ARKANSAS: LAND OF THE ALeo IMAGES: ALASKA RAILROAD "SD"s • • • "SDL39" OMI #5119 MILWAUKEE ROAD Nos. 582-590 SOO LI NE Nos. 6200-6208 ., WISCONSIN CENTRAL Nos. 582-590 {;fr/!7 ------------ - - C - i -- f -- - i -- -- -- c -- - --- n a -- - - e a P --- -- -- h } e - - -- t t h -- -- -- Ill r t - -- -- �,,� o a o PACIFIC-r r H e d t RAIL PACIFIC RAIL NEWS and PACIFIC NEWS are regis­ tered trademarks of Interurban Press, a California Corporation. Arkansas: Land of the Alco PUBLISHER: Mac Sebree Ten companies roster over 40 of the rare locomotives in the Razorback State EDITOR: Don Gulbrandsen 2 Barton Jennings ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Carl Swanson ASSISTANT EDITOR: Michael E. Falk 0 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Elrond Lawrence EDITORIAL CONSULTANT: Dick Stephenson The Highline: WP Takes the High Road Looking back on the "Wobbly's" segment of the Inside Gateway ART DIRECTOR: Katie Kern PRODUCTION ARTIST: Tom Danneman 24 Ken RaHenne CONTRIBUTING ARTIST: John Signor PRODUCTION MANAGER: Ray Geyer CIRCULATION MANAGER: Bob Schneider The Highline: The Union Pacific Era Bad times-and good-after the merger RAILROAD COlUMNISTS 3 2 AMTRAK/PASSENGER-Dick Stephenson Bill Meeker 1595 E. Chevy Chase no, Glendale, CA 91206 AT&SF-Elrond G. Lawrence 908 w. 25th St., San Bernardino, CA 92405 I DEPARTMENTS I BURLINGTON NORTHERN-Karl Rasmussen 11449 Goldenrod St. NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448 4 EXPEDITER 36 CANADA WEST CANADA WEST-Doug Cummings 6 UNION PACIFIC 38 CHICAGO NORTH WESTERN 5963 Kitchener St., Burnaby, BC V5B 2J3 & SOUTHERN PACIFIC LINES 39 REGIONALS C&NW-Michael W. Blaszak 8 211 South Leitch Ave .. La Grange, IL 6OS25 10 SOO LINE 40 BURLINGTON NORTHERN D&RGW-Richard C. 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SAN DIEGO-Chris Cucchiara problems and inquiries call: (800) 899-TRACK SAN FRANCISCO/MUNI-Don Jewell SUBMISSIONS: Articles, news items and photographs are wel­ come and should be sent to our Wisconsin editorial office. SAN JOSE-Matthew G. Yurek © 1991INTERURBAN PRESS When submitting material for consideration, include return en­ WESTERN TRANSIT NOTES-Richard R. Kunz Mac Sebree, President/CEO velope and postage if you wish it returned. PACIFIC RAILNEWS Jim Walker, Senior Vice President does not assume responsibility for the safe return of material. Don Gulbrandsen, Vice President CITY SCENE Payment is made upon publication. BAY AREA/CENTRAL VALLEY-Ken Rattenne CHICAGOLAND-Mike Abalos ADVERTISING RATES: Contact Interurban Press, P.O. Box 379, DENV ER/FRONT RANGE-Rich Farewell Waukesha, WI 53187; (414) 542-4900. KANSAS CITY-Wayne Kuchinsky l.A./S. CALIFORNIA-Dick Stephenson NORTH TEXAS-Dan Pope PACIFIC NORTHWEST-Steve Hart COVER: A solid Western Pacific lash-up led by U30B 3055 powers a westbound BN-139 train ST. LOUIS-Scott Muskopf and Paul Fries over Indian Creek on the Highline in June 1977. This was a prosperous time for the WP; merger SOUTH TEXA5-Carl M. Lehman with UP was still a few years away, and the Inside Gateway connection with BN at Bieber, TWIN CITIES-Steve Glischinski Calif., was solid. Ahead lie changes for the railroad and uncertainty for the Highline. Turn to WASATCH FRONT-Dave Gayer page 24 for a look at the colorful past and present of this noteworthy route. Wayne Monger PAC IFIC RAILNews • 3 Santa Fe's new cabless GP60Bs are finally on the property. On July 26, 1991, units 331 and 330 make up part of one of the first A-B-B-A combinations with the new units. The 198 train is shown westbound on Houlihan's Curve west of Chillicothe, III., about to climb Edelstein Hill. Mark Zaputil TWO MAJOR SP DERAIL· nomenon known as stringlin­ liquid that is a component of jet MENTS: Southern Pacific was ing or bowstringing, where a and rocket fuels-were carried responsible for two major de­ train grows taut on curving in drums aboard flatcars. Some railments in California this Ju­ tracks and derails, is blamed of the hydrazine spilled and re­ ly. Fortunately no fatalities re­ for the accident. acted with the steel rails releas­ sulted from either accident, The derailment wreaked ing toxic vapors. but thousands were evacuated havoc on the Sacramento River. from their homes and environ­ An estimated 100,000 fish and UP CEO RESIGNS: Michael H. mental damage was extensive. most other organisms were Walsh, chairman and chief ex­ z The first accident occurred killed in this famed trout habi­ ecutive officer of Union Pacific z when a West Colton-Eugene tat. Clean-up efforts and the ef­ Railroad, resigned in early train derailed July 14 in North­ fects of dilution minimized the August to become chairman ern California spilling 19,500 impacts on downstream Shasta and CEO-designate of Ten­ gallons of metam sodium, a Lake, a massive water-supply neco Corporation. toxic weed killer, into the reservoir, but recovery of the Richard K. Davidson, 49, Sacramento River. Interstate 60 river may take several years. the railroad's executive vice was closed briefly and resi­ The second derailment oc­ president-operation, has been dents of nearby Dunsmuir curred on July 28 when SP named president and chief were evacuated as a cloud of train LABAF derailed 14 cars executive officer, replacing gas settled over the area. The at Sea Cliff on the Coast Line, Walsh. Davidson is a career train was negotiating Cantara 18 miles southeast of Santa railroader, who started with Loop when one of the four lo­ Barbara. The accident occurred Missouri Pacific as a brake­ comotives and seven cars directly below Highway 101, man/conductor in 1960. jumped track; coincidentally, forcing its closure. Smoke and June's Expediter featured a toxic fumes from the train led UP AND LACTC REACH photo of the accident location. to the evacuation of about 350 AGREEMENT: On July 24 Preliminary reports indi­ residents and oil field workers. Union Pacific and the L.A. cate that the derailment may The accident was apparently County Transportation Com­ have been caused by six rear caused by a locked axle on a 39- mission signed an agreement gondolas loaded with scrap car L.A.-Oakland train. Haz­ to transfer four miles of vital steel which created excessive ardous materials, including trackage in the central Los drag as the 97-car train nego­ paint, adhesive cement and Angeles area, plus trackage LLI tiated five curves. A phe- aqueous hydrazine--a corrosive rights over 56 miles of Union 4. SEPTEMBER 1991 Pacific trackage to Riverside for $17 million. The agreement provides commuter trains with their own unimpeded route into L.A. Union Passenger Terminal with the purchase of the UP bridge from Pasadena Junction across the Los Angeles River and past Mission Tower connecting to LAUPT. This route has been used by SP freight moves and Amtrak's Sunset Limited since 1971, when UP last operated regularly scheduled passenger service from Union Station. The announcement left un­ specified exactly what improve­ ments UP would make to its line. UP has studied the need for double tracking the route between Montebello andRiver­ side. One attractive aspect of the commuter arrangement is the possibility of joint funding which may see double tracking move forward more rapidly than if left to compete for capi­ tal expenditure dollars with other projects systemwide. The Northwest's newest passenger train made its debut this summer on the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad; Commuter service on parts the Oregon Coasfline Explorer, descendant of the Oregon Coasfline Express, is shown along Nehalen Bay of the line may begin as early on its July 6 inaugural run. The train matches POTB power with Doyle McCormack's eX-Algoma Central, ex- as October of 1992. 5P Daylight articulated coach. An ROC is scheduled to take over the chores later this summer. Greg Brown TRANSCISCO TROUBLES: ness-leasing and maintaining ment has been worked out with part of a consolidation that will Transcisco Industries Inc.