Issue No. 42
December 20, 1996
Steve Sloan Send news, correspondence and images to: stevesln@aimnet.com
WEB VERSION DELAYED DUE TO VACATION
The E-mail version of this
issue was released in late December. The web version was delayed because I was
out of state visiting in-laws. When I returned in January my oldest son came
and stayed with us for a week. I didn't want to spend that week in front of a
computer.
TRACK WARRANT No. 43 ANNULLED
(FOR
THIS RELEASE)
The quad issue is not to be. This release is going to be a
three parter. Part Four has been hereby annulled.
Issue 43 will be the first of the next release.
ABOUT THIS THREE ISSUE RELEASE
Jerry Stoors Jr. photo of the CLAIC at Thomasten, TX
TRAINS UNLIMITED TRIP TO ARGENTINA
Nov24--As most of you know,
I just came back from a Trains Unlimited trip to Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile.
The trip was fantastic. Of the three countries the most interesting
operationally was the Administracion de Ferrrocarillies del Estado (AFE) in
Uruguay.
The AFE was created in 1952. In 1991 AFE was reorganized as a track authority with responsibility for infrastructure maintenance and dispatching. Most operations are franchises to private companies. In 1994 1 million tonnes; 189 million tonne-km in freight was handled. Currently there are 4 commuter trains into Montevideo, the capital and 4 commuter trains out of Montevideo each day. All the commuter trains operate between Montevideo and Canelones. In the three days we were in Uruguay I only observed four freight trains. They were all pulling about 25 cars containing logs. 3 of the freight trains were pulled by a 1970 era French diesel locomotives and the other by a GE Shovel Nose diesel.
The first two of our charters started at the Central train station. The station is a hugh old classic building containing about 10 covered platforms. Only 4 of them are currently being used. It is double track leaving the station. Like the British, the trains travel on the left. The double track section is signalled, but some of the signals did not work. Since we just cruised by the malfunctioning signals I think we were operating under train orders just like we were in the single track section. At every station in the single track section, which was most of first two of our trips, the train would slow down. The engineer would throw off a ~14 inch diameter ring and pick up a new one held by a man. The ring was made of either very stiff rope or some other material. The engineer would grab it from the man holding the ring by inserting his arm through the ring. The ring had an approximate 2 X 3 inch piece of heavy cloth. There was band sewn across the material. Under the band there would be a train order that would give us permission to be on the track between the current station and the next station. If there would be a meet, it would tell where to wait for the train coming from the other direction if it wasn't already there. Communication between the stations and the dispatcher is still done by telegraph. In the one station I did go into, there was also a hand crank phone behind the telegraph key.
The crossing gates were another interesting feature. They were not automatic and there was not a person standing at each one. In each small town we went through there was usually 4 crossings. Two on each side of the station. On the wall of the station there would be four wheels that had chain attached to them the passed under the platform. To close a crossing gate the man who passed the train orders would turn the wheel. This would wrap the chain around the wheel. (Actually the axle the wheel was attached to). The chain would pull a pair of cables that ran along side the track to both crossing arms at specific crossing and the crossing arm would go down. When the man wanted to open the crossing arm, he would press a button, the chain would automatically unwind from the wheel and the crossing gates would open. When the train approached an unprotected crossing in the country side, the engineer would just slow the train down. I did notice a couple of crossings that were guarded by a man with a couple of flags.
There were more towers then I ever saw before. There seem to be a tower when ever there were more then two switches. As, in this country, the person primarily through the switches. I did get to go up into a tower and it was full of levers. I think that some of the tower operators also had the responsibility to close some of the crossing gates.
This is what our three days of excursions consisted of. Day 1, from the Central Train Station we had a two passenger car train pulled by 1 GE Shovel Nose Diesel (1954) and went up to Florida (Uruguay). Along the way we had a lot of run byes. In Florida we got to go into the shops. They were rebuilding a number of cars. In one of the buildings there was a small steam powered big hook that looked operational. Outside there was a much bigger steam powered big hook that was missing it's boiler. We also got a short, 2 mile round trip ride behind an English 4-6-0 build in 1910 by Beyer Peacock. The steam locomotive is still used around the shops. The GE Shovel Nose then pulled us back to Montevideo. On Day 2 we to took a railcar built by Schienenbus in Germany from the Central Station again down the line towards Florida. We only went as far as Santa Lucia (about two thirds of the way to Florida). There our bus picked us up and took us to Paso De Los Toros which is way passed Florida. There waiting for us was a Brill Railcar. One of only 3 still running in the world. We got on it and rode it up to Tacuarembo which is about 100 kilometers from Brazil. Tacurarembo is where the Brill railcar is kept. From there our bus took us back to Montevideo. Our third day was just a morning trip. We left from a suburban station and went 40 kilometers to Ing. Victor Sudriers This trip was a treat because it was a two car train (1 passenger car and one sort of flat bed car carrying wood) pulled by a 0-6-0st build in England by Manning Wardle in 1887. It was burning both wood and coal and is owned by the rail club in Uruguay. This was the longest trip that it had been on in years. The club claims that this is the oldest operating steam locomotive in South America.
One thing that is general to South America. Most trains do not have any rear end markers. The exception are the railroad companies that have been bought by Americans in the last few years. An example of the is the Ferrocarriles del Pacifico in Chile. The American owners are having their railroads use FREDS and my understanding is that the crews like them even more then the American crews did when the American railroads started using FREDS.
This Trains Unlimited trip was fantastic and I recommend erveryone to go on
one of their trips.
Scott Gerken
SUBJECT: RE: RAILROADING IN URUGUAY
Nov25--Scott: I enjoyed reading your message about Uruguay. I took a tour
of Uruguay in 1984. We rode a regular diesel passenger train overnite from
Montevideo to Payasandu via Paso de Los Tores. From there we had a charter
steam train to Salto, behind 2-6-0 #119, built by Beyer Peacock in 1910. At
Salto we boarded a charter Brill Railcar to Concordia, Argentina, where we then
went on to Paraguay.
Did you take any color slides? If so, I suggest you talk to Matt about
putting on a program at Central Coast. Also, you might send Don Douglas a copy
of your write up; he may want to publish it in the Ferroquinologist.
EFGraham@aol.com
SUBJECT: TIMOTHY BURUAM ARTICLE
Nov29--Have been trying to use
Timoth Bruam web address for current diesel roster. I AM HAVING NO LUCK in
getting on. Can you advise if it has changed or what. MANY THANKS
Charles Seale
I had the same experience. The site didn't appear to be active. Perhaps somebody would like to take this project on. I would be happy to post it here. I may do it anyway.
Steve
SUBJECT: (NO SUBJECT)
Nov29--Very good editorial in
TW #39 (about not getting so caught up in trains that
competition or preformance or whatever ruins our enjoyment of it).
Something else can certainly ruin our enjoyment of chasing trains that you didn't mention - a trip to the hospital (or morgue).
I'm sure I'm not the only one that has done some pretty unsafe (in fact, quite dangerous) things in pursuit of trains, whether racing a train for a crossing to try to beat it to a photo spot, or doing crazy things to try to pass others following a steam train.
I've always gotten away with playing with danger (so far). Some time the odds are going to catch up with some of us, though, and the party will be over.
May we all live to develop our pictures...
RE: "CARITAS" SIGHTING FROM ISSUE #36.
"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. --snip-- Anyone have more information, perchance?"
Nov20--This was a High Iron trip from New Orleans to Mexico. --snip-- 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
Nov28--Clark, thank you very much for the information. Much appreciated!
Mike Stimpson
Re: TW#39/DENVER TRIP REPORT
Ron
Lehmer wrote:
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.
A little techno-trivia about the people-mover's voice announcement system:
the steam-locomotive whistle sound which sometimes prefaces the automated
announcements is an actual recording [digital or analog] of Georgetown Loop RR's
#40 [Baldwin, 2-8-0ng, ex-International Ry]...
George W. Jenista
SUBJECT: EDITORIAL
Nov28--Steve, I agree completely with your
editorial. A lot of railfans need to "get a life" and balance
themselves. Keep up the good work.
Dave Henry
FEATHER RIVER GP40 FLEET ARTICLE UPDATE Nov23--I don't think I actually announced to my web friends that I recently opened up the newest "room" of my web site. Dedicated to my favorite railroad, the Western Pacific, this latest addition to the Rattenne Family of Pages features an online reprint of my WP GP40 article that appeared in the March 1996 Pacific Railnews (RIP).
The article has also has an updated WP GP40 disposition roster and a link to my embryonic Tidewater Southern Page.
So please check me out at http://home.earthlink.net/~rattenne/wpgp40.htm.
If you maintain a web site I certainly wouldn't call my lawyer if you put a
link in for my page.
Ken Rattenne KPR Media Services Modesto, CA Catch our web site at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rattenne/index.html
SUBJECT: CIVIL CODES FOR CIVIL PEOPLE
Nov23--Here is a link to
the California Civil code site
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html
Ken Rattenne
This could be useful for some caught too deep on railroad property.
Steve
SUBJECT: RE: UP, TONGUE RIVER RR
Nov23--The moral to this story
is that they should have never done away with the steam locomotives. Steam
engines means good water for Keene. Let's hear it for steam. Yea!
Casey Jones (Gary Perazzo)
UP EXECUTIVE TRAIN
NOVEMBER 23, 1996 - 4:30PM
Nov23--Headed to dinner and driving along the nimitz in oakland (I-880) and
what should be coming in the opposite direction? The UP streamliner with full
consist along with an SP executive car in the middle. I was headed east And it
was headed west, I assume into its old yards behind the Oakland Naval Supply
Center. I think tomorrow I will investigate further. Hadn't heard any info on
it's arrival but was sure surprised to see it coming down the track.
Rolland A. Meyers
This one caught me by suprise too. I heard about it from a friend who told me, a day and a few hours before it arrived, to check out the schedule on Rob Carlson's web site. Thanks Ken (and thanks Rob!)
I had commitments that weekend, my son was in a soccer tournament, so I was only able to catch the sunrise shot at Pinole.
Steve
CORRECTION
In Track Warrants issue #37
dated Nov. 14 (Information that appeared in Track Warrants) has erroneously
given The Altamont Press Newsline page a bad info rap. What's ironic is that Vic
Neves accurately reported in your Nov.5 Newsline about the last day UP trains
would use 3rd street (on Nov.7). Yet, Vic mistakenly reports in Track Warrants
that the last train to operate on 3rd street was Nov. 11.
Mark Murdock via Rob Carlson, Altamont Press Publishing Company
APOLOGY
Mistakes, typos and bad editing (on my part) happens. I normally try to edit content so as not to have content critical of other sources appear in Track Warrants. I let that happen, I'm sorry. I appreciate everybody's work, devotion to the hobby and input. When people are criticised in print for content errors it needs to be remembered that:
- Plans change, sometimes a railroad will plan one thing and do another.
- People make mistakes.
I hope you don't mind and understand why I deleted the author's name of the contribution refered to above. I replaced it with (Information that appeared in Track Warrants,) because that's where it appeared. I don't want Track Warrants to become a venue for a flame war. I do not want people to get upset when nobody knows the author's intent in submitting the original comment. I am willing to give the benefit of a doubt. As for my part in letting it slip through, I'm sorry. I personally don't think it was the author's intent to slam Altamont Press's Newsline, I know it wasn't mine. (In fact I had no intent, other than to get the newsletter out.)
I consider Newsline to be a valuable resource. I have bookmarked it and, as of this date, Altamont Press is one of two outside sources linked to from my index page. Altamont Press has been positively recommended and refered to MANY times in the pages of Track Warrants. I think it's great.
Hopefully, all this being said, we can set aside this and any possible misunderstandings and go back to enjoying our hobby.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE
Mark Murdock, are you related to the famous railroader and writer Dick Murdock? If you are, my father Lloyd Sloan, who was an SP Engineer worked with and knew him. I remember as a child going with my father to visit Dick Murdock.
Steve
SUBJECT: NEW ADDITION TO THE RAIL PAGES
Nov27--I have received
so much positive feedback on my San Jose Sentinals online article that I have
created a second online article which I just recently posted to my web site.
Feather River GP40s is a reprint from my Pacific Railnews article published this
last spring, and features a complete WP GP40 disposition roster.
I also plan on continuing my Tower legacy by posting an article on Niles Tower, and a tribute to Oakland's 16th Stree Tower.
I invite all the Track Warrent's readers out there in CyberCity to stop by
and take a look. The url is:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rattenne/Wpgp40Ar.htm,
or head to my index page at
http://home.earthlink.net/~rattenne/index.html.
--
Ken Rattenne, KPR Media Services, Modesto, CA,
http://home.earthlink.net/~rattenne/index.html
SUBJECT: WARNING!!!
Nov27--Warning!!! ...this is one of
those shaggy conductor stories. --Lynn
There once was this guy who worked for the Railroad as a conductor. Let's say his name was Joe. Well, Joe was walking through the train, en route, collecting tickets from the passengers. He comes to car 12, booth 3. In it was a man.
So, he asked him for his ticket:
"Excuse me sir, do have your ticket?"
"Oh, I am soooo sorry, I dropped it out the window by accident," he replied.
"Sorry sir, can't have any passengers without tickets." He grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him out of the train. Well, he landed on the tracks and was run over by the train. Naturally, the conductor was arrested and thrown in jail. He was convicted of murder before a jury of his peers, and sentenced to death by electrocution.
The day of his execution came up, and he was asked what he would like for his last meal. He asks for a banana. They gave it to him, he ate it, received his last rites, and was escorted to the chair. The executioner strapped him in, hooked everything up. Last, he threw the big switch once, and nothing happened. So, he did it again, and nothing happened. Well, by law the conductor was legally dead, so they had to release him.
Oddly enough, the guy got a job on another railroad, as a conductor! One day, he was gathering tickets, and came to a booth with a little boy.
"Young man, do you have your ticket?", asked the conductor.
"A-a-a, I'm sorry, I ate it by mistake..", said the little boy.
And.. the same thing happened-- the boy was thrown off the train and killed. The guy was arrested, sentenced to death by electrocution. It came to him last day. The death row guard asked him what he would like for his meal. He asked for banana again. He ate it, and a priest gave him last rites.
He was escorted to the death chamber. This time, though, they were smart. They washed his hands to get rid of any banana slime, they washed up the chair. Next, they placed him the chair, and hooked him up. The switch-puller pulled the switch once, and nothing happened. The switch-puller pulled the switch twice, and nothing happened, not even a single hair raising on the guy's chest.
Well, as the law says, they had to let him go...
Even more amazingly, he got a job on yet another railroad.
This time it was a rabbi. Same old stuff. Rabbi had no ticket (he forgot to buy it). Guy threw him off the train, rabbi died. Guy was arrested, convicted, sentenced to death by electrocution.
When the guard asked him what he would like for a last meal, he asked for a banana. He ate it, received last rites, and was escorted to the chamber.
However, this time the officials where going to get it right! They scrubbed his body with a brillo pad. They scrubbed the chair with steel wool. They tried the chair on a few other prisoners...
Okay, they strapped him in, and threw the switch once, nothing happened. Threw the switch a second time, nothing happened. At this point the guy was legally dead, etc, etc.
But, before the guy could leave, the executioner, extremely frustrated (he'd seen this same guy three times already). asked, "What is it with the banana!"
The guy replied, "I just like bananas."
So, the executioner screamed, "THEN HOW COME YOU DON'T DIE!!!!!"
"I dunno," replied the guy, "I guess I'm just not a very good
conductor."
Lynn Benson, http://www.aimnet.com/~lynnb/sos
TW#39
Nov27--I find your information
great and refreshing. I did like your editorial about railfanning being either
a hobby or an obsession. I think sometimes it is alittle of both. We try and
get as much information as we can to be able to show others that we have "knowledge."
Sometimes however, that knowledge can get quite deadly. I think it really
should be understood that we as railfans are just that; spectators to a job
that men and women do day in and day out. We do not get the "real"
meaning of railroading unless we are up in that cab or down swinging a hammer
at 105 degrees or sweeping a switch to get a train through the some at -20
below. We only look at it as fun. That we are allowed to be around and report
and see what others do for a living is a trust that we as railfans should take
very seriously and not impose upon these people. I for one am thankful that
there are people in the railroad community(the professional people) that do
tolerate us even though some of us do some real stupid things out there along
the line.Thanks again for putting out an outstanding publication and I hope
that you received the copies of our publication that I sent to you.
John Cerreta-Editor, Conrail Historical Society Newsletter
ASKING PERMISSION
Nov27--In regard to railroad properties. I
have found that asking is a blessing in its self. I have only found two places
that I've been refused permission to be on railroad properties. And after
talking to Agents and Roadmasters I have no problem of understanding why.
Upper Mich. Someone stole all the builders plates off power in engine house. Was in Rail magazines some years ago. Portage, Wisconsin, Rail fans were asked to be careful crossing main line, watch for trains, don't stand on rail when crossing tracks, by depot agent. Agent was told to go " F*** himself". That put a end to Portage.
They always remember the bad ones, UNDERSTANDABLE. Why??
As I see it those of us that follow the rules, practice the safety, are not seen, we become part of the everyday operations. But the others make spectacles of them selves, and the name railfan comes to mind. Human nature to blame all instead of the few.
RULES OF RAILFANNING
Railfans are the Historians of the worlds Railroads. Lets make a future for all Rail fans. Do as they ask, not as we want. It belongs to them, not us. Always ask first, if told no say thank you and leave.
If told yes, then thank them, and be safe. You'll be surprised, when they
say your welcome to come back anytime. Ask me I know.
Your fellow Railfan, Bob. (R. E. Brant)
SUBJECT: RE: TW#39 OR (A LITTLE LESS FOAM,
PLEASE)
Nov28--Great "Take it lite" editorial in the second
section of issue #38. While cleaning my carpet this
week, one of the chemicals for the machine is called "defoamer." If
only it could be effective against some of the "foamers!"
TRACK GAUGE TRIVIA
Nov19--Steve,
[snip]
"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
Isn't it 4' 8-1/2"? The Roman ruts story seems to be the most prevalent one. No doubt you'll receive a big response -- I hope everyone cites their sources!
Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Charley Hepperle
WINTERAIL 97
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This document was last updated January 10, 1997.
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.