Issue No. 38

November 26, 1996

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

EDITORIAL

ANOTHER GREEN FLAG--STEREO ISSUE

This set is going to my revised mailing list. I usually get around to revising the list about once a month. So, be advised, it may take awhile for new subscriptions and deletions to get posted.

LETTERS CONFUSION

A long time ago I apparently hurt a readers feelings when I ran an email this person sent me as a letter to the editor when it was not meant for publication. I am sorry for this. When I receive material at my Track Warrants E-mail address I assume it is for publication unless it is clearly marked NOT FOR PUBLICATION. Perhaps I should be more clear about this in the future.

SOFTWARE

Thanks to reader contributions, including one very generous contribution, I have bought software to speed my production of the web version. This will make a big difference! Thank you all.

UP PASSENGER SPECIAL

I want to thank Rob Carlson for all the work he does and for carrying the news of the UP E-unit special through the San Francisco Bay Area. I didn't find out about it until the last minute, but a friend of mine told me about it and told me that there was a schedule on Carlson's web site.
Sure enough! I shot it Sunday morning at Pinole.
Steve

THE CANS
The cans are captured on July 13, 1996 approaching Caliente, CA in a photo by Seth Neuman©.

BNSF

BNSF LETTERED UNITS

Nov16--The equipment for the Santa Train to the City of Hope in Duarte, CA arrived in LA on the 15th on the rear of the P-KCSB. It is currently scheduled to operate on the 21st of November. I hope to get more details soon.
Craig Walker

STAMPEDE PASS TYPE STUFF

Nov14--I'm enjoying the news in Track Warrants very much, and wanted to let you know what's going on in this corner of the world. There have been reports on the newsgroup about all the construction on Stampede Pass, and I thought I might do my part to contribute what's happening from my own personal observations.

We returned from Seattle to Pasco on Veteran's Day, which was obviously not a holiday of crews working on the Stampede Pass line. At Easton, ballast is being poured on the passing siding from the east switch, which now has signals installed, but not yet operational (facing sideways). The switch has not been powered yet, but the tall switchstand that was there a few weeks ago has been replaced by more of a ground throw apparatus, so it looks like the motor will be installed soon. At Ellensburg, The west switch signals are in place and the siding has been ballasted. Again, the signals are not yet operable at this location, turned to the side. It appears that the siding has been extended west - I don't remember it being where it is now; just west of the overpass on the road in from the first Ellensburg exit going eastbound. In Ellensburg proper, the siding's track joiners were unbolted preparatory to welding, and a crossover is being installed just west of the depot, going from main to passing track only. All signals are in place, again not operable at this point. It appears that they're creating a double siding, in effect. Nothing has been done yet at the east switch, though, as near as I could tell. There were crews swarming all over this area, so I couldn't take a real good look around.

At this point, we moved to the other side of Yakima so I could see what was happening in the lower end of the Yakima River Valley nearer to Pasco. I cut back over to the railroad at Toppenish, and followed the line southeast. At Mabton, a gondola was spotted on the siding with a prefabricated switch. Further railroad east, the old siding at Byron, about five miles west of Prosser, has had the old west switch removed. I assume that is where the Mabton switch will be placed, because all grading work has been done, and all signal bases have been installed. The relay cabinet is in place, and masts for the signals were laying alongside. The east switch has been extended further east, involving some nice fill work. The east switch is not yet in place, but the signal bases are all installed. While we were at Byron, a westbound ballast train passed by with two BN GP50s and about 60 loads. The first fifteen were BN cars; the balance were Herzog cars. Further east, at Kiona, within the last two weeks new crossing gates have replaced the wag-wag signal that was formerly there, and all signals have been installed at the west switch, again not operable. I'm not sure where the east switch is; I'll be trying to get up there soon to walk in or find the access to it.

This commentary, lengthy as it is, doesn't take into account all the new rail being laid, and other surfacing work and such. The magnitude of this project is truly stunning; I feel pretty fortunate to be in a position to see what's going on. They're building a super-railroad out here!!

I hope this isn't too long; I wanted to share it with someone!!
Anthony P. Dell

BNSF TODAY

EARLY WINTER STORM MOVES ACROSS NORTHWEST

Nov20--A strong weather system combining freezing rain, ice and snow is moving across the Northern Lines causing substantial train delays in Montana, Oregon, Idaho and Washington on BNSF's Hi Line (northern main line) and Coast Line (Puget Sound and south).

High tides, mudslides and uprooted trees have closed one main track between Seattle and Everett, Wash., causing delays to Amtrak and UPS service. The Scenic and Columbia River Subdivisions are experiencing flooding on the west side of the Cascade mountains and as much as two to three feet of blowing, drifting snow on the east side to Havre, Mont. A severe ice and snow storm went through Spokane, Wash., Tuesday evening, causing power outages to two-thirds of the city. Downed power lines and commercial power outages caused train delays and periodic CTC outages, affecting train reporting at Yardley.

Limited train movement on the Oregon Trunk Subdivision resumed Wednesday morning after being shut down for 24 hours due to rock slides, signal outages, line-pole damage, downed slide fences and water near or on the track. Constant rain on the Wishram and Fallbridge Subdivisions has caused train delays due to mudslides and flooding.

Train operations will begin to normalize on the Hi Line and Coast Line as weather allows. Work trains, helper engines and snowplows are currently removing snow west of Whitefish, Mont. Maintenance of Way forces are removing debris and patrolling the tracks ahead of all traffic. Signal department personnel are working on signal and power outages. Many train crews are being taxied over the rails because highways are still impassable in several locations.

BNSF GRADE-CROSSING COLLISIONS DECLINE
Grade-crossing collisions were 19 percent lower across the BNSF network through October compared with a year ago, according to Phil Norris, BNSF system coordinator for Operation Lifesaver.

Norris credits the decrease, in part, to community education and awareness programs conducted by BNSF employees who are volunteer presenters for Operation Lifesaver. Through the first 10 months of 1996, BNSF employee volunteers have conducted more than 4,800 Operation Lifesaver presentations, reaching nearly 250,000 people.

"BNSF Operation Lifesaver presenters meet with groups of all ages, from grade-school children to professional bus drivers to police officers, to teach grade-crossing safety," Norris explains. "Educating the communities we serve and their citizens about the importance of grade-crossing safety is the best method for preventing crossing accidents. We may even save some lives as we open people's eyes to the importance of the Operation Lifesaver message, 'Look, Listen, and Live.'"

SANTA EXPRESS TAKES OFF IN CALIFORNIA
Granted it's Hollywood where dreams often come true, but it's in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties where BNSF is delivering star treatment to about 600 children scheduled to ride the sixth annual Santa Claus Express train.

The train will pull out tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 21), Saturday (Nov. 23) and Sunday (Nov. 24) to delight children from the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children and Ronald McDonald House, both in Los Angeles; the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Youth Activity League; City of Hope in Duarte; Masonic Homes of California in Covina; Hillview Acres Children's Home in Chino; Scottish Rite Clinic for Childhood Language Disorders and Arrowhead United Way agencies, both in San Bernardino. The Santa Express is getting an early start so the children may go home for the holidays.

"The Santa Claus Express trains are very special to the many BNSF employees who volunteer their time to purchase and wrap gifts, decorate and operate the train and host the children," said Darlene Penrod, BNSF administrative assistant to Southern California Division Superintendent, Jeff Wright, at San Bernardino.

Entertainment includes Santa and Mrs. Claus, the animated Chipmunk characters, and caroling.

News of other activities and Santa Express trains will be published as the holidays draw closer.

BNSF DISPLAYS WEBSITE AT NITL
Nov19--BNSF's website on the World Wide Web is another electronic service being demonstrated to shippers at the National Industrial Transportation Leagueexhibit/ meeting this week. As more customers gain access to the web, it is becoming a viable tool for sharing information. BNSF provides marketing and customer services, investor information and information for the news media on its homepage.

Additionally, BNSF is testing other website functions that will make it easier for customers and others to do business with us. This includes two-way transactional services, such as the ability to trace cars, and the ability to download Integrator software through the website.

BNSF also is demonstrating R-EDI (Rail Industry EDI Package), the railroad industry package for Microsoft Windows, that allows users to receive current shipment status information for more than 200 North American rail carriers, create and transmit bills of lading, and exchange messages using a single connection. R-EDI was jointly developed by the AAR (Association of American Railroads) and representatives from several rail carriers.

BNSF CARRIES ELECTRIC CARS FOR GENERAL MOTORS
Nov18--BNSF carried the first shipment of General Motors Corporation's EV-1 electric cars to San Bernardino, Calif., over the weekend. An unveiling ceremony was held yesterday at the BNSF auto railyard.

BNSF FEATURES ELECTRONIC SERVICES AT INDUSTRY TRADE SHOW
BNSF is demonstrating its newest and most current electronic services this week at the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) annual meeting and exhibit in Atlanta. NITL is the largest shipper association in the industry and about 2,500 people are expected to attend the event.

One electronic service being demonstrated is BNSF Integrator, a software package that provides customers shipment monitoring and EDI (electronic data interchange) bill of lading capabilities. Additional functions, such as financial EDI and industry switch request, are planned for introduction in early 1997. The Microsoft Windows package allows customers and suppliers to exchange information and transact business directly with BNSF. Important features include:

• Ability to trace shipments on up to 14 major North American rail carriers
• Customers can receive confirmations on the quality of each bill of lading transaction
• Data may be imported or exported via a file exchange feature
• Time-dependent communications allows for activities to be scheduled based on customer needs
• On-line help can be easily accessed from any screen

BNSF SELLS KANSAS LINE
Nov18--BNSF today announced it has sold a 140-mile line from west of Columbus, Kan., to east of Augusta, Kan., as part of the company's ongoing asset evaluation program.

The sale was completed on Friday, Nov. 15, to the Kansas Eastern Railroad, part of the WATCO family of companies. Last September, WATCO acquired 277 miles of track in eastern Washington from BNSF.

Kansas Eastern began operating over the newly acquired line on Saturday, Nov. 16, with interchange taking place at BNSF's yard in Columbus. Since February 1996, when BNSF announced it would consider the sale of approximately 4,000 miles of light-density lines over the coming years, the company has sold some 1,400 miles of track.
Excerpts from BNSF Today provided via James Czarnecki

CALTRAIN

RADIO STUFF

Nov17--The San Francisco-San Jose Peninsula CALTRAIN police and maintenance crews have apparently dumped their 800 MHz Uniden radio system on 864.1375 (trunked, but simulcasted on all channels in the trunk group - go figure!) and are now using the NEXTEL (private label Motorola-digital?) trunked system. The train dispatcher asked a maintenance foreman to "Call me on the NEXTEL." The old 800 MHz channels are very quiet. Even the cable TV outfit on those freqs is gone. I have not had a chance to inspect any CALTRAIN vehicles yet to confirm if the Uniden transceivers have been removed. Railroad operations are still on 160.815 road, 160.485 other.
Matt Vurek, N4DLA

IC

IC BUSINESS CAR
Nov20-- The IC business car is parked at the Depot in downtown Jackson, Ms. This is the Amtrak depot where the City of New Orleans stops. I cannot find the E-units or any of the other cars of the consist anywhere in Jackson. The E's were used to pull a private car special to New Orleans 2 to 3 weeks ago and I did not see them return back through Jackson. I will watch to see if they come back from south and pick up the business car.
Tom Joiner

NVRR

SAINT HELENA SP DEPOT LOOKS GREAT!
Nov17--Observed on 11/16/96, the ex-SP depot in Saint Helena, CA looks great! Painted goldenrod with brown trim and white windows, it has been placed on a new foundation at its current (and original) location next to the Napa Valley Railroad tracks. NVRR wine trains turn at this location (meaning power runs around the consist). Depot interior remodeling continues. Locals say that it will house offices of an archetectural firm. A big change from last year when it appeared that one more bird dropping would topple the place.
Matt Vurek

NWP

NWP NEWS
Current operations are from Healdsburg to Hopland. Trains depart Healdsburg at 1000 and arrive Hopland, by way of the Alexander Valley vineyards and the Russian River Canyon at 1145. After a two-hour layover, the return trip highballs Hopland at 1400 and returns to Healdsburg at 1545. A bus connection to Willits is available at Hopland.

Ticket prices: $50 adult coach, $85 first class, $125 lounge car, and $150 compartment; those last two come with lunch.

Upcoming trip dates: November 23 and 24, 1996; February 15, 16, 22, 23, and March 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, and 23, 1997.

Ticket info: Grand Getaways of Occidental (1-800-550-2122) or redwood Coast Railway Tours of San Francisco (1-888-473-3966).

It is thought that next summer, trips will operate Healdsburg-Hopland on Saturdays and Healdsburg-Willits on Sundays.
Kevin

SIEMENS

REGIO SPRINTER MISHAP
Nov17--This info comes to me second hand from a fellow Siemens employee as I have not been at work for three days with an illness.

The installation of the airconditioning units on the Regio Sprinter has been completed. It required changing the two transmissions and major wiring work. It was pulled out of the bay where the work was done and moved to another that has a pit for final tweeking. That work was completed and, at about 3:00pm, Friday, it was being pulled onto the transporter to be placed on the test track when the hook on the Sprinter broke and it went rolling through the pit area with no brakes (remaining on the rails). The railing on the far end of the pit slowed it to a stop but, in the process, ruptured one of the radiator hoses and caused other underframe damage. If the railing were not up it would have crossed to the bay on the other side and rammed a Portland car. No one was injured in the incident. Unknown now how long it will be till it is repaired and ready to go.
Gary Perazzo

SP-UP

WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
Nov20--What's going to happen to SP Chicago St. Louis line by UP. Will it be Abandoned, sold, increased traffic? Just curious. I live in central IL not Far from old CNW St Louis line, up through Rochelle and east of me, the Old C&EI line. SP traffic rights on both BNSF lines. UP is supposed to Build a NE connection at Buda to link up on BNSF through Galesburg to KC. Galesburg could get busy.
Wes Birkey, curly@dpc.net

FIRST SP LOCOMOTIVE GETS NEW COLORS
The first Southern Pacific locomotive to be repainted in UP colors is getting that new look this week at Jenks Shop in North Little Rock.

The SW1500 road switcher, SP2662, with red paint and white lettering, will be UP1183 in bright yellow when it's released back into service Friday, said Jack Jolley, director-locomotive system shop.

"Units will be repainted as part of the general overhaul process," Jolley said. "At this time, we won't be bringing them in just for repainting." Road switchers are the first to be painted because the railroad "is hungry for switchers," and they are getting priority overhaul treatment, he said.

Plans are to repaint eight more SP locomotives at Jenks by year-end, along with another 12 or so through an outside contractor at Denver. The number to be repainted next year has not been determined, Jolley said.

Changing locomotive colors following railroad mergers is usually done as units go in for heavy shop work, as UP is doing now, he added. Under that procedure, "101 Chicago & North Western units have taken on UP colors since June of 1995."

In October, the shop painted the largest number of units ever in one month, 31 locomotives of various types, Jolley said.

The repainting takes 2 1/2 days, said Bill Jacobs, manager-locomotive maintenance. No ceremony or other special notice is planned in regard to that first SP unit. "We don't get too excited, we just paint 'em," he said.
UP Newsletter via Leonard G. Ruback (On Track Ltd.) http://www.myriad.net/lruback

THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES HAVE BEEN DELETED FROM THE MAILING LIST, EITHER DUE TO SENDERS REQUEST OR TRANSMISSION FAILURE:

timh@purchasing.caltech.edu , , 100523.1374@compuserve.com , ecshro@yalevm.cis.yale.edu , esondeen@earthlink.net , From: "Gary R. Clark" "grclark@pla-net.net"@thor.pla-net.net , From: golson@tic.bisman.com (Gerald Olson) , SMTP dwalizer@mail2.quiknet.com , b3smith@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (unrecoverable error) , KeeseL@aol.com (transient failure) , klopefam@aol.com (transient failure) , LukeH999@aol.com (transient failure) , JHH320@aol.com (transient failure) , Holfc@aol.com (transient failure) , SPFlimsie@aol.com (transient failure) , b3smith@sdcc10.ucsd.edu (unrecoverable error) , mnjglasss@texas.net , Shaw@thesurf.com billr@rickert.com joetrains@ntr.net (unrecoverable error) LARRY773@UNIX.ASB.COM Dave1253@concentric.net christo26@aol.com From: Mark Y Berman mark_y_berman@amoco.com From: Pete Gifford pgifford@admin.alleg.edu Old address: CDebright@sisna.com sgood@gvi.net

TAKING STOCK

The Rail Stock Report, Compiled by Jim Czarnecki, is now available at:

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This document was last updated November 26, 1996.

Disclaimer:

All content sent to stevesln@aimnet.com is assumed to be submitted for publication, unless it is clearly marked "NOT FOR PUBLICATION." Material may be edited for accuracy and for publication standards. This publication is dedicated to furthering the enjoyment of the hobby of railfanning. The goal is to keep it fun. This is a volunteer publication. This is not an official source, material is not always verified for accuracy.