Track Warrants

"The Electronic Internet Newsletter of Western Railroading"
P.O. Box 720301
San Jose, CA 95172
USA

Issue No. 30
October 8, 1996


Steve Sloan
Send news, correspondence and images to: stevesln@aimnet.com


An April 18th , 1996 photo of the Suntan Special leaving Santa Cruz.
Photo by: Steve Sloan ©

EDITORIAL

THIS ISSUE CARRYING GREEN FLAGS
This issue will have one, maybe two sections following containing news covering the period ending Oct 05. I am sorry about the delay. I have been working a bit of overtime lately and the volume of info in the newsletter has increased! I am going away on business (and a day of railfanning.) So following sections will not be put together until after October 15th. Also, my mail list is out of date again. This issue is going to the same list as issue 29. Thank you for your patience:
Steve

ALAMEDA COORIDOR

SUIT SEEKS TO STALL ALAMEDA CORRIDOR
Oct2---In an action filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, the City of Alhambra is challenging the federal approval of funding and construction of the Alameda Corridor, a massive project that would consolidate about 90 miles of existing rail operations into a single, 20-mile high capacity line.

The Alameda Corridor is planned to be a high volume, consolidated freight railroad link between the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and regional and national rail systems. The 20-mile corridor would run along Alameda Street from downtown Los Angeles to the Ports.

The city alleges that federal and state transportation officials failed to consider adequately the potential impacts within the City of Alhambra and the San Gabriel Valley.

The suit says that 100-150 additional freight train trips per day passing through the high number of at-grade (street level) crossings would significantly delay the flow of north-south traffic in the San Gabriel Valley. A foreseeable consequence is that motorists will seek to avoid the long, frequent delays at the at-grade crossings and use the north-south surface streets in the City of Alhambra, where the east-west Southern Pacific Railroad is below street level.

This would further increase traffic congestions, emergency service response delays, adverse noise, air quality and other public health and safety impacts, on top of the problems caused by the 710 Freeway gap.

Motorists would have no alternative, the suit says, since completion of the 710 Freeway, intended as a major north-south transportation corridor from Long Beach to Pasadena, is stalled.

The suit seeks to block further planning, release of funds and construction of the Alameda Corridor until mitigation alternatives including completion of the 710 gap are addressed.
via Brian P Kremendahl

AMTRAK

AMBITS
Sep23--Well, it turns out that the Fullerton station has 'opened' with unknown fanfare. For those of you who don't already know, Amtrak has deleted a train number. They took a M-F (#781) and a Sa-Su (#791), and have a new Daily #781. Any why not? Good for them!
Richard Hamilton

BNSF

MR KREBS IN THE PNW
Oct03---Mr. Krebs was here in the NW this week. From what I was told and saw he was in Vancouver the 2d in the morring then at 3:30pm he was in Tacoma. While he was here he had a "Town Meeting" with all the employees here. I went to listen. It was verry informative. Also there was a lot of the Nothern Lines VP's and the Pacific Division officials there to answer questions. He said he hi-railed from Yakima to Tacoma on the 1st to visit the $61m project for Stampeed Pass. Today I belive he was to speek at pier 66 in Seattle, the same way her did here in Tacoma.

Grain traffic is starting to pick up. I heard that for the month of October 3,000 cars have been ordered for Temco, and 6,000 for November. I've started to see premade concrete walls and other things being dilervered to Auburn Yard for the snow sheds for the pass.
Emory

BN INVASION OF STOCKTON SUB.
Oct02--Guys, some recent locomotive sightings on the (former) Santa Fe Stockton Sub: Yesterday, 10/1/96:
The 699 train left Northbay (around 2:30 PM) powered by
FIVE BN UNITS!!
The consist was 7834-5567-5099-7845-7239 (SD40/C30/C30/SD40/SD40) The 5567 has red number boards, so it's one of those C30's rebuilt to 3300 hp.

Westbound at Collier at 17:55:
BN7119-BN4063-BN3124 on a stack train, symbol unknown.

And today, 10/2/96:
This morning the S-CHRI stopped at Christie (power was 236-5835-5953) to pick up three units off a dead M-BARI:
BN2308-BN7933-ATSF5264.

Green is everywhere.

Also I picked off the morning MRIBA yesterday (10/1) going thru Christie at 9:22 with:
806-7411-EMD6047 EMD 6047 is an SD40/-2 in solid blue with a white nose.
Eric Blasko

GREEN MACHINES ON STOCKTON SUB
Oct02--We appear to be having a sudden invasion of BN power on the Stockton Sub. Yesterday morning about 0600 a westbound was led by a BN SD40. Then, in the afternoon the 9-799-29 train had a solid set of green machines: 7119 4063 3124 (SD40 B30-7A GP40). Early again this morning a westbound was comming with a GP38 BN 2302. The new GNSF GEs are probably displacing the BN power up north.
Gerry Salsig

ATSF BUSINESS CARS IN TACOMA
Sep29--I think it was on 09-27-96 3 business cars from the ATSF arrived on 01-094-27. They were then sent to the Tacoma Belt Line for some "garbage" party that happend on Saturday. From what I was told the cars came up from CA on the "Garbage" train from the Napa Valley. They then took a tour of the dump in Rosevelet, then spent the night (26th) at Vancouver or Portland, then came to Tacoma. They were sent to the "muni" that night (27th) and they ran them around the 15+ miles of industry track in the harbor area. Then they were returned last night and placed on RIP-1 under the car shead where I had to service them. (Fuel and water were added). I'll know tonight what train they left on, but from what I was told they were heading back to Topeka. There were 3 of them, the ATSF 90, ATSF 50, and the ATSF 89. Other news is that Mr. Krebs will be in Tacoma for an employees only visit at the new musiem at the old Union Station.
Well got to run!!
Emory

BNSF INTERMODAL SERVICE ADVISORY,
CHANGES IN ALLIANCE TO RICHMOND SCHEDULE.
Sep23--Effective Saturday September 21, 1996, Train ALRI (Alliance, Texas to Richmond, California) will have a cutoff of 0300 on Saturdays and Sundays. This one hour change in cutoff time will enable BNSF to improve service reliability in this lane. To minimize the inconvenience of this schedule revision, the cutoff will only change on Saturdays and Sundays.
via James Czarnecki

BNSF TODAY


THREE BNSF EMPLOYEES INJURED IN TRAIN COLLISION
Oct04--A Lincoln, Neb., to Laurel, Mont., BNSF freight train collided with an unoccupied BNSF local train on the main line east of Lovell, Wyo., at 9:15 a.m. MDT this morning. The three crew members of the westbound 01-223-02 train sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and were transported to a hospital in Billings.

All three locomotives on the 01-223-02 derailed, in addition to 20 of its 47 freight cars. While both locomotives on the 01-22843-04 local train, known as the Cowley Turn, derailed, none of the train's 41 empty cars derailed. The only hazardous material involved was diesel fuel from ruptured locomotive fuel tanks, some of which ignited and burned. About 550 feet of track is damaged.

By 2 p.m. MDT today, four BNSF trains had been rerouted and four were being held, pending reopening of the line. The cause is under investigation.

NEW INTERMODAL SERVICE HAS A SMOOTH START
The first train to operate for the new intermodal service BNSF launched between Kansas City and the Pacific Northwest arrived four hours and 24 minutes early Thursday afternoon. Train 9 left Kansas City's Murray Yard on time on Tuesday, Oct. 1, with stops in Lincoln, Neb.; Laurel, Mont., and Spokane, Wash., and arrived at BNSF's Portland Hub Center well ahead of schedule.

"BNSF has positioned itself for growth in the Kansas City to Pacific Northwest lane," said Steve Jackson, assistant hub manager at Kansas City. "Tuesday's train left with 25 loads. And Wednesday's train had already doubled the number of loads to 53."

Train 9 operates seven-days-a-week between Kansas City and Portland/Vancouver. Train 8, the eastbound counterpart of Train 9, runs from Portland and Vancouver, Ore. to Kansas City.

MERCHANDISE TRAINS BEGIN USING NEW ROUTE TO PNW
Merchandise trains started rolling over a new route yesterday to increase efficiency and capacity for traffic moving between the Northeast and the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

The trains will be operating between Chicago and the PNW via Dilworth, Minn. and Laurel, Mont. versus the usual Hi-Line route, via Havre, Mont. Trains affected include: 019, 101, 103, 106, 110, 211, 212, 216, and 218. "This will improve overall service consistency and increase frequency of service between Dilworth and Laurel for our customers," said Gene Knipp, manager service design, merchandise operations.
The changes include:
BMWE PASSES FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) has ratified a new five-year contract with the major railroads by a 9-to-1 margin. More than 60 percent of eligible BMWE members voted on the pact with t he National Carriers Conference Committee, which represented the major railroads in negotiations. The agreement runs through 1999 and covers about 30,000 track, bridge and building workers. More than 99 percent of BNSF's scheduled workforce is now under long-term contracts covering pay, benefits and work rules.

PAYROLL OFFICE MOVES TO TOPEKA
Oct03--The former BN payroll office has left St. Paul, Minn., after a 100-year stay in the city. They have joined forces with the Santa Fe payroll department in Topeka Kansas. The change took effect Oct. 1, 1996.

BNSF COMPLETES HAULAGE FOR GM
BNSF and General Motors (GM) recently completed a movement of scrap metal resulting from a model changeover at GM's Oklahoma City automobile assembly plant.

Model changeovers are massive projects that involve removing old machinery and equipment, building new assembly lines, and restarting the plant. Coordination and timeliness are required to enable the project to occur on-time with a minimum of automobile production loss. GM has worked on the changeover from the 1996 Buick Century and Oldsmobile Cierra models to the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu model for the past two years.

GM contacted BNSF to transport the scrap metal that would result from the demolition of obsolete assembly equipment and machinery within the plant. BNSF and GM jointly developed a plan to take into account the large volume of scrap that was going to be generated, the shortage of railroad gondolas, and GM's tight timerequirements for getting the scrap removed. BNSF determined that to minimize the requirements for gondolas and allow for a fast turn-around, the destination for the scrap would have to be a nearby steel mill served directly via BNSF so that logistical control could remain in BNSF's hands. Chaparral Steel's electric arc mini-mill at Ward Spur, Texas, fit the bill perfectly.

Loading of the scrap metal began on Aug. 30 when about 50 gondolas were spotted into the GM plant. When the project was completed on Sept. 11, BNSF had run five unit trains of scrap metal for a total of more than 270 cars. "GM is very happy because BNSF met their needs by moving the scrap quickly," said Jim Titsworth, market manager of Iron and Steel Scrap. "Chaparral is happy because they were able to buy the scrap economically and BNSF is happy because we executed flawlessly and generated almost $400,000 of revenue and excellent margins as well. My hat is off to everyone who did a great job."

AMTRAK, BNSF SIGN AGREEMENT
Oct01--Amtrak and BNSF today announced they have signed an agreement allowing the nation's passenger railroad to operate on BNSF tracks over the next 15 years.

The new contract replaces previous agreements between the two companies that spanned 25 years from 1971, the year in which Amtrak was created, to April 30, 1996. Amtrak continued to operate over BNSF under the terms of the previous contract after its expiration until the new agreement was reached.

BNSF AND ILLINOIS CENTRAL SIGN HAULAGE LETTER OF INTENT
Sep30--Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF) and Illinois Central Corporation (IC) have signed a letter of intent for a long-term haulage agreement between Memphis, Tenn., and Effingham, Ill. Under the terms of the agreement, IC provides power, fuel and crews in return for a per-car fee from BNSF.

In addition, the agreement will include volume-based haulage between New Orleans and Memphis and between Memphis and Chicago, as well as switching agreements at Chicago and New Orleans.

Further, the agreement provides overhead trackage rights for BNSF over IC track between Portage, Ill., and Chicago, as well as allowing BNSF to move cars over IC's connection between BNSF's Corwith and Cicero yards.

RAIL INDUSTRY COMPLIES WITH NEW HAZMAT REGULATIONS
On October 1, the rail industry will comply with new Hazardous Materials Transportation Regulations (HAZMAT). The changes are part of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) effort to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens on the industry without compromising safety. The changes primarily affect placard- ing and shipping paper requirements.

BNSF HELPS MOVE ICC LIBRARY
Sep25--The 60,000-volume historical library collected by the Interstate Commerce Commission over the past century and a half is being moved to the University of Denver with the help of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF). The library is moving to the University's Intermodal Transportation Institute with the support of BNSF, Norfolk Southern and the American Trucking Association.

RADIO CALL-IN TONES CHANGED TO NEW THREE-DIGIT SYSTEM
Sep23--Radio call-in tones changed from a current two-digit number system to a three-digit system beginning Sept. 15 on the Northern Lines. This allows the caller to choose between speaking with a train dispatcher, the Network Operations Center mechanical desk or the local field support office (CSS). Field personnel -- including engineers, conductors and track maintenance personnel -- utilized the two-digit system when contacting the dispatcher for authorization to enter the main track or when they experience mechanical or power failure, report a set-out or pick-up, or report hot box detection, to name a few examples.

For call routing, Northern Lines field personnel will now specify a third number. To reach train dispatchers directly, add a "one" at the end of the two-digit sequence; the mechanical desk can be reached by affixing a "two" to the end of the currently dialed number, and the CSS field support desk can be reached by attaching a "three" after the current number.

An example of the multiple tone radio call-in change for the station located at Maupin, Ore., would be as follows: the two-digit dispatcher radio call-in tone number is 10, and the train dispatcher could be reached by dialing 1-0-1; the mechanical desk could be reached by dialing 1-0-2; and CSS field support could be reached by dialing 1-0-3.

When properly used, the three-digit radio call-in tone system will result in less work for the train dispatcher and allow BNSF to better serve its customers. General Director of Transportation John Grundmann says, "The near real time reporting of work orders completed allows better customer information, car location information and, therefore, utilization. Better information about work orders allows better planning in our terminals for switching." Multi-tone radio call-in implementation for the entire BNSF system is scheduled to be complete by December. The 9-1-1 emergency calls will continue to be answered by the dispatcher on that territory.
excerpts from "BNSF Today" via James Czarnecki

CASTRO POINT STEAM

CASTRO POINT STEAMS AGAIN
Oct02--But this time it won't be from puny locomotives, but from the triple expansion steam engine of a 52-year-old Victory Ship. Richmond has been given the S.S. Red Oak Victory from the Suisun mothball fleet and plans to moor it as a floating museum at the old naval fuel depot at Point Molate.

Unlike it's Liberty Ship cousin across the bay, the Jeremiah O'Brien, which was built in Portland, Maine, the Red Oak Victory was built in one of the four Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond. Local history at its largest.
Jon Porter

CORP

WORKING ON THE RAILROAD
Sept16--Not long ago, Tod Davies paid little notice to the freight trains that rumbled past her house near the Oregon border.

It didn't take long for that to change, thanks to a pair of derailments since July in the quiet Colestin Valley, which straddles the state line south of Ashland.

The first track-tangling incident spilled toxic formaldehyde near Davies' spring. The second one dumped tainted soil from the first spill into a creek.

The derailments thrust Davies and her neighbors into a debate about the competency of the railroad company, the Roseburg-based Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad.

They didn't like what they found.

However, a change in command at the short-line railroad and a recent commitment to safety from its parent company relieved some tensions for now, Davies said. "But we still have to keep our eye on them." The July and August derailments are the latest in a string of troubles for Central Oregon & Pacific, which in 1994 assumed control of 438 miles of former Southern Pacific lines.

State and federal inspectors have repeatedly scolded the company for its spotty safety record, said Claudia Howells, railroad services coordinator for the Oregon Department of Transportation. At the same time, many customers have voiced concerns about inconsistent service, she said.

Those problems came to a head this summer following the formaldehyde spill. The incident convinced the line's parent company, RailTex Inc. of San Antonio, Texas, to bring in a new general manager and create a new operating plan that stresses safety, said Walter Brickwedel, Central Oregon & Pacific's marketing director.

The operating plan - completed this week - focuses on the southern part of Central Oregon & Pacific's route, he said. But some of the standards will apply to the entire system.

"We're calling this the new beginning," said General Manager Robert Libby, who joined the line in August.

The plan also may create additional jobs, Brickwedel said. Currently, 90 workers operate the company's lines, which stretch from Coquille through Florence to Eugene and south from Eugene through Roseburg to Weed, Calif.

Inspectors and neighbors have greeted the proposed operating plan, which includes better crew training and slower speeds in troublesome spots, with cautious optimism.

Howells said the state and Federal Railroad Administration dispatch inspectors daily to the southern Oregon line, something "that's almost unheard of," Howells said.

The most visible of the line's problems have been derailments, she said, although many can be attributed to poor maintenance on the tracks by Southern Pacific before they were sold.

"You can never eliminate derailments entirely," Howells said, but stressed a pattern could indicate human-based causes. "There's been indications that some of them were preventable."

The winding line requires almost continual maintenance because of uneven terrain and steep grades. The nearly 4 percent climb to the Siskiyou Summit near Colestin is the steepest in the country, she said.

In addition to derailments, Central Oregon & Pacific locomotives reportedly sparked brush fires near tracks, Davies said.

Despite the company's inconsistent record, state and federal railroad officials say they're confident the short line will improve.

"We don't think these kinds of blips will happen again," Howells said. "RailTex is a responsible company and they're motivated to get things fixed. That's what we want to see."

The Siskiyou line reopened Thursday.

The new operating plan is good news to Roseburg Forest Products Inc., the short line's biggest customer with more than 10,000 railcars shipped annually.

The railroad is supposed to provide customers with empty cars, switch cars and transport cars in a timely manner, said Dennis Williams, RFP's transportation manager.

However, delays by Central Oregon & Pacific hurt business, he said. "When your railroad takes 15 days to do something that a competitor can do in 10, then a customer will look more favorably at the competition." However, service provided by the railroad company remains better than its predecessor, Williams said, and he's confident the railroad will get better in light of recent management changes.

At Superior Lumber in Glendale, lumber sales manager Christy McDowell said the railroad improved its service vastly since it first started. "We just hope that continues," she said.

Roughly 70 percent of the line's business comes from wood-products companies that make up the bulk of its 60 customers, Brickwedel said.

Another 15 percent is from pulp and paper-related products for Weyerhaeuser and International Paper mills on the coast. The company also ships fertilizer to the Douglas County Farmers Co-op and fuel to gas companies.

After the operating plan is adopted and safety issues are addressed, the company may look for ways to boost business, Brickwedel said. That strategy may include adding intermodal truck service or shipping raw logs, he said.

Intermodal service is when railroads transport commercial truck trailers.

But for now, the company is taking one step at a time, Brickwedel said.

His scenario suits inspectors and critics just fine, who say the company needs to fix existing problems first. "We think things will be under control," Howells said.

The mood remains cautious in the Colestin Valley. However, residents are encouraged in the wake of positive meetings with RailTex representatives, Davies said.

"We had the impression they weren't putting money into the line at the expense of our safety," she said. "Now they say they've changed their attitude.

"They made a lot of promises," she added. "If they keep them, we'll all be happy."
James Sinks

TO BE CONTINUED, NEXT WEEK!


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This document was last updated October 09, 1996.

Steve Sloan, Sloan Family Webmaster
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TRACK WARRANTS
P.O. Box 720301
San Jose, CA 95172
USA