Track Warrants
"The Electronic Internet Newsletter of Western Railroading"
P.O. Box 720301
San Jose, CA 95172
USA
Issue No. 20
May 6, 1996
Steve Sloan
Send news, correspondence and images to: Stevesln@aimnet.com
(Alternative for photos for web posting: Stevesln@aol.com)
EDITORIAL
These are exciting times.
These are exciting times for railroads and railfans. All the mergers that
are here and/or on the horizon are indelibly changing the face of railroading.
The new millennium is going to see quite a different railroad scene from
what we are used to. For communications and computers these are also very
exciting times. The Internet, and its child the World Wide Web, are making
possible forms of communication and information delivery we never dreamed
of. The computer culture has become the counter culture of the nineties.
The Information Super Railroad has changed all our lives. These are exciting
times for me. July 14th will be my second anniversary of my new marriage.
We have a new house which we are making improvements on. My oldest son has
moved to southern California, number two son is graduating from high school,
number three son is moving on to fourth grade and I am getting my Masters
degree. On Saturday I took my comprehensive exams and am now doing the last
touchups on my thesis.
There are also some exciting changes planned for Track Warrants. Stay tuned
for more info. First I need to reestablish some credibility by having some
regular issues come out, then I will tell you more.
Steve
AMTRAK & PASSENGER
SUNTAN SPECIAL, Saturday, May 18, 1996, Departure from the San Jose CalTrain
Station 9:30 a.m. Arrival at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, 12:30 p.m.
Departure from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 6:30 p.m. Arrival at the San
Jose CalTrain Station 9:30 p.m.
Courtesy of Altamont Press
News Line, via Web
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Caltrans has a web page.
Bill Farmer
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(April 26) Amtrak has announced effective June 1, 1996, Trains 1/21 and
2/22 will be rerouted over Southern Pacific's Gila Subdivision - the main
freight line - between Tucson and Yuma, Arizona, and will no longer directly
serve Coolidge, Tempe, or Phoenix, which are located on a secondary line.
Phoenix will remained staffed, and will be served by dedicated thruway buses
to and from Tuscon. Other stops are not yet determined.
The last train to serve Phoenix directly will originate in Los Angeles,
Chicago and Miami on Tuesday, May 28, 1996.
This change is being brought about because Southern Pacific is abandoning
its secondary line between Phoenix and Yuma. Amtrak is the sole remaining
user, and would have to assume complete maintenance costs for this 100 plus
mile line if Amtrak did not move.
L. G. Ruback [ On Track Ltd ] (Also, Scott Hume)
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The following schedule is now posted on Altamont
Press News Line, via Web
CALIFORNIA OPERATION LIFESAVER SPECIAL
BORDER-TO-BOARDER:
PROPOSED SCEDULE AS OF 4/8/96
5/13 08:00 San Ysidro Program
08:30 dp San Ysidro Departure
09:30 ar San Diego via Harbor Line/Program
09:50 dp San Diego San Diego No. Special Coaster
11:00 ar Oceanside Program
12:30 dp Oceanside Metrolink Special
13:25 ar Santa Ana Program - Lunch
14:30 dp Santa Ana
15:00 ar Norwalk
15:10 dp Norwalk Via bus to MTA Green Line
15:45 ar Imperial Program MTA Blue Line
16:10 dp Imperial MTA Blue to Red Line
17:00 ar Los Angeles Tie-up for night
5/14 07:00 dp Los Angeles Amtrak/Metrolink 776
09:40 ar Santa Barbara Program
10:00 dp Santa Barbara
12:40 ar San Luis Obispo Program - Lunch, meet #11
13:40 dp San Luis Obispo
(Possible Paso Robles Stop)
16.40 ar Salinas Program
17.45 dp Salinas
18.15 ar San Jose Crew Change
18:20 dp San Jose JPB Special
19:30 ar San Francisco Program, tie-up for night
5/15 08:00 San Francisco Program
08:20 dp San Francisco JPB Special
08:45 dp San Mateo
09:00 dp Menlo Park
09:15 ar Mt View Program and board 600 5th grade students
09:40 dp Mt View
10:00 ar San Jose (Tamien) Special Olympic's Program
JPB/TA/Amtrak - Lunch
12:40 dp San Jose (Tamien) SP/UP Special
13:15 ar Hayward Program - Children board
13:30 dp Hayward
13:50 ar Oakland Program
14.05 dp Oakland
16:00 ar Stockton Add BNSF engine
16:10 dp Stockton BNSF Special
18:00 ar Fresno Meet SJVR Special - Program
18:30 dp Fresno
20:30 ar Bakersfield Tie-up for night
5/16 08:00 Dakersfield Program
08:20 dp Bakersfield BNSF Special
09:40 ar Hanford Program
10:00 dp Hanford
10:35 ar Fresno Through yard to SP
10:50 dp Fresno SP Special
11:50 ar Merced Program - Lunch
13:00 dp Merced Meet Special???
14.10 ar Modesto Program
14:30 dp Modesto
15:15 ar Stockton Program
15:30 dp Stockton
16:00 ar Lodi Program
16:15 dp Lodi
17:15 ar Sacramento Program - Sacramento RT, tie-up for night
5/17 08:00 dp Sacramento
08:30 ar Roseville Program
08:50 dp Roseville
09:30 ar Marysville Program
09:50 dp Marysville
10:40 ar Chico Program
12:00 dp Chico
12:15 ar Redding Program - Lunch
13:30 dp Redding
15.45 ar Mt Shasta Program
16:00 dp Mt Shasta
18:00 ar Klamath Falls End - Return on #11
R. K. Leong Jr., Courtesy of Altamont Press News Line, Altamont
Press News Line, via Web
BNSF(NS?)
The president of the newly merged Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Corp., now
the country's largest railroad, has made no secret of his desire to create
the country's first transcontinental railroad by linking up with a major
eastern line. According to railroad and financial sources, he is looking
harder at Norfolk Southern Corp. than at the other two possibilities, Conrail
and CSX Transportation Inc.
Excerpt from Washington Post story via L. G. Ruback [ On Track Ltd ]
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On Apr. 30, a westbound Santa Fe freight (symbol unknown) came through Port
Chicago around noon with a Conrail-LMS leaser unit ON THE POINT.
The consist was: CR(LMS)752-CR6806-BN7028-ATSF856
Yow!
Wild, weird stuff.
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April 26,1996
Maintenance improvements begin on Stampede Pass
BNSF today announced that it plans to spend about $125 million between now
and 1999 to restore the 77.9-mile Stainpede Pass route between Auburn and
Cle Elum, Wash. BNSF said it expects to run at least one train in each direction
as early as the end of 1996.
At Cle Elum, BNSF's Stampede Pass line will connect with the Washington
Central Railroad route that extends through Yakima Valley to connect with
BNSF's Columbia River Gorge (Spokane to Vancouver, Wash.) main-line route
Pasco. On April 18, BNSF announced that it had signed an agreement to merge
the Washington Central Railroad Company into BNSF for a total net purchase
price of approximately $40 million.
The agreement, along with previously announced plans to reopen the Stampede
Pass line, will provide BNSF with a third route linking central Washington
with the Pacific Coast. This route will alleviate congestion and expedite
rail traffic flow to meet the growth needs of grain merchandise and intermodal
customers. By expanding capacity, BNSF will be able to provide customers
shipping between the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest with a level of service
that consistently meets their expectations. BNSF intends to spend more than
$350 million to expand capacity on its Northern Lines between now and 1999.
In order to reopen Stampede Pass for train movements, extensive trackage
improvements must be made to accommodate traffic growth projections. Presently,
work crews are repairing various sections of track damaged by mud slides
and washouts between Palmer Junction and Cle Elum
In addition, work schedules are being developed for general bridge, tunnel
and track maintenance projects. Among the improvements planned are rail
and tie replacement, and surface corrections between Auburn and Cle Elum.
Engineering plans are being finalized for all major construction projects
on the Stampede Pass line. Construction permits were applied for April 18
with King and Kittitas counties, and work will not begin until those permits
are issued.
Major construction on the line will include:
Reconstruction of sidings. at Lester (7,000 feet) and at Kanaskat (9,300
feet). Siding extension at Easton (8,500 feet). Clearance improvements at
two tunnels, 649-foot and 9,834-foot long, located east of the Stampede
station Renovation of four snow sheds at the portals of each tunnel. Construction
of maintenance-of-way buildings at Kanaskat and Easton, and other small
buildings will be erected at Lester and at the east portal of the 9,834-foot
tunnel. Upgrading of telecommunications facilities throughout the line from
Kanaskat to Easton.
BNSF estimates that when general maintenance projects are completed on the
entire 230-mile main line between Auburn and Pasco, some 129,000 new concrete
ties and 163,000 new wood ties will have been laid along with 43 miles of
new rail and resurfacing of the entire line.
During 1997, BNSF expects to increase train operations to four to five trains
daily in each direction between Auburn and Pasco.
While the line will be engineered for trains not to exceed 7,000 feet in
length, maximum train length is expected to average 4,000 feet for merchandise
trains and 6,500 feet for grain trains. Intermodal trains will not operate
over the line until the two tunnels are heightened in order to accommodate
double-stack container car clearance.
"John R. Knutson", via Leonard G. Ruback, On
Track Ltd,
LONGHORN
(May 01) Effective April 16, 1996, the Longhorn Railway Company began operating
the rail line owned by the City of Austin, Texas which was formerly operated
by the Austin & Northwestern Railroad (AUNW).
The Longhorn Railway (LHRR) will begin interchanging with the SP at Giddings,
Texas. In May of 1995, AUNW had embargoed all traffic routed over the Giddings
interchange. The line has been repaired and SP can now have direct linehaul
into Giddings, TX.
The LHRR is a switch carrier, adopting the AUNW switching tariff. Mr. Donald
Cheatham is the general manager.
Bill Farmer
NRHS
We would like to direct your attention to their site The
Uintah Railway Restoration Project - NRHS Rio Grande Chapter
SJVR REUNION TOUR:
The following is the proposed schedule of the Altamont Press SJVR Reunion
Tour.
TRAIN SCHEDULE:
6/1/96 11:00 dp. Exeter
11:06 dp. Exeter (via Porterville Sub)
11:29 ar. Lindsey: turn train
11:39 dp. Lindsey
12:08 ar. Exeter
12:51 ar. Ivanhoe
14:03 ar. Dinuba
14:44 ar. Reedley; store stop, turn train
15:31 dp. Reedley
16:07 ar. Dinuba
17:20 ar. Ivanhoe
18:30 ar. Exeter
The schedule is padded at Reedley and arrrval at Exeter to account for two
photo stops in the seven-and-one-half-hour journey. Plans include photo
stops at Delta and at another bridge yet to be determined.
I will be driving down to Exeter this week and will have a chance to discuss
this schedule in greater detail and hopefully tighten it up some. It is
posted now on newsline at Altamont
Press News Line, via Web
Rob Carlson
SOUTHERN PACIFIC
(May 01) A trio of SD-9's made another visit to the Bay Area on 4-30-96.
4409 got to lead this time with a Crud (SW-1500) behind it and two more
SD-9's 4390 and 4338. The crud may have been picked up enroute. They were
on the RVSJM and I finally caught up to them near Fruitvale at dusk on the
return trip up to Oakland. The crew was about to die on the law. Normally
asperated power again!! Not a turbo to be heard.!!!! The train was scheduledto
leave after 10:30 PM this evening. Continue to keep track of these relics.
(May02) Cadillac Alert! Thanks to our contact in the North Bay a RVSJM was
called out for 6:10 PM on 5-1-96 with the 4390 on the point. Unknown what
the lashup will be but one could guess. If it arrives in the Oakland area
by midnight it could be returning from the San Jose/Warm Springs area by
early / mid morning. Keep your scanners lit. If anyone hears the train,
either put a message on the radio or call me.
FOAM ON!!
Vic Neves
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(April 26) The SP 501-503 actually got laid up at Boise first, then MKCX
9901-9902 at the beginning of April and 9903 rattled around for a final
week or so. 501-503 hadn't been on SP proper since the UP and MK tried to
keep all six running in coal service. I think that they rarely had more
than 3 or 4 actually on trains or ready at one time. Speaking of demo SP
units, news has it that the AC6000CW 600-602 were scratched from the SP
computer some time ago. Considering that CSX is running 3 AC6000CW's numbered
600-602, I bet I know where they ended up.
Ron Lehmer
TORCH
(May04)We arrived at the San Jose station 7 minutes late. This was for many
reasons. At times during the day, we were 1 1/2 hours late. We did let #14
around us at San Luis Obispo, so our stops wouldn't delay him.
Maybe it was the low light, but I didn't think the green
for the color for the locomotives was a good choice because they had made
the rest of the train bright and festival in feeling and the green was so
dark. I know it's Georgia Green. As far as the UP executive and excursion
cars. They are still in the UP Armour Yellow paint scheme.
All colors and graphics are from ACOG; we had no choice in the matter. The
locomotives do look much better in the daylight, though.
We then walked up to the locomotives and watch them service
them. They went from top to bottom checking everything. Including checking
that there was plenty of sand coming out of the sanders. I don't know why
they were doing such a complete servicing. Especially when they were just
going to go up to Sacramento where the train will sit for several days.
Maybe because it was all the VIPs in the cab and on the train.
You were watching your tax dollars at work. Those were California PUC Inspectors
performing an inspection of the locomotives. Between FRA and PUC, the locomotives
and train have been inspected 9 times in the last 5 days. Today, 7 PUC inspectors
showed up at Sacramento and inspected the entire train and locomotives again.
It was nice to hear Steve Lee's voice on my scanner again.
But it was kind of strange. I've car hosted on a number of UP's Excursions
and when I hear Steve's voice, it means that the 3985, or 844, or the E
Units are not too far away. But this time none of them were around.
It's strange for me, too!!!!
As the train left there was some communications on the scanner
where the crew change will be. The voice on the scanner said that it will
be in Jack London Square and not in the Oakland yard where the crews normnally
change. This is so the train will be more "visable" according
to the voice.
Well, actually it was because the train is easiler to protect from vandalism
when stopped at JLS than in the yard. There have been several attempts to
vandalize the train already. In fact, between Oakland and Sacramento, the
train was hit by a number of paint balls. We spent most of today cleaning
that mess up.
Steve Lee.....On the Torch Train, but still on the List.
FROM THE FIELD
It was another one of those "early alarm" Sunday mornings. You
know what I mean. When the alarm sounds like a cannon going off and you
nearly knock your clock off the nightstand trying to shut it off. I had
to get up as this was a huge railfan day for me. Southern Pacific's inaugural
run of the brand new Swift RoadRailers (PTLAT) on the I-5 corridor was scheduled
into the City of Industry on the return leg from Portland at 5:55 AM. With
the scanner programmed and the camera loaded, I was off in the early morning
L.A. darkness to see the latest generation in intermodal transport.
I got to SP's City of Industry intermodal facility at about 5:30 AM after
an hour drive. I drove around the outside of the large facility several
times and hung around for awhile, but there was no RoadRailer train was
in sight. I was not surprised as Harry Wong had phoned me from Roseville
the night before and he told me that the RoadRailer train cruised thru Roseville
an hour late. I decided to take a chance and go look for it. So I got on
Valley Boulevard and began heading east paralleling the tracks keeping my
eyes open and my ear tuned to the scanner's chatter. Harry had also told
me that two (2) SP GP60s were on the point as the RoadRailer train went
thru Roseville so I was careful to pay close attention to trains identifying
themselves with engine numbers in the 9600s and 9700s.
After a while there was a burst of activity on the scanner and a train identifying
itself as the 9741 - PTLAT was at West Colton. I quickly hopped on I-10
and raced eastward to SP's West Colton Yard. I exited at Cedar Avenue for
a looksee up and down the tracks from the overpass over the yard. Lo and
behold there it was! The train was stopped for a crew change and almost
immediately below me was the train's power. On the point was SP GP60 9741
and behind that was SP GP60 9604. Immedately behind the power was SP test
car 252. Then stretching as far as the eye could see in the early morning
light were fifty (50) gleaming white Wabash National Swift RoadRailers.
It was an awesome sight to behold. There were strings of other freight cars
near the RoadRailer train and I remember thinking how outdated and outmoded
all other rolling stock looked next to this train.
With the crew change complete, the train started rolling west towards the
City of Industry at 7:45 AM. I hopped back on I-10 to pace the train. In
short order, the train was flying along at 70+ miles per hour (remember
this was a test run and the trailers were empty).
I beat the train back to the City of Industry by a few mintues and was waiting
when it rolled into the yard. The front of the train stopped near my location
and there were a couple members of the test car crew standing at the front
of the test car. I walked up and asked them how everything went with the
RoadRailers and one crew member smiled and exclaimed, "Fine!"
One additional note, I was able to observe the Roadrailers from an overpass
and every RoadRailer I saw had large old style Swift logo on top of the
roof.
Brian Kreimendahl
This document was last updated May 8, 1996.
Steve Sloan, Sloan Family Webmaster stevesln@aimnet.com
TRACK WARRANTS
P.O. Box 720301
San Jose, CA 95172
USA