Past News Reports
(Yesterday's News is Tomorrow's
History)
Regionals
Garland McKee
March 2007:
Florida East Coast … Florida East Coast's first
brand new power in 20 years arrived in late December. SD70M-2s 100-103 wear
a blue and yellow scheme similar to the current Alaska Railroad paint scheme
Pam Am Railways ... To bring you up to speed on this new
railroad, Guilford changed names to become Pan Am Railways. Initially,
boxcars begin appearing in Pan Am colors, with GP40-2W 505 receiving Pan
Am's corporate blue and black paint scheme in November, 2006. It's the first
and only locomotive painted in this new scheme. The white lettering differs
on each side with the engineer's side having a large "Pan Am" while the
fireman's side has a smaller 'Pan Am" along with the Pan Am globe herald.
Alas, it has nothing on the nose. In September, Norfolk Southern gave
Guilford GP40 1386 to replace Maine Central (MEC) GP40 375 (also an ex-NS
GP40), wrecked in 2005 while on Norfolk Southern. It was renumbered MEC 382
and wears modified NS black paint. Guilford is building a new automobile
unloading facility in Ayer, Massachusetts, on the site of the long empty
former San Vel concrete tie company. CSX continues to hold the lease on the
old, nearby unloading facility thus Guilfords decision to build new.
New York Susquehanna and Western (NYS&W) … During the past
several months, several SD40s and SD45s have been sent to American Motive
Power Inc. in Dansville, New York for rebuilding. These include SD40T-2 3010
and 3014, SD40s (ex-BDLX, ex-Norfolk Southern) 3018 and 3022, and SD45s 3614
and 3618. Meanwhile, GP40 3042 (ex-BDLX 1355, ex-Norfolk Southern) has been
rebuilt in house at Susquehanna's shop. Both Alco C636s, 77 and 3660, are
out of service and being used as parts (the 77 never ran). M636 3666 is
having its electronics rebuilt in the hope of improving its reliability. If
it works out, the others may follow suit. The other five M636s remain in
service, though rarely seem to lead any more. And lastly, the railroad's two
E9s, were sold to Larry's Truck & Electric in November, 2006. The Utica
Branch remains out of service between Chenango Forks and Sangerfield, New
York, a distance of 60.88 miles, due to flooding last June. At this time, no
one seems to know when, or if it will be reopened. NYS&W has formally listed
the line on its potential lines for abandonment and its future is looking
grim.
Portland & Western … To Washington! Effective November 10,
2006, BNSF granted Portland & Western trackage rights over 13.31 miles of
track between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. The rights are set
to expire on May 30, 2016 … In a paper transaction, Portland & Western will
change from leasing five miles of track from the Union Pacific between
Tigard and Beaverton to operating it as a "perpetual rail easement for
freight operations". This is designed to enable Tri-Met to provide commuter
service in the future over the line. P&W will continue to provide the only
freight service.
Wheeling & Lake Erie ... W&LE GP35 2708 is now in the
Brewster Shop, undergoing a rebuild, will come out in the 100-series and
full Wheeling & Lake Erie paint … The railroad expects to continue to see
eastbound Powder River Basin coal trains moving via Union Pacific and
Norfolk Southern to Bellevue for interchange to the W&LE in 2007. The coal
is destined to First Energy's Warrenton River Terminal rail-barge transload
facility on the Ohio River. UP power often stays on these trains while on
the W&LE leg of this trip. W&LE continues to move westbound unit coke trains
to Cleveland (Arcelor-Mittal Steel) as well as to Ecorse MI and Severstol
(former Rouge Steel) at Dearborn, Michigan, (both via W&LE-Toledo/LangYard-CN).
-Mark Demaline, C Johnson
April 2007:
Iowa Chicago & Eastern … Ten former IMRL SD40s have
been sold to Houston Locomotive and left the property in January: 201, 202,
205, 210, 218, 220, 222-224, and 230. Meanwhile, former Kansas City Southern
SD40-3s 3108, 3120, and the 3143 are stored at Nahant Yard. Reports are
these units may be purchased by the IC&E. Also stored are IC&E 221 and 363.
New hotbox detectors were recently placed in service at milepost 12.12 on
the Owatonna Subdivision, which is just south of Grafton, Iowa, at mile
40.01 on the Mason City Subdivision east of Calmar, Iowa, and at milepost
64.95 near New Hampton, Iowa. Current Mason City Subdivision operations are
as follows between Mason City and Marquette, Iowa. There are four scheduled
trains seven days a week: MMCMQ/MMQMC (Marquette, Iowa - Mason City, IA) and
the MHUCC/MCCHU (Huron, South Dakota - Chicago Illinois-Belt Railway's
Clearing Yard). The Mason City Subdivision connects with the Marquette
Subdivision at Marquette. Eastbound, the MMCMQ usually runs out of Nora
Springs or Mason City at 6:00AM and does local work enroute. The MHUCC
usually runs in the late afternoon, normally leaving Waseca, Minnesota,
around 9:00-10:00AM, arriving at Nora Springs via the Iowa Northern around
3:00-6:00PM. From Nora Springs, the train usually heads east on connection.
If tonnage is light on the MHUCC, they will replace the train with EAUCC
(Aurora, South Dakota - Chicago Illinois-Belt Railway's Clearing Yard)
ethanol train. Tonnage is normally high enough to find both the MHUCC and
EAUCC operating on the Mason City Subdivision on Tuesday and Friday.
Westbound, the MMQMC usually originates at Marquette but can operate out of
Dubuque or Eckards if there is an empty ethanol or grain train staged at one
of these locations. Normal call time for this train is 7:00-10:00AM at
Marquette, operating west doing work enroute. The MCCHU is typically called
at Dubuque between 3:00-8:00PM at Dubuque. This trains normally does no work
enroute and is yarded at Mason City to be switched out the next day. Various
days, one can find one or two extras operating on the line. Assuming the
railroad has power and crews, eastbound grain trains for the Kansas City
Southern (KCS) typically run ahead of MMCMQ in the mornings or ahead of
MHUCC in the afternoon. Westbound trains are harder to predict since they
are received off the CSX in Chicago for the ethanol trains or KCS in Kansas
City, Missouri, for the grain trains. When power and crews are available,
IC&E will add manned helpers on certain KCS grain trains eastbound from
Mason City. This allows them to add an extra 25 grain loads to the
traditional 75-car trains. Helpers usually shove from Mason to Calmar, then
run light engines back to Mason City, doing local work enroute if needed.
Montana Rail Link … Half the F45 fleet is for sale. The 391
and 393 are both bad-ordered and listed for sale while the 390 and 392 are
stored serviceable.
Providence & Worcester … On January 25th, 2007 Providence &
Worcester ran its first train since 1985 over its recently rehabilitated
line between Versailles and Willimantic, CT. Willimantic will now become a
interchange point with the New England Central's Palmer Subdivision. -Craig
Williams, MRL List, Tom Nanos
May 2007:
Wisconsin & Southern … Wisconsin & Southern Railroad
has presented a plan to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation to resume rail service to several southwestern
Wisconsin communities over abandoned right-of-ways. The "Rail Restoration
15" or "RR15," plan is a multi-year rail program intended to rebuild
railroad corridors that have been abandoned for several years that will spur
economic development initiatives in various areas of Wisconsin. The 15
stands for $15 Million each year over the course of the next two biennial
budgets for a total of $60 Million. State funding will be leveraged with
private and other public funding sources amounting to $8 Million for this
upcoming biennium or $16 Million over the next two biennium's. The key
"lines" targeted for RR15 include restoring 11 miles of line between
Plymouth and Sheboygan Falls; Restore the 62 miles of line from Monroe to
Mineral Point along with the branch line to Shullsburg. The proposed
timetable would be: Plymouth to Sheboygan Falls 7/1/07-6/30/08; Monroe to
Gratiot 7/1/08-6/30/09; Gratiot to Shullsburg 7/1/09-6/30/10; and Gratiot to
Mineral Point 7/1/10-6/30/11.
