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THE TRANSFER TABLE
The Wilmington Chapter NRHS Official Newsletter
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FEBRUARY 15, 2007 MEETING NOTES  

The meeting was called to order by President Phil Snyder, the minutes approved as read by Secretary Dan Frederick, and the Treasurer's Report as read by Ralph Stevens. Toms Smith provided the National Director's report. Phil announced a change for the Chapter Trip in April to the 29th.

After the break, the 12 members present were treated to a slide program by Mike Burkhart. We got to see the EMDX74 demonstrator, views of Coatsville, south Philadelphia, and south Jersey. We saw beautiful bits of Bridgeport and Bath. There were D&H paint schemes in Philadelphia under the Walt Whitman Bridge. Other locomotives were captured in Texas and Jamaica, NY as well as new NJ Transit units in Hoboken, NJ. On his way to the national convention, he shot in Hancock, Cumberland, Tunnelton, Grafton, and Stuebenville. We got to see a 70-ton Timken in Minerva, OH and a 45-ton GE in Florence, NJ. Just another fantastic program from Mike.

March 15, 2007 MEETING NOTES

The meeting was called to order by President Phil Snyder, the minutes approved as read by Secretary Dan Frederick, and the Treasurer's Report as read by Ralph Stevens. Toms Smith provided the National Director's report and informed us of an effort to try to save Bell Tower. There were many comments about its current (poor) condition including holes in the roof.

After the break the 17 members present were treated to the evening's slide presentation by Greg Ajamian (some relation to the Editor). He dug out some oldies (but goodies) starting with Montchanin, DE in Sept. 1989 and our Chapter Trip to West Jersey on Sep 10, 1989. And even further back in time for the RR Museum of PA on Oct 8, 1988. And then there was the National Convention known as "Garden State in '88." July 27th's Susquehanna Trip with brand new (June 1988) B40-8 #4006, the day before it had its nose mangled, and F45 #3636 and 18 cars in tow. We saw views of Saddle Brook, Hoboken, Suffern. We got to see views of the July 30th trip from Hoboken to Port Jarvis including shots of the only steam runby with #765. We were also treated to views of the Black River & Western from August 2002. Finally, there were slides from August 1987 showing Alexandria, Luray, Lynchburg, and Roanoke with plenty of steam, diesel, and even cab units en route to and at the national convention. It was, in the humble opinion of this totally unbiased reporter, without any doubt whatsoever, simply THE greatest, most fantastic, and absolutely best slide show the Chapter had for the entire month (but that's the same thing he said last time, too!).

NEWS BITS   

• Amtrak Ridership Up Through fiscal-year 2007's first four months, Amtrak carried 8.2 million passengers system-wide, up 4 percent compared with the same period last year. Between October 2006 and January 2007, Acela Express ridership totaled more than 1 million, an increase of nearly 20 percent compared with the same FY2006 period. Ridership in California was also up. On the Capitol Corridor service ridership rose by more than 11 percent.. California's three corridor Amtrak services -- The Pacific Surfliner Service, the Capitol Corridor Service and the San Joaquin Service -- all rank in the top 10 in Amtrak ridership nationwide.
   
• Downgrading the Long Distance Train Experience ?- January 15, 2007 - NARP, the National Association of Railroad Passengers, has informed its members of Amtrak's latest effort ?to improve the economic performance of overnight trains? by giving "passengers more choices about when they can enjoy sit-down meals" on long distance trains. NARP noted that a prototype car, which combines features of both lounge and dining car in one, will be added to the Capitol Ltd. for a limited time in December and January for testing. We at Friends of Amtrak question the wisdom of this approach. The new diner lounges are intended to replace both the lounge cars and the current diners. Instead of two cars there will be one. Will the prototype testing feature just the one car? Further, by converting the diners and not the sightseer lounges, and then removing the sightseers, riders will not have a car for panoramic viewing. This begs the question: Is Amtrak dramatically downsizing most of the transcontinental and long-distance trains, reducing ultimately the number of sleepers, and probably coaches, thereby justifying the smaller food and lounge facilities? (This related piece from ABC News on Amtrak's downgrading of the dining car services:) http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/Travel/story?id=2777294&page=1 [from http://www.friendsofamtrak.com/ via Ed Thornton]
   
• Every week, they offer special discounts on selected Amtrak routes. Once you identify the routes you're interested in, look for your desired departure and arrival cities in the two associated drop-down lists. Next, select the date on which you want to travel. Once you've made your selections, click the 'Next' button below. Weekly Special purchases are non-refundable and may not be exchanged. Weekly Specials are subject to availability and may change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. [ http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/WeeklySpecials ] There are also Passenger Discounts for Seniors - Amtrak travelers 62 years of age and over receive a 15% discount on the applicable adult rail fare on most Amtrak trains. Please note that this discount does not apply to: Sleeper accommodations, The Auto Train, Weekday Acela Express service, Weekday Metroliner service, Valid proof of age is required. Additional restrictions may apply. Seniors are also eligible to receive a 10% discount on the purchase of North America Rail Pass, providing an affordable way to see the United States and Canada.
   
• The Federal Railroad Administration found 3,518 safety defects during a four-day inspection in January of CSX Transportation's operations in 23 states. Of those defects, inspectors said 199 involved serious cases of noncompliance where the federal government would seek civil penalties against CSX Transportation. Thirteen of the cases are in New York state. The inspection was begun after a derailment near Rochester in January. Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman promised to publicly release the results of that inspection after a CSX freight train derailed and exploded in Oneida on March 12. The Oneida explosion, which produced a fireball visible from miles away, was the latest in a string of accidents involving CSX trains in Upstate New York. Nobody was hurt in the Oneida accident. The Oneida incident was the fifth serious accident in Upstate New York since December, according to the inspection report. In the most serious case, a CSX worker was killed Dec. 14 when he was struck and killed by a train at the DeWitt rail yard. Boardman said Tuesday the federal inspection found a wide range of safety problems that have gone unaddressed by CSX. [from American Rail Link for April 5, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• CSX Press Release: JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - March 28, 2007 - Michael Ward, chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corporation, has assured Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman that CSX Transportation will move promptly and aggressively to address safety concerns, through heightened inspection standards and other special initiatives in response to a FRAinspection report. Company officials reported that CSXT promptly took corrective action on the defects identified in the FRA focused inspection in January, many of them before the inspection concluded. In addition to several initiatives under way in New York State, CSXT also plans to tighten standards for geometry car track inspections to exceed FRA thresholds. The track geometry inspection compares the track profile to standards for safe operation. The FRA released its findings from the January inspection on Tuesday, and is currently conducting a track geometry inspection on the company's lines in New York State. In 2006, CSXT reduced train accidents 24 percent. While the company's overall progress continues this year, serious derailments in New York, Kentucky and West Virginia have prompted both the FRA's action and the company's re-assessment. In New York, CSXT is taking several independent steps to address safety.
  • CSXT is operating three rail test cars that use ultrasound technology to search for internal defects in rails on all main lines inNew York State. This additional testing began March 14 and will conclude by the end of April.
  • On March 10, CSXT began conducting additional weekend visual inspections of its track between Erie, Pa., and Selkirk, N.Y., in addition to the normal twice-weekly inspections already conducted.
  • CSXT will run track geometry cars on all CSXT main lines between Erie and Bergen, N.J., via Selkirk, beginning on April 2 after the FRA geometry cars conclude testing. These tests will be conducted at least three times annually.
     
• NS Press Release - March 8, 2007 Norfolk Southern's Harrisburg Division Sets Standard for Rail Worker Safety HARRISBURG, PA. - With the statistics tabulated and verified, Norfolk Southern announced that its Harrisburg Division was the safest operating division on the railroad's 22-state network for 2006, with an injury ratio of .56. The Harrisburg Division's Transportation Department recorded the lowest operating department injury ratio in the history of Norfolk Southern, with a ratio of .31. The corporate goal for 2006 was a .89 injury ratio, which also was bettered by the Harrisburg Division's Maintenance of Way and Structures Department, and Communications and Signals Department. Rail industry injury ratios are based on Federal Railroad Administration reportable incidents per 200,000 employee-hours worked. "Between the volume of train traffic on the division and the weather in the Northeast, working injury-free cannot be taken for granted," said Jerry Hall, superintendent of Norfolk Southern's Harrisburg Division. "The division's 2006 safety performance reflects the tremendous focus our employees have on working safely, coupled with comprehensive training and excellent working relationships between labor and management." The Harrisburg Division is one of 11 operating divisions on Norfolk Southern. With track and facilities in five Northeastern states, the division has more than 1,800 main-line route miles of track and includes major terminals in Allentown, Enola, Harrisburg, Philadelphia and Reading, Pa.; Buffalo and Binghamton, N.Y.; Baltimore, Md.; and Secaucus and Jersey City, N.J. The division has approximately 2,100 employees, doing the work necessary to keep 260 daily trains carrying consumer and food products, automobiles, coal, chemicals, lumber, steel, mail and packages moving on time. For the past 17 years (1989 through 2005), Norfolk Southern has provided the safest railroad workplace in North America among Class 1 railroads, earning the coveted E.H. Harriman Memorial Safety Award for each of those years. Results for 2006 will be announced by the Association of American Railroads later this year.
   
• WEEKEND TRIBUTE COMMEMORATES 50th ANNIVERSARY OF NYO&W's LAST TRAIN: On March 29, 1957, the last train ran on the 541-mile New York, Ontario & Western Railway. It was the first major railroad to completely abandon its line when a bankruptcy judge ordered it liquidated. It remained the largest major railroad liquidation until the Rock Island suffered a similar fate in 1980. Based in Middletown, N.Y., the New York, Ontario & Western Railway, or "O&W," was incorporated in 1882 to succeed the bankrupt New York & Oswego Midland Railroad. The railroad's mainline ran from Weehawken, N.J., in the greater New York City area to Oswego, N.Y., a port city on Lake Ontario. It had branch lines in New York to Kingston, Port Jervis, Utica, and Rome and to Scranton, Pa., where it served anthracite coal mines. South of Cornwall, N.Y., the railroad operated over New York Central's West Shore Line along the Hudson River via trackage rights. The NYO&W was a believer in the Camelback steam locomotive design (which had two cabs - the fireman in the rear cab, engineer in the middle of the boiler). Anthracite coal was plentiful in the Scranton area and the Camelbacks were suited to burning it better than single-cab engines. The 1920s saw a travel boom as the Catskill Mountains became a resort area, and the O&W was well positioned to move passengers to the mountain resorts. The Great Depression, however, killed off much of this business and coal from the Scranton area became a larger source of revenue. The coal boom peaked in 1932, and then declined, and in 1937 the O&W declared bankruptcy, from which it never emerged. The O&W's trustee saw a future for the road in bridge traffic. Interchanging with the Lehigh Valley in the Scranton area and the New Haven at Maybrook, N.Y., the railroad ran meat and produce traffic from the west to New York City and New England. In the late 1930s, passenger traffic to the Catskills picked up again, and the railroad turned to designer Otto Kuhler to upgrade its older equipment, since it couldn't afford to buy a streamliner. Kuhler stream styled a 4-8-2, with maple armchairs replacing wicker seats in the parlor car and slipcovers for the seats in the coaches. Called the Mountaineer, locomotive and cars were painted maroon with orange trim - including matching uniforms for the crew. Diesels came in 1941 in the form of five GE 44-ton switchers, at least three of which survive today. They were followed in 1945 by nine sets of FT A and B units, then three F3As, two sets of F3A and B units, and 21 EMD switchers in 1948. After a surge of traffic during and shortly after World War II, the "Old & Weary's" troubles continued. The switch to diesels and bridge traffic still couldn't keep the red ink from increasing on the O&W's ledger. The division of revenue from the bridge traffic wasn't large enough - the originating carrier gets most of the revenue, and you need lots of business and a longer haul to make money as a bridge route - the O&W had neither. Passenger traffic again declined after the war, was eventually reduced to a summer-only Weehawken-Roscoe round trip, then dropped all together. Finally, a notice from Assistant General Manager T. B. Girard on March 15, 1957 to "All Concerned" spelled the death knell for the O&W: "In compliance with an order of the United States Court, Southern District of New York, this Railway will cease operations at 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 29, 1957."Following abandonment, the New York Central picked up some small pieces of track, plus the Fulton-Oswego line they had used via trackage rights since the late 1800s. The Erie Railroad acquired the mainline past the Middletown Station and headquarters to reach its Pine Bush Branch. The Lackawanna picked up some trackage in Utica and other roads picked up mine branches in the Scranton area. Today, the Fulton-Oswego section is part of CSX and the Howells-Middletown, N.Y., track is part of NS. [ from Trains News Wire, 3/29 via American Rail Link for April 5, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• BRAKE WOES IDLE NJT's TWO-STORY TRAINS: The two-storied, half-billion-dollar future of NJ Transit has hit a bump in the rails. The agency's new multilevel rail cars had to be pulled out of service for three days this week after a routine inspection turned up a problem with the brakes. When the rail cars were in the garage for service last Friday, maintenance workers noticed marks on the brake discs, said Lynn Bowersox, NJ Transit's assistant executive director for external affairs. "The markings were like spider veins," Bowersox said. "They were about the size of a quarter." Once the discs were removed, they were shipped back to Bombardier Transportation, the Canadian firm that has a contract to manufacture 234 multilevel cars for NJ Transit. Bombardier will test the discs to see what caused the marks, Bowersox said. In the meantime, the discs were replaced and all the cars are back in service. The multilevel cars -- which have upper-, lower- and mezzanine-level seats -- are a key part of NJ Transit's strategy for moving growing numbers of commuters into and out of midtown Manhattan for the next decade while a new tunnel is being built under the Hudson River. A train made up of eight multilevel cars will be able to carry 15 percent more passengers than the Comet series rail cars that now make up most of the agency's fleet. The multilevels made a much-ballyhooed inaugural run in December, but they still constitute only a small part of the trains the agency runs every day. Bombardier has delivered 15 of the 234 cars so far. The rest are scheduled to arrive at a rate of between 7 and 10 per month until late 2008. It's not clear yet whether the brake problem will have any impact on the production schedule, Bowersox said. So far, the agency has used the multilevels for about three passenger trips a day on the Northeast Corridor Line. Before they were put into service, the cars were tested extensively. Four of the cars were shipped to the Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, Colo., where they were operated for about 10,000 miles at speeds up to 135 mph, NJ Transit officials said when the cars were introduced in December. They were subject to tests once they arrived in New Jersey, too. Brake performance was tested at speeds up to 90 mph with enough weight aboard to simulate a full passenger load. The markings on the brake discs did not appear until the cars were taken into the shop for maintenance on Friday, Bowersox said. "It's pretty normal to discover these kind of things once you put them in service," said Bob Vallochi, chairman of the union that represents train engineers at NJ Transit. "That's the true test -- what happens to them once they're in service. I'm not too concerned. They seem to be on top of it." [from Newark Star-Ledger, 3/23 via American Rail Link for March 31, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• NS Press Release - Norfolk Southern and BNSF Railway to Test New Train Brake Technology NORFOLK, VA AND FORT WORTH, TEXAS, March 29, 2007 - Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) and BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) will begin testing a new braking system that may reduce the amount of time it takes to stop a train. The project, authorized by the Federal Railroad Administration, calls for NS and BNSF to equip and test certain locomotives and freight cars with electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes. ECP brakes have the potential to reduce train stopping distances by as much as 50 to 70 percent over conventional air brake systems. ECP brakes utilize electronic signals to simultaneously apply and release throughout the length of a freight train. This differs from conventional brake systems in which each car brakes individually as air pressure moves in a series from car to car. Testing ECP will allow the railroads to review its potential for improved braking and shorter stopping distances that may improve railroad and public safety, network capacity and efficiency, asset utilization, fuel savings and equipment maintenance. NS and BNSF plan to conduct separate ECP brake tests. NS plans to equip 30 locomotives and 400 rapid-discharge coal cars with ECP brakes during 2007 and use the equipment in dedicated coal train service. BNSF plans to test this technology within its intermodal fleet, focusing on international business to/from the San Pedro Bay ports. In addition, BNSF is pursing a partnership with a major coal customer to integrate this technology into one of the longest distance coal routes in the country. "ECP brakes represent a major breakthrough in rail technology," said Gerhard Thelen, Norfolk Southern's vice president operations planning and support. "Our tests will help determine how the technology performs in a real-world environment and will indicate whether it will be practical to one day make it commonplace across the entire U.S. rail industry." "BNSF plans to expand the testing of this important technology within its fleet," said Dave Dealy, BNSF's vice president, Transportation. "By leveraging our past experience with this technology, BNSF looks forward to building on this foundation to allow further implementation of ECP into our intermodal and coal shipments." Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. NS operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.A subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE: BNI), BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, carries the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulphur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com.
   
• UP COMES OUT SMOKIN' ON RAIL FIX: As a column of black smoke rose like an exclamation point above Union Pacific's burning trestle in Sacramento last week, state officials launched their own firestorm of e-mails and conference calls. The message from the Governor's Office was simple: Do whatever possible to help UP rebuild its freight line to ensure the "critical corridor reopens as quickly as possible," said Eric Lamoureux of the state Office of Emergency Services. Reacting with equal urgency, and even before the flames died, UP rolled an armada of trucks in four Western states loaded with precast construction materials, all bound for Sacramento. In a flash, an astonishing construction site has emerged on the north bank of the American River near downtown Sacramento. The cause of the fire that destroyed 1,400 feet of wooden trestle March 15 during the evening commute has yet to be determined. Working night and day, seven days a week in 12-hour shifts, a crew of 135 -- headed by a travel-weary UP veteran from Omaha, Neb. -- is erecting a curving concrete and steel rail bridge from the ground up. The goal is 16 days. Within 72 hours, the first of 282 iron pilings had been driven 60 feet into the parkway ground. Neighbors knew it because the pounding reverberated a mile away. A second adjacent track will be built separately at the site, and is expected to be finished May 1. [Sacramento Bee, 3/23 via American Rail Link for March 31, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• Union Pacific put a new connecting track in service for the temporary rerouting of traffic affected by the trestle fire the previous week on its main line near Sacramento , CA . A UP spokesman said that connecting track will allow rerouting of trains via Marysville , CA and then Roseville , CA . The spokesman added that it hopes to have the damaged trestle replaced and its main line back in service by May 1. [from Sacramento Bee via Weekly Rail Review - For the week ending 23MAR2007 via Ed Mayover]The first ballast train rolled over the new structure on March 25, 2007 [from Tom Daspit]
   
• The newest Amtrak System Timetable, covering 21,000 miles of train routes in 46 states and the District of Columbia, is now available in staffed Amtrak stations across the country and through Amtrak.com. Several changes have been made to make the booklet easier to use. [from AMTRAK via American Rail Link for March 31, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• New York State officials announced that they had approved $90 million in funding for the state's share of the expected $230 million purchase price for the Farley Post Office Building in Manhattan . The building is part of a $900 million redevelopment project, still being finalized, to convert the former post office to the Moynihan Rail Station. [from Bloomberg News via Weekly Rail Review - For the week ending 23MAR2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• New York State 's Metropolitan Transportation Authority awarded the first contract for construction of the Second Avenue subway line in Manhattan. The award begins work on construction of the line's first phase, which will run from 96th to 63rd Streets. When complete a decade or more from now, the Second Avenue line will run from 125th Street in Upper Manhattan to Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan , relieving overcrowding on the system's Lexington Avenue Line. Construction of the line was started several decades ago, but was halted as a result of New York City's financial problems of that time. [from MTA via Weekly Rail Review - For the week ending 23MAR2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• K-4 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE SET TO ROLL: More than 10 years after its restoration began in Scranton, the K-4 steam locomotive should be getting its wheels back under it in about a month, said Scott Cessna, chief executive officer of the Railroaders Memorial Museum. Work has been rolling along faster since December, when the museum fired longtime crew chief Bill Frederickson and replaced him with assistant Mike Tillger, who has proven better at delegating responsibility and managing people, resources and time, Cessna said. The museum also has helped to keep it moving by monitoring the project more closely with operations director Neil Walker, spending two or three days per week at the Steamtown National Historic Site to help Tillger motivate the crew, Cessna said. While the K-4's return date has been the subject of repeated predictions that have not panned out, Cessna said he "would love to see it back in July." The crew has attached the outside and most of the inside sheets and is ready to install flues and tubes, he said. Tillger soon will travel to Washington, D.C., to settle paperwork issues with the Federal Railroad Administration over a steam dome repair made several years ago that was the subject of lingering controversy. The museum will be scheduling the use of a "drop table" for the wheel installation. Tillger declined to predict when the crew would get the wheels installed. Meanwhile, the museum is advertising for bids this week to complete the quarter-roundhouse in the museum yard to shelter the locomotive and other rolling stock. The museum expects to award the contract soon after opening bids April 17. The job will take until about the end of the year. Workers have been removing excess dirt piled up in the yard as a result of construction of a pit for a turntable and the laying of track and sending the dirt for disposal to a landfill. It's too contaminated for clean fill but not contaminated enough to require hazardous-materials handling, Cessna said. To avoid the predicted cost of hazardous waste disposal, the museum originally planned to landscape the dirt into hillocks, believing they would help visitors get varying perspectives on the rolling stock. But the museum needed so much track laid to handle the rolling stock that it left no room for the hillocks, Cessna said. The quarter-roundhouse project will cost $2.8 million to $3.1 million. The museum has received a $1.6 million federal transportation enhancement grant for the K-4 and yardwork, a $1.6 million state Redevelopment Capital Assistance Grant, another federal transportation enhancement grant for $2 million and a matching Redevelopment Capital Assistance Grant for $2 million. The state has not confirmed that second Capital Assistance Grant, Cessna said. State Rep. Rick Geist, R-Altoona, obtained all the grants for the museum. [from The Altoona Mirror, 2/26 via American Rail Link for March 31, 2006 via Ed Mayover]
   
• On the night of Saturday, February 3, the NRHS national office suite suffered water damage from a broken pipe on a higher level of the Robert Morris Building. The building management took immediate steps to control the situation, and a damage mitigation contractor was on site within hours. Initial surveys indicate that damage to the NRHS contents was not severe. One library bookcase was quite wet, and the books are already being dried professionally. Some film cans got wet, but the moisture did not penetrate. Most books, film, office equipment and business papers appear to be undamaged, although a few scattered items are still being evaluated. On the other hand, office operations were disrupted that week while contents are surveyed and contractors continue working in the office to dry carpets and deal with damage to walls and ceilings. We will probably experience some periods of construction later this winter as permanent repairs are made to the building, but we do not yet know the schedule or extent of the future disruptions. Thank you for your understanding and patience. via e-Mail from Greg Molloy, President
   
• The U.S. Census Bureau has information that you might be interested in: The 2007 Statistical Abstract - The National Data Book Transportation: Trucks, Railroads, Pipelines
  1097 - Truck Transportation, Couriers and Messengers, and Warehousing and Storage-Estimated Revenue: 2000 to 2004 [Excel 18k]
  1098 - Truck Transportation-Summary: 2000 to 2004 [Excel 21k]
  1099 - Railroads, Class-1-Summary: 1990 to 2004 [Excel 52k]
  1100 - Railroads, Class-1 Cars of Revenue Freight Loaded, 1970 to 2005, and by Commodity Group, 2004 and 2005 [Excel 19k]
  1101 - Railroads, Class-1 Line-Haul-Revenue Freight Originated by Commodity Group: 1990 to 2005 [Excel 49k]
  1102 - Railroad Freight--Producer Price Indexes: 1990 to 2005 [Excel 28k]
  1103 - Petroleum Pipeline Companies--Characteristics: 1980 to 2004 [Excel 25k]
  http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/transportation/trucks_railroads_pipelines/http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/07s1099.xls
   
• West Chester Railroad History - Over 160 years ago when most people in this country had never seen or heard of a Railroad, the businessmen and community leaders of West Chester, PA. charted the "West Chester Railroad Company." It became one of the nation's earliest Railroads through an act in the Pennsylvania legislature in 1831. Today the newly formed "West Chester Railroad Company" is owned and operated by 4 States Railway Service Inc., a Railroad management, maintenance and operations company. Four States has embarked on preserving the old "West Chester Branch" of SEPTA's out-of-service R-3 line. In the past, it was formerly owned and operated by CONRAIL, Penn Central, the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad, the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad, and the West Chester & Philadelphia Railroad. Just about 1/2 mile of the Old W.C.R.R. right of way still exist today, between Market and Nield Streets in West Chester. One of the nation's oldest Railroad's "Fallen Flags" now "fly's" again bringing rail service back to West Chester! [from http://www.offroaders.com/Destinations/West-Chester/West-Chester-Railroad-history.htm ]
   
• New Gear, Not Old, Caused 2006 Amtrak Blackout Excerpts from an article by Matthew L. Wald Published: February 23, 2007 New York Times WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 - The power supply system for trains running between New York and Washington, a concatenation of parts whose oldest pieces date back 80 years, failed last May 25 because of a hidden flaw in some of the newest equipment in the chain, the railroad said today. A four-year-old computer in Philadelphia failed to execute a single command given 36 hours earlier. The Sunnsyide, Queens equipment shut itself down to ward off damage from the overload; then at Jericho Park, near Bowie, Md.; and then at Lamokin, southwest of Philadelphia near the Pennsylvania-Delaware border. A four-year-old component caused the failure of equipment built in the 1920s was incongruous enough that Mr. Crosbie ruefully called it a "punch line." The power failure struck during the morning rush, stranding 112 trains with tens of thousands of passengers on board. Many were stuck in tunnels under the Hudson River for hours. Much of the equipment is remotely controlled in normal operation, but cannot be restarted remotely after a power failure; a technician must be present to physically reset electrical breakers. Restoration of service had to wait while an Amtrak technician from another location fought through rush-hour traffic to attend to the equipment at the Sunnyside Yard in western Queens. Since the blackout, Amtrak has begun keeping technicians on duty during rush hours at Sunnyside and other vital locations where it imports power from the commercial utility grid. The grid supplies alternating current at 60 cycles a second, which is in near-universal use in North America. But between New York and Washington, Amtrak and the commuter trains that use its rails still run on an older standard, 25 cycles a second, so special conversion equipment must be employed. Amtrak also stations a "rescue" locomotive at the New Jersey side of its Hudson River tunnels, and has instituted procedures to bring additional diesels from Sunnyside through the East River tunnels and Penn Station and into the Hudson River tunnels if needed to clear stalled trains. The computer that failed, called a Programmable Logic Controller, was one of a pair installed with the idea of providing a backup in case one failed. But the second computer had communications problems and was out of service last May. Because the power-restoration command was not executed, the railroad had tens of megawatts less power available than the system operators believed. A single train can draw 4.5 megawatts of power, enough to light several large shopping centers. [ Article found at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/us/24amtrakcnd.html?hp ]
   
• SEPTA Celebrated 100 Years of Subway-Elevated Service in Philadelphia with a special day of celebrations with free rides for passengers on the Market-Frankford Line. As a token of appreciation for its many loyal customers, SEPTA provided free Market-Frankford Line train service between noon and 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. The day marked a century of service since the line originally opened on March 4, 1907, and operated on elevated tracks through West Philadelphia as the Market Street Subway-Elevated before continuing through Center City in an underground tunnel and ending at ferry terminals along Delaware Avenue. [from http://www.septa.org/news/press_releases/030107.html via Ralph Stevens]
   
• France breaks world speed record for rail trains - A French train with a 25,000-horsepower engine and special wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, reaching 357.2 mph as it zipped through the countryside to the applause of spectators. [from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11668535/from/ET/ via Phil Toman]
   
• FROM TOM SMITH - STEAM ON THE MOVE
  SP&S 4-8-4 700, along with SP 4449, is one of the most famous active steam locomotives in the US today. Although nothing has been announced yet, it seems likely that both locomotives will see some activity this year. At the very least, they can be counted on to pull the Santa Claus trains on the 3.5 mile Oregon Pacific main line in Portland the two weeks prior to Christmas.

There still exists one other SP&S steam locomotive, a 2-8-2, No. 539. It was built by Alco in 1917 as Northern Pacific 1762, and handed off to the SP&S in 1944. It is one of the few remaining steam locos with extended piston rods. Retired in 1957, it was put on display in Esther Short Park in Vancouver, Wash. Park expansion plans in the 1990's had no place for the 539, and in 1997 it was moved about 15 miles to Battle Ground, Wash. Fairgrounds Park, where a group of railfans had hoped to restore the locomotive to service and use it on Clark County-owned Lewis & Clark RR tracks. For various reasons that never happened, and another city park expansion plan forced it out again. This time the engine's owner, the City of Battle Ground, sold the 2-8-2 for $1 to a Brian Fleming of Longview, Wash. in 2006 on the condition it be moved. Fleming has had several plans for restoration of the locomotive, the first of which was to move it to his Longview machine shop. However the BNSF refused to move the locomotive on its own wheels. Other plans had it going to Montana for restoration. But now it will be leaving the Northwest for good.

On Friday March 30 SP&S 539 was partly disassembled and loaded on 3 flatcars in Battle Ground. The boiler was on one car, the running gear on another , and the tender and its trucks on the third. Her new destination is the Grand Canyon RR in Williams, Ariz., where it is expected she will be rebuilt for service. In return, Mr. Fleming will acquire two Grand Canyon 2-8-0's, one of which is operable. They will be delivered to the Mount Hood RR in Oregon, and will introduce steam passenger service for the first time since 1916 to that 21-mile shortline which has now been in the tourist business for 20 years. In this scenario, everybody wins, the Grand Canyon gets a locomotive big enough to handle its heavier trains, and the Mount Hood RR will have a sure crowd pleaser, which it desperately needs at this point.

The Mount Hood RR could use a good attraction like a steam locomotive, after a washout following last fall's rains severed the line's southernmost 7 miles which offered some of the best mountain views and the Parkdale layover grounds. In 2007 the MHRR will be operating trains only on the northernmost 8 miles, between Hood River and Odell. Rebuilding the southern end will depend on obtaining funding which has not yet materialized. Since that end of the line has no freight service, it is not seen as a high priority by State transportation officials.

In 2006, the BYCX group, which operates the North end of the former Lewis & Clark RR between Yacolt and Heison, restored to service their 2-8-2T No. 16, to its as built configuration as Crossett & Western 10. Now, within a 200-mile radius of Portland this summer one could find active steam on the BYCX, MHRR, Mt. Rainier Scenic RR, Chehalis Western RR, Port of Tillamook Bay (Heisler) and Golden Pacific RR (Reading 4-8-4 2100). A little farther east, too far for a one-day trip, is the Sumter Valley RR As usual, ALWAYS check with each road first, as some of the locomotives may be in the shop, and others, like the BYCX, only operate one weekend each month. But some careful planning could yield several stem locos.

• MEN ON AMTRAK CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR CARRYING $700,000 IN STOLEN BONDS: Tossing unruly passengers off a train is an unpleasant, but occasionally necessary part of an Amtrak conductor's job. On Feb. 28, the crew of the eastbound California Zephyr, en route from Emeryville, Calif., to Chicago, had to call police in Helper to deal with five men who had been smoking marijuana and bothering female passengers. When police arrived, the group of men admitted to smoking the illegal drug, according to ABC4 Television in Salt Lake City. Helper police sent a drug-sniffing dog through the outside of the men's luggage. The dog hit on something in one of the pieces of luggage, and police were sure they would find more marijuana. Instead, they found more than $700,000 in United States Savings Bonds in a large box, in denominations ranging from $500 to $10,000. The police called the FBI; they later learned that an elderly man in Sparks, Nev., had reported the bonds stolen. As of Wednesday night, two of the men had been released on bond. The three others are still in federal custody, as they are wanted in three other states. [from Trains News Wire, 3/1 via American Rail Link for March 7, 2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• The Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILAPCO) and the Claymont Renaissance Development Corp. will hold a special community meeting this spring to discuss the results of the Claymont Train Station Engineering and Feasibility Study. Options are said to include giving the existing station a major facelift or a new station on the east side of the tracks due to the dramatic rise in passengers plus the expected new users from the planned Renaissance Village. The SEPTA R-2 line currently has 18 weekday and 6 Saturday departures to Philadelphia. [from Claymont Renaissance News via Phil Snyder]
   
• Two passenger railroads reported systemic problems with some of their locomotives. Amtrak said that its fleet of General Electric Class P42 locomotives has been experiencing premature failure of pinion end bearings on their traction motors, which are warranted to last 750,000 miles, but have been failing after about 100,000 miles. An Amtrak spokesman said that it is in discussions with GE to repair all P42 traction motors over the next several months. New Jersey Transit reported that its 33 Class PL42 locomotives had been shutting down suddenly, which a spokesman attributed to faults in the locomotives' computer control systems. A NJT spokesman said that the locomotives were being fixed with modified software, covered under the manufacturer's warranty. [from North Jersey Dot Com, Trains via Weekly Rail Review - For the Week Ending 2MAR2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• The Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to significantly reduce diesel locomotive emissions. Under the plans, the EPA will implement a series of emission standards for new and remanufactured locomotives starting in 2009 and running through 2017. An EPA spokesman said that the new standards will cut particulate matter emissions up to 90 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions up to 80 percent. Complete details of the EPA's proposals may be found on their website at www.epa.gov/otaq/locomotv.htm. [from Trains, wire services Trains via Weekly Rail Review - For the Week Ending 2MAR2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• CANADA GETS NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM: The Canadian House of Commons Feb. 27 passed Bill C-342 by a vote of 159 yeas to 126 nays, thus making the Canadian Railway Museum - Exporail in St. Constant/Delson, Que., the National Railway Museum of Canada. In danger of permanently closing its doors as recently as November 2006 over a lack of promised operating funds, what many consider Canada's premier railway museum will now be assured of a permanent source of funding. Passage of the bill into law will mark the creation of the first national museum outside the National Capitol Region in Ottawa and the first national museum for Quebec. The legislation now goes to the senate, then to the governor-general for royal assent, both of which are usually a formality for such legislation. The museum is a project of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association, which is celebrating its 75th year of preserving and interpreting Canada's railway history. The Museum's specialized collection includes more than 250,000 objects and documents. The rolling stock collection includes over 160 railway vehicles, including Canadian Pacific Railway 4-4-0 No. 144, the oldest surviving Canadian-built steam locomotive; CPR 7000, the CP's first diesel locomotive; Canadian National 4100, a 2-10-2 and once the most powerful steam locomotive in Canada; and numerous passenger cars, streetcars and interurban cars. [from Trains News Wire, 2/28 via American Rail Link for March 7, 2007 via Ed Mayover]
   
• IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM NATIONAL NRHS: Leroy S. Dietrich We regret to announce that Leroy S. Dietrich passed away on Saturday, March 24, 2007 in Fairfax County, Virginia. Mr. Dietrich served the National Railway Historical Society in numerous capacities, including Senior Vice President (1987-1996) and Chairman of the Board (1996 - 2005). He also served for several years as president of the Washington DC Chapter.