiple-track main lines the cost increases suffered by over­ could be single-tracked without per­ the-road truckers will permit them to mission from the ICC, and many were, raise intermodal rates high enough to including Illinois Central and Soo Line House pay for all these capacity increases and main lines in recent years. still leave something for the stockhold­ There's still room for rationalization ers. We'll see. Outfits like Schneider of the railroad network, as I've noted National and J.B. Hunt didn't get in this column. On the major main for where they are by allowing suppliers lines, though, the massive cost reduc- to push them around. Truckers are on- tions of the past few years, particular­ ly a national increase in truck sizes ly the institution of two-person crews, and weights away from lowering their have helped marketing staffs fill the over-the-road costs and restoring the railroads' excess capacity with traffic Freight competitive balance. Efforts by the that once moved over the highway. In- railroads to take advantage of the cur­ termodal remains the fastest-growing segment of the rent situation and jack up their rates will only give the business, posting a 7.4 percent increase during 1992. truckers a great story when they go back to Congress. This growth, though, has brought more trains, all on fast Is building hundreds of miles of additional main track schedules, and more trailers and containers demanding the best solution to the railroads' capacity problem? Au­ priority handling than some facilities can manage. Dur­ tomatic train control systems offer the promise of com­ ing one recent 24-hour period, we've heard, Southern puter-controlling train operations independently of exist­ Pacific operated 50 trains between Colton, Calif. , and El ing wayside signals. No more would one train have to Paso, Texas, where it historically had averaged 30 or so. slow down when it got within two blocks of another ; Such traffic overloads inevitably result in congestion, the computer could keep them all moving at intervals al­ which in turn increases costs and causes customer ser­ lowing a safe stopping distance. This would permit vice to deteriorate. Krebs' Santa Fe tripped over its own more trains to move in the same direction over a single feet recently in its mad dash to hike profits by increas­ track than is possible now, though the challenge of ing volume. During the summer, the often-expanded meeting additional trains on single track would have to L.A. intermodal terminal at Hobart Yard became be addressed. Also, better real-time information on trail­ jammed, partly due to backups caused by the flood. er and container movement and availability holds the w Truckers couldn't find arriving trailers and containers, promise of cutting down delivery delays at terminals. I and the railroad had trouble supplying cars for out­ don't know the cost of AT CS, but it's got to be less than bound moves. As a consequence, three unhappy ship­ the cost of new track, especially when savings from pers-Neptune Orient Line, APL and J. B. Hunt-took a elimination of existing signal systems are included. I walk across Washington Boulevard and diverted some The railroads are going to have to think carefully or all of their traffic to Union Pacific. about the alternatives before committing the funds To avoid frustrating new customers, railroads have needed to double-track the West for intermodal trains. begun beefing up facilities. UP may be going the far­ No chairman wants to travel to New York to explain why thest, having embarked on a $100 million program to the expensive physical improvements he touted on his I- double-track its main line across Oregon's Blue Moun- last trip never paid off. PRN

54 . JANUARY 1994 PRN CLASSIFIEDS PRN AD INDEX

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I

Excitement and anticipation were in the air as steam locomotive #26 1 made the first run of her maiden journey! Milwaukee Road's big Alco had been pulled from the National Railway Museum in Green Bay; Wisconsin, under the direction of North Star Rail in March, 1992. In record time, the 26 1 was torn down, refurbished, rebuilt and readied for her inaugural run. On September 14, 1993, engineer Steve Sandberg eased the big 4-8-4 back to life in Minneapolis, MN. The Northern type locomotive, painted in high-gloss black, ran back and forth under her own power for the first time since her restoration. She passed her first tests with flying colors and was ready for her inaugu­ ral excursions which were scheduled for the follow­ ing weekend in Fond du Lac, WI. The following day saw #261 on the roaC:pulling a short train across Wisconsin Central tracks. She was running at slow speeds during her break-in, but by day three the big locomotive was operating at full track speed, while crowds gathered trackside to cheer her on. North Star Rail put on a great show, kicking off . #26 1 's revival and entry into the steam excursion business. People came by the hundreds to marvel at the magnificent machine thundering up and down the line between Fond du Lac and Stevens Poin"t. Pentrex was on the spotto bring you all the action, including the locomotive's ferry move from Minne­ apolis, as well as its inaugural excursion. This is history in the making, captured· for your enjoyment! Join Pentrex in a salute to America's newest steam giant: Milwaukee Road #261 - Rebuilt to Run. 60 Minutes #PEN-261 $29.95 S?� .# P_O_ Box 9491 1, Pasadena, CA 91 109