when the Editor's train rear-ended Allen's stopped train. So much for command control. command for much So train. stopped Allen's rear-ended train Editor's the when

the basement of his recently acquired home. Members had a great time, even your Editor and Treasurer had a slight derailment slight a had Treasurer and Editor your even time, great a had Members home. acquired recently his of basement the After the last meeting members visited the O Gauge layout of Secretary Al McCoy. Al recently constructed the new layout in layout new the constructed recently Al McCoy. Al Secretary of layout Gauge O the visited members meeting last the After

DANVILLE JUNCTION CHAPTER National Railway Historical Society P.O. Box 1013 Danville IL 61834-1013

“The Danville Flyer” FIRST CLASS MAIL DANVILLE FLYER A PUBLICATION OF THE DANVILLE JUNCTION CHAPTER, INC. NRHS

The DANVILLE FLYER is published monthly by the DANVILLE JUNCTION CHAPTER of the NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY for its members and other interested persons. The DANVILLE JUNCTION CHAPTER, NRHS, is a not-for-profit corporation organized to preserve the history of railroading in Eastern Illinois and Western Indiana and operates a museum located in the former Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad depot on East Benton Street in Rossville, Illinois. The museum is open weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day and features many railroad displays plus a large operating HO model railroad. Membership in the Chapter is open to anyone having an interest in any aspect of railroading. Dues per year are $17.00 for Chapter membership in addition to $20.00 for NRHS membership. Meetings are held on the third (3rd) Sunday of each month (except June July, August and December) at the Pizza Inn Resturant, Gilbert Street (Illinois Route 1) and Williams Street, next to CSX, in Danville, Il. with lunch beginning at 1:00 PM Central Time followed by meeting and program. OFFICERS FOR 2003 - Our 35th Year PRESIDENT: Dave Sherrill VICE PRESIDENT: Scott Reed SECRETARY: Al McCoy TREASURER: Allen Cooke NATIONAL DIRECTOR: R. M. Schroeder PROGRAM CHAIRMAN: William Darner MUSEUM DIRECTOR: Robert Gallippi HISTORIAN: Jesse Bennett EDITOR: Richard M. Schroeder, [email protected] PUBLISHERS: Allen Cooke & Doug Nipper 1819 Coventry Dr. Cooke Business Products,Inc. Champaign, IL 61822-5239 John Cooke Sr., Honorary Member MEMBER: Association of Illinois Museums and Historical Societies Visit our Chapter WWW Home Page On-Line - http://www.prairienet.org/djc-nrhs/

Volume 35 January 2003 Number 1

January 19, 2003 March 29 & 30, 2003 Next Meeting Danville, IL - Regular monthly meeting Urbana, IL - Annual Train Show and Swap The next meeting will be January 19, 2003. beginning at 1:00 PM at the Pizza Inn, Session, Lincoln Square Mall, 10 AM to 6 We enter our 35th year of existance this Williams Street and Gilbert Street (Route PM on Saturday; 11 AM to 5 PM on month. For those of us that started the 1) , next to the CSX mainline to Hillary. Sunday. Admission Free. chapter it seems like only yesterday we formed the first chapter in Illinois, moved January 18 &19, 2003 Operating Sessions from Catlin to Rossville and developed Indianapolis, IN - Great American Train See Page 3 for a list of operating sessions the fine museum we have today. We are Show - Indiana State Fairgrounds, 11 AM at Rossville, the Grafton, Davis and Mt. pleased to have so many members, both to 5 PM (EST), admission $7. Storm Railroad and the Danville and West- close and far away, and look forward to ern Railroad. Note changes in some dates another 35 years (some of us at least) of January 26, 2003 for the sessions. continued railroad history in this part of Illiana country.. Noblesville, IN NMRA Midwestern Meet and Train Show, Hamilton Co. 4-H Center, Your editor wishes to apologize for listing 2003 Pleasant St, 10 AM to 4 PM, admis- the wrong date of the annual dinner last sion $3. month. The first page listed December 8 and the article about the dinner listed Every Sunday in January December 1, the actual date. Hopefully you had picked the right date but I did not Elmhurst, IL - Elmhurst Model Railroad find out until it was too late to change. If Club, 111 E. First St., 1 to 4 PM, Free. you missed the dinner you missed a good program, if I say so myself. This spring is that we don’t think we can continue to and summer if everything falls into place, bear as much of the liability that we feel CSX will add the third track in Blue Island we’re exposed to at this event,” Forsberg and I will present a program on that project. said. “What we’re looking for the city to Operating Sessions do is play a more prominent role in that As noted in previous issues, Atlas Corpo- area.” ration will be bringing out C&EI GP-7's 2002/2003 sometime early this year. The notice has The September 11 terrorist attacks, and Grafton, Davis and Mt. been released and numbers 204 and 206 subsequent warnings about terrorists tar- will be produced along with an unnum- geting transportation and railroads, Storm bered unit. The C&EI Historical Society prompted BNSF to review liability issues has notified members that the unit is in general, Forsberg said. 309 E. Dale St.Rossville available through the society and anyone Operates from 12:30 to 4 PM, in the Chapter that is interested please “We’re willing to continue to play the Saturday, December 28 contact Rick Schroeder or Bob McQuown. same role that we have,” he said. “I don’t think we’re willing to do so by bearing all Saturday, January 25, 2003 The program this month will be a video, of the liability associated with those ac- Saturday, February 22, 2003 "The North Coast Limited Crossing Stam- tivities.” pede Pass" from Allen Cooke. Bjorkland said he understands BNSF’s Chicago, Illinois and position. “It’s a sign of the times,” he told the newspaper. “We’ve had an excellent Eastern - Rossville relationship with the railroad. There are no Museum bad feeling with the railroad.” Galesburg Railroad Operates Saturdays from 1:00 to 4 PM Days liability Railroad Days is held on the fourth week- Saturday, January 4, 2003 end of June. Saturday, February 1, 2003 concerns aired by Via Trains On-Line 11-21-02 Saturday, March 1, 2003 BNSF Editor: URS is one of 5 firms that submit- Danville and Western Burlington Northern Santa Fe, which has ted on a Galesburg proposal to relocate been a major sponsor of the annual Rail- the former Santa Fe line around the down- Railroad road Days festival in Galesburg, Ill., is town area. Galesburg has obtained a asking the city to shoulder some of the state grant to prepare a feasibility study 1819 Coventry Dr. liability burden for the event. for the relocation of the double-track Champaign mainline of the BNSF. Three routes are to That concerns the organizers of the festi- be determined and the cost and feasibil- Operates Sundays from 1:00 to 4 PM val, who fear that they may have to scale ity of each route. We should find out Sunday, January 12, 2003 back the event that draws about 50,000 sometime in January if we were accepted Sunday, February 9, 2003 people each year. for the project. The study is to be complete “For the first time in 26 years, it is no longer by the end of July. Rick Please contact the owner of the railroad, business as usual,” Railroad Days Coun- Bill at 748-6445 or Rick, at 359-2868, if cil Chairman Jamie Bjorkland told the Peo- you intend to markup on the board for ria (Ill.) Journal-Star. “We could continue operation on one of thse days. Refresh- to call it Almost Railroad Days or Railroad ments will be served at all facilities. Days Sorta.” The officers of the Come and join the fun at any of the above model railroads. BNSF has offered to continue moving Danville Junction historic equipment to Galesburg for free, Note the openhouse of the Elmurst to provide display space for the exhibits, Chapter wish you Model Railroad club in Elmhurst listed and to operate excursions in conjunction in the Coming Events column. If inter- with Railroad Days, BNSF spokesman and your family a ested in visiting on a Sunday let us Steve Forsberg told TRAINS. But in order Happy New Year know at the next meeting. for BNSF to maintain that level of involve- ment, the city will have to take on some of the liability for the event, he said. “The issue we raised with the community

2 they move by trackage rights on two of the 3 six-axle units, NS says. NS aims to create Genesee & Wyoming family’s short lines, shortcut in first the Pittsburg & Shawmut northeast That means NS could haul 2.3 million tons to West Mosgrove, Pa., where they must a year to the plant using just 164 130-car Pennsylvania climb up to gain the Buffalo & Pittsburgh’s unit trains on the Southern Route, vs. 213 high Allegheny River bridge. From there 100-car trains on the Northern Route. The It’s not often that a railroad can shave they proceed east on the B&P to Riker existing route is also operating at capac- more than 100 miles off an existing route Yard near Punxsutawney, Pa., then use ity, NS says, hindering its ability to send by building about 5 miles of new track. But B&P’s Riker Running Track to nearby more coal to the plant. But the new route that’s just what Norfolk Southern is pro- Cloe, Pa., where they gain a former B&O could handle seven longer trains a week, posing to do in western Pennsylvania, branch, still owned by CSX, and head NS says. Once the STB approves the where a new 5 1/4-mile line would create a southwest to Creekside, Pa. From project, it would take about 18 months for shortcut by linking the NS Conemaugh Creekside on southwest to the Keystone NS to complete construction and open the Line with NS’s isolated Shelocta Second- plant, the ex-B&O line is owned by NS as route, NS spokesman Rudy Husband said. ary. the Shelocta Secondary, inherited from Conrail. The project essentially will reverse the The driving force behind the $30 million traffic flow on the Shelocta Secondary, project is coal and the roundabout route For the coal loads and then the empties, which was built by the Buffalo, Rochester it must take from the Monongahela coal it’s a round trip of 443 miles. NS’s new & Pittsburgh to haul coal from area mines fields of southwestern Pennsylvania and proposed so-called Southern Route, which northward to the Great Lakes at Buffalo northern West Virginia to the Reliant En- would be made possible by construction and Rochester. ergy Keystone Generating Plant in of the new 5 1/4-mile connection, would Shelocta, Pa., a small place just northwest trim that to a 341-mile round trip. NS labels CSX inherited former BR&P lines through of the city of Indiana, Pa., and about 50 the proposed new link the Saltsburg Con- BR&P successor Baltimore & Ohio, and miles by the most direct highway route nection. It would diverge northeast from spun off the route to Genesee & northeast from Pittsburgh. the Conemaugh Line at Saltsburg, gaining Wyoming’s Buffalo & Pittsburgh as part the Shelocta Secondary at Clarksburg. of a lease and purchase transaction in The project in late November received a The track exists from Clarksburg to 1988. B&P stopped serving the Ridge and favorable preliminary environmental re- Shelocta, 11 miles, but is out of service and Indiana Subdivisions – which includes view from the Surface Transportation would be rebuilt. NS tabs the total cost of the route from Cloe to Shelocta and Board, and while public comment has not the project at $30 million, $20 million of Clarksburg – in 1994. yet been received by the Board, it is likely which would be for the Saltsburg A year later, Conrail purchased the Ridge to approve the project. NS says the new Connection, plus the rehabilitation of the route will make operations more efficient, Sub and leased the connecting portion of 11-mile segment and a new connection to the Indiana Sub from CSX (for whom it was increase capacity, and enable it to snare the Keystone plant’s spur. some coal traffic that now moves to the also isolated) so CR could haul coal to the power plant by truck. After the Saltsburg Connection is built, Keystone plant. All the Conrail lines in the trains would follow their existing route this region went to NS in the 1999 Conrail Currently, NS sends about five loaded on the Conemaugh Line to Freeport but split, which created the isolated 30-mile coal trains a week to the plant on what it continue east on the Conemaugh to route NS operates today between Cloe calls the Northern Route, which goes a Saltsburg. and Shelocta and must access by trackage roundabout way through the mountains: rights. northeast from the Pittsburgh area, then The new route would do more than simply Via Trains On-Line 11-22-02 east, then southwest to Shelocta, which is knock miles off the trip. NS hauls 2.3 on a branch that presently dead-ends million tons of coal a year to the Keystone beyond there, 5 miles short of the plant, but the plant receives about half its Editor: This is the design project we have Conemaugh Line. (The Conemaugh, a coal by truck — 2.2 million tons of central been working on for the last 3 years. former Pennsylvania Railroad route, is a Pennsylvania coal a year. NS figures it can Originally NS wanted to complete the secondary main line, an alternate to NS’s snag at least some of that truck-hauled design and start construction within one former PRR east-west main between the coal by building the connection. year but environmental, geological, his- Pittsburgh and [Pa.] areas.) torical and other permitting has extended The present Northern Route is curvy and the project this long. In addition, the The coal loads begin their trip at Shire has a ruling grade of 1.83%. Coal trains are Oaks Yard in Elrama, Pa., on NS’s Mon acquisition of right of way played a major limited to 100 cars and require 4 six-axle part in the process. In some locations NS Line along the Monongahela River south locomotives with self-steering trucks, or 8 of Pittsburgh, and make their way up had to acquire an entire farm just to get four-axle units. The proposed Southern the strip they needed for roadbed. through Pittsburgh to Freeport Junction, Route, with grades not exceeding 1%, will Pa., on the Conemaugh Line. From there be able to handle 130-car trains with just

3 The alignment will follow along the east The crew of the 243 – engineer Thomas have to sound its horn until the project is side of Black Leg Creek and on the adja- Landris and conductor Gary Chase – was finished. cent hillsides, crossing the creek at killed. Yash and Enriquez were both criti- Clarksburg. Three bridge structures are cally injured. Neither has returned to work, To expedite the project, work will take required and about 1 million yards of and the CN disciplinary process regard- place 24 hours a day with 40 people work- material will be moved. At the present ing the case is nearing a conclusion, the ing each shift. time we are preparing final plans and railroad said. The project will involve seven crossings hopefully NS will be showing the project in Elmhurst east of West Avenue. Poplar to contractors this next spring. The NTSB recommended that the Federal Railroad Administration develop a stan- Street will be closed and at times the signal dard medical form to ask whether railroad- warning times at the Myrtle, Maple, Sleeping crew ers suffered from sleep conditions. The Cottage Hill, York, Kenilworth and Haven crossings could be reduced. caused fatal CN board also urged FRA require that em- ployees with incapacitating medical con- Union Pacific Corporation is one of Michigan collision, ditions notify the railroad and stop work- America’s leading transportation compa- ing in safety-sensitive positions until they nies. Its principal operating company, NTSB says are successfully treated. Union Pacific Railroad, is the largest rail- The NTSB also recommended that CN road in North America, covering 23 states The head-on collision of two Canadian across the western two-thirds of the United National trains last year in Michigan, which require formal fatigue awareness training for its workers. States. A strong focus on quality and a killed two crewmen, was caused when the strategically advantageous route struc- surviving crewmen fell asleep and missed “We’ll take the NTSB recommendations ture enable the company to serve custom- a stop signal, the National Transportation under advisement,” said CN spokesman ers in critical and fast growing markets. It Safety Board concluded on November 19. Jack Burke, who noted that CN leads in- is a leading carrier of low-sulfur coal used Prior to the November 15, 2001, crash 25 dustry efforts to provide predictable sched- in electrical power generation and has miles northwest of Detroit at ules for train crews. broad coverage of the large chemical- Andersonville on the Holly Subdivision Via Trains On-Line 11-20-02 producing areas along the Gulf Coast. of CN’s Grand Trunk Western, engineer With competitive long-haul routes be- Allen Yash and conductor Jesse Enriquez tween all major West Coast ports and both had been diagnosed with obstruc- eastern gateways, and as the only railroad tive sleep apnea, a rare disorder that causes to serve all six gateways to Mexico, Union afflicted people to momentarily stop Union Pacific Plans Pacific has the premier rail franchise in breathing while sleeping. The condition North America. The Corporation’s truck- also makes people feel extremely fatigued Elmhurst Signal ing operations include Overnite Corpora- and may make them nod off during the tion, which owns its less-than-truckload day. The diagnosis was made by their Upgrade carriers Overnite Transportation and private physicians and was not reported Motor Cargo. to CN officials, the NTSB said. Omaha, NE, Dec. 2, 2002 – Union Pacific Railroad plans a major signal upgrade in The two men fell asleep around 6 a.m. Elmhurst that will reduce the need to stop Early Issue? while in charge of train 533 on its south- or park freight trains in the western sub- ward return leg of a turn from Detroit to urbs of Chicago. The new system will DUE TO OPERATING SESSIONS AT BILL'S, Durand, Mich., and back to connect with allow freight trains to leave or arrive simul- THE R OSSVILLE M USEUM AND R ICK'S LAY- mainline intermodal trains. The train had taneously at Union Pacific’s major freight OUTS YOUR EDITOR DECIDED, WITH HELP 94 cars behind GTW GP38s 4922 and 4913 switching yard in Melrose Park. FROM D OUG AND A LLEN, TO PRODUCE THE and was supposed to hold at JANUARY ISSUE LATE IN DECEMBER. NOW Andersonville siding for northward train The work temporarily will impact opera- WE ARE LIKE THE MAGAZINES, GETTING THE 243 to pass. Train 243, bound from Flat tions in Elmhurst from December 6 to NEXT ISSUE OUT THE PREVIOUS MONTH. Rock, Mich., south of Detroit, to Flint, east December 12 as passing trains will be IMPRESSED? I KNOW YOU ARE. slowed to 20 miles per hour. Trains also of Durand, had 89 cars of multilevel WITH THE ANNUAL DINNER EARLY THIS autoracks and general merchandise be- will sound their horns while passing through the work zone. MONTH, WORK SCHEDULE AND THE hind GTW SD40 5915 and GP38 4031 CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY SEASON A SHORTER Instead of stopping, train 533 ran through The Federal Railroad Workers Safety Act TIME AFTER T HANKSGIVING, PRODUCING A the end of the siding and was moving at 13 requires that every train sound its horn DECEMBER ISSUE JUST DID NOT FIT THE mph when it collided with train 243, which when approaching employees working EDITOR'S SCHEDULE. PLEASE NOTE THE was traveling about 25 mph, the NTSB on railroad property. The result will be that NEXT MEETING AND BE SURE TO ATTEND. said. every train passing through Elmhurst will 4 Norfolk Southern Welcome to the December Locomotion. Announces Planned In early November another ex CSX GP38 went to the Iowa Interstate. It was LLPX 2039 wearing Chessie paint that was pretty clean. It has frame # 7274-28. The blue card shows 2003 Capital it as being the ex-CSX 2119. Spending This past week, another IC SD40-2 emerged in CN paint. The 6117 now wears the orange and black scheme with the URL to CN’s website. I spotted this unit all fresh and clean NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk Southern on 2 December 02. It has ten-inch “IC” letters on the cab. The 6114 has also received Corporation plans to spend $798 million the CN treatment but with the smaller six-inch for capital improvements in 2003. “IC”, again with the inconsistencies in lettering. “I believe in management by “We are continuing our solid commitment I had mentioned the 6108 last time. I finally had walking around. You have to to safety and service during challenging the chance to run it late last month. It was understand the physical and economic times with spending levels de- repainted and rewired and released for service 8 human reality of these places. signed to keep our system strong and our November 02. This unit has a six-inch “IC” on the Given all of the uncertainty service steadily improving,” said David R. cab sides below the road number. In compliance surrounding Amtrak, it’s Goode, chairman, president and chief ex- with the new EPA emissions rules for locomo- incumbent on me to give ecutive officer. “At the same time, we are tives, this unit has received EPA certification. employees access.” improving the utilization of the assets we CN has contracted with GE to perform these —Amtrak President David L. already have, which will allow us to handle mandatory certifications. Gunn, quoted in the Times-Pica- increased levels of business in the fu- The decal applied to the sides of the units tested yune newspaper of New Orleans, ture.” state; “EPA Certified ABT 40 CFR Part 92 Sub- regarding his trips around the The anticipated spending includes $499 part D by GE” This unit was serviced at Alstom. Amtrak system. Gunn was in New million for roadway projects and $246 mil- Orleans earlier this week while The former KCS units slowly continue to get lion for equipment. In roadway improve- connecting from the Sunset Lim- renumbered and lettered. A correction, the 6633 ments, the largest expenditure will be $383 ited to the Crescent, and spent became the GTW 5950 on 28 February 02, not the million for rail, crosstie, ballast and bridge time listening to Amtrak workers 6631. The 6631 became the GTW 5948 on 19 May programs. In addition, there is $29 million at New Orleans Union Passenger 02; 6627 became the GTW 5944 8 November 02; provided for communications, signal and Terminal. 6637 became the GTW 5954 7 June 02. electrical projects and $20 million for envi- ronmental projects and public improve- As the new Dash 9’s have been placed into service, the GCFX 6000 series Alstom SD40- ments such as grade crossing separations 3’s have been cascaded down to the Wisconsin Central to replace retired SD45’s. As and crossing signal upgrades. part of CN’s latest round of “cost effective” measures, it appears that both the Stevens Point and North Fond du Lac locomotive shops on the Wisconsin Central Division will Other roadway projects include $36 mil- downgraded to running repair facilities. The heavy repair work will be transferred to lion for marketing and industrial develop- Woodcrest. Gee, I wonder if I was the only one who saw this coming (sic). Some 30 or ment initiatives, including increasing track so employees will be offered transfers to Woodcrest. capacity and access to coal receivers and vehicle production and distribution facili- As Indiana Harbor Belt begins to acquire former SP/SSW GP40-2’s, the SW1500’s ties, and continuing investments in dating back the mid 1960’s are being sent for major rebuilding. Four of them were intermodal infrastructure. delivered to the CNIC this week. My guess is they are going to NRE at Paducah for the work. The 9200, 9214, 9217 and 9219 hit CNIC property at Highlawn 4 December 02 for Equipment spending includes $183 mil- transit. The stacks were capped on all of them. lion to purchase 100 six-axle locomotives, upgrade existing locomotives and certify As the SW1500’s are returned they will bump the ancient NW2’s, SW7’s and 9’s out and rebuild multi-level automobile racks. of yard and industry service and these units will be retired. The NW2’s date back to Equipment spending also includes $47 1946. They have pulled zillions of tons of freight in their day, but are simply worn out. million for projects related to computers IHB received all of their return on investment in these units probably long before I was and information technology, including born in 1956. I would hope IHB is considering donating a few of these units to museums allocations for additional security and and perhaps one of them to the railroad park being developed in Hammond, IHB’s backup systems. hometown. Via Norfolk Southern 12-10-02 And now a few comments on the latest order of Dash 9-44C’s received by CN. I finally got to run a couple of them 4 December 02. Right off the bat I noticed they are noisier in the cabs even when the engines are in idle. You can hear more engine noise than the previous orders. They also vibrate more than the units of the previous orders. It is quite noticeable. Even my Conductor commented on the noise and vibration. They do have 5 the large high back seats, which are very The Blue Streak traffic will be single- Mid-America lease unit #1501 has been comfortable. stacked container because of clearance restored to service and will be used until restrictions on the former Southern Pacific a permanent replacement is purchased. I did notice the absence of air condition- route over Donner Pass in the Sierra ing. I’m certain the reasoning behind this Nevada, Bromley said. I asked him about operations. He said that is the fact they were purchased for “Cana- movements are authorized by a work order dian” use. Never mind the fact they will UP revived the Blue Streak name last year that is established as a result of a meeting see extensive use in the US. This fact did for joint UP-NS trains linking Los Angeles of all relevant personnel, usually at 7 AM. not surprise me. The armrests used on the and points in the Southeast, including They sort through their pickup and setout Engineer and Fireman’s side windows Atlanta and Miami. Blue Streak service information and determine from that where have been cheapened up. They are smaller offers three different service levels, in- trains will run for the day. The work order and thinner that the previous versions cluding the guaranteed “SuperFlyer.” thus established is good for that day. A used. Historically, the Blue Streak name was new work order is required for each day applied to freight trains to southern the RR operates. They did run well, although only being California from St. Louis and Memphis on tested with a 91-car train weighing in at UP predecessor Southern Pacific and its He confirmed that all sidings have ex- just over 6600 tons. A baby train by CN subsidiary, Cotton Belt. cepted status. He also said that nearly all standards, almost not worth running. And of the time only one train operates on a they did have that “new car” smell to them Via Trains On-Line 11-22-02 given route (e.g. Iroquois Jct to Lafayette, yet. The numerals on the number boards or to Danville, etc.). However, occasion- are slightly different. While I cannot begin ally two trains will work the same route, to guess the style of the font, they are Wheel Report and when that happens, the movements certainly different in appearance than that are coordinated from the Iroquois Jct of- of previous orders, more reminiscent of AVON YARD - The turbo-equipped fice, and train crews are required to keep the style UP used in the 70’s Oh yes, on switcher (1237 MP15T) has been replaced in contact with one another via phone or, this very chilly Chicago day (in the high with of all things SW1001 1122. This is an where possible, radio. Via Illiana - Bill teens and low twenties), these units did ex RDG/CR unit. One interesting point is Gustason provide plenty of warmth with good heat. that the unit was repainted at NS/Altoona under contract into the CSX YN2 paint. Permission by Northwest Indiana, Altoona apparently did not have the Tuch switcher size CSX lettering so the road Norfolk Southern to size lettering was used. Those letters look awfully big on this little switcher. On close two humps Existing trains to Conrail this unit spent most of its days in Norfolk Southern will consolidate hump the Philadelphia area where its small size operations at one major yard and eliminate carry Blue Streak and tight clearance cab were put to good hump classification at another next week use. banner between as it continues to refine its Thoroughbred That RIP job gets some awful interesting Operating Plan. Oakland and units. The last U23B on CSXT 3305, the Conway Yard, the sprawling former turbo switcher MP15T 1237, and now Northeast Pennsylvania Railroad facility west of Pitts- SW1001 1122. Makes you wonder if some- burgh, will lose its distinction as being one isn’t a rail fan. Via Illiana The California-Northeast Blue Streak one of the few remaining U.S. railroad intermodal service Union Pacific and KBSR - According to Bob Garner, general yards with two humps when NS shuts Norfolk Southern will launch in December manager of KBS, they are still searching down the eastbound hump. Classification will use existing trains that link Oakland for a locomotive to replace the retired C- by humping cars there will be consoli- and Lathrop, Calif., with Harrisburg, Pa., 420 #315. He said that among the people dated on the westbound hump effective and northern New Jersey. they have talked with is a dealer/broker in December 17, according to NS spokesman On UP, trains Z OACS and ZCSOA will Alco locomotives, but nothing has been Rudy Husband. decided yet. So acquiring another Alco is carry the Blue Streak name beginning On the same day, hump operations will a possibility, but not a certainty. In the December 10, said UP spokesman John cease at Sevier Yard east of Knoxville, meantime, Bromley. Their counterparts on NS will be Tenn., according to NS spokeswoman 20Q and 21Q between Chicago and Susan Terpay. Sevier will remain open as Harrisburg, and 20R and 21R between a flat-switching facility that will serve some Harrisburg and the Erail terminal in New of the 20 to 30 trains that pass through Jersey, said NS spokeswoman Susan Knoxville daily, she said. Terpay.

6 Conway, which can classify 6000 cars a that’s there today. exception of the Capitol Limited. Since day, has enough capacity to handle exist- then, Amtrak has tried to convince CSX ing traffic using just one hump, Husband Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard in North Platte, that the cars can operate safely at 79 mph. said. No track reconfigurations are Nebr., the world’s largest and busiest, has The test train, which carried officials from planned, and the westbound hump will eastbound and westbound humps. Amtrak, CSX, and the FRA, was a part of process both eastbound and westbound Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s Argentine the process. traffic. The yard handles between 40 and Yard in Kansas City, Kans., lost one of its 50 trains per day. humps in a major reconfiguration project The train, powered by a pair of Amtrak in the late 1990’s. P42s, included a baggage car, a 1500- All yards across the NS system are pro- Trains On-Line 12-13 series MHC, an FRA test car, a 1400-series cessing fewer cars as a result of the MHC, a crew car, a café car, and three Thoroughbred Operating Plan the rail- coaches. With the exception of the last road adopted last year and fully imple- Joint FRA test train coach, which was leaning and fouled the mented in February 2002. derails adjacent track, all the equipment derailed upright and in line. The plan has worked remarkably well. A joint Amtrak-CSX-Federal Railroad NS’s performance measures—such as The FRA has been working with Amtrak Administration test train – run to address train speed, on-time performance, and ter- and CSX to resolve the issue, FRA spokes- derailment concerns that CSX has with minal dwell time—are at record positive man Warren Flatau said. The FRA has Amtrak’s 1400-series Mail Handling Cars levels. About three-quarters of NS’s mer- been concerned about possible place- (MHCs) – derailed east of Rochester, N.Y., chandise customers have seen transit time ment and ballasting issues regarding the on Saturday, December 14, at 9:55 a.m. No improvements of 10% to 30%, and NS has MHC’s on the Lake Shore Limited, he said. one was injured. The train, designated by vaulted from last place to second among The equipment, however, played no role CSX as P975-14, was running from Erie, U.S. rail carriers in a recent shipper survey. in the Saturday test train derailment, he Pa., to Albany, N.Y., on CSX’s Water added. A key goal of the Thoroughbred Operating Level Route main line to test the tracking Plan is to reduce intermediate handling of characteristics of the 1400-series MHC The derailment delayed CSX freight trains freight cars, which slashes transit times, boxcars. and Amtrak’s Empire Corridor service. improves on-time performance, and Amtrak train 281, bound for Niagara Falls CSX continues to investigate the cause of boosts efficiency. from New York City, was terminated at the derailment, railroad spokesman Dan Albany. Its passengers boarded the Lake Murphy said. But sources familiar with Before TOP was implemented, for example, Shore Limited at Albany, then were bused the incident said a failure of a 115-foot- Sevier was classifying 1400 to 1500 cars from Buffalo to Niagara Falls. Other Em- long piece of rail was to blame for the daily, Terpay said. That’s down to 1000 pire Corridor trains were delayed by as wreck, in which all nine cars of the train now and will fall to just 500 after blocking much as 3 hours while the track was cleared. changes are made to several trains next went off the track at Lyons, N.Y., 34 miles week that will allow 500 or so cars a day to east of Rochester. One main track was reopened for traffic bypass the yard. Saturday afternoon; the second track was In April 2002, CSX restricted the 1400- restored at 5:30 p.m. Sunday Sixteen or so workers will lose their jobs at series cars to 60 mph, down from the 79 Sevier, though some will be eligible to mph Amtrak equipment is generally per- Via Trains On-Line 12-16-02 transfer elsewhere on the NS system, mitted on CSX track, after an MHC in the Terpay said. At Conway, 10 carmen and consist of the Lake Shore Limited derailed, five yardmasters will lose their jobs when and then rerailed itself, in upstate New Al "picks up the pieces" after the the eastbound hump shuts down, York. CSX suspected that the MHC was "boys" have a slight wreck on the Husband said, and about a dozen engi- responsible for that derailment. mainline. neers and conductors assigned to the Amtrak insisted, however, that track con- hump job will migrate to open road posi- ditions contributed to that tions. About 500 NS employees are based derailment, and that the mail at Conway. car played no role in the inci- Conway, a 568-acre facility with 181 miles dent. No other railroad has of track that was the biggest yard on placed restrictions on Conrail, is the only two-hump yard on NS. Amtrak’s MHCs. The PRR first built a yard on the site a In response to the speed century ago, and gradually expanded the restriction, Amtrak pulled facility over the years. Conway under- the 1400-series cars off its went a $34 million renovation in 1956 that long-distance trains that essentially transformed it into the yard operate on CSX, with the 7