Issue No. 39, (version 2)
November 27, 1996
Steve Sloan Send news, correspondence and images to:
stevesln@aimnet.com
RED MARKERS
This set contains news and correspondence ending on November 23rd, 1996.
This concludes the stereo set started with
issue 38. The web version of this may
not get posted until after Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a great holiday.
WHEN PURSUING THE HOBBY, TAKE IT LITE | |
Editorial by Steve SloanNo I'm not talking about Thanksgiving dinner. There is a song on country radio that says something like, "there's a danger in loving too much." Of course the song is about relationships but I believe there is a wisdom here that can be applied to loving something too much too. For example, hobbies. The line between love and obsession can be hard to see at times. It's easy at time to get too carried away, get too serious, and suddenly find yourself frustrated, angry and perhaps; not having much fun. This can happen in relationships/marriages and it can happen in hobbies. I have seen railfans get carried away with jealousy and with ego and say and do things that are just not nice...I have done it myself. I remember years ago, decades in fact, firing off a nasty letter to a publisher about what that person was doing with a magazine, a letter that I am still embarrassed about today. |
Fortunately the editor is a gentleman and didn't hold it against me. But the memory of that came back to me later when I too was a publisher putting out a magazine, and I was the one receiving nasty letters. It's not just letters. I have seen railfans pout when they've made a trip to the mountains and traffic was slow, or be happy when others had trips that turned out to be barren of trains. I have even seen railfans give out bad information in order to horde photo locations. I have seen people get hurt feelings. It's not worth it. This is supposed to be our escape from politics, stress, work and the rat race. We all need to remember to keep it light and fun. When we get so wrapped up in all of this that it stops being fun...what's the point? For the love of trains: Steve |
ZACKY DAY IN THE VALLEY
Nov18--Keep forgetting your address;
guess I'll have to bookmark it one of these days...
Last Wednesday on the way back from Bakersfield, what's switching Zacky Farms at Traver? VERY CLEAN UP and CNW power sandwiching an SP unit that was so dirty even the bloody nose was dark gray. UP sure didn't waste any time getting their power into the area (unlike BNSF; we still seldom see anything but *genuine Santa Fe* power through here). And the grain cars were mostly the newer shiny stainless steel or aluminum ones, not the beat-up stuff that used to come in on SP.
Trackside ATSF in N Fresno (but I need a periscope from this inside office!
Mike
Brady
UP DERAILMENT IN AZ KILLS ONE
Nov17--In Sentinel Arizona, just
south of Hyder, the site of last years Amtrak derailment that killed one,
another person was killed on November 16 in a train derailment. Eleven cars of
a UP train reportedly derailed at about 02:20 in this remote desert location.
Early reports suspected the derailment was caused by a fractured rail that may have separated. The derailment resulted in the death of a person believed to be a transient hopping a ride on the train. It also caused a chemical spill of what authorities said was a very flammable chemical It was the second derailment involving a chemical spill near Sentinel in the past 11 months.
It was not immediately known what type of chemical was leaking. Haz-Mat crews at the site, restricted access within a one-mile radius and were forbidding helicopters from flying directly overhead.
Jan. 10, a defective rail was blamed for the derailment of a locomotive and 23 cars of a Southern Pacific freight train, which caused about 20,000 gallons of a hazardous chemical to spill in the area.
In the most recent derailment none of the train crew was injured.
via
Dave Bono
TELEGRAPH LINES GONE
Nov15--Crews were removing the old
telegraph lines and poles along the SP/UP right of way between Morgan Hill and
Gilroy this week. The poles and line have been in disrepair for many years now.
I was going to stop and ask for a couple of the old insulators (blue and clear
ones) on my return trip, but the crews were gone by then.
DCMcGill
DENVER TRIP
| I went to Denver the week of November 10th for a technical conference. Considering that the weather was picture prefect for most of the week, I made a real effort to get some down time and make it to the passes. | ||
| November 10, 1996 | ||
| Flew into Denver Int'l Airport...everything is cute and fancy...though the electronic voice on the people mover from the concourses to baggage claim is throughly revolting. However, my bags do appear out of the notorious automated baggage handling system. | ||
| After getting my rental car, I work my way west towards northeast Denver, coming across the BN mainline that goes north out of town. As I was landing at DIA, I had seen a couple of BN coal trains...but they were gone by the time I got there. However, train 63 appeared just before sunset, catching me out of position as I drove east on I-76. | ||
| 1600 | #63 7938-7910-8000 | Barr, CO |
| November 11, 1996 | ||
| Drove around the downtown area a bit before heading to the meeting. The railfanning prospects for the downtown area don't look good at all...most access is blocked by the parking lots built for Coors Field and the renovated LoDo district. A drive over the 8th Street viaduct allows for an inspection of Burnham Shops, which turns up a DRGW F7B sitting forlornly by itself and a AC4400CW cab sitting in a gondola. The active power is hiding around the back side of the shop building. | ||
| Denver Union Station downtown has three F40's lying about; 394-304 FF and 334 sitting by itself. | ||
| At 20th Street Junction, a BN SD9 (6234) takes 7 cars south as the "Country Switcher". | ||
| A quick check of the UP's facility in northeast Denver (off Brighton Ave.) turns up a motley collection of power, including the following: | ||
| CNW6858 4158 6323 2305 6142 CNW8713 2293 | ||
| Moving back towards downtown, a UP drag towards Burnham can be seen across the parking lots for Coors Field: | ||
| 0810 | s/b 2303-2307-2243 FFB | Denver, CO |
| The rest of the day is taken up with meetings and the like. | ||
| November 12, 1996 | ||
| On the way to the morning session, I come across my first "Executive" paint SD70MAC's. | ||
| A northbound empty coal is sitting at 20th Street: | ||
| 0730 | n/b 9702-9531 FB | Denver, CO |
| After the morning session, its time to find someplace to do some real photography. For a half day trip, the Joint Line seems like a good bet, and it starts turning out trains immediately. Just south of downtown Denver, a southbound coal train is crawling along with: | ||
| 1055 | s/b 9422-9639-BNSF9771 FFF | Denver, CO |
| Down the road (US85) at Littleton, I come across #262 fighting its way upgrade with a long term and short term leasor: | ||
| 1105 | #262 BN7308-LRCX8106 FB | Littleton, CO |
| and a couple of miles down the track a BN coal train appears northbound: | ||
| 1110 | n/b BNSF9755-9633 FB | Littleton, CO |
| and another one about 10 miles further down the line: | ||
| 1125 | n/b 9434-9691-9566 FFF | MP716 |
| Of course, northbounds here are throw aways because of the midday light, so I keep charging south. At Larkspur, where the tracks diverge from I-25 towards Palmer Lake, another BN northbound coal comes through, this time with 4 AC's: | ||
| 1149 | n/b 9701-9527-9452-BNSF9757 FFFB | Larkspur, CO |
| Finally I get to Palmer Lake, and the first train through is yet another northbound BN coal train, followed by a ATSF general freight: | ||
| 1230 | n/b 9472-9698 FF +110 | Palmer Lake, CO |
| 1310 | BADV1-9690-240 FF +86 | Palmer Lake, CO |
| Shortly after the BADV clears, a SP coal train with a few freight cars on the end grinds up the hill southward (finally, into the sun!): | ||
| 1325 | s/b 231-140 FB | Palmer Lake, CO |
| Followed by a BN coal load southbound: | ||
| 1355 | s/b 9580-9433-BNSF9745 FBF H: 8172-5585 FB | Palmer Lake, CO |
| November 13, 1996 | ||
| Wednesday was my planned down day for the meeting and so I enjoyed the 90 minute drive to Winter Park and the Moffat Tunnel Line. Shortly after arriving in Winter Park, an SP e/b coal load blasted its way towards the tunnel with: | ||
| 0950 | e/b 251-323 FB +65 H: 279-341 FF +35 H:273 | Winter Park, CO |
| Things turned quiet, so I kept moving west, finally getting #5 and another eastbound coal train at Parshall: | ||
| 1310 | #5 390-519 +10 | Parshall, CO |
| 1320 | e/b 340-157 FF +65 H: 369 | Parshall, CO |
| Finally, a work train was picking up material near Tabernash using DRGW3122. | ||
| All in all, not a bad trip, considering it wasn't supposed to be a railfanning trip. | ||
| Ron Lehmer | ||
RE: "CARITAS" SIGHTING
FROM ISSUE #36...the [ex-Santa Fe, if I'm correct] South Orient line in south Fort Worth Texas, and spotted a train with very unusual 'headlight' groupings [or so I thought].
It turned out to be private-car "Caritas", on the rear of a three-car train of P.V's, pulled by a South Orient Geep, northbound.I could not identify the other two cars, except that they appeared to have a gray scheme with maroon or magenta window-striping, and appeared to be a lightweight sleeper.
I assumed it must've been a special Halloween charter run---none of the cars, certainly not the Caritas, run on the Tarantula Steamtrain excursion which occasionally uses this portion of the line. Anyone have more information, perchance?
George Jenista
Nov20--This was a High Iron trip from New Orleans to Mexico. Weoperated special over the KCS (with the A/B/A units) from New Orleans to Ft. Worth (Alliance yard); BN to the Ft.W&W. We then laid overa day at 8th Avenue yard for a day. Then, on 11/2-3 the So Orient to Presidio, followed by the FNM from Ojinaga to Mexicali over some 5,000 miles of Mexican rails including the Copper Canyon, Nueava Casas Grande, Topolambompo, all the west-coast branches, Manzinillo, the Nacozari line. We re-entered the US on 11/18 for a freight move to LAUPT and home on Amtrak.
Equipment was Caritas; Cimarron River (ex-Frisco 14/4 sleeper); Prairie Rose
(ex-Milwaukee "Montana" business car; now Wis. Central)
Clark
Johnson, High Iron Travel, 612-922-7259
TRACK GAUGE TRIVIA
Nov19--Steve,
You do not know me but recently on the program car talk an interesting
question was posed. While this should offer you no challenge, I found the answer
difficult to come by. So if you could take a moment to answer, "Why is the
standard distance on center between rails on train track 4' 11 3/4"?"
If you have the time, a reply would be appreciated.
Thanks, Charles
Kroner
OOPS-I accidentally erased your return address, but there is an E-mail fable that floats around quite a bit about how the current "Standard Gauge" being a standard that evolved from the width of Roman Chariot Wheels. According to this email it is a case of each new technological innovation needing to be backward compatible with the previous versions (kinda like Windows 95 having to have some way to run MS-DOS) going back to the Roman chariots that set a standard by making grooves on what were then dirt roads. If somebody has abetter reason, I'll run it!
Steve
TRAIN PASSES
Nov17--Hi Steve
My name is James and I was hoping that you might have a connection in
Phoenix that would be interested in buying some of my collection of 19th century
train passes. There are approximately 480 of them from 1876 to 1911. Perhaps I'm
not looking in the right places as I'm having one heck of a time finding anyone
who can help me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as my student loan just
ran out. Thank you in advance for any help.
JV,
jvaughn@primenet.com
CORRECTION TO "EMD SD-70"
Nov16--In response to TW #37 on EMD's in Oakland,
an EMD SD-70 (#7021) was eastbound through Gilroy yesterday (Friday
11/15/96,12:15 PM). It was teamed with an SP SD-70 (didn't know SP had SD-70's,
but it looked identical to the EMD). Also with UP, is the Coast Line still
east-west or is it north-south now?
DCMcGill
SP does (did) indeed have SD70's! 9800 class, sincethe DH643's didn't need that number series anymore. I believe SP is still east-west.
Steve
SUBJECT: SIGN ME UP
Nov16--Steve I have read your TRACK WARRANTS. They are really good. I am
also the Editor of the Conrail historical society, with my brother John Cerreta.
I Would gladly make a contribution to you after you start e-mailing me info. I
Don't mind. I know it can be expensive. If you ever want any info on Conrail or
other eastern railroads please feel free to contact me at my E-mail spot
sc90mac. I will gladly respond. I love talking to other Railroad buffs. Have
anice day.
SCOTT,
SC90MAC@aol.com
Thanks for the newsletter. Yes, I am interested innational news. We have an international audience. If somebody wants to do regional spin-offs perhaps then I'll focus only on this region (as was my original intent.)
Steve
LOCOMOTIVE WINDSHIELD TESTING
Nov14--From a issue of "meat & poultry" magazine, editors quoted from "feathers" the publication of the CA poultry industryfederation, Telling the following true story:
(Note: I have seen several versions of this story on the Internet attributed to several sources. This has almost the status of an on-line fable. Has anybody actually followed up on it? --Steve)
It seems the US fed aviation admin. has a unique device fortesting the strength of windshields on airplanes. The device is a gun (developed By Texas A&M) that launches a dead chicken at a planes windshield at Approximately the speed the plane flies. The theory is that if the Window does not crack from the carcass impact, it'll survive a real Collision with a bird during flight.
Well, it seems that the British were very interested in this and wanted To test the windshield on a brand new high speed locomotive they were Developing. They borrowed one of the FAA's chickenlaunchers, loaded The chicken and fired. The ballistic chickenshattered the windshield, Went through the engineer's seat, broke aninstrument panel and Embedded itself in the back wall of the engine cab. The British were Stunned and asked the FAA to recheck the test to see if everything was Done correctly.
The FAA reviewed the test thoroughly and had just one recommendation: "use
a thawed chicken."
Michael Dwayne Huggins
TWO ITEMS
Nov14--I read the plea from Allan Harnwell from "down under" wanting to acquire a list of major western locomotive numbers and classifications. I don't know if it is what he wants but a list of western locomotives, by road, by type and notated is available on the internet. I have visited the site myself several times because II stillstill cannot tell a GP-9 from a SD whatever without a program!! The last time I visited the site the credit was due to Andrew Toppan -bless him - at http://www.wpi.edu/~elmer/. hope this still works. It not only gave the numbers and types for western locomotives but forAmtrak as well.
Secondly, I also filmed the end of the UP diamond activity from the West
Oakland yards onto Third Streets and met Vic Neves for the first time while
doing so. A beautiful day for photography, and many good shots made. The only
thing wrong with Vics report (TW#37) was the last UP
crossed the diamond at 7:30 AM on November 7th notNovember 11th. I don't know
the reason for the error but I justwanted to set the historical record straight.
Thanks again for an informative railroad newsletter.
Rolland A. Meyers
ROSTER INFO ON THE WEB
Nov14--http://www.wpi.edu/~elmer/rail/
has very complete and up to date rosters or links to rosters for every North
American class I and II and many smaller railroads as well.
Timothy
Braun
DERAILMENT QUESTION
Nov14--One question regarding Issue 33, 10-28-96.
In the BNSF article about the wreck in Wyoming, do you know what units were
involved?
Thank you, Jim Matuska, jrm@dairynet.com
WINTERAIL
Nov14--For those in the need to know department. Winterail 97 will be on
March 8th. So there-
Vic Neves
RAILROAD POLICE ON TEHACHAPI
Nov13--Steve posted my Tehachapi report from my trip there last month.
I had no problem with railroad police around there during my trip as I only saw an UNMARKED Dodge Ramcharger with spotlight and a Kern Sheriff patrol within minutes of each other on the first afternoon of my trip. I have gone there ever Columbus Day weekend since 1991 and have encountered police once and that was at Cameron in early April, 1993 where the SP PO made a check of the hoard of M of W equipment there, waved at me and drove off. I do drive a white Ford Ranger 4X4 pickup with resembles some railroad M of W trucks so maybe that fools the fuzz. Anyway another railfan told me earlier this year that a local sheriff allegedly harassed a fan on public property in the Caliente area at that time but I never could get confirmation of those incidents.
Up on tunnel 2, 3 cars drove up the dirt road to the "parking area" on top and then left right away. My only concern was potential theft of my truck but these cars did not look like crook-types but rather fans looking for a photo angle.
I think Tehachapi is safe for now. I don't know if UP will start locking up
the neighborhood.
Matt Vurek
As long as everybody is smart, stays off the tracks and structures, doesn't make a fool of themselves and carries out their garbage, maybe they won't...
Steve
SUBJECT: TW
Nov14--Considering that I'm from PA, it's quite interesting to read the western news you put out. Thanks for a great newsletter. Iwould be interested in sending you a couple bucks, could you email me your snail mail address? I noticed in the last issue that you might be interested in either east coast news or a separate newsletter...Let me know, I have news from PA I could send in. Otherwise, I wouldbe interested in assisting in the creation of an Eastern newsletter; I think it would be cool!
Also, I'm curious; you're in college? What year/major, etc.? I ama
sophomore Music Recording Tech. major, I play the sax and piano,and I hope to
produce records at some point. Anyway, keep up the goodwork!
Jerome A. "Alex"
Lang
So many questions...
My address is on each issue, both email and snail mail. (Thanks for the support, BTW.) I would be interested in linking to and assisting anybody wanting to start a regional newsletter on-line anywhere in the world! Absent such regional newsletters, I will run news from anywhere in North America. I am no longer a student. I graduated last Spring with my Master's in Instructional Technology from San Jose State University. I received my BA in Journalism, also at SJSU, in 1983. I work at SJSU in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Good luck in your studies.
Steve
| FW: SIGHTINGS OVER THE WEEKEND (Sent, Nov. 11, 1996) | ||
| 11/08/96 | ||
| SP FWHOM | UP3232,9270,7361 | Hearne, TX |
| SP PBWCM | 8033,9647 | Seger, TX |
| 11/09/96 | ||
| Power sitting around Centennial Yard in Fort Worth, TX Saturday morning | ||
| HB&T | 63,64,62 | switching Yd |
| 1653,2176 2132,2133 5554,SSW9378,4148,3639 NS8806 CR5551, 5060,5039,5020,5002,5051 5520,974 1325 2111,SSW2251 SP2718,SP2507, 1324,1316 3933,921 4307 5554,921,909,986,5550,927 2434,3258 | ||
| UP outbound East | 4238(ORB),2088,B3266 also 5047,4308,CNW6818,2642 | |
| UP CCDHS | 6817,7026 DPU 6829 | North of Waco,TX |
| SP HOFWM | 8241,7506,UP3908 | Hearne, TX |
| UP LAW52 | 3188,CR519,4147 | Hearne, TX |
| SP 2MBSMF | 8043,9381,9396,8016 | Hearne, TX |
| 11/10/96 | ||
| UP 1MXCHZ | 3327,B3641,3717 | Hearne, TX |
| SP PBWCM | 8186,8151,8522 | Hearne, TX |
| SP WCPBM06 | 8014,9294 | Hearne, TX |
| SP WCPBM07 | 8190,8183 | Hearne, TX |
| SP HOFWM | 9361,9347,8295 | Hearne, TX |
| UP 1CHMXZ | CR754,980,4210 | Hearne, TX |
| SP DVHOQ | 7472,2735,7554 | Hearne, TX |
| SP MFLBT | 8028,8062 | Hearne, TX |
| UP MXTX | 3515,9035,3553 | Hearne, TX |
| SP DALAF | 9616,6887,7403,UP3154 | Hearne, TX |
| SP VIHEM | 9234,9362,7370 | Hearne, TX |
| SP LAMFF | 8309,9715,9617 | Hearne, TX |
| UP LAW52 | 2193,3161 | Hearne, TX |
| UP 2MXCHZ | CR6101,CR6047 | Hearne, TX |
| SP 1MBSMF | 8034,8009,8031,8036 | Hearne, TX |
| SP 2MBSMF | 8030,8085,8063 | Hearne, TX |
| SP GID TRN | 7852,4823 | Hearne, TX |
| UP 2CHMXZ | SP7793(SSW),SP7829 | Valley Junction,TX |
| UP FWHO | 3729,147,SP7125,SP2561 | Valley Junction,TX |
| Jerry Storrs Jr. | ||
\\\|/////
\\ - - //
( @ @ )
+---oOOo-(_)-oOOo------------------------------------------------
+Matthew Pausley
The Rail Stock Report, Compiled by Jim Czarnecki, is now available at:
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This document was last updated November 29, 1996.
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.