Happy 100th Birthday Tunkhannock Viaduct!

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
■■■■■■■■■■■
Happy 100th Birthday
Tunkhannock Viaduct!
VOLUME 35 ■■■■■■■■■ NUMBER 9
The Semaphore
David N. Clinton, Editor-in-Chief
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Southeastern Massachusetts…………………. Paul Cutler, Jr.
Paul Cutler III
Cape Cod News………………………………….. Skip Burton
Boston Globe Reporter………………………. Brendan Sheehan
Boston Herald Reporter……………………… Jim South
Wall Street Journal Reporter....………………. Paul Bonanno
Rhode Island News……………………………….Tony Donatelli
Empire State News………………………………. Dick Kozlowski
“Amtrak News”…………………………….….. . Russell Buck
“The Chief’s Corner”…………………………. . Fred Lockhart
PRODUCTION STAFF
Publication……………………………………….. Al Taylor
Al Munn
Web Page and photographer…………………... Joe Dumas
Guest Contributors………………………………. Peter Palica
The Semaphore is
the monthly (except July) newsletter of the South Shore Model Railway Club & Museum (SSMRC) and any
opinions found herein are those of the authors thereof and of the Editors and do not necessarily reflect any policies of this organization.
The SSMRC, as a non-profit organization, does not endorse any position. Your comments are welcome! Please address all
correspondence regarding this publication to: The Semaphore, 11 Hancock Rd., Hingham, MA 02043.
E-mail: [email protected] Club phone: 781-740-2000. Web page: www.ssmrc.org
©2015
VOLUME 35 ■■■■■ NUMBER 9 ■■■■■ SEPTEMBER 2015
CLUB OFFICERS
President………………….Jack Foley
Vice-President…….. …..Dan Peterson
Treasurer………………....Will Baker
Secretary………………. ...Dave Clinton
Chief Engineer………. .. .Fred Lockhart
Directors……………… ....Bill Garvey (’16)
………………………..
.Bryan Miller (‘16)
………………………
.Mike Dolan (’17)
……………………… ….Roger St. Peter (’17)
On the cover: Famous Tunkhannock Viaduct on the
former DL&W Railroad in Nicholson, PA is celebrating its
100th anniversary this year. NS now owns this trackage out
of Scranton and put their picture of this NS freight crossing
2
the Viaduct, along with another at sunset. (NS-Kevin
Burkholder, photographer)
BILL OF LADING
Chief’s Corner ......……….3
Contests.................….. …..3
Clinic……………………...5
Editor’s Notes .......……….10
Members ...............………..10
Memories ..............………..4
Potpourri ................……….6
Special Guest ........……….11
FORM 19
ORDERS
puzzles available on top of the old wood
display case inside the train room. Drawing will
be held at the October Business Meeting.
SEPTEMBER B.O.D. MEETING
Thursday, October 1st 8 p.m.
DECODER & LOCO TUNE-UP CLINIC
Thursday, October 1st 8 p.m.
OCTOBER BUSINESS MEETING
Monday, October 5th 8 p.m.
OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, October 12th 8 p.m.
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
Saturday, October 17th
Fred Lockhart
We will start off with progress updates first this
month. Bob England has got the toggle panels I
mentioned he was building last most installed; there
is one panel in the pit and another in the aisle. The
panels have LEDs to show the route that is set, so
now it is very easy to get through the double slip
switch at the entrance to the Cedar Hill
arrival/departure yard. The seven toggle panels that
I was designing for Cedar Hill freight and
passenger have been built with the help of Al Grey
who did the panel woodwork and Stan Rydell who
did a lot of the wiring on the panels. We have
started to mount them and it will take a while to get
them all wired and operational. All of the freight
panels have LEDs to show the position of the
turnout. When this project is finished, operating
within the yard will be a lot easier without having to
use the throttle to activate the turnouts.
Scenery continues along as usual on “Corner
City” and work has started near the end of West
Middleton yard where there will be a residential
area built up on some 2” foam, that backs up to the
tracks. With the work the members do, it should be
outstanding. The blast furnace at the steel mill area
has been replaced with another one the club
received as a donation; new track work was
installed and it is now operational.
A few weeks from now will be our Fall Open
House, which means we need to do some
housekeeping on both the railroad and the club.
My preference would be to have the club ready by
the 17th of October, a week before the show. There
are a lot small tasks to be done and the more that
help the easier it will be. Track cleaning is probably
the most difficult because of the amount of rolling
stock that is always on the railroad, so please don’t
add any trains until the track is cleaned.
It is a short column this month, but that’s all I got!
Fred Lockhart
Chief Engineer.
FALL SHOW AND OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, October 24th 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, October 25th 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
OCTOBER B.O.D. MEETING
Monday, October 26th 8 p.m.
CONTESTS
Congratulations to Mike Dolan on winning his
month’s 50/50 Raffle!
For the drawing in October, you will find a
matching contest on the Whyte system of
Steam Locomotive Wheel Arrangement in the
train room. Fredric M. Whyte devised a
classification system to identify locomotives by
the arrangement of the wheels. His system
was first reported in the American Engineer
and Railroad Journal in December of 1900,
adopted by the American Locomotive
Company in 1903, and became the industrywide system within the next few years. Puzzle
#15-10 can be found near the end of the
newsletter. Please make sure to put your
name on the puzzle before leaving it in my
mailbox. You can also email your completed
puzzle to me at [email protected]. Extra
3
Three legs of the SSMRC connected and ready
for Fall Open House operation.
Steve Peers joins SSMRC.
U.P. introduces “Heritage” series of EMD
SD70Aces, with Mopac #UP1982 and Western
Pacific #UP1983.
SEPTEMBER 2000 (15 years ago)
Johnstown America introduces the new
“Aluminum Vehicle Carrier”, an 89-foot, bi-level
autorack car with a 50-year lifespan.
Acela Express trains certified by FRA for speeds
up to 150 MPH.
Club goal of having continuous loop of track
appears reachable for Open House.
Trains magazine introduces Rochelle, Il webcam
Black, chain-link fence installed along Front St.
railroad tracks in E. Braintree to “protect” abutters.
SEPTEMBER 1995 (20 Years Ago)
Edaville Entertainment enters into 16-year lease
with Ellis D. Atwood Corp., owners of Edaville.
Amtrak president Thomas Downs proclaims
Amtrak can “wean” itself from the government
subsidies by the year 2002.
New England Central named “Short Line RR of
the Year” by Railway Age magazine.
Broadway Limited service ends, after 93 years of
service over the PRR from New York to Chicago.
Paul Agnew joins SSMRC.
Amtrak’s “All Aboard America” fares offer up to
30-days and unlimited stopovers for $278 coast-tocoast.
SEPTEMBER 1990 (25 Years Ago)
Amtrak introduces the “New England Express”,
running Boston to New York in 3h 55 min.
I.C.C. approves sale of D&H to CPR.
Conrail tears up last 2 miles of Dorchester &
Milton Branch to Baker Chocolate plant.
First freight train to Rockland, ME, in over five
years; line to be operated by Maine Coast RR.
Dwight Smith retires as president and GM of
Conway Scenic RR; CSR founded in 1974.
St. Lawrence & Atlantic RR builds locomotive
house/shop at Lewiston Jct., Maine.
SEPTEMBER 1985 (30 Years Ago)
1st time in Club history—3 candidates for
president. (Elections in November at that time)
”Project Filene’s” in full swing for holiday showing
Steamtown struggling in Scranton, PA, having to
use diesels because of no operating steamers.
Bombardier goes out of freight locomotive
business, ending production of its HR-series.
SEMAPHORE
MEMORIES
SEPTEMBER 2010 (5 years ago)
”Decoder Clinic” becomes “Decoder & Loco
Tune-up Clinic”.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR sees repair of firedamaged Lobato Trestle at $2 million.
Alaska RR begins 80-mile extension to Fort
Greely from North Pole, Alaska.
Long-time customer of B&M RR, Fletcher Granite
abruptly closes its doors.
Quaboag Transfer of Palmer, MA, operator of
major industrial park, declares bankruptcy.
GE announces that it will supply engines and
other key components to the 20 new MBTA locos to
be built by MotivePower in Boise, Idaho.
Amtrak awards $298 million contract for 130 new
single-level passenger cars to CAF USA of Elmira,
NY.
Governor of California announces State will seek
help from China building $44 billion high-speed rail
system in the state.
Frank Shelty, long-term caretaker of Bare Cove
Park, passed away at age of 90.
Chatham, MA, RR Station Museum celebrates
50th anniversary.
Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum has
ground-breaking for new roundhouse.
Toronto Railway Historical Assoc. purchases
LRC locomotive from VIA Rail Canada. Built by
Bombardier 1980-84, they were the last to use the
Alco-designed 251 prime mover.
New train station serving T.F. Green airport in
Warwick, RI to open in October. MBTA trains will
eventually stop here.
SEPTEMBER 2005 (10 years ago)
Spence Miller, 25+ year president of MEC, dies.
NS replaces 6-miles of track over Lake
Pontchartrain, outside New Orleans, 10-days after
Hurricane Katrina demolishes it.
MBTA launches $25-million program to rehab ½
the passenger car fleet—single-level coaches.
Metro-North Commuter Rail Road leases eight
Amtrak p40s to replace remaining ex-NH FL9s.
Conway Scenic replaces FP9s on Notch Train
with ex-QBT U23b #21 because of dynamic brakes.
4
Guilford closes Mechanicville Yard and re-opens
Mohawk Yard in Scotia, NY.
MEC’s Crawford Notch station dedicated as the
Appalachian Mountain Club’s visitor info center.
MBTA opens temporary Harvard Square station
for bus and trolley transfers, while Red Line is
extended to Alewife.
Amtrak institutes 25% discount for seniors.
Framingham station purchased for proposed
restaurant.
N&W announces that articulated loco #1218 will
be restored to mainline running for excursions.
U.P. retires last of steam-powered rotaries.
with this up-dated Digitrax board. The P1K RS2
was a little more complicated, using a DZ125 and
hardwiring it, after tossing out the factory board.
The factory bulbs were used, with a 270-ohm
resistor in the blue (common) wire. Both locos nice
additions to his New Haven roster.
Bob Farrenkopf brought his Riverossi 2-6-6-6
“Alleghany” for programming. Paul III assisted him
with this “chore”, considering there are two
decoders—one for motion and one for sound! The
motion one is in the boiler and the sound is in the
tender, so each has to be programmed separately!
(The early days of sound in HO). All worked out in
the end and Bob was happy he could now run this
monster on the “East Coast Lines”!
DECODER &
ENGINE TUNE-UP
CLINIC
Chris Barlow brought three locos. The first was a
N&W C30-7 Atlas “red box”, which took the
DZ125P into the 8-pin on-board plug. The factory
board includes proper resistors for the lighting. The
second loco was a P2K GP7, decorated in the
handsome Maine Central “Harvest Gold” and “Pine
Green” scheme. This older Proto loco takes the
DH165LO replacement board, and includes proper
resistance for the factory bulbs. His third loco was
an Atlas TrainMaster, also decorated in the N&W
black. A DZ125P fit into the on-board 8-pin plug,
and away he went with three locos ready for the
ECL challenge.
Almost a “full house” this month. Brendan
Sheehan was first on the agenda, with his BNSF
“Genset” by Atlas. This took a DZ125 into the onboard plug, but we had trouble removing and
installing the shell. There isn’t much room inside
the narrow shell for the wiring of the decoder. It
took some patience, and having to re-glue some
detail parts that were victims of the struggle! It is a
nice-looking model and runs nicely on DCC.
Changing out the awful Atlas couplers was the next
job at hand.
Paul Agnew, a steady at the Clinic, brought a New
Haven EF3a electric loco, imported by NJ Custom
Brass from Korea. Most brass is a “hard-wiire” job,
and this was no exception, especially where he was
installing a Soundtraxx sound decoder! This turned
into a 2-session job, with his work to be continued
at the next Clinic.
Joe Dumas brought another older model with a
Kato drive. This time, it was an SD40-2 dressed in
a “Chessie” coat. The DH165KO is made for the
Kato drives, and replaces the factory board. Lights
are the hardest part, with the project involving
cutting the light tubes back. Then heat shrinking a
bulb or L.E.D. to the end of each tube and wiring it
to the Digitrax board. Nice thing about the newest
boards is that there is an on-board current limiting
resistor, so no additional resistors need to be
added, if you are using a 1.5v bulb or L.E.D. Joe
was happy.
Ye Ed brought an old Kato RS2, custom-painted in
Lehigh & New England. Kato only ran this loco
once, back in the ‘90s. The Digitrax DH165IP fits
into the 8-pin plug on the factory board, so this is a
fairly easy install. The problem was how the power
is transferred from the trucks to the motor; a very
“iffy” connection, using brass or bronze sheet stock.
It is important to solder all the connections made
with this stock and to use contact cleaner where
you can’t solder, like between the tracks and where
they rub against the stock metal. Success was
finally made, but after some cursing along the way.
Paul Cutler III brought two New Haven locos. The
first was an Atlas “Classic” RS3, that now includes
L.E.D.s, so the DH165AO replacement board works
perfectly, and no additional resistors are needed,
5
the Maine Eastern, a subsidiary of the New Jerseybased Morristown & Erie, were the only two bidders
for the 10-year contract. Central Maine President
John Giles tells Trains News Wire that state
officials approached his company about bidding on
the contract earlier this year. This summer, Giles
and other Central Maine officials inspected the 57mile Rockland Branch and soon after decided to
put in an offer. Although there are currently only a
handful of customers on the line – most notably
Dragon Cement in Thomaston and Bath Iron Works
in Hardings – Giles says he believes there is
potential for more. He says he identified at least
three or four potential new customers on the line
during the recent inspection trip. "We see
potential," he says. "There is business out there."
The promise of finding additional freight customers
on the line would be especially attractive to state
transportation officials hoping to thin out tractortrailer traffic on nearby U.S Route 1, which is often
congested during the summer. Giles says the new
railroad will likely be integrated into its current
operations in northern Maine, on the former Bangor
& Aroostook and Canadian Pacific. The Central
Maine & Quebec took over the former Montreal,
Maine & Atlantic in 2014 after that railroad went
bankrupt following the deadly Lac-Megnatic,
Quebec, oil train wreck. Although it’s unclear how
CMQR will operate this branch, Giles says he does
know the company is not getting into the excursion
business. Since 2004, the Maine Eastern has
operated summer excursions between Brunswick
and Rockland. However, Giles says he is open to
working with another operator if they want to run
passenger trains, including the Maine Eastern.
But Maine Eastern officials tell Trains News Wire
that this year will be their last running the popular
seasonal excursions. Morristown & Erie Marketing
and Logistics Manager Rudy Garbely says all of the
passenger equipment, including the railroad's two
former New Haven FL9s, will return to New Jersey
at the end of the season. "The last day of our 2015
excursion season, October 31, may well be the last
day that the general public will ever have the
opportunity to ride this line," Garbely says.
Nathan Moulton, the director of the Maine
Department of Transportation Rail Program, says
all bids for the contract were reviewed by four
individuals on a criteria based on the respondents
operating experience, cost revenue to the state,
terms for accommodating passenger service
Overall, a good time was had by all, with some
learning experiences, as usual. Our next clinic will
be Thursday, October 1st . Sign-up sheet on
Bulletin Board. Everyone is welcome!
POTPOURRI
THE LARGE ROUND SIGN proudly proclaimed
“An Amtrak Served Community” Thursday
afternoon, as residents of Holyoke awaited the first
intercity passenger train to stop in their city since
1966. Amtrak’s St. Albans, Vt.-Washington
Vermonter train will serve the onetime industrial
city, 8 miles north of Springfield, as part of its
“Knowledge Corridor,” named for the many colleges
and universities along the route. The Vermonter
shifted its route through Massachusetts from New
England Central to the former Boston & Maine
Connecticut River main line in December 2014,
following major upgrading, but initially made stops
only at Greenfield and Northampton. Holyoke
service was postponed until completion of a $4.3
million platform, located slightly south of the stillstanding 1885 stone passenger station. (TN)
●●●●●●●
NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND Passenger Rail
Authority plans to begin construction of the
Brunswick Layover Facility in September now that
all necessary permits have been issued. Chairman
Wayne Davis made this comment: "After waiting
for four years, it's about time. The Brunswick
Layover Facility will increase on-time performance,
enable another round trip, reduce environmental
concerns and serve the riding public with enhanced
passenger rail service between Brunswick and
Boston. It will be a real plus for the local economy."
(PPH)
●●●●●●●
THE MAINE DEPARTMENT of Transportation
announced the Central Maine & Quebec Railway
would become the exclusive freight operator on the
state's former Maine Central line between
Brunswick and Rockland. The CMQR is slated to
replace the line's current operator, the Maine
Eastern, on Jan. 1, 2016. The Central Maine and
6
MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR Charlie Baker
joined Springfield, Mass., Mayor Domenic Sarno,
CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock Corp Ltd.)
Vice President Weiping Yu, CRRC USA Rail Corp.
Chairman and President Chuanhe Zhou and state
and local officials at the Sept. 3, 2015
groundbreaking of a $95 million, 220,000-squarefoot railcar manufacturing facility where 152 new
Orange Line and 132 new Red Line vehicles will be
built for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation
Authority (MBTA) under a $566.6 million contract
awarded earlier this year. (RA)
●●●●●●●
WEEKEND TRAVELERS have another high-speed
option for Northeast Corridor (NEC) service
between Boston and New York, as Amtrak expands
its Acela Express service between the two cities,
the company announced on Sept. 4, 2015. Tickets
are now available at Amtrak.com, the Amtrak
mobile apps and other booking channels. Train
2295 is a new morning departure from Boston,
leaving South Station at 7:35 a.m. with a scheduled
arrival at Penn Station New York at 11:15 a.m.,
Amtrak says. “This Saturday-only service provides
additional flexibility and convenience for customers
when making their travel plans,” Amtrak says. (RA)
●●●●●●●
TALKS SEPT. 10 between Amtrak, Connecticut
and federal officials resulted in a pledge to move
the
New
Haven-Hartford-Springfield
project
forward. However, a plan will not be solidified until
the end of the month. A joint statement from
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the
Connecticut Congressional delegation, Amtrak,
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and
Federal
Railroad
Administration
Acting
Administrator Sarah Feinberg stated, "The Hartford
Line is a top priority for the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Governor Malloy, the Connecticut
Congressional delegation and Amtrak. Today's
meeting was both positive and productive. It was
clear that all of the stakeholders in this
process...agree that this project must get done. By
the end of the month, we expect to make progress
on a path acceptable to all parties that can help
move this project forward." The New HavenHartford-Springfield Rail Program aims to improve
the track infrastructure to provide high-speed
service between New Haven, Hartford and
Springfield, Mass. Tensions between Gov. Malloy
and Amtrak have been escalating due to cost
operators, respondents financial condition, and
plans to do its own maintenance and provide its
own equipment. "[Central Maine's] management
and marketing team has a lot of experience in short
line railroads in areas with light density freight and
has a history of growing business and operations
on lines similar to the Rockland Branch," Moulton
says. "It was felt that they give the state and the
businesses on the line the best potential for
growth." (TN)
●●●●●●●
NIPPON SHARYO is laying off workers at the plant
assembling bi-level passenger cars after a
prototype failed key safety tests. Plant managers
announced the layoffs on Thursday saying they are
"... a result of complications during the testing
phase of one of its prototype cars." Nippon Sharyo
is building the cars to one design for statesponsored Amtrak service in several states,
including Michigan and California. Bruce Roberts,
Chief of California’s Division of Rail in the
Department of Public Transportation, the agency
that is overseeing the procurement for the states,
tells Trains that he learned from Nippon Sharyo on
Thursday that the company has yet to discover
whether the 800,000-pound compression test
failure which caused the shell to buckle was the
result of poor workmanship, production failures, or
a fundamental design flaw. A compression test is
meant to demonstrate how a car would respond in
an accident, protecting passengers. Local media
report that as many as 98 workers will be laid off.
The company says the workers will be from the
fabrication and welding shops and will receive a
severance package. Expanding its plant in Rochelle
to manufacture stainless steel shells in the United
States instead of Japan was important to Nippon
Sharyo in winning bids for multi-state contracts
under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009, which includes significant Buy America
provisions. Delays in testing and producing the bilevel cars calls into question how the company will
be able to fulfill its obligations. (TN)
●●●●●●●
KEOLIS COMMUTER Services, operator of the
Commuter Rail lines, is adding 64 new conductors
and assistant conductors to improve service and
fare collection. 17 new workers have already
started and 17 more will start on September 12th.
(PL)
●●●●●●●
7
increases and management issues. Gov. Malloy
sent a letter to Secretary Foxx in May asking for his
help to complete the project, a goal Gov. Malloy
wrote was in jeopardy. Connecticut has pledged
$244 million to the project and the federal
government has committed $191 million. (RA)
●●●●●●●
THE MBTA SUCCESSFULLY rolled a new bridge
for the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line into place on
Saturday, Aug. 29. Trains were restricted to 25 mph
on the old bridge over Route 62/Main Street in
Concord, which had low clearance and was in poor
condition. The new bridge is two and a half feet
higher over the roadway, has a wider sidewalk and
allows trains to continue at the normal speed of 65
mph. To minimize the impact of the replacement
work to rail and road traffic, the MBTA used an
accelerated bridge replacement process to "roll-in"
the new bridge. Traditional construction techniques
would have required the roadway to be closed for a
month and rail service to be interrupted for a nine
day period," said MBTA General Manager Frank
DePaola. "By using the 'roll-in' process, almost all
of the work is taking place over the course of one
weekend." Construction crews have been working
since last year, preparing foundations for the new
bridge. The new bridge structure was assembled
over the roadway adjacent to the existing bridge.
Track was removed and the existing bridge
demolished then the new structure, supported on
two 80-wheel transporters, was slowly rolled into
place. New track was then installed and the line
returned to service in time for the regularly
scheduled start of service the morning of Aug. 31.
(RA)
●●●●●●●
EXPECT TO SEE fewer RoadRailer trailers in the
coming months as Triple Crown Services cuts back
on jobs, trailers, and routes. In a statement on
September 18th, Norfolk Southern says it will
restructure its Triple Crown Service subsidiary by
laying off as many as 200 of its 240-person
workforce and paring back the routes RoadRailer
trailers travel on to just a single lane. That is
expected to be a Detroit to Kansas City-area
routing that hauls mostly auto parts. "This change
is a natural evolution in the business," says Alan H.
Straw, NS executive vice president and chief
marketing officer. "We want to retain the best of
[Triple Crown] in specific markets with efficient
door-to-door logistics and award-winning customer
service." NS' statement says Triple Crown workers
who lose their jobs will be eligible for severance
payments, job placement assistance, and the ability
to apply for positions with the railroad.
Triple Crown is the remaining major carrier to use
RoadRailer-branded trailers which are reinforced
tractor-trailer boxes that can ride of top of a single
railroad truck without a separate frame or
supporting freight car. They've been in use in some
form since the 1960s but failed to take market
share away from intermodal containers that ride on
flat railroad flatcars or semi-truck trailer chassis.
(TN)
●●●●●●●
CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY Ltd. has
completed the sale of a 282-mile segment of its
Delaware & Hudson subsidiary to Norfolk Southern
Corp.—the D&H South line, which connects
Schenectady, N.Y., with Sunbury, Pa. (RA)
●●●●●●●
PROVIDENCE & WORCESTER RR
has
purchased its first six-motor locomotives, a pair of
EMD SD70M-2s. The units previously operated as
FEC. Although the P&W has previously leased 6axle units, these two 9-year-old units will be the first
owned on a roster dominated by GE B39-8s and
B40-8s. Both units will eventually receive the
railroad’s orange and brown colors. (RRE).
●●●●●●●
THE SAME APPLIES to the Vermont Rail System,
which is acquiring its first 6-axle locomotives.
Again, a pair of ex-FEC SD70M-2s, which will be
cycled through the P&W paint shop to be painted in
the “Vermont Red” with white stripes scheme.
(RRE)
●●●●●●●
Canada's two major railroads are headed to court
with one accusing the other of corporate
espionage. The lawsuit filed by Canadian National
Railway alleges a former employee downloaded
confidential customer information from CN's
database before leaving the railroad as an
intermodal business manager in July to become a
regional sales director for Canadian Pacific. (tn)
●●●●●●●
THE $214.5 MILLION SALE (subject to
adjustments) of the D&H South line was first
announced Nov. 14, 2014 and approved by the
U.S. Surface Transportation Board on May 15,
2015.
8
subsidiary Pan Am Southern, which serves New
England markets. Additionally, NS has acquired the
D&H car shop in Binghamton, along with other
facilities. NS has hired about 150 former D&H
employees who have experience working this
corridor. NS m/w crews are scheduled to perform
routine maintenance, and NS plans in 2016 to add
new ties, resurface 40 miles of track and install 14
miles of new curved rail. As part of the transaction,
NS will retain and modify its overhead trackage
rights on the line between Schenectady, Crescent
and Mechanicville, N.Y., as well as Saratoga
Springs, N.Y. (RA)
●●●●●●●
PASSENGERS ABOARD AMTRAK’S Adirondack
service can experience the splendor of Upstate
New York’s fall foliage season in unique fashion
when the historic “Great Dome” car returns for a
six-week run Sept. 24 through Nov. 3, 2015.In
partnership with the New York State Department of
Transportation (NYSDOT) and the National Park
Service Trails and Rails program, Amtrak brings its
one remaining dome car back for this popular
annual tradition along “one of the most scenic train
routes in the world.” The car features an upper level
with windows on all sides to “provide panoramic
views of the changing colors of the trees, sweeping
vistas of Lake Champlain and breathtaking views of
the Adirondack Mountains between Albany and
Montreal,” Amtrak says. (RA)
●●●●●●●
JOHN BUSH is excited about what's next for "Old
168." Bush is president of the Cumbres & Toltec
Scenic Railroad and is set to lead the team that will
restore the narrow-gauge former Denver & Rio
Grande 4-6-0 ten-wheeler to operating condition.
They began extracting the engine from a park in
downtown Colorado Springs, where it has been on
display since 1938."It's a 'Free Willy' moment,"
Bush says, referring to a 1993 movie about
releasing an orca whale from captivity. He says
local and Cumbres & Toltec leaders are working
together, "to get the thing in its natural environment
and do what it's meant to do." Bush says his goal is
to restore the locomotive to the way it appeared
from 1913 to 1917, when the locomotive had its last
major upgrade. He then wants to pair it with
coaches, a railway post office car, and a
paymaster's car from the same period so No. 168
can replicate a train 50 years before the 1950s1960s-era the Cumbres & Toltec now reflects in its
The D&H South sale includes all branch lines and
industrial spurs that connect to the SunburySchenectady main line, plus some equipment,
vehicles and parts. NS formally began rail
operations on the corridor on Saturday, Sept. 19.
Approximately 45,000 CP carloads and shipping
containers moved across the line annually,
including consumer goods, salt, grain and forest
products. The acquired lines connect with the NS
network at Sunbury, Pa., and Binghamton, N.Y.,
providing NS single-line routes from Chicago and
the southeastern U.S. to Albany, N.Y., and NS also
gained an enhanced connection to its joint-venture
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equipment. Bush says he estimates the restoration
work at about $650,000 and hopes to get the
funding all from private donations and not from
loans or government grants. According to a news
release from the railroad, No. 168 was one of six
Class 47/T-12 narrow gauge locomotives built for
the Denver & Rio Grande in 1883. The locomotive
pulled the first D&RG passenger train from Denver
to Ogden, Utah, where the narrow gauge route
connected with the Transcontinental Railroad. (TN)
●●●●●●●
THE CHIEF OF THE MBTA -- touting the agency's
revamped plans, new third rails and train-mounted
plows -- has issued a "guarantee" to commuters
and straphangers that the state's aging
transportation system won't shut down this winter.
"That's the focus of the whole project, to make sure
we don't have system-wide shutdowns this winter,"
General Manager Frank DePaola told the Herald
after walking Gov. Charlie Baker and the press
through a Dorchester staging area outfitted with
some of the new equipment the T will rely on to
keep its trains chugging in the snow. And DePaola
vowed that the T won't get taken down by another
winter like the last one, when it had to shutter
operations on several occasions amid recordbreaking storms. "I guarantee," DePaola said,
motioning to Baker, "otherwise he fires me." (BH)
●●●●●●●
I ENJOYED THESE ARTICLES in this month’s RR
magazines and can suggest them to you:
EDITOR’S NOTES
1. The next issue of the Semaphore will
be published one week early, due to the
Fall Show and Open House. Articles
and news are due Saturday, October
17th.
2. Included with this issue is an article
from the May 1996 Passenger Train
Journal, which celebrated Amtrak’s 25th
Anniversary. You will find the article
enjoyable reading and you may know
the author? Now, if only we could get
him to write for the Semaphore!
………………..David
N. Clinton
MEMBER NEWS
It was nice to have Bill Garvey back operating
with us last week. He seems to be doing better
each time he visits, after his long bout with
infection and open heart surgery.
Birthday Celebrations
The following members have made it through
another year and deserve congratulations:
TRAINS
Railroading’s Biggest Blunders
Gulf Coast Revival?
Five Decades, One Station
Dispensing Knuckles at Milepost 14
MODEL RAILROADER
Big Sky, Little Trouble
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
Colorado RR Museum
Electro-Motive 645
Cast Tunnel Liners
Dan Peterson .............. October 17th
Eric Wilde ................... October 25th
John Holmes............... October 25th
Bill Hallsen ................. October 28th
REMEMBER:
FALL SHOW & OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, October 24th 9-4
News sources: Boston Globe, Boston Herald,
Amtrak “News”, Trains Newswire, Railway Age,
Railpace Newsmagazine, RRE “Callboy”, “The
470”, Patriot Ledger, Wall Street Journal,
Portland Press-Herald, Boston Herald.
Sunday, October 25th 10-4
We need your help!
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