February 2013.pub - Central Florida Railway Historical Society

Transcription

THE FLATWHEEL
The Official Monthly Publication of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc. February 2013
February Meeting
March Meeting
th
Monday, March11th at 7:00 PM
Central Florida RR Museum
101 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden, FL
Program: Riverboats of Florida
By: Clayton Bishop[
Refreshments Provided By: Irv Lipscomb
Monday, February 11 at 7:00 PM
101 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden, FL
Program: Dispatching on the ACL’s
Ocala District
By: Warren McFarland
Refreshments Provided By: Dan & Janet Crusie
CFRHS Membership Statistics
Central Florida Railway
Historical Society, Inc.
Central Florida RR Museum Host
Duty Schedule — February 2013
DAY
DATE
HOURS
MUSEUM HOST
Saturday
2/2/12
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Jarrod Reynolds
Sunday
2/3/13
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Richard Bazzo
Saturday
2/9/13
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Allen Quinn
Sunday
2/10/13
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Mike Kelly
Saturday
2/16/13
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Jerry Honetor
Sunday
2/17/13
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Gary Dettman
Saturday
2/23/13
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Phil Baker
Sunday
2/24/13
1 P.M. – 5 P.M.
Richard Bazzo
Society Members
Society Century Members
20
7
Phil Cross
Bill Dusenbury
Chuck Hanus
Jerry Honetor
Frank Milmore
Ken Murdock
Jim Shoemaker
Society Corporate Members
Society Friends
Society Family Members
Society Student Members
Total Members
February Museum
Work Session
0
2
9
0
38
February Birthdays
David Rhea 2/4
Dan Crusie 2/6
Dan Martin 2/20
Diane Hardwich 2/21
Ken Murdock 2/27
Saturday, February 16, 2013
8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Please come out and help
with the many chores that
need to be done!!!!
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NMRA National Convention in Orlando in 2017??
Al Pfeiffer’s Photo Corner
The Sunshine Region of the National Model Railroad Association is thinking about hosting the NMRA's National
Convention in 2017 in Orlando. The first meeting was
held Jan 12th. We need to keep our ears open on this. If
it comes to be, the museum could benefit by being open
for one of the conventions tours. And if the steam train
can be at the museum to offer an excursion, everyone
could benefit.
This feature focuses on photos taken by our own Society
Friend Al Pfeiffer. Over the years, Al has taken thousands of photos related to our favorite hobby and he
would like to share some of them with us. Each month,
three of Al’s photos are featured.
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Cannonball Christmas
Express Ridership
TAVARES, FLORIDA
Ridership on the Santa trains nearly tripled on the Tavares,
Eustis & Gulf Railroad this past holiday season. In 2011,
the Cannonball Christmas Express carried 2,494 guests.
2012 figures show ridership on the trains jumped to 7,342.
TE&G Operations Manager, Neil Bagaus, reported that a
number of factors contributed to the gain. “We added an
additional caboose to the train, scheduled extra runs, and
upped our advertising budget. We expanded our advertising to include the area from Daytona Beach to Tampa.
Rather than just throw cash at it, we picked our advertising
spots and targeted our audience. The result was that we
spent less than a $1.00 in advertising for each guest we
carried. In the end, all but 2 of the 59 scheduled trains operated at capacity and both those trains operated in November at 8:30 pm.” Capacity was 125 seats. “We didn’t charge
for kids under 3 and we feel that really helped us with the
family business. We are hoping to add at least one more 60
seat coach to our operation for 2013,” Bagaus added.
Conrad Yelvington Alco S2 #239 at Wildwood, FL, 3/9/09
1:40pm
The Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad operates tourist trains
out of Tavares, Florida on lines owned by the Florida Central Railroad.
Their website is www.orangeblossomcannonball.com.
Phone number 352-742-7200.
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Connor Murdock Working on the Railroad
Photo submitted by Society Members
Ken Murdock and Bill Cogswell
Amtrak #187 Northbound at Marcy, FL, 9/26/10
Florida Central Railroad GP18 #59 at Ocoee FL, 10/3/09
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Upcoming Events
August 17-18, 2013, The Villages, FL — The Villages
Summer Train Expo, at the Savannah Center, 9 am – 4
pm Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm Sunday. Contact: Alan Goldberg, 352-205-4322, [email protected], Website:
http://villagerailclubs.blogspot.com.
February 11, 2013 — Winter Garden, FL — Monthly
Meeting of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society
at 7:00 PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101
South Boyd Street.
Florida Live Steamers Winter Meet Dates
February 16, 2013 — Jacksonville, FL — 35th Jacksonville Rail Fair, Railroadiana and Model Train Show, 9:00
to 4:00. Admission $7 (under 12 free), Prime Osborn
Convention Center, 1000 Water Street (former Jacksonville Terminal). Details: Charlie Miller, 3106 N. Rochester
St., Arlington, VA 22213-1348, (703) 536-2954,
[email protected]. Website: http://www.gserr.com.
February 20-23, 2013 — Florida Flywheelers Antique
Engine Club’s 21st Annual Antique Engine & Tractor
Show, 7000 Avon Park Cutoff Road, Ft. Meade, FL,
33841. Admission: $7.00 per day. Call 863-285-9121.
Website: http://www.floridaflywheelers.org.
West Toccoi & Bostwick
Jan. 31 - Feb. 3
Big Boots & Western
Feb. 4 - Feb. 10
Central Pasco & Gulf
Feb. 9 - Feb. 13
Largo Central
Feb. 14 - Feb. 17
Manatee Central
Feb. 17 - Feb. 20
Ridge Live Steamers
Feb. 21 - Feb. 24
Sebring System
Mar. 9 - Mar. 10
The following story is courtesy of Society Member Warren McFarland.
March 11, 2013 — Winter Garden, FL — Monthly Meeting of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at
7:00 PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101
South Boyd Street.
Annual Samuel Morse Birthday Party
at the Central Florida RR Museum
APRIL 27, 2013
April 8, 2013 — Winter Garden, FL — Monthly Meeting
of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at 7:00
PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 South
Boyd Street.
Florida Chapter members will gather at the Central Florida Railroad Museum, located at 101 South Boyd Street, Winter Garden,
FL, a few miles west of Orlando, to commemorate the birthday of
Samuel F. B. Morse, the developer of electromagnetic telegraphy as we know it. Members will display and demonstrate antique and replica telegraph instruments and equipment. In addition, using a special computer program which turns the Internet
into multiple telegraph circuits, they will exchange telegraphic
greetings with members of other Morse Telegraph Chapters
throughout the United States and Canada, and also with interested participants from all around the world. For the benefit of
visitors who are not telegraphers, the computer program will also
translate and display those exchanges on the Museum's big
screen TV which will be used as a computer monitor for the day.
Admission is FREE (donation) and the public is invited. Hours
10AM-4PM.
April 13, 2013 — Deland, FL — 43rd Florida Rail Fair,
Volusia County Fairgrounds, 3150 East New York Avenue, 9 am – 4 pm, Admission: Adults $7.00, Under 12
Free. Contact: Charles Miller, 386-736-8185,
[email protected]. Website: http://www.gserr.com.
May 11-12, 2013, The Villages, FL — The Villages
Spring Train Expo, at the Savannah Center, 9 am – 4 pm
Saturday, 10 am – 3 pm Sunday. Contact: Alan Goldberg, 352-205-4322, [email protected], Website:
http://villagerailclubs.blogspot.com.
May 13, 2013 — Winter Garden, FL — Monthly Meeting
Boyd Street.
The following story is courtesy of Society Member Roger Wilson.
June 10, 2013 — Winter Garden, FL — Monthly Meeting
Boyd Street.
The Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is hosting
a Catskills & Saratoga Springs Ramble, October 9 through 13,
2013. Featured on this customized trip to New York State during
the colorful, fall foliage season are train rides on the Rip Van
Winkle Dinner Train of the Delaware & Ulster Railroad, Catskill
Railroad, Saratoga & North Creek Railway and Cooperstown &
Charlotte Valley Railroad, as well as two trolley rides. Also featured are visits to the Kingston, New York Trolley Museum, Empire State Railway Museum, National Museum of Racing & Hall
of Fame in Saratoga Springs, Train Station Museum, Adirondack
Museum, Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Electric City
Trolley Museum and Steamtown National Historic Site. Four
nights’ hotel accommodations, four breakfasts, four lunches and
five dinners are included. Register today, so you don’t miss this
great travel opportunity:http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/
membership/rambles/Catskills-Saratoga-Springs-Ramble2013.pdf.
July 8, 2013 — Winter Garden, FL — Monthly Meeting of
the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at 7:00 PM
in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 South Boyd
Street.
July 14-20 2013 — National Model Railroad Association’s National Convention in Atlanta GA . More information at nmra2013.org.
August 12, 2013 — Winter Garden, FL — Monthly Meeting of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at
7:00 PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101
South Boyd Street.
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The following story was written and submitted by Society Member Lloyd Brown.
The Greatest Train Robbery That Ever Happened in the United States
On June 12, 1924 while Dad was still operating the Rondout Tower, the greatest train robbery that ever happened in the United States
began to unfold. The robbers stole in the neighborhood of $3-million in cash, bonds and jewels.
A Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul eleven car mail train stood, being load, in Chicago‘s Union Station. This train was made up of only
mail and express cars, carrying bonds and currency from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to banks in the Northwest. A slender,
young William Fahy of the city’s postal inspectors, walked up to talk with two men in tattered overalls and holding railroad lanterns.
The trio, Fahy, William Newton and Brent Glasscock spoke. No one at the time knew they were making last minute plans to ensure
that the robbery came off perfectly. The two gang members who were in overalls slipped aboard, behind the tender and rode the train
out of Chicago, northward alone the main line for about 30 miles. When the train approached Rondout, and passed the tower, were it
ran under the Chicago & Milwaukee Electric Railroad (North Shore Line) viaduct, the two bandits were alerted by the deafening roar of
the railroad cars rolling through the viaduct tunnel. This was the signal they had been waiting for.
With their pistols out, Newton and Glasscock crawled quickly from the tender into the cab of the locomotive, and pushed their weapons into the backs of the engineer and fireman and ordered them to bring the eleven car train to a halt. The air brakes were applied,
and the train groaned to a stop near the Buckley
Road crossing. Just two miles north of Rondout. Other members of the gang were waiting in automobiles and along the track. That
is when Newton and Glasscock forced the engineer and fireman off the train and marched their prisoners toward the rear of train.
Waiting along the track were four of the other robbers, Willis’ three brothers, Willie, Jesse and Joseph, and Herbert Holliday.
Glasscock was using a flashlight to light their way alone the tracks, and that is when they saw a figure half-hidden in the underbrush.
The nervous robbers fired five shots in a rapid succession, almost without thinking, and the figure slumped over. They were heading
down the tracks to the mail cars, which they knew
contained a fortune for the taking. Three or four of the robbers threw bottles of formaldehyde through the windows of the cars , blinding the guards and clerks. The robbers then forced the door in the first mail car. They were met with a rain
of bullets from the mail clerks and guards in the car, but they succeeded in overpowering them. One robber, however, was shot. His
fellow robbers carried him alone the track back to the automobiles and place him in one of the autos.
The robbers then forced their way into the second car and the third, but escaped unscathed from the rain of lead the guards and
clerks fired on them, and they succeeded in overpowering the guards and clerks. The robbers did not go into any of the other cars, for
they found forty pouches of registered mail in the first three cars. Two of the robbers unloaded the pouches which they knew were the
ones they wanted. They carried them to four cars they had parked alone Buckley road. Although there was a crew of seventy mail
clerks and guards on the train, they were all locked in the other cars with instructions that in no event were they to open the doors.
The clerks and guards from the three cars were forced outside and lined up against the train. They were guarded by three of the robbers. As soon as the other two robbers were back to the mail cars, the three robbers guarding the train crew made them turn away
from the road as they retreated towards their cars. Glasscock checked to see if all six were ready to leave. But only five were accounted for.
Now the robbers first mistake came to light. Glasscock had impulsively shot down one of his cohorts, Willie Newton, who apparently
had disobeyed preliminary orders not to approach the front of the train. Looking for Newton, they found him were they had left him, in
the underbrush, seriously wounded by bullets in the jaw, the shoulder, the right hand and side. He was carried to one of the cars and
laid bleeding on an impromptu cot of mail sacks.
Fifteen minutes had passed since the crime had begun. It was all over quickly, and the robbers roared westward along Buckley road.
It was obvious that the holdup had been well planned, and that the robbers knew exactly what was on board. The chief mail clerk in
the second rail car said one of the robbers told him: “I want the Federal Reserve shipments to Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Helena, Butte, Seattle and Spokane.” Then the robber added: “I also want, for my own special purposes, a sack you have consigned to
Roundup, Montana.”
Soon after the robbers had left, one of the plundered train’s crewmen called into Chicago to report the holdup, and the machinery of
crime solution quickly got into high gear. All available federal officers and railroad and express company detectives were dispatched
to the scene, and they were soon joined by Lake County sheriff’s deputies.
Larry Benson, general superintendent of police for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad was visiting at the home of Michael
Hughes, chief of Chicago detectives. With Benson was his small daughter. Hearing of the daring almost unbelievable crime, Benson
headed for the scene in a chauffeured Cadillac, his daughter with him. In the meantime, roadblocks were erected throughout northern
Illinois. The robbers had headed west, toward, Libertyville. A dispatcher at Danville junction, about two miles from Rondout, reported
seeing four automobiles speeding by in a westerly direction. He managed to get one of the license numbers, 657-616, but he did not
get the state name.
The criminals made a “clean” getaway that night. The following morning, sheriff’s deputies found two of the automobiles used by the
robbers and abandoned mail sacks along the back roads leading to an area of dense forests and lakes in Crystal Lake. It looked as if
the area was a pre-arranged hideaway at Crystal Lake.
Larry Benson got to the Buckley road crossing and scene of the crime about an hour after it all happened. He found Newton’s blood
trail, a pair of gas masks, Willie’s gun and two quart bottles, one of formaldehyde gas, the other of nitroglycerin. But the latter was
odorless, and Benson did not realize what it was. He tossed it into the back seat of the car, where his daughter slept.
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Benson was at the scene of the robbery barely 20 minutes when postal inspector Fahy, in an old white truck driven by a Negro (black
man), arrived there. Fahy and the driver between them, had just finished a fifth of whiskey.
When Benson left the crime scene, he and his daughter rode in the auto that he had put the evidence he had found earlier, often over
bumpy roads, with the bottle of nitroglycerin aboard. Yet by some miracle the sensitive chemical was never jarred into a deadly explosion. While riding back to Chicago, Larry Benson realized that Fahy could not possibly have reached the Buckley road crossing before he did unless he had left before Benson did. They both arrived at the scene only minutes apart. Benson had traveled in a
speedy Cadillac while Fahy had not been told about the train robbery. This proved to be the gang’s second error, a mistake in timing
and undoubtedly due to Fahy’s drinking.
Larry Benson, began to suspect the answer to the holdup’s basic question was, who had supplied the inside information which only
postal officials knew about the size of that shipment? As it turned out, it had been Fahy. Larry Benson had no real proof to go on at
this point. But he strongly suspected Fahy, despite the fact that he know him personally and respected the postal inspector. The Chicago police refused to even consider Benson’s theory, once he had revealed it, for Fahy was a man believed to be above suspicion.
After the County sheriff’s deputies checked out the Crystal Lake area and finding no sign of the robbers, a report came in that a plane
was seen to land about two miles from Rondout, and then immediately take off in the direction of Chicago. A check of local hangars
revealed that no local planes were in the air at the time after the robbery. Still another possibility being considered was that the robbers had backtracked, headed east to Lake Michigan, and escaped by launch. This was proposed because of a report that early in
the evening on the night of the robbery a launch had docked at Highland Park, and twenty men had come ashore, some of whom
matched the descriptions of the robbers. Shortly there after, the two automobiles later abandoned by the robbers were found to be
stolen.
Because of the size of the haul, Chicago police suspected that some of the city’s major criminals might be involved, and a dozen arrests were made throughout the city. Those picked up included gangsters Dean O’Bannion, Louis Alterie, and Earl Weiss. Eventually, however, they all had to be released. It was later revealed that postal authorities had received a tip several days before the robbery that a gang of criminals from Philadelphia had joined up with Chicago gangsters for raids on the mails.
On Saturday evening, two days after the robbery a report circulated that Chicago police cruising the city found a man lying in the front
yard of a west side home apparently severely injured. On examining him, they discovered that he was Willie Newton, and he had
been shot five times. The police found a new $1,000 bill and a new $500 bill in his pockets, they placed him under arrest. Believing
that he was about to enter the house when he collapsed, they knocked at the door. When they were refused entry, they raided the
place by braking down the doors and arrested the occupants. Two men and a woman, identified as Walter McComb, his wife, Catherine, and Paul Wade. Shortly thereafter, another man arrived at the house. Not seeing the police, he entered and was also arrested.
He gave his name as James Mahoney. When Mahoney was searched, the police found three more new $500 bills. The others were
then searched, and over $20,000 in bills were uncovered, most of it from Paul Wade.
At first, Wayne claimed he had been shot by a woman near Hammond, Indiana, but under further questioning of the kind Chicago
police were famous for in the 1920, he confessed that he had been in on the Rondout robbery and that he had been shot by the
leader of the gang for “disobeying orders.”
Additional checking revealed that Wade and Mahoney generally matched descriptions of two of the robbers, and that Mahoney was
actually James Murray, a former Chicago policeman, political boss and part owner of a local brewery before Prohibition. Further investigation revealed that Murray and the Newton’s had at first conceived the robbery. But they lacked inside information about mail
shipments. Murray talked to Fahy, apparently convincing him that crime could pay in this case, and the postal inspector threw in with
the criminals
By Sunday, police reported they had another suspect, James H. Watson. He had attempted to bribe several of the police officers to
let him go, promising them $20,000, which he said he could obtain from a friend in Milwaukee. The police also reported that Catherine McComb admitted knowing about the robbery, and soon thereafter her husband confessed to taking part in it.
The following Tuesday, June 17, an abandoned car was found near Joliet, Illinois. Inside were all but six of the stolen mail sacks.
Most of the registered and insured mail was undisturbed; only the packages containing money were missing. About the same time,
police picked up a Chicago gangster named Carlo Fontano and charged him with being in on the plot. Also, they said that two more
of the Rondout robbers had been identified and were being sought.
They were Ernest Fontano, Carlo’s brother and Anthony A. Kisano, also of Chicago. Then, on Wednesday the eighteenth, A. E. Germer, Chief Postal Inspector, and Chicago Police Chief Morgan A. Collins announced that they had discovered that the suspects
Wayne, Wade, and Watson were really three brothers from Texas: Willie “Dock” Newton, Willis Newton, and Joe Newton. Furthermore, said Germer, the last of the Rondout robbers had now been identified. They were Samuel Grant and Blackie Wilcox, both escaped convicts from the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville.
Jessie Newton (it’s not known whether he had originally been named after Jesse James) fled to Mexico when he heard that his three
brothers had been arrested.
But police knew that the robber thought of himself as a rough-and-ready bronco buster. So, they circulated fictitious posters announcing a prize of $500 to the rider who could break a certain wild horse at the Texas rodeo.
Jessie could not pass up this chance to prove his riding abilities. He bought a full cowboy outfit, crossed the border back into the
United States and into Texas, where he was quickly arrested.
In the meantime, Fahy came under real suspicion by the Chicago police after another of the robbers had remarked, on seeing the
postal inspector, “You ought to be in handcuffs yourself.” Larry Benson’s theory now came to be supported, but the police had to
prove something definite. Billy Fahy was one of the foremost postal inspectors in the country. His arrest record for mail robbers was
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the envy of the department and he had personally solved some of Chicago’s biggest cases. At first his fellow inspectors could not
believe the evidence that began to accumulate against him, such as the fact that he had been spending more than $3,500 in one night
at a Chicago speakeasy, an amount that equaled his entire year’s salary. The Chicago police set a trap for Fahy when James Murray,
deeply implicated by the Newton brothers, was released on bail. Murray’s phone was tapped; a fake message was sent to Fahy, supposedly from Washington. Actually, it was Larry Benson who sent the note, which read, “Have information Murray involved in
Rondout robbery.” After getting the message, Fahy who was carefully trailed, went to a pay telephone booth and phoned Murray. His
conversation was recorded as he told Murray about the note. Officials now had proof of the postal inspector’s deep involvement in the
holdup. Benson continued to work on the case himself until sufficient evidence was built up, and Fahy was finally arrested in August.
Background checks on the Newton brothers revealed that all four had been engaged in train and bank robberies in the West for at
least ten years. Glasscock, too, was a professional criminal, and apparently was the leader at Rondout. Fahy , the others said, was
the “inside man” who gave them the information on when and where to stage the holdup. James Murray was also involved, they said.
Fahy and Murray insisted on their innocence and were tried.
Both were found guilty. Fahy got the longest sentence of all the Rondout gang. He received 25 years, at the Federal penitentiary in
Atlanta. The rest of the gang pleaded guilty. All except for Herbert Holliday turned over their share of the loot and testified for the
government. In return they received relatively light sentences. Holliday refused to cooperate and would not reveal where his share,
$100,000 was hidden. He also received twenty-five years.
I think Joe and Willis Newton each received 10 years at the Federal Prison in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon their release from prison they
returned to Texas to live out their lives.
Larry Benson, my father’s good friend went on to become Assistant to the President of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad.
Larry, during his career as a detective, was shot twice. Spending a total of 47 years in railroading, he once tracked the killer of his
partner for 14 years before bringing him to justice. Larry Benson passed away in March 1961 at his home in Libertyville.
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2012 Annual Activities Report
By Society Historian Phil Cross






Feb. 18-19
Feb. 23-26
Feb. 22-25
Mar. 2-4
Phil Cross – President
Chapter meetings held at the Central Florida RR Museum.
Chapter continued as Partner in Education with Lakeville Elementary School.
Chapter membership for the year totaled 67 regular, family and local members.
The Central Florida Railroad Museum had a record attendance of 7,602 visitors.
Chapter members donated a total of 2,753.25 hours for the operation and maintenance of the Central Florida
Railroad Museum.
 Monthly work sessions were held at the Central Florida Railroad Museum.
 The Central Florida Railroad Museum is operated under a cooperative agreement between the City of Winter
Garden, the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.
The 40th Anniversary Amtrak Train was on display at Tampa’s Union Station on February 18th and 19th. Admission was free. The public was invited to attend. Three Chapter members (Allen Quinn, Patrick Smith and Jim
Benson) and three guests rode Amtrak to Tampa and toured the train on the 18th. The train exhibit was very well
done. There were three exhibit cars with displays showing the history and development of Amtrak in chronological order. After they saw the train, they walked to the trolley stop and took the trolley to the port for a dinner. The
train rides to and from Tampa were good. The train was on time southbound and about a half hour late northbound.
It was a good outing.
Several Chapter members and guests visited the Florida Live Steamers Annual Winter Meet at Dundee. A number
of steam and diesel trains were operated throughout each day. The members and guests rode just about every one
that was hauling passengers.
Five Chapter members and two guests went on a Chapter field trip to the Florida Flywheelers’ Annual Winter
Show at Fort Meade on February 25th. They enjoyed the many events that went on throughout the day. The highlights of the day were the old-time sawmill operation and the tractor pulls. The site is very large (240 acres) and
taking golf carts to ride made it much easier to get around the site.
The North American Rail Car Operators Association (NARCOA) sponsored their annual motor
car excursions on the Florida Central RR (Friday, March 2nd and Saturday, March 3rd) and Florida Northern RR (Sunday, March 4th). Friday’s excursion was roundtrip from Eustis to Mt.
Dora and return. The caravan stopped in Tavares enroute to Mt. Dora and rode the Orange
Blossom Cannonball. Then they continued their excursion to Mt. Dora and then returned to
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Eustis. There were 23 motor cars and 3 hi-railers and 2 Chapter members rode. Saturday’s excursion was roundtrip from Eustis to Winter Garden and return. There were 23 motor cars and 3 hi-railers and 2 Chapter members
rode. Chapter members manned the Museum and hosted the group upon their arrival in Winter Garden. Sunday’s
excursion was from downtown Ocala south to Candler, north to Lowell, and then return to Ocala. There were 14
motor cars and 2 hi-railers and 1 Chapter member rode.
Mar. 5-May 31 “Down at the Depot,” an exhibit of railroad paintings by Dan Crusie, was set up in the Central Florida Railroad Museum. A total of 23 paintings were exhibited. Prints made from the original paintings were for sale with a portion
of the proceeds being donated to the Central Florida Chapter.
Apr. 14-15
The Central Florida Railroad Museum was open for the 12th Annual Bloom & Grow Spring Fever in the Garden
event in downtown Winter Garden. The Museum was open six hours on Saturday and four hours on Sunday.
Three Chapter members manned the Museum on Saturday and three Chapter members manned the Museum on
Sunday. Estimated attendance was 200 for Saturday and 100 for Sunday. The Greater Florida Lego Users Group
(GFLUG) set up and manned two Lego displays in the Museum Meeting Room both days. Six members manned
the display on Saturday and five members manned the display on Sunday. The Museum and Lego displays were a
big hit with the attendees.
Apr. 28
The Florida Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club held its Annual Morse Day Celebration at the Central Florida
Railroad Museum between 10 AM and 4 PM in celebration of the birthday of Samuel B. Morse, the inventor of the
telegraph and Morse Code. Club members displayed and demonstrated antique and replica telegraph instruments
and equipment. Much interest was shown in a display prepared by Don Andrus that demonstrated an active replica
of the radio room aboard the Titanic which sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912, a century ago. Using
modern technology and the Internet, telegraphic greetings were exchanged with other Morse Telegraph Club chapters throughout the U.S. and Canada. A computer program allowed the content of the telegraphic transmissions to
be displayed on the Museum’s 55-Inch TV set so that non-telegraphers were able to follow along. After lunch,
they brought out the traditional “Happy Birthday, Samuel B. Morris” cake (on this occasion, two cakes) and everyone including visitors were invited to partake. Chapter members Clarence Hurt, Irv Lipscomb and Patrick Smith
hosted the event.
Apr. 28
Chapter Member Roger Wilson and Chapter Friend Dwight Stoffel traveled to Folkston, Georgia on Saturday,
April 28th for some railwatch activities at the “Folkston Funnel.” They arrived at 10:15 AM and saw three trains in
the first 20 minutes. Train activity remained steady until about 2:00 PM. They left around 4:00 PM to head home
to Lake County.
May 12
National Train Day. Festivities in Tampa included the 100th Birthday Celebration for Tampa Union Station. The
ACL-SAL Historical Society held their summer meeting in Plant City May 10th-13th. They had a large display at
Tampa Union Station on the 12th. Several Chapter members attended the festivities in Tampa on the 12th. Fourteen Chapter members and guests came by Amtrak, one Chapter member came by car, and three Chapter members
and their wives drove over from the ACL-SAL meeting.
July 3-4
Chapter Member Roger Wilson travelled to Spencer, NC for the special display of NS Heritage units and NS’s
30th Anniversary celebration. Roger said the heat was terrible, but the train crews from the Piedmont Division of
NS worked tirelessly through the heat to keep events rolling both days.
July 16
Work begins on the replacement of the railroad bridge over the Dora Canal in Tavares, the clearing of tree debris
from the Dora Canal between Lakes Dora and Eustis, and the rebuilding of the track from just south of the bridge
to the east end of Wooton Park in downtown Tavares. All work is expected to be complete in mid to late August.
As a result of the work, the Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad temporarily suspended operations on July 5th.
July 23-26
The Central Florida Railroad Museum complex and the Chapter’s former Clinchfield RR caboose were tented and
treated for termites. The Chapter paid for the tenting of the caboose and the City of Winter Garden paid for the
tenting of the Museum complex.
August 4
Following a lengthy two-hour discussion, the Chapter’s Board of Directors voted to recommend to the
Chapter membership the following four recommendations: 1) withdraw as a Chapter from the NRHS and form
a new organization; 2) the name of the new organization to be The Central Florida Railway Historical Society; 3)
regular membership dues will be $45 per year; and 4) all assets of the Central Florida Chapter NRHS to be transferred to The Central Florida Railway Historical Society.
August 13
The Chapter’s Board of Directors made a presentation to the Chapter membership in attendance regarding
the future of the Central Florida Chapter. The Board presented the four recommendations approved at the
August 4th Board Meeting/Retreat for consideration by the Chapter membership.
1. Withdraw as a Chapter from the NRHS and form a new organization.
2. Name of new organization to be The Central Florida Railway Historical Society.
3. Regular membership dues will be $45 per year.
4. All assets of the Central Florida Chapter NRHS to be transferred to The Central Florida Railway Historical Society.
Following the presentation, a motion was made and seconded to approve the four recommendations together as a single motion. The motion passed. The changes will take effect January 1, 2013.
7
Sept. 10
Sept. 15
Oct. 5-7
Nov. 17
Dec. 1
Dec. 16
All work complete on the replacement of the railroad bridge over the Dora Canal in Tavares, the clearing of tree
debris from the Dora Canal between Lakes Dora and Eustis, and the rebuilding of the track from just south of the
bridge to the east end of Wooton Park in downtown Tavares.
The Tavares, Eustis & Gulf Railroad resumes operations between Tavares and Lake Jem with steam locomotive #
2, a 1907 2-6-0 wood-burning engine, and its accompanying passenger train and red wooden drover’s caboose.
Chapter members manned the Museum the evening of the 5th, all day on the 6th and the afternoon of the 7th in conjunction with the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation’s Annual Music Fest. The Museum was open 4 hours on
Friday evening, 8 hours on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday. Three Chapter members manned the Museum on
Friday, 5 Chapter members manned the Museum on Saturday, and 3 Chapter members manned the Museum on
Sunday. Estimated attendance was 25 for Friday evening, 125 for Saturday and 50 for Sunday. Attendance was
not as good as in past years. The Greater Florida Lego Users Group (GFLUG) set up and manned a nice Lego display of downtown Winter Garden (including both depots) in the Museum Meeting Room on Saturday and Sunday.
Chapter Member Warren McFarland set up and manned a great telegraph display in the Museum Meeting Room
on Saturday and Sunday. The Museum, Lego display and telegraph display were a big hit with the attendees.
Fourteen Chapter members, friends and guests went on a field trip to visit the ghost railroads around Sanford.
Chapter members Ken Murdock and Frank Milmore hosted the tour. Attendees visited the various locations of
several former railroads that once operated into or out of Sanford. The field trip followed the presentation that Ken
and Frank gave at the Chapter’s November monthly meeting on the 12th on the ghost railroads around Sanford.
The 2012 Chapter Annual Banquet was held at the 801 City Grille in downtown Clermont. A total of 34
members, spouses and guests attended and enjoyed the evening’s activities and entertainment. Entertainment was
provided by pianist Armando Velasquez. After dinner, the Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc. Officers for 2013 were sworn in by Lloyd Brown. Ken Murdock presented the Ken Murdock Glad Hand Award for
2012 to Jerry Honetor for his efforts in the cataloging of the library’s collection of books, periodicals, tapes and
DVDs.
Several Chapter members and guests attended the Annual Meeting and Volunteer Appreciation Night for the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation which was held at the Attic Door in downtown Winter Garden. Ken Murdock was
recognized as the 2012 Railroad Museum Volunteer of the Year for his many contributions and hours of hard
work.
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The following story is courtesy of Society Member Roger Wilson and Society Friend Addison Austin.
Stolen Train Crashes Into Home in Sweden
By GU STAV SANDSTROM
STOCKHOLM—A young woman charged with cleaning a commuter train instead appears to have stolen the empty train from a depot and driven it until it derailed and
crashed into a house in a Stockholm suburb, local officials said.
An injured person was found by the train and sent to a hospital in an ambulance helicopter, local police said, adding the injured person was also detained for endangering
the public. Police said it was unlikely that anybody except the driver was on the train at
the time of the accident, and no other injuries were reported.
Local police received an alarm call around 2.30 a.m. that a derailed train had collided
with a building in the suburb of Saltsjobaden.
Bertil Grandinson, 71 years old, who lives on the top floor of the three-story building,
woke up in the middle of the night from the loud crash, Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported. "It sounded like an air-plane crash. I rushed to the window and then I saw the
train," Aftonbladet quoted him as saying.
Tomas Hedenius, spokesman for train operator Arriva, said it remains unclear what the woman's intentions had been when the vehicle
crashed at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour. He said the woman had been hired to clean the train and its depot.
"If you manage to get hold of the key, it isn't particularly difficult to get a train rolling," he said. It isn't any more difficult to stop a train
than to start it, he added.
The Associated Press quoted Mr. Hedenius as saying that there had been three families inside the house, which held several apartments, when the train crashed into it, but that no one was injured.
"The police technicians have probably finalized the technical investigation," police spokesman Lars Bystrom told The Wall Street Journal. "Now that needs to be completed with witness hearings and other things so that we can sort out what happened and why."
By Tuesday afternoon, it still hadn't been possible to hear the injured person, Mr. Bystrom said. Incidents involving trains getting
seized and crashed into buildings are practically unheard of. According to her colleagues at cleaning firm Caretia, the young woman,
born in 1990, has been a well-liked coworker, Mr. Hedenius said. "You didn't see this coming," he said.
Photographs from the scene showed the crumpled front car of the train buried deep into the structure.
8
January 2013 Museum Report
By Ken Murdock, Museum Curator
Our January 26th museum workday was very productive with 9 members participating. Phil Cross came on Friday to do his outside chores of weeding,
picking up trash and blowing off the walks as he usually does monthly even if we don’t have a scheduled workday. Then on Saturday Phil and Joe
Lehmann took care of the inside housekeeping chores of mopping and vacuuming. Joe always removes all of the chairs in the meeting room to give it
a thorough cleaning.
Allen Quinn was able to continue sandblasting and painting of the caboose stove since the weather was perfect. Allen is well over half finished and the
stove is really looking good. Jerry and Ginger Honetor continued working on the inventory in the library. Our library holds a gold mine of information
and Jerry makes new discoveries every day that he works in it.
Bill Dusenbury continued scanning the photo collection donated by Dick Kearns, a past member and Flat Wheel Editor before moving to New York.
Debby Dusenbury came out and joined us for lunch since she and Bill were hosting the museum in the afternoon. After lunch Debby took care greeting
visitors at the front desk so that Bill could continue with his scanning project. We really appreciate our ladies wanting to be involved.
Al Sharp and I worked with the collection all day rearranging items and grouping similar items that had been scattered in several different showcases.
We installed the T&G “Ocoee” depot sign and the “American Railway Express” signs that Phil had donated and David Rhea has painstakingly restored
at his home. This of course involved moving other things to make room for the signs. Al made an attractive wood mounting base at home for some
Colorado mining railroad, narrow gauge spikes and we placed them back in the showcase with the light rail that they accompany. I too made a wood
display case at home for the two brass luggage tags, one from the South Florida RR and the other from the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West RR, that
were donated by Bill Cogswell. We also placed this display in a showcase which required moving other items to fit them in.
Al and I worked on the 1880 vintage passenger car seat that sat to the right of the restroom entry way. Someone broke the arm off, probably by sitting
on it. Our “do not sit on the seat” sign didn’t mention the arm! In the process of repairing it and trying to make the “through-over” seat back mechanism
work properly, we discovered more work need to be done, requiring tools that we didn’t have at the museum. So we loaded it in Al’s SUV and took it to
my house where we will continue the repair.
Al hung the new “Past Presidents” plaque that Lloyd Brown had updated for us and it really looks good. Thanks Lloyd for the fine job that you did! Al
also hung a display on the library door explaining how the railroad crossing signals were once operated manually by signal tenders in small towers
spaced along the main line tracks passing through Orlando. Yes, all of this required moving other things to make room for the new items. We are out of
space!
Once finished with their housekeeping chores, Phil and Joe set up their laptops and began working on the new Society website and the Flat Wheel.
Joe has done an outstanding job with our new web site. Some sections are still under construction but it’s very usable and worth checking out.
It was a very successful workday with many things accomplished and I want to thank everyone who participated. Please remember to log in your volunteer hours.
We had several donations in January. For those of you who weren’t at our January meeting, Lloyd Brown donated two items that belonged to his father
when he worked as an agent/telegrapher for the Milwaukee Road in Walworth, Wisconsin. One was his depot accounting ledger started in November
1917 and the other was a book entitled The Telegrapher Instructor Manual by G. M. Dodge that his father used to learn telegraphy. Another donation
was 10 railroad and model railroad books plus 12 issues of Model Railroader magazines, January1969 through December 1969, from Keith Mackey,
our Ocala member. Our librarian, Jerry Honetor, thought that he was finished inventorying books! Thank you, Lloyd and Keith, for these fine donations.
We also had a photo donated of J. F. Keller who was the T&G station agent in our depot. The photo was donated by a family member, Don Campbell
of Ocoee.
We had four Wednesday museum workdays in January as we continue to whittle away at the inventory. Al Sharp and I have now completed the inventory in the front room and have begun in the last room, the T&G room. The two completed rooms include everything except photos and art work on the
walls. These items will go into a separate category in the Past Perfect software, so they will be done later. Jerry Honetor and Ginger joined us on most
Wednesdays and worked on the library inventory. Irv Lipscomb started back photographing the objects for the inventory. He got some help on January
30th from a friend of mine, David Grayson, a potential new member. Some of you may have seen David in the train department at Colonial Photo &
Hobby before he retired. Thank you David for your help! This monumental task, that once seemed like it would take a lifetime to accomplish, is now
beginning to look like it can be finished. However, there are many items yet to be inventoried (Root Items) in the Roper Building and many more at
Lakeville Elementary School before we are totally complete.
********************************************************************************************************************************************************
Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc.
Combined Board & Regular Meeting
January 14, 2013
Call to Order – Phil Cross opened the meeting at 7:00 pm with 27 members present. Board Members present were Phil Cross, Jerry
Honetor, Les Westlake, Joe Lehmann, David Rhea, Frank Milmore, and Ken Murdock.
Meeting Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance – David Rhea led the prayer and pledge.
Recognition of Visitors – Phil Cross recognized Mrs. Addison Austin.
Recognition of Members/Friends Concerns – Phil Cross
Roger Wilson’s daughter Leah is home in Tampa and continuing her recovery.
Neil Bagaus’s daughter Erin. No update.
Chuck Ansell. No update.
Approval of November 12, 2012 Combined Board & Regular Meeting Minutes – A motion was made by Jerry Honetor and seconded by David Rhea to approve the minutes. The vote to approve was unanimous.
November & December 2012 Treasurer’s Report – David Rhea & Frank Milmore presented the treasurer’s report. The report is
available to members upon request.
9
Vice President of Membership & Programs Report – Jerry Honetor
 Membership Report
 Society Members = 12
 Society Century Members = 5
 Society Family Members = 3
 Society Friends = 1



Program providers are needed for June through November 2013.
Refreshment providers are needed for May through November 2013.
Chapter Events and Field Trips for 2013:
 Trip to Colorado to ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR, the Durango & Silverton RR & the Rio Grande Scenic RR.
Roger Wilson & Phil Cross are the coordinators. Tentatively scheduled for August/September 2013. More details soon.
 Chapter field trip to Tavares to ride the Tavares, Eustis & Gulf RR. Clarence Hurt & Neil Bagaus are the coordinators.
Spouses will be invited to come along. Either lunch before the train ride or dinner after the train ride has been suggested. This trip will be scheduled soon.
 A one-day trip to the North Florida Railway Museum at Green Cove Springs, Clay County Historical & Railroad Museum
at Green Cove Springs (Includes the Bud Hess Railroadiana Collection), and the Northeast Florida Live Steamers &
Railroaders West Tocoi & Bostwick Railroad located in the Green Cove Springs/Bostwick area – Phil Cross & Ken Murdock are the coordinators. Annual Winter Meet at Bostwick is scheduled for January 31st through February 3rd.
 A trip to Tampa to visit the TECO trolley operation – Clarence Hurt is the Coordinator. This trip will be scheduled soon.
 An Amtrak trip – Need a coordinator.
 Trip to Savannah, GA to attend 2013 Railway Heritage Preservation Spring Conference – March 21-23. Cost for the trip
is $120 which includes a four day pass to the museum. Need a coordinator. Possibly combine with Number 5. http://
www.chsgeorgia.org/Society-Calendar/Date/2013-03-01/Event/617.html
Museum Curator Report – Ken Murdock
 December 2012 CFRR Museum Report – 645 visitors for December and 7,602 visitors for 2012. 142.5 volunteer hours donated by the membership during December and 2,753.25 hours donated for 2012.
 Library Committee Update – Jerry Honetor reported that the Library Committee continues to work on the cataloging of the
books, periodicals and videos in the library. 1643 volumes, all books and manuals, are complete. The committee is reviewing the completed work for errors before starting on the periodicals.
 The Gladhand Award for 2012 was presented to Jerry and Ginger Honetor at the annual banquet in December.
 January 2013 Museum Work Session is scheduled for Saturday, January 26th, beginning at 8:30 AM.
 Recent Acquisitions & Donations – 2 brass luggage tags found near the Pico Hotel in Sanford (1 South Florida RR, 1 JT&KW
Ry) were received from Bill Cogswell & family. Lloyd Brown donated his father’s 1917 ledger book for payment of accounts
from the Milwaukee Road’s Walworth, Wisconsin depot and the book “The Telegragh Instructor” that he used in telegrapher
school. Lloyd Brown presented an updated plaque with all the names of past NRHS presidents and a new accompanying
plaque for the start of the CFRHS.
Museum Host Schedule for February 2013 – Jerry Honetor (filling in for Irv Lipscomb) secured several volunteers for the museum
host schedule for February.
President’s Report – Phil Cross
 Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Board of Directors Activities for December – Activities for December focused on
fundraising activities for the construction of the new History Center complex.
 Website Committee Update –The new website for the Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc. went on line officially
January 1st. Joe Lehmann is the webmaster. More updates to the site coming soon.
 Repainting of RR Museum Sign – The sign on the west end of the RR Museum has been taken down and taken to West
Orange Photo & Digital for re-painting with the new name and logo.
 Change-Out of T&G DVD Covers – West Orange Photo & Digital is in the process of preparing new covers for the T&G
DVD with the new name and logo.
 Updating of the New Member Advertising – West Orange Photo & Digital is in the process of updating the framed advertisement for new members for our organization with the new name and logo. They are also making a second copy for use
away from the museum.
 Updating Society and Museum Brochures – Working on a 2-sided brochure. One side for the Society and the second side
for the Museum.
 Bank Account – David Rhea questioned whether the bank account had been changed to the new organization. This has
been done.
 Physical Property – Les Westlake asked if all the physical property has been turned over to the new organization. This has
been done.
FCRR, FMRR, FNRR & SunRail Update (Including FCRR Track Upgrade Update) – Bill Dusenbury was not present.
Tourist Train Operations on the Florida Central RR – The tourist train conducted 59 trips during the holiday season with 7,342 riders. Only two trips were not sold-out.
10
Items from the Board of Directors
Les Westlake asked if the dates and routes for the speeder runs had been set. This information was not available. The
Morse Code club is using the museum the last Saturday in April for the celebration of Samuel Morse’s birthday.
Items from the Membership –
Clayton Bishop requested the return of his train lantern so that it may be displayed in the Lake County Historical
Museum in Tavares. The lantern was returned to Clayton as requested.
Tonight’s Program – The Valley RR, the African Queen and a Ford Tri-Motor presented by Addison Austin.
Tonight’s Refreshments provided by Jerry & Ginger Honetor
Meeting Adjournment – Jerry Honetor made a motion to adjourn. It was seconded by David Rhea. The meeting was
adjourned at 8:02 pm.
****************************************************************************************************************************************
The following pictures are courtesy of Society Member Warren McFarland. This train wreck occurred
on the CNJ at Laurel Run, PA on December 26, 1965,and tore up a lot of fairly new diesel units.
11
The Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc.
meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at the
Central Florida Railroad Museum. The Museum is located at 101 South Boyd Street in downtown Winter Garden immediately north of the water tower. Guests and
visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.
February Museum
Work Session
Saturday, February 16, 2013
8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
All correspondence and other materials for the Society
should be mailed to:
Please come out and help
with the many chores that
need to be done!!!!
Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc.
PO Box 770567
Winter Garden, FL 34777-0567
Or e-mailed to the Society at: [email protected]
Web page: www.cfrhs.org
Mission: The mission of the Central Florida Railway Historical
Society, Inc. is to Promoting railway heritage and preservation;
educating members and the public about rail transportation, its
history and impact, with a focus on Central Florida.
T&G DVD
The Whistle Blows No More….A History
of the Tavares & Gulf Railroad 1881-1969
Purpose: The purpose for which this Society is formed and the
business or objects to be carried on and promoted by it are
mainly historical, educational and not-for-profit. The more particular objects are:
Available at the Railroad Museum for $20.00
Get your copy today!!
 Preserve the historical materials of rail transportation of all
kinds and issue publications relative to the subject.
 Acquire by donation, purchase, lease or otherwise, real or
Outline History of Central
Florida’s Railroads
personal property, and to maintain, sell, lease, deed or otherwise manage in a manner appropriate for the Central Florida
Railroad Museum and the above mentioned purposes.
 Plan and run a series of programs and events for Society
By Ken Murdock
Available at the Railroad Museum for $15.00
Get your copy today!!
members’ education and participation.
 Work and support the activities of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. Assist in any and all group projects which
benefit the goals and activities of the Society and the Winter
Garden Heritage Foundation.
The Flatwheel is the official monthly publication of the
Central Florida Railway Historical Society. Opinions and
views expressed in this publication are those of the editor
and contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of
the members, officers or directors of the Society.
President: Phil Cross
[email protected]
407-509-4572
Vice President - Membership & Programs: Jerry Honetor
[email protected]
407-957-8788
Vice President - Education & Public Relations: Irv Lipscomb
[email protected]
407-895-4749
Material for the Flatwheel (including exchange newsletters) should be sent to the editor via e-mail at:
[email protected].
Please Note: Material from The Flatwheel may be reprinted in other publications provided credit is given as to
the source.
The Central Florida Railroad Museum is located at 101
South Boyd Street, Winter Garden, FL, 34787 (downtown
Winter Garden, immediately north of the water tower).
The Museum is open daily from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
(excluding selected holidays) or by special arrangements.
Large groups are encouraged to contact the Museum at
407-656-0559 to arrange for their tour in advance.
The Central Florida Railroad Museum is operated under a
cooperative agreement between the City of Winter Garden, the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and the
Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc..
12
Secretary: Les Westlake
[email protected]
352-434-6160
Assistant Secretary: Joseph Lehmann, Jr.
[email protected]
856-912-8628
Treasurer: David Rhea
[email protected]
407-656-8749
Assistant Treasurer: Frank Milmore
[email protected]
407-366-8941
Museum Curator: Ken Murdock
[email protected]
407-277-5719
Historian: Phil Cross
[email protected]
407-509-4572
Immediate Past President: Bill Dusenbury
[email protected]
352-360-0136
Flatwheel Editor: Phil Cross
[email protected]
407-509-4572
Webmaster: Joseph Lehmann, Jr.
[email protected]
856-912-8628
Rail News Courtesy of Society Member Roger Wilson
From the TRAINS, Railroad & Railfan and AAR Web Sites
Siemens Delivers First Vectron Locomotive
for Poland, Details Amtrak ACS64 Order
By Keith Fender
Published: December 21, 2012
The first Vectron electric locomotive in the sun and snow outside Railway
Institute in Warsaw, Poland on December 20th. Photo by Keith Fender
WARSAW, Poland – Siemens delivered the first of 23 Vectron 5,200kW DC electric locomotives to Polish rail freight operator
DB Schenker Rail Polska at a ceremony at the Polish Railway Institute in Warsaw on Dec. 20. The second locomotive was
delivered later in the day.
Siemens built both locomotives in 2011 as DC test beds for the company's then new Vectron model and have been testing in
Poland for a year. The remaining 21 locomotives on the order will be built by Siemens in Munich. Three will be completed by
summer 2013, three more by autumn 2013, and the remainder by December 2015. The contract includes an option for up to 13
more locomotives.
DB Schenker Rail Polska is the second biggest rail freight operator in Poland and is owned by German state rail operator
Deutsche Bahn, which has funded the purchase of the new locomotives for its Polish subsidiary. The new units will replace
various older second hand electric locomotives currently in use within the country. They might also be used in neighboring
countries that also use 3000V DC, such as parts of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Siemens also revealed details of its $466 million order from Amtrak for 70 ACS64 locomotives. The first unit is now largely
assembled at the Siemens plant in Sacramento, Calif. The new ACS64 loco is custom designed for the U.S., but uses many
components that are common to the Vectron design. Siemens completed body shells for the first ten ACS64 in Munich,
Germany. These shells and the truck frames for the first ten units have been sent to the U.S. for final assembly. Other
components will be made in the U.S. at Siemens plants in Norcross and Alpharetta, Ga. The first Amtrak ACS64 is scheduled
for completion in mid-2013.
STB Approves Genesee & Wyoming Control of RailAmerica
GREENWICH, Conn. – The Surface Transportation Board has approved Genesee & Wyoming’s application to control
RailAmerica, effective Dec. 28, 2012. Assuming no stay requests are made by the Dec. 24 deadline set by the STB, the voting
trust that has controlled RailAmerica since the transaction closed on Oct. 1, 2012, will be dissolved on Dec. 28. Thereafter,
G&W would assume control of RailAmerica and begin integration of the two companies.
Genesee & Wyoming owns and operates short line and regional railroads, and provides switching services in the United States,
Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands. Operations currently include 66 railroads organized in 10 regions, with more
than 7,600 miles of owned and leased track and approximately 1,400 additional miles under track access arrangements. With
the RailAmerica acquisition, G&W will become the largest short line holding company in North America.
Norfolk Southern Acquires Additional F-Units
By Chris Guss
CHICAGO – Norfolk Southern has acquired an additional three F7 locomotives. The three units are located at two National
Railway Equipment facilities in the Midwest. Former Canadian National EMD F7A No. 9177 is located at NRE Dixmoor, Ill. Two
additional units, former Coe Rail F7A No. 407 and former Canadian Pacific F7B No. 1019 are reportedly at NRE’s Mt. Vernon.
Ill., Facility. No. 9177 has reportedly been relettered SOU No. 9177 at Dixmoor.
Norfolk Southern Spokesman Robin Chapman declined to comment on the locomotives.
1
FRA Chooses Former Rock Island Route for Chicago-St. Louis Corridor
WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration has issued two records of decision for the environmental analysis on the
Chicago-St. Louis rail corridor, positioning the project for future federal funding. The FRA selected the former Chicago, Rock
Island & Pacific route as the most efficient route between Joliet and Chicago, and chose a consolidated route along 10th Street
through Springfield, Ill. The Rock Island route is owned by Metra and used by its commuter trains.
If Amtrak trains begin using the former Rock Island, a study by the Illinois DOT said that station platforms at Joliet Union Station
would have to be relocated. There would also be a new Amtrak suburban station along the route. New connections would have
to be constructed to allow trains to access Chicago Union Station instead of La Salle Street Station, the terminus for Metra trains
on the route.
Since 2010, the Illinois Department of Transportation has received more than $1.4 billion in federal funds to develop high-speed
service between Chicago and St. Louis. Included are funds for track, equipment, signaling improvements and station
enhancements. In November, Amtrak test trains reached speeds of 110 mph on the portion of the corridor between Dwight and
Pontiac, Ill. By 2015, completed construction projects will allow for speeds of 110 mph for over 70 percent of the route.
John Bush to Lead Cumbres & Toltec Scenic
CHAMA, N.M. – John Bush, a Colorado native who has worked for several heritage railroads, was appointed president of the
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad last week. Bush will work directly for Cumbres & Toltec Operating LLC, an arm of the
commission that took over operation of the railroad in the fall of 2012.
Bush is currently manager of the Roaring Camp & Big Trees and Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific railroads in California, where
he is responsible for operations, shop and track departments. He also worked for the White Pass & Yukon and the Georgetown
Loop railroads and has more than 25 years of experience. Bush was assistant general manager and chief mechanical officer at
the Cumbres & Toltec in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
During his previous time in Chama, Bush and his wife Veronica were involved in the community and operated a bed and
breakfast. Veronica Bush was special events director for the Chama Business Association and was artistic director of the
Chama Valley Music Festival.
During the 2012 season, American Heritage Railroads operated the C&TS under contract, but in the fall decided to give up the
contract. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission then decided to operate the railroad on its own and began a
search for an experienced heritage railroad manager.
World’s Longest High Speed Rail Line Opens December 26
BEJING, China – The 1,425-mile Beijing-Guangzhou line, which will be the world’s longest high speed rail line, will open Dec.
26, China Central Television reports. With the opening of the line, trips between the two cities will be cut from 20 to just eight
hours.
The Beijing-Guangzhou line will travel through the cities of Shijiazhuang in North China’s Hebei Province, Wuhan in Central
China's Hubei Province, and Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong Province, the China Daily reported earlier.
During the first 11 months of 2012, fixed-asset investment in railways in China, including railway infrastructure investment and
rolling stock purchases, totaled $81.1 billion, reversing 15 previous months of decline, the Ministry of Railways said. The
Chinese government said promoting investment growth is the key to stabilizing economic expansion that has fallen to its slowest
pace in three years. Chinese railway construction stagnated after a high speed rail accident in Wenzhou left 35 dead and
hundreds injured in July 2011.
NS Files for Modification Signal System on Pittsburgh Line
By Steven M. Sweeney
WASHINGTON – The public has until the end of January to comment on Norfolk Southern's next step toward the
implementation of Positive Train Control between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pa. The railroad submitted an application to the
Federal Railroad Administration on Oct. 31 to request the “installation of a cab signal system without wayside signals" on the
Pittsburgh Line between mileposts 104.90 and 353.35. The federal agency posted the request at the start of a 45-day public
comment period on Dec. 17.
“The reasons given for the proposed changes is that the installation of cab signals without wayside signals will improve train
operations and will facilitate the installation of Positive Train Control on the Pittsburgh Line,” according to the document.
The FRA notice says that all automatic signals along the line will be retired, but that “block clear” signals will be installed at
control points in the event of a cab signal failure.
Trains News Wire contacted Norfolk Southern on Monday for comment.
2
World's Longest High-Speed Rail Line Opens in China
By KEITH BRADSHER, The New York Times
Journalists gathered near a high-speed train before its departure
on the new route between Beijing and Guangzhou.
HONG KONG — China began service Wednesday morning on the world’s longest high-speed rail line, covering a distance in
eight hours that is about equal to that from New York to Key West, Florida, or from London across Europe to Belgrade.
Bullet trains traveling 300 kilometers an hour, or 186 miles an hour, began regular service between Beijing and Guangzhou, the
main metropolis in southeastern China. Older trains still in service on a parallel rail line take 21 hours; Amtrak trains from New
York to Miami, a shorter distance, still take nearly 30 hours.
Completion of the Beijing-Guangzhou route is the latest sign that China has resumed rapid construction on one of the world’s
largest and most ambitious infrastructure projects, a network of four north-south routes and four east-west routes that span the
country.
Lavish spending on the project has helped jump-start the Chinese economy twice: in 2009, during the global financial crisis, and
again this autumn, after a brief but sharp economic slowdown over the summer.
The hiring of as many as 100,000 workers per line has kept a lid on unemployment even as private-sector construction has
slowed down because of limits on real estate speculation. And the national network has helped reduce toxic air pollution in
Chinese cities and curb demand for imported diesel fuel, by freeing up a lot of capacity on older rail lines for goods to be carried
by freight trains instead of heavily polluting, costlier trucks.
But the high-speed rail system has also been controversial in China. Debt to finance the construction has reached nearly 4
trillion renminbi, or $640 billion, making it one of the most visible reasons total debt has been surging as a share of economic
output in China, and approaching levels in the West.
Each passenger car taken off the older, slower rail lines makes room for three freight cars, because passenger trains have to
move so quickly that they force freight trains to stop frequently. But although the high-speed trains have played a big role in
allowing sharp increases in freight shipments, the Ministry of Railways has not yet figured out a way to charge large freight
shippers, many of them politically influential state-owned enterprises, for part of the cost of the high-speed lines, which haul only
passengers.
The high-speed trains are also considerably more expensive than the heavily subsidized older passenger trains. A second-class
seat on the new bullet trains from Beijing to Guangzhou costs 865 renminbi, compared with 426 renminbi for the cheapest bunk
on one of the older trains, which also have narrow, uncomfortable seats for as little as 251 renminbi.
Worries about the high-speed network peaked in July 2011, when one high-speed train plowed into the back of another near
Wenzhou in southeastern China, killing 40 people.
A subsequent investigation blamed flawed signaling equipment for the crash. China had been operating high-speed trains at 350
kilometers an hour, and it cut the top speed to the current rate in response to that crash.
The crash crystallized worries about the haste with which China has built its high-speed rail system. The first line, from Beijing to
Tianjin, opened a week before the 2008 Olympics; a little more than four years later, the country now has 9,349 kilometers, or
5,809 miles, of high-speed lines.
China’s aviation system has a good international reputation for safety, and its occasional deadly crashes have not attracted
nearly as much attention. Transportation safety experts attribute the public’s fascination with the Wenzhou crash partly to the
novelty of the system and partly to a distrust among many Chinese of what is perceived as a homegrown technology, in contrast
with the Boeing and Airbus jets flown by Chinese airlines.
Japanese rail executives have complained, however, that the Chinese technology is mostly copied from them, an accusation
that Chinese rail executives have strenuously denied.
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The main alternative to trains for most Chinese lies in the country’s roads, which have a grim reputation by international
standards. Periodic crashes of intercity buses kill dozens of people at a time, while crashes of private cars are frequent in a
country where four-fifths of new cars are sold to first-time buyers, often with scant driving experience.
Flights between Beijing and Guangzhou take about three hours and 15 minutes. But air travelers in China need to arrive at least
an hour before a flight, compared with 20 minutes for high-speed trains, and the airports tend to be farther from the centers of
cities than the high-speed train stations.
Land acquisition is the toughest part of building high-speed rail lines in the West, because the tracks need to be almost perfectly
straight, and it has been an issue in China as well. Although local and provincial governments have forced owners to sell land
for the tracks themselves, there have been disputes over suddenly valuable land near rail stations, with the result that
surprisingly few stores and other commercial venues have sprung up around some high-speed stations through which tens of
thousands of travelers move every day.
Zhao Xiangfeng, a farmer in Henan Province, said a plan to build a minimall on his and six other farmers’ land near a station had
been shelved indefinitely after he and three of the other farmers refused to lease the land for anything close to what the village
leadership offered. He said he worried that local leaders might try strong-arm tactics against the farmers to force them to lease
the land and revive the project.
The southern segment of the new high-speed rail line, from Guangzhou as far as Wuhan, has been open for nearly three years
and already suffers from heavy congestion, which could limit the number of seats available for travel all the way to Beijing during
peak hours. Regular travelers on the route said in interviews that the 800-seat trains are often sold out as many as 10 trains in
advance on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons, even though the trains travel as often as every four minutes, and even
lunchtime trains at midweek are often full as well.
Orlando-to-Miami Train Could Generate $145M in Fares Annually
By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel
December 25, 2012
If the All Aboard Florida train becomes a reality, the system linking Orlando International Airport with Miami would generate $145
million in fares annually by 2018, according to records filed by the company with the state.
With one-way tickets estimated in the $100 range, that would mean the Coral Gables-based company is expecting to carry
nearly 1.5 million passengers between Central and South Florida within three years of its inaugural trip in 2015.
All Aboard Florida also is seeking a 99-year lease, presumably for free or a token payment, to lay down tracks along the south
edge of the Beach Line Expressway, which runs from Interstate 4 south of downtown Orlando to Cocoa on the east coast.
Those details were revealed in an 81-page proposal All Aboard Florida sent the state Department of Transportation last month.
The document was released to the public after the company was given the go-ahead by the state to open talks for securing the
Beach Line property.
Spokeswoman Ali Soule said her company would not comment publicly about the train until negotiations are complete.
"Everything in that document is all we have to say right now," she said.
The project's cost has been pegged at $1.5 billion, up from an original estimate of $1 billion. Soule would not say why the
number grew.
All Aboard is seeking to become the nation's first privately financed passenger-rail system to operate successfully since the
automobile became the prime choice of travelers. Government typically underwrites mass-transit systems because they are so
expensive to build and operate.
The only private system to open recently was a 3.9-mile monorail line behind the Las Vegas strip of casinos in 2004. It has been
in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since 2010.
All Aboard Florida told the state in its proposal that a financial plan is still being developed. It was based in part on interviews
with nearly 10,000 travelers in Florida.
Company executives are bullish because a sister company, Florida East Coast Railway, already owns about 200 miles of track
from Miami to Cocoa. That could dramatically reduce startup costs.
The FEC railroad runs about 10 freight trains a day in the corridor, down from a high of 23 in 2006, according to another set of
documents about the project filed with the state.
Keith Dierkx, who directs IBM's global rail innovation center, said All Aboard Florida has a good shot at success, given its
railroad experience and that it would offer a "seamless travel" option at Orlando's airport, where visitors can get off a plane and
catch a train to another destination or vice versa.
"In principle, I don't think there are any obstacles to doing this privately," Dierkx said.
The state and Orlando's expressway authority, joint owners of the Beach Line, have indicated they would give up the right of
way for next to nothing, but the train would have to be built to accommodate future expansion of the toll road.
4
That means sections of the track would either have to be elevated or placed beneath proposed or improved interchanges. Some
experts say that could increase the cost per mile from $5 million to $30 million along the Beach Line.
All Aboard also would have to pay for stations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and at OIA.
The airport, which is considering construction of a new southern terminal, would be responsible for building a mile-long, elevated
monorail to serve the station at a cost of $181.4 million. OIA also would be responsible for roads and other infrastructure costs
of about $78 million.
In addition, a 3,500-space garage and depot would cost $210.7 million, OIA estimates. About 80 percent of that expense would
be the garage, presumably leaving the rest for All Aboard.
Airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said talks continue with train officials but did not offer specifics.
All Aboard says it intends to compete with airlines flying between Orlando and South Florida. The train trip would take about
three hours, as opposed to four hours by car. Top speed could be 125 mph.
Construction could start as early as next year if agreements can be reached with the state, the expressway authority and the
airport.
China to Invest $US 92.25Billion in Rail in 2013
Written by David Briginshaw
Friday, December 28, 2012
BETWEEN Yuan 600bn ($US 92.52bn) and Yuan 650bn will be invested in China's national railway in 2013, while Yuan 1.8
trillion will be spent on railway construction during the 2013-2015 period.
These figures are included in report on railway development by China's National Development and Reform Commission
(NDRC).
Mr. Zhang Jiangyu, a transport specialist with NDRC, says 24,000km of new railway will be constructed during the next three
years. Zhang predicts that work will start on the construction of 4,500km of high-speed lines during the period.
Almost 4,000km of new railway has opened this year, of which 2,932km are high-speed lines. This culminated with the opening
on December 26 of the 681km Beijing – Zhengzhou high-speed line, which is the final section of China's longest high-speed
railway linking Beijing and Guangzhou, a total distance of 2297km. China now has 9,300km of high-speed railway. A further
3,000km of high-speed lines are due to open in 2013 along with 3,300km of conventional railway.
GE Hiring Workers for New Fort Worth Locomotive Plant
FORT WORTH, Texas – With about a month to go before the scheduled opening of its new locomotive plant in Fort Worth, GE
Transportation is still trying to fill its first 300 jobs, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. When complete, the plant will build
GE’s Evolution series locomotives.
“We’re not expecting production to begin until the end of January, so we’re still ramping up,” said spokesman Manley Ford. As of
last week, GE had hired 215 workers in Fort Worth, he said. By November, more than 12,000 people had submitted job
applications through the company’s website. GE is taking its time with hiring, Ford said, because the jobs require more than just
traditional skills. “This is not your traditional environment. We are looking for people who have welding and other skills, but also
the capacity to work as a team and as partners.”
In May 2011, GE announced plans to convert a vacant building into a nearly 1 million-square-foot locomotive factory. A few
months after the initial announcement, GE officials said they would also build a second structure – this one nearly 300,000
square feet – to make electric drive wheels for mining trucks. In all, the GE facility could employ 875 by 2016, with most
employees at the factory earning from $18 to $23.50 per hour. Those are competitive wages in the Texas market, a GE official
said, although according to a union official the rate is about $10 an hour less than what’s being paid for the same work at GE’s
original locomotive plant in Erie, Pa.
The unions representing GE Transportation workers in Pennsylvania have been critical of the move. Texas workers will be paid
far less than their counterparts in Erie, who typically make about $31 an hour, said Roger Zaczyk, president of Local 506 of the
United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers. Workers are worried that GE Transportation will shift work to the non-union plant
in Texas and lay off workers in Pennsylvania.
“We’ve been building locomotives up here for close to 100 years. Our work is union pride work, family sustaining,” Zaczyk said.
“They’re going to build an inferior product for a lower wage. The union people are kind of dismayed GE has decided to move
what has been a quite successful business with very high demand from our customers from up here to down there.” GE officials
have said their Fort Worth facility is an expansion project, and not an attempt to move jobs from Erie.
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Santa Trains More Popular Than Ever in 2012
By Ralcon Wagner
Each holiday season, railroad museums, train excursion operators, railroads, and even commuter agencies operate “holiday" or
"Santa" trains. These seasonal trains are always popular and often sell out weeks in advance. For most of the youngsters who
ride, it will be their first train trip and happy memories they'll remember for a long time.
Train rides with Santa have been around for a long time, but the movie “Polar Express,” released in 2004, fueled an increase in
such operations. Even in regions where snow is scarce, Santa trains ran this year. Here are some of the places across the U.S.
that train riders can meet Santa Claus.
In northern California, the operators of the Napa Valley Wine Train operate the Santa Express, where Santa Claus walks
through the train greeting passengers. Story-reading by museum volunteers or Santa's helpers is also a popular feature, not just
on the Napa Valley train but across the land.
New Jersey's Whippany Railway Museum's Santa Claus Special has been an annual event for 22 years, according to the
museum's website, and trains quickly sell out.
The Colorado-based Royal Gorge Route Railroad offers a special menu on its Santa Express train, offering treats such as Polar
Bear Potato Skins or North Pole Nachos. For Thomas the Tank Engine enthusiasts, Roaring Camp Rail, located in Northern
California, offers Holiday Out with Thomas excursions. The museum also offers passengers another alternative, the Santa Cruz
Holiday Lights Train.
Several commuter agencies also run Santa trains. The Caltrain Holiday Train, a tradition for more than 11 years, is a train
covered with 60,000 glittering lights, stopping at numerous stations between San Francisco and Santa Clara during two nights in
December. The event attracts thousands from the communities along the route. The train provides entertainment and collects
donations of toys for needy children in the region.
Northern Virginia’s VRE annual Operation Lifesaver Santa Train adds a safety message into the holiday theme. Passengers
meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, who promote rail safety and Operation Lifesaver’s “Look, Listen and Live” campaign. Santa’s
helpers assist in handing out candy canes and Operation Lifesaver coloring books.
In the Windy City, Chicago Transit Authority’s annual Holiday Train tours the city along CTA’s “L” and subway lines. The special
six-car train is adorned in holiday images and thousands of twinkling lights. Santa and his elves ride the train, passing out candy
canes.
These are just a few of the example of train operators that help their communities get into the holiday spirit.
Restored Super Chief Car to Make Inaugural Run
GOLETA, Calif. – The Acoma, a restored club-lounge car from the original streamlined version of Santa Fe’s famed Super
Chief, will make its inaugural run on Jan. 19, 2013.
The car was one of eight streamlined cars built by the Budd Company in 1937 that featured interiors decorated with a Southwest
motif for the Chicago-Los Angeles streamliner. Budd’s Sterling B. McDonald headed the interior design team with Budd
architects Paul Phippe Cret and John Harbeson creating the interior design of the cars, with each one unique. Rare woods
complemented interwoven fabrics and even sand paintings to emphasize Navajo design and craftsmanship themes.
With much of its original interior intact, Acoma is the only car from the first stainless-steel Super Chief train set that remains in
active service today. Two of Acoma’s sister cars survive: dining car Cochiti at the California State Railroad Museum in
Sacramento, Calif., and observation car Navajo at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colo. The car names were taken
from various Native American pueblos in Arizona and New Mexico.
The all-Pullman Super Chief was inaugurated on May 12, 1936 with upgraded heavyweight cars powered by diesels for its entire
2,227-mile trip. In May 1937 the train received new streamlined cars and diesels; the Electro-Motive E1 diesels were the first
painted in Santa Fe’s famed red and silver “warbonnet” colors. With only one set of equipment, the train initially operated once a
week from both Chicago and Los Angeles. Later with more new equipment the train operated daily, and survived until Amtrak
took over the train’s operation on May 1, 1971. Today Amtrak’s Southwest Chief operates over the Super Chief’s route.
On Jan. 19 the Acoma will make a day trip up the Pacific Coast to San Luis Obispo, Calif., traveling on Amtrak’s Pacific
Surfliner trains. A limited number of seats are available for purchase by the general public. Also on the trip will be the Overland
Trail, a 1949 club lounge built by Pullman for Southern Pacific’s San Francisco Overland. All passengers will ride one of the cars
in the morning and the other during the afternoon return, changing cars during the midday stopover in San Luis Obispo.
Passengers will be able to board the train at either the Santa Barbara or Goleta Amtrak stations. The scheduled departure is
10:22 a.m. in Santa Barbara and 10:34 a.m. in Goleta, arriving in San Luis Obispo at 1 p.m. The return trip will begin at 1:55
p.m., arriving in Santa Barbara at 4:32 p.m. and Goleta at 4:17 p.m.
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Tickets for the Acoma inaugural excursion are $89. Passengers can save $3 per ticket by purchasing through the museum’s
online store. Reservations can also be made by calling 805-680-0397 between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. PT. Ticket prices includes soft
drinks and light snacks; passengers are responsible for any additional food.
The Education of a Train Watcher
By Fred Frailey
Friday, December 21, 2012
I was west of Topeka today, more than half way from Virginia to the Colorado Rockies, driving a steady 79 on Interstate 70 and
admiring the layer of snow the season’s first storm had delivered the day before, when I saw the exit sign:
McFarland
1 MILE
McFarland! Oh my goodness. The memory of that evening some 50 years ago came rolling down like a Big Sur wave and
washed over me.
Growing up, there wasn’t an interlocking tower or other 24-hour office in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, or Missouri I wouldn’t walk
into. “Hi,” I’d say, sticking out my right hand. “My name is Fred, and I like to watch trains. Do you mind if I visit for a while?”
Never—not once that I can remember—was I told to leave. I would be invited to sit down, and the train order operator or tower
leverman and I would begin talking. It might last but 10 minutes, but sometimes for hours. At McFarland, it lasted an entire shift.
This is how I sharpened my understanding of railroad operations. I would study the employee timetables to the point of
memorization and now could pepper my host with questions. How close to schedule do the freights actually run? How often are
extra freights run? Do the passenger trains ever give way and take the siding for freights? Where do the through trains set out or
pick up cars on the subdivision? How much local business is there here? These were smart men I visited with, and I think one
reason they tolerated me was that they were bored. Plus, they were probably flattered that someone, even a teenager, thought
what they did for a living was exciting.
This had begun in my home town of Sulphur Springs, Tex., where the Cotton Belt's day clerk-telegrapher, Jack Elliott, let me sit
at his desk, headphone clamped on my 12-year-old head, and copy train orders on a yellow pad of flimsies as they were issued
to other stations by the dispatcher in Tyler.
Anyway, as I grew older, I had my share of interesting experiences. The yellow wood tower at Holliday, Kan., just west of
Kansas City, protected the junction of Santa Fe’s main line with the Topeka branch. I was a regular visitor late on weekend
afternoons in the autumn of 1962, just before it was automated and closed. At 5 o’clock each afternoon, minutes apart, Kansas
City Union Station would shoot three westbounds toward Holliday. The Chief and Tulsan stayed on the main line tracks and
blew past us at top speed. But the Kansas Cityan was routed through Topeka, and as soon as it was out of KCUS the
dispatcher would issue the final train orders and a clearance card to Holliday, and out they would go on forks, to be snatched by
the enginemen, conductor, and flagman as their train eased through the sharp turnout. I always found that brief flurry of
streamliners exhilarating. Sometimes in the midst of this, the eastbound Fast Mail Express would fly by in the opposite direction.
And one late afternoon in October, what did I and the towerman see but a mile-long special train of U.S. Army tanks, behind a
quartet of blue-and-yellow FT diesels. The towerman said it was headed to Galveston, Tex. I remembered that train just days
later when President Kennedy startled the world by revealing that the Soviet Union was planting missiles aimed at the U.S. in
Cuba, and we teetered on the brink of war.
This was while I was studying journalism at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, a 30-minute drive from Holliday. Other nights I
wandered far afield. After visiting the 24-hour office of Missouri Pacific at Durand, Kan., on the Kansas City to Coffeyville, Kan.,
line, I mistakenly thought I would find a service station open after 10 p.m. I was somewhere between Wichita and Emporia on a
lonely road when the motor sputtered and died. Now it was past 1 a.m. But out of nowhere came a deputy sheriff. He took me to
the nearest country general store, banged on the owner’s apartment above it until lights came on, and drove me back to my car
with a can of gasoline.
Another evening, in Sedalia, Mo., my cousin Mike and I were given a post-midnight lesson in operating an armstrong
interlocking plant by the leverman. The tower protected the crossing of MoPac’s St. Louis-Kansas City line and Katy’s St. LouisParsons, Kan., branch. They were called armstrong plants because signals and switches were connected directly to the levers
on the second floor of the tower by a network of pipes, and you needed a strong arm to manipulate them.
“Go ahead,” the wiry little man told me, pointing to a long lever, “try to reverse this switch.” I grabbed the lever with both hands,
took a breath, and jerked it back with all my 20-year-old strength. It didn’t budge. Cousin Mike did no better. “Now watch me,”
the leverman said. He stuck out one hand and casually pulled the lever straight back to a locked position. What!? “You have to
know how to use your leverage,” he explained. Ten minutes later, after some instruction and practice, Mike and I were pros. By
then it was 2 o’clock, and we got $1 rooms in a downtown Sedalia hotel. In that era it seemed that every county seat town had a
$1 fleabag, because I stayed in my share of them. The enduring memory is of musty odors.
But I digress. McFarland had always fascinated me from afar. It was mysterious, remote, and operationally important. About 30
miles west of Topeka, it was on the double-track Rock Island Lines artery used by trains going to Texas and to the Golden State
Route to California (the two routes split at Herington, Kan.). At McFarland, a branch line about 100 miles long shot northwest to
Belleville, Kan., on the Rock’s Omaha-Denver main line. The branch hosted two scheduled through freights in each direction,
which was why operators were kept in McFarland on the day and evening shifts, to copy train orders for these trains.
7
I showed up at 4 o’clock on a cold, cloudy winter Saturday afternoon, just as the evening operator arrived. “Hi, my name is . . .” I
went through my usual introduction, and the fellow invited me in.
McFarland used to be a far more important place on the Rock Island than it was by 1965, and my host regaled me with stories,
for hours. Every so often a train would roar by at top speed and we’d inspect it for defects. I don’t remember any branch line
activity. At 9 o’clock he said he was heading home for supper. “Come with me,” he said. “My wife will be glad to have you join
us.” So that’s how I was fed that evening. Just before midnight, the Twin Star Rocket passed on its way to Texas. The
westbound Golden State would be next, but the hour was late, and I needed to get back to Lawrence.
The next day, still romanticizing about my experience, I sat down at my typewriter and banged out a feature story for the Kansas
City Star. I was its KU correspondent, knew practically the entire staff of both the morning and evening editions, and was well
liked. Banking on that well of good will, I send my profile of a lonely country depot that had seen better days to the Star’s state
editor and held my breath. Two or three days later, opening the front, or A section, there it was. It was, actually, my first railroad
story. Many hundreds more would follow.
So when I saw the green sign on the interstate, it's little wonder that I briefly forgot where I was and where I was going, and
wandered down the dim hallways of my past.
UNION PACIFIC CHAIRMAN JAMES R. YOUNG
NAMED RAILROADER OF THE YEAR
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
January 2, 2013: James R. Young, Chairman of Union Pacific Corporation, has been named 2013 Railroader of the Year by
railroad industry trade journal Railway Age.
“As Jim Young so aptly puts it, ‘Union Pacific has evolved from the company that built America by building the first
transcontinental railroad to one that today is critical to the global supply chain,’” said Railway Age editor-in-chief William C.
Vantuono. For his vital role in that evolution, he is a deserving recipient of our Railroader of the Year award. Under the
leadership of Young and such key team members as Jack Koraleski, the current President and CEO, UP recently has started to
see what its franchise can deliver for customers, employees, communities, and shareholders. Leading up to its 150th
anniversary have been such mile-markers as record full-year earnings in 2010 and 2011; record capital investment in 2010,
2011, and again in 2012; and record levels of customer satisfaction since 2009.”
“I am honored to accept the railroader of the year award on behalf of all Union Pacific employees,” Young said. “Very few
companies have achieved 150 years in business, and the best part about it for Union Pacific is despite all our incredible
accomplishments during the past century and a half, we think our best years are still ahead of us.”
Jim Young is Railway Age’s 50th Railroader of the Year. He is the sixth Union Pacific recipient, preceded by Frank E. Barnett
(1975), Robert M. Brown (1978), Mike Walsh (1991), Richard K. Davidson (2003), and William E. Wimmer (2007). Modern
Railroads magazine founded the award, one of the most prestigious in the railroad industry, in 1964 as the “Man of the Year.”
Railway Age acquired Modern Railroads in 1991 and has presented the award annually since then. Young will be honored on
March 12, 2013, at Chicago’s Union League Club. Railway Age will tell the story of Jim Young and the organization he leads at
Union Pacific with a cover story in the magazine’s January 2013 issue, which will also be available online at
www.railwayage.com.
About Union Pacific
It was 150 years ago that Abraham Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act of July 1, 1862, creating the original Union Pacific.
One of America’s iconic companies, today, Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific
Corporation (NYSE: UNP), linking 23 states in the western two-thirds of the country by rail and providing freight solutions and
logistics expertise to the global supply chain. From 2000 through 2011, Union Pacific spent more than $31 billion on its network
and operations, making needed investments in America's infrastructure and enhancing its ability to provide safe, reliable, fuelefficient, and environmentally responsible freight transportation. Union Pacific’s diversified business mix includes Agricultural
Products, Automotive, Chemicals, Coal, Industrial Products, and Intermodal. The railroad serves many of the fastest-growing
U.S. population centers and emphasizes excellent customer service. Union Pacific operates competitive routes from all major
West Coast and Gulf Coast ports to eastern gateways, connects with Canada’s rail systems and is the only railroad serving all
six major Mexico gateways.
About Railway Age
Railway Age (www.railwayage.com) is a monthly trade magazine circulated at the management levels of North American freight
and passenger railroads. Founded in Chicago, Ill., in 1856, it is the transportation industry’s longest-running trade publication.
Railway Age is published by the Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp., New York, N.Y.
Shortline Tax Credit Extended as Part of Fiscal Cliff Deal
Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, Editor
The shortline industry began the New Year with good news: Extension of the railroad track maintenance credit.
8
The 45G tax credit has been extended until Jan. 1, 2014, as part of the "fiscal cliff" deal passed in the Senate and then in the
House of Representatives. The credit is retroactive and applies to expenditures paid or incurred in taxable years beginning after
Dec. 31, 2011.
The tax credit was originally enacted in 2004 and creates an incentive for shortline and regional railroads to invest in track
rehabilitation and improvements by providing a tax credit of 50 cents per dollar spent on those improvements. Prior to the
current deal, the credit, which is capped based on a mileage formula, expired on December 31, 2011.
Richard F. Timmons, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association issued a statement saying in part,
"Shortline railroading is one of the most capital intensive industries in America. Short lines operate almost 50,000 miles of track
and preserve the first and last mile connection to factories, grain elevators, power plants, refineries and mines that employ over
1 million Americans. While competing highway infrastructure is maintained by federal and state governments, shortline
infrastructure is preserved by small companies. The 45G credit allows small railroads to improve railroad infrastructure that
benefits the public by using more of what they earn, rather than giving it to the government.
"This investment keeps millions of additional heavy trucks off of the publically maintained highways each year, reducing wear
and tear, pollution and congestion and preserves jobs and economic development opportunities. Section 45G allows the market,
not government bureaucrats, to prioritize infrastructure investment decisions. The Railway Tie Association estimates that when
the 45G credit is in effect, between 500,000 and 1,500,000 additional railroad ties are installed each year. These steel rails and
wooden ties are made in America with pride and are investments that cannot be outsourced abroad.
"The 45G success story is the story of reducing federal taxes and interference with small businesses and allowing those
businesses to invest more of what they earn in ways that benefit all Americans."
Trains Carrying More Oil Across U.S. Amid Boom
By: Matthew Brown and Josh Funk, Yahoo Group
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) Energy companies behind the oil boom on the Northern Plains are increasingly turning to an industrialage workhorse the locomotive to move their crude to refineries across the U.S., as plans for new pipelines stall and existing
lines can't keep up with demand.
Delivering oil thousands of miles by rail from the heartland to refineries on the East, West and Gulf coasts costs more, but it can
mean increased profits up to $10 or more a barrel because of higher oil prices on the coasts. That works out to roughly
$700,000 per train.
The parade of mile-long trains carrying hazardous material out of North Dakota and Montana and across the country has
experts and federal regulators concerned. Rail transport is less safe than pipelines, they say, and the proliferation of oil trains
raises the risk of a major derailment and spill.
Since 2009, the number of train cars carrying crude hauled by major railroads has jumped from about 10,000 a year to a
projected 200,000 in 2012. Much of it has been in the Northern Plains' Bakken crude patch, but companies say oil trains are
rolling or will be soon from Texas, Colorado and western Canada.
"This is all occurring very rapidly, and history teaches that when those things happen, unfortunately, the next thing that is going
to occur would be some sort of disaster," said Jim Hall, a transportation consultant and former chairman of the
National Transportation Safety Board.
Rail companies said the industry places a priority on safety and has invested heavily in track upgrades, provided emergency
training and taken other measures to guard against accidents.
There have been no major oil train derailments from the Bakken, according to federal regulators.
Union Pacific Railroad CEO Jack Koraleski said hauling oil out of places like North Dakota will be a long-term business for
railroads because trains are faster than pipelines, reliable and offer a variety of destinations.
"The railroads are looking at this as a unique opportunity, a game-changing opportunity for their business," said Jeffery Elliot, a
rail expert with the New York-based consulting firm Oliver Wyman.
BNSF Railway Co., the prime player in the Bakken, has bolstered its oil train capacity to a million barrels a day and expects that
figure to increase further. To accommodate the growth, in part, the railroad is sinking $197 million into track upgrades and other
improvements in Montana and North Dakota.
BNSF is also increasing train sizes, from 100 oil cars per train to as many as 118.
Larger trains are harder to control, and that increases the chances of something going wrong, safety experts said. State and
local emergency officials worry about a derailment in a population center or an environmentally sensitive area such as a river
crossing.
Rail accidents occur 34 times more frequently than pipeline ones for every ton of crude or other hazardous material shipped
comparable distances, according to a recent study by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. The Association of
American Railroads contends the study was flawed but acknowledges the likelihood of a rail accident is double or triple the
chance of a pipeline problem.
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For oil companies, the embrace of rail is a matter of expediency. Oil-loading rail terminals can be built in a matter of months,
versus three to five years for pipelines to clear regulatory hurdles and be put into service, said Justin Kringstad of the North
Dakota Pipeline Authority. Although more pipelines are in the works, he said moving oil by rail will continue.
The surge comes at the right time for railroads: Coal shipments â€” a mainstay of the rail industry â€” have suffered because of
competition from cheap natural gas.
In the eastern U.S., CSX and Norfolk Southern railroads haven't seen as much growth because oil from the Marcellus Shale
area of Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York is close enough to refineries that trucks haul the crude.
Yet BNSF is beginning to haul Bakken crude east to Chicago, where it hands off the tank cars to CSX or Norfolk Southern for
delivery to Eastern refineries. It has also sent oil to the West Coast, a trend that could increase if Alaska crude production
falters, as some industry observers are predicting.
The growth will require significant upgrades to already congested rail lines, industry analysts said.
Overall, crude oil shipments still represent less than 1 percent of all carloads. And there are far more dangerous materials
aboard the nation's trains, including explosives, poisonous gases and other industrial chemicals.
But emergency officials are increasingly wary of major accidents involving oil trains, which carry far more cargo than some other
hazardous-material trains.
While oil is not as volatile as some other products, a rupture of just one car can spill 20,000 to 30,000 gallons, said Sheldon
Lustig, a rail expert who consults with local governments on accidents and hazardous materials.
Recognizing the risks, Houston-based Musket Corp., an operator of oil train terminals in North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado,
Utah and Oklahoma, has donated spill equipment and provided training to fire officials.
"You want to be a good steward in that community," said Musket managing director JP Fjeld-Hansen.
Federal Railroad Administration officials said they have coordinated hazardous-material training seminars and sought more law
enforcement patrols for rail crossings to increase safety.
Federal law requires railroads to select hazardous-material routes after analyzing the potential for accidents in heavily populated
areas and environmentally sensitive spots. Those analyses are confidential for security reasons.
Lustig said the railroads have considerable sway over the process.
"Under federal guidelines, the railroad makes the analysis, the railroad decides what they want to do, and the railroad does it,"
he said. "There is no public accountability."
For Norfolk Southern, a New Intermodal Initiative
is Paying Off in Shorter Trains and Efficiency Gains
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor, Progressive Railroading
Intermodal business continues to boom for Norfolk Southern Railway in 2012 after a couple of stellar years. In 2011, intermodal
business generated 21 percent of total railway operating revenue and 45 percent of all shipments. And over the past two years,
domestic intermodal volume shot up 42 percent.
By the time 2012 draws to a close, NS will have moved more than 3 million containers and trailers across its 22-state network.
Yet, not all of the movements completed early in the year were as efficient — traffic- and cost-wise — as those performed
toward year’s end.
In January, NS began to roll out an R3 initiative to optimize the movements of trailers, and international and domestic containers.
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Meaning the right lane, right car and right unit, R aims to ensure that trains departing an intermodal terminal are headed to the
correct destinations, moving freight loaded on the most optimal rail cars and transporting the proper containers or trailers to
enhance capacity and increase asset utilization.
The initiative establishes a standard process — tailored to a terminal’s size and layout — for loading and building outbound
intermodal trains. For example, terminal workers must try to load all 40-foot international containers on 40-foot stack cars.
Previously, the 40-foot units sometimes were loaded onto other cars, such as 53-foot stack cars designed for domestic
containers or conventional flat cars that can’t accommodate double-stack loads.
NS previously addressed a stack-car shortage that was caused by growing volumes of 53-foot containers by acquiring several
thousands of new platforms. But the usage of 53-foot cars to move units of other lengths has hampered asset utilization even
though the fleet was right-sized, says NS Vice President of Intermodal Operations Bob Huffman. In addition, a less-than-optimal
usage of cars added train length and weight, he says.
As of late November, R3 had been fully implemented at more than 50 NS terminals, where the right cars now are being matched
with the right intermodal units more than 90 percent of the time. Before the initiative was launched, the right matches were being
made less than 80 percent of the time. In addition, many 40-foot stack cars have been freed up for more extensive use in the
international fleet.
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“The problem is we have a complex network of international and domestic terminals. It’s a terminal-intensive network,” says
Huffman. “Each terminal was its own little operation and was efficient, but we weren’t getting the overall right result. This is a
train-by-train approach, and an in-depth look at operations from a 24- to 48-hour view.”
R3 calls for a higher level of cooperation among the intermodal, transportation, mechanical, industrial engineering, and network
and service management departments to better coordinate car switching activities and the timing of car inspections and repairs,
and empty car movements at terminals. Department workers also jointly strive to ensure the right cars are in the right block and
on the right spot on a track.
“It’s a different way of managing and communicating,” says Huffman.
NS hired business consulting firm The Highland Group to help conduct an initial assessment of terminal operations and work
with terminal managers to implement R3.
Each terminal now issues daily bulletins that inform employees how they are faring with matching cars and intermodal units on
each train. Huffman receives the daily reports to monitor the performance of every train at every terminal, he says.
So far, performance has been very good: Intermodal trains generally are shorter than in the past, which has increased capacity
at terminal loading tracks, improved asset utilization and reduced operating costs, Huffman says.
“It was very evident that we couldn’t continue operating as we were and handle increasing intermodal traffic efficiently and cost
effectively,” he says. “We had to get this figured out.”
CSX: New Georgia Industrial Park a 'Select Site'
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor, Progressive Railroading
January 5, 2013
CSX Corp. announced Friday that the Belfast Commerce Centre in Bryan County, Ga., is the first location in the state to receive
a "CSX Select Site" designation.
Construction just began on the commerce center, a 1,100-acre industrial park located near Interstate 95 and 16 miles from the
Port of Savannah.
Through the Select Site program, CSX reviews manufacturing and distribution development sites along its network that could
rapidly utilize freight-rail service. The designation confirms that standard land use issues have been addressed and that the site
is ready for development. To be chosen as a Select Site, a location must meet certain criteria.
"The Select Site certification provides certainty for companies seeking industrial property for manufacturing operations, and
allows for increased speed to market and reduced development risk," said Clark Robertson, CSX's assistant vice president of
regional development, in a prepared statement.
CSX introduced the Select Sites program earlier this year. The Class I partnered with site selection and certification consulting
firm The Austin Co. to screen candidate locations, and assist communities with the application and certification process.
CSX previously certified seven other locations in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and North and South Carolina as Select Sites.
Amtrak Wants FRA OK For Lighter HSR Equipment
Railfan & Railroad, January 3, 2013
Amtrak wants the Federal Railroad Administration to revise its safety standards to allow lightweight, off-the-shelf high speed rail
equipment similar to that used in Europe. The FRA crashworthiness standards require stoutly-built rolling stock that can
withstand collisions with heavy equipment, such as freight trains, and contribute to the occupants' survival. European HSR lines
generally are not shared with freight traffic, and so trains are more lightly constructed, compared to Amtrak's Acela equipment,
which conforms to FRA requirements. FRA is currently developing new safety standards for trains operating at over 150 mph.
RailAmerica Deal Takes Effect
Railfan & Railroad, December 29th, 2012
It's official . . . the former RailAmerica group of short lines and regional railroads is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genesee &
Wyoming Industries. Genesee plans to give the motley RailAmerica locomotive fleet a facelift over a five-year period and has
already moved at least one GW-painted unit to many former RA lines.
NS Touts Role in Industrial Development
Written by Douglas John Bowen
Friday, January 04, 2013
Norfolk Southern said Friday it has "participated in the location of 64 new industries and the expansion of 30 existing industries
along its rail lines in 2012."
The activities "represented an investment of $2.1 billion by Norfolk Southern customers and are expected to create more than
6,100 jobs in the railroad's territory, in future years potentially generating more than 141,000 carloads of new rail traffic
annually," the company said.
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"Our 2012 results were once again anchored by the energy sector," said Newell Baker, assistant vice president
industrial development. "Norfolk Southern assisted in the location or expansion of 32 energy-related facilities in 14 states across
our service area."
Perhaps not surprisingly, the surge in natural gas development factored in the industrial activity. "Marcellus and Utica Shale gas
exploration projects continued to play an important role, along with coal, and power generating equipment," Baker said "We
were excited to see the first shipments of Bakken Crude delivered to East Coast refineries in 2012, and we expect this subsector
to grow significantly in 2013. In addition, the continued rebound in the metals and automotive markets during 2012 played an
important role for us and for our service area."
The balance of other projects secured during 2012 was distributed among several of the broad product areas Norfolk Southern
serves.
"Fiscal Cliff" Legislation Includes Extension of Short Line Tax Credit
Published: January 4, 2013
WASHINGTON – Legislation to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff” passed by Congress this week included an included an extension
of the Section 45G short line freight railroad tax credit through 2013. Originally enacted in 2004, Section 45G creates an
incentive for short line railroads to invest in track rehabilitation by providing a tax credit of 50 cents for every dollar the railroad
spends on track improvements. The credit is capped based on a mileage formula.
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association said since 2005, the 45G credit has generated more than $1.2
billion in railroad infrastructure investment.
The Railway Tie Association estimates that when the credit is in effect, between 500,000 and 1,500,000 additional railroad ties
are installed each year.
Amtrak to Request Relaxed Crashworthiness Requirements
By Bob Johnston
WASHINGTON — In an interview with Bloomberg News earlier this week, Amtrak President Joe Boardman said the company
will ask the Federal Railroad Administration to revise its current crashworthiness standards, which prevent state-of-the-art high
speed train sets from Europe and Asia from operating in the United States without substantial modification.
Lower structural strength requirements for equipment operated on the Positive Train Control-equipped Northeast Corridor are
being requested so Amtrak can acquire new trainsets that are faster and lighter than the Acela Expresses it currently operates.
Those train sets, consisting of two locomotives bracketing six cars, complied with long-standing U.S. buffer strength
requirements designed to protect occupants in the event of a crash. But the resultant excessive weight has limited Acela’s
performance in both speed and energy efficiency compared with French TGV and Japanese Shinkansen equipment that has
operated safely for decades.
In December, Boardman announced at a Congressional hearing that Amtrak, in early 2013, would ask manufacturers to submit
bids for new Northeast Corridor train sets. This would mitigate the need to order 40 additional Acela Express coaches, part of an
earlier plan that would have added two cars to each of the 20 existing trainsets. Relaxed structural strength requirements would
theoretically allow prospective bidders to align their submissions more closely to “off-the-shelf” high speed rail train sets, both
locomotive-hauled and electric multiple unit, now manufactured for use in other countries.
When Amtrak first embarked on its high speed rail program in the early 1990’s, it obtained waivers from the FRA to host
Swedish X2000 and German ICE trainsets in successive years for a demonstration project. But, it was precluded from ordering
that equipment because neither train set met the buffer strength requirement. Only a few years earlier, on Jan. 4, 1987, the
northbound Colonial had slammed into a Conrail locomotive at 108 mph when Conrail engineer Ricky Gates failed to respond to
an absolute stop signal at Gunpow Interlocking near Chase, Md. The collision killed 14 passengers plus the Amtrak engineer
and lounge car attendant. The wreck made relaxation of crashworthiness standards unlikely at the time, and eventually Amtrak
had to settle on the Acela, built by a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom. Yet it also accelerated development of Amtrak’s
Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System, the pioneering signaling and train control technology that now protects Northeast
Corridor operations at tested speeds up to 165-mph.
With the enforcement providing protection, Amtrak is asking safety regulators to rely more on crash avoidance than
crashworthiness. When seeking bids for its next-generation high-speed train sets, Amtrak hopes to avoid a scenario in which a
list of potential bidders is limited by an unwillingness to build equipment that is compliant with U.S. regulations when those
hurdles don’t exist in other world markets seeking high-speed train sets.
Amtrak Names Two to Operating Positions
WASHINGTON – Amtrak has named Magdy El-Sibaie as its new chief safety officer and Robin McDonough as chief, business
operations. Both will report directly to DJ Stadtler, vice president of operations.
As chief safety officer, El-Sibaie will be responsible for planning, directing, and overseeing the safety activities and standards of
Amtrak departments. He will also provide oversight of Amtrak’s compliance with safety regulations and participation in current
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and emerging industry safety programs. He has over 20 years of experience in railroad transportation engineering, and currently
serves as an associate administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration. His prior work experience includes serving as director, office of research and development for the Federal
Railroad Administration, and senior engineer, track and vehicle/track interaction for the Association of American Railroads.
As chief, business operations, McDonough is responsible for collecting and analyzing operations performance metrics,
performance improvement planning, budgeting and administration, and operations technology oversight. McDonough has been
with Amtrak since 1981, and has held a variety of senior positions including most recently chief, business operations and
technology. Prior to Amtrak she worked at Conrail in a variety of field and office positions, including crew dispatcher and yard
clerk.
Steam Into History Plans Pennsylvania Open House
NEW FREEDOM, Pa. – Steam Into History, a nonprofit organization that plans to build and operate a steam train to chronicle
the role York County, Pa., played in Civil War history, will hold an open house on Jan. 19 in New Freedom. The open house will
be held from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the organization’s shop on West Main Street.
Author, certified Civil War tour guide, and Steam Into History volunteer Scott Mingus will be the featured speaker. At 11 a.m. he
will present a talk on York County during the Gettysburg Campaign. Mingus is a frequent public speaker at professional events,
as well as within the Civil War community. He is a published American Civil War author with nine books to his credit.
The Steam into History train is scheduled to begin operation in 2013, in time to mark the 150th anniversary of the Confederate
invasion of York and the Battle of Gettysburg. A new replica 4-4-0 locomotive, York No. 17, is being constructed for Steam Into
History by Kloke Locomotive Works, which also constructed another replica 4-4-0, the Levithan that operates several times a
year.
For more information, go to www.steamintohistory.com.
Public Transit Riders Benefit From "Fiscal Cliff" Legislation
WASHINGTON – Public transit riders can now hold up to $240 a month in transit commuting costs from taxable income. This is
equal to the tax benefit extended to drivers of personal vehicles for parking costs.
“On behalf of the millions of Americans who ride public transportation, I commend Congress for passing legislation to increase
the public transit commuter benefit, and making it equal to the parking benefit. With parity between public transit and parking
benefits, people have the ability to make the best reasonable transportation choice,” said American Public Transportation
Association President and CEO Michael Melaniphy. “For 2013, there is no longer a financial bias in the federal tax code against
public transit use. This has always been an issue of fairness, and public transit advocates are pleased that the federal tax code
will again provide transit riders with the same tax benefits according to those who drive to work.”
Under the new “fiscal cliff” legislation passed by Congress this week, the parity between public transit and parking benefits are
now up to $240 a month and are retroactive from Jan. 1, 2012. This will expire on Dec. 31, 2013. The APTA urged Congress to
permanently extend the transit commuter tax benefit to the same level as the parking tax benefit.
“It is our hope that in the new Congress, legislation will pass to make the public transit commuter benefit parity permanent,” said
Melaniphy.
Pennsylvania Railroad Company Calendar Arrives 63 Years Late
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Scranton Times-Tribune newspaper received a new calendar on Dec. 28 to mark the New Year, but the
year was 1950, not 2013. A mail carrier delivered the calendar 63 years late without explanation, the Associated Press reports.
The large tube contained a 1950 Pennsylvania Railroad calendar addressed to James Flanagan, former general manager of
The Scranton Times. The calendar includes a holiday greeting from a Pennsylvania Railroad executive dated December 1949.
Flanagan died that month.
A U.S. Postal Service spokesman says lost mail is sometimes found when a machine is dismantled or office space is renovated.
Times-Tribune publisher Bobby Lynett says he’ll see if the Steamtown National Historic Site railroad museum is interested in the
calendar. If not, he’ll display it at the newspaper offices.
Ed Ellis and Pullman Rail Journeys
By Fred Frailey
Wednesday January 2, 2013
The railroad career of Edwin Earl Ellis has been anything but common and ordinary. He started two short-line conglomerates
(and was fired by the first one). He bootstrapped Amtrak’s mail and express business into a $150 million-a-year behemoth that
created 46-car Southwest Chiefs and 25-car Lake Shore Limiteds (and as thanks, was fired again). But say what you want about
Ed Ellis, he has tenacity.
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Now begins the most audacious — some would say foolhardy — part of his remarkable life. In Iowa Pacific Holdings, his second
short line empire, Ellis and partners struck it rich. And he is putting some of the earnings to use to recreate first-class again, who
knows? Amtrak has said no to running Pullman’s cars on the rear of the Chicago-New York Lake Shore Limited because of
space concerns in Penn Station. But there is more than one way to get to New York.
You sense both the vision and the challenge of this enterprise inside IPH’s passenger car and diesel shop on the edge of
downtown Alamosa, Colo. Two F units, part of the company’s fleet of Electro-Motive passenger diesels from the late 1940s and
1950s, are being worked on. But your attention is immediately drawn to Glen Summit, built by Pullman late in 1929 with six
bedrooms and three drawing rooms and last used in mainline service almost half a century ago.
Bought from a private party, Glen Summit is, in a word, a mess. “Ed, this is a million-dollar car,” you say, and he replies yes,
meaning that putting Glen Summit back in its 1929 condition could cost $1 million. “Want to see it inside?” he asks, climbing
onto a vestibule. The door is locked. So is the door on the other end. Too bad, you think. It’s a holiday, and but for you and Ellis,
the shop, smelling faintly of oils and solvents, is deserted.
Iowa Pacific owns 162 passenger cars and is negotiating to buy dozens more. Many are assigned to the short-line railroads that
IPH owns or operates. Almost all of the company’s properties have a passenger-train component. Forty-two are earmarked for
Pullman Rail Journeys. As for the rest, who knows?
The three shop tracks, and tracks south of the shop, are a picture book of passenger train history. You slowly stroll and turn the
pages. Inside the building, there’s Calumet Club, once an Illinois Central flat-end observation lounge. Former Southern Pacific
9400 is a 12-bedroom lightweight car being prepped for Pullman Rail Journeys service. Observation lounge Paducah ran on IC’s
Louisville section of the City of New Orleans. Beside it is a former Southern Railway heavyweight coach now in IC colors.
Outside are more than a dozen other cars, some assigned to summer service out of Alamosa on the Rio Grande Scenic
Railroad (proudly called “The La Veta Pass Route”) and others waiting their turn in the shop. Your attention is drawn to a
modernized heavyweight diner-lounge still wearing the faded gray and blue colors of the Nickel Plate. You wonder to yourself, is
this man crazy?
The two of you end up in the railroad’s offices on State Street and resume a conversation begun almost two months earlier. Ed
Ellis has a keen business sense, and no, he’s not crazy. His passenger endeavors are but a part of his life, the majority of his
time being devoted to building up the freight franchises of IHP subsidiaries. But without his passion for the Pullman project, it
would not exist. “I’m in this for the long term,” he tells you. “I’m 58, and will spend the rest of my life building this enterprise.”
Pullman Rail Journeys is not a luxury service with mahogany walls in the sleepers and voluptuous meals in the diner. What Ellis
is creating is instead a first-class service that takes you back to the time that the Pullman Company consistently delivered
comfortable overnight accommodations and dining cars served delicious, wholesome meals. If you cannot understand his
distinction, stop and think a bit about it. To explain it another way, his model is not the luxurious American Orient Express or its
successor GrandLuxe Express, which ended in financial disaster, but the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which recreates in
vintage equipment the first-class rail experience across Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. And the VSOE is a financial success,
Ellis reminds you.
Pullman Rail Journeys got off to a disappointing start. So far, it consists of Iowa Pacific cars on the back of Amtrak’s City of New
Orleans out of Chicago, making two round trips a week. Alas, last November 17, on one of the first trips, a broken axle on the
sleeping car Baton Rouge would have derailed the train but for the quick actions of Pullman conductor Jody Moore, who heard
gravel underneath the car, saw sparks flying, and initiated an emergency stop in Tuscola., Ill.
Ellis plans to re-launch the New Orleans train in late March, giving the marketing staff time to sell the vision of this service to the
public. And from there, again, who knows? Amtrak has said no to running Pullman’s cars on the rear of the Chicago-New
York Lake Shore Limited because of space concerns in Penn Station. But there is more than one way to get to New York.
The thought keeps nudging you: Can this possibly succeed? It’s the American way to trash our heritage like some scrap of
cellophane — out with the old, in with the new. With prices starting at $500 (for an upper berth) and going to $950 for a roomette
and $1,950 for a bedroom for two, the service is aimed not at the upper 1 percent of Americans but at affluent-blue collar
families and up. Are people tired of cruise vacations and Las Vegas shows and $20 blackjack tables and ready for a different
experience? In essence, Ed Ellis is betting that the answer is yes.
“I want to get New Orleans right,” he says, as you prepare to depart. “It’s hard to do this right. There are so many pieces to
manage. We don’t have commissaries in every town. Pullman knew how many sheets and blankets went into each car. We are
relearning all of that. I want to make sure that in service, marketing, cleanliness, and in every possible way from Chicago to New
Orleans we are Pullman, before we go to any other route.”
This is a remarkable story, no matter how it ends, and unlike any I’ve ever written. In the June issue of Trains, I’ll explore Iowa
Pacific Holdings and its Pullman Rail Journeys subsidiary in far more detail. See you there!
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Buffett Railroad Sees Crude Cargo Climbing 40%
By Tim Catts and Noah Buhayar on January 08, 2013
Bloomberg News
Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC, the railroad owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (A), will boost crude-oil
shipments by 40 percent this year, helping blunt a decline in coal cargo, Chief Executive Officer Matt Rose said.
BNSF will spend “a couple hundred million dollars” on capital improvements to haul more petroleum to refineries from the
Bakken shale formation in the northwestern U.S., Rose said in a telephone interview. Crude oil shipments will grow to 700,000
barrels daily by the end of this year, he said.
Crude from the Bakken, which is putting the U.S. on course to become the world’s biggest oil producer by 2020, is helping the
second-biggest U.S. railroad buck an industry-wide slump in commodity cargoes. Fort Worth, Texas-based BNSF’s raw material
volumes were little changed in 2012 as competitors posted declines, based on Association of American Railroads data.
“We’re the 1,000-pound gorilla in the oil markets,” said Rose, 53, who has been CEO for 12 years. “Crude by rail is going to be
really strong for us. It’s been a real benefit to us to replace some of that lost coal business.”
BNSF, which Buffett took over three years ago in a $26.5 billion deal, saw coal shipments fall 6.2 percent last year, compared
with an average drop among North America’s seven largest railroads of 9.8 percent, railroad association data show. Chemicals
carloads grew 26 percent, the most among peers.
The railroad carried more coal than its bigger rival, Union Pacific Corp. (UNP), every year from 2007 through 2012, according to
data compiled by Bloomberg. Both companies’ networks are centered west of the Mississippi River.
Tank Cars
BNSF isn’t the only piece of Berkshire’s empire benefiting from increasing output of shale oil produced by hydraulic fracturing.
Union Tank Car Co. is already working at full capacity to produce rolling containers that carry the fuel in trains.
Rose is exploiting what he once projected would be a fleeting opportunity as the U.S. grows its oil production by the most since
the first commercial well was drilled in 1859. Now he sees “longer-term picture” moving petroleum by freight train because his
network is more flexible than a pipeline can be.
BNSF is working with customers to build new loading facilities connected to its 32,000-mile (51,500-kilometer) rail network and
plans to deliver crude to refineries in California, Oregon and Washington, Rose said.
It’s in talks with Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) and CSX Corp. (CSX) to carry crude to East Coast customers including Delta Air
Lines Inc.’s refinery in Trainer, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, Rose said.
Crude Refineries
CSX is negotiating with western and Canadian railroads to allow shipments of crude oil east to “a number of refineries and
terminals,” Lauren Rueger, a spokeswoman for the company, said in an e-mail. Robin Chapman, a spokesman for Norfolk
Southern, said he couldn’t immediately comment.
“When you look at the flexibility of where this crude can go, this can be a very long-term business venture,” Rose said. “We’re
out there right now working with a plethora of customers creating destination plants that allow this crude to get in markets where,
five years ago, it would have been unthinkable that we’d be bringing crude into a place like Philadelphia.”
Customer Site Investments on CSX Total $3.2 Billion in 2012
CSX worked with its customers in 2012 to locate 105 new or expanded facilities on its eastern rail network or on connecting
shortlines.
These projects represent an investment by those customers of more than $3.2 billion and are said to create more than 4,200
jobs among shippers in more than a dozen states.
"These industrial facilities are expected to generate 162,000 carloads of new rail traffic in future years," said Clark Robertson,
assistant vice president regional development. "The 2012 results were especially significant in the energy markets, such as new
ethanol and crude oil terminals, natural gas processing facilities and drilling supply locations. In addition, low natural gas pricing
and abundant supply are prompting renewed manufacturing interest in the U.S. and specifically in markets served by CSX."
Amtrak Plans Significant Infrastructure Projects for 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Amtrak has set out to work on a long list of infrastructure projects during 2013.
"Amtrak continues to advance and invest in projects that provide both near-term benefits and long-term improvements for the
effective delivery and reliability of intercity passenger rail service," said President and CEO Joe Boardman.
Boardman says the 2013 agenda builds on the successes from 2012, which saw record ridership, the best-ever system-wide ontime performance, the national launch of eTicketing and the start of new Northeast Regional service to Norfolk, Va., the
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extension of Downeaster service to Freeport and Brunswick, Maine and the beginning of 110 mph operations on the Lincoln
Service in Illinois and on the Wolverine and Blue Water services in Michigan.
Infrastructure projects include:
Advancing Gateway Program
In 2013, Amtrak intends to continue planning and other pre-construction activities on its Gateway Program to provide additional
capacity into Manhattan for Amtrak intercity and New Jersey Transit commuter services, including the proposed next-generation
high-speed rail system. The project includes building two additional tunnels under the Hudson River to access expanded
terminal facilities serving New York Penn Station and the future Moynihan Station. It also will replace and expand the century old
Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River and increase from two to four tracks between Newark and New York. Amtrak is also
seeking funding this year to specifically advance design and early construction elements of the Gateway Program to preserve a
pathway for the two new Hudson River tunnels to New York Penn Station.
160 mph high-speed rail upgrades in New Jersey
In 2013, Amtrak will further advance design, engineering and other pre-construction activities for a $450 million project funded
by the federal high-speed rail program that will boost top train speeds from 135 mph to 160 mph along a 24-mile section of the
NEC between Trenton and New Brunswick, N.J. The project includes upgrading track, electrical power, signal systems and
overhead catenary wires to permit the faster speeds and also reconfigures track switches at the western entrance to New York
Penn Station to mitigate congestion issues. The full project is to be completed in 2017.
Niantic River movable bridge replacement
In May 2013, Amtrak expects to complete construction on this $140-million multi-year project to replace the Niantic River
Movable Bridge, originally built in 1907 and located between East Lyme and Waterford, Conn. Partially funded by the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the new bridge is now in operation and will enable Amtrak to increase speeds and minimize
traffic and delays. The project involves constructing a new two-track, electrified railroad bascule bridge just south of its present
position, new track alignments on both approaches to the bridge and expansion of the navigation channel beneath the bridge
and an increase in the vertical under-clearance above the water for the benefit of river traffic. Also, sections of the Niantic Bay
Overlook boardwalk will be reconstructed and the public beach replenished.
Springfield Line improvements
In 2013, Amtrak will continue the installation of underground signal and communication cables over the 60 mile Springfield Line,
the first portion of construction for the state of Connecticut-led New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) Rail Program to expand
passenger rail service. This work is required to upgrade signal and communication systems for the NHHS program and prepare
for subsequent infrastructure improvements to add a second track.
Hudson Line improvements
In Dec. 2012, Amtrak executed a long-term lease agreement with CSX, enabling Amtrak to take full control of the Hudson Line
between Schenectady and Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The arrangement ensures that passenger rail service has scheduling priority
there and paves the way for four significant rail improvement projects led by the state of New York totaling $181 million. Amtrak
intends to begin work on these projects in 2013.
Agreement with MDOT on Kalamazoo-Dearborn Line
Amtrak anticipates signing an agreement in 2013 with the Michigan Department of Transportation to operate, dispatch and
maintain a 135-mile section of state-owned railroad from Kalamazoo to Dearborn that will lead to track improvements to support
110 mph speeds for Wolverine and Blue Water service.
B&P Tunnel replacement
Amtrak will begin preliminary engineering and NEPA environmental work in 2013 for replacement of the 1873 vintage B&P
Tunnel in Baltimore, Md. This phase of the multi-year project is funded by a $60 million federal high-speed rail grant to the state
of Maryland. A new tunnel is envisioned to have an improved alignment to enable an increase in speed and capacity for Amtrak,
MARC Commuter and Norfolk Southern freight trains.
Susquehanna River bridge replacement
Amtrak will begin preliminary engineering and NEPA environmental work in 2013 for replacement of the 1906 vintage railroad
bridge crossing the Susquehanna River between Perryville and Havre de Grace, Md. This phase of the multi-year project is
funded by a $22 million federal high-speed rail grant to the state of Maryland. A new bridge is envisioned to have additional
tracks to increase speed and add capacity for Amtrak, MARC Commuter and Norfolk Southern freight trains.
Positive Train Control
In 2013, Amtrak intends to complete installation of Positive Train Control (PTC ) equipment along the Amtrak-owned right-ofway. Amtrak has completed installation on the section between Philadelphia and Washington. The section from New York to
Philadelphia is more than 90 percent complete, as is the section between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. PTC has been in
operation between New York and Boston for years and the entirely of Amtrak-owned tracks on the Michigan Line (Porter, Ind. to
Kalamazoo, Mich.) also has PTC in operation today.
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Oil Trains Could Be Running for Years
By John Kemp, Reuters Market Analysis
Friday, November 9, 2012
(Reuters) - Could oil production from the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana rival output from Saudi Arabia's
supergiant Ghawar oilfield, the greatest oil-bearing structure the world has ever known?
Until recently, comparisons between the shale fields of the Bakken and Ghawar, which produces 5 million barrels per day, would
have been dismissed as fanciful.
But Bakken's exponential growth and enormous reserves put it on course to produce more than 1 million barrels per day by the
middle of next year, which will earn it a place in the small pantheon of truly elite oil fields.
Ghawar accounts for nearly half of Saudi Arabia's total declared capacity of 12.5 million barrels per day and has produced more
than 65 billion barrels of oil since 1951.
Ghawar is one of only six super-giant oil fields that have produced more than 1 million barrels per day at their peak. Others are
Burgan (Kuwait), Cantarell (Mexico), Daqing (China) and in the 1970s and 1980s Samotlor (Russia) and Kirkuk (Iraq).
Discovered in 1948 and just 174 miles long by no more than 31 miles wide, Ghawar is an extraordinary structure.
"It is unlikely that any new oilfield will ever rival the bounteous production Ghawar has delivered to Saudi Arabia and the
international petroleum markets," energy expert Matthew Simmons explained in "Twilight in the Desert", his controversial 2005
book about Saudi Arabia's diminishing oil reserves.
No other super-giant has been discovered in the last 35 years (the last was Cantarell in 1976). Failure to find any more caused
Simmons and other experts to worry world oil production was close to peaking in the late 2000s.
THE NEW SUPER-GIANT
But now Bakken has burst onto the scene. Output hit 631,000 barrels per day in August 2012, according to North Dakota's
Department of Mineral Resources, up from 256,000 barrels per day in August 2010 and just 83,000 barrels per day in August
2008.
Growth has been exponential (in the true sense of the word). Output has been increasing at a steady rate of about 65 percent a
year since late 2009 and shows no sign of slowing.
If growth continues at this pace for the next 12 months, and there is no reason to think it won't, production will top 1 million
barrels a day by August 2013.
Some analysts will complain about the comparison. Ghawar is a conventional field: a single, well-defined accumulation of oil. In
contrast, the Bakken is a collection of dozens of small fields in an unconventional "continuous-type" deposit without well defined
boundaries.
But the two are not so very different in size. Ghawar covers about 2,000 square miles. The core of the Bakken is 15,000 square
miles, according to Continental Resources, one of the pioneering exploration and production companies operating in the area.
Rough comparisons are reasonable.
THREE FORKS FORMATION
Bakken is proving to be one of the most prolific oil-producing patches in the world. It continues to outstrip even the most
optimistic forecasts.
At the moment the industry has completed just 5,000 wells in the Bakken at an average spacing of less than 1 well per 1,280acre unit. But Continental estimates the core could support up to 52,000 wells with four to eight wells per 1,280-acre unit for full
development.
Bakken contains about 577 billion barrels of oil and gas, of which about 24 billion barrels should be technically recoverable,
according to Continental. But underneath Bakken in the same area is the Three Forks formation, which Continental believes
could contain an even greater 900 billion barrels, of which perhaps 32 billion barrels might be technically recoverable.
Continental's estimates are probably colored by a developer's natural optimism. But the company has been the leading
innovator in what has become North America's hottest oil play, and it has been proven consistently right.
More conservative estimates still show that the combined resources of the Bakken and Three Forks are enormous.
CONVENTIONAL VS CONTINUOUS
In a conventional oil or gas system, hydrocarbons are produced in a source rock and migrate through tiny pores or along fault
lines before accumulating in a reservoir rock, from which they are produced.
The source rock must have a high proportion of organic material (typically at least 1-3 percent) to generate petroleum. It must be
buried to the correct depth and temperature for the organic material to mature into oil (2000-5500 meters, 60-150 degrees
centigrade) or gas (anything deeper than 5500 meters, and hotter than 150 degrees).
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There must be sufficient cracks or porosity to allow the produced oil and gas to migrate from the source and accumulate in a
reservoir rock. And the reservoir must be sealed by a cap to prevent the oil and gas migrating any further, allowing it to
accumulate in sufficient concentrations to be extracted profitably.
Source, maturation, migration, reservoir and trap must all come together in exactly the right sequence. If any one of these
elements is missing or occurs in the wrong sequence, oil and gas will not accumulate in a discrete pool.
Bakken, Three Forks and other shale plays are what the United States Geological Survey calls "continuous-type" resources.
In these deposits, the oil and gas is extracted direct from a source rock or a much more extensive reservoir rock nearby.
The Bakken, for example, consists of three layers, known as "members": the upper and lower shales (which are the source of
the oil) and a middle sandstone layer (which is the reservoir). Drilling into the shales has been relatively unsuccessful. Most oil is
being produced from wells drilled into the middle sandstone member.
BAKKEN CHANGES EVERYTHING
The conditions are less demanding for continuous-type resources than for conventional deposits, which is why shale deposits
are distributed much more widely around the world.
The problem, until recently, was that oil and gas could not be extracted profitably from continuous-type resources. Horizontal
drilling and hydraulic fracturing have changed the situation, unlocking oil and gas from previously inaccessible tight rock
formations with low porosity and poor flow rates.
Conventional super-giants such as Ghawar may never be discovered again, although exploration is pushing into new areas
offshore and in the Arctic. But that may not matter if oil and gas can be wrung from more commonly occurring continuous
deposits.
Bakken has a long way to go before production overtakes Ghawar. But the play has already defied most expectations that it will
slow. At the very least, Bakken will join the world's largest oil-producing zones next year. In the process, it has changed the oil
industry forever.
New Foundation Offering Grants for Railroad Preservation
CHICAGO – The newly formed Tom E. Dailey Foundation Inc. is making available railroad heritage grants of up to $15,000 for
projects promoting railroad heritage, history, or preservation. Dailey, a senior executive in the payment processing industry for
nearly 30 years, said the foundation was created in December 2012 through a $1 million endowment. Dailey is currently CEO of
2Checkout.com, a global payments processor for e-commerce websites.
The grants are available to organizations that promote the history of railroads, operate historic trains or equipment, or provide
other historic rail-related activities. To be considered for a grant, organizations must demonstrate that they are a registered
nonprofit entity located within the United States. Grants cannot be made to individual persons. The grants are available in
amounts of $1,000 to $15,000. The foundation’s board of directors generally meets on a quarterly basis to make decisions on
grant awards, and plans to award up to $100,000 annually in grants.
Amtrak: New Equipment to Arrive This Year
January 11th, 2013
Amtrak says the first of 70 new ACS64 electric locomotives (pictured) will be delivered by Siemens Mobility of Sacramento,
Calif., later this year. Based on the European Vectron design, the ACS64 has been redesigned in order to conform to FRA
crashworthiness standards with energy-absorbing crumple zones, a cab safety cage to protect the crew, and anti-climbers. The
first ten carbodies were built by Siemens in Munich, Germany.
Also due to arrive later this year are the first of 130 single-level, long-distance passenger cars from CAF USA of Elmira, N.Y.
The stainless-steel cars are being constructed from the ground up in the U.S. The order includes 25 sleepers, 25 diners, 55
baggage cars, and 25 baggage/dormitory cars. The first four of eight test cars are due late this year and the first cars are
expected to be placed into service late next spring.
Amtrak Planning Major Projects in 2013
WASHINGTON – Amtrak said it is planning major infrastructure upgrade projects and expects to reach significant milestones for
new equipment orders in 2013. Among the projects for 2013 is completion of the Niantic River Movable Bridge Project on the
Northeast Corridor, and receiving the first of 70 new electric locomotives and 130 single-level long-distance passenger cars.
Here is a summary of Amtrak projects for 2013:
Gateway Program: Amtrak intends to continue planning and other pre-construction activities on its Gateway Program to provide
additional capacity into Manhattan for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit commuter services. The project includes building two
additional tunnels under the Hudson River to access expanded terminal facilities serving New York Penn Station and the future
Moynihan Station. It also will replace and expand the century old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River and increase from
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two to four the number of tracks between Newark and New York. Amtrak is also seeking funding this year to specifically
advance design and early construction elements of the Gateway Program.
High speed rail: Amtrak plans to begin the process to purchase new high speed rail trainsets for the Northeast Corridor, and is
expanding its Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor with the addition of a new weekday round trip between New York
and Washington beginning Jan. 28. The railroad said it will further advance design, engineering and other pre-construction
activities for a $450 million project funded by the federal high speed rail program that will boost top train speeds from 135 mph to
160 mph along a 24-mile section of the NEC, between Trenton and New Brunswick, N.J. The project includes upgrading track,
electrical power (frequency converter capacity and additional substations), signal systems, and catenary wires to permit faster
speeds. It also reconfigures switches at the western entrance to New York Penn Station to mitigate congestion issues. The full
project is to be completed in 2017.
New electrics: The first units of a $466 million order for 70 new electric locomotives will be delivered during 2013. The new
equipment will operate at speeds up to 125 mph on the NEC and up to 110 mph on the Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pa.,
Keystone Corridor. Siemens in Sacramento, Calif., is building them.
New cars: Late 2013 will see the delivery of the first four of eight test cars of a $298.1 million order for 130 new single-level
long-distance cars, including 25 sleepers, 25 diners, 55 baggage cars, and 25 baggage/dormitory cars. The first units will be
placed in service late spring 2014. They are being built by CAF USA at a facility in Elmira, N.Y.
Updated fleet plan: Amtrak intends to release an updated fleet strategy plan in 2013 with the latest analysis on replacing and
expanding its existing conventional and high speed rail fleet.
Niantic River Movable Bridge project: In May Amtrak expects to complete construction on the $140 million project to replace
the Niantic River Movable Bridge between East Lyme and Waterford, Conn. Partially funded by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, the new bridge is now in operation. The project involves constructing a new two-track bascule bridge, new
track alignments, and expansion of the navigation channel beneath the bridge.
Springfield Line improvements: The railroad will continue installation of underground signal and communication cables over
the 60-mile Springfield Line, the first portion of construction for the State of Connecticut-led New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Rail
Program to expand passenger rail service. This work is required to upgrade signal and communication systems for the program
and prepare for adding a second track.
Hudson Line improvements: In December 2012, Amtrak took full control of the Hudson Line between Schenectady and
Poughkeepsie, N.Y., from CSX. This paves the way for four significant rail-improvement projects led by the State of New York
totaling $181 million. Amtrak intends to begin work on these projects in 2013.
Michigan agreement: Amtrak anticipates signing an agreement this year with the Michigan Department of Transportation to
operate, dispatch, and maintain a 135-mile section of state-owned railroad from Kalamazoo to Dearborn that will lead to track
improvements to support 110 mph speeds for Wolverine and Blue Water service.
B&P Tunnel and Susquehanna Bridge replacement: Preliminary engineering and environmental work will begin this year on
a project to replace the 1873 vintage B&P Tunnel in Baltimore. This phase of the multi-year project is funded by a $60 million
federal high speed rail grant to the State of Maryland. A new tunnel would have an improved alignment to enable an increase in
speed and capacity. Amtrak will also begin preliminary engineering and environmental work for the replacement of the bridge
crossing the Susquehanna River between Perryville and Havre de Grace, Md., funded by a $22 million federal high speed rail
grant to the State of Maryland.
Positive train control: Installation of PTC equipment will be completed between Philadelphia and Washington this year. The
section from New York to Philadelphia is more than 90 percent complete, as is the section between Philadelphia and Harrisburg,
Pa. PTC is already in operation between New York and Boston and on Amtrak-owned tracks between Porter, Ind., and
Kalamazoo, Mich.
Upgrading Wi-Fi: As cellular carriers expand their 4G/LTE footprint along Amtrak routes, Amtrak has begun to upgrade its Wi-Fi
service. Implementation has already started on the Acela Express and is currently undergoing stabilization and optimization
activities. Amtrak will seek to expand 4G/LTE to other Wi-Fi trains.
Lawsuits Filed Over Conrail Derailment
PAULSBORO, N.J. – Fifty-two Paulsboro, N.J., residents have filed a lawsuit against Conrail Shared Assets and its parent companies,
seeking compensation, punitive damages, and medical surveillance after a derailment Nov. 30 released thousands of gallons of vinyl chloride
into the atmosphere. The suit is the third of its kind since the incident, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Two others were filed last month,
also citing Conrail, and its owners, CSX and Norfolk Southern.
Of the seven cars that derailed, four fell into Mantua Creek and one breached, causing a leak of the hazardous chemical and forcing the
evacuation of 700 residents.
The plaintiffs, according to the suit, have suffered from chest pains and coughing fits as a result of their exposure to the chemical, and fear
they may contract serious illnesses.
“We’ll respond to the lawsuit in a timely fashion and in the appropriate forum, through our legal filings,” Conrail spokesman Michael Hotra
said.
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The suit also includes as unnamed defendants the engineer of the train and a dispatcher.
It alleges that the train crossed over the bridge even though it had a red signal indication. The conductor inspected the bridge, and then the
engineer contacted the dispatcher who concluded it was safe to proceed.
The decision was negligent, the suit claims, particularly because the bridge “had been repeatedly malfunctioning for at least one year” before
the derailment. The complaint alleges that Conrail “put safety aside for the sake of profit.”
The suit also alleges that untrained emergency responders wrongly allowed nearby residents to “proceed through the toxic cloud” created by
the vinyl chloride.
Illinois Railway Museum to Celebrate 60th Anniversary With 60 Electric Cars
UNION, Ill. – The Illinois Railway Museum plans to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year with a special trolley parade July 7
featuring 60 pieces of electric traction equipment. Executive Director Nick Kallas told Trains the count would include multiple unit
trains with two or three cars. The cars would pass by a reviewing stand for easy viewing, with live narration as each car passes.
Kallas said photographers frequently line up in advance of the stand to get shots of individual cars. “The idea is to try to get as
many pieces out, and let people see them and photograph them,” he said.
Kallas also said the museum’s steam department is working to have Frisco 2-10-0 No. 1630 running this summer. New tubes
have been installed in the boiler, and crews are working this winter to get the engine ready. Baldwin built No. 1630 in 1918 as
part of an order for the Imperial Russian State Railways that was never delivered because of the Russian Revolution. Instead,
the engine went to the United States Railway Association, which operated U.S. railroads during World War I, as USRA No.
1147. It was sold to the Frisco in 1920, and then went to the Eagle-Picher Co. at Cardin, Okla., in 1951. It was donated to the
museum in 1967.
BNSF Expects Crude Oil Shipments to Increase in 2013
FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway expects shipments of crude oil to increase by 40 percent this year, helping blunt a
decline in coal traffic, Chief Executive Officer Matt Rose told Bloomberg News. BNSF will spend “a couple hundred million
dollars” on capital improvements to haul more petroleum from the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota, Rose said. Crude oil
shipments will grow to 700,000 barrels daily by the end of this year, he said.
“We’re the 1,000-pound gorilla in the oil markets,” Rose said. “Crude by rail is going to be really strong for us. It’s been a real
benefit to us to replace some of that lost coal business.”
Bakken crude oil helps BNSF buck an industry-wide slump in commodities. BNSF saw coal shipments fall 6.2 percent last year,
compared with an average drop among North America’s seven largest railroads of 9.8 percent, Association of American
Railroads data show, but chemicals carloads grew 26 percent.
BNSF is working with customers to build new loading facilities on its network, and plans to deliver crude to refineries in
California, Oregon, and Washington. BNSF is also in talks with Norfolk Southern and CSX to carry crude to East Coast
customers including Delta Air Lines’ refinery in Trainer, Pa., near Philadelphia, Rose said.
“When you look at the flexibility of where this crude can go, this can be a very long-term business venture,” Rose said. “We’re
out there right now working with a plethora of customers creating destination plants that allow this crude to get in markets where,
five years ago, it would have been unthinkable that we’d be bringing crude into a place like Philadelphia.”
Artwork Released for Grand Central Terminal Stamp
NEW YORK – Grand Central Terminal will turn 100 years old on Feb. 2, and the U.S. Postal Service is celebrating the anniversary with the
issuance of a new collectors stamp.
Artist Dan Cosgrove created the stamp art with an illustration of the terminal’s main concourse. Early morning sunlight streams through the
60-foot-tall windows, illuminating the people below. In the foreground, travelers gather near the round the famous information booth topped
with its four-sided clock. The concourse’s sky ceiling stretches overhead, decorated with a mural of constellations and figures of the Zodiac.
This new collectors’ issuance comes with a hefty Express Mail price tag of $19.95. It will be issued on February 1.
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Greenbrier Reports Orders for New Freight Cars
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. –Greenbrier has received orders for more than 4,200 freight cars valued at over $430 million since the
start of its current fiscal year that began Sept. 1, 2012.
The North American shale energy market generated orders for 1,250 of Greenbrier’s tank cars with a value of approximately
$160 million. Current tank car orders represent 30 percent of all new business since the start of the fiscal year. Greenbrier said
because of demand for tank cars for the energy market, it is targeting an annual build rate in North America of about 3,800 cars
per year by December 2013.
In North America, Greenbrier received orders for nearly 1,000 automotive racks, with orders for 89-foot flatcars to support the
rack deliveries anticipated later in the fiscal year. Automotive rail loadings in North America grew 13.9 percent in calendar 2012,
according to the American Association of Railroads. In Europe, the company has received orders for more than 400 automotiverelated railcars.
Greenbrier, headquartered in Lake Oswego, builds new freight cars at four manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and Mexico. It
also repairs and refurbishes freight cars and provides wheels and car parts at 39 locations in North America. Greenbrier also
builds new cars and refurbishes older cars for the European market at operations in Poland and various subcontractor facilities
throughout Europe.
Museum Offers to House Central of Georgia Steam Locomotive
MACON, Ga. – The Coastal Heritage Society, which manages the Georgia State Railroad Museum in Savannah, has offered to
house Central of Georgia 2-8-0 No. 509 if a restoration effort falls through, the Macon Telegraph reports. Built by Baldwin in
1906, the Consolidation has been on display at Central City Park in Macon since 1959. Short line Hartwell Railroad is attempting
to return the locomotive to operation.
Scott Smith, president and CEO of the Coastal Heritage Society, sent a letter to Macon Mayor Robert Reichert saying that his
group had been watching the flagging progress of the engine’s restoration. “First and foremost, we would like to emphasize that
(the Coastal Heritage Society) is in support of Hartwell’s plan for locomotive No. 509; we would like to see No. 509 restored to
service as planned,” Smith wrote. But based on the museum’s own experience with rebuilding locomotives, he thought Hartwell
was greatly underestimating the cost of restoration and ongoing maintenance.
The city of Macon agreed in May 2011 to lease the engine to Hartwell for 30 years at $1 per year. In exchange, the company
offered to rebuild the locomotive and use it on excursion trains mostly on its north Georgia lines, and offer discounted trips to
Macon residents at least twice a year.
At the time, Hartwell representative Jason Sobczynski said restoration could cost up to $450,000. Hartwell projected perhaps a
year of work before the engine was running again. But if Hartwell is unable to restore it, Smith offered to house the engine in
Savannah, “perpetually protected and on display for the visitors to the Georgia State Railroad Museum.” Only five Central of
Georgia steam locomotives are left, and all the others are in museums, he wrote.
The city forwarded the museum’s letter to Hartwell owner Bennie Ray Anderson Sr. “Hartwell Railroad is fully cognizant of the
matters raised by the Coastal Heritage Society and feel that our restoration and operational plan better serves the heritage of
the locomotive,” Anderson wrote. “The plan is still to move it to another site shortly for further work and restoration.”
The railroad sent workers about a year ago to remove paint and asbestos from the engine, in preparation for moving it to a shop
for restoration. They returned in September, telling officials with Bibb County Parks & Recreation, that locomotive should be
moved in a couple of weeks or so, but it is still at the same location in Macon.
The deal says Hartwell agrees to make the engine fully operational, but the company doesn’t give a time limit for doing that. The
only time stipulation is to remove asbestos within three years, which has already been done.
Amtrak Adds New York Washington Acela Round Trip
NEW YORK— Amtrak is expanding its Northeast Corridor service with the addition of a new weekday Acela Express round-trip
between New York and Washington beginning on Jan. 28. The late evening departures from both cities will provide customers
increased flexibility when making their travel plans.
The new Acela service includes an 8 pm northbound departure from Washington Union Station, train No. 2128, arriving at New
York Penn Station at 10:45 pm. It also includes a 9:15 pm southbound departure from New York, train No. 2175, arriving in
Washington at 11:59 pm. Both trains will make stops in Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark and New
York, and offer reserved Business Class and First Class service options.
"A greater focus on the travel needs of our customers, and the improved utilization of our business assets, is making this much
needed high-speed service expansion possible,” said President and CEO Joe Boardman.
With the start of this new high-speed service, Amtrak now offers 16 weekday Acela round-trips between key New York and
Washington.
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Thoughts While Waiting for a Train
By Fred Frailey
Saturday, January 12, 2013
I am writing this while sitting on a hard, unforgiving wooden bench inside the Amtrak station in Glenwood Springs., Colo.,
pecking it out one letter at a time with my right index finger, onto an iPad. This is not my ideal work environment. But what else
is there to do waiting for a train that never comes? At 11 this morning, Julie, the automated agent, said train 6, the eastbound
California Zephyr, would arrive at 1:23. At noon it was expected at 2. At 1, make it 2:30, and at 2, make it 3. You get the idea.
Frozen switches west of Grand Junction, Colo., is what the Glenwood Springs agent says, but for the life of me I cannot think of
any trains the Zephyr would meet west of Grand Junction.
I think back to my first trip on a train with this name. The date was May 1969, less than a year before the original, pre-Amtrak,
vintage 1948 California Zephyr, that magnificent dome liner, was truncated west of Salt Lake City. And what a trip it was for this
25-year-old. I began by riding Santa Fe's legendary 40-hour transcontinental intermodal freight train, the Super C, from Corwith
Yard in Chicago to Hobart Yard in Los Angeles. Next came a parlor seat in the observation car of Southern Pacific's Coast
Daylight from LA to San Francisco. And the day after that, east I went by sleeper on the California Zephyr to Chicago, laying
over for a day in Salt Lake City to attend the centennial ceremonies of the driving of the golden spike of the first transcontinental
railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah.
And do you know the most amazing thing about this week-long odyssey? It was entirely underwritten by the Chicago SunTimes. Yes, the same tabloid newspaper whose city editor would beg us reporters to hold down the telephone calls to Gary and
Hammond, Ind., just across the state line, because they involved small tolls. Yes, the same newspaper that would rather lose a
story than pay overtime. But the stars somehow aligned for me. The editor of the Sunday magazine wanted a story about the
Super C, and the city editor accepted my idea of a story from Promontory. Because the Sunday editor didn't have much of a
freelance budget, it was decided I would report these stories as part of my regular work week. And when the paper sends a
reporter out of town, it picks up the tab.
Well, it was a great trip. I wrote a while back about the Super C part (see my column in the November 2011 issue). The enduring
memories of the Coast Daylight are going around the curve on Cuesta grade just north of San Luis Obispo, passing so many
yellow wooden depots as we raced up the Salinas Valley, and being hit on by a good looking prostitute just outside the San
Francisco station.
The agent says the Zephyr is at Rifle, Colo., so I better peck faster. I would hate for this to be published half written. I have lots
of memories of the day at Promontory. Union Pacific's eastbound City of Los Angeles-City of St. Louis streamliner arrived in Salt
Lake City with U.S. flags adorning both sides of the lead E9 locomotive. A special train borne by a brand new DD40AX monster
diesel locomotive took invited guests to Ogden, Utah, and from there we traveled by bus through rugged mountains north of the
Great Salt Lake to the celebration at a new national park. On the way back to Salt Lake City our special was pulled by UP steam
locomotive 8444, and so help me, half the population of Utah seemed to be stopped on the side of roads to cheer us on. I stood
in a vestibule and got goose bumps witnessing this sight.
That day was the first time I laid eyes on Louis Menk, then president of the Northern Pacific and soon to be the first president of
the new Burlington Northern. He stood out in a crowd, being the tallest man in sight. During his later years we spoke many
times, and I developed some affection for that plain-spoken man. It was also one of the few times I ever met and conversed with
David P. Morgan, the editor of Trains and the guy who taught me how to write, by his example. I wish I could remember what he
said. Witty and urbane with friends and professional colleagues, David could be terribly introverted in public, and in my
eagerness I don't think I put him at his ease.
Finally, off I went on the California Zephyr again, across Colorado, past the station I am sitting in now and for the first time in my
life, through all those spectacular canyons: Glenwood, Gore, Byers, Fraser, Coal Creek, and South Boulder, before descending
the east slope of the Rockies going into Denver in a glorious spring sunset. At some point in the descent, again in the vestibule,
I saw a freight train directly below us. I swear I could have struck it with a rock. How far in front of us is it, I asked the conductor
as he ushered me back into the sleeping car. About half an hour, he said.
After experiences like this, is it any wonder I don't remember anything that happened east of Denver? My story about the Super
C was duly published in the Sun-Times Sunday magazine, and it was probably the most juvenile and witless piece of writing I
have ever committed to paper--what happens when a kid tries to hit a home run and swings too hard at the plate. The paper
promptly paid my expenses, however, and I concluded to myself that this here big city newspaper biz ain't a bad way for an
ambitious, wide-eyed boy from East Texas to make a living.
So here we are 44 years later. I'm back in Glenwood and still going strong, and so for that matter is the Sun-Times; I wonder
whether reporters call Gary and Hammond today without a guilty conscience. Oh, and here comes the Zephyr! At 3:30! I made it
to the finish line. Gotta go.
Port Everglades Breaks Ground on Intermodal Hub
Port Everglades broke ground on a $73-million combined on-port international and domestic cargo rail facility near Ft.
Lauderdale, Fla.
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Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who participated in the ground-breaking ceremony, also committed $13 million to begin work on the
Southport Turning Notch Extension project, which will add more dock space for Port Everglades. The new Intermodal Container
Transfer Facility (ICTF) at the port will lead the way for Florida to attract new international business to the state through its
seaports and support the creation of an estimated 135,000 jobs for Florida families.
Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak said, "An ICTF on Port Everglades property will not only
ensure our seaport remains competitive with other U.S. East Coast gateways, but will give our port a cost and time-to-market
advantage over many of these gateways, thereby putting more and more South Florida residents to work as a result of the
additional business opportunities it will generate. This unique public-private partnership is consistent with Gov. Scott's efforts to
expand support to Florida's ports, leveraging private sector capital to complete the project."
Florida East Coast Railway's (FEC) new 42.5-acre near-dock ICTF will facilitate containerized cargo transfer through the port
to/from the FEC mainline by mid-2014. Both domestic and international cargo will be handled at the site, which will result in the
advantageous transfer for Port Everglades customers and local companies.
FEC signed a long-term agreement with Broward County in March 2012 to build, operate and maintain the ICTF. Construction
costs are estimated to be $53 million, which is funded by an $18 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation
(FDOT) and $35 million from FEC (including a $30 million State Infrastructure Bank loan from FDOT). Broward County
contributed 42.5 acres of Port Everglades property, valued at $20 million, for the ICTF.
FDOT is also constructing a $40-million overpass to elevate I-595/Eller Drive to allow the trains to access the port at ground
level for the ICTF. Construction on the overpass began in July 2011 and will be completed in 2014. The project will elevate
traffic over the rail tracks, allowing for a better traffic flow and increased port activity.
CSX Plans $2.3 Billion Capital Investment for 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
CSX plans to invest approximately $2.3 billion in its business in 2013 supporting initiatives to help meet long-term demand for
freight rail, improve customer service and further the company's plans for long-term profitable growth.
"The continued strong investment in CSX is a clear reflection of our desire to bring lasting transportation solutions to our
customers, as well as to enable the inevitable movement of even more freight to rails," said Michael Ward, president, chairman
and chief executive officer.
Ward noted that overall growth, excluding coal, should be at a rate above the general economy in 2013.
Many of the investments are related to long-term initiatives that give customers greater access to an increasingly interconnected
global transportation network. This includes the company's National Gateway initiative creating double-stack intermodal train
access between the Mid-Atlantic ports and the Midwest. The investments are also expected to include $325 million associated
with the implementation of Positive Train Control.
Carload Express Creates Ohio Short Line to Tap Two Eastern Shales
Short Lines & Regionals
Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Burgeoning natural gas drilling operations in the Northeast prompted Carload Express Inc. last year to seek a railroad that could
access gas producers in the Marcellus and Utica shales. The search ended in late 2012.
The "foothold railroad," as Carload Express Chief Executive Officer Russell Peterson characterizes it? A former Omal Railway
line that now will be operated as the Ohio Terminal Railway Co. — Carload Express' fourth short line.
In December, Carload Express reached an agreement with Hannibal Real Estate L.L.C. to operate a 12.2-mile line between
Hannibal and Powhatan Point, Ohio, which the real estate firm acquired in 2007. Originally built by the Pennsylvania Railroad to
serve an aluminum plant in Hannibal, the line later was sold by Conrail to the Ormet Railroad Corp. The route — which Carload
Express tried to purchase from Conrail in 1996 — provides rail access to a Hannibal Real Estate-owned industrial park and an
adjacent steel rolling mill.
The line has been dormant since 2000, but is being upgraded so the Ohio Terminal Railway can serve the steel mill and "wet"
gas producing portions of the Marcellus and Utica shales, which cover portions of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and West
Virginia. A wet gas, such as ethane, propane or butane, refers to a higher percentage of natural gas liquids versus a "dry" gas.
Carload Express plans to spend about $1.8 million to improve and upgrade the line, with work slated for completion in early
April, says Peterson.
"We'll commence operations by mid-April," he says.
The Ohio Terminal Railway will interchange with Norfolk Southern Railway in Powhatan Point. The short line will move pipe, frac
sand, drilling lubricants and crane mats for shale customers, and haul steel for the mill. Initially, traffic will be split 50/50 between
shale-related and steel carloads, but eventually — perhaps in three years — "shale traffic will account for 75 percent," says
Peterson.
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Founded in 1992, Carload Express also operates the Allegheny Valley, Southwest Pennsylvania and Camp Chase railroads in
Pennsylvania and Ohio. In addition, the company provides warehousing, transloading, rail-car-storage, industrial switching and
side track engineering services.
Carload Express' three short lines move about 42,000 carloads annually. In two years, the Ohio Terminal Railway is projected to
move about 3,000 carloads annually and the other short lines are forecasted to grow traffic by about 2,000 to 3,000 units. So,
the company's yearly traffic should reach 47,000 to 48,000 carloads by 2015, says Peterson.
Carload Express' last expansion involved the addition of 43 miles of track for the Allegheny Valley Railroad in 2003. The latest
addition not only offers the company a prime traffic-growth opportunity, but restores freight-rail service to a long-dormant line.
"The combination of the new rail service and property available at the industrial park is a natural fit to service the emerging shale
gas drilling industry in the region," as Carload Express officials put it in a Dec. 12 press release about the Ohio Terminal
Railway.
High-Speed Rail is on a Slower, But Steady, Track: HNTB
High-Speed Rail
Borrowing from the fireman's lesson to children to "stop, drop and roll," America needs to "listen, discuss and act" on the need to
invest in sustainable infrastructure and to have a realistic, substantive discussion about the future of U.S. passenger rail. We
have an unprecedented opportunity to frame a productive discussion if we:
Listen — Elected officials need to move beyond party politics to listen more to the experts about passenger rail's value in
securing America's multi-modal future.
Discuss — At a time when Congress is grappling with funding issues, our leaders need to direct Americans in a constructive and
forward-thinking conversation about generating revenue, cutting costs and enhancing our infrastructure for future generations by
investing in passenger rail.
Act — Hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call. We cannot take our passenger rail systems for granted. Working together, we can
respond to a crisis.
Where The Conversation Stands
The message about the benefits of high-speed rail has not changed, but the conversation has evolved from "Let's build highspeed rail" to "Let's improve the passenger-rail system, of which high-speed and intercity rail are critical components, to create a
robust, integrated and sustainable public transportation system necessary for a growing, highly mobile society."
The long-term vision remains intact. The United States will have an integrated and efficient passenger-rail system with trains
running at higher and conventional speeds that connect major urban areas. The steps necessary to achieve that long-term
vision will require several local and regional improvements first be made, including:
 Enhance reliability, capacity and safety by maintaining and modernizing regional and local rail systems.
 Where there is demand for a cost-effective alternative to existing travel options, expand the existing rail systems.
 Maximize the convenience and attractiveness of rail travel with integrated connectivity, scheduling transfers and fare
systems.
These local and regional improvements are the backbone of the future U.S. high-speed rail system and if it is to operate
efficiently and effectively, the existing lines must operate efficiently and effectively, too.
In the meantime, progress is being made on several projects. In the Midwest, Illinois began 110 mph rail service on a 15-mile
segment of the Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor in November 2012 and trains have been operating at speeds up to 110 mph on an
80-mile stretch between Kalamazoo, Mich., and Porter, Ind. since February 2012.
The Northeast Corridor has embarked on many significant projects to improve reliability and speed, including the New Jersey
160 mph project, Baltimore Tunnel and the Gateway Project, which are necessary to keep one of the world's busiest and most
productive rail corridors operating at high efficiency and capacity.
And, California is selecting a design-build contractor for a 130-mile section of high-speed rail known as the Central Valley
Corridor, regarded as the backbone of California's planned 800-mile system. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first
quarter of 2013.
In just four years, the passenger rail industry will have even greater progress to show for America's investment:
 Construction will be substantially underway on the 130-mile segment in California.
 Passengers up and down the Northeast will see improved speeds and reliability on existing corridors.
 The Chicago-to-St. Louis corridor will be completed, as will the Kalamazoo-Dearborn portion of the Chicago-toDetroit/Pontiac corridor.
 High-speed and intercity rail studies in Texas, Georgia, New York and other states will have completed initial planning and
environmental studies, and will be pipelined and funding-ready for final design and construction.
Beyond September 2014, no one knows exactly where funding for U.S. passenger rail will come from or how much will be
available. We do know we can't let this opportunity slip away. We are on the brink of a greatly improved passenger-rail system,
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but there won't be money to complete the work unless we find solutions now. We can't wait until three months before the next
authorization deadline to decide. We need to listen, discuss and act now to identify solutions for tomorrow.
Peter Gertler is the high-speed rail services chair for HNTB Corp. The company is providing services for several U.S. highspeed rail projects.
How To Prevent America's Next Train Crash
By Dan Baum
Long-overdue rail upgrades could prevent the next big train catastrophe. So why are the railroads so reluctant to make them?
A Big One When a Norfolk Southern train hauling chlorine through Graniteville, South Carolina, derailed in 2005, toxic gas
poured into the town. The evening of January 5, 2005, was dry and cool in Graniteville, South Carolina. At 6:10, a 12-car Norfolk
Southern freight train pulled up to the Avondale Mills textile plant, and Jim Thornton, a conductor with 18 years' experience,
climbed down from the locomotive to open a switch and let the train roll onto a siding. It was getting close to the hour by which,
according to law, the crew had to quit for the day and rest. After the workers had shut down the train, Thornton called a taxi to
take him, the engineer, and the brakeman to a nearby motel. It never occurred to him that, for the first time in his life, he'd failed
to check the position of a switch that he'd opened. All he thought, as the crew piled into the taxi was, "Lord, mission
accomplished."
Seven hours later, a second Norfolk Southern freight train-two locomotives, 25 loaded cars, and 17 empties-approached
Graniteville at 49 miles an hour. The engineer expected to pass through at full speed. Instead, the open switch shot him onto
the siding. He saw the parked train and tried to stop, but it was hopeless. Both locomotives and the first 16 cars of his train
derailed; the engineer was killed. Three of the cars contained chlorine, a common industrial chemical; one of them sheared
open.
A dense white cloud of chlorine gas billowed through Graniteville. At 2:40 in the morning, police rousted 5,400 people from their
beds and evacuated them. Eight more died; 72 sickened. The disaster helped push the Avondale Mills plant, which had been
making cloth in Graniteville for 161 years, out of business. Four thousand people, some of them fifth-generation Avondale
employees, lost their jobs. Seven years after the wreck, people in Graniteville are still sick.
***
Trains carry 40 percent of America's freight as well as 650 million passengers a year, and in general, their safety record is good
and getting better. Most of the 2,000 accidents a year are minor. But when trains collide or derail, the results can be
spectacularly ugly. Last June, two Union Pacific trains somehow ended up on the same Oklahoma track and collided head-on
with such force that the locomotives almost fused. Three crewmembers died. Three weeks later, 17 cars of a 98-car Norfolk
Southern train went off the rails in Columbus, Ohio, busting open three cars of denatured alcohol and igniting a fire that forced
the evacuation of about 100 people. A CSX coal train jumped the track in Ellicott City, Maryland, in August; six of its 21 cars
tumbled into a parking lot, killing two young women bystanders. In November, a Union Pacific train plowed into a Veterans
Day parade float in Midland, Texas, killing four. Later that month, a CSX train derailed on a bridge near Philadelphia
International Airport, tearing open a tanker filled with 25,000 gallons of vinyl chloride and sending 71 people to the hospital.
Although the railroad keeps our 21st-century economy running, it's essentially a 19th-century technology. Most worrisome are
the 75,000 carloads of breathable poisons that trundle around the nation's tracks every year at speeds of up to 50 miles an hour.
The two most common are chlorine-the Graniteville chemical-and anhydrous ammonia, both of which can kill in particularly grisly
ways if inhaled. Graniteville was the country's worst rail accident involving breathable toxins, but there have been two others in
the first decade of the 21st century: Minot, North Dakota, in 2002 (anhydrous ammonia; one dead), and Macdona, Texas, in
2004 (chlorine; three dead). At Minot, the problem was poorly inspected rails and inadequate tank-car construction, but at
Macdona, the cause was as simple as at Graniteville: The engineer failed to notice a slow-down signal and blew past. Could
happen to anybody.
As bad as these accidents were, they could someday be remembered the way we recall the 1993 World Trade Center bombingas a harbinger of worse to come. Imagine a railcar full of chlorine bursting on the CSX tracks less than a mile away from a big
public event on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C., an inauguration, say, or a concert. The resulting cloud could kill 100,000
people. Al Qaeda might do it, but it's more likely that a $55,000-a-year engineer, in the 10th hour of his shift, would simply nod
off at the controls. Human factors cause more than a third of all rail accidents.
Although the railroad keeps our 21st-century economy running, it's essentially a 19th-century technology. Rail operators have
known for decades that technological fixes could prevent rail disasters caused by the kind of human errors committed at
Macdona and Graniteville, but they have been dragging their feet because those fixes are expensive and complicated.
Congress is now making them get it done. But the railroads could also cheaply and humanely achieve big safety leaps simply by
improving the working conditions of engineers-something they're even less enthusiastic about doing.
The Aftermath: The chlorine released in the Graniteville crash killed nine people, sickened 72, and demonstrated the lethal
potential of human error in the rail system.
Forty years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board began urging railroads to design a way for a train to stop itself if the
engineer "loses situational awareness"-that is, has a heart attack, falls asleep, gets distracted, or makes an all-too-human
mistake. It wasn't like NTSB was asking railroads to find a cure for cancer. As early as the 1920s, the Santa Fe rail line between
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Kinsley and Dodge City, Kansas, used a rudimentary system to stop a train if it passed a red signal. In the mid-1980s, in the
Minnesota iron range, Burlington Northern successfully operated the first GPS-based system to stop a train automatically if the
engineer made a mistake; it dropped it within the decade, to save money.
Railroaders call such technology-systems that slow or stop a train without human intervention when the engineer makes a
dangerous mistake-positive train control (PTC). The modern version requires the train to be "aware" both of what it is doing and
what is happening on the tracks ahead, using a combination of data radios, GPS, and cellular networks. If a discrepancy arises,
a switch is open that shouldn't be or the locomotive is passing a red signal and the engineer doesn't respond, the system takes
control of the train, applying the air-brakes and shutting down the locomotive.
In 1990, the NTSB put positive train control on its list of most-wanted transportation-safety improvements. The NTSB, though,
has no regulatory authority, so the five U.S. Class I freight railroads-Burlington-Northern Santa Fe, CSX, Union Pacific, Norfolk
Southern, and Kansas City Southern, all of which have annual operating revenues of hundreds of millions of dollars-simply
ignored the agency. Only Amtrak responded, installing a type of positive train control on its Northeast Corridor trains in 2000 and
a different version on some of its trains in the Midwest a year later. The Federal Railroad Administration, the railroads' regulator,
had the power to make the Class I's fall in line behind Amtrak, but instead, the agency agreed with the Class I's: Positive train
control was too expensive.
In 2007, Congress finally got involved passing a law mandating positive train control, but President George W. Bush refused to
sign it. Then came Chatsworth.
***
As a passenger-rail engineer, Robert Sanchez was, quite literally, a train wreck waiting to happen. Clinically obese, with high
blood pressure, enlarged heart valves, diabetes, and HIV, he may also have had sleep apnea, which can leave sufferers
perpetually sleep-deprived. To make matters worse, his work schedule at Metrolink, the commuter rail service for the Los
Angeles basin, seemed designed to leave a man exhausted. Sanchez started at six in the morning, drove trains until 9:30 in the
morning, then started again at two in the afternoon and worked until nine at night-a 15-hour split shift.
Yet the issue on September 12, 2008, was neither his health nor his exhaustion. As he drove his three-car train loaded with
passengers west from Chatsworth, Sanchez was busy swapping text messages with a teenage train buff about the super-cool
world of locomotives-a huge violation of company policy. Four days before, he'd had this text exchange with the teenager,
whom the NTSB calls "Person A".
Sanchez: Yea....but I'm REALLY looking forward to getting you in the cab and showing you how to run a locomotive.
Person A: Omg dude me too. Running a locomotive. Having all of that in the palms of my hands. Its a great feeling. And I’ll do it
so good from all my practice on the simulator. Sanchez: I'm gonna do all the radio talkin'...ur gonna run the locomotive & I'm
gonna tell u how to do it.
Later texts suggest that Sanchez had indeed illegally let the teenager operate the train-two days before the accident-with
passengers aboard.
On the afternoon of September 12, in the last 69 minutes of his life, Sanchez exchanged 35 text messages with the teenager.
Focused on his smartphone, he missed a red signal that should have held him back from a single track shared by freight lines.
At 4:22 p.m., the engineer of a westbound Union Pacific train looked up and saw Sanchez's train coming at him at a combined
speed of 80 miles an hour. The engineer hit his air brakes. Sanchez, texting until 22 seconds before impact, never touched his.
The collision drove Sanchez's locomotive 52 feet into the first passenger rail car, killing Sanchez and all 22 people in the car.
Two more passengers also died; 101 were injured. On the freight train, the engineer, conductor, and brakeman somehow all
survived.
Television crews arrived fast, and the Chatsworth crash became, for the issue of rail safety, what 9/11 was to aviation security. It
escaped nobody's attention that had positive train control been in place at Chatsworth, Sanchez never would have reached the
freight track; the system would have stopped his train at the red signal. Congress hastily revived the 2007 mandate and folded it
into the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which flew through Congress in just 34 days. The president signed it late at
night with no ceremony. The nation's railroads were given until 2015 to install positive train control on the 70,000 miles of track
on which passengers or toxic-by-inhalation chemicals moved. In the emotional aftermath of Chatsworth, neither the railroads nor
the Federal Railroad Administration objected.
That came later.
If I lose my iPhone, Apple's Find My iPhone feature will pinpoint its location anywhere in the world within a few feet. Railroads,
though, have only a very rough idea, at any given moment, of where their 18,000-ton freight trains are and what they're doing.
Although each railroad operates vast control rooms that look like they belong on the set of Dr. Strangelove-with enormous
electronic schematics of their tracks displayed across the walls-the information that controllers receive is amazingly crude.
Railroads have only a very rough idea, at any given moment, of where their 18,000-ton freight trains are and what they're doing.
First, about half the nation's trackage is "dark territory," devoid of signals and invisible to controllers. Out there, it's 1850.
Conductors operate by written instructions and their watches, stopping their trains and climbing down to open and close
switches by throwing big iron bars. While it's true that the vast majority of freight traffic and all passenger traffic travels on
tracks with signals, even there, controllers can't see their trains the way I can "see" my lost iPhone. They know only when a train
has passed a given point - a switch or a signal that is wired into the grid. Those points are anywhere from one and a half to three
26
miles apart, creating "blocks" of track. Controllers know when a train's locomotive has entered or left a block, but not how fast
it's moving. They can talk to engineers by radio, but if they notice that a train has passed a red signal, all they can do is shout
into the radio, and often they're too late even for that.
Positive train control, as conceived today, is intended not to replace control rooms and signals but to supplement them. The
railroad farthest along in post-Chatsworth implementation is, not surprisingly, Metrolink, which lost 24 passengers and an
engineer on September 12, 2008.
At six o'clock one recent morning, Darrell Maxey, who's in charge of building Metrolink's PTC system, picked me up at my hotel
at the far eastern end of the L.A. basin and drove immediately to a doughnut shop. In his mid-fifties, with a bristle-gray
moustache and glasses, Maxey exudes a Midwestern-style bemusement at the breathtaking convolutions of his job. He's an old
railroader, a systems engineer by training, but installing positive train control at Metrolink is making him an IT guy as well. "This
is the most complicated project I've ever worked on," he said. "Two, three hundred pages of documents at a time! For a guy
who's made his career piecing railroad systems together, this is heaven."
We drove to Metrolink's maintenance yard, a sprawling, sun-blasted expanse of concrete where Maxey issued me a hard hat
and reflective vest, hoisted himself aboard one of Metrolink's test trains' passenger cars, and ushered me up after him. Slumped
on every seat and scattered across the floor were hefty sandbags, simulating the weight of a full load of passengers. We
walked forward, and Maxey opened a door to the back of the locomotive. We threaded our way through the length of its interior,
which felt like the engine room of a U-boat: hot, noisy, and diesel-pungent. We emerged into the sunlit engineer's cab, and
Maxey motioned me into the engineer's seat.
st
Transforming railroads from a 19th to a 21 century mode of transportation means making the train itself responsible for its
actions. Were I this train's engineer, I'd start my day by downloading into the train's onboard computer a program about that
day's run: the weight and length of the train, as well as everything the system needs to know about the upcoming length of
track, such as speed restrictions, grade, curves, signals, switches, and stops. If I were using track owned by other railroads, I'd
download a separate program for each, because every railroad has its own way of signaling and communicating. Another
download would alert me to temporary issues, such as workmen on the tracks. I could watch these downloads on an LCD
screen mounted on the engine's dash; after that, I wouldn't have to look at the screen again, and, in fact, Metrolink is hoping I
won't. It wants my eyes straight ahead.
As I start down the track, the onboard computer is constantly comparing the train's progress to the downloaded programs. Doing
this means communicating wirelessly with every switch and signal along the way. If I fail to slow when I should or if the computer
thinks I'm about to run a red signal, the system warns me. If I don't respond, it applies the air brakes and shuts down the train. It
is designed never to let my locomotive pass a red signal, so it is constantly looking six miles-three signals-ahead. It measures
the speed and weight of the train along with the steepness of the grade. A heavy train going downhill will get an earlier warning
than a light train going uphill, but as a rule of thumb, it takes about a mile, or 90 seconds, to stop a three-car Metrolink train.
The onboard electronics that make positive train control work on Metrolink's test train are stuffed into a tiny compartment down
in the nose of the locomotive, where, were this a freight train, the engineer's toilet might be. I peered in at an incomprehensible
tangle of wires surrounding a rank of plastic and aluminum boxes: a cellular modem, data radios that communicate with signals
and the control room, a train management computer containing the downloads, and a big orange "black box" that the NTSB
looks for after a crash. It goes by the polite euphemism "event recorder."
For an industry that operates in much of the country as though it's in a western, this looked like a jump to Prometheus. We made
our way back through the locomotive and stepped off, and Maxey pointed to the new adornments on the locomotive’s roof. Up
where a light and maybe a radio antenna used to sit, a forest of aerials sprouted: two 220 MHz antennas for the data radios, two
cellular antennas for redundancy, a GPS antenna, and the Wi-Fi antenna through which the train downloads its instructions prior
to departure. "What all this is for, basically, is to make it impossible for you to speed or run a red light," Maxey said. It sounded
simple.
A Turning Point?: On September 12, 2008, a Metrolink commuter train collided with a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth,
California, killing 24 people and injuring 101.
To disabuse me of that notion, Maxey drove us to a wayside signal being outfitted for positive train control. Until now, such
signals were nothing but big traffic lights-red, yellow, green-on steel posts. "Dumb" is the technical term; all they could do was
change color. Maxey took a key from his pocket and unlocked the steel door on a small, windowless concrete shed that stood
beside the signal. "Each of these has its own IP address now," he said. "As the train goes along, it pings each signal, and if it
doesn't get a response, it shuts down the train because the unresponsive signal might be red." He opened the shed door to a
blast of cold air. "Got to be air-conditioned," he said. "Some little switch houses are 170 degrees inside." The shed was as
stuffed with electronic gear as the nose of the train. "This all has to stand up to vibration, dirt, and rain," Maxey said, and in case
the air-conditioning fails, "it's got to spec to 70 degrees Celsius, which is 158 Fahrenheit."
Metrolink has 217 such wayside signals; modifying each one will cost $50,000. "The Class I's have as many as 38,000 of these,"
Maxey said, "which helps explain their lack of enthusiasm."
Metrolink used to be an organization of railroaders-men accustomed to mechanical challenges wrought in iron. But with the
move to positive train control, the railroad is acquiring a corps of IT types; they fill one of the biggest buildings I've ever seen. It's
an old General Dynamics cruise-missile factory a quarter-mile long that Metrolink slicked up with a big glass atrium, potted trees,
and interior floor-to-ceiling windows. As Maxey walked me through, he kept buttonholing people and asking them to describe
their résumés. I met electrical engineers, systems engineers, IT specialists, software developers. "See?" Maxey said. "See who
27
we are here? This is the new face of railroading. Building the system is not the only challenge; it's maintaining it for years to
come. We're just incredibly excited."
***
By "we," Maxey meant Metrolink. Maxey and his colleagues are convinced that positive train control will put an end to the kind of
engineer-caused disasters that occurred at Graniteville and Chatsworth. The major freight railroads, though, sound like 15-yearold boys being asked to mow the lawn.
The Class I's knew better than to object when Congress was passing the law mandating positive train control in the wake of the
Chatsworth wreck. Bellyaching at such an emotional moment would have looked insensitive. Not a single interest group took a
position on the law as it was being debated in 2008. Three years later, though, when four Republican senators introduced a
bill to delay the 2015 deadline for implementing positive train control, railroads suddenly became interested in congressional
politics; they gave a total of almost $3.6 million to all but four members of the Senate, including $16,500 to Diane Feinstein and
$47,800 to Barbara Boxer, two of the biggest proponents of positive train control when the original law was passed in 2008.
Despite the shower of money, the bill to extend the deadline died without a vote, but that doesn't mean the railroads have given
up the fight. They'll tell anybody who will listen that positive train control will cost too much, isn't worth the money, places an
undue burden on railroads and their customers, will make rail shipping less, instead of more, efficient, and is being forced upon
them too quickly.
The Federal Railroad Administration says that building positive train control could end up costing $10 billion. Even at a time
when the Class I's are doing well-profit margins ran from 17 to 45 percent last year - $10 billion is a lot of money, roughly equal
to everything the railroad industry spent on buildings and equipment in 2010. Maintaining the intricate system will cost the
industry an additional $850 million a year.
For that, the railroads will get a system that would have prevented the marquee Chatsworth, Red Oak, and Graniteville wrecks
but would do nothing to prevent 98 percent of train accidents, including the types that cause the most deaths: knuckleheads
walking on tracks or trying to zip across road crossings ahead of speeding trains.
Chatsworth Collision: The disaster prompted the federal government to require railroads to install positive train control systemswhich could have prevented the crash-on 70,000 miles of track nationwide.
And even that 2 percent of collisions will be prevented only if the system works well. The GPS used in positive train control
doesn't work in tunnels or urban canyons. And the cellular backup will have to have a reliability rate of one failure in every
hundred million tries. "Compare that to dropped cell phone calls," says George Bibel, author of Train Wreck: The Forensics of
Rail Disasters.
The industry is going to have to acquire 58,000 digital radios of a type never built before, and because trains travel on other
railroads' tracks, each radio must be able to communicate with those of every other railroad. Several railroads, particularly in big
cities, are having trouble getting enough bandwidth in the crowded radio spectrum to launch the system. Ask a railroader to
describe the technical challenges of implementing positive train control, and you can expect to listen for a while.
In 1977, Mother Jones magazine broke the story that the Ford Motor Company had concluded, when its Pinto was blowing up
with frightening regularity, that it was cheaper to pay the widows and orphans than it was to recall the cars and fix the problem.
That cold-blooded cost-benefit analysis caused a scandal. Yet for the past three decades, since President Ronald Reagan
ordered cabinet departments and independent agencies to conduct cost-benefit analyses before issuing new regulations, such
computations have been national policy.
In the case of positive train control, the Federal Railroad Administration needed to weigh the benefits of avoiding the tiny
category of accidents that the system would prevent against the projected costs. Totaling up the cost of wrecked equipment was
fairly easy-and so, it turns out, was computing the value of the human lives that positive train control would save. The Federal
Railroad Administration’s parent agency, the Department of Transportation, had already done the math, concluding in 2008 that
"the best present estimate of the economic value of preventing a human fatality is $5.8 million."
When the Federal Railroad Administration counted the average seven annual deaths and 22 injuries positive train control would
prevent in a year and added the cost of the property damage and evacuations that positive train control would obviate, it
concluded that positive train control would save the industry just $90 million a year. That's just a tenth of the system's
annual maintenance costs, and a wretched cost-benefit prospect-unless you or somebody you love is one of the seven people
saved.
Every freight railroad to which I spoke, as well as the industry group the Association of American Railroads, inveighed against
being forced to implement positive train control, especially by the end of 2015. Some even claim it will make their lines less safe.
In an e-mail, Kansas City Southern warned me darkly: "The inflexibility of the statutory mandate and its deadline is likely to result
in previously unforeseen operating consequences if not modified"; Union Pacific told me it would rather spend the money on
"proven safety alternatives"; and Luther Diggs of Philadelphia's commuter line SEPTA told the local Inquirer, "We won't
have one bridge or substation or station until we get this paid for. It just means we don't do a lot of other things." In other words,
if a train rolls off a poorly maintained track, blame Congress for rushing the railroads to implement positive train control.
But it's hard to sympathize with the railroads. The 2 percent of accidents that PTC could prevent includes the most catastrophic
possibilities-the black-swan big ones, like tankers of chlorine bursting open within a mile of the National Mall. Call it the tyranny
of technology in a litigious age: If a technological fix that may save lives is available, you're pretty well obliged to apply it.
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The Way Forward: Metrolink is on schedule to beat the 2015 deadline for installing positive train control. Now the question is:
Will the Class I freight railroads follow along?
Of course, there also exists a very cheap way to help prevent train crashes: Let engineers sleep. The Federal Railroad
Administration sets limits on how many consecutive hours an engineer can work but nonetheless lets railroads treat freight
engineers, in the words of one, "like plug-in flashlights." Engineers never know exactly when they're going to be called to work,
so they never know when they should sleep. A 56-year-old Midwestern engineer for a Class I, who asked me to withhold his
name because he would be fired for talking to a reporter, described a typical, Catch-22 dialogue with his employer: "'When do
you want me to work?' 'I don't know; I'll call you.' 'Okay, should I go to bed now or stay up and watch TV?' 'That's up to you;
but I want you to be rested.' "
"You never know when you're going to get a day off," he told me. "There’s no lunch break. You have to eat at the controls. If
you have to go to the bathroom, you wait until you're going up a long hill and you know the train isn't going to run away, and you
open the back door and you pee off the walkway. You're in a mode where you're at 20 percent of your abilities. I've been
dreaming at the switch."
He and his union-the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers-have mixed feelings about positive train control, though, because
they worry that it could make it easier for Class I freight lines to further reduce the size of a train's crew. "In 1974, we had five
guys on a crew: fireman, head brakeman, an engineer in the cab, and, in the caboose, a conductor and a rear brakeman,"
he said. "Now we have two": an engineer and a conductor in the cab. What positive train control will do, he fears, is "eliminate
the conductor. If we have this PTC, there's no reason we can't run a train with one man."
Much as they revile the 2015 deadline for implementing positive train control, neither the individual railroads, the Association of
American Railroads, nor the Federal Railroad Administration want to discuss adjusting working conditions as a means of
improving safety. "You're going down a whole path that is about labor negotiations and not about PTC," said Union Pacific's Jeff
Young. "That's not what I'm here to talk about."
In general, companies would much rather buy equipment than meddle with their employees' working conditions. Capital
investment is deductible, predictable, and finite. Start making concessions to employees, and it can go anywhere-and the
company will be living with the changes forever. For its part, Congress would much rather order companies to buy stuff than to
poke its nose into employee relations. Every dollar the railroads spend on positive train control boosts the economy.
The Association sidestepped the issue of unpredictable sleep schedules in a written response, saying only that positive train
control "was never intended to solve the problem of a locomotive engineer falling asleep," an odd comment, as that is a big part
of what it is intended to do. "The individual employee is responsible for managing their personal sleep and rest habits within the
federally mandated rest periods." In other words, if engineers are sleepy, blame them.
The Federal Railroad Administration says it lacks the authority to order railroads to give engineers regular hours (the way things
are done, say, in Britain). Only Congress can do that, the FRA's communication director Kevin Thompson told me. What the
agency does in the meantime, Thompson said, is offer engineers "a website with techniques and tips to better manage their
sleep issues."
Now that they've tried and failed to get Congress to push back the 2015 deadline, the railroads are grudgingly committing to it.
"You can argue it so long," said Patti Reilly of the Association of American Railroads. "At a certain point, we want to do it, we
want to do it well, and we want to do it so it doesn't negatively affect our operation." But by now they've spent so long fighting the
2015 deadline that it's hard to see how they'll meet it. Beyond 2015? Between the railroads' institutional resistance and the
technical challenges they face, don't hold your breath.
On the other hand, given the lethality of the chemicals trundling around the nation's rail lines 24/7 and the exhausted state of the
engineers hauling them, maybe you should.
Valero to Buy 2,000 Tank Cars to Move Crude Oil
HOUSTON – Valero Energy Corp., plans to purchase 2,000 tank cars to increase shipment of crude oil to inland U.S. locations,
Bloomberg News reports. Valero hopes for delivery of the 2,000 cars later this year. A builder was not specified.
Crude oil shipments over U.S. railroads have vastly increased in the last few years as pipelines reach capacity and oil shipments
from North Dakota’s Bakken Shale and fields in Texas ramp up drilling using hydraulic fracking. BNSF Railway expects
shipments of crude oil to increase by 40 percent this year, helping blunt a decline in coal traffic.
Report: Single Chinese Port Outpaces Eight Largest US Ports
WASHINGTON – A new report says that port traffic in Shanghai, China, during 2012 outpaced the top eight U.S. ports
combined. In addition, China is home to six of the world’s 10 busiest container ports while the U.S. is home to zero. Railroads
are an integral part of port traffic, picking up and delivering container shipments.
The report by the bi-partisan group Building America’s Future is titled, “Falling Apart and Falling Behind,” and examines the state
of transportation infrastructure in the United States. The report underscores serious challenges, including how America’s
infrastructure is falling apart and systems are falling behind those of global competitors. Since the original report was released in
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August 2011, the group said, there has been no significant improvement to America’s transportation infrastructure systems and
the U.S. has fallen further behind global competitors in port infrastructure, aviation, and high-speed rail.
“Year after year, the evidence continues to pile up that our infrastructure is degenerating while our competitors are investing
aggressively and surpassing us in nearly every category and ranking,” said Marcia Hale, president of Building America’s Future.
The updated report found that port capacity in the U.S. continues to slip behind its competitors. In 2012, the World Economic
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Forum ranked the U.S. 14 overall in infrastructure, behind countries such as Korea, United Arab Emirates, and Canada.
Information on high-speed rail shows that China has 6,610 miles of high-speed rail and will soon have more high-speed rail track
than the rest of the world combined. China’s goal is to have 11,185 miles of high-speed rail by 2020. The U.S. is still struggling
to get a high-speed rail program off the ground.
Recommendations in the report include creating a national infrastructure bank. The U.S. is one of the few leading nations in the
world without a national plan for public-private partnerships, the report said, and is losing out on billions of dollars from private
investors who spend their capital on competitors’ projects. Simultaneously, the report encourages the federal government to
develop a long-term national strategy to identify the greatest infrastructure needs.
Production Underway at New GE Locomotive Plant in Forth Worth
FORT WORTH, Texas – Production is now underway on the first locomotive to be assembled at the new General Electric plant
in north Fort Worth, plant manager Walter Amaya told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“We’ll have our first locomotive built by the end of this month,” Amaya said. “Right now the locomotive is ready to start getting
through the testing process. It actually looks like a locomotive,” Amaya said, adding that employees were eager for the first
locomotive to be complete.
Amaya said the GE plant would be unlike other company facilities. GE’s Erie, Pa., assembly plant is a complex of disconnected,
some over a century old, but all the work at the facility in Fort Worth is under one roof.
Amaya declined to say how many locomotives will be built this year.
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Names Executive Director
CHAMA, N.M. – The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad Commission has named Mark B. Garcia as its executive director,
effective Jan. 14, 2013. Garcia will assume the post as the first in the position under the direct supervision of the commission,
which last year formed an operating unit, Cumbres & Toltec Operating LLC, to assume management of the railroad. The
commission named John Bush as president of the operating arm. Bush will manage the day-to-day operation of the railroad and
Garcia will handle the commission’s relationships with the two states, their historical preservation offices, and funding requests
to the legislatures and other funding entities.
Garcia has served in local government administrative and management positions in Pagosa Springs, Antonito and Alamosa,
Colo. He was active in securing a $270,000 grant for restoration of the Antonito depot, a project yet to be launched.
“Mark’s background and professional qualifications make him uniquely suitable for serving as point person for the commission in
its relations with the governments of the two states, as we prepare for the 2013 season,” said Pete Foster, commission
chairman. “He’s an engineer by education, a native New Mexican, a longtime Colorado resident and has a career that has
specialized in projects in the Rocky Mountain region.
“The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is well-positioned to launch a long-term growth and development phase, increasing
ridership and expanding facilities to prosper in the years ahead,” said Foster. “A lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated
predecessors comes together in what we start with this year.”
The railroad will start this season with four operational steam locomotives and with famed “Mudhen” 2-8-2 No. 463 in the final
stages of renovation. When all five locomotives are on line, the railroad would have its largest operational steam fleet in recent
history.
The 2013 season will begin May 25 and run through Oct. 20, 2013.
Ringling Brothers Seeks Trainmaster for Circus Train
VIENNA, Va. – Ever want to run a circus train? You may have a chance, since Feld Entertainment, which owns the Ringling
Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, is seeking a trainmaster for its circus train operations. Ringling Bros. operates two
circus trains that travel the country, and is the largest such operation remaining in the U.S.
According to the job posting, the trainmaster “directs and coordinates activities of train and train crew to ensure the safe and
efficient operation of the train by performing duties in accordance with AAR [and] FRA regulations and Circus Operations Best
Practices.”
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More Track Capacity for CSX River Line in the Hudson Valley
January 22nd, 2013
CSX announced a major track capacity expansion on its premier River Line between northern New Jersey and the Albany, N.Y.,
region. The $26 million project, with plans for additional River Line capacity expansion in future years, will enable CSX to handle
more trains and support the growth of crude oil moving by rail, intermodal shipments, automobiles and other businesses while
maintaining strong service performance.
A total of 18 miles of second track will be constructed over the next two to three years that will create additional capacity on the
Hudson River's west shore. Preliminary work to prepare the sites in New York State at Ravena-Coxsackie, Catskill and
Haverstraw is already complete with construction to begin early this year.
Capacity on the River Line was last expanded in 2005. Consistent growth in rail traffic on the line over the last several years,
along with growth projections, now warrant additional investment to further increase the corridor's capacity. The River Line is
part of CSX's premier I-90 corridor that connects Chicago with New York, northern New Jersey, and the Philadelphia areas, and
supports some of the network's highest velocity and volumes - much like when it existed as the centerpiece of the predecessor
New York Central System.
Grand Central Terminal Centennial Celebration Kicks Off February 1
January 18th, 2013
NEW YORK CITY -- January 17, 2013 – Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York (MTA) and Metro-North Railroad
open Grand Central Terminal to the public on February 1, 2013 for the celebration of its 100th Anniversary with a full day of
activities, including a morning public rededication ceremony and musical performances that will keep visitors entertained well
into the evening. The morning ceremony will feature elected officials, high-profile celebrities and VIPs, and performances by
award-winning musicians and New York student performers. Throughout the day, which is hosted by Metro-North and partners
including the New York Transit Museum, members of the public can enjoy live performances, national award presentations to
the Terminal, giveaways from sponsors, special deals from Terminal retailers, and the opening of "Grand by Design," a
spectacular six-week exhibit that chronicles the history and impact of New York's greatest building and one of the world's most
famous train terminals. The February 1 events are presented with support from Target.
These events fall 100 years to the day that the first set of keys was handed to the Terminal's station master on February 1,
1913. (The first train left the Terminal just after midnight on February 2.) To commemorate both the past, present and future of
Grand Central, events on February 1 and throughout the year are guided by four themes: Happy Birthday to Grand
Central, marking its historic first century; Preserving a Landmark; Creating a Legacy, focused on renovation of the Terminal's
42nd Street entrance and other physical improvements; Grand Centennial Parade of Trains, anchored by a rare public display of
historic train cars with public activities centered on the history of railroading; and Grand Central: The Next 100 Years, featuring a
variety of exhibits and public events throughout 2013 that will explore how this monument to American transportation continues
to inspire innovations and improvements in travel.
Commuters and visitors to Grand Central on opening day will experience the Terminal decked out with red carpets at several
entrances that harken back to the days of luxury long-distance rail travel, spectacular decorations in the Main Concourse
including a 20-foot-high number "100" installed in the east side windows, Terminal employees donning new uniform patches to
honor the occasion, and music from the MTA's "Music Under New York" program wafting through the hallways starting at 8 a.m.
Event staff and information booths will be located throughout the Terminal to help visitors navigate the day's activities.
OPENING CEREMONY
More than a dozen well-known names and faces will wish the Terminal a happy birthday from a stage erected in the Main
Concourse. The day kicks off at 9:30 a.m. with a concert by the West Point Brass & Percussion (which culminates in "Grand
Central Centennial Fanfare," a new piece written for the occasion), and presentation of colors by West Point's Cadet Color
Guard, followed by a 75-minute opening ceremony (hosted by WABC-TV's Sade Baderinwa) at 10 a.m. Among the speakers,
performers and activities at the ceremony:
 award-winning actress and New York City resident Cynthia Nixon;
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former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, who will read an original poem commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit for the
occasion;
author and preservationist Caroline Kennedy, Honorary Co-Chair of the Grand Central Centennial Committee whose
mother Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis is widely credited with saving the Terminal from destruction in the 1970s;
Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and actress Melissa Manchester, who will perform solo and with a choir;
members of the Vanderbilt family whose ancestor "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt was the visionary behind
railroading's "gilded age" and inspired the construction of Grand Central;
baseball MVP and New York Mets World Series Champion first baseman Keith Hernandez;
the Celia Cruz Bronx High School Choir; and
several special presentations, including a surprise "sweet" delivery to cap off the event.
Elected officials are scheduled to appear, along with Metro-North President Howard Permut, Acting MTA Chairman Fernando
Ferrer, Interim MTA Executive Director Tom Prendergast and Grand Central Centennial Committee Chairman Peter Stangl.
TERMINAL RECOGNITIONS
At 12 noon Metro-North Railroad representatives will receive formal recognition for the Terminal from the American Society of
Civil Engineers, the Guinness Book of World Records, the National Historic Railway Society, and the United States Postal
Service, which will unveil its new Grand Central Terminal Centennial stamp. Stamps with special cancellation will be available
for retail purchase at the Lower Level Information Booth from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Electronic violin soloist Sarah Charness provides
the musical opening and closing for this program.
MAJOR EXHIBITION "GRAND BY DESIGN" OPENS
February 1 also marks the opening of "Grand by Design: A Centennial Celebration of Grand Central Terminal," a major new
exhibition produced by the New York Transit Museum that showcases, in dramatic multimedia fashion, the history and impact of
Grand Central in its first century (the exhibit will be open Feb. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.). Filling Vanderbilt Hall with projections
and larger-than-life photography, free-standing installations, authentic artifacts and digital docents—as well as new and
historical audio and video—"Grand by Design" reveals how the iconic building shaped modern New York and still determines its
future. The exhibit runs through March 15, 2013 (additional details below).
A companion book, Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York Landmark, by New York Transit Museum staff and author
Anthony W. Robins, will be published February 1. It traces the Terminal's history and design, showcasing public and hidden
wonders from the well-trod Main Concourse to the massive power station hidden ten stories below ground. More than 200
photographs – some archival, some by retired Metro-North Railroad photographer Frank English – capture nearly every corner
and major moment of the world's most famous railroad terminal. With an introduction by author and historian Tony Hiss, the
book will be available at the "Grand by Design" exhibit store, the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store in the
Terminal, and at numerous retailers.
AFTERNOON/EVENING ACTIVITIES
Performances continue in Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse throughout the day and into the evening (with a short rush
hour break from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.). Among the performers and activities:
 Dancing Classrooms, whose 100+ youth performers were featured in the award-winning documentary film "Mad Hot
Ballroom";
 acclaimed contemporary dance company Keigwin + Company;
 performances by the Knicks City Dancers and Knicks City Kids dance teams;
 LEGOLAND Discovery Center Westchester unveils its MINILAND exhibit's replica of Grand Central Terminal, made
completely of LEGO bricks;
 the Westchester Philharmonic Brass Octet;
 cast members of the upcoming musical "Orphan Train";
 Staten Island's Susan Wagner High School Jazz Band;
 electronic violinist and Trans-Siberian Orchestra soloist Sarah Charness;
 New York City's Rhythm Collective, which will play music in a variety of styles to keep Terminal visitors dancing; and
 a closing performance by Grammy Award-winning big band Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks.
TERMINAL RETAILERS PARTICIPATE
Retailers throughout Grand Central Terminal will participate in Centennial celebrations February 1, offering free giveaways and
special deals to shoppers throughout the day, as well as select items sold at 1913 prices (i.e. five-cent cups of coffee). More
details about these offers will be available at grandcentralterminal.com and on the Terminal's Facebook page.
Centennial posters commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit, with artwork by Pop Chart Lab, Olive Ayhens, Lothar Osterburg and
Marcos Chin, will be available for retail purchase at the New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store.
MTA, METRO-NORTH EXECUTIVE COMMENTS
"As a native New Yorker, I lived through the dark and dingy days of Grand Central Terminal, when people dared not linger," says
Acting MTA Chairman Fernando Ferrer. "I lived through the scourge of subway graffiti and a broken transportation network. The
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restoration of this great public space is symbolic of the renaissance of New York City and its transportation system. Hats off to
Grand Central Terminal and the visionaries who made it possible!"
"The soaring space of Grand Central Terminal's Main Concourse inspires locals and visitors alike and is the closest thing New
York has to a town square," says Interim MTA Director Tom Prendergast. "The major investments of the past 15 years by MetroNorth and its parent, the MTA, has restored its luster and cachet, and prepared it for another century of service."
"MTA Metro-North Railroad takes pride in its stewardship of this great Terminal, which is truly at the center of New York," said
Howard Permut, President of Metro-North. "From the custodians to the rail traffic controllers, from the carpenters to the ticket
sellers, Metro-North employees strive to keep Grand Central looking good and functioning smoothly as they move nearly 700
trains safely and on time each day and serve nearly 750,000 visitors daily with its distinctive activities and retails offerings. We
look forward to providing excellent service for the next 100 years."
NS Opens Crescent Corridor Facility in Pennsylvania
Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern opened a new terminal in south central Pennsylvania yesterday. The Franklin County Regional Intermodal
Facility is located on 200 acres south of Greencastle, Pa., and less than a mile from Interstate 81.
The terminal is part of the Class I's Crescent Corridor, a planned high-capacity intermodal route between the Northeast and Gulf
Coast. It will connect central Pennsylvania, western Maryland and northern Virginia to domestic and world markets, serving as a
major gateway for freight in the Mid-Atlantic region.
NS constructed the facility's administrative building to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification
standards. The Class I also is incorporating low-emission cranes and hostler tractors, as well as the latest gate and terminal
automation, according to a press release.
The $97 million project was funded through $52 million from NS and $45 million from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The
facility, combined with other NS terminals in Pennsylvania, will help divert as many as 800,000 long-haul trucks off roadways
and onto trains by 2020, NS officials predict.
The terminal is the third Crescent Corridor intermodal facility NS has opened in the past six months, joining terminals in
Birmingham, Ala., and Memphis, Tenn. Construction on a fourth Crescent Corridor intermodal terminal is under way in Charlotte,
N.C.
15 at LIRR Accused of Stealing Copper Wire
While on Duty, Bringing in $250,000
Saturday, January 26, 2013
MINEOLA, N.Y. - Investigators say the scheme spanned three years, uncoiling months before a blizzard whipped
the region's transit systems and continuing until two weeks ago, with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority still
reeling from Hurricane Sandy.
Over that time, officials said Friday, 17 men, including 15 employees of the Long Island Rail Road, played a role in
what has become a common and lucrative crime: stealing copper, a metal whose value has risen significantly. In
this case, the men were accused of taking wire from a rail yard, while on duty; using agency trucks to transport the
material to personal vehicles; and selling the wire, for cash, to a local scrap metal company - a routine that netted
the group more than $250,000.
"These employees stole from everyone who uses the M.T.A.," Kathleen M. Rice, the district attorney for Nassau
County, said at a news conference.
The 17 defendants were arrested on Friday, in the culmination of an investigation, called Operation Heavy Metal,
led by the authority's inspector general, Barry L. Kluger, who received a tip about the theft last year.
This was not the first illicit scheme at the railroad. Several retired workers have been charged in recent years with
federal crimes for falsely claiming to be disabled to collect federal disability pensions - a plot that could have cost
the Railroad Retirement Board, which awards disability pensions, more than $1 billion if all of the money had been
disbursed.
At the news conference, Helena Williams, the railroad's president, turned to Mr. Kluger during her remarks. "Barry,"
she said, "unfortunately, I speak to you more often than I want to."
The latest scheme, while smaller in scale, was uncovered at a moment when riders might already have diminishing
patience for the transportation authority. The agency remains a long way from repairing all damage sustained
during the hurricane, and higher fares and tolls will take effect in March.
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"At a time when riders are weeks away from yet another fare increase and budgets are balanced with the narrowest
of margins, these thefts are particularly reprehensible," said Mark Epstein, the chairman of the Long Island Rail
Road Commuter Council.
The workers arrested on Friday came from the railroads communication department, officials said, and included two
assistant foremen whose annual base salaries were around $80,000. (The remaining workers earned about
$65,000 to $70,000 annually, as well as overtime, Mr. Kluger said.)
Investigators said the stolen wire included new spools, severed sections of spools and discarded copper wire that
the railroad was gathering to sell for scrap. The price the defendants were paid, Ms. Williams said, depended on
whether the wire was new, if it contained lead and if the surrounding plastic coating was stripped away.
The workers have been suspended without pay. Ms. Williams said that if they were convicted, the railroad would
fire them and move to terminate their pensions.
She added that the railroad would immediately alter security guidelines to prevent future thefts - increasing video
surveillance of yards and shops and providing more secure storage bins on agency grounds.
"There were bins," Ms. Williams said of the agency's previous storage accommodations. "Unfortunately, they were
open bins."
Lawyers for some of the workers sought to play down the allegations, arguing that many of the materials in
question were of little use to the authority anyway.
Anthony La Pinta, whose client Craig Borsetti is accused of lending his driver's license to the railroad workers to
facilitate sales, said he was flabbergasted by the resources expended to investigate "what many would consider to
be the theft and sale of garbage."
CSX Opens Massachusetts Double Stack Route
WORCESTER, Mass. – CSX Transportation has opened New England’s first main line route that can clear double
stack intermodal containers. The railroad worked in conjunction with the commonwealth of Massachusetts to raise clearances
on the former Boston & Albany route between the New York state line and the newly expanded intermodal terminal in
Worcester.
The project involved increasing vertical clearances at 31 locations between Worcester and the state line to 21 feet. West of the
New York state line, clearances have already been raised. Previously, double-stack trains destined for New England points had
to stop in Syracuse, N.Y., to be converted from double-stack to single-stack configurations. The reverse occurred on westbound
trains adding time and cost.
The project was part of a larger agreement with the commonwealth that enabled Massachusetts to acquire CSX lines in the
Boston area to increase commuter service. In conjunction with that project, the intermodal terminal in Worcester was expanded.
“This is an excellent example of how the public and private sector can work together on projects that benefit the public,
strengthen the economy, and enable highway to rail freight conversion to reduce strain on public infrastructure and serve supply
chains seamlessly,” Clarence W. Gooden, CSX’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said.
Texas-New Mexico Railroad Begins Crude Oil Unit Train
CHICAGO - Iowa Pacific Holdings’ Texas-New Mexico Railroad is now operating unit trains of crude oil from the Permian Basin
oilfield. The first train operated on Jan. 22, originating at Genesis Energy’s recently constructed crude oil loading facility near
Wink, Texas. The first train was destined for the Gulf Coast.
The Texas-New Mexico has experienced huge growth in carloads resulting from the expansion of drilling and production of oil
and gas in the Permian Basin. It operates 100 miles of track between Monahans, Texas, where it connects to Union Pacific, and
Lovington, New Mexico. The line was built in the 1920s when the Permian Basin oilfield was first developed.
Iowa Pacific has spent about $25 million in the last three years to replace rail and ties, building new sidings, and constructing a
new locomotive shop. In August 2012, UP and the short line opened a new, jointly funded interchange yard in Monahans. A key
feature of the yard is track to handle unit trains.
“We are very excited about this new unit train service," said Bruce Carswell, vice president of Permian Basin Logistics, a unit of
Iowa Pacific. “We have several more unit train facilities either already under construction or under development."
Iowa Pacific is a privately held operator of nine U.S. railroads, and manages two railroads in the United Kingdom.
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Potomac Eagle to Operate Photo Special
PETERSBURG, W.Va. – On March 23, the Potomac Eagle will operate a photographer’s special on
the South Branch Valley Railroad. The special will include passenger and freight consists featuring F7A No. 722, painted in the
colors of the Baltimore & Ohio, B&O GP9 No. 6604, and Chesapeake & Ohio-painted F7A No. 8016. Multiple photo runbys
featuring both consists will be conducted between Green Springs and Romney along the South Branch Valley of the Potomac
River.
The trip will feature antique cars, teams of horses, and human-interest props at select photo locations. There will also be a night
photo session at the Sycamore Bridge in the Trough of the Potomac River Valley. Photographer Chase Gunnoe is coordinating
the event.
The train will depart Romney at 8:30 a.m. and return at 5 p.m. The ticket price includes a boxed lunch served on the train.
At 5:30 p.m. the two consists will depart for the night photo session. A buffet style dinner will be served en route. Studio lights
will be used to light the trains, bridge and trees. Photographers can move around to capture different views. The photo session
will conclude at 9:45 p.m. Dessert and coffee provided on the train at the conclusion of the night photo session.
Tickets are $150 and include meals. To order, call the Potomac Eagle ticket office at 304-424-0736.
Virginia Governor Plans $1 Billion for Rail, Transit Projects
RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has released a plan that recommends spending $1 billion on new rail and
transit projects. The funding proposal, “Virginia’s Road to the Future,” would provide the Virginia Department of Transportation
with $1.28 billion in new state funding that could be used for 158 highway projects, and $1.07 billion in new funds for rail and
transit projects.
“The recommended list of transportation infrastructure projects represents a significant down payment on Virginia’s
transportation future. Every corner of the Commonwealth will reap the benefits of safer roads, quicker commutes and
increased access to public transportation if this plan is adopted. A world-class transportation system is vital to both economic
opportunity and to the quality of life of every Virginian. It is imperative that we act now to ensure that Virginia continues
to lead the way as a top place to live, work and raise a family,” McDonnell said.
Among the passenger rail and transit projects the governor would recommend are:
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Dulles Metrorail Extension Project
Extension of passenger rail service to Roanoke
Increased train service to and from Norfolk
Track improvements on the line from Newport News to Richmond and Richmond to Washington
Funding for these projects are in addition to the funding in the Commonwealth Transportation Board’s current six-year
Improvement Program. The governor intends to recommend that the board advance these projects once his proposal passes
the general assembly.
Transit Cars Blown Up to Test Bomb Resilience
NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom – Controlled explosions have been carried out on a decommissioned Madrid Metro car and a
prototype redesigned vehicle as part of a research project which aims to develop blast-resilient cars better able withstand a
terrorist attack, Railway Gazette International reports.
The three-year, European Union-funded SecureMetro project is being led by the NewRail Research Center at Newcastle
University, and brings together 11 partners including Bombardier, RATP (Paris public transport), and Metro de Madrid.
The focus is on containing the impact of a blast, the main cause of death and injury, and on reducing debris that forms an
obstacle for emergency services trying to gain access to injured passengers.
Researchers analyzed vehicles involved in the July 7, 2005, London Underground bombings. They then carried out a controlled
explosion on a Madrid Metro car, which was recorded with high-speed cameras to gain an understanding of how the blast wave
moves along the coach and how the interior furnishings react.
The findings were used to produce a prototype vehicle modified with blast resilience in mind. Changes included tethering
components such as ceiling panels with retention wire, applying plastic coatings to the windows to prevent people on platforms
being hit by glass, and replacing heavier structures with lighter and energy-absorbing materials. The researchers have also
investigated the benefits of dividing up the car interior using energy-absorbing materials.
“The Madrid bombings in 2004 and the 7/7 attack in London the year after highlighted how vulnerable our trains are to attack,
particularly busy metro and commuter trains,” Conor O'Neill, Rail Vehicles Group manager at NewRail, told Railway Gazette. “At
the same time we have to be realistic: completely replacing existing vehicles just isn’t an option. Instead, we have developed
and incorporated new technology and materials into existing carriages to improve performance. And what we’ve shown is that
35
companies could make some relatively cost-effective and simple modifications that would significantly improve the outcome of
an attack.”
FRA: 2012 Safest Year Ever
WASHINGTON – Last year was the safest year in the history of the railroad industry, based on performance measures tracked
by the Federal Railroad Administration.
For the fifth fiscal year in a row, the industry has improved on all six of the FRA’s official safety performance measures, including
the rate of grade crossing incidents, human factor-caused train accidents, track-caused accidents, equipment-caused accidents,
signal and miscellaneous train accidents, and non-accidental rail hazmat releases. The industry has also met the Department of
Transportation’s set safety performance goal for rate of rail related accidents and incidents.
This performance was highlighted in a message to railroad industry and labor leaders from Federal Railroad Administration
Administrator Joe Szabo. “We thank our partners at the railroads, their employees, and communities across America for their
commitment to achieving these results. Keeping our railroads safe is a team effort,” Szabo said.
Private Car Group to Operate Rare Mileage Trip on Union Pacific
OMAHA, Neb. – The American Association of Private Car Owners board of directors will hold its mid-year meeting in Cheyenne,
Wyo. This spring, the group is sponsoring a special train to allow members to attend the meeting. The train will traverse 1,289
miles of Union Pacific track, much of which has not seen regularly scheduled passenger service in decades.
The “Cheyenne Cowboy Limited” will run from Omaha to Cheyenne on May 15 and return to Kansas City, Mo., via North Platte
on May 20-21. The schedule is as follows:
May 15, 2013:
Depart Omaha 6 a.m.
North Platte, Neb. 1:15 p.m.
Sidney, Neb. 4:45 p.m.
Arrive Cheyenne: 7:15 p.m.
May 16-19:
Train remains parked in Cheyenne for tours and meetings.
May 20, 2013:
Depart Cheyenne 7 a.m. via Yoder branch line
Yoder, Wyo. 11 a.m.
Varner, Neb. 5 p.m. Join UP main line
North Platte, Neb. 5:30 p.m. overnight stop, service train
May 21, 2013:
Depart North Platte 7 a.m.
Gibbon, Neb. 9:30 a.m.
Marysville, Kan. 12:30 p.m.
Atchison, Kan. 3:30 p.m.
Arrive Kansas City 7 p.m.
For more information, go to www.aaprco.com.
Union Pacific Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year Earnings
OMAHA – Union Pacific Corp. reported 2012 fourth quarter net income of $1 billion compared to $964 million in the fourth
quarter 2011. “Although it was a challenging year on many fronts, 2012 was Union Pacific’s most profitable year in our 150-year
history,” CEO Jack Koraleski said.
Fourth quarter business volumes, as measured by total revenue carloads, were down two percent compared to 2011. Volume
declines in coal and agricultural products more than offset growth in chemicals, automotive, and intermodal shipments.
Quarterly operating revenue increased 3 percent in the fourth quarter 2012 to $5.25 billion versus $5.1 billion in the fourth
quarter 2011.
In addition:




UP’s operating ratio of 67.1 was a fourth quarter record, 1.2 points better than the fourth quarter 2011.
Average quarterly diesel fuel prices increased 3 percent to $3.25 per gallon in the fourth quarter 2012 compared to $3.16
per gallon in the fourth quarter 2011.
The Customer Satisfaction Index of 93 set a fourth quarter record, 1 point better than the fourth quarter 2011.
Quarterly train speed, as reported to the Association of American Railroads, was 26.7 mph, up 4 percent from the fourth
quarter 2011.
36
For the full year 2012, Union Pacific reported net income of $3.9 billion. This compares to $3.3 billion in 2011. Operating income
increased 18 percent to $6.7 billion, up from $5.7 billion in 2011.
Four of the six business groups reported freight revenue and volume growth in 2012. Freight revenue grew 6 percent to $19.7
billion compared to $18.5 billion in 2011. Carloadings were flat versus 2011. UP’s operating ratio in 2012 was 67.8 percent,
improving 2.9 percent over 2011.
“For 2013, we’re expecting to see many of the same challenges we faced last year,” Koraleski said. “We’ll also be watching to
see what happens in Washington and how it impacts potential economic growth.”
Florida East Coast Names Chinnici to Engineering, Purchasing Post
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida East Coast Railway has named Francis J. Chinnici as senior vice president of engineering and
purchasing. Chinnici joins FEC after 29 years with CSX, where he served most recently as vice president of purchasing and
materials.
He succeeds Robert B. Stevens, who is retiring as vice president and chief engineering officer after 38 years in the rail industry,
including six years with FEC.
LaHood Planning to Stay on as Transportation Secretary
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood says he will stay on for an indefinite period in President Barack
Obama’s second term, Bloomberg News reports. LaHood had earlier indicated he would leave his position if Obama won a
second term. He said at an inauguration party in Washington this week he will be “sticking around for a while,” without specifying
further.
LaHood has been Obama’s principal advocate for increased infrastructure spending the president has said is needed to heal the
U.S. economy. That includes the president’s vision for high-speed rail, which has been stalled by Congress’s refusal to keep
paying for it.
LaHood, 67, served seven terms in Congress as a representative from central Illinois. He is the only Republican in Obama’s
cabinet; former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel would be the second if confirmed as secretary of defense.
Congress and Obama’s administration in June reached a two-year deal on roads and transit. Instead of raising the gasoline tax,
the largest source of revenue for road, bridge, and transit spending, the legislation used $18.8 billion in general taxpayer money,
in addition to fuel taxes, to keep spending at current levels – about $52 billion a year – through fiscal 2014. The gas tax hasn’t
been raised since 1993 and isn’t indexed for inflation.
CSX Releases Fourth Quarter and Full Year Financial Results
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Corp. has reported fourth quarter 2012 net earnings of $443 million, compared to $457 million in
the same period of 2011. For the full year 2012, net earnings were $1.9 billion, up from $1.8 billion in 2011.
For the quarter, total revenue of $2.9 billion showed a decline of 2 percent. The railroad saw an increase in merchandise and
intermodal shipments, but these gains were more than offset by declines in coal resulting from low natural gas prices, high coal
inventory at utilities and lower global demand. As a result of the lower revenue, which was partially offset by strong efficiency
gains, operating income declined 4 percent to $804 million and the operating ratio increased 72.1.
For the full year, operating income increased 1 percent to $3.5 billion, and the operating ratio improved to 70.6.
CSX’s personal injury rate was the best ever recorded for both the quarter and the full year, and the train accident rate for both
time periods was near record low levels. Service levels remained high across all key measures, with customer satisfaction
ratings at record levels.
Norfolk Southern Reports Lower Fourth-Quarter 2012 Results
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern Corp. reported fourth-quarter 2012 net income of $413 million, compared with $480 million
earned in the fourth quarter of 2011. Net income for 2012 was $1.7 billion, compared with $1.9 billion earned in all of 2011.
“While the fourth quarter reflected declines in coal shipments, we also saw steady intermodal volume gains coupled with
improved volumes in our chemicals, auto, and housing sectors,” CEO Wick Moorman said. “We remain focused on controlling
costs and improving productivity while continuing to provide high service levels for our customers. In 2013, we plan to invest $2
billion in capital improvements to further our strong safety performance, improve operational efficiency and service, and support
future growth.”
Fourth-quarter railway operating revenues were $2.7 billion, down 4 percent compared with the same period of 2011. For 2012,
railway operating revenues were $11 billion, 1 percent lower than 2011.
37
General merchandise revenues were $1.4 billion, 4 percent higher compared with fourth-quarter 2011 results. For 2012, general
merchandise revenues increased to $5.9 billion, 6 percent higher compared with 2011. Traffic volume increased 1 percent in the
quarter and 2 percent for the year compared with the same periods of 2011.
Coal revenues were $657 million, 23 percent lower compared with fourth-quarter 2011, and $2.9 billion for 2012, 17 percent
lower than 2011. Coal traffic volume declined 13 percent both in the quarter and for 2012 compared with the same periods of
2011.
Intermodal revenues increased to $584 million, 5 percent higher compared with fourth-quarter 2011. For the full year, intermodal
revenues reached $2.2 billion, up 5 percent compared with 2011. Traffic volume increased 4 percent in the quarter and 5
percent for 2012 compared with the same periods of 2011.
Fourth-quarter railroad operating expenses were $2 billion, 1 percent lower compared with the same period a year earlier. For
2012, railway-operating expenses were $7.9 billion, also down 1 percent compared with 2011. Income from railway operations
was $714 million, 11 percent lower compared with fourth-quarter 2011, and $3.1 billion for 2012, 3 percent lower compared with
2011.
NS’ operating ratio increased 3 points to 73.4 during the fourth quarter and rose 1 point to 71.7 for 2012, as compared to the
same periods of 2011.
Kansas City Southern Reports Record Fourth Quarter Earnings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Southern reported record fourth quarter 2012 revenues of $568 million, with record 2012
revenues, carloads, and operating income.
Fourth quarter carloads of 532,000, a record, increased 2 percent over fourth quarter 2011. Compared to 2011, fourth quarter
revenue growth was led by a 33 percent increase in automotive revenue and 14 percent increases in chemical
and petroleum and intermodal revenue. Industrial and consumer Products revenues grew by 11 percent in the fourth quarter of
2012. Revenue from energy and agriculture declined by 1 percent while revenue from minerals declined by 11 percent.
Operating income for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $174 million, up from $150 million a year ago. KCS reported a fourth
quarter 2012 operating ratio of 69.5 percent, a 2.1 percent improvement from fourth quarter 2011. Operating expenses in the
fourth quarter were $395 million compared with $380 million in the corresponding 2011 period, a 4 percent increase.
For the full year 2012, revenue was a record $2.2 billion, up 7 percent over 2011. Carloads for 2012 were 2.1 million, an
increase of 5 percent over the prior year. Full-year operating income was $716 million, a 17 percent increase, and the
company’s 2012 operating ratio was 68.0 percent compared with 70.9 percent in 2011.
CSX to Expand Track Capacity in Three States
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As part of its 2013 capital budget, CSX will expand track capacity on lines in Florida, New York and
Virginia. Included will be a $26 million project on its River Line between northern New Jersey and the Albany, N.Y., region. A
total of 18 miles of second track will be constructed over the next two to three years that will create additional capacity on the
Hudson River west shore. Preliminary work to prepare the sites at Ravena-Coxsackie, Catskill and Haverstraw, N.Y., is
already complete with construction to begin early this year.
“We continually model our growth projections to ensure that we are fully leveraging our network capacity,” said Oscar Munoz,
executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Today, we have sufficient capacity for our near-term growth projections,
and the capacity expansion initiatives will ensure we’re prepared for additional demand for our services. Demand for crude oil,
for example, in the New Jersey and Philadelphia area may be as much as five trains per day, or over 400,000 barrels, over the
next couple of years. Our capacity initiatives give us the capability to handle this growth along with business opportunities in our
merchandise, automotive and intermodal sectors.”
Elsewhere in the Northeast Region, work is underway to improve clearances on the Trenton Line near Philadelphia. Work is also
continuing on the National Gateway Project to improve clearances on CSX’s route from Mid-Atlantic ports to the Midwest for
double-stack containers.
In Virginia, work will begin on 10 to 12 miles of sidings or main line tracks on the former Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac.
In Florida, CSX is adding capacity this year and next, with 22 miles of new track or sidings completed in 2012, and 34 miles
under construction. This year and 2014 will see work at six locations with eight to ten miles of new track construction.
Among the other CSX capital projects in 2013-2014 will be intermodal expansion and new construction. This includes work at
terminals in Fairburn, Ga., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Valleyfield, Quebec.
Polish Steam Locomotive Runs 250,000 Miles in 21st Century
WOLSZTYN, Poland – A Polish steam locomotive used in a program that offers railfans the chance to operate main line steam
in Poland has logged over a quarter million miles since 2001. That is likely the highest level of service for a steam locomotive in
38
the new millennium. The locomotive operates as part of the Wolsztyn Experience, a non-profit, British organization that provides
railfans an opportunity to operate steam passenger trains in Poland. It was created in September 1997 and offers the chance for
fans to run steam trains under the guidance of a Polish instructor.
One of the first locomotives used was 2-6-2 No. OL-49-69. In January 2001, it was taken out of service because its firebox
needed extensive repairs. The Wolsztyn Experience then recommended to the Polish National Railways that a sister engine,
No. OL-49-99, be considered as a replacement. It was on display in a railway museum in Choschezno, Poland. After overhaul it
was returned to service in July 2001. As an administrative expedient, No. OL-49-99 was renumbered to OL-49-69.
Although it was one of several engines under steam, it was used for more than 100 days between July and December 2001, and
in 2002 operated a total of 218 days of revenue service. The locomotive continued to operate until September 2009 when it was
taken out of service for repair. It was returned to service on April 22, 2012, after a major overhaul. Last fall, it ran 31 days
straight, more than 6,300 miles, between boiler washouts.
Today, OL49-69 and sister OL49-59 are the two primary engines in use by the Wolsztyn Experience. To inquire about operating
a steam locomotive in Poland, you may contact Carl Franz, the U.S. representative, at [email protected] or 240-720-8686.
Norfolk Southern Opens Intermodal Terminal in Pennsylvania
GREENCASTLE, PA. – Today, Norfolk Southern opened its third Crescent Corridor intermodal terminal, the $97 million Franklin
County Regional Intermodal Facility. The facility is located on 200 acres south of Greencastle and less than a mile from
Interstate 81. The terminal is the result of a public-private partnership using $52 million in NS funds and $45 million from the
state of Pennsylvania.
The new terminal has 670 paved trailer/container parking spots. NS projects with this facility combined with other NS terminals
in the state, as many as 800,000 long-haul trucks in Pennsylvania will be diverted off roads and onto trains by 2020.
In addition to the $45 million for the new Franklin County facility, Pennsylvania also has provided or pledged a total of $30
million for expanded operations at NS’ Harrisburg and Rutherford intermodal terminals. The commonwealth also successfully
applied for a $15 million TIGER grant to support the Rutherford expansion project.
The Franklin County facility is the third terminal along the railroad’s Crescent Corridor opened since mid-2012, with facilities in
Birmingham, Ala., and Memphis, Tenn., having started operations within the past six months. Construction of a fourth intermodal
terminal in Charlotte, N.C., is underway.
LaHood to Step Down in February
Written by Douglas John Bowen
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he will leave the Obama administration in February, ending months of speculation
over the possibility of continuing in his role during the administration’s second term.
LaHood, an Illinois congressman prior to his being tapped as Transportation Secretary, told The Associated Press he plans to
stay with the department until a successor is confirmed by the Senate.
LaHood has been an enthusiastic supporter of U.S. passenger rail development, including high speed rail, during the past four
years, appearing at numerous rail-related conferences and often remaining at the shows beyond any minimal time expected by
headline speakers of such stature. He also has been emphatic in promoting safety improvements among all transport modes.
39

February 2013.pub - Central Florida Railway Historical Society

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