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THE FLATWHEEL The Official Monthly Publication of the Central Florida 

Railway Historical Society, Inc. 

September 2016

September 2016 Meeting Monday, September 12th at 7:00 PM

Central Florida RR Museum 101 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden, FL

Program: World Railfan Travels—Part 1 By: Addison Austin

Refreshments: Irv Lipscomb

September Birthdays Clarence Calloway 9/03 Matthew Lehmann 9/03

Jerry Hardwich 9/04 Jim Garner 9/14

Patrick Smith 9/17 Phil Cross 9/19

Jason Turcyn 9/20 Linda Hanus 9/21

Mike Kelly 9/23 Al Sharp 9/27

October2016 Meeting Monday, October 10th at 7:00 PM

Central Florida RR Museum 101 S. Boyd St,. Winter Garden, FL

Program: Canadian Railroading By: Irv Lipscomb

Refreshments: Ross Marvin

Central Florida RR Museum Host Duty Schedule

September2016

DAY DA/T/E HOURS MUSEUM HOST Saturday 9/03/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Irv Lipscomb

Sunday 9/04/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. CLOSED

Saturday 9/10/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Jerry & Ginger Honetor

Sunday 9/11/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Mike Kelly

Saturday 9/17/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Jarrod Reynolds

Sunday 9/18/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Gary Dettman

Saturday 9/24/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Dan & Janet Crusie

Sunday 9/25/16 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Phil Piet

Saturday N/A 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. N/A

Sunday N/A 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. N/A

This ancient little 0‐4‐0 is on display at the Anchorage Alaska Railroad station.  Thanks to Society Member Irv Lipscomb for sending this photo in from his recent trip to Alaska. 

September 2016 Museum Work Session

Saturday, September 10, 2016 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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August 2016 Museum Report By Ken Murdock, Museum Curator

The first thing to report is that our building permits are nearly ready to issue once the contractor awards the elec-trical and A/C contracts. The city requires these that these subcontractor’s permits to be issued at the same time as the primary building permit. We have asked our contractor to get several more bids for this work to try to reduce the costs. This may take several more weeks. Then he can pull all permits and we can proceed with interior renova-tions in the Roper Building!! The building department did accept my architectural plans for the interior work, thus saving us those design fees.

August has been a very hot month, consequently very little has been done outside in the caboose yard. One excep-tion has been the rebuilding of the steps to the caboose by David Rhea and William Walter. They have been working only an hour or so in the early mornings, when it is the coolest, and have done an outstanding job on this project. The steps and platform are made out of long lasting com-posite decking planks and really look nice! The railings have been made much sturdier than before and intermedi-ate members added to protect kids from falling through the railing. No more rotting or painting required for the walking surfaces! Check out their project the next time you are at the museum. Thank you again, Dave and William, for the outstanding job that you both have been doing on this pro-ject.

The Wednesday workdays continued throughout the month with Jerry and Ginger Honetor, Al Sharp, Irv Lipscomb, Jarrod Reynolds and you curator participating. As usual, we concentrated on the inventory, improving displays, housekeeping and other odds and ends that have needed attention. Jerry Honetor has the Plant City interlocking signals working, and by using very low watt-age LED bulbs, he plans to leave them on all the time. So check it out day or night!

We received another large book donation for the library. It actually came in last month from Mrs. Zenetta Wallace of Orlando, but it was too late to get into my July report. Mrs. Wallace donated 61 railroad books and our librarian, Jerry Honetor, said many of them were books that we don’t al-ready have in our library. Amazing, but true! While the li-brary floor still looks like a war zone, due to new books continually being donated, the shelves are starting to look very well organized. Jerry has been using numbered verti-cal, acid free holders for small books and booklets. Check it out the next time you are there and check out a book! We have a fabulous collection of books in our library and it is not very well utilized by our members. We encourage our members to start browsing through our collection and checking out a book or two on your favorite railroad.

We also received a donation of several items from Tho-mas Bessa, a former member of many years ago. Tom donated two commemorative plates, a NYC heart shaped switch lock, an ornate very old passenger car light fixture from a car named “Omerton” and a pair of modern electric crossing gate lights designed to hang on the gates.

Continued on Page Three

This Is The Way It Was This monthly photo column by Ken Murdock features railroad scenes of the past, a look back into railroading’s history.

The ACL used signal tenders to manually activate grade crossing sig-nals in various cities. This signal tender’s tower was located on Colum-bia Street just north of the ACL (now Amtrak) depot in Orlando. The tender would control a number of streets in each direction within his line of sight. 3 or 4 other towers were required due the curves in the mainline thru Orlando. CFRHS files

This signal tender tower was in downtown Lakeland near the original ACL depot. With a straight mainline through Lakeland 1 or 2 may have been all that was required to protect the downtown crossings. This ten-der controlled crossing gates and flashing lights when this 1959 photo was taken; probably indicating that automation was near. ACL venti-lated box cars can be seen still in use in the background. Sanborn photo

This 1942 scene finds a signal tender’s tower on Kings Road in Jack-sonville. The flashing warning lights can be seen on the opposite side of the tracks mounted on a pole with a cross buck, but no crossing gates were used at that time. Florida Archives

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Upcoming Events September 12, 2016 — Monthly Meeting of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at 7:00 PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 South Boyd Street.

September 23, 24 & 25, 2016 — Tavares, FL — Rifles, Rails & History 2016, Wooten Park, Downtown Tavares. www.riflesrailsandhistory.com

Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2016 — Sunshine Region of the NRMA Con-vention, Hilton Garden Inn Lake Buena Vista, 11400 Marbella Palm Ct., Orlando, Florida, 32836 . More info at http://s u n s h i n e r e g i o n . o r g / R e g i o n N e w s /SunshineRegionConvent ionsEvents/OrlandoPreview-2016.aspx.

October 1, 2016 — Deland, FL — 57th Florida Rail Fair, Volu-sia County Fairgrounds, 3150 East New York Avenue, 9 am – 4 pm. Contact: Charles Miller, 386-736-8185, rrshows@aol.com. Website: http://www.gserr.com.

October 10, 2016 — Monthly Meeting of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at 7:00 PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 South Boyd Street.

November 14, 2016 — Monthly Meeting of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at 7:00 PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 South Boyd Street.

December 12, 2016 — Monthly Meeting of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society at 7:00 PM in the Central Florida Railroad Museum, 101 South Boyd Street.

December 17-18, 2016 — Tampa, FL — 16th Tampa Train Show & Sale, Florida State Fairgrounds Special Events Center, 9 AM to 5 PM Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM Sunday. Contact: Charles Miller, 386-736-8185, rrshows@aol.com. Website: http://www.gserr.com.

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Ross Marvin has the eBay store up and running again after his move to Flagler Beach. He reported that he has trans-ferred $700 from eBay sales into our building fund account. These sale items were all donations, so this is pure profit except for eBay fees. Thanks Ross, for your outstanding effort in helping to raise funds for our expansion.

Ross also hosted a Garden Railway Society meet at our museum on Saturday, August 13th. They held a meeting in our meeting room, then set up a layout on the floor of the Roper Building and ran trains and had a swap meet just among their members. Ross was hoping to possibly gener-ate a few new members event and sell some of our G gauge items in our gift shop.

On August 27, we had our monthly museum workday and had 8 members participating who included Phil Cross, Al Sharp, Jerry and Ginger Honetor, Jarrod Reynolds, David Rhea, William Walter and your curator. We worked on the usual things such as house cleaning and outside cleanup and inventory work. In addition to those much needed tasks, David and William worked on the caboose steps. Phil acquired two creosoted 8”x 8”x 9 foot long timbers, from WG Heritage, for us to use to mount our switch stands on. Phil brought his chain saw and cut them into 3 foot lengths and we stored them by the switch stands where they will be used. Al, Jarrod and I moved two flat files in the Roper Building to free up the space where new partitions will soon be constructed.

Again, we had another outstanding month with many things accomplished as we continue to make improve-ments to our museum. Thanks to each of you who came out and worked and/or hosted this month. We couldn’t do it without you!!

Train Crossing the Swiss Alps. A spectacular photo! Thanks to Society member Irv Lips-comb for passing along this photo.

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Central Florida Railway Historical Society Quarterly Board Meeting Minutes

Central Florida RR Museum August 1, 2016

7:00 PM

1. Call to Order – Jerry Honetor — Board members present: Jerry Honetor, David Rhea, Irv Lipscomb, Roger Wilson, Phil Piet, Joe Lehmann and Phil Cross. Two Society Members Present.

2. Opening Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance – David Rhea – David Rhea led the group in the opening prayer and pledge of allegiance.

3. Treasurer Report – David Rhea & Roger Wilson—David reported the society is solvent.

4. Vice President of Membership & Programs Report – Jerry Honetor in Ross Marvin’s absence. Membership Report for 2016

Current membership total is 71 members. Society Field Trips & Other Activities

Discussion on field trips. It was suggested a group of members that get together decide on when to go and then announce to the membership where and when to meet.

Programs & Refreshments Hosts for 2016 & 2017 Programs Are Scheduled for 2016 and the First 4 Months of 2017 Refreshments Hosts Are Complete for 2016; Hosts Are Needed for All of 2017 Irv Lipscomb to get more publicity for Danny Harmon’s program scheduled for January 2017.

5. Museum Curator Report – Jerry Honetor and Phil Cross in Ken Murdock’s absence. Expansion Plans for the Central Florida Railroad Museum

Email received from Tom Mikels (RC Stevens Construction), work is being done on the engineering calcula-tions.

Fund Raising Plans for the Expansion of the Central Florida Railroad Museum Phil Cross is working with the WGHF Executive Director to work on the application a for an Orange County Cul-

tural Facilities Grant. Discussion on suggestion by Ross Marvin to have a movie night fundraising event to support the expansion

project. President Honetor appointed a committee to look into it. Ross Marvin to chair. Museum Update

Phil Cross met with James Dillon, the city facility manager and showed him the pilings needing to be fixed. The painting, skirting and ballast rock are all still in the budget.

Library Committee Update Jerry reported on the shelving work that he did in library.

Website Committee Update Website has been updated as of this evening.

Plans for Museum Operations During 2016 Music Fest (October 7-8-9, 2016) Phil Cross briefed the board on what the city’s requirements are for the event. He believes that museum traffic

will be light during the event. He recommends normal hosting schedule for the weekend. Long Range Plans for the Central Florida Railroad Museum

Discussed under #7 Updating the Society’s Constitution and Bylaws Recruitment of Volunteers for Work Sessions & Other Museum Activities No discussion on this matter. Other items

Facility Committee from the WGHF met, as a result the Railroad Museum will be getting cleaning services once a month like the other museums receive.

6. Technology Committee Report – Joe Lehmann, Jr. Computer Update — No Update. Printer Update — Printer in Roper Building is working fine. Printer in Library is printing double. Router Update — The issues have been resolved. Storage/Backup of Society Files — Back up routine is running locally; the cloud storage is pending.

7. Proposal for New Sign for CFRR Museum – Irv Lipscomb Irv is looking into having a sign installed on the northwest corner of the Museum facing north.

8. Updating of the Society’s Constitution & Bylaws – Jerry Honetor & Phil Cross Review and modifications of the proposed changes to the constitution and by-laws to be presented to the member-

ship for approval at the regular monthly meeting in September. There was a recommendation to consider consolidating standing committees of the Society. The Constitution and

By-Laws committee will meet next Wednesday August 10th to review.

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9. Items from Attending Board Members Discussion to have a table at the National Model Railroaders Association convention to be held in Orlando in 2017. Jerry Honetor received an email from Richard Luckin, a producer who recently did a film for Trains Magazine on

the 20th Century Limited. They asked him to do a new film called “Selling Sunshine: The Florida Trains”. He is interested in meeting with our society in February to see if we have any material he can use in his new project.

10. Items from Attending Members Clarence Hurt reported he has noticed a significant drop in meeting attendance. Clarence suggested having the

meeting on Saturdays so that members that have to travel can do so during the daylight. He also said we should consider switching to having the program and refreshments before the business meeting. Another suggestion was to get special guest presenters. If the next presenter can accommodate, we will have the program before the meeting, then refreshments followed by the business meeting.

11. Selection of Date for the 4th Quarter 2016 Board Meeting – Jerry Honetor - Nov. 7th was selected as the date for the 4th Quarter 2016 Board Meeting.

12. Meeting Adjournment A motion by Irv Lipscomb second by Phil Piet to adjourned the meeting. The motion carried.

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Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc. Combined Board & Regular Meeting Agenda

Central Florida RR Museum August 8, 2016

7:00 PM

1. Call to Order – Jerry Honetor Board Members present: Jerry Honetor, Irv Lipscomb, David Rhea, Joe Lehmann, Roger Wilson, Ken Murdock,

Phil Piet and Phil Cross. 9 additional members present.

2. Meeting Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance – David Rhea led meeting attendees in an opening prayer and the pledge of allegiance.

3. Recognition of Visitors – Jerry Honetor David Rhea introduced Bruce Graebner

4. Recognition of Members/Friends Concerns – Jerry Honetor Phil Cross reported that Carole and Clem White have not been able to attend due to Clem’s brother being ill. Clayton Bishop is doing okay.

5. Tonight’s Program: Images of America presented by Bobby Grenier

6. Museum Host Schedule for September 2016 – Irv Lipscomb – Irv was able to fill a number of the open slots for Sep-tember.

7. Tonight’s Refreshments provided by: David Rhea

8. Approval of the July 11, 2016 Combined Board & Regular Meeting Minutes – Jerry Honetor A motion by Irv Lipscomb second by David Rhea to accept the minutes, the motion unanimously carried.

9. Approval of the May 2nd, 2016 Quarterly Board Meeting Minutes – Jerry Honetor A motion by Irv Lipscomb second by Phil Piet to accept the minutes, the motion unanimously carried.

10. Approval of the August 1st, 2016 Quarterly Board Meeting Minutes – Jerry Honetor A motion by Phil Piet second by David Rhea to accept the minutes, the motion unanimously carried.

11. July 2016 Treasurer’s Report – David Rhea & Roger Wilson David Rhea reported that the Society is solvent.

12. Vice President of Membership & Programs Report – Jerry Honetor in Ross Marvin’s Absence Membership Report

Currently 71 Members. 61 members have renewed for 2016. 10 new members for 2016 so far.

Field Trips Suggested/Planned for 2016 Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami, FL (Suggested). Suggestion by Jerry if a group of members wishing to make a trip, go ahead and do it. Announce it to the

members and anyone wishing to attend, they can meet up and go. Then share it with the society. Phil Piet planning a trip to Florida Railroad Museum Saturday October 8th. Contact Phil Piet if you wish to go

ith th

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From the 8/27/16 Museum Work Ses-sion: Society Mem-ber Phil Cross cutting up a 9-foot long 8X8 into 3 3-foot sections f o r m o u n t i n g switches on in dis-play area.

From the 8/27/16 Mu-seum Work Session: Society Members David Rhea and William Wal-ter are working on the restoration of the stairs that go into the ca-boose in the display area.

Suggestion by Jerry if a group of members wishing to make a trip, go ahead and do it. Announce it to the members and anyone wishing to attend, they can meet up and go. Then share it with the society.

Phil Piet planning a trip to Florida Railroad Museum Saturday October 8th. Contact Phil Piet if you wish to go with them.

Programs & Refreshments Hosts for 2016: All Programs Slots for 2016 and the first 5 months of 2017 have been filled. The remaining 7 slots are open. Refreshments Hosts slots for 2016 have been filled. All slots for 2017 are open, with the exception of Decem-

ber (Taken by Jerry & Ginger Honetor). E-Bay Store Report — Earned about $300 for the month.

13. Museum Curator Report – Ken Murdock CFRR Museum Report – 554 visitors during June and 4,940 visitors for 2016 to date. 361.00 hours donated by

the membership during June and 1,912.25 hours donated by the membership for 2016 to date. Library Update — Still putting the books in. Technology Update — The library computer is now being backed up to remote storage on the cloud. The web-

site is up to date. Recent Acquisitions & Donations — Two boxes of books donated by Zenetta Wallace. Expansion Plans for the Central Florida Railroad Museum — Contractor let us know that the engineering for

electric and mechanical are being done. Once completed the permitting can proceed. The Next Museum Work Session:

The next work session is scheduled for August 27th, beginning at 8:30 AM. The following work session is scheduled for September 10th, beginning at 8:30 AM.

14. President’s Report – Jerry Honetor Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Board of Directors Activities for July 2016 – making preparations for

the Annual Music Fest Event in downtown Winter Garden on October 7, 8 and 9, 2016. Installation of new steps into the caboose at the Heritage Museum. Finalizing plans for the construction of the Courtyard between the His-tory Center and the Heritage Museum.

Next Quarterly Board Meeting – Date for the Fourth Quarter 2016 Board Meeting is Monday, November 7, 2016 at 7 PM.

15. CFRHS Facebook Page – Jarrod Reynolds July 11 thru August 7, 27 people viewed page, 4 page likes, 382 people reached and 257 post engagements.

16. Central Florida Railroading Update – Update by Phil Cross in Bill Dusenbury’s Absence.

17. Items from the Board of Directors Irv Lipscomb provided update on signs. The plan is to mount one sign on each side of the building as long as

they are approved by the city. The NMRA National Train Show will be in Orange County convention center next year. Phil Piet recommends we

should be represented at the convention. Addison Austin will be present the program next month. It will be a video of various trips he has taken.

18. Items from the Membership – There were no items from the membership.

19. Meeting Adjournment A motion by Irv Lipscomb second by David Rhea to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried.

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September 2016 Museum Work Session

Saturday, September 10, 2016

8:30 AM to 3:30 PM Please come out and help with the many chores that

need to be done!!!!

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 at-tend.

All correspondence and other materials for the Society should be mailed to:

Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc.

PO Box 770567

Winter Garden, FL 34777-0567

Or e-mailed to the Society at: info@cfrhs.org

Web page: www.cfrhs.org

Mission: The mission of the Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc. is: Promoting railway heritage and preservation and educating members and the public about rail transportation, its history and impact, with a focus on Central Florida.

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 ob-jects are:

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 personal property, and to maintain, sell, lease, deed or other-wise 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 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.

President: Jerry Honetor president@cfrhs.org 407-957-8788 Vice President - Membership & Programs: Ross Marvin vpmembership@cfrhs.org 407-909-9823

Vice President - Education & Public Relations: Irv Lipscomb vpeducation@cfrhs.org 407-895-4749

Secretary: Joe Lehmann, Jr. secretary@cfrhs.org 856-912-8628

Assistant Secretary: Phil Piet asstsecretary@cfrhs.org 407-656-4960

Treasurer: David Rhea treasurer@cfrhs.org 407-656-8749

Assistant Treasurer: Roger Wilson assttreasurer@cfrhs.org 352-314-0881

Museum Curator: Ken Murdock curator@cfrhs.org 407-277-5719

Assistant Museum Curator: Al Sharp asstcurator@cfrhs.org 407-898-4082

Assistant Museum Curator: Jarrod Reynolds asstcurator2@cfrhs.org 407-256-6516

Historian: Phil Cross historian@cfrhs.org 407-509-4572

Immediate Past President: Bill Dusenbury pastpresident@cfrhs.org 407-509-1521

Flatwheel Editor: Phil Cross editor@cfrhs.org 407-509-4572

Webmaster: Joseph Lehmann, Jr. webmaster@cfrhs.org 856-912-8628

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 (ex-cluding 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..

The Flatwheel is the official monthly publication of the Cen-tral 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.

Material for the Flatwheel (including exchange newsletters) should be sent to the editor via e-mail at:

editor@cfrhs.org .

Please Note: Material from The Flatwheel may be reprinted in other publications provided credit is given as to the source.

2016 CFRHS Membership Statistics Society Members 26 Society Century Members 14

Ward Britt Phil Cross Ann Cross Bill Dusenbury Charles Hanus, Sr. Chuck Hanus Linda Hanus Andy Healy Jerry Honetor Clarence Hurt Ross Marvin Ken Murdock Al Sharp Jim Shoemaker

Society Friends 19 Society Family Members 13 Society Student Members 0 Total Members 72

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Rail News From the TRAINS, Railroad & Railfan, Rail Group News and AAR Web Sites

And Courtesy of Society Members Roger Wilson, Jerry Hardwich, Addison Austin, Warren McFarland, Craig Murdock, Connor Murdock and Some Other Members/Supporters From Time to Time

FRA Finalizes New Safety Rule for Passenger Rail Monday, August 01, 2016

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT)Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a new, final rule on July 29 that requires passenger railroads to proactively identify potential safety hazards across their operations and work to reduce and mitigate them. FRA believes this rule will help prevent safety problems from escalating and resulting in incidents, injuries or deaths.

The new rule, the System Safety Program (SSP), requires passenger railroads to implement, among other items, a defined and measurable safety culture; identify potential safety hazards in their operations and work to reduce or eliminate those hazards; and to document and demonstrate how they will achieve compliance with FRA regulations.

“Safety has to be a consistent priority, and that means identifying problems before they escalate and turn into an incident,” said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg. “This new rule will help passenger railroads achieve the next generation of rail safety.”

“The System Safety Program rule includes proactive hazard analysis as a standard approach to identifying and addressing significant safety issues,” said FRA’s Chief Safety Officer Robert C. Lauby. “I believe that this approach will be key for the next level of safety.”

The next-generation, goal-oriented safety regulation aims to build on the current regulations, which serve as a safety foundation, to help the industry pivot from a reactive to a more proactive approach at achieving safety. Because of the comprehensive requirements the SSP entails, FRA will provide technical assistance on ways to set, achieve and measure safety culture and other important elements of the regulation.

“The System Safety Program rule has been a long time in the making, but it’s been worth the wait,” said FRA Passenger Rail Safety Director Dan Knote. “The Passenger Rail Division at FRA will provide guidance to all passenger railroads as they embark in this exciting and life-saving initiative.”

The rule will go into effect 60 days from the date of its publication. Within eight months of publishing the rule, all passenger railroads are required to have a meeting with employees who are directly affected by the rule to discuss their plan on the consultation process when developing a SSP.

Central Texas & Colorado River Begins Operations Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

A new rail operation looks to convince potential customers it still brings heart to Texas railroading.

The Central Texas & Colorado River Railway, LLC (formerly Heart of Texas Railroad), began operations Aug. 2, 2016. The 68- mile line runs due west from Lometa, TX, where it interchanges with BNSF, to Brady, TX.

A managed affiliate of OmniTRAX, Inc., and an affiliate of The Broe Group, purchased the former Heart of Texas Railroad from private local investors in May and renamed the railroad.

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At the time of the purchase, Kevin Shuba, chief executive officer of OmniTRAX, said, "The Central Texas & Colorado River Railway is a great opportunity for OmniTRAX with at least three good long-term mineral prospects on the line. As a distressed asset that can be turned around with our expertise, it's right in our sweet spot. We want to thank the sellers for their efforts in starting to implement a restructuring plan and making the closing of the transaction as smooth as possible."

AAR: Total July Carloads Decline 8.8% Led by Coal at 17.5% and Petroleum at 22%

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) on August 3rd reported weekly U.S. rail traffic, as well as volumes for July 2016:

Carload traffic in July totaled 1,025,367 carloads, down 8.8% or 99,530 carloads from July 2015. U.S. railroads also originated 1,002,401 containers and trailers in July 2016, down 6.9% or 74,482 units from the same month last year. For July 2016, combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations were 2,027,768, down 7.9% or 174,012 carloads and intermodal units from July 2015.

In July 2016, four of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with July 2015. These included: grain, up 15.3% or 12,641 carloads; waste and nonferrous scrap, up 25.9% or 3,400 carloads; and miscellaneous carloads, up 12.9% or 2,880 carloads. Commodities that saw declines in July 2016 from July 2015 included: coal, down 17.5% or 70,479 carloads; petroleum and petroleum products, down 22% or 11,926 carloads; and crushed stone, gravel and sand, down 11.6% or 11,765 carloads.

Excluding coal, carloads were down 4% or 29,051 carloads in July 2016 from July 2015.

Total U.S. carload traffic for the first 30 weeks of 2016 was 7,320,583 carloads, down 11.9% or 986,109 carloads, while intermodal containers and trailers were 7,715,404 units, down 2.8% or 221,538 containers and trailers when compared to the same period in 2015. For the first seven months of 2016, total rail traffic volume in the United States was 15,035,987 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.4% or 1,207,647 carloads and intermodal units from the same point last year.

"Rail traffic continues to reflect the uncertainty rail customers face in a challenging economic environment," said AAR Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics John T. Gray, who noted rail intermodal remained off from 2015's record traffic level while carloads showed a small improvement in coal and a bit of an improvement in grain. "For the present, railroads are focused on providing safe and efficient service to their customers, while watching to see if the increase in consumer spending in the second quarter will lead to additional Gross Domestic Product growth in the second half of the year."

For the week Ending July 30, 2016: Total U.S. weekly rail traffic for the week ending July 30, 2016 was 536,916 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.3% compared with the same week last year.

Total carloads for the week ending July 30 were 274,355 carloads, down 5.3% compared with the same week in 2015, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 262,561 containers and trailers, down 2.6% compared to 2015.

Four of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2015. They included miscellaneous carloads, up 16.7% to 10,839 carloads; grain, up 14.9% to 24,677 carloads; and chemicals, up 3.1% to 31,025 carloads. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2015 included petroleum and petroleum products, down 25.0% to 10,383 carloads; coal, down 12.2% to 90,330 carloads; and forest products, down 8.1% to 10,329 carloads.

North American rail volume for the week ending July 30, 2016, on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 361,377 carloads, down 5.9% compared with the same week last year, and 330,964 intermodal units, down 3.0% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 692,341 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.5%. North American rail volume for the first 30 weeks of 2016 was 19,680,282 carloads and intermodal units, down 7.2% compared with 2015.

Canadian railroads reported 71,718 carloads for the week, down 6.7%, and 62,043 intermodal units, up 2.5% compared with the same week in 2015. For the first 30 weeks of 2016, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 3,835,263 carloads, containers and trailers, down 7.6%.

Mexican railroads reported 15,304 carloads for the week, down 12.1% compared with the same week last year, and 6,360 intermodal units, down 42.7%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 30 weeks of 2016 was 809,032 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 1.2% from the same point last year.

Railfest 2016 Announces Grand Marshal Wednesday, August 03, 2016

Railfest 2016, an annual celebration of railroading past, present and future that is held on the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend at Steamtown National Historic Site, announced that Mr. Charles Liberto has been named Grand Marshal for this year's event.

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Mr. Liberto will be honored at an event opening ceremony on Saturday morning September 3rd at 10:00 a.m. hosted by Park Superintendent Deborah Conway.

Mr. Liberto, a native of Philadelphia, has been instrumental in the development and success of the annual Railfest events. A former Reading Railroad Company trainman, Mr. Liberto brought together volunteers, community leaders and park staff ten years ago to develop what has turned into a highly visible and nationally-known celebration of railroading at Steamtown National Historic Site. Mr. Liberto's energy and enthusiasm helps make this event a huge success each year.

The Steam of the Smokies has Returned! By gsmr1702

What a whirlwind last few months that we have had! So many parts have finally been placed together, welded, installed, or finished that it’s hard to recap!

What we can finally celebrate that #1702 is operational again, and that is a huge triumph for the restoration project.

Our crew; Joe, Brian, and Marshal along with Robert Franzen of Steam Services of America have been in overdrive the past few months to make sure that we would fall as close to our debut date of July 22 as we could.

On July 21, #1702 took her first steps in the Dillsboro rail yard 100% independently operational. After that successful mini trial it was decided that a test run would be performed the next morning from Dillsboro to Bryson City.

About half way through the morning test run a mechanical issue with the wheel bearing overheating was discovered. This caused #1702 to be stopped immediately for repairs on the main line. Once stopped the crew removed the cellar box on the rear #4 driver and found that the brass bearing and axle was being damaged due to the lack of lubrication causing the bearing to heat up. Unfortunately the engine had to be returned to the shop in Dillsboro for further repairs upon this discovery. Fortunately, the damage to the brass bearing and axle was not that significant because the issue was found quickly by the GSMR Crew and Robert Franzen of Steam Services of America on the initial test run and the #4 driver did not have to be dropped out.

The engine remained in Dillsboro for the next 48 hours, with the assistance from Steam Services of America our crew focused on the repair of the bearing and lubrication problems. While it was out for service they also inspected the oil lubrication system that provides oil to all bearing boxes to prevent future overheating problems. Other minor improvements included modifying the burner and adding a new fuel flow valve to improve the firing process.

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On Sunday July 24, another test run was completed successfully arriving to Bryson City with cheers and applause from spectators.

Tuesday July 26, the engine set out for its first successful passenger excursion on the Tuckasegee River run. Along the route rail fans waited at every crossing to take the opportunity to capture #1702 on her first journey. We have seen some great photos on the web, thanks to all who shared.

After completing two successful Tuckasegee River Excursion trips, the crew prepared for the first Nantahala Gorge Excursion on Friday July 29. For its’ first run to the Gorge the train was sold out, full of excited passengers and fans. Everyone enjoyed finally hearing the sound of the steam engine and the whistle echoing between the beautiful scenery of the Smoky Mountains!

Saturday evening a problem with the throttle opening and closing properly left the engine powerless. #1702 had to be taken back down to the steam shop in Dillsboro for a proper shut down and repair. Once shut down the crew inspected the throttle thoroughly and found that they could repair it by machining new parts to correct the operating malfunction. In order for the engine to have enough time to be fired up and ready to operate on Wednesday Aug 3, the Tuesday trip had to be changed to Diesel only.

We appreciate all of the fans who have followed this journey and continue to stay passionate about this important restoration work. With such a historical piece of equipment we are looking forward to the continued work that it will require to stay in top shape! We hope to see you riding steam in 2016!

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SmartCat Sundays: Milk on the Harlem Division August 7, 2016

Milk has long been a staple of the American diet, and since the New York and Harlem Railroad was founded up until the 1950s, it was also a staple commodity carried by rail. Early in New York City’s history, dairy cows were kept and milked in the city proper near distilleries. Often sick cows were kept in cramped conditions, and fed the byproducts of whiskey making – resulting in a blue tinted “milk” that was lacking in cream content and dangerous to drink. Unscrupulous businessmen used additives – including water, sugar, molasses, egg, and even plaster of paris – to give it the appearance of fresh milk and sell it to an unwitting public. This tainted milk led to an increased infant mortality in the city, and was coined the “Swill Milk Scandal” when exposed in the periodicals of the day. The scandal eventually led to regulation of the milk industry, and a push for “pure milk” from dairies far outside the city. Stepping up to transport this milk were, of course, the railroads.

The famous “Rut Milk” train passes through Mott Haven in the 1950s. The milk trains were eventually replaced by trucks. Photo by Victor Zollinsky.

Milk depots were established at many train depots, and local farmers could bring and sell their milk, which was then transported to the city. One of the Harlem’s most famous freights was the Rutland Milk train, which brought milk to New York City from Vermont – transferring from the Rutland Railroad to the Harlem in Chatham. Every day a swap would occur where a train full of milk changed hands at Chatham, exchanged for the previous day’s empties.

Today’s random tidbit from the archive is a letter from F.T. Hopkins to William Hooker. Hopkins was a milk dealer who operated the Harlem Railroad Milk Depot in New York City. The letter is addressed to Hooker at Wing’s Station – an earlier name for Wingdale.

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BordenontheHarlemLine

New York Condensed Milk Company / Eagle Brand condensed milk promotional card.

Even if the milk transported by train to the city was considered “pure” and not of the “swill” variety, it did not last very long before spoilage in the days prior to refrigeration. Condensed milk stored in cans, however, could last for years without spoiling. Not only was condensed milk transported along the Harlem, it got its start here.

There are many ways to describe Gail Borden Jr.: a perpetual wanderer, deeply religious (anecdotal evidence suggests that he bought bibles for placement on the Harlem’s trains), eccentric inventor (he scared his friends by taking them on a ride straight into a river in a self-invented amphibious wagon – the “terraqueous machine”), an endlessly stubborn optimist that never gave up. All of those traits led him from his birthplace of Norwich, New York to Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi, Texas, Connecticut, and ultimately back to New York and the Harlem Railroad to launch his most successful invention – condensed milk.

For some time Borden had been interested in preventing food from spoilage. One of his first food related inventions was a meat biscuit, made from rendered meat and flour or potato and baked into a cracker, which could be eaten as is, or crushed into boiling water to make soup. He also experimented with preserving and concentrating fruit to make juices, and making coffee extract which took up far less space than regular coffee. Despite winning prizes for the meat biscuit, none of those endeavors were commercial successes. After debts forced him to give up on the meat biscuit and sell some of his property to pay creditors, Borden wholeheartedly pursued his milk preservation idea in Connecticut – starting a factory in Wolcottville. He eventually ran out of money and that factory closed, later replaced by a different factory in Burrville. Unfortunately, the Financial Panic of 1857 marked the end of that venture as well.

The first successful condensed milk factory, Wassaic, New York

A chance encounter on a train ride, however, brought Gail Borden and financer Jeremiah Milbank together, and Milbank found promise in Borden’s idea. With Milbank’s money, Borden founded the New York Condensed Milk Company in Wassaic, New York, right next the tracks of the Harlem Railroad. Borden’s tenacious spirit had finally paid off this time around, as his product became a commercial success. Another factory was constructed along the Harlem in Brewster to keep up with demand – and condensed milk became a staple for members of the Union Army during the Civil War.

After Borden’s successes he moved back to Texas, but upon death was returned by train to New York. He forever remains next to the Harlem Line, buried in Woodlawn Cemetery with a large monument that bears the following quote: “I tried and failed. I tried again and again and succeeded.”

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CP: Ackman Cashes Out Written by William C. Vantuono

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Pershing Square Capital Management L.P. principal Bill Ackman has sold all his shares in Canadian Pacific, walking away with a cool $1.5 billion.

Ackman sold off his stake in CP—9,840,890 shares, about 6.7% of the company—on Aug. 3, 2016. He had once held as much as 14.4% of CP. According to Antoine Gara of Forbes (“I cover the good, the bad and the ugly of finance”), Ackman needed the money:

“Between the collapse of Valeant Pharmaceuticals and completion of the regulatory investigation into Herbalife, the past 12 months have been the busiest and most challenging in Bill Ackman’s career. Shares of Ackman’s public investment pool, Pershing Square Holdings, have plunged 46%, and the billionaire investor was hauled in front of the U.S. Senate to explain Valeant’s price-gouging ways.

“One thing the controversial activist hasn’t done? Invest. Pershing Square Capital Management has made no new large public investments for roughly a year. On [Aug. 3], Bill Ackman was once more doing something he’s become accustomed to: Selling.

“After dumping most of his position in animal health company Zoetis this spring, Pershing Square is now exiting Canadian Pacific after a five-year investment during which Ackman oversaw one of the great corporate turnarounds in recent memory. Ackman first invested in Canadian Pacific in the fall of 2011 with a plan to unseat the company’s management and bring in new leadership that could make the Calgary-based railroad more efficient. The play was a watershed for Ackman and hedge fund activists broadly.”

CP’s new leadership was Hunter Harrison, who led a remarkable turnaround at CP, earning him Railway Age’s Railroader of the Year Award in 2015. CP’s stock price tripled over the course of four years. “Canadian Pacific has completed an incredible transformation since our initial investment in 2011,” Ackman said in a statement. He said he intends to continue to serve on CP’s board until the next annual meeting, and added that Pershing Square plans to use the proceeds of the sale to fund one or more new investments.

Said Steve Hansen, a Vancouver-based analyst with Raymond James, “Ackman was selling because of troubles with some of his other investments, including Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc., the Canadian drug maker. At the same time, there’s this debate about what inning CP is in its evolution. The big heavy lifting has been done, and now we’re into more incremental gains as opposed to wholesale step changes. So, he’s probably looking to move on.”

Ackman also attempted a merger with CSX, then went after Norfolk Southern. That attempt failed as well, with Ackman throwing in the towel on April 11, 2016.

Safety, Diversity and Energy Efficiency Outlined in NS Sustainability Report Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Norfolk Southern believes it has the answer to what efficiency looks like: Cleaner-running locomotives; greater energy efficiency; support for safer communities; fewer workplace injuries and a more diverse workforce.

The Class 1's new online sustainability report, What Efficiency Looks Like, highlights key achievements the railroad has made and details its progress toward reaching a healthy balance between its business imperatives as a publicly traded company and its environmental and social commitments as a responsible corporate citizen.

"Efficiently moving freight trains across our 22-state network is a cornerstone of sustainability at Norfolk Southern," said Norfolk Southern CEO Jim Squires. "It's about turning challenges into daily opportunities – keeping our people and communities safe, providing unequalled customer service, and being a good steward of the resources that contribute to our success."

"Corporate sustainability at Norfolk Southern means acting responsibly in the conduct of our business, which enhances our ability to grow business," said Bruno Maestri, vice president, government relations and corporate sustainability officer. "We are part of the fabric of the communities where we operate, and we want to add value by what Norfolk Southern brings to our communities."

NS points to its 2015 highlights, which include:

Environmental Performance:

Rolled out a new class of low-emission Eco locomotives at rail yards in Atlanta and Chicago.

Introduced a custom plug-in engine-heating system at rail yards that reduces unnecessary locomotive idling in cold weather.

Adopted a five-year goal to improve locomotive fuel efficiency, which will contribute to the company's goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Economic Performance:

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Returned more than $700 million in dividends to shareholders, representing a 6 percent increase in dividends per share for the year.

Supported the location of 61 new industries and 32 industry expansions along NS rail lines, representing $4.2 billion in customer investment and more than 6,100 new customer jobs.

Contributed more than $13.7 million in combined Norfolk Southern Foundation, corporate, and business giving in communities served by the railroad to support human service needs, arts and culture, environment and education.

Social Performance:

Recorded a 13 percent decline in employee reportable injuries.

Hired a record number of female employees: 28 percent of management trainees and 7 percent of conductor trainees were women.

Formed local employee diversity and inclusion councils in each of the railroad's 10 operating divisions.

Helped train more than 4,800 local emergency responders in safe response to potential incidents involving transport of product regulated as hazardous material.

CSX Train Derails in Northern Kentucky August 10, 2016

FALMOUTH, Ky. — A CSX Transportation freight train en route to Atlanta from Cincinnati derailed near Falmouth in northern Kentucky late Wednesday morning. A CSX spokesperson confirmed the 125-car train was carrying 76 loaded cars and 49 empties and that certain freight cars contained hazardous materials. Local reports say approximately 20 cars derailed in the incident.

The derailment occurred near milepost 39.5 on the railroad’s CC Subdivision between Cincinnati and Corbin, Ky. The route is part of the former Louisville & Nashville main line.

Local first responders have evacuated a local elementary school and town of Falmouth has been shut down, local media report. No injuries have been reported.

Georgia Terminal to Receive Kia Auto Parts by Rail August 5, 2016

CORDELE, Ga. – Cordele Intermodal Services, the operator of Georgia’s first inland terminal, is partnering with Kia Motors Manufacturing to handle as many as 30,000 twenty-foot equivalent intermodal units per year. The auto parts shipments will be delivered primarily by rail.

Kia will move the auto parts via rail from the Port of Savannah to the state’s only inland terminal in Cordele and then to West Point, Ga., by truck.

“Cargo can be loaded onto trains, moving hundreds of containers in a single trip, staged at an intermodal yard, then trucked for much shorter distances,” says Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. According to a news release by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, the partnership will save more than 6 million truck miles each year.

The Heart of Georgia Railroad and the Georgia Central serve the Cordele terminal. Both short line railroads have interchange access to CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern.

Researchers Develop Remote Rail Security, Inspection System August 3, 2016

LAUREL, Md. — Researchers at the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland have developed a rail-based inspection system that can detect chemical and other hazardous material leaks.

Equipped with cameras and sensors, The Instrumented Rail Inspection System is a remote-controlled, rail-riding vehicle that provides emergency responders with information related to a chemical or other hazardous material leak at an incident scene.

The new technology uses infrared cameras and a variety of sensors with chemical and radiation detection abilities.

In a recent news release, researchers emphasized the importance of the new system in instances where train incidents take place in rural places or hard-to-access areas along the right-of-way.

The Transportation Security Administration is funding the project. The system was created through a process in which researchers worked with transit agencies to incorporate their needs, and then used those requirements to development a prototype system. The two-year development also includes several live tests on transit systems.

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 A photo of the new Instrumented Rail Inspection System designed by researchers at the John Hopkins 

Applied Physics Laboratory. John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory 

Recently, the laboratory entered into an agreement with Harsco Corp.’s Protran Technology division. The company plans to evaluate the uses of the unmanned rail vehicle in traditional railroad safety, security and emergency operations.

NJ Bill Would Require Railroads to Publish Oil Train Routes, Emergency Plans

August 3, 2016

TRENTON, N.J. – New legislation in the state of New Jersey would require railroads to publicize the routes of oil trains operating within the state and to offer the plans to state agencies.

The bill has already been approved by state Senate.

“As we have seen in Quebec, train accidents and derailments have dire consequences,” says state Sen. Bob Gordon, who helped sponsor the bill. “These trains are moving very close to our homes, schools, businesses and parks, so it is imperative that we improve safety,” he adds.

The bill is now headed to a state Assembly committee for voting.

Miami Beach and Alstom Start Work on $400 Million Light Rail Project By Joseph M. Calisi

August 2, 2016

MIAMI, Fla. — The Miami Beach city commissioners and Alstom have begun negotiations to build a $400 million light rail project. The line would run from beach islands to mainland Florida and the city of Miami.

Two groups are fighting the plans, however, stating that the pace of the talks are moving very quickly and there are no assurances other pieces it would connect to would actually be built.

Miami Beach-Miami rail line plans revived a similar 2004 Bay Link study that stalled amid concerns regarding funding and technology issues. That proposal did not move forward to the preliminary engineering phase. In July 2013, a nine-month, $325,000 study was conducted with money from regional governments and entities.

Amtrak's Acting President? Posted by Fred Frailey

An acquaintance of long standing, with a reputation for seldom being wrong, passed on an interesting tidbit just now that I’ll pass on to you. I’ve blogged a couple of times about people who might become (or ought to become) Amtrak’s next president. My colleague Don Phillips wrote a Trains Magazine column on this same subject. The months go by and still no decision, however. The incumbent CEO, Joe Boardman, plans to retire in September.

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So this is the tidbit whispered in my ear: that Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s executive vice president for Northeast Corridor development, may get an interim appointment, as acting president.

If only it were so. Stephen Gardner (never call him Steve) is both a lover of trains and someone steeped in the economics of U.S. passenger railroad economics. He knows the NEC as well as anyone, and has an appreciation for the national network. As a college student, he spent a summer as an apprentice on the Buckingham Branch Railroad, living with the family of the railroad’s president, Robert Bryant, on the Bryant family farm, and performing almost every imaginable task on that startup Virginia railroad.

So there, take it for what it’s worth. Even if he’s only a short-term stand-in for the eventual pick, the company would be in good hands. And remember, Boardman himself came to the job almost eight years ago, yes, as acting president.

2016 TIGER Grants Assist Rail Freight, Passenger Projects in 11 States August 2, 2016

 U.S. Department of Transportation 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded nearly a half a billion dollars in its 2016 TIGER grant program. Officially known as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program, several projects in the 2016 awards focus on rail freight and passenger benefits.

Rail-related projects included in this year’s grant program include:

• $25 million to upgrade historic sections of Chicago’s “L” train infrastructure • $20 million to improve infrastructure and facility on the Utah Transit Authority • $15 million for a BNSF Railway grade separation project in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. • $13.1 million to build a new passenger station in Pawtucket, R.I. • $10 million in improvements to the Port of Everett in Washington state • $10 million to replace a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority station in Claymont, Del. • $10 million to rehabilitate five bridges on the Natchez Railway in Mississippi • $9.7 million to improve infrastructure on a R.J. Corman short line in the Carolinas • $8.6 million for the Redlands Passenger rail project n San Bernardino, Calif. • $7.3 million in multimodal improvements at the Port of Portland in Oregon • $6.2 million to upgrade the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s 19th Street/Oakland station • $6.1 million to improve dock-to-rail capability in Little Rock, Ark. This is the eighth year for the TIGER program. Since 2009, the grant program has provided more than $5 billion in funding to more than 420 projects in all 50 states.

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Penn Central Yard Switcher in a Spot of Trouble

Thanks to Society Member Warren McFarland for providing the above photo.

Charger Burning Up the Rails in Pueblo Written by William C. Vantuono

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Siemens’ new higher-speed Charger diesel-electric passenger locomotive is undergoing a comprehensive testing program at the Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, Colo., prior to entry into revenue service in various U.S. locations.

Several tests and validation exercises including maximum speed runs, acceleration and braking and the overall performance capabilities of the locomotive are being conducted to ensure the Charger “is operating and performing as designed and that the locomotive is ready to provide reliable service for passengers,” Siemens said.

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The Charger is powered by a high-performance, environmentally friendly, 4,400 hp-rated Cummins QSK95 diesel engine. Designed to operate at speeds up to 125 mph, it is the first higher-speed passenger locomotive to receive Tier 4 emissions certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It obtains an emission reduction of approximately 90% compared to locomotives powered by Tier 0 power plants. An electronically controlled regenerative braking system use energy from the traction motors during dynamic braking to feed the auxiliary and HEP (head-end power) systems to reduce fuel consumption. The locomotives also meet the latest FRA safety regulations, including enhanced carbody structural safety with CEM (crash energy management).

All main components are produced in Siemens plants in the U.S.—traction motors and gearboxes in Norwood, Ohio and propulsion containers in Alpharetta, Ga. The diesel engines are manufactured by Cummins in its Seymour, Ind., plant. Siemens has also established a large base of U.S. suppliers to support production. Transformers and alternators are supplied out of Florida, brake components out of Maryland, HVAC systems out of Nebraska, and steel and fabrication parts out of California and Oregon. Final assembly of the Buy America-compliant Charger takes place at Siemens’ Sacramento, Calif., plant, which is powered in part by solar.

The first Chargers were ordered under a $225 million contract awarded in 2014 by a multi-state coalition led by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Since then, options have been exercised by six states including Illinois, California, Michigan, Washington, Maryland and Missouri. In addition, the first Siemens-built trainsets for the new Brightline passenger service in Florida, each powered by two Chargers, will ship this fall. IDOT will receive its first Charger later this year, with additional customers to follow throughout 2017.

“Cummins’ QSK95 is the first locomotive prime mover for single-engine installations to be certified to the EPA’s ultra-low Tier 4 emissions regulations,” said Melina Kennedy, General Manager, Cummins Global Rail and Defense Business. “Not only is it the cleanest diesel engine for locomotives, it also offers large gains in fuel efficiency over non-certified engines currently used in many passenger rail applications.”

“These diesel-electric locomotives truly represent the next generation of clean and efficient rail travel in the United States, and the testing being done in Pueblo is a crucial step in bringing this advanced rail technology to states across the country,” said Michael Cahill, President of Siemens Rolling Stock. “The Siemens Charger not only is the first diesel-electric locomotive to meet the EPA’s strict Tier 4 emissions standards, but it is also a powerful example of what can be accomplished through American manufacturing.”

“These locomotives mark a new era in Pacific Northwest train travel,” said Ron Pate, director of Rail, Freight and Ports for the Washington State Department of Transportation, who traveled to Colorado for the testing. “They will help provide more frequent, reliable and faster service to our Amtrak Cascades customers and also advance our agency’s commitment to offering alternative and sustainable transportation choices.”

“The Charger will provide California’s intercity passenger rail services with a fleet of locomotives that meet very stringent Tier 4 emission standards and that help promote CALTRANS’ mission of a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system,” said CALTRANS Division of Rail Chief Bruce Roberts. “The new locomotives are capable of quicker acceleration, higher top-end speeds and will provide passengers with the safety of PTC.”

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“TTCI is honored to assist Siemens in qualifying the new Charger locomotive,” said TTCI President Lisa Stabler. “We are happy to be able to provide a testing facility that enables our customers to evaluate their product's performance in a real-world environment.”

UPDATE: Genesee & Wyoming to Buy Providence & Worcester August 15, 2016

WORCESTER, Mass. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced Monday that it would buy the Providence & Worcester for $126 million later this year.

The P&W owns more than 163 miles of track in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut and has operating rights on more than 350 miles of additional track, including exclusive freight access on the Northeast Corridor between Providence, R.I., and Queens, N.Y., in New York City.

According to a news release, the G&W will purchase all outstanding P&W stock for $25 per share. With shareholder approval, the deal is expected to go through during the fourth quarter of 2016. The merger will also have to be approved by the Surface Transportation Board.

The acquisition of the P&W further cements G&W’s dominance in the region. Jack Hellmann, G&W president and CEO, says the P&W will strategically fit with his company's other holdings in the area, including the New England Central and Connecticut Southern.

“Following anticipated STB approval of the acquisition, our connectivity with the P&W enables us to realize substantial immediate cost savings, to share and optimize the utilization of equipment and other assets, and to unlock significant new customer opportunities across sister G&W railroads as well as connecting partners at two Canadian Class I Railroads, two U.S. Class I Railroads and two regional railroads," Hellmann says. "Our acquisition of the P&W will ultimately enhance the efficiency and customer service of rail in New England."

The P&W will be managed as part of G&W’s Northeast Region, led by Senior Vice President Dave Ebbrecht.

Officials with the P&W say the acquisition will ensure quality service for its customers for years to come.

“Becoming part of the Genesee & Wyoming family with its record of emphasis on safety and investment in its rail infrastructure ensures that our company will continue to provide the quality of service which our customers and the communities we serve have enjoyed over the 40 plus years since we re-commenced independent operations while at the same time continuing and improving on our programs to promote employee and community,” says P&W CEO and Chairman Robert H. Eder.

The P&W has deep roots in New England. The railroad dates back to the 1840s when it ran through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In 1892, the New Haven agreed to lease the P&W for 99 years. Four years after the NH was absorbed into Penn Central, the P&W regained its independence.

FRA Awards $25 Million for PTC Implementation Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Eleven projects across six states and the District of Columbia will receive grants from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to assist in the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC).

FRA awarded $25 million to the projects, as appropriated by Congress for Fiscal Year 2016, but received 30 eligible applications requesting $90.6 million, nearly four times the appropriated amount.

FRA notes that many of the awards will help railroads achieve interoperability among the different PTC systems that railroads are deploying.

"Every dollar we invest in implementing Positive Train Control as quickly as possible is money well spent because ultimately it means fewer accidents and fewer fatalities," said FRA Administrator Sarah E. Feinberg. "Today's grants inch us closer to a safer rail network with PTC."

In 2008, Congress mandated PTC implementation on the mainlines of Class 1 railroads and entities providing regularly scheduled intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation over which any poisonous or toxic by inhalation hazardous materials are transported or over which intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation is regularly provided. Last October, Congress extended the original PTC implementation deadline from Dec. 31, 2015 to at least Dec. 31, 2018.

FRA awarded grants in the approximate amounts below to the following entities:

*Metrolink – California – $2.4 million to develop, test, and deploy a full-feature service desk management suite of software applications that will allow each railroad to create, track, manage and share PTC system and asset trouble tickets internally within the organization and with interoperable railroad partners.

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*Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District – Calif.–$3 million to install PTC and integrated new grade crossing warning systems on the 2.1-mile passenger rail extension between downtown San Rafael and Larkspur, Calif.

*Caltrain – California –$2.88 million to conduct two test procedures for the field integration and functional testing of Caltrain's Interoperable-Incremental Train Control System (I-ITCS) that will allow Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS) equipped tenants to seamlessly operate on Caltrain's tracks.

*Amtrak –District of Columbia –$2.64 million to put in place authentication technology to fully secure the PTC wireless communication and data transmittal between a train's point of origin and targeted receivers on the Northeast Corridor.

*American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) – District of Columbia –$2.5 million to create a Crew Initialization Back Office Server System (CI-BOS) hosted service to assist small railroads tasked with implementing PTC, particularly systems that interoperate with Class 1 railroads.

*Providence and Worcester Railroad Company (P&W) – Massachusetts –$965,832 to acquire and install eight Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System (ACSES) PTC onboard units for P&W's locomotives utilized on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor.

*Twin Cities & Western Railroad Company – Minnesota –$1.1 million to implement and test PTC systems, including a contract with a back office service and interoperability message software provider, initial activation and licensing fees of hosted back office systems, and two PTC equipped locomotives.

*Missouri Department of Transportation – Missouri –$3 million to jointly partner with the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) for an Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS) implementation project on the Missouri side of TRRA's territory.

*North Carolina Department of Transportation – North Carolina –$771,070 to equip five converted Cab Control Units with Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS) and conduct testing on the Piedmont corridor or within any adjacent rail territory of NCDOT's rail partners (Norfolk Southern Corporation and Amtrak).

*Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority – Texas –$3 million to implement Enhanced Automatic Train Control (E-ATC) that will overlay the existing wayside signal system and enhance onboard, wayside, and control office equipment and software to create a functional PTC system in the Austin area.

*Fort Worth & Western Railroad – Texas –$2.56 million to install PTC on-board equipment and 220 MHz radios on nine locomotives in a phased installation, develop a crew initialization back office server, and train necessary personnel to operate and maintain the PTC system.

AAR Doubles Down on FRA Crew Size Proposal Written by Ben Vient

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

In comments submitted August 16 in response to a July 15th public hearing, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) again urged the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to withdraw its proposed rule mandating two-person crews on railroads. The AAR also called on the FRA to disclose the data sources it has used to inform its proposal, which AAR says is not supported by any publicly available safety data.

“The simple fact is that no data exist showing two-person crews will enhance safety,” said Edward R. Hamberger, AAR president and CEO. “The FRA needs to be fully transparent in disclosing the sources it has relied on during this rulemaking process. Until the agency can provide any hard evidence to make its case, it should abandon this misguided proposal.”

The AAR sent the FRA a letter on May 20th identifying five specific categories of data and asking that this information be posted prior to the close of the public comment period. The FRA has yet to respond or make this information available. Additionally, the AAR has learned the FRA is currently funding a study at Duke University which is still examining whether there is a correlation between crew size and safety.

“The fact that the government continues to investigate this question — at the same time it has proposed a rule based on the assumption that there is a correlation between crew size and safety — raises serious concerns, and further underscores the absence of evidence supporting the proposed rule,” the AAR stated in today’s comments. “At a minimum, the FRA should refrain from issuing a final rule until it has the results of the work it commissioned, and has made those results publicly available.”

“It is somewhat puzzling why the FRA would go forward with this proposed measure without having completed its due diligence,” said Hamberger, who again pointed to the FRA’s own admission it lacked safety data. “The Agency should take a step back and complete a fact-based, data-gathering process first, instead of continuing to push through a rule that lacks supporting empirical data.”

The AAR’s comments also respond to concerns raised during the July hearing that it is more difficult for a one-person crew to clear a stopped train blocking a highway-rail grade crossing.

New technologies and approaches will continue to be developed the AAR noted in its submission, and that the presence of a second crew member alone does not solve the problem. AAR believes as has been the case with every crew-size reduction to

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date, railroads will develop and implement whatever procedures and technologies are necessary to maintain safe operations, including remote control technology and roving conductor positions.

Rail Traffic Down Nearly 8 Percent in July August 9, 2016

WASHINGTON — While U.S. railroads may have handled more than 1 million carloads of freight in the month of July, freight traffic is still down more than 8 percent from July 2015 according to recent data from the Association of American Railroads.

In July 2016, carload traffic totaled 1,025,367 carloads, or 99,530 fewer carloads than July 2015. Intermodal container and trail traffic was also down nearly 7 percent, handling a little more than 1 million units. When combining both freight and intermodal traffic, U.S. railroads handled a little more than 2 million carloads, or about 8 percent fewer carloads and units than the same period last year.

For the month of July, four of the 20 commodity groups recognized by the association reported carload increases. The commodities included grain, up more than15 percent to 12,641 carloads, waste and nonferrous scrap, up nearly 26 percent and miscellaneous carloads, up almost 13 percent.

Coal remains down in July by more than 17 percent, while petroleum and petroleum-related products were down 22 percent, or nearly 12,000 carloads. Crushed stone, gravel and sand were also down nearly 12 percent.

If coal were to be removed from the equation, rail car traffic is down about four percent for July 2016, or a difference of about 29,000 carloads.

U.S. railroads have handled about 15 million carloads and intermodal units so far in 2016, a decline of more than 7 percent in comparison with the first 30 weeks of 2015. 

Rail Produce Logistics Company to Temporarily End Southeastern Shipments

August 10, 2016

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Railex LLC, a refrigerated food shipper says it plans to cease operations at its Jacksonville facility by Aug. 13. The company quit taking orders for railcars in early August and plans to stop running additional reefer cars into the facility as it transitions to closing.

The company is currently working with CSX Transportation and Union Pacific to identify an alternative service plan that will allow deliveries to Southeastern customers.

The company says that its Jacksonville building was undersized and being used through a short-term lease agreement, The Packer food industry magazine reports.

“For various reasons beyond our control, Railex could not run the traditional unit-type train service into Jacksonville,” says Paul Esposito, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Railex. “The transit times were two days longer than what we had planned and what our customers expected.”

Esposito adds that lower truck rates, peak summer season, and the difficulty to increase capacity were also factors in the decision to close the facility and seek a new building.

Railex ships from Delano, Calif., and Wallaula, Wash., and unloads and distributes at warehouses in New York State. The Jacksonville location opened in June 2014. 

CSX Derailment Cleanup Continues, Outreach Center Opens in Northern Kentucky

August 11, 2016

FALMOUTH, Ky. — Clean-up crews continue removing derailed freight cars from the site of a 24-car freight train derailment in Falmouth on Wednesday on the railroad’s CC Subdivision between Cincinnati and Corbin, Ky.

CSX crews have opened a community outreach center at the Pendleton County High School to reimburse local residents for out-of-pocket expenses, lost wages, and business interruption losses related to the derailment and evacuation it prompted.

CSX confirmed late Wednesday that 24-cars of the 125-car freight train derailed including hazardous materials cars, which did not spill. The railroad set up air quality monitoring stations nearby as a precaution during the clean-up. The stations would alert crews if hazardous chemicals leaked during clean-up.

The train was en route to Atlanta from Cincinnati on the former Louisville & Nashville main line when it derailed at around 10:40 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday morning. No one was injured and the cause of the derailment is still under investigation.

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Bad Times for Locomotives, Train Crews, and Maintenance Shop Workers By Bill Stephens August 12, 2016

WASHINGTON — With North American rail traffic down 7.1 percent through the first half of the year – and coal traffic plunging 30 percent — it’s not a good time to be a train crew member, a shop employee, or an aging road locomotive.

All have had their ranks cut as railroads slash costs to weather the downturn.

Employment at the six big Class I railroads in North America has decreased by more than 23,000 positions, or nearly 12 percent, in the 12-month period ending June 30, according to a Trains News Wire review of quarterly earnings reports and federal data.

People in train and engine service have taken the brunt of the cutbacks. In the U.S., Class I train and engine crew positions were down 18 percent through mid-June, according to Surface Transportation Board figures that include the American subsidiaries of Canadian railways.

Nearly 9 percent of other transportation-related positions have been eliminated in the U.S., along with 12 percent of executive, professional, and administrative positions, and 6 percent of maintenance-of-way workers, according to the latest STB data.

Mechanical forces also have been hit hard, with an 8.7 percent reduction in the U.S., STB data shows. With fewer cars on line, and fewer locomotives in service, there’s not as much repair work to go around.

The industry-wide drop in employment is not all layoffs. Railroads have also reduced their employee headcounts through attrition. And with so many train and engine employees furloughed, there are fewer people in the training pipeline.

Kansas City Southern has been the only Class I exception to this trend as its overall traffic has held steady. Although 7 percent of its U.S.-based train crews were laid off as of June 30, the railway’s overall headcount in the U.S. and Mexico remained essentially the same as 2015.

Railroads say they will bring people back to work once traffic rebounds. But employment levels may lag a traffic recovery. With merchandise and intermodal trains generally operating below capacity, railroads will be able to fill out trains before increasing the number of train starts and, therefore, the number of crews they need.

The decline of coal, crude oil, grain, and potash traffic through the first half of the year had an outsized affect on train crew layoffs because these bulk commodities tend to move in unit trains. Coal volumes will remain challenged through the rest of the year, officials say, and crude has virtually dried up.

But grain offers some hope for furloughed crews. Every unit train added to the lineup is an additional train start. Grain shipments are picking up in both the U.S. and Canada and are expected to be strong in the second half of 2016 and into 2017.

As of June 30, the Class I systems had more than 4,000 locomotives in storage – or more than 14 percent of the total North American fleet. (The figures do not include BNSF Railway, which did not respond to requests regarding the status of its fleet.) Railroads that are taking delivery of new fuel-efficient models are quickly storing the oldest, thirstiest units.

In the East, CSX and Norfolk Southern had a total of 800 units – or about 10 percent of their fleets – in storage at the end of the second quarter.

At CSX, the storage line – now at 350 units – is likely to grow by the end of the year as it takes delivery of about 65 new locomotives that will complete an order placed in 2014, Chief Financial Officer Frank Lonegro said during the railroad’s second quarter earnings call.

“I doubt you would see us in the market for new locomotives” in 2017 and 2018, Lonegro says. But it’s likely that over the next two years the railroad will invest in rebuilding some of its four-axle switching and local service fleet, he says. NS, which has 450 units in storage, will receive the final 50 units of a multi-year order in 2017. Then it will focus on rebuilding units instead of buying new.

“We continue to progress down the really innovative DC-to-AC rebuild strategy that we have in place, which over the next several years will allow us to bring the age of our fleet down and get good locomotives at a much lower capital cost than new,” Chief Operating Officer Mike Wheeler said during the railroad’s second quarter earnings call.

In the West, UP had 1,700 of its 8,400 units in storage as of June 30. UP will take delivery of 70 new units next year, the final locomotives in an order placed in 2014. They will be UP’s last new power for the foreseeable future, Chief Financial Officer Rob Knight says.

If BNSF had the same percentage of units in storage as UP, it would have 1,600 units parked, or roughly 20 percent of its fleet.

The Canadian railways have more surplus locomotives than their American counterparts. CN has about 530 units – or 24 percent of its fleet – in storage, spokesman Mark Hallman says. Canadian Pacific had 674 units sidelined as of July 1, spokesman Martin Cej says. That’s 44 percent of its 1,515-unit fleet.

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Much of CP’s motive power surplus stems from the 2012 arrival of CEO E. Hunter Harrison and his precision railroading operating model. Even before the downturn, CP had parked hundreds of locomotives. The railway expects to take a “locomotive holiday” and not purchase any new power for the next several years, Harrison has said.

None of this is good news for locomotive builders.

Progress Rail, which owns EMD, would not comment on its production outlook. GE Transportation would not provide specifics on its outlook.

“GE Transportation's results were mixed and continue to be reflective of the challenging external environment – low oil and commodity prices, and declining North American carloads continue to impact order and production volume,” spokeswoman Mailee Garcia says. “We’ve had a strong focus on cost management and productivity as we navigate this cycle, with a focus on global competitiveness. Despite the challenging market, we are in a strong position to help customers improve productivity and efficiency.”

GE celebrated a milestone in July as the 1,000th locomotive rolled out of its 3 1/2-year-old assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas.

It might be the last celebration for a while.

Locomotive production for the North American market will be anemic in 2017 and 2018.

Narrow Gauge Winter Steam Event Coming to Maine By Wayne Laepple

August 12, 2016

 WW&F No. 9 runs around coach No. 3 at Alna Center. Both will be featured during the January 2017 winter runs. Stephen Hussar 

ALNA, Maine — Three Maine railroad museums will partner to offer a once-in-a-lifetime steam event in January 2017, that will feature locomotives and rolling stock from several of the Pine Tree State's storied two-foot gauge railroads.

The events will be held at the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum on Jan. 14-15 and Jan. 21-22, 2017. WW&F 1891 Portland 0-4-4T No. 9 will be joined by Monson Railroad No. 3 from the Maine Narrow Gauge and Bridgton & Saco River coach No. 11 from the Boothbay Railway Museum. The restoration of Bridgton & Saco River boxcar No. 67 in the WW&F shops should be complete by then as well.

A queen-post turntable currently under construction at the WW&F's Sheepscot station will be in operation, providing photo opportunities unavailable before. There is a possibility of a third visiting engine if its overhaul is completed in time.

 

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New Life in a New Location for a Southern Railway Depot By Ron Flanary August 12, 2016

 A before‐and‐after of the former Southern Railway depot in Chucky, Tenn. Ron Flanary 

CHUCKY, Tenn. — Chucky, Tennessee is an unincorporated community on what Norfolk Southern today calls the “A Line” — the old Southern Railway main from Chattanooga to Bristol, Va. North of Bristol the former Norfolk & Western Bristol line continues through Radford, Virginia and Walton, where it intersects the main line between Bluefield and Roanoke. These days it’s a busy route for both intermodal (double stacks) and general freight. The line was first opened in 1856 as the East Tennessee & Virginia.

Like so many communities, Chucky had a passenger depot. In this case it was a standard Southern Railway frame structure erected in 1906, with a small freight room, operator’s bay, ticket office, waiting rooms and rest rooms. While the named trains like the Tennessean, Pelican, and Birmingham Special rolled through at track speed without so much as a conditional stop, the daily local passenger trains in both directions called at Chucky regularly until they were discontinued in the 1950s. Later in that decade, the agency was closed, but the building hung on in private ownership.

As similar depots along the A Line either fell into total disrepair or were razed, preservation-minded citizens recognized the importance of the depot at Chucky. It was even added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 — an honor, of course, but no guarantee that such designation would save the building from destruction. That possibility became reality when Norfolk Southern advised the owners that it must either be moved or demolished, since the structure was still on railroad property.

A partnership between the Town of Jonesborough and the Watauga Railroad Historical Society resulted in the structure being purchased by the town. It was carefully dismantled, literally piece by piece, and moved from Chucky to Jonesborough, 13 miles to the east. Each board was marked, and the project videoed. The work was performed by inmates from Washington County, Tenn., about five years ago, and today other inmates are bringing the project to completion in Jonesborough. Over 95 percent of the structure is original, with only a few pieces replaced because of deterioration. The restored depot sits beside the NS main line just east of, and on the opposite side of the track, from where the original Jonesborough depot was located. The concrete foundation for the original depot is still in place. Plans call for a railroad museum to be located in the structure once it’s completed. A new walking trail was built at the rear of the building. For photographers, the site is a great shot in both directions. On most days during the summer months, somewhere between eight and ten trains pass the depot during daylight hours.

Scheduled Steam Hauled Passenger Trains to Return in Poland By Keith Fender August 12, 2016

 Soon to be a common sight again ‐ PKP Pacific Pm36 2 leaves Poznan on July 9, 2010 with Wolsztyn service. Keith Fender 

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WARSAW, Poland — Starting in December, you too can take a regular passenger ride behind a Polish steam locomotive. Thanks to a June agreement between private Polish freight operator PKP Cargo and regional governments, the famed Wolsztyn steam shops will be up and running and operating steam-powered trains.

Steam-powered runs ended in 2014 following the privatization of Polish freight railroads that included the steam shops. The last active steam operation had ended on Poland's main line railways in the early 1990s but the Wolsztyn steam shop had survived and continued to operate local passenger and some freight using steam, partly as a museum, but operating regular services.

According to the agreement, PKP Cargo will transfer the Wolsztyn shop and locomotives to a new heritage foundation funded by the company and regional governments. Passenger services to be steam operated are likely to be on the routes from Wolsztyn to and from Poznan or Leszno, in western Poland.

The steam services from Wolsztyn have been supported for many years by the British-Polish Wolsztyn Experience company, which enables railfans to pay to learn to drive and fire a steam loco on the scheduled steam services to and from Poznan or Leszno. This operation attracted world-wide attention and visitors from around the globe and helped to ensure local political leaders became engaged in ensuring the steam trains would return. 

FRA’s Quarterly PTC Whip-Cracking Written by William C. Vantuono

Thursday, August 18, 2016

A quarterly status update released Aug. 17, 2016 by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) “underscores the need for railroads to implement Positive Train Control (PTC) as quickly and safely as possible.” The update also “highlights the Administration’s repeated calls for Congress to provide more significant funding to assist commuter railroads in implementing PTC.”

This latest status report, downloadable at the link below, includes railroad-by-railroad quarterly data as of June 30, 2016, on track segments completed, employees trained, radio towers installed, route-miles in PTC operation and other key implementation data. Some of this information is also displayed in infographics in the report. In March, FRA announced that it intended to require railroads to submit quarterly reports to FRA on their progress toward completing PTC implementation.

The appendices in the report show each railroad’s status the most recent information they’ve provided. The three pictographs show (1) each railroad’s targeted full PTC implementation year as reported to FRA; (2) the overall implementation status of the railroad industry broken down by freight and passenger railroads; and (3) the implementation status of each railroad required to implement PTC.

Of the approximately 38 PTC safety plans FRA expects to receive, FRA said it has received seven, “which FRA must evaluate and approve before it can grant PTC System Certification under 49 CFR part 236, subpart I. An additional 13 railroads plan to submit a PTC safety plan to FRA in 2016, but the majority of submissions are not expected until 2018, according to railroads’ annual progress reports,” FRA said. “Submission and approval of a PTCSP does not mean a railroad has completed PTC implementation on all necessary track segments; a railroad may submit a PTC safety plan when it believes there is enough data to support its safety case for system certification.”

“The PTC technology being installed is revolutionary and is a full-time focus of the nation’s freight railroads, which continue to work all-out on PTC testing and installation and to move this complex safety system from concept to nationwide reality across the country as quickly as possible, without sacrificing safety,” the AAR told Railway Age. “ Freight railroads have spent more than $6.5 billion of private money on PTC to this point, and the industry expects final costs to top $10.5 billion by the time the PTC is completed”

Earlier this week, FRA awarded nearly $25 million in grants to help railroads complete full PTC implementation. “Many of the awards will help railroads achieve interoperability among the different PTC systems that railroads are deploying,” FRA said. “This follows DOT’s announcement in July that commuter railroads and states can apply for approximately $199 million in PTC grants.”

FRA said that the Obama Administration “has consistently made funding and assistance for commuter railroads to implement PTC a priority. In his Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget request, the President requested $1.25 billion. This follows requests of $825 million in both FY 2015 and FY 2016. Since 2008, FRA has provided significant assistance to support railroads’ PTC implementation.”

Those efforts include: • Approving more than $650 million in grants to passenger railroads, including nearly $400 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding.

• Issuing a nearly $1 billion loan to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to implement PTC on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad.

• Building a PTC test bed at TTCI in Pueblo, Colo.

• Working directly with the Federal Communications Commission and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation to resolve issues related to spectrum use and improve the approval process for PTC communication towers.

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• Dedicating staff to work on PTC implementation, including establishing a PTC task force.

In 2008, under the RSIA (Rail Safety Improvement Act), Congress mandated PTC on main lines where railroads transport poisonous-by-inhalation or toxic-by-inhalation hazardous materials, or any line where a railroad provides regularly scheduled passenger service. Last October, at the urging of the industry, Congress extended the original deadline from Dec. 31, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2018, with extensions possible on a case-by-case basis.

Wick Is It Long time Norfolk Southern Chairman and CEO to Take Amtrak Reins

By R G Edmonson, Bob Johnston, Steve Sweeney August 19, 2016

Wick Moorman, Amtrak President-Elect. TRAINS: Jim Wrinn

WASHINGTON — Charles "Wick" Moorman will be Amtrak's next president.

In a release sent to employees mid-morning on Friday, Amtrak board of directors Chairman Tony Coscia says that Moorman will take over from current President Joe Boardman on Sept. 1.

Positive comments about Moorman and his abilities flowed from railroads and organizations within an hour of the announcement. “This is a great choice. He’s an experienced railroader who knows how to work with the industry, employees and the host railroads," Sean Jeans-Gail, National Association of Railroad Passenger government affairs vice-president tells Trains News Wire. "We were looking for someone who would be a chief visionary, and he fills that role.”

Moorman is best known as the recently retired Norfolk Southern chairman, president, and CEO. He rose through the company's ranks during a 40-year-career capped by a massive publicity campaign involving an entire fleet of locomotive painted in heritage liveries. Moorman was also critical in restoring Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611 to operating condition in 2015.

“Wick Moorman is a proven railroader whose track record of success demonstrates his commitment and adherence to rail safety, efficiency and service to customers," says Association of American Railroads President Ed Hamberger. "His contributions and leadership in the freight rail industry, I believe, will advance the working partnership the freight railroads have with Amtrak."

After Moorman's own 2015 retirement from freight railroading, he became Norfolk Southern's most vocal defender as Canadian Pacific and it's, CEO E. Hunter Harrison, tried to take over the railroad with unsolicited bids.

Moorman, born in 1950, succeeds Boardman, who has served as Amtrak president for eight years.

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Good Advice Across 126 Years Went Into Picking Wick Moorman as Amtrak's New President

Posted by Jim Wrinn Friday, August 19, 2016

Amtrak, for once, was right on time. The passenger carrier today named its replacement for President Joe Boardman, selecting former Norfolk Southern Chairman Wick Moorman to start Sept. 1. Boardman plans to retire at the end of September after serving since November 2008.

A lot of observers had bet on others to lead the company. Moorman is a surprising choice, given that he’d said that he’d promised his family that he wouldn’t take another full-time job after leaving NS earlier this year. I haven’t talked to him since the announcement, but we all know how strong the calling of railroading is, and, much like other pursuits, once you are in it, you are in the business for life. I cannot blame him for jumping back on board, and we should all be grateful to his family for allowing him to return to the throttle.

I’ve long been a fan of Bob and Graham Claytor, the Virginia brothers who led Norfolk & Western, Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern, and Amtrak at various points in their careers. Graham Claytor in my mind will always be the ultimate role model of the feisty Amtrak chief executive, bound and determined to make a success of what he was given, and deeply rooted in good railroading and customer service. I never met David Gunn, but everything I saw, heard, and read about the man was that he was a natural born railroader, cared deeply for his troops, and did everything he could to make things happen. Alex Kummant was in the job barely two years, and the one time I met him at Washington Union Station, he seemed uninterested.

Wick, of course, is deeply interested. He’s a professional railroader going back to 1970, and his love and appreciation for railroading and especially passenger trains is evident in the tuxedo set of Fs that pulls NS’s office car trains today, the heritage units, and the steam excursions he returned to the company. He beamed especially bright the day in September 2011 when Southern Railway 630 pulled the first steam train on NS tracks in 17 years. He’s following Graham Claytor into Amtrak’s top job, and I suspect he will be every bit as much of an activist president as Claytor was.

Good passenger trains are badly needed in this fast growing country where our Interstates are crumbling and our roads and airports are jammed. Money, the kind of capital money that yields good passenger trains, is tight. Politics in the capital city are as polarized as ever. To be successful, is the head of Amtrak in 2016 a politician? Is he or she a railroader? A little of both? The job will be complex and daunting, even for the best CEO.

Earlier this year, friends discussing Amtrak’s next boss included me on an email chain that included a quote from lawyer and diplomat Joseph H. Choate. This is what it said:

“So when you want to get a head for one of these giant railroads, what do you do? You don’t hunt him out among college graduates; you don’t catch a bloated or collapsed financier and make him at once the master of the science of transportation; you do not try to catch a great lawyer or a great orator, only now or then, but you look for a man that entered the service of the company as a rodman and worked his way up through every step of service from the bottom to the top, who learned all of the details of the business, so that he could see how everything was done, when it was done right, who learned all of the secrets of your business and affairs, internal and external, and then after 30 years you make him your President, and you give your absolute trust to him.”

The words were spoken about the mighty Pennsylvania Railroad and the direction of its leadership in 1890. They’re words worth repeating today, and apparently words that Amtrak’s board kept in mind while selecting Wick Moorman to lead the company. Good for them, good for Wick, and good for all of us who love railroading.

LIRC, CSX Prepare for Longer, Faster Trains Written by Kyra Senese

Monday, August 15, 2016

CSX Transportation (CSX) and the Louisville and Indiana Railroad (LIRC) have announced that train traffic on LIRC between Louisville, Ky., and Seymour, Ind., is set to increase within the next few weeks.

On or soon after Sept. 1, officials say CSX and LIRC train speeds will begin to escalate gradually and continue to do so over several weeks, raising the train speeds from the current limit of 25 mph to 49 mph at many locations. Track and signal improvements have been made to allow for the safe increase in train speeds in accordance with federal regulations.

The federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) approved the changes in April 2015 as part of an agreement between LIRC and CSX. The approved agreement dictates that CSX will fund $100 million in infrastructure enhancements to facilitate the increased traffic from both railroads along the LIRC line.

The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville is expected to see improved rail access as a result of these modifications, as well as boosted capacity and efficiency along the corridor and improved connectivity for manufacturers.

The number and average length of CSX trains is also expected to rise. CSX currently operates up to four trains daily on the LIRC rail line, but there could be as many as 10 of the Class 1’s trains running per day between Louisville, Ky., and Seymour,

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Ind., and officials say the number of trains operating daily could rise again in the future. Train length could also reach up to 14,000 feet and with the number and length of the trains is expected to vary depending on freight volumes.

CSX and LIRC representatives are said to have held numerous meetings with community leaders to share project status updates and address concerns related to anticipated increases in freight volume and construction plans. Officials from both companies say they will continue to share such information as it becomes available.

Genesee & Wyoming to Acquire Providence and Worcester for $126 Million Written by Kyra Senese

Monday, August 15, 2016

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) announced Aug. 15 that the company plans to acquire Providence and Worcester Railroad Company (P&W) for $126 million at $25.00 per share.

The acquisition is pending the approval of P&W shareholders and is set to wrap up in the fourth quarter of 2016.

P&W operates in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York and is headquartered in Worcester, Mass., neighboring with GWI’s New England Central Railroad (NECR) and Connecticut Southern Railroad (CSO).

GWI officials predict that P&W could bring in about $35 million in revenue and $12 million of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, including $8 million of operational cost savings and immediate overhead.

The company expects to fund the approximately $126 million acquisition through its revolving credit facility, which had available capacity of $542 million as of June 30.

Following the approval from the Surface Transportation Board (STB), P&W would be managed as part of GWI’s Northeast Region, headed by Senior Vice President W. Dave Ebbrecht. GWI officials say the addition of P&W to the company’s inhabitance along the east coast strengthens GWI’s ability to serve Class 1 partners and customers in New England, which GWI says is a highly competitive rail market focused on quick, efficient and safe rail service.

“The acquisition of P&W is an excellent strategic fit with [GWI’s] contiguous railroads, the New England Central and the Connecticut Southern,” said President and CEO of GWI Jack Hellmann. “Following anticipated STB approval of the acquisition, our connectivity with the P&W enables us to realize substantial immediate cost savings, to share and optimize the utilization of equipment and other assets, and to unlock significant new customer opportunities across sister [GWI] railroads.”

Hellmann added that the acquisition would also bring GWI connecting partners at two Canadian Class 1 railroads, two U.S. Class 1 railroads and two regional railroads.

“We look forward to working with our Class 1 partners, Amtrak and Metro-North commuter railroad to ensure a smooth transition of services and build upon the success of P&W’s current operations,” Hellmann said.

Approximately 140 P&W employees facilitate rail service with 32 locomotives along 163 miles of owned track and on 350 miles under track access agreements. P&W also operates with exclusive freight access over Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between New Haven, Conn., and Providence, R.I., and trackage rights over Metro-North, Amtrak and CSX, among several others.

Handling about 43,000 carloads and intermodal units annually, P&W caters to a variety of aggregates, auto, chemicals, lumber and metals customers on the east coast. The company also offers rail service to three ports—Providence, Davisville and New Haven, as well as a U.S. Customs bonded intermodal terminal in Worcester, Mass. The intermodal terminal accepts inbound intermodal containers for distribution throughout New England.

GWI also plans to sell 45 acres of undeveloped Rhode Island waterfront land in East Providence, which was originally purchased for $12 million by P&W to be a deep water, rail served port.

Sealing Tank Car Manways to Prevent NARs Written by Wayne Evans, Product Engineer, Garlock Sealing Technologies

Monday, August 22, 2016

Both the rail industry and U.S. Government are seeking to reduce the volume and severity of leaks from railcars. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) began tracking non-accident releases (NARs) in 2001, gathering data on the impact of sealing on industry performance and safety.

Of the more than 14 seals on a typical railcar, particular attention needs to be given to tank car manway systems, which are responsible for more than 60% of such releases in general service cars, according to the AAR. Understanding and reducing NARs in the rail industry is an important goal for both the industry and general public.

General service cars transport fluids such as crude oil, styrene, biofuels, fuel oil, sodium hydroxide and others. These cars represent more than a quarter of the U.S. and Canadian fleets (AAR 2014 data), and are the primary source of NARs in North America. 15 years of tracking NARs has identified the primary cause of NARs in this fleet–the manway. Further investigation has revealed that loose fasteners and gasket deterioration were responsible for 74% of all documented leaks.

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This data points to the conclusion that the most effective way to decrease NARs in a fleet is to focus on the manway first. The need for proper gasket selection and installation is a critical part to an effective manway seal. Maximizing operational uptime, minimizing maintenance and improving safety call for effectively sealing manways. Success is subject to a number of variables, including the gasket material itself—typically rubber, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or fiber-based sheet—loading conditions, installation methods and mechanical integrity of the system (specifically the nut-and-bolt assemblies) and sealing surfaces.

Manway Systems

Hinged and bolted manway assemblies are usually sealed with gasket and six to eight swing bolts (Figure 1). The two common gasket styles are the lid gasket and the nozzle gasket. Typically, nozzle gaskets are rubber-based, while lid gaskets can be rubber, fiber, or PTFE-based gaskets. Note that one type of gasket is used at a time.

A visible leak rate test is often performed before a car is placed into service. These tests are typically conducted at an internal pressure of 30 or 50 psig (pounds per square inch gage, indicating that the pressure is relative to atmospheric pressure) with a leak detection fluid applied to the outside of the sealing area. If a leak is not detected or deemed acceptable, the car is dispatched into the field. All systems leak; the issue is whether the system meets an acceptable leak rate.

Bolt load recommendations are made based on gasket size assumptions from AAR manuals, specifically the nozzle sealing surface, and the torque load from the nut/bolt assembly being converted to gasket load. It should be noted that corrosion and damaged components are common, given the operational duty cycles and long service lives of these railcars. Carbon steel components are particularly susceptible to corrosion, posing an issue if sliding motion is a functional requirement.

As of 2015, the average age of the 312,581 tank cars in the U.S. was 15.4 years (AAR data), indicating the increased likelihood that corrosion has impacted the entire fleet in some manner. Commonly, this corrosion impacts the gasket through damaged sealing surfaces and/or corroded fasteners. Therefore, inspection and replacement of nut/bolt assemblies should be considered each time a manway is opened. Swing bolts with damaged threads should be replaced if the nuts will not travel under reasonable applied torque. Bolt lubrication is recommended for this application.

Yet another problem is reduced gasket loading due to damaged washers impeding the rotation of the fastener. The bolt torque goes to overcoming friction, rather than to creating force in the bolt. Physical deformation or “cupping” of these washers can prevent bolt torque from being fully converted into compressive force on the gaskets. This has the effect of reducing applied torque and gasket stress, potentially resulting in NARs (Figure 2).

Cheater bars and impact guns are common tools that can easily hide a system in poor condition. The mechanical advantage these tools provide are useful for ergonomics, but can easily mean a system is over-torqued or a damaged fastener is not noticed. This can lead to gasket stress far too high for the installed product, and cause a leak. This over-torque can also bend the manway lid, causing future issues with the gasket and bolting system.

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At a minimum, hardened washers should be used. However good practice calls for the use of two hardened washers. Testing conducted by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) shows this can increase average bolt load by 11%, and reduce average scatter by 20% compared with a single washer. Provided the nut-and-bolt assemblies are in good working order and the proper gaskets have been selected, most manways will pass visible leak tests and return to service.

Miscommunication of gasket sizes and variability of the physical surface the gasket rests on regularly results in products being used outside their recommended loading conditions. For example, a highly beveled nozzle (vs. a nozzle face that is machined flat) will have a significantly reduced contact surface. This means the same bolt load is distributed over a smaller surface area, leading to an increase in gasket stress. Similarly, miscommunication on gasket size and contact area can result in incorrect torque calculations, leading to significant installation errors. In both these and similar cases, the result is a gasket performing at stresses far less or far greater than intended. Often the higher torque values used to seal hard gaskets are applied to soft rubber gaskets. This creates compressive stresses far greater than what the soft gasket can accommodate, causing it to crush and split, dropping half a gasket into the tank and leaving a manway susceptible to a NAR.

In order to perform in-house tests on railcar products, a fixture was built from a standard AAR-1 hinged and bolted manway from a U.S. manufacturer (Figure 3). The beveled nozzle was examined to determine the tolerances of similar nozzles. The width of the sealing surface on this 20-inch nozzle, measured at 3-inch intervals around its circumference, varied from a minimum of 0.169-inch to a maximum of 0.320-inch (Figure 4, just below Figure 3).

These measurements were used as the extremes for gasket contact area under the same bolt load and displayed in Table 1. Lower gasket stresses, typically 1,200 psi and lower, are a good range for rubber. Higher stresses are better for hard gaskets such as filled PTFE, fiber sheet or products with built-in compression stops.

For Case #1, the full width of the gasket (rather than the actual flange dimension) was communicated as the sealing contact area. When applying a typical load of 200 foot-pounds on eight bolts, about 1,831 psi of gasket stress is predicted. However, the actual stress is far higher and may cut through the gasket, since rubber and some PTFE gaskets cannot handle 23,000 psi compressive stress. Only a few gasket types will handle stress above 15,000 psi.

In Case #4, a highly chamfered edge on the nozzle resulted in an actual gasket stress of 22,957 psi, which would likely crush or split the gasket and resulting in a NAR, regardless of the type of gasket used.

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These scenarios highlight the critical importance of gasket selection and loading. To avoid under- and over-compressing manway gaskets, confirm that bolt loads align with both the gasket material and size. Determine the proper torque based on actual contact dimensions, not the gasket I.D and O.D. Calibrated torque or tension equipment is recommended to ensure gaskets are properly loaded.

A few simple checks are also useful. If a soft rubber gasket is being split, consider a harder (fiber or PTFE) gasket, which is more crush resistant.

Figure 5 shows a common rubber nozzle gasket: If split, the inner ring of rubber is no longer supported and falls directly into the railcar. If there is not a uniform indentation on the used gasket, consider inspecting and replacing the swing bolts. Loose washers, after a system has been tightened, indicate a damaged fastener. Best-practice recommendations include lubricated bolts and two washers on each nut to prevent “cupping” and improve force transfer.

Gasket selection and installation

Rubber gaskets are commonly used in general service cars, being the easiest for effectively sealing manways. However, they are limited with regard to temperature and chemical compatibility. PTFE gaskets are growing in popularity due to their nearly universal chemical compatibility. Depending on how they are processed and the type of fillers used, these gaskets can range from hard to soft. Calendered PTFE gaskets are typically more expensive than those made of skived material, but have better, more consistent properties.

The correct stresses for effective sealing vary widely among hard PTFE, fiber-based and soft rubber gaskets. Rubber gaskets typically seal at 1,200 psi, whereas hard gaskets seal at between 2,000 psi and 10,000 psi. Applying the wrong load, a common error, will adversely affect performance regardless of the type of gasket or manufacturer. Loading a gasket by tightening the bolts in multiple passes maintains even compression, preventing it from being crushed on side and under-loaded on the other.

The objective is to match the gasket to system conditions with technical support from the sealing supplier if necessary. As noted, the performance of any gasket will be compromised by corrosion, damage and missing components. Maintaining the quality of sealing systems with periodic inspections and replacement of worn and damaged items mean fewer NARs and faster, more effective responses when they occur.

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Amtrak Committee Throws Depot Event By Thomas Lynn

Aug 20, 2016

LIVE OAK — The City of Live Oak Amtrak Committee held a VIP event at the historic Suwannee Depot Station at 210 N Ohio Ave. Aug. 11 to bring together supporters for the revival of the Live Oak Amtrak stop.

There were 75 RSVPs for the event, and city councilman Keith Mixon spoke to the crowd about Live Oak’s possible future with Amtrak.

He said the purpose of the event was to raise support in the community for Live Oak to become a railroad stop for Amtrak. To raise support, Mixon laid out the All Aboard Live Oak campaign that argues the city is a perfect fit with the railroad company.

The campaign says that Live Oak would bring a positive economic impact for both Amtrak and the city, which is in a prime location as well as a hub for tourism with a rich history.

“We’re prepared, folks,” Mixon said.

The Amtrak committee is comprised of representatives from multiple organizations, including the city and county, economics development agencies, the transit authority and the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce.

Some members of the committee attended a meeting in Jacksonville the next day to meet with Amtrak representatives.

Kim Smiley, a member of the Amtrak committee and CRA project specialist, said the event gave members of the committee who have not been inside the depot station the opportunity before heading off to Jacksonville.

Originally built over a hundred years ago, the depot station—should Amtrak make Live Oak a stop—will reopen and be used by passengers once again.

Alvin Jackson, economic development director, said Amtrak would be an economic boom to the city and downtown. It will increase tourism and bring rich economic resources to Live Oak, he said.

Larry Sessions, Suwannee County commissioner and member of the Amtrak committee, said bringing Amtrak to Live Oak is going to take a cumulative effort.

“Everybody in the community needs to come together,” Sessions said. “It’s not just about the committee.”

So What Does the “X” in “CSX” Really Mean? Written by William C. Vantuono

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Last December, in my From the Editor magazine column (“Time to choose a name,” December 2015), I attempted to explain how CSX was named.

I looked it up on Wikipedia, which I’ve found to be a reliable source. Here’s what I found, and quoted:

“The name came about during merger talks between Chessie System, Inc. and Seaboard System Railroad, Inc., commonly called Chessie and Seaboard. The company chairmen said it was important for the new name to include neither of those names because it was a partnership. Employees were asked for suggestions, most of which consisted of combinations of the initials. At

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the same time a temporary shorthand name was needed for discussions with the Interstate Commerce Commission. CSC was chosen but belonged to a trucking company in Virginia. CSM (for Chessie-Seaboard Merger) was also taken. The lawyers decided to use CSX, and the name stuck. In the public announcement, it was said that ‘CSX is singularly appropriate. C can stand for Chessie, S for Seaboard, and X actually has no meaning. But X could be used as a short term for the word Express, taking off the E, giving out Xpress, putting the X in use. T had to be added to CSX when used as a reporting mark because reporting marks that end in X mean that the car is owned by a leasing company or private car owner.’”

Turns out Wikipedia (and I, by default) are only partially correct. My thanks to Ken Charron, Vice President–Commercial Counsel, Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, Inc., for educating and enlightening me. It’s well worth sharing:

I noticed in your editorial from the December 2015 issue of Railway Age that you struggled to understand the meaning of all three letters in “CSX.” After getting the obvious references in the first two letters, you acknowledged that “[t]he lawyers decided to use CSX…”, and so I wanted to tell you that my father, Edward Charron, was one of those lawyers in-house at Seaboard Coast Line that worked on the merger, and I remember him telling me at the time (and for many years after) that, “the ‘C’ in ‘CSX’ stood for ‘Chessie’, the ‘S’ for ‘Seaboard’ and the ‘X’ was for ‘Consolidated.’” Thus, “CSX” meant “Chessie Seaboard Consolidated” to reflect that a true merger had taken place. I hope that this is helpful if the issue ever arises again.

So, now we all (well, at least anyone reading this) know what the acronym “CSX” really stands for.

Thank you for allowing me to, as my late colleague and friend Luther S. Miller often told me, “make the obvious less obscure.”

Louisiana Flood Waters Taking Toll on Rail Traffic By Hayley Enoch August 19, 2016

BATON ROUGE, La. — Historic flooding in Louisiana and Mississippi displaced some 10,000 residents and prompted President Barack Obama to declare much of the area as a federally designated disaster area. The natural disaster continues to have a pronounced effect on rail transportation in the area.

On Wednesday, rising flood waters rose above the Canadian National mainline tracks between Baton Rouge and Reserve, La., and forced the closure of the route.

“As we have communicated daily, excessive rains since last week have caused flooding in the south resulting in a federal disaster area declaration for Louisiana as well as a declaration of states of emergency for both Louisiana and Mississippi,” CN said on its website.

Officials estimated that rail shipments routed through the area would be delayed by at least 48 hours, and said that maintenance-of-way crews are actively monitoring the closed line and other routes through the most severely flooded areas. High water receded from a temporarily closed stretch of CN track between New Orleans and Hammond, La. Its flooding halted freight over the weekend and forced City of New Orleans passengers to finish their trip by bus. A railroad representative says that as of Thursday, CN’s operations in the region had resumed.

Union Pacific representative Jeffrey DeGraff says that while the company has incurred no major damage or traffic interruptions due to the flooding, it has experienced a manpower shortage as a number of employees based in the area are unable to report to work.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation in Louisiana and our thoughts go out to all affected by the flooding, especially our employees that live in the area,” DeGraff says.

Thursday’s forecast called for more rain for most of the Gulf region. The National Weather Service cautioned that flash flooding was possible in East Texas, Arkansas, and western Louisiana.

Trains Magazines Seeks Proposals for $10,000 Preservation Award August 15, 2016

WAUKESHA, Wis. – Trains Magazine is accepting proposals through Oct. 28, 2016, for its annual $10,000 preservation award. The grant will go to a nonprofit, educational organization in the U.S. or Canada for the restoration or repair of a locomotive, rolling stock, or a structure; or for the establishment or conservation of archives.

Top priority goes to projects of regional or national significance, for which the grant will make a significant impact, and that will be spent by Dec. 31, 2017. Restoration projects nearing completion are preferred.

Proposals should be brief, no more than 200 words in length, and include basic project budget information and up to five images. Applications may be sent via email to presaward@trainsmag.com or mailed to Trains Preservation Award, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187. Trains Editor Jim Wrinn will announce the winner Nov. 12, 2016, at the Association of Tourist Railroads & Railway Museums’ annual meeting in Savannah, Ga., and on Trains News Wire.

The winner will be profiled in Trains’ January 2017 issue in the Preservation column and online.

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Age of Steam Open for Rare Public Tours in September August 15, 2016

 Age of Steam Roundhouse website 

SUGARCREEK, Ohio — For one, rare, day, the public will be able to visit and tour the Age of Steam Roundhouse and locomotive collection in central Ohio.

Public tours of the fabled roundhouse will be available in three sessions beginning at 11 a.m., Sept. 10. The tours will be followed up in the evening by a separate "Evening at the Roundhouse" reception from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tour tickets are $20 a piece and reception tickets are $50. An Age of Steam representative tells Trains News Wire that after the public tours, access to the locomotives and most interesting portions of the roundhouse and grounds will be closed off for the reception. Proceeds from the reception benefit a local high school's scholarship fund.

Former Ohio Central owner Jerry Joe Jacobson uses the Age of Steam Roundhouse to house and display his collection of steam and heritage diesel locomotives.

Cajon Pass Burns By Justin Franz August 17, 2016

 BNSF Railway, Union Pacific, and Interstate 15 remain closed as the 30,000-plus acre wildfire burns in the desert. Flames erupt on a hillside alongside one of the main rail routes connecting Southern California with points north and east as a wildfire rages out of control in Cajon Pass north of Devore, Calif., on Aug. 16. The train in the middle ground is likely the BNSF Railway freight that was caught near the blaze early on Tuesday. The fire was roaring through the San Bernardino Mountains, heading generally north but also east and west above the Cajon Pass, and forced the shutdown of a section of Interstate 15, the main highway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, leaving commuters stranded for hours. Firefighters say the fire's growth was explosive. Doug Saunders/San Bernardino Sun via AP.

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CAJON PASS, Calif. — Freight traffic over one of California’s busiest and most iconic pieces of railroad has come to a halt after a small grassfire exploded Tuesday afternoon into a massive inferno in San Bernardino County.

The Blue Cut Fire had burned more than 30,000 acres by early Wednesday morning and forced the evacuation of more than 80,000 people north San Bernardino as more than 700 firefighters tried to get handle on the blaze. The fire is burning along both BNSF Railway and Union Pacific’s routes over Cajon Pass. Interstate 15 is also closed and hundreds of homes and structures are threatened. At least two firefighters suffered minor injuries Tuesday when the fire overran them.

UP spokesperson Justin Jacobs says at least six miles of the railroad’s Mojave Subdivision was closed Tuesday night and that it was unclear when it would be safe to run trains again.

“We could be looking at running some detours,” Jacobs tells Trains News Wire. “It depends on how the situation unfolds.”

Jacobs says UP is working closely with local authorities monitoring the situation and that the safety of the people battling the blaze is the railroad’s top concern.

BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent says that railroad’s Cajon Subdivision is also closed. When the fire struck, at least one BNSF train was in the area — photos of which quickly appeared on local media outlets — and the Associated Press reports that the train crew had to flee the fire. Kent says that train was safely moved out of danger and that all BNSF employees were safe.

Amtrak's Southwest Chief detoured Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning via Mojave between Los Angeles and Barstow. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari tells Trains News Wire that the railroad expects to detour those trains again Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, however he does not have an estimate for their return to the regular route. He also acknowledges cooperation from Metrolink, BNSF, and Union Pacific that makes the move possible. Amtrak passengers for intermediate stations are encouraged to use parallel commuter rail routes wherever possible.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency late Tuesday. Extreme temperatures and dry conditions are fueling the fire and forecasters project that conditions will get worse before they get better for the hundreds of people trying to stop the blaze.

NS Unveils Latest Rebuilt AC44C6M, New Paint Scheme August 18, 2016

 NS AC44C6M No. 4004 at the Juniata Shops in Altoona, Pa. Norfolk Southern Corp. 

ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern’s latest DC to AC conversion locomotive has been released from the railroad’s Juniata shops in Altoona in a paint scheme slightly different than previous rebuilds.

NS AC44C6M No. 4004 is part of the railroad’s DC to AC conversion program and the latest locomotive to be rebuilt by the Juniata shops. It features a “black mane” paint color variation different than any other locomotive in the system. The paint scheme is similar to the program’s prototype locomotives, but instead of a blue and grey scheme, No. 4004 features a black mane.

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NS says the “black mane” denotes that the locomotive was rebuilt at the Juniata Shop in Altoona. NS No. 4004 is former GE D9-40C No. 8866.

About Amtrak's New Leader Posted by Fred Frailey

Friday, August 19, 2016

It’s safe to say that everyone who cares about the future of the American passenger train breathed a sigh of relief today. Welcome to Amtrak, Wick Moorman. When he and I spoke months ago, the just-retired chief executive of Norfolk Southern said the challenge of running (and changing) Amtrak attracted him, but that he had promised his wife he would devote his time to her and their family. So maybe the hero of the day is really Bonnie Moorman.

Charles (Wick) Moorman brings some big strengths to his new job.

First, he is an unabashed lover of trains—their history, their romance, their importance to the nation’s economy. But for him, the 611 steam locomotive of Norfolk & Western heritage would never have been brought out of retirement and restored to life. I’ve questioned to myself the cost of painting locomotives in honor of the almost two dozen predecessor companies of Norfolk Southern, but no one can question the pride that lies behind such a project.

Second, Moorman comes to Amtrak with not just a railroad background—something it sorely needs in its leader, having morphed from a business into almost an adjunct of the Federal Railroad Administration (a government bureaucracy, in other words)—but a large railroad background. Amtrak is, when you think of it, America’s only national railroad. Moorman knows the railroad business and he has had a decade’s experience controlling and directing a very large organization. NS has roughly 29,000 employees, and Amtrak about 20,000. So Moorman should well know how to get his hand around the company he is about to lead.

Third, he comes with a southerner’s political instincts. The best people in politics are likable men and women who project friendliness and humility simultaneously. Wick is self-deprecating to a fault, and carries with him a soft wit. Speaking to Progressive Railroading’s Pat Foran a few years ago, Mike Haverty of Kansas City Southern (a man who doesn’t suffer fools) said of Moorman: “Wick is very polite, and he comes across as fairly low key, but he's a businessman. I have found over the years, in dealing with senior management at Norfolk Southern, that they all have been what I would refer to as 'southern gentlemen.' And behind the gentleman exterior, they're tough. They're determined. They're dedicated. That's Wick." At Amtrak, Moorman will be dealing with state and congressional politicians, trying to bend them to his way of thinking. His disposition prepares him well for this part of his job.

Fourth, as Haverty’s remarks suggest, Wick has the respect of his fellow railroad moguls. This is important, because as a group, these titans of the transportation world really don’t like each other all that much. He’s going to have to go to the railroads over which Amtrak trains operate and ask for things these other railroads don’t want to provide—track occupancy, better handling, flexibility on scheduling. That he has the respect of these people is incredibly important.

And finally, it is totally within the man's character to take the job on a salary of $1 a year, with a substantial bonus ($500,000 max) tied to performance goals.

My question (and I’ve asked it before) is simply this: Is he really tough enough, will he hold people accountable? I got the impression in his last years at Norfolk Southern, when it had enormous weather problems combined with a traffic surge over the northern half of its network, that he was accommodating when he should have been more demanding. Well, only Wick Moorman can demonstrate whether he is tough enough, and I will give him the benefit of my doubt.

The challenges he faces—dear Lord, don’t get me started! That’s the subject of a future essay. 

ASLRRA Applauds Amtrak's Selection of Moorman Wednesday, August 24, 2016

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) released the following statement by President Linda Bauer Darr in response to the Amtrak Board of Directors’ introduction of Wick Moorman as President and CEO of Amtrak, succeeding Joe Boardman.

“We applaud the selection of Charles “Wick” Moorman to lead Amtrak. His deep experience in the railroad industry, his commitment to safety and customer service, and his understanding of the partnership of commuter and freight rail in delivering a transportation system that is the envy of the world bodes well for all. We are pleased that he has chosen to step out of retirement to engage in serving the public.”

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New Boss Favors Amtrak Growth By JOAN LOWY

Published: August 22, 2016

WASHINGTON — The former head of the Norfolk Southern freight railroad, Charles “Wick” Moorman, has been tapped to be president and CEO of Amtrak, the nation’s passenger railroad, Amtrak officials said Friday.

Moorman’s ties to the freight rail industry should help strengthen the company’s relationships with those railroads, said Anthony Coscia, Amtrak’s chairman.

Amtrak owns most of the track it operates on in the busy Northeast Corridor, but throughout most of the rest of the country it operates on tracks owned by freight railroads. Amtrak envisions creating a network of interconnected rail corridors that would allow the company to expand passenger service to more communities.

“A big part of Amtrak being able to realize the vision that we think accommodates the kind of growth that we see in passenger rail requires us to get to a partnership with freight railroads that creates maybe a different operating environment than the one that exists today,” Cosica said in an interview.

“I can’t think of a better person to spearhead the effort than someone who was a real leader in the freight industry and who understands the passenger rail industry,” he said.

Moorman, a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., was president and CEO of Norfolk Southern Railway from 2004 to 2013.

He succeeds Joseph Boardman, a former head of the Federal Railroad Administration, who has led Amtrak since 2008. Boardman announced his intention to retire last fall.

The Signs, They Are Changin' By R G Edmonson, Joseph M. Calisi

August 25, 2016

 New  York's  Penn  Station  hosts  liquid  crystal  display  Solari  or  spit‐flip  boards  that  will  soon  be  replaced  with  more  advanced  electronic  sign  boards. Philadelphia's 30th Street station is among the last in the U.S. to have an electro‐mechanical Solari board. Joseph M. Calisi 

WASHINGTON — Sorry, Bob Dylan, the signs they are a-changing.

Those electro-mechanical sign boards that have announced the arrival and departure of Amtrak trains since Amtrak was Amtrak, are gradually going the way of E units and the Pointless Arrow logo.

The boards, Passenger Information Displays in Amtrak-speak, are gradually being replaced around the system. Amtrak spokesman Mike Tolbert says the signs are being replaced by modern digital displays on a station-by-station basis. Split-flap or Solari boards – the name comes from the Italian company that first made them – were invented in 1956. Since then they have become icons in airline and railroad terminals around the world.

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Amtrak's program is nothing new. The Baltimore Sun reported that Amtrak replaced the signs in Baltimore Penn Station in 2010. Travel media outlets say Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is next.

A project to replace LCD Solari boards at New York's Penn Station, themselves replacements for the electro-mechanical versions, recently made news because it caught the eye of a Twitter follower and the transportation reporting arm of online news organization, Politico.

Tolbert says the New York Penn display project is huge. Four wall-size video departure displays, nine large and 10 medium-size departure displays, and 13 gate boards. There are also medium-sized arrival boards. Amtrak is adding vocal messaging to aid visually-impaired patrons to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Progress is progress, but for those who long for the clacking sound of letters and numbers, there is some comfort online. Dixieland Software has created an Amtrak Solari Board simulator. Type in the station code and watch the letters flip on a specially designed website.

Hall to Take Over as FEC’s VP of Sales Written by Kyra Senese

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) has announced that Bradley S. Hall will serve as the company’s new vice president of sales in the carload segment.

Hall will take on this role with a background of more than 30 years in business development as well as strategic planning and pricing.

He will be responsible for executing sales strategies for the railway's carload segment. The railway operates along 351 miles of mainline along the state’s east coast, as well as a branch line that officials say directly reaches the company’s carload customer base.

Hall’s prior roles have included vice president of Global Industrial, Mining and Freight Solutions for Siemens Rail Automation. He also previously served as a leader at American Commercial Lines, Invensys Rail, CSX Transportation and Conrail.

Representatives say John Lucas, vice president of sales, has been “instrumental in growing the carload segment” for the past two years. Lucas is expected to continue leading the domestic intermodal segment.

“Together, these proven leaders will strengthen and enhance customer relationships and maximize growth opportunities in the carload, and domestic intermodal industries,” representatives said.

Finding the 694: 106 Years After Tragic Crash, Locomotive Located in Lake Superior

By Andrew Krueger August 20, 2016

Guided not just by the hands of operator Tom Crossmon, but also by the past efforts of an extended network of divers and the collective memory of a community, the remotely-operated vehicle descended into the depths of Lake Superior.

Dropping down a sheer rock cliff that plunges into the lake along a remote stretch of the northern Ontario shore, the ROV's camera and lights searched for its quarry: A wreck not seen since it happened 106 years ago. A wreck that claimed three lives. A wreck unlike any other in the Great Lakes.

Within about an hour on July 22, about 235 feet beneath the surface amid a jumble of massive boulders, Crossmon and his companions found what they were looking for. There, visible on a video screen aboard their 24-foot boat, was the wreckage not of some long-lost schooner or ill-fated freighter, but rather a railroad locomotive. Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive 694, to be exact, which crashed into the lake from the cliffs above in a violent collision of metal and rock before sunrise on the morning of June 10, 1910. The Wreck

The Township of Schreiber, Ontario, was founded in the 1880s as the Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed across northern Ontario along the rugged shore of Lake Superior — and the railway plays a central role in the community to this day.

The town, about 250 miles northeast of Duluth, is a crew change point for trains heading west toward Thunder Bay and east toward White River.

And so it was that in Schreiber on the night of June 9, 1910, a crew of three men — engineer Frank Wheatley, fireman E. Clark and brakeman J. McMillan — joined a freight train heading east, pulled by CPR 694. The 694 was a mighty D10 steam locomotive, just four years old.

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During the night, and into the morning of June 10, the train crossed the Aguasabon River, and rounded the sinuous curves of Jackfish Bay. Not far east of what is now Neys Provincial Park, about 6 miles northwest of what is now the town of Marathon, the train approached Mink Harbor on Lake Superior.

"The main line at that location is right beside the lake but the lake level is about 65 feet ... below the level of the track," said Doug Stefurak of Schreiber, a retired CPR locomotive engineer.

With a rock face to their left and the lake far below to their right, the three-man crew of the 694 found themselves bearing down on a rockslide dead ahead, strewn across the rails. There was no way to avoid a crash.

McMillan apparently jumped from the train in a futile attempt to escape; his body was later found beside the tracks.

"The other two guys, the engineer and the fireman, they went over the embankment" and into the lake along with the 694, a tender car and at least two boxcars, Stefurak said. "The fireman's body was never recovered."

Stories of the Crash

Out of sight but never out of mind, the 694 and its crew were well-remembered in Schreiber in the decades that followed. Engineers and crewmen who lived in the community passed the crash site on a regular basis, and passed the story on to younger generations.

"We heard about this accident when we were in our 20s, when we hired on the railway," said Stefurak, who joined CPR in 1968 and worked for the railway for 40 years, most of that time as a locomotive engineer. "It always fascinated me, and we used to go by that location pretty much every other day for years and years and years."

The headstone of CPR 694 engineer Frank Wheatley in Thunder Bay, Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Doug Stefurak)

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The memory of the crew also lived on through their families. Wheatley, the 38-year-old engineer, was buried in Thunder Bay beneath an elaborate gravestone carrying the logo of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Though he didn't have children, his siblings did.

Darryl McCrindle of Thunder Bay is the granddaughter of Wheatley's brother. Her grandfather died before she was born, but her father and his sisters shared the story of what had happened to her great-uncle.

"The family always knew about it, and everybody in the family talked about it," she recalled. "... That side of the family was a railroad family."

Back in Schreiber, interest in locating the 694 grew over the years — to provide some closure, and perhaps, if the engine somehow survived the crash in relatively good shape, to raise it.

"A small group of us decided a number of years ago to let's do what we can to possibly find this 694," Stefurak said. "We raised a few dollars, and got a few people interested, and here we are today."

The Search Begins

In 2013, longtime diver Terry Irvine of London, Ontario — who had been visiting wrecks along the Ontario shore of Lake Superior for a decade — heard about the 694. Intrigued, and with a general location where the crash happened, he and other divers returned in 2014 to try to find the locomotive.

This boxcar was located by divers in Lake Superior in 2014 near Marathon, Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Terry Irvine)

"We did about three dives total, and on the third dive we found one of the two boxcars" at a depth of about 285 feet, he said. The group also found the front wheels — the "pony wheels" — of a locomotive, among other debris. The main body of the locomotive, however, eluded them.

Irvine, who has been diving wrecks for 30 years, said the accounts of what happened that night back in 1910 were never far from mind.

"When I dive on a wreck, I think about the story that the wreck is telling me," he said. "When we dove the train, we (thought) about that night ... when these unfortunate guys saw the rockslide and hit the brakes, but it was too late. How horrific that must have been, this thing going off the track and hitting that cold water and smashing its way to the bottom. ...

"You're not just diving on a piece of steel that has some wheels. You think about that story and kind of immerse yourself in the story."

The 2014 dives were covered by local media, and among the readers was McCrindle, the great-niece of the engineer.

"I was utterly shocked" to read about the crash, she recalled. "I had looked through the newspapers, I'd go to the library and go to the microfilm to see if I could find anything else over the years, but I hadn't — this is why I was so shocked when (I heard) they were going to go dive for it."

McCrindle reached out to those in Schreiber who had pushed for the search — who were equally surprised to hear from a family member of one of the crewmen.

Meanwhile, the divers vowed that the search for CPR 694 would continue.

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The Search Continues

The dives of 2014 set a path that was picked up this summer by Crossmon, who lives in Hermantown and is a former captain of the St. Louis County Rescue Squad.

Crossmon is retired now, but — with his own boat, side-scan sonar and ROV — he's continued to work on-call to recover drowning victims across the region, when local agencies lack the resources to do so on their own.

He's also discovered that his equipment and expertise are well-suited for shipwreck hunting and exploration, and with more free time available he's pursued that hobby. His ROV, in particular, is useful when visiting wrecks.

"It's about the size of a shoebox, which is what makes it really wonderful for the shipwrecks because I can get in and out of places that the big ROVs can't," he said.

And so it was that he was in northern Ontario in the summer of 2015, to explore the well-known wrecks of the yacht Gunilda and freighter Judge Hart, when he heard about the 694 and was intrigued by the idea of a locomotive deep beneath the surface of the big lake.

After doing research last winter, and reading about Irvine's efforts, Crossmon made the trek north again last month. Crossmon was given the coordinates of the boxcar and wheels found in 2014.

The wheels of CPR 694 are seen in Lake Superior last month. (Photo courtesy of Tom Crossmon)

That made for quick work once Crossmon and the others who joined him reached the site. The jumbled rock made it difficult to pick up anything on sonar, but the ROV had no such trouble searching along the cliff far beneath the surface.

"Two-hundred feet away (from the boxcar) was the locomotive, kind of tucked in on that rock face. ... it just blended in among the vehicle-size boulders that were there," Crossmon said. "It's pretty broken up. The wheels are still all connected to the drive arms, but it's pretty damaged. ... It was pretty short work for something that had been missing so long. But the advantage I had was my bottom is unlimited with the ROV, and that's the struggle that Terry and those guys had — they might have 20 minutes of bottom time, so their search time is just so much shorter."

With more time, Crossmon said, he thinks the divers would have located the locomotive. Irvine, in turn, said Crossmon's efforts were vital because of how the wreck blends into the jumbled rocks and may have been easily overlooked by divers.

In total, "it was a great effort by everybody — there was a lot of camaraderie to pull it together," Irvine said.

Stefurak was in Winnipeg, returning from a hockey tournament in California, when he received the call that the 694 had been found.

"I was elated — and also very emotional about it. ... I was really glad they found it," he recalled. When video from the wreck site was posted online, "I think the first time I saw that, I had tears in my eyes — that's how much it means to me."

What's Next

While the wreckage had been found, there's still some more-detailed work to be done.

There was no writing visible on the locomotive, and Crossmon said he didn't want to disturb the wreck in any way on that first visit. While there's no doubt it's the 694 — there's no record of another locomotive going into the lake in that spot — there's a desire to find the builder's plate that would provide definitive identification.

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And while the locomotive itself probably is too damaged to be raised, the recovery of certain items — if authorities grant permission — would be meaningful to the community, Stefurak said.

"There's a few artifacts there that this township, here in Schreiber, ought to have — the bell, or the steam whistle," he said. "The crew left here — that was three crew members from Schreiber, who left here and died. So whatever they can bring up ... ought to come back to the rail museum here in Schreiber."

The bell wasn't in its mount when the ROV passed that spot last month, Crossmon said. It's hoped that further exploration will locate the bell nearby. Irvine, Crossmon and others plan to visit the locomotive again this week.

A small scale replica of Canadian Pacific Railway Locomotive 694. (Photo courtesy of Doug Stefurak)

There's also been talk of building a large replica of CPR 694 for display in Schreiber. Stefurak said the story of the locomotive is important for the era it represents, before the Trans-Canada Highway, when the Canadian Pacific Railway — and that remote stretch of track by Mink Harbor — was a vital link for moving not just freight, but people, too.

"At the time, the only way people got across the country was on that railway. All the soldiers that went to World War I, went through here on the train — this was the only way," he said. "It's a piece of Canadian history"

Crossmon and Irvine said they're glad to be able to give back to a community that has kept the story of the 694 alive.

"A lot of times these things just get forgotten, but it's very much a railroad community up there, and to see that interest was really cool," Crossmon said.

"It is a thrill," Irvine said. "We're now a footnote in that train's history, we're part of the history of that wreck now, which is pretty cool."

Could It Happen Again?

Canadian Pacific trains still use the line where the crash of CPR 694 took place. What’s to prevent a similar tragedy from happening?

Decades ago, Doug Stefurak said, the railroad used to employ rock watchmen who would walk the section of track, day and night, monitoring for fallen boulders.

In the late 1960s, the railroad installed rock fences with wires that, if broken by a rockslide, would automatically trigger “stop” signals down the line to alert any approaching trains.

It Takes a Team to Locate a Wreck

Tom Crossmon and Terry Irvine both make a point of noting that finding and exploring a wreck is far from a solo effort — it takes the cooperation of a lot of different people in the water, on the boat and on land.

Others involved in locating CPR 694 included: Summer 2014 — Irvine, Greg Hilliard, Allisha Hilliard, Dave Ferguson and Jeff Shirk. July 2016 — Crossmon, Ron Benson, Todd Janquart, Dave Schlenker and Mac Schlenker.

Crossmon, Irvine, Dave Schlenker, Greg Hilliard, Allisha Hilliard, Ferguson and Benson are planning to head back to the wreck this week, joined by Shane Cook, Blair Mott and Ron Waxman. Ferguson has arranged to have an official Explorers Club flag accompany the expedition.

They’ve all been assisted by Beverly and Paul Turpin of Discovery Charters in Rossport, Ontario; historian and retired locomotive engineer Doug Stefurak of Schreiber, Ontario; and Schreiber Councilor Bob Krause.

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Amtrak’s Answer for Aging Acela Fleet: 160 M.P.H. Trains By MICHAEL D. SHEAR

AUG. 26, 2016

WASHINGTON — A new era of high-speed train travel is coming to the nation’s busiest rail corridor.

Federal officials on Friday announced a $2.45 billion loan to Amtrak for the purchase of state-of-the-art trains to replace the aging Acela trains that use the Northeast Corridor from Washington to Boston.

Amtrak plans to put the first of 28 new trains into service in about five years. Once they are fully deployed, officials expect the Acela to depart every half-hour between Washington and New York and every hour between New York and Boston. That should increase passenger capacity by about 40 percent, they said.

While the new trains will not approach the speeds of some Asian and European trains, officials said they hoped that the new Acela would travel at 160 miles per hour in some places, up from 135 m.p.h. now. The trains will theoretically be able to go faster than 160 m.p.h., though that would require a huge upgrade of the track system.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., a longtime Amtrak supporter who frequently travels by train between Washington and his home in Delaware, announced the loan at the station in Wilmington that is named in his honor.

“We need these kinds of investments to keep this region — and our whole country — moving, and to create new jobs,” Mr. Biden said.

Anthony R. Coscia, Amtrak’s chairman, said the railroad service was “responding to a change in the United States of people moving into the cities, of people looking for city-to-city connections.”

The Acela trains have become one of the most successful parts of the Amtrak system. Over the last decade, they have helped train service displace airplanes as the most popular mode of travel in the Northeast Corridor. Acela trains carry about 3.4 million passengers a year between the three major cities.

But nearly 15 years after America’s first high-speed trains began coursing between Washington and Boston, the 20 current Acela trains are nearing the end of their usable lives.

Transportation officials said Amtrak first considered overhauling the existing Acela trains, 17 of which are operating at any given time. But that would have been disruptive and costly, the officials said.

The new trains will be manufactured in New York State by Alstom, a French company that builds high-speed trains around the globe. For Amtrak, Alstom will build a version of the Avelia Liberty, which the company’s website describes as having “an innovative compact power car and nine passenger cars, with the possibility of three more being added if demand grows.” The company says the train is capable of traveling at 186 m.p.h.

Like the existing Acela trains, the new ones will have business-class cars, a cafe car, a first-class car and a quiet car, where the use of cell phones is discouraged. The new trains will also offer better accessibility for people with disabilities.

Officials said about $2 billion would be spent on the new trains. The rest of the loan will be used to upgrade several stations, including those in New York and Washington, and to improve track reliability and safety.

Amtrak expects increased revenue from the more frequent Acela service to help it pay back the loan, the biggest in the history of the Department of Transportation, officials said.

The existing Acela trains will be completely phased out by the end of 2022, they said.

“This is a serious, serious upgrade,” Mr. Biden said. “You would need seven more lanes on I-95 to accommodate the traffic if Amtrak shut down.”

PRR T-1 In 1981, I was transferred from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and assigned as Night Trainmaster at Enola. I reported to a great older gentleman, Earl Williamson, Terminal Superintendent. Earl had worked his way up the ladder (to Superintendent of the Chicago Division,) and had been sent back home to finish out his remaining time, due to declining health. Nothing ever flustered Earl... he had seen it all and done it all. He always smiled and dealt with a fair hand, and I never heard a soul utter a cross word about the man. His men spoke of him as "Earl the Pearl," and he was exactly that.

One of Earl's great stories concerned his first position as an official on the Railroad. It was the early 1940s, and he was assigned as Trainmaster on one of the districts of the "Panhandle Division." "The Panhandle" was the hot-shot line between Pittsburgh and St. Louis. A fast railroad with very heavy traffic.

Shortly after arriving on his new turf, Earl received a telephone call from the Road Foreman of Engines. "I'll pick you up Thursday morning at 8. We're going out to do speed checks."

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At the stroke of the appointed hour, the Road Foreman of Engines drove up in front Earl's office. As Earl seated himself in the automobile, he noticed two fishing poles in the back seat... rather strange equipment for two bosses going out on railroad business.

Arriving at some remote spot on track straight-as-far-as-you-can-see-in-either-direction, the Road Foreman of Engines set up his speed checking device. It was a mechanical timer driven by a wind-up clockwork mechanism, mounted in a wooden box. Two small plungers were then fastened to the rail, fifty feet apart, and connected by wires to the tape-driving machine in the box. The first wheel on the engine depressed one plunger, then the other, and the paper tape recorded the time in seconds between the two events, which was easily convertible to Miles Per Hour.

Then came out the fishing poles, one for Earl and one for the Road Foreman. After some few minutes of fishing, an engine whistle was heard in the distance and the Road Foreman ran up the bank and started his timing machine. Momentarily a fast passenger train behind a big T-1 locomotive roared past in a blur of steam and a flash of Tuscan Red cars. And then the Road Foreman of Engines returned to his fishing pole, saying nothing about the train.

A few minutes later, the sequence was repeated... Engine whistle, start the timing machine, then return to fishing.

After a number of trains had thus roared past without a remark from the Road Foreman of Engines, Earl asked him how fast the trains were travelling.

"Oh, a Hundred or better," was undramatic answer.

"What's the speed limit out here?" asked Earl.

"There ain't none. They go as fast as they can go," was the answer.

After meditating on these two pieces of information, Earl finally asked the obvious question...

"Then why are we out here checking speed?"

"Because we have to," replied the Road Foreman of Engines. "Now get back to your fishing!"