Issue No. 40

December 09, 1996

• Track Warrants Menu
• Sloan Home page
• stevesln@aimnet.com

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

EDITORIAL

I've got a feeling, this may be my first QUAD issue. Photos slated for the web versions include:

• A news photo of the UP passenger special going through Pinole, CA
• A Kevin Hecteman photo of the Oct. 6th NWP special at Willits, CA
• A Jerry Stoors Jr. photo of the CLAIC at Thomasten, TX
• The SP 127E at Ripon, CA

Steve

AMTRAK

KANSAS CITY'S UNION STATION
Kansas City area voters approved a $118 million sales tax measure in November to restore the Kansas City's Union Station. "We are in the heyday of restoring or renovating these buildings," commented Janet Greenstein Potter, the author of a recent book on American rail stations. "This is a golden age of restoration."

The train station opened 0n Oct. 30, 1914. It was designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt.

On June 17, 1933, the station was the scene of the Kansas City Massacre, in which Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd was one of three gangsters who machine-gunned to death four federal and local law-enforcement officials in an attempt to free Frank Nash, a train robber also killed in the shoot-out. The incident left bullet scars that are still visible in the gray granite of the station's southeast entrance. The incident led to a decision that FBI agents should carry firearms regularly.
Via Dave Bono

AMTRAK OPERATIONS IN PORTLAND, OR
Nov27--Amtrak has assigned a yard switcher to Portland, OR to handle switching chores around Union Station. Some of its duties include an apparently new operation -- transferring a Seattle-Portland coach between the two sides of the Coast Starlight. I've noticed this on several days in the last month. Train #11 drops its rear coach at Portland, which is then attached to the rear of #14 when it arrives.

Amtrak P42s (#s 1-98) are showing up in the Pacific Northwest and on the Starlight route. I haven't seen any on the Empire Builder yet, but I have seen them on both the Starlight and the Pioneer. A spotting note (besides the low numbers) is that the side striping does not fade out at the rear of the carbody, as it does on the P40.

Both the Cascadia (Seattle-Eugene) and the Mount Adams TALGO (Seattle-Portland) have operated recently with P40s. Also, one Mount Adams run earlier this month had Amtrak California #2005, an F59PHI "Lumina". The southbound Starlight the following day operated behind the 2005, an Amtrak P32 "Pepsi Can" GE and an F40PH, and a Metrolink standard F59. The Amtrak California and Metrolink units were, I believe, returning to California after maintenance and repainting at CEECO in Tacoma, WA.

An Amtrak special with seven Amfleet I cars and the PV dome "Silver Scene" (lettered for Montana Daylight) operated between Portland and Corvallis, OR on Nov. 23. The train carried football fans to the annual "Civil War" game between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University.

The Pioneer is now operating with a 35000-series cafe-coach in place of the second diner (assigned as the "Horizons West" lounge). The train has also picked up 39000-series transition sleepers in place of the old 39900-series Hi-Level transition coach-dorms, which Amtrak is retiring.
Thomas M. Mccann

OREGON OPERATION LIFESAVER SPECIAL
Nov27--Oregon Operation Lifesaver has tentatively scheduled an "Officer on the Train" special for December 10.

The special, which will consist of Amtrak locomotives and Amfleet I cars from the "Seahawk Special" pool, is scheduled to depart Portland at about 9 a.m. and run to Eugene via Salem and Albany, with an ETA of 11:55 a.m. The return trip will depart Eugene after 1 p.m. with a Portland ETA of 4:10 p.m. The train will operate on Union Pacific's ex-Southern Pacific main line.
Thomas M. Mccann

SAN DIEGAN CLUB
Nov23--Well, in our case, the second time is the charm!! That's right, our second time to schedule a meeting at the Oceanside Pier restaurant we lucked out! It was actually open for business!

It was a pretty good time too. It is a 50's style restaurant with a lot of atmosphere. Including atmosphere of being on the end of a pier - yea - every once in awhile we swayed back and forth. At first it was a pretty unsettling thing, but we got used to it!

I think we are ready to be on dry land next time, what do ya say? Well this month we will meet at the LA Station and go to the restaurant down the street from Union Station, Fillipes (I am not sure of the spelling). Since that is one end of the line so to speak, we will schedule the meeting on the arrival of #775 that arrives in LA at 11:20AM. So,.....we will gather at the opening of the underground tunnel into the lobby area at about 11:30AM. Remember, that is based on the arrival of the #775. If it is late we will slide the gathering time. From there we can go to the restaurant in a group.

We need to talk about a few things at the meeting. Yea, I know. We don't like to get too organized! I would like to discuss the potential trip to SLO in March; T-shirt; I NEED HELP WITH THE CLUB; will there be a December meeting?; and January marks one year, should we celebrate???

I also want to let everyone know that one of the other clubs that I belong to, the Poway Midland RailRoad, is planning a trip sometime before May of 1997 to Yuma. The Yuma Valley Live Steamers offers a Steak dinner Run. PMRR is going to have a overnight bus tour including motel accommodations, special parties, and sight seeing trips. The cost is estimated to be in the $125-150 range. If you are interested, let me know and I will keep you informed as the club sets a date and price.

Don't forget, we meet on the last Saturday of each month, December is questionable right now. Circle your calendars and plan on joining us sometime.

Looking forward to seeing everybody on November 30th. ALL ABOARD!!

For information on the club and to get on the mailing list contact:
Richard Hamilton, The San Diegan Club, richardh@electriciti.com

GENESIS LOCOMOTIVE 16 TESTING ON SAN DIEGANS
Nov23--New Genesis locomotive #16 was tested this week on Amtrak trains 570/577/578/585. However, the initial tests were far from successful.

Wednesday 11/20/96 was the first attempt to operate the unit. However, after the train was delivered to Union Station (pushed in by a switch engine, per usual practice), the 16 refused to budge. #570 finally left 1hr late using the consist for #572.

Thursday 11/21/96 worked out a bit better. Using the 250 as a lead unit (though isolated for the test) and a 7 car consist, the 16 was able to hold 570's tough schedule. Except for some signal trouble, the train would have been on-time. That is quite impressive, considering the extra weight of the isolated 250.

Friday 11/22/96 was not as good. 16 was sent out again by itself, with a 7 car consist. After a slightly fitful start, the train seemed to move normally. However, there were indications that the 16 was not loading properly. It stopped loading completely at Commerce, plugging the north main for 1-1/2 hours. In that time, technicians from GE came out and attempted to recover the computer controls, but were unsuccessful. In the meantime, Amtrak California F59PHI 2008 was dispatched from Redondo and was tacked on the rear behind the 16. 570 was finally terminated at Oceanside to turn and become 577.

In addition to the 16, the 17 was in the Redondo roundhouse from Wednesday until Friday, but was not readily apparent on Friday night.

There are indications that these new units have been leading some trains, but does anyone know if any other new Genesis has been equipped with ATS? I ask because some of the problems on Friday seem to revolve around the penalty application system.
Ron Lehmer

BNSF

BNSF SANTA SPECIAL
Nov21--Observed at Los Angeles Union Station at 6:00AM on Thursday, 11/21/96:

Train was gone by Thursday night. Anyone know where it went?
Ron Lehmer, rlehmer@ucsd.edu

STAMPEDE PROBLEMS?
Nov22--Renovations to the Stampede tunnel has apparently touched off protests from state officials due to the tunnel's being registered in the state as a historical structure. According to recent reports BNSF and the Federal Government failed to respond to concerns expressed by the state over renovations that have altered the brick and timber west portal of the 108-year-old tunnel. The old portals have been covered over with concrete.

There are other historically significant sites along the line that state officials would like to see preserved. BNSF officials have said the railroad has preserved and not damaged the historic portals. They said the construction of snowsheds and a flume has not harmed the portals. They also have said the railroad has not been officially contacted by the state. State and local authorities apparently lack jurisdiction over the construction.
Via Dave Bono

BNSF 133 IS A FAKE!
Nov25--Santa Fe GP60M 133 was in Los Angeles (Hobart) on Friday, November 22, and is NOT lettered for the BNSF, as was previously reported. It was spotted by Bruce Jacobs, who works at Hobart. This unit was questionable, as it began to show up on other BNSF rosters around the time that it took the BNSF's train to San Diego for the Republican Convention (lettered for Santa Fe). I suspect that it got added to some BNSF lists at that time due to the assumption that BNSF would have placed a BNSF-lettered engine on that train.

Sorry for any inconvenience that having this unit on the roster may have caused.

I will be sending an updated BNSF list in the next couple of days, so if you've seen any units lettered lately, please forward them on to me. Thanks.
Craig Walker, The Little Depot, Anaheim, CA

SANTA CLAUS ARRIVES ON BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE TRAIN
Nov25--FORT WORTH--Santa Claus is coming to town on a special Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Santa Claus Express train that will operate through parts of Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and Kansas, from November 29 through December 22 (see attached schedule). The fourth annual Santa Claus Express consists of a BNSF locomotive, boxcar, tank car, two flatcars and a caboose -- all decorated, using more than 25,000 lights, 12-foot-tall candy canes, 11-foot-tall toy soldiers, a 16-foot-tall Christmas tree and Santa's sleigh.

Santa will greet children at more than 60 locations during the trip, while his helpers, in the form of BNSF employee volunteers, will distribute candy -- 6,000 pounds of it -- to children along the route. An external sound system, playing Christmas music, makes the Santa Claus Express a rolling holiday greeting, especially in communities where the train does not stop. Where local entertainers are available, one of the flatcars serves as a stage for brief shows.

"BNSF employee volunteers began assembling the Santa Claus Express in September at its home base in Springfield, Missouri, and the work continues until shortly before the train departs on its tour in late November," said Charlie Dischinger, who volunteers time to work on the special train when he is not working as a BNSF locomotive engineer. "In towns of all sizes people line the route and it is extremely gratifying to see so many smiling faces, especially when so many of them are children."

The Santa Claus Express is the product of BNSF's Southeastern Division Health and Safety Team, headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, which created the train in 1993. "Demand from communities along our lines has increased each year," stated Dischinger, who added, "The 1996 tour is the most ambitious to date."

BNSF operates Santa Claus Express trains in portions of California, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. BNSF operates a 31,000-mile in 27 states and two Canadian provinces, from Puget Sound to the Great Lakes, California to the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe
1996 Santa Claus Express

BNSF ROSTER
Nov28--Here it is once again ~~ the most accurate (in my opinion, of course) list of BNSF-lettered units. As always, if you've got any sightings that I don't show here, please let me know. We recently had a sighting that confirmed that the 133 is still lettered for the late, great Santa Fe (as of 11-24), so that unit has been dropped from this list. Almost every engine on this list has been seen by the following people, whom I thank:
Chris Butts, Allan Gilbert, Bruce Jacobs, Charles Mylar, Scott Mylar, and Craig Walker (I admit it, I've only seen two of the units "in the flesh" -- I've gotta get out more!), as well as the Bill Miller Web Page.

The following units have the large, ugly lettering applied to some of the GEs: 515, 519, 529, 532, 548, 581, 811, 813, 814, 820

The GP60Ms, Dash 8s (both BW and CW), and SD75Ms are in Santa Fe's Superfleet colors. The Dash 9s, GP38-2 and SD60M are in the "GNSF" orange and green (SD60M 9297 has the experimental red and red/blue stripes). The SD70MACs are in the (blah, in my opinion) Grinstein green and cream scheme (with the exception of 9647, which has those colors applied in the ever-popular "Vomit Bonnet" scheme). Counting all the Dash 9s that are currently being delivered, there are 262 units lettered for the BNSF.
Thank you, Craig Walker, The Little Depot, Anaheim

BNSF COMPLETES WASHINGTON CENTRAL RAILROAD MERGER; PLANS FIRST TRAIN OVER STAMPEDE PASS
Dec04--FORT WORTH, Texas, December 4, 1996 -- Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF) today announced it has completed the merger of Washington Central Railroad Company (WCRC) into a BNSF subsidiary.

As a result of the merger, along with the reopening of the 77.9-mile Stampede Pass line between Auburn and Cle Elum, Wash., BNSF now has a third route from Pasco to Auburn linking central Washington with the Pacific Coast, alleviating congestion and expediting rail traffic flow to meet the growth needs of grain, merchandise and intermodal customers.

"The addition of this third route linking central Washington with the Pacific Coast eliminates the greatest impediment to expanding our capacity to meet the growth needs of our customers and the ports, while providing them with a level of service that consistently meets their expectations," said Robert D. Krebs, BNSF president and chief executive officer.

The company also announced it will run one train per day in each direction over this route beginning Dec. 5. Service to former WCRC customers is continuing uninterrupted. Operations could increase to four or five trains daily in each direction during 1997 as customer demand requires.

Increased levels of intermodal and merchandise traffic, combined with a record grain year in 1995, prompted BNSF to announce last April plans to acquire WCRC and reopen Stampede Pass. BNSF now operates WCRC's 234-mile line running between Kennewick, Washington, an interchange point on BNSF, and Cle Elum, Washington. WCRC's 85-mile segment from Connell, Washington, another interchange point on BNSF, to Moses Lake, Washington, is being leased back to Columbia Basin Railroad, a new shortline railroad with Brig Temple as president.

In the early 1980s, diminishing volumes and decreasing demands for rail transportation led Burlington Northern Railroad Company (BN) to take the Stampede Pass line out of service. BN already had two other routes through the state of Washington -- the Stevens Pass route from Spokane to Everett and the Columbia River route from Pasco to Vancouver -- and sold part of the Stampede Pass line to WCRC in 1986.

Although the Stampede Pass line was never closed, it has seen only limited traffic over the past ten years. A section of the route from Auburn to Ravensdale has been used on a daily basis for commercial purposes and the WCRC has ensured structural integrity of the rail by maintaining and inspecting the line on a regular basis, only to be used as a shortline connection to BNSF's main line at Pasco, Wash.

BNSF plans to spend about $125 million through 1999, including about $60 million this year, to restore and expand the Stampede Pass route, which required extensive trackage improvements to accommodate traffic growth projections.

BNSF owns one of the largest rail networks in the United States, with more than 31,000 route miles covering 27 states and two Canadian provinces.
BNSF Press release via James Czarnecki

CONTINUED IN ISSUE #41

TAKING STOCK

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

http://www.primenet.com/~jimc/

To subscribe send an E-mail to stevesln@aimnet.com
and say, "sign me up."

This document was last updated December 09, 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.