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THE FLATWHEEL The Official Monthly Publica on of the Central Florida

Chapter of the Na onal Railway Historical Society

July 2012

July Museum Work Session

Saturday, July 21, 2012 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Please come out and help with the many chores that need to be done!!!!

July Meeting Monday, July 9th at 7:00 PM Central Florida RR Museum

101 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden, FL Refreshments Provided By: Jerry &

Diane Hardwich Program: Operation Lifesaver & SunRail

By: Jerry Honetor

July Birthdays Renda Mackey 7/4 Sharon Lamb 7/5

Patricia Smith 7/10 Chuck Hanus 7/22 Richard Bazzo 7/24 Chuck Ansell 7/25

Photo of the Day

Electro-Motive’s “Plant 3” in the Cleveland suburb of Brooklyn, Ohio, was built in 1941 for the manufacture of diesel engines for naval ves-sels. After the war, EMD converted it to locomotive production, which took place there during 1948–54 to the tune of 3,600 switchers and road-switchers. EMD photo

August Meeting Monday, August 13th at 7:00 PM

Central Florida RR Museum 101 S. Boyd St., Winter Garden, FL

Refreshments Provided By: Irv Lipscomb Program: Modern Steam Operations

By: Kevin Andrusia

DAY DATE HOURS MUSEUM HOST Saturday 6/30/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Allen Quinn

Sunday 7/1/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Clarence Hurt

Saturday 7/7/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Irv Lipscomb

Sunday 7/8/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Mike Kelly

Saturday 7/14/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Frank Milmore Sunday 7/15/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Jim Benson

Saturday 7/21/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Lloyd & Sylvia Brown

Sunday 7/22/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Jerry & Ginger Honetor

Saturday 7/28/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Richard Bazzo

Sunday 7/29/2012 1 P.M. – 5 P.M. Gary Dettman

Central Florida Chapter NRHS Central Florida RR Museum Host

Duty Schedule — July 2012

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Upcoming Events July 14, 2012 - Deland, FL — 40th Florida Rail Fair, Volusia County Fairgrounds, 3150 East New York Avenue, 9 am – 4 pm, Admission: Adults $7.00, Un-der 12 Free. Contact: Charles Miller, 386-736-8185, rrshows@aol.com. Website: http://www.gserr.com.

August 18-19, 2012, The Villages, FL — The Vil-lages Summer Train Expo, Lake Miona Regional Recreation Center, 1526 Buena Vista Boulevard, 9 am – 4 pm Sat., 10 am – 3 pm Sun., Admission: Adults - $5.00, Children Under 10 – Free. Contact: Alan Goldberg, 352-205-4322, amgold15@hotmail.com, Website: http://villagerailclubs.blogspot.com.

November 17, 2012 — Chapter Field Trip to the Sanford area to visit the ghost railroads around San-ford. Chapter members Ken Murdock and Frank Milmore will be the hosts for this guided tour. At-tendees will visit the various locations of several former railroads that once operated into or out of Sanford. This field trip follows the presentation that Ken and Frank will give at the Chapter’s November monthly meeting on the 12th on the ghost railroads around Sanford.

December 1, 2012 — Central Florida Chapter NRHS Annual Banquet. To be held at the 801 City Grille, Corner of 8th & Montrose Streets, Downtown Clermont, FL. Social Hour at 6:00 PM, Dinner at 7:00 PM, Installation of Officers at 8:00 PM, enter-tainment follows the installation.

Al Pfeiffer’s Photo Corner This feature focuses on photos taken by our own Chapter member Al Pfeiffer. Over the years, Al has taken thou-sands of photos related to our favorite hobby and he would like to share some of them with us. Each month, three of Al’s photos are featured.

FEC #106 crossing Eau Gallie River Northbound at Melbourne, FL, on 9/23/10

Amtrak #58 with southbound Train #91, the Silver Star, at Kissimmee, FL, on 2/14/11.

Amtrak #77 with southbound Train #97, the Silver Star, at Sebring, FL, on 9/26/10.

Photo of the Day

Seaboard Centipede No. 4500 was the first of 14 Baldwin “Centipede” diesels ac-quired by the Seaboard Air Line beginning in 1945. Like other Centipedes, this unit had a 2-D+D-2 wheel arrangement (48 wheels!), but the running gear was of a slightly different design, having been used on a 1943 Baldwin experimental locomo-tive. Classic Trains collection.

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Seaboard Air Line to the Rescue By: Ken Murdock

Orange concentrate was once the “Cinderella” of the Florida citrus industry, and plants were being built and expanded at such a rapid rate that in many cases it was necessary to start operations before the boiler was ready to install. This is exactly what happened at Fosgate Growers Cooperative in Forest City north of Orlando, Florida about 1950. Fosgate’s production manager, Jim Fisk, contacted the SAL and they sent a steam locomo-tive to the plant to provide steam.

Why the SAL provided the steam locomotive rather than the ACL remains a mystery since the plant was on ACL’s old Orange Belt line. Perhaps the ACL didn’t have a steam locomotive available and the SAL did. How it ar-rived is another mystery since there was no connecting track between the SAL and the ACL junction at Toronto before the SCL merger.

Fosgate’s plant was located in Forest City where the Flor-ida Central RR’s dinner train was once boarded. This is in the vicinity of the present day Lowes store.

The locomotive was #237, a class M-2 4-8-2 built by Baldwin in 1924. No. 237 backed into a siding next to the plant and steam and water lines were run between it and the plant, getting the plant into operation in record time. The vertical object over the locomotive stack in the photo isn’t a telephone pole beyond the locomotive. It is a stack made out of 55 gallon oil drums welded together end to end with a damper at the top. This was an innovation of Mr. Fisk’s.

SAL locomotive #237 was retired on April 10, 1952, sold to Luria Brothers, Baltimore where it was most likely scrapped.

The following story is courtesy of Chapter Members Warren McFarland, Ken Murdock and Roger Wil-son.

The Closure of ALTO Tower 6/16/2012

ALTO tower in Altoona, PA, was closed on Saturday, June 16th. At 12:03 pm...the Operator at ALTO left the building...forever.

SAL 4-8-2 #237 is connected to the Fosgate citrus concentrate plant with steam and water piping, providing temporary steam for the new plant. Note the unusual boiler stack made from 55 gallon drums welded end to end.

The old signals are in process of being removed.

In this photo, the two guys walking across the tracks from the Tower are the last operator leaving for the final time, and a road foreman in the safety vest. Notice the ALTO is gone from the Tower, signifying it is no longer active, and is now a Control Point, now known as CP Altoona.

The old signals are almost in the clear. Soon another train will be pass-ing by.

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Sisters Visit CFRR Museum Looking for Picture Donated by Their Mother

By Mike Kelly

The three ladies in the picture below came into the mu-seum recently on a Sunday when I was the host looking for a picture that their mother (Mary Frances Sterling) donated to the museum. We found the picture on the north wall of the main room in the depot. It is a photo of an ACL RR section house in Sanford taken sometime between 1932 an 1939. Their grandmother, Hattie Da-vis Jordan, is sitting on the front porch.

The house was built in 1928 by the ACL. The first family to occupy the house was Section Foreman Mardie Hicks, his wife Mattie, and their five children. They lived there between 1928 and 1932. The second family to occupy the house was Section Foreman Tull Jordan, his wife Hattie and their children. They lived there between 1932 and 1939. Mrs. Hicks and Mrs. Jordan were twin sisters.

It weighs 799,200 lbs empty and has a load limit of 2,035,800 pounds and carries reporting marks WECX 801.

"So we had to replicate all the drawings," said Crawford. "Redo all the drawings to U.S. standards. We've been building this car for a year."

Kasgro hired 15 additional employees to get the job done.

Once it's moving, the car will require a special train and a spe-cial six-person crew to operate it. When the rail car is loaded, it can only travel up to 15 mph.

"It can shift laterally 40 inches and it can shift up 44 inches," said Crawford. "So it can take a huge container and move it around bridges, around tunnels to clear the railroad."

The two ends separate in the middle to accommodate the load, which can weigh up to 880 tons. The 36-axle Schnabel Car is headed to the Port of Charleston to move equipment to expand and build plants for Westinghouse Nuclear.

It's set to make the trip down South in July.

Pictured, left to right, Laura Sterling Larson, Joy Sterling Foote, Mar-garet Sterling O'Neal. The picture that Joy Foote is holding is the one their mother donated to the CFRR Museum.

The following story is courtesy of Chapter Members Warren McFarland, Ken Murdock and Roger Wilson.

World's Largest Rail Car Being Built in New Castle, PA

Employees at Kasgro in New Castle have been making heavy duty rail cars since 1993. But currently, they are finishing up their largest project ever.

"Normally the biggest car would be a 20-axle or 22-axle Schnabel car," said Kasgro President and CEO Joe Crawford. "This is a 36-axle Schnabel car. It's the biggest car ever built in North America." It was built for Westinghouse and will be pri-marily used to transport Nuclear Reactor Containment Ves-sels. The car is 231 feet long and sits 18 feet off the ground. It's bigger than its sister car that was built in Germany back in 1980. The car separates in the center and the load becomes part of the entire car, increasing its already long length.

Locomotive CSXT 3029 is a brand new General Elec-tric ES44AH [ Evolution Series - 4400 HP - AC Traction Motors - High Adhesion Trucks ]. CSX brought it down from GE's As-sembly Plant at Erie, PA especially to be displayed with the WECX 801. The locomotive's prime mover was manufactured at GE's Grove City, PA plant. The World's Largest Rail Car and the most environmentally fuel efficient mainline diesel locomo-tive in the world were both produced in Western Pennsylvania.

The world’s largest rail car sits outside the Kasgro manufactur-ing facility in New Castle, PA.

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Central Florida Chapter NRHS Combined Board & Regular Meeting

Central Florida RR Museum June 11, 2012

Call to Order – Phil Cross called the meeting to order at 7: 00PM with 20 members present. Board members present included Jerry Honetor, Irv Lipscomb, Les Westlake, Clarence Hurt, David Rhea, Frank Milmore, Ken Murdock and Phil Cross.

Meeting Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance – David Rhea led the prayer and the pledge.

Recognition of Visitors – No visitors

Recognition of Members/Friends Concerns – Everyone is healthy.

Approval of May 14, 2012 Combined Board & Regular Meeting Minutes – Frank Milmore made a motion to approve the minutes with a second by David Rhea. The minutes were approved unanimously.

May 2012 Treasurer’s Report – David Rhea & Frank Milmore presented the Treasurer’s report. Copies are available upon request.

Vice President of Membership & Programs Report – Jerry Honetor Membership Status Report

1. Current Membership - 75 Members 2. Renewed Members for 2012 To Date – 66 3. Members Who Have Not Renewed – 9

Monthly Programs – June’s program is UP Rotary Snow Plows on Donner Pass in March 2011 by Frank Milmore. July’s pro-gram is Operation Lifesaver & SunRail, Jerry Honetor is the program coordinator. Monthly programs are needed for September and October.

Chapter Events and Field Trips – The following is a list of planned/proposed trips. Trip information will be made available to the Chapter membership and “Friends of the Chapter” as soon as it is available. 1. Chapter field trip to Tavares to ride the Tavares, Eustis & Gulf RR. Clarence Hurt & Neil Bagaus are the coordinators.

Spouses will be invited to come along. Either lunch before the train ride or dinner after the train ride has been suggested. This trip will need to be scheduled for cooler weather and after the steam engine returns from repairs in Arkansas.

2. Possible trip to Colorado to ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic RR, the Durango & Silverton RR & the Rio Grande Scenic RR. Roger Wilson & Phil Cross are the coordinators. Tentative date is the third week of September 2012.

3. A visit to Sanford’s forgotten railroads – Ken Murdock & Frank Milmore are the coordinators. Scheduled for Saturday, November 17, 2012.

4. A one-day trip to the North Florida Railway Museum at Green Cove Springs, Clay County Historical & Railroad Museum at Green Cove Springs (Includes the Bud Hess Railroadiana Collection), and the Northeast Florida Live Steamers & Railroad-ers West Tocoi & Bostwick Railroad located in the Green Cove Springs/Bostwick area – Phil Cross & Ken Murdock are the coordinators. A fall date is under consideration.

5. A weekend Amtrak trip, possibly to Miami – Chuck Ansell is the coordinator. 6. A trip to the Flagler Museum (Whitehall) in Palm Beach, FL – Jerry & Diane Hardwich are the coordinators. 7. A trip to the Disney train/Monorail station – Allen Quinn is the coordinator. Allen advised that there are no free trips. It is

a $52 charge and does not appear to be very thorough. It is tourist oriented, not railroad buff oriented. Specifics are avail-able from Allen. The chapter will not pursue this trip.

8. A trip to Tampa to visit the TECO trolley operation – Clarence Hurt is the coordinator. A fall date is being considered.

Museum Curator Report – Ken Murdock May 2012 CFRR Museum Report – 720 visitors for May and 4,271 visitors for 2012 to date. 240.5 volunteer hours donated by the membership during May and 1,151.25 hours donated for 2012 to date.

The May Museum Work Session was held and the report was in the June Flat Wheel.

The Chapter is conducting inventory on Wednesdays. 778 items have been added to the inventory system. Volunteers are need-ed to help.

June Work Session Scheduled for Saturday, June 23rd, 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

Dwight Stoffel donated a portion of his transportation buttons to the museum. It is a display of approximately 50 buttons.

Museum Host Schedule for July 2012 – Irv Lipscomb has two open dates for museum hosts for July.

President’s Report – Phil Cross Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Board of Directors Activities for May – The Foundation completed another successful annual golf tournament and cleared approximately $15,000. They also conducted several fundraisers for the construction of the new History Center. Work continues on the design for the new History Center.

Website Committee Update – Work continues on the updating of the various pages on the website.

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3days during the month, plus the museum work day, cataloging books in the library. The library inventory is coming along nicely. Saturday, June 23rd, was another successful monthly work-day with 8 members participating. Phil Cross came on Friday afternoon (June 22nd) and took care of his outside chores (picking up trash, herbiciding weeds, and blowing off the side-walks) so that he could spend more time inside Saturday work-ing on the web site and the Flat Wheel. Prior to beginning work on the website and Flatwheel, he swept and mopped the floors in the depot and the bathroom. Bill Dusenbury started the scanning of the Dick Kearns photo collection. Al Sharp contin-ued with the logging of the Chapter’s collection into PastPer-fect, entering a number of large items in the meeting room. Allen Quinn vacuumed the meeting room and library floors and worked on getting a number of stains out of the carpet in the meeting room. Joe Lehmann worked on maintaining/updating the computer in the library and also installed the new printer at Denise’s desk. Jerry Honetor worked with Joe Lehmann on the computer in the library and then continued the cataloging of the books in the library. Ginger Honetor worked on polishing the silver in the display cases in the meeting room. Irv Lipscomb worked on cataloging slides in the Chapter’s office in the Rop-er Building and sleeved historical periodicals in acid-free sleeves. The crew had lunch together at Harry & Larry’s Barbeque and the Moon Cricket Grill. We accomplished a lot and had good fellowship while doing it. Thanks to each of you who came out and participated and made this another successful workday!!! My thanks to Phil for writing most of this report in my absence due to a death in my family.

Library Committee Update – Chairman Jerry Honetor and Committee Member Roger Wilson continue to work on the cataloging of the books, periodicals and videos in the li-brary.

The Flatwheel Report – The Flatwheels continue to be a success due to the great contributions by Chapter Mem-bers & Chapter Friends. The Flatwheel will only be as good as you help make it.

Donation to the WGHF’s History Center Building Cam-paign – The Chapter had a successful campaign, raising a total of $1,500. Plans are to present a check to the WGHF BOD at their June monthly meeting tomorrow night, June 12th. The check will be in the amount of $3,000 ($2,000 in donations and $1,000 matching funds from the Chapter).

Committees for 2012 – Need to get additional participation on some of the committees.

Chapter Caboose & Termites – Ken Murdock conducted an inspection and found no termites.

Request from Matt Jordan – Photos wanted of the Apopka SAL Depot to aid in the restoration process. Phil Cross and Ken Murdock have contributed photos from their files.

The Future of the Central Florida Chapter NRHS. The president has received several comments (all positive) regarding recommendations for the future of the Chapter. Phil Cross would appreciate any additional comments the membership might have regarding this subject. The BOD is scheduled to continue their discussions on this most sensitive matter at their next BOD meeting, which is scheduled for Saturday, August 4th. All Chapter members are welcome and encouraged to attend and participate in this most-important discussion.

FCRR, FMRR & FNRR Update (Including FCRR Track Up-grade Update) – Bill Dusenbury (No Report)

Tourist Train Operations on the Florida Central RR – Neil Bagaus/Bill Dusenbury (No Report)

Items from the Board of Directors – Nothing to Report

Items from the Membership:

Patrick Smith notified the membership that all 18 classics will be in Spencer on the 14th. Contact Patrick at yama-hafreak@cfl.rr.com for more information. Frank Milmore reported that the Canadian Pacific had a change in management. Tonight’s Refreshments provided by: Clarence Hurt

Meeting Adjournment – The meeting was adjourned at 7:36 pm.

June Museum Report By Ken Murdock & Phil Cross

June has been another very busy month at the museum and has included 4 Wednesday workdays to work on the inventory plus our regular Saturday workday. Those participating on Wednesdays were Al Sharp, Frank Milmore, Irv Lipscomb and Ken Murdock. We have finished the inventory of all showcas-es in the meeting room with the exception of photographing each item. Irv Lipscomb has started this phase and is close to finishing one china and silver showcase. Well over 1000 items have been entered into Past Perfect. Jerry Honetor worked

The following story is courtesy of Chapter members Warren McFarland and Ken Murdock.

Mosaic Crew Uncovers Manchester Locomotive Built in 1880s

By Suzie Schottelkotte THE LEDGER

Published: Saturday, June 23, 2012

MULBERRY | At first glance, it looked like little more than an abandoned pipe.

But when a backhoe couldn't unearth it, crew members at Mo-saic's mining operations near Mulberry began wondering what they had found.

They pulled out shovels and kept digging, and broad, iron wheels began to emerge.

"That's when I knew we were onto something," said Travis White, a superintendent with Moretrench American Corp., a subcontractor for Mosaic. "I just didn't know what."

As the earth gave way, the discovery began taking the shape of a large cannon. "We hooked a strap on it and pulled it out," White said. "Once we got it out, we could see it was a train."

The crew had stumbled upon a relic from Polk County's past. Dating to the 1880s, the rusty Manchester steam locomotive had been buried in dirt and mud for nearly a century, local his-torians said.

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The train's design reflects those built by Manchester Locomo-tive Works about 1880, he said, but local history suggests it wasn't used here until the mid-1910s. That's when the area where it was found was mined.

"There was a spur line of the railroad that started north of State Road 60, near where Wal-Mart is now, and curved around Mulberry, south of S.R. 60, and ended where they were min-ing," Spann said. "They started mining there about 1913, and would have mined there for about 10 years."

History shows the spur was there in 1927, Spann said, and per-haps as late as 1935.

"They probably abandoned the train there around that time," he said. "They saw it as a big, old piece of junk, so let's dig a hole, push it in and get on down the road."

Spann said he's certain the locomotive was out of sight by the outbreak of World War II.

"If anybody had known it was there, they would have used it for scrap metal," he said. "It was long gone by that time."

Until now.

Young said she knew immediately the impact of the discovery for Polk County.

"I knew this was an important artifact and that it needs to be protected," she said.

Though the base of the locomotive remains intact, Spann said it's really too far gone to restore.

"There's a tremendous amount that's missing," he said, "and it's corroded to the point that the material couldn't be worked with. Some areas are corroded together.

"But it should be preserved," he said. "We should clean it up and leave it the way we found it. I don't think reconstruction serves the artifact very well. It serves no purpose to try to make it look like something at Disney World."

LaPrelle said he'd agree with Spann.

"Based on what I've seen, it needs to be cleaned up and stabi-lized, and enjoyed for what it is," he said.

"It looks like a Manchester 4-4-0," said Joe Spann, manager of the Polk County Genealogical Library and a local railroad historian.

"These are very rare, so this is an amazing find," he said.

But the implication extends beyond Polk County. Bob LaPrelle, president and chief executive officer of the Museum of the American Railroad in Dallas, confirmed Spann's opin-ion.

"It's relatively rare," he said. "Most steam locomotives that we've seen date from about 1900. Before that, there's not a lot of those around."

Spann and Myrtice Young, the county's historic preservation manager, said they'd like to keep the locomotive in Polk Coun-ty, perhaps displaying it at Homeland Heritage Park south of Bartow. But that decision remains down the road.

Mining companies like Mosaic work with the state when any-thing of historic significance is unearthed during the mining process. The artifact is complicated because the land fell into bankruptcy when Mulberry Phosphate shut down, bringing the land's ownership into question.

The state Department of Environmental Protection is control-ling the reclamation activities on the land, and Mosaic is man-aging that work, said Callie Neslund, spokeswoman for Mosa-ic.

In the end, those involved said it's likely the locomotive will remain in Polk County.

"It should stay there locally somewhere," said Laura Kammer-er, deputy state historic preservation officer for review and compliance. "We certainly wouldn't want to bring it to Talla-hassee."

The state would want the locomotive's history documented and recorded, Kammerer said.

Meanwhile, the locomotive is sitting alongside a dirt road about 100 yards from where it had been buried.

Though the basic framework remains intact, many elements of the locomotive have been lost, Spann said.

"The water pump, the sand dome, the smoke box and cow catcher are gone," he said. "It looks like anything that could have been stripped out and used on another locomotive is gone. Everything that was brass is gone — the bell, the valves, the water pump. I would guess they used this locomotive for a while, and when they were finished, they just pushed it off the end of the spur line. That's right where we found it."

White said that fits with what he saw. "When we started pulling it out, it was upright," he said. "The wheels even turned as we pulled it out. It was almost like they just left it where it was and dumped sand on it from the min-ing." Spann suggested the mines bought it secondhand because the train's original design was more suited for passenger service. "They adapted it so it was better suited for mining," he said, "but the cylinders are enormous. They were as big as they get for that day and time. This locomotive was built for speed over long distances, not power around sharp curves, which is

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Over past centuries, bones of mammoths and other pre-historic land animals, and also bones of sea creatures such as whales and sharks, have been unearthed in the mining process. The bones were deposited while the FL peninsula was either under-water, or during the time when FL rose from the sea to become today’s dry land. These bones were collected, and are now dis-played at the Mulberry Phosphate Museum, along with other material about the industry’s history. The museum has convert-ed a number of rail boxcars for use as display areas and meet-ing space. Several intact rail cars are displayed as well.

CSX Railroad moves the processed phosphate rock from the mines, to the many fertilizer manufacturing plants co-located here. CSX also moves unit trains of sulfur and other chemicals used to process the rock into fertilizer. Further CSX moves unit trains of finished fertilizer from the plants to US agricultural growing regions, or to waiting ocean cargo ships at the shipping docks in Tampa Bay.

In my estimation, the highlight of the bus trip was the visit to the Mosaic Fertilizer Plant in North Wales, FL. The plant and adja-cent materials storage areas appeared to be the size of a small city. We drove around the full plant, but were not able to leave the bus. Photo opportunities were many. The plant’s safety office gave us a safety briefing prior to the tour’s start. ACL/SAL officers had arranged to have as a trip guide for us, the plant supervisor of all of the railway operations at the plant. He is a 40 year veteran of the plant, and supervises 60 employees. As difficult as it is to briefly explain the operation of a massive chemical plant in an hour, he knew the entire operation inside and out and answered our many questions. The tour results were well appreciated by our participants, and a round of ap-plause given to the tour guide.

Mosaic runs a 24/7 operation, and employs 500-600, with an additional 300 outside contractors. Inside the plant area, Mosa-ic’s plant has over 28 miles of railroad track. Each day CSX delivers about 200 railcars of phosphate rock and many chemi-cal tank cars. The plant ships one or two unit trains, as well as about 30-40 truckloads of finished product per day. In addition to plant fertilizers, they also make agricultural micro nutrients and ingredients for animal feed.

Our tour guide fully explained the many measures Mosaic has in place for employee and plant safety and security, the plant’s extensive systems for environmental protection, treatment of waste materials, and amount of water (95% recycled) and other material recycling done there. The plant also has a waste heat-cogenerating plant, which produces 100% of the electric power used at the main plant, with the surplus power extensively used by the mining operations. The plant uses and maintains its own fleet of 7 locomotives, which move railcars to unloading and loading facilities constantly. Prior to leaving the plant, the rail department is responsible to double clean and wash the inside of each railcar used there. Further it tests each car’s brakes, air pressure lines and other running gear, to fully meet STB re-quirements for use on Class I railroads.

A 1 hour lunch stop in Mulberry was next. We had two lunch choices, a BBQ place, and a buffet restaurant, located next to each other. Believe me, no one left either place hungry. Then we were off to Tampa to view the Tampa Trolley car barn and take a short ride on the Trolley. The trolley operations manager briefly covered the history of the trolley and its revival about 15 years ago. He spent about ½ hour answering our many ques-tions. The last original trolley is available for viewing at the car barn. The total trolley line is about 5 miles long and connects downtown Tampa business and sports venues, with the Ybor City tourist areas. Taking the full round trip trolley ride is well worth the price. Choose a cooler day as the trolleys are not air conditioned.

Report on the ACL/SAL May 2012

Plant City/Tampa Union Station Meeting

By Frank Milmore Photos by Phyllis Milmore

The ACL/SAL Historical Society held its mid-year meeting in Plant City, FL during the period May 11-12, 2012. Headquar-ters for the meeting was the Red Rose Inn and Suites in Plant City. The Red Rose is located within 1/10th of a mile from CSX’s “S” line, which allowed those staying over, to observe and hear trains running day and night. The location added a lot of relevant rail atmosphere. Briefly the meeting’s highlights were a Friday bus tour of Polk and Hillsborough county rail sites, train watching and museum entry at the Plant City depot, attendance at the 100th anniversary festivities and displays at Tampa Union Station, and a banquet with a speaker about the history and restoration efforts at Tampa Union Station.

The Friday bus tour left the Red Rose at 7AM and headed for CSX’s Winston yard in Lakeland. CSX’s police force allowed us to get off the bus on a parallel access road, for a 20 minute photo shoot. Winston yard appeared to be about 1 mile long and have about 10 parallel tracks. The yard has a locomotive fueling and sanding rack, and car repair shed. We saw only one movement of two cars during our visit. But we also saw some maintenance workers attending to the yard’s remote control locomotive, which we heard had a “broken axle” on the rail chatter lines on Thursday night.

The next stop was the Mulberry, FL CSX yard, which is smaller than Winston. The yard services rail traffic for the “Bone Val-ley” phosphate and fertilizer mining and manufacturing busi-nesses. We stopped for a 10 minute photo session and ob-served the movement of about 10 empty sulfur tank cars. Tex-as oil refineries extract excess sulfur from crude oil, and ship it to FL, for use in manufacturing crop fertilizers.

Then we took a short ride to visit the nearby Mulberry Phos-phate Museum. The largest concentration of phosphate rock mines in FL are in Polk, Hardee and Desoto counties, other-wise known as the “Bone Valley”. Phosphate rock has been mined here for over 100 years.

Thanks to Chapter Member Ken Murdock for this photo of Chapter Member Warren McFarland manning the Florida Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club's display at Tampa Union Station during Na-tional Train Day on 5-12-2012.

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The main speaker for the meeting was Mr. Jackson Quigg, a restoration professional, who with his father led the effort to save Tampa Union Station from the wrecking ball during the 1990’s. Amtrak stopped using the station, in favor of a smaller, utilitarian location during the 1970’s, after which the station re-verted back to CSX ownership. CSX operated the station as a business rental for a few years, but was unable to fully rent out the space. They eventually closed the station and put it up for sale. Over the ensuing several years, the building began leak-ing, and water damage began to take its toll inside the building. CSX did some maintenance but it looked like a losing battle for a while. As the prospects for a teardown loomed, Mr. Quigg and a small group a local citizens began to raise funds for a purchase and restoration, and to alert local preservationists about the plight of the station. Over the next few years, the fund raising efforts from the city and other groups, was success-ful in raising enough money to buy the property and begin the restoration. Mr. Quigg told of their first few times inside the closed building, to assess the buildings overall condition. He told of his difficulty in climbing the inside stairs, to access the office areas on the second floor. After they opened the offices, which were formerly used by the REA Express Company, they found all of the REA file cabinets full of business records and correspondence of the local branch of the company. Local preservations examined some of the records, and later found them to be a treasure trove of historical material, covering many years of operations at Tampa Union Station. Restoration of these records was well beyond the scope of building restora-tion. But the records were removed and saved, and are being worked on by other preservationists today. After much toil and effort, the restored Tampa Union Station was reopened about year 2000. Mr. Quigg and Joe Oates recognized and thanked a few of the men in attendance, including several CSX former employees, who were instrumental in parts of the preservation effort. All in attendance had a very good time.

On Sunday May 14th, we did a bit more railfanning in nearby Polk and Lake County on our drive home. We followed CSX’s S Line north and drove along FL Route 39. Near Zephyrhills we diverted east on Chancey Rd. to meet up with the rail line near the location of Vitis. We passed a raised section having two tracks, but not having any Vitis identifying signage. Traveling north again we picked up Route 35A and traveled through Dade City and a brief stop at the closed passenger station, currently marked as a Dade City administration building. North of Dade City we picked up combined route 301/98/700/35. The road splits with the left leg becoming Rte.98/700. A short distance up this road is the post office and town of Trilby. This was a former railroad stop, which was bypassed when the ACL and SAL routes were realigned. The track bed has been converted into the Withlacoochee Trail State Park, which continues north as a bike & hike trail through Inverness and beyond. The Trilby station was saved and rebuilt at the Pioneer Florida Museum in Dade City.

We turned around and over the right hand leg of the road (which is rte. 301/35) to local roads leading to the current CSX track at Lacoochee. Here we found a historical marker, explain-ing the history of the town of Lacoochee, its major lumber busi-nesses and noting the (closed) local Inn and general store. Today Lacoochee is only a railroad location, with the single main track and a siding into the former lumber mill. We traveled back to Rte. 301/35 north and turned east on Route 50. After traveling about 20 miles we crossed over a small bridge near Mabel, which passes over the original SAL track bed. This lo-cation is the north end of the General James Van Fleet State Trail, and has a small parking area, historical signs and a public rest room. On our drive to Plant City the prior Thursday, we stopped to observe the south end of this bike/hike trail in Polk City, FL, a few miles off I-4. Polk City formerly had a passenger

The final stop was back in Plant City for a visit to the home of a railroad collector and restorer. At his rural location, he has a fully restored and customized SCL caboose, a small industry yard diesel, many railroad signals, several motorcars, and many pieces of restored railroad equipment. He spent a lot of time relating about his experiences restoring the caboose. Unfortunately parking our bus on the edge of a rural highway posed a few traffic challenges, which ultimately caused us to limit our time there to ½ hour. But the display was well worth the time spent. We arrived back at the Red Rose about 4:30 PM and a nap for some of us.

Friday PM was spent train watching at the former Plant City passenger station, now operated as a train museum. The mu-seum’s volunteers agreed to open the museum for the group for two hours on late Saturday afternoon. They have a fine layout of model trains, a station ticket office mockup, a gift shop, and an extensive display of other railroad memorabilia. Outside the station, Plant City has a track diamond layout, with two east-west tracks crossing one north south track. We ob-served 4 trains pass by during our 1.5 hour watch. While there we learned from another railfan that the CSX coal trains which supply the Orlando Utilities Stanton power plant, are now being diverted over the S line and turned back east in Plant City, while the north end of the SunRail construction is proceeding. On Saturday AM we individually drove to downtown Tampa, to take part in the 100th anniversary celebration of Tampa Union Station. The official program began at 11AM. There was ½ hour of short remarks about the occasion by the head of the National Rail Passenger Association, by Mr. Jackson Quigg, who led the local effort to save and restore the station during the late 1990’s, welcoming remarks by one of Tampa’s City Councilors, a representative of NHRS, and of the Tampa Chapter members. After the ceremonies we were able to walk through one of the Amtrak display trains, which were stopped on one of the platform area tracks. The main building and the adjacent freight office appeared to be in fine condition, but the platform areas, still needed some restoration work done. As part of the station restoration, a fine clock tower having addi-tional historical information was added in a prominent place on one side of the building.

In the main station, ACL/SAL had their sales areas fully stocked, and manned by our own Bill Dusenbury and others. The Morse Telegraph Club had their display setup, with narra-tion by our own Warren McFarland. The Tampa Police Canine Patrol had several of their police dogs available to view. CSX had computer loaded with their latest locomotive cab view vid-eo training module, for anyone to try, a popular stop for many visitors. A local model train club had three full displays setup in the freight building, a location well visited by families with kids. Another Amtrak train carrying several of our Chapter members from Winter Park was backed into the station about 1:30 PM. Four food trucks were setup in the platform area to serve the crowd. But we drove back to Ybor City to partake of the finer dining at the Columbia Restaurant.

The main meeting event was the Saturday PM dinner and speaker, hosted by Mr. Joe Oates, President of the ACL/SAL Historical Society. The public dining and cocktail areas of the Red Rose Inn have been lavishly redecorated in red and pur-ple Victorian themes complimented by nice marble floors. We all enjoyed a ½ hour cocktail hour and conversation with mem-bers and guests. Invitations to join our Chapter were made to several ACL/SAL member attendees, who reside in central FL. After a course of salads, we lined up to feast on a fine spread of chicken and pork entrees, and choices of potatoes, and veg-etables. After this, a nice assortment of desserts and coffee concluded the meal. The value of the meal was well worth the price.

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station, but all that remains is a parking lot with no signs ex-plaining its past railroad uses. A 1//4 mile walk up the trail in Polk City made it readily apparent why this piece of track was eventually abandoned. The track bed traverses the “Green Swamp” and this roadbed would be very expensive to rebuild to carry the trails of today.

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Chapter Members: Don’t forget to or-der your own personal Chapter name badge. The cost is only $5.00. They may be ordered from Chapter Treasurer David Rhea. See David at the monthly meetings or contact him at 407-656-8749 or rhead43761@ yahoo.com.

The Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Central Florida Railroad Muse-um. The Museum is located at 101 South Boyd Street in downtown Winter Garden immediately north of the water tower. Guests and visitors are welcome and encouraged to attend.

All correspondence and other materials for the Chapter should be mailed to:

CFC-NRHS PO Box 770567 Winter Garden, FL 34777-0567

Or e-mailed to the Chapter at: CFCNRHS@gmail.com.

Web page: http://www.cfcnrhs.org

Mission: The mission of the Central Florida Chapter is to promote railway heritage preservation and educate its members and the public about rail transportation, its histo-ry and impact, with a focus on Central Florida.

Through the operation of the Central Florida Railroad Mu-seum, the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is committed to the collection and preservation of railroad history, with a special focus on Central Florida, and the restoration and exhibition of rail-road memorabilia for the education and enjoyment of pre-sent and future generations. It is the Chapter’s intent that each visitor to the Central Florida Railroad Museum leave with such a pleasurable experience that they will tell oth-ers about the Museum and return again and bring friends and family with them. President: Phil Cross Crossrails@earthlink.net 407-509-4572 Vice President — Membership / Programs: Jerry Honetor JerryHonetor@yahoo.com 407-957-8788 Vice President — Education: Irv Lipscomb ilipscomb@cfl.rr.com 407-895-4749 Secretary: Les Westlake LesWestlake@comcast.net 352-434-6160 Assistant Secretary: Clarence Hurt clhurt@smartcity.us 407-347-1031 Treasurer: David Rhea rhead34761@yahoo.com 407-656-8749 Assistant Treasurer: Frank Milmore fmilmore@earthlink.net 407-366-8941 Museum Curator: Ken Murdock rmurdock4@cfl.rr.com 407-277-5719 Historian: Phil Cross Crossrails@earthlink.net 407-509-4572 Flatwheel Editor: Phil Cross Crossrails@earthlink.net 407-509-4572 Webmaster: Phil Cross Crossrails@earthlink.net 407-509-4572 Immediate Past President: Bill Dusenbury sclbill@hotmail.com 352-360-0136

The Central Florida Railroad Museum is located at 101 South Boyd Street, Winter Garden, FL, 34787 (downtown Winter Garden, immediately north of the wa-ter tower).

The Museum is open daily from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM (excluding selected holidays) or by special arrange-ments. Large groups are encouraged to contact the Mu-seum at 407-656-0559 to arrange for their tour in ad-vance.

The Central Florida Railroad Museum is operated under a cooperative agreement between the City of Winter Garden, the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society.

The Flatwheel is the official monthly publication of the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Opinions and views expressed in this publica-tion are those of the editor and contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the members, officers or di-rectors of the Chapter.

Material for the Flatwheel (including exchange newslet-ters) should be sent to the editor via e-mail at: Crossrails@earthlink.net.

Please Note: Material from The Flatwheel may be re-printed in other publications provided credit is given as to the source.

T&G DVD The Whistle Blows No More….A History of the Tavares & Gulf Railroad 1881-1969

Available at the Railroad Museum for $20.00 Get your copy today!!

July Museum Work Session

Saturday, July 21, 2012 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Please come out and help with the many chores that need to be done!!!!

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Rail News Courtesy of Chapter Member Roger Wilson From the TRAINS, Railroad & Railfan and AAR Web Sites

UP Rolls Out Fleet of Mobile Classrooms Thursday, June 14, 2012

Written by Luther S. Miller

Union Pacific has unveiled a fleet of mobile classrooms that it says will bring “state-of-the-art operations and safety training” to locomotive engineer and conductor locations across its 23-state system.

“The mobile classrooms will supplement ongoing training conducted at leading-edge facilities where employees are introduced to new technology, and provided refresher certification,” said UP.

The training fleet employs “pioneering communication capabilities to sync with Union Pacific’s mainframe computer network, accessing the most current instructional sessions and federal training documentation.”

Every mobile classroom has seven workstations, each capable of accommodating two employees. Each simulator station includes a webcam feature enabling instructors in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Omaha, Neb., to assist the students at any time.

“Early training equipment, such as locomotive simulators, were large and heavy—about the size of two large deep freezers sitting side-by-side,” noted UP. “Today, through technological advances, those same locomotive simulations can be experienced on a laptop computer with these mobile classrooms.”

The Latest NS Heritage Units Honoring the Monongahela Railway, Wabash Railroad & Jersey Central Lines

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High-Speed Rail from Atlanta to Jacksonville Feasible, Study Says The Atlanta-to-Jacksonville Line, With Other Stops, Could be Built in Phases.

By Walter C. Jones

ATLANTA - Running high-speed, passenger rail lines between Atlanta and Jacksonville, Louisville and Birmingham is economically feasible, according to a consultant's study presented Wednesday to the State Transportation Board.

The Jacksonville line should be built in two phases, first to Savannah, and then to the Northeast Florida city, consultant HNTB recommended in its study. Possible stations along the route would include Griffin, Macon, Savannah and Brunswick. The feasibility study was the first of many long steps in setting the final course of the train routes and securing funding.

The three routes were studied after an earlier study showed the feasibility of a route from Atlanta to Charlotte. That project is now in the stage of estimating the environmental impact of possible paths.

Construction of any of the lines is likely to be many years in the future. But the Obama administration has made high-speed passenger rail a priority and provided funds for exploring routes.

Fares between Atlanta and Jacksonville would range between $119.41 and $152.24. Construction would cost from $5 billion to $16 billion, or $11.5 million to $41 million for each mile. That compared to $54 million per mile as the top range of the estimate on the Atlanta-to-Birmingham route.

The final cost depends on the type of tracks chosen. Sharing existing tracks with freight lines would be the least expensive but could result in train delays. A dedicated, high-speed track would be the costliest option but might draw more riders.

The corridor for high-speed rail the federal government sketched between Atlanta and Jacksonville bypasses Savannah, but the consultants included it to tap more potential riders and to connect to a federal corridor planned along I-95.

Atlanta and Jacksonville are both planning downtown stations where passengers could switch from the high-speed trains to local transit.

"Positive operating ratios indicate an ability to pay down debt services and bonds and can lead to reduced reliance on public-investment subsidies," the consultants wrote. "Additionally, operating surpluses on an annual basis may finance a 'rail maintenance fund,' requiring less investment in future years for capital maintenance costs."

They note that such potential could entice private investors to underwrite part of the project.

Virginia Museum of Transportation to Unveil Norfolk & Western Bicentennial SD45 1776

Published: June 15, 2012

ROANOKE, Va. — On July 7, the Virginia Museum of Transportation will formally unveil Norfolk & Western “Bicentennial” SD45 No. 1776. The 3,600-hp unit was recently refurbished at Norfolk Sothern’s shop in Chattanooga, Tenn.

N&W 1776 was the 2011 Trains magazine Preservation Award winner. Trains provided a $10,000 grant for its repainting. Railfans from across the United States also donated to the project.

EMD built the SD45 for N&W in February 1970. In 1974 N&W repainted it red, white, and blue for the nation’s 200th birthday. It was returned to N&W black in 1978. Retired in 1988, No. 1776 was donated to the museum and returned to its bicentennial colors. Over the years the paint faded, and the museum launched a fundraising drive for its restoration.

In addition to N&W 1776, the museum will display Chesapeake Western Railroad Baldwin DS44-600 No. 662. Built in 1946 and retired in 1962, it was recovered with sister No. 663 from Roanoke’s Virginia Scrap Iron and Metal Co. yard in 2009. No. 662 has been cosmetically restored by volunteers from the Roanoke Chapter of NRHS and is being repainted in CW’s 1958-era paint scheme.

Also at the museum will be the Norfolk Southern exhibit car and three NS Heritage locomotives representing the Norfolk & Western, Virginian, and Interstate Railroad.

The Norfolk Southern Lawmen will provide music, and the Roanoke Valley Model Engineers will have an Open House from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Museum members and children 2 and under are free, as are NS employees and their families. Regular admission is $5.

Norfolk Southern Heritage Fleet to Grow by Three Friday and Saturday Published: June 14, 2012

MUNCIE, Ind. – EMD’s plant in Muncie, Ind., expects to release the next two SD70ACe’s to Norfolk Southern tomorrow. The two locomotives being released are Reading No. 1067 and Erie No. 1068. As reported in a June 6 News Wire update, the two locomotives will move to Chattanooga, Tenn., to be placed in service instead of Conway, Pa.

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Norfolk Southern’s Chattanooga, Tenn., paint shop is scheduled to release the Monongahela heritage ES44AC No. 8025 this Saturday, which is the last GE locomotive scheduled to be repainted in heritage colors.

After this weekend, 14 of the 20 heritage locomotives will have been released, leaving only six SD70ACe’s to ship from Muncie. Norfolk Southern plans to ship the final EMDs directly from Muncie to its yard in Linwood, N.C., to prep the locomotives for the gathering of all 20 heritage units at the North Carolina Transportation Museum on July 3 and 4.

Schedule Announced for Norfolk Southern Heritage Locomotive ‘Family Portrait’

Published: June 12, 2012 NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern and the North Carolina Transportation Museum have announced the daily schedule for the display of the Norfolk Southern heritage locomotive fleet at the museum in Spencer, N.C., on July 3 and 4. The schedule below applies to both days. A map of the museum will be available on site each day of the event.

8 a.m. - gates open. 8:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. - Heritage unit power parade in the area south of the roundhouse. This is a photo event featuring

each heritage unit separately and side-by-side with historic locomotives from predecessor railroads. 11 a.m. - Welcome, announcements, and safety briefing in the turntable area. Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman

will speak on July 3 only. 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Conrail locomotive family around the turntable. Up-close visiting time for Southern and Norfolk &

Western units. 2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Norfolk & Western family around the turntable. Up-close visiting time for Conrail and Southern

family units. 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. - Southern family around the turntable. Up-close visiting time for Norfolk & Western and Conrail

family units. 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. - All 20 units around the turntable with NS locomotive 1030 (signifying NS’s 30th anniversary) on

display. 9 p.m. - 11 p.m. - Night photo session. Schedule to be determined.

The Norfolk Southern Lawman Band will perform in the afternoon.

Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children in advance and $30 for adults and $20 for children the day of the event. Children 2 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased at the museum’s website or by calling 704-636-2889, ext. 237. Norfolk Southern employees and retirees are eligible for a $5 discount, with a limit of four tickets per purchase. Some restrictions may apply. Retirees must purchase tickets by phone to get the discount.

Federal Railroad Administration Issues Final Rule on Emergency Notification Systems at Grade Crossings

Published: June 12, 2012

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration today announced new regulations requiring railroads to install signs at grade crossings with telephone numbers the public can use to alert railroads to unsafe conditions.

Under the final rule published in today’s Federal Register, railroads must establish Emergency Notification Systems by installing clear and readable signs with toll-free phone numbers at crossings so the public can report unsafe situations, malfunctioning warning signals, vehicles stalled on the tracks or other emergency situations. Depending on a railroad’s operating characteristics, calls may be received through a 24-hour call center or, for smaller railroads, through an automated answering system or third-party telephone service.

Upon receiving a call, the dispatching railroad is required to contact all trains authorized to operate through the crossing, inform local law enforcement to assist in directing traffic, investigate the report, or request that the railroad with maintenance responsibility for the crossing investigate the report. If the report is substantiated, the railroad is required to take certain actions to remedy the unsafe condition.

Railroads without an existing emergency notification system will have until July 2015 to establish one. Railroads that currently have a system in place may be able to retain existing signs, or will have until July 2015 or July 2017 to replace signs, depending upon several factors.

The agency’s regulatory impact analysis for the final rule found the total cost would be $15.6 million, offset by estimated accident and casualty reduction benefits of $57.8 million over a 15-year period.

Many major freight and commuter railroads already have systems in place to receive emergency reports. Section 205 of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 required the Federal Railroad Administration to issue the regulation.

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Norfolk Southern Updates Lehigh Valley Heritage Unit Published: June 11, 2012

ALTOONA, Pa. — Norfolk Southern has modified the paint scheme of its Lehigh Valley ES44AC No. 8104. When the locomotive was released from the Juniata paint shop on April 23, it had only a Lehigh Valley nose logo surrounded by yellow striping. Today, the Juanita Shop released the unit with a “nose job.” NS reworked the nose paint, adding white “V” stripes and surrounding the nose logo with white in a diamond shape. The modification eliminates a somewhat bare look the unit had when it was released, and makes it look more like Lehigh Valley’s original diesels. No. 8104 is one of 20 locomotives being painted in the schemes of NS’s predecessor railroads as part of the 30th anniversary of the merger of Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western. The Lehigh Valley was a Class I railroad that began primarily hauling anthracite coal. In 1929, the railroad had 1,362 miles of track in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, but in 1974, two years before it became part of Conrail, Lehigh Valley had been reduced to about 990 miles. In the diesel era, the railroad was known for its Cornell red colors, a scheme recreated on No. 8104.

Largest Rack-And-Pinion Locomotive Debuts Published: June 8, 2012

BUSSNANG, Switzerland — Swiss manufacturer Stadler Rail and Brazilian company MRS Logística have unveiled the largest rack-and-pinion locomotive ever built. MRS ordered seven of the locomotives from Stadler at a cost of around $60 million Swiss Francs. They will be used on the line from São Paulo to the Port of Santos, Brazil. The first two locomotives will be transported to Brazil over the next few weeks.

The seven 3 -kilovolt (3,000-volt) electric locomotives will be used to pull heavy iron ore trains on the approximately six-mile rack section of the 5-foot, 3-inch gauge line. The locomotives have two twin-axle trucks, each with two pinion transmission systems engaging with the rack. Two separate adhesion traction motors contribute about 25 percent of the power.

Loadings of 500 tons per train on the line today are thought to be the heaviest on any rack line, and will be increased to more than 800 tons per train when the new locomotives are in service.

House Bill Would Cut TIGER Grants, High Speed Rail, Transit Funding Published: June 8, 2012

WASHINGTON — A bill introduced in the U.S. House Appropriations Committee this week would maintain current spending levels for Federal highway spending in fiscal 2013, but there would be no funding for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants or high speed rail. The bill would provide $39.1 billion from the Highway Trust Fund for highways.

Transit spending would be cut $181 million to $2 billion, dropping overall transportation funding $69 million from last year to $17.6 billion. The proposed funding of all transportation programs is $2 billion below what President Obama had requested.

The bill would not fund another round of the TIGER program. The Senate version of the bill would provide $500 million for TIGER grants, the same as fiscal 2012. The Senate bill would also maintain highway spending, and include $100 million for high-speed rail grants.

Haggling continues in the House and Senate on a longer-term transportation bill. Yesterday U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner floated the idea of a six-month extension of current funding levels to push the issue past the November elections. The latest extension of the current transportation bill expires June 30, putting road, bridge and rail transit construction projects in jeopardy.

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Roanoke Chapter Sets Tentative Dates for Fall Excursions Published: June 7, 2012

ROANOKE, Va. — The Roanoke Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society has set tentative dates for its fall Amtrak excursions out of Roanoke. While the chapter has not received final confirmation from either Amtrak or Norfolk Southern to run the trips, it has issued a schedule so passengers can save the dates.

On Nov. 10, 2012, the excursion plans to depart the former Norfolk & Western passenger station and climb Christiansburg Mountain, then travel across the former N&W line via Radford, Pulaski, Rural Retreat, and Wytheville before arrival in Abingdon, Va. The train will operate to Bristol before returning to Abingdon and Roanoke, and riders will have the option of staying on board for the additional ride. On Sunday, Nov. 11, the excursion train will operate through the scenic Shenandoah Valley to Shenandoah, Va.

The chapter expects to have full information available sometime in mid-summer. To get train information, send a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to: Amtrak Excursions, Roanoke Chapter NRHS, P.O. Box 13222, Roanoke, VA 24032. To get information by the Internet, send an e-mail with “2012 Amtrak Excursion” in the subject line to Terrapin66@cox.net. Information will also be posted at www.RoanokeNRHS.org.

BNSF Announces Capital Programs in Arizona, New Mexico Published: June 5, 2012

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway said today it plans to spend an estimated $80 million in Arizona and $65 million in New Mexico on maintenance and improvement projects this year.

In Arizona, BNSF will surface 377 miles of track, and replace 26 miles of rail and 233,000 ties. In New Mexico, the railroad will surface 560 miles of track, and replace 22 miles of rail and 142,000 ties. In both state’s BNSF will also upgrade signal systems to meet the federally mandated requirement to install positive train control.

CIT Rail Orders 3,500 New Cars Published: June 4, 2012

NEW YORK – CIT Rail today announced it has ordered 3,500 cars from multiple manufacturers with deliveries scheduled through 2012 and 2013. CIT Rail is the third-largest railcar lessor in North America, and is owned CIT Group Inc., a bank holding company.

The orders are for various tank car models and covered hoppers to transport oil and gas, and related products. Railroads have been experiencing increasing demand for transportation of oil and gas due to expanded exploration and drilling. Demand for more covered hopper cars has increased since the cars are used to move plastic resin products, which are benefiting from low natural gas prices.

CIT Rail owns more than 100,000 cars and 450 locomotives that are leased to approximately 500 customers. Beginning in 2011, CIT Rail has spent nearly $1.5 billion to purchase tank cars, and covered hopper cars for its fleet.

New York Plans to Sell Turbo Trains for Scrap Published: June 4, 2012

GLENVILLE, N.Y. – New York State Operations Director Howard Glaser has announced plans to sell 20 turbo train cars and the spare parts for them, the Albany Times-Union reports. The trains likely will be scrapped. They have been stored since 2005 when the state abandoned plans to rebuild the 1970s Rohr Turboliners.

The administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo was pointing to the hulks as a glaring example of waste and incompetence they say has long plagued New York State government. It costs the state $153,000 a year to store them. The administration plans to hire a consultant to see how they can sell the trains, although they will probably end up being scrapped.

Rebuilding of the trains was touted as a job builder for the Schenectady area. “There is no state in America that has made a bigger commitment to high-speed rail than New York,'” then-Gov. George Pataki said in 2000 when Wisconsin-based Super Steel company rolled out the first refurbished Turboliner. As it turned out, the turbine fuel was too costly and Amtrak mechanics needed special training to work on the engines – so much so that a specialist had to be assigned to ride the trains as they traveled back and forth along the Hudson between New York and Albany. The trains’ air conditioners never worked properly, and the turbines had a tendency to catch fire if not perfectly maintained.

By 2003, the program had been discontinued. Four of the original seven Turboliners train sets were ultimately brought to Glenville and mothballed with the doors sealed. Amtrak towed three other trains to Delaware, where they have been stored.

While the trains may be scrapped, there might be a market for the 100 truckloads of spare parts sitting in a Rotterdam, N.Y. warehouse. That building houses wheel sets and entire $750,000 French-built turbine engines, which are also used in helicopters, still in their boxes.

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Amtrak Wins First Round of AAR Court Case, Judge Rules Amtrak is a 'Governmental Entity'

Published: June 4, 2012

WASHINGTON – A federal judge has upheld a law that gives Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration the “authority to promulgate binding rules governing the conduct of its contractual partners, the freight railroads,” Courthouse News Service reports. Representing freight railroads, the Association of American Railroads sued the Department of Transportation over the constitutionality of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act in 2011, claiming the law gave excessive regulation power to a private corporation with a “historically poor record of on-time performance and (a) chronic inability to generate revenue sufficient to cover its operating costs.”

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg relied on the Supreme Court’s determination that Amtrak should be considered a governmental entity for the purpose of constitutional individual-rights claims. “Amtrak was created by special law for the furtherance of governmental objectives, and the government sets its goals; the President appoints eight of the nine directors; Amtrak is required to submit annual reports to Congress and the President; the government owns more than 90 percent of Amtrak’s stock; Amtrak relies on more than a billion dollars in congressional appropriations annually; and Congress sets salary limits for Amtrak’s employees,” stated the judge, demonstrating how interwoven the company is with the federal government. The judge ruled May 31 that the government is sufficiently involved to legally render the regulating power to Amtrak, and dismissed the railroads’ claim.

“Amtrak is not a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States government,” argued the railroads. “Rather, it is a private entity that is ‘operated and managed as a for-profit corporation.’ PRIIA purports to vest Amtrak with the power to issue binding regulations governing the business operations of the freight railroads. It is a bedrock principle of constitutional law that Congress cannot empower a private entity to regulate other participants in the same industry.”

The railroads fear the law will adversely impact their operations because it forces them to ensure that Amtrak meets federal on-time performance standards. They claim that if an Amtrak train dips below 80 percent of the on-time standard for two consecutive calendar quarters, the Surface Transportation Board can investigate Amtrak or the host freight railroad, and may order the host rail carrier to pay damages to Amtrak.

Will the Marriage of Rail and Oil be Everlasting? Posted June 8

By Fred Frailey

The Financial Times today reports that Phillips 66, a refining spinoff from ConocoPhillips, is ordering 2,000 tank cars able to carry some 120,000 barrels of crude oil a day out of the Bakken Shale oil fields in North Dakota. This is just the latest sign (although the biggest one yet, costing $200 million) that the oil industry badly needs railroads, at least for the short term.

Producers, refiners, and pipelines were all caught by surprise by the strength of the oil boom in western North Dakota, eastern Montana and southern Saskatchewan. Output is skyrocketing (576,000 barrels a day in March and growing by the hour) whereas pipeline capacity is perhaps half that today, with no big additions expected for a couple of years.

Greg Garland, chief executive of Phillips, told the Financial Times that it is more cost effective for the company’s refineries in California to take delivery of oil by rail from North Dakota, paying the West Texas intermediate price (currently $85 a barrel) than to import it from aboard at the international benchmark price (currently $100 a barrel).

Tank car leasing companies may be placing larger orders, but this is the biggest I’ve heard about from a refiner. Last year, for example, Hess Co. ordered 1,000 tankers to get its oil out of North Dakota on BNSF Railway trains. And Garland says Phillips is anxious for fast delivery of its cars. “If you go in with an order for 500, they put you in line,” he told the newspaper. “If you go in with an order for 2,000, you get people’s attention.”

BNSF is believed to be loading about three trains of Bakken crude oil a day at present, Canadian Pacific about half that number. But the rate of loadings could easily double within the year. I was told by an executive of Continental Resources, the biggest producer in North Dakota, that every incremental barrel of oil it brings out of the ground now must leave the state by rail.

Within three years, any number of new pipelines will probably poke their noses into North Dakota. What happens then? When I spoke to BNSF and CP people late last year, they were confident that rail would remain a viable competitor to pipelines, perhaps handling as much as 20 percent of the Bakken output.

But when I put the question to Harold Hamm, the founder and chief executive of Continental Resources, a few weeks ago, Hamm shook his head. “The pipelines will get almost all of it by 2015,” he said. “Railroads will be a marginal presence.”

Get that, Calgary and Fort Worth? You have two or three years to come up with combinations of service and price that will be attractive to oil buyers, and prove Harold Hamm wrong. That two refiners, Phillips and Hess, will invest in tank cars to the tune of $100 million to $200 million suggests they see a longer life span for their new assets. Let’s hope they are right.

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Fifty Shades of Blue: How Conrail’s Paint Scheme Changed from Brown to Blue

Posted June 1 By Matt Van Hattem

It’s June 1, 2012, and 13 years ago to this day, Conrail was dissolved, split among Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation. (The name still lives on, however, in a unique switching and terminal operation that you’ll learn about in the October 2012 issue of Trains magazine.)

This year saw a pleasant surprise with the introduction of Norfolk Southern’s gleaming blue Conrail heritage unit, the first of the new locomotives to wear the paint schemes of NS predecessors.

Looking at photos of the new engine, I’m reminded again how fortunate we are that Conrail never adopted the original color scheme planned for the railroad: brown!

That’s right. Many things changed between the planning for Conrail and the railroad as we came to know it. For instance, early versions of the railroad’s name used a capitalized “R”: ConRail — perhaps a more accurate shorthand for its formal name (Consolidated Rail Corporation), but certainly less elegant written out, especially on the nose of a locomotive.

But the brown. Egad! That might have been too pitiful a color for a railroad determined to dig itself out of a morass of rotting track, red ink, and low morale. Granted, brown probably better reflected the mood of the time, an era when some thought railroading was in a death spiral.

Thank goodness, instead we got Conrail’s “Premier Blue.” (That’s the name author Don Ball Jr. cites in a book on America’s second-generation railroads. Trains magazine called it a royal blue, while Diesel Era magazine labels the color medium blue).

Whatever the name, the vibrant blue injected a shock of color into Northeast railroading’s blanket of Penn Central black and the drab green found on Reading and Jersey Central engines.

Conrail’s first annual report spoke of its planned “blueprint to profitability,” and the blue paint on its engines could be considered a visual embodiment of that ambitious idea — a locomotive-sized corporate mission statement.

As the company turned itself around, those blue locomotives that thundered by were a colorful wagging finger to the naysayers who had believed the industry’s best days were behind it.

But how did it happen? Whose idea was the blue?

Seeing the Norfolk Southern unit made me want to find out. So I got in touch with some former Conrail employees who had seen the railroad through thick and thin. They offered other names, people who reached back 36 years for answers.

Dick Hasselman, Conrail’s first vice president of operations, credits a consulting firm working with Edward Jordan, the railroad’s first chief executive officer, for the choice of paint scheme and Conrail’s distinctive “wheels-on-rails” logo. “I believe Ed Jordan handled this decision without consulting [president] Dick Spence or anyone involved in running the railroad — so I think that the blue color, as well as the Conrail logo and typeface, were all decisions made by the consultants Ed hired,” Hasselman says. “I do know that Spence advocated for brown boxcars (which was not done).”

Larry DeYoung, who joined Conrail’s marketing department in 1978, has a Conrail Style Manual prepared by the consultants, covering every detail of the “Conrail look,” and how it would appear on everything from cabooses to signs, stationery, and business cards.

“The consultants presented Conrail top management and public affairs people with two options: blue and brown,” DeYoung says. “The brown was based on the UPS and Pullman experience: it holds up well in adverse environments. The blue was chosen, as the story was related to me by PR folks, because it was a complete break from all predecessor roads (the brown was deemed too ‘PRR-like’), and the blue was unlike the colors of any of the major Class Is of the time.”

Still, DeYoung says, that decision came shortly after “conveyance day,” April 1, 1976, so some early logos and lettering (including “ConRail”) and a few non-standard paint schemes slipped through.

“The car shops kept working with what they had,” DeYoung says,” and cranked out cars in PC green and EL maroon with CR stencils pieced together from what they had on hand.” DeYoung even recalls seeing some ex-Pennsylvania Railroad cabooses assigned to Pennsylvania Power & Light unit coal trains, wearing what might have become the system’s “Conrail brown,” a rich brown with imitation gold lettering.

Trains magazine ran an eye-catching color photo by John C. Benson in its August 1976 issue showing the first Conrail locomotive to wear the “dress blues:” GP40 No. 3091, still carrying its former New York Central road number, but looking pristine after emerging from the Collinwood shop in Cleveland on May 20, 1976. The caption said Conrail’s locomotives and cabooses would wear blue, while freight cars would wear “traditional red oxide” (boxcar red) and covered hoppers would be painted gray. The railroad hoped to have 170 of its 5,000 locomotives clad in blue by the end of 1976.

However, the color we know as “Conrail blue” has actually changed over time. The initial blue was a Dupont acrylic lacquer paint with a high amount of volatile organic compounds. And in photos, that early blue appears more turquoise than the later version, which seems to have a richer hue.

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John Samuels confirms the color shift. He began working with Conrail as a consultant in 1976 and joined the company two years later, becoming assistant vice president of industrial engineering.

However, Samuels says the paint alone was not solely responsible for the early lighter blue shade. The original paint would blanch when exposed over time to the sun.

“Laboratory tests found that the original CR blue paint began chalking after only about one year of service, compared to our desire to have a locomotive paint job last eight years,” Samuels says. “The premature chalking caused many complaints, which ultimately led to Imron paint.”

Imron was a low-volatiles paint, but one that required special equipment to apply. “Conrail did not have the mixing equipment required to blend the Imron base solids and hardener prior to spraying. So after doing extensive sun testing of both paints, Conrail chose to specify the Imron paint as standard,” Samuels recalls.

“We built a locomotive paint booth at Altoona to both meet EPA standards and spray the new Imron paint, which was a slightly darker blue, but kept its color much better over time.”

At least one veteran Conrail painter at the Altoona, Pa., shop (now run by Norfolk Southern) remembers the switch to Imron as taking place in the late 1980s or early 1990s, says shop employee Lex Parrish. “A couple of years later, they started top-coating the Imron with clear coat,” he adds.

Even after the shift to Imron, the solid blue and the white vinyl lettering and “can opener” logo remained standard, although subtle changes occurred along the way. Some of the General Electric B40-8s built in 1988 wore a special “labor management” nose decal, and in 1989 Conrail’s number board background color began a shift from black to white. Then in 1990, the railroad began adding a white reflective frame stripe to new and repainted engines.

All of this was a prelude to the more dramatic visual changes of the 1990s. In 1991, the railroad’s second order of GE C40-8W wide cabs arrived on the property adorned with “Conrail Quality” lettering. The idea was to promote a corporate-wide Continuous Quality Improvement program adopted in 1989, a time when many U.S. companies were implementing some kind of total quality management initiative.

Older engines also received the Quality lettering on the nose and sides. “The side print was for the public, but the nose print was so Conrail train crews could be reminded of our Quality efforts by seeing that on the nose as they passed each other,” Samuels says.

The final paint variation was perhaps the most striking: 30 SD80MACs built by EMD in 1995-96 came with a sweeping “white smile” treatment on the nose — a unique scheme confined to a unique locomotive model. (Only Conrail received SD80MACs.)

“The different paint job was done to make sure both the train crews and repair forces knew the locomotives were different,” explains Samuels, who was vice president of mechanical when Conrail placed the order with EMD. “The SD80MACs were Conrail’s first A.C. units, first 5,000-hp, 20-cylinder engines, and they had EMD’s radial truck design. Conrail used them primarily in coal service on routes that had tight curvature.”

Still, for its General Electric-built heritage ES44AC No. 8098, Norfolk Southern chose the “classic” look from the 1970s and 1980s (albeit with the white frame stripe), and painted the engine at the same Altoona, Pa., shop that once coated thousands of locomotives in Conrail blue.

“All the lettering and logo work was made in-house just for that unit,” says Lex A. Parrish, in Norfolk Southern’s Juniata shop in Altoona. “The heritage unit was painted with Dupont Imron N3136HN white and Dupont Imron 99T-42P blue, and then clear coated.”

Norfolk Southern has painting diagrams for Conrail locomotives from the SD40-2 era on, adds Allen Rider, manager of locomotive engineering in Atlanta. “I probably sent Lex a painting diagram for a C40-8W, although they have a fairly large library of drawings themselves [at the shop],” Rider says.

The heritage unit decals were built new to conform to the modern ES44AC’s burly contours. “I would have liked to have done the SD80MAC scheme (some call it the ‘raccoon scheme’) but decided not to because it didn’t represent a typical Conrail locomotive,” Rider says. “Same logic applies to the Conrail Quality scheme.”

Conrail’s June 1, 1999, dissolution makes it the youngest railroad to receive commemoration in Norfolk Southern’s heritage unit program (where did these last 13 years go?).

In fact, before the heritage program began, NS had 15 or so ex-Conrail locomotives still in their blue paint with NS patches and numbering. Conrail’s brief 23-year lifespan exceeds that of Penn Central (8 years), which will be getting its own black-painted heritage unit later this month.

For those who watched Conrail triumph over insurmountable odds and demonstrate railroading’s incomparable value to U.S. transportation, the sight of Norfolk Southern’s new, blue heritage unit is an inspiration. (Thank goodness, it’s not wearing Conrail brown.)

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Norfolk Southern Marks 30th Anniversary Today Published: June 1, 2012

NORFOLK, Va. — Today is the 30th anniversary of the merger that created Norfolk Southern Corp. On June 1, 1982, Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western combined. Both were successful railroads at time, even though in the 1960s and 1970s many Eastern railroads struggled. N&W benefited from its coal business, while Southern served the growing southeast and was led by innovative management.

Today NS Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman said in a statement: “The Norfolk Southern of 2012 is safer, more customer-focused, and more successful by every measure than it ever has been. We are highly competitive, environmentally conscious, and constantly seeking new opportunities. The future of our business looks very bright.

For this we thank our employees and their families, customers, shareholders, suppliers, and communities. They have made NS what it is today, and they will carry us forward,” he said.

Norfolk Southern greatly expanded on June 1, 1999, when it acquired a large portion of Conrail, increasing market reach and competing with CSX in the Northeast.

NS released statistics today to compare 2011 with the start-up year of 1982: 2,060 freight trains a day in 2011 vs. 1,070 in 1982 191.7 billion revenue ton miles vs. 92.6 billion $11.2 billion in railway operating revenues vs. $3.36 billion An operating ratio of 71.2 vs. 80.4 4,100 locomotives vs. 2,900

In recognition of its 30 years, NS is painting 20 locomotives in the schemes of selected predecessors, and is sponsoring a public photo session with all 20 heritage units at the North Carolina Museum of Transportation in Spencer, N.C., on July 3 and 4.

NS officers will ring the bell on the New York Stock Exchange on June 5, and the company is publishing a book, “Eat Steel and Spit Rivets,” about railroad culture as lived by employees.

Bombardier Introduces New Mass Transit Power System Without Wires Published: June 1, 2012

BERLIN – At a news conference today, Bombardier Transportation presented its new wireless charging system for trams, buses, and cars. Called the PRIMOVE system, it has been installed in a pilot project on a tram in Augsburg, Germany. The system enables trams and similar systems, such as streetcars, to transfer power without the use of any overhead wires.

Based on the principle of inductive power transfer, Bombardier’s system enables electric vehicles to be recharged either in motion (dynamic charging) or at rest (static charging). Eliminating overhead cables and other wires previously needed to power electric vehicles could significantly cut costs for mass transit systems.

During the Augsburg demonstration, a Bombardier low-floor tram was fitted with two power receivers (pick-up coils) to capture the inductive power transferred from cables laid between the rails and beneath the ground. Inverters along the track are connected to a wayside 750 Vdc power supply network. Simulating regular operations in an urban environment, the pilot project proved the system’s reliability, and was in full compliance with all applicable codes and standards for electromagnetic compatibility. Recently, the first automotive prototype was equipped with the technology to undergo a series of performance tests at Augsburg.

This month Bombardier, the city of Braunschweig, and local operator Braunschweiger Verkehrs-AG will launch another demonstration of the technology, equipping two buses with the new system. The German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building, and Urban Development are funding the demonstration.

Rockhill Trolley Museum Will Operate This Season Published: May 29, 2012

ROCKHILL FURNANCE, Pa. – Even though the East Broad Top narrow gauge steam railroad will not operate this season, the associated Rockhill Trolley Museum has announced it will continue operating in 2012.

Since 1960, the Rockhill Trolley Museum has been affiliated with the East Broad Top Railroad and the Kovalchick family (which owns the EBT), but the trolley museum is a separate non-profit corporation operated by Railways To Yesterday, Inc. Volunteers staff the museum.

During 2012, the museum will operate on its normal weekends-only schedule. It began operations Memorial Day weekend and will continue running through the end of October. Winter holiday events will take place in late November and early December, and additional special events will be held throughout the year. For more information, go to www.rockhilltrolley.org.

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More Norfolk Southern Steam Trips Announced Published: May 29, 2012

NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk Southern will operate several steam-powered main line excursion excursions this summer. The trips will be one-way ferry moves between terminals, where employees take part in roundtrip excursions. Here are the dates and trips:

July 7: Roanoke to Bristol, Va. (one way with bus return) July 8: Bristol to Knoxville, Tenn. (one way with bus return) July 16: Knoxville to Chattanooga, Tenn. via Harriman Junction (one way with bus return) Sept 1-2: Chattanooga to Cleveland, Tenn. (two round trips per day) Sept 8: Chattanooga to Birmingham, Ala. (one way with bus return).

The trips are being operated as part of Norfolk Southern’s 21st Century steam program. Trains News Wire will provide addition details as they are announced.

Last week the railroad, the North Carolina Transportation Museum, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad announced a series of public trips in June will run in North Carolina and Virginia powered by ex-Southern 2-8-0 No. 630.

NJ Transit Dual-Mode Locomotive Makes First Revenue Trip Published: May 30, 2012

NEWARK, N.J. – This morning, NJ Transit operated its first revenue commuter train powered by one of its new dual-mode ALP45DP locomotives. Dual-mode No. 4506 led Montclair-Boonton Line local train 1006 east from Lake Hopatcong, N.J., to Hoboken Terminal.

The ALP45DP is a dual-mode locomotive able to operate as a conventional diesel-electric in non-electrified territory or as a straight electric locomotive drawing current from lines with overhead catenary.

The first of the new locomotives arrived on NJ Transit last year, and since then the agency has been testing the units in its shop and on various lines around the system. NJ Transit ordered the locomotives as part of a plan to bring passengers on its diesel-powered lines directly into New York City through a set of new Hudson River tunnels and into a new subterranean terminal adjacent to Penn Station.

Although the tunnel project has fizzled, the agency intends to use the new engines on existing routes that are partially electrified, such as the Montclair-Boonton Line, since transitioning to electric power at stations where overhead catenary begins will enable NJT to save on fuel.

Bombardier is building the unique locomotives in Germany, with 35 units on order for NJ Transit, and another 20 units for Montreal’s AMT commuter rail service.

GE Transportation Moving Headquarters to Chicago Published: May 30, 2012

CHICAGO – GE Transportation announced today that it would move its world headquarters from Erie, Pa. to Chicago. The move will be effective in the coming months, once office space has been secured. Erie will remain the headquarters for GE Transportation’s locomotive business and a manufacturing and engineering site. Erie, where the company has been based since Thomas Edison announced plans to build a locomotive plant in 1907, will remain the headquarters of the locomotive business and "a key manufacturing site," the company said in a news release.

Lorenzo Simonelli, President and CEO of GE Transportation, said: “We have transformed GE Transportation from a North American rail company to a truly global transportation business. Chicago allows us to more efficiently reach and serve customers around the world in the rail, mining, and marine industries.”

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GE Transportation will relocate about 50 people from Erie to Chicago by 2014, which the company said would affect less than 1 percent of its Erie-based employees. These employees are primarily associated with the company’s global support functions and its services operations. GE anticipates having a headquarters staff of approximately 150 in Chicago by 2014.

Simonelli said Erie would operate as the global headquarters for GE’s core locomotive business. “We filled 1,300 positions in Erie in 2011 alone and announced investments of nearly $140 million in the modernization of the Erie plant. We are committed to Erie as one of our key manufacturing sites. We deeply appreciate the continued support from all of our employees, our suppliers, and our friends in Erie who are key to the continued success of this business. We all recognize how important GE is to Erie and how essential Erie has been and will be to GE’s global growth.”

GE is Erie County’s top employer with about 5,500 employees.

Boston Transit Agency Now Encourages Photography Published: May 25, 2012

BOSTON – In a reversal of attitudes toward photography, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is now encouraging riders to take photos of suspicious activity, and has created a smart phone application to do so.

The authority also announced that it has repealed all rules against taking pictures on its property.

“It is time we lifted any restrictions on taking pictures,” said MBTA Transit Police Chief Paul MacMillan. “It’s almost impossible to control.” Now that most riders have cell phones with built-in cameras, MacMillan said, it is more beneficial to start encouraging their use in order to decrease crime.

With the free iPhone “See Say” application, riders can share pictures, text, and location details with a dispatcher, if they see something suspicious while traveling. The application, which is now available on iTunes.com, is part of the MBTA’s “See Something, Say Something” campaign, which was launched in 2003 in response to the September 11th attacks.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Transit Security Grant Program provided funding for the app and campaign. The app can be used to report everything from a suspicious package to a sighting of a missing person. If a user does not have cell service in range, the app is programmed to send a report as soon as service is available. Users can also choose to submit a tip anonymously. The camera’s flash will automatically be disabled if a rider wants to use the app to discreetly take a picture of something suspicious.

Transit police dispatchers who receive the tip can respond to an alert with more questions. The app can also be programmed to receive updates regarding service delays or other alerts.

Intoxicated Man Survives Being Run Over by Train Published: May 25, 2012

CALGARY, Alberta – An intoxicated man has survived being run over by a 26-car freight train, the Ottawa Sun has reported. The man, from the Crow’s-nest Pass-Area of Alberta, had left his campsite near Elko, B.C., and somehow ended up on the nearby Canadian Pacific tracks, where he decided to take a nap.

The engineer of a CP train saw the body on the tracks and put the train into emergency, stopping after 26 cars passed over the man. Railroad workers assumed he was dead, but when they reached him, one of the workers touched the man and he woke up. He got up, grabbed his beer, and just walked away.

It took Royal Canadian Mounted Police dogs to track the man back to his campground, where officers arrested him. Charges are pending, and likely will be for public intoxication.

Norfolk Southern Heritage Unit Painted for Reading Company Published: May 24, 2012

MUNCIE, Ind. – The newest Norfolk Southern diesel to wear predecessor railroad colors honors the Reading Company. SD70ACe No. 1067, painted in Reading yellow, is one of 20 diesels NS is painting in predecessor railroad paint schemes, as

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part of the 30th anniversary of the merger of Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western to form NS. The Reading unit is the twelfth heritage unit released so far.

Operating in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the 1,400-mile Reading hauled anthracite coal. To do so, it employed large steam locomotives: its K-1sb class 2-10-2s were the world’s largest engines of their type. Reading is fondly remembered for its T-1 class 4-8-4s, which pulled a series of “Iron Horse Rambles” across the system from 1959 until 1964.

Beginning in 1966, Reading’s yellow diesels began pulling “Bee Line Service” trains aimed at competing with truckers, which operated through division points with a smaller crew. Several diesels were painted with the “Bee Line Service” slogan, which is replicated on the heritage SD70ACe. Reading was conveyed to Conrail on April 1, 1976, but lives on as one of the railroads in the popular “Monopoly” board game.

The remaining eight Norfolk Southern Heritage diesels should be painted by the end of June. All 20 will gather for a “family portrait” at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, N.C. on July 3-4.

Two Arrested for Vandalism at Dennison Depot Railroad Museum Published: May 23, 2012

DENNISON, Ohio – An 18-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy are facing possible felony charges after they admitted breaking 28 windows on passenger cars behind the Dennison Depot Railroad Museum, the New Philadelphia Times-Reporter has reported.

The teens’ actions at the museum were part of a rash of vandalism they confessed to committing on the south side of Dennison last week, according to Police Chief Rob Hunt.

Surveillance footage on the museum property aided police in identifying the suspects, who admitted to committing the acts during questioning. Three cars had rocks thrown through their windows, according to Wendy Zucal, the depot’s executive director. All three were stored across the railroad tracks from the depot.

Reports requesting charges will be sent to the county prosecutor against the 18-year-old, and the juvenile prosecutor against the 14-year-old. Hunt said police still are determining the dollar value of damages.

Florida East Coast Opens New Link to Port of Miami Published: May 22, 2012

MIAMI – A special train pulled by Florida East Coast Railway “Heritage” SD40-2 No. 714 celebrated the opening of FEC’s $50 million rail link to the Port of Miami. The track extends from the port to 79th Street in Miami. The new track is part of a plan to make the port attractive to shipping companies after the Panama Canal expansion is completed in 2014.

Freight trains running from the port will be about a half-mile long and are expected to clear intersections in about two minutes at a speed of 25 to 30 miles per hour, assistant port director Kevin Lynskey told the Miami Herald.

Norfolk Southern Exhibit Car Making 10-State, 15-City Tour Published: May 22, 2012

NORFOLK, Va. – To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Norfolk Southern, the railroad’s exhibit car will tour the NS system from June to December 2012. The car is a restored 1926 Pullman that was converted to a museum in 1971. In its 41 years of service as a display car, it has traveled to hundreds of cities and been viewed by more than 1.5 million people.

Prior to this year’s tour, the car underwent a two-year upgrade at Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Shops at Altoona, Pa. Among the new features for the 2012 tour is a display featuring the company’s 20 heritage locomotives painted in the color schemes of its most prominent predecessor companies. The exhibit car displays models of the locomotives, along with historical information about each railroad, and a flat-screen monitor showing images of the real locomotives. There is also a locomotive simulator that visitors can operate.

The car’s first appearance this year was in Chicago on May 12 for National Train Day. The car will tour through December on the following schedule, with all events open to the public unless noted:

June 2-3: Strasburg, Pa., Norfolk Southern Days at Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania July 3-4: Spencer, N.C., North Carolina Transportation Museum July 7: Roanoke, Va., Employee Appreciation Day at the Virginia Museum of Transportation July 21: Norfolk, Va., Girl Scouts Council of the Colonial Coast's observance of 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts (by

invitation only) July 23: Norfolk, Va., Lionel Collectors Club of America convention (private ticketed event) Aug. 4: Milan, Mich., Discover Milan Day Aug. 10-12: Orrville, Ohio, Depot Days Sept. 1-2: Scranton, Pa., Lackawanna Railfest Sept. 8: Fort Valley, Ga., 7th Annual ComSouth Hambone Jam Sept. 19: Louisville, Ky., Grade Crossing Collision Investigation course (private event) Sept. 29: Old Fort, N.C., 100th anniversary celebration of Andrews Geyser and Old Fort Railroad Oct. 13: Hendersonville, N.C., 5th annual bazaar

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Oct. 20: Oliver Springs, Tenn., October Sky fall festival Dec. 1: Hopkins, S.C., Annual Holiday Taste & Tour – Lower Richland Heritage Corridor

Dec. 6: Landrum, S.C., Landrum Christmas Stroll/Parade

Cumbres & Toltec May Be Named National Historic Landmark Published: May 17, 2012

WASHINGTON — The Landmarks Committee of the National Parks Advisory Committee has voted unanimously to recommend the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad for inclusion in the National Historic Landmark Survey.

The full National Parks Advisory Committee will vote next week on the recommendation, and it is possible that the secretary of the interior will formally make the designation soon after.

A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure or object that is officially recognized by the United States Government for its historical significance. Out of more than 80,000 places on the National Register of Historic Places, only about 2,430 are National Historic Landmarks.

Among the benefits of a landmark designation are the possibility of funding from sources that give National Historic Landmarks higher priority for aid than other properties; federal income tax incentives for donating easements, and for rehabilitating income-generating historic buildings; and inspections and possible assistance from the National Park Service.

The 64-mile Cumbres & Toltec is owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, and operates the former Denver & Rio Grande Western narrow-gauge line between Antonito, Colo., and Chama, N.M.

Steamtown Receives Archival Collection from Syracuse University Published: May 16, 2012

SCRANTON, Pa. — Steamtown National Historic Site has received an archival collection from Syracuse University that covers three railroads that served the Scranton area. The university is transferring ownership of the archival collections of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; Erie; and the Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley railroads to Steamtown. It is also transferring the papers of Samuel Sloan, Lackawanna president from 1867 to 1899. The new collection includes thousands of DL&W glass plate negatives that went to Syracuse in the 1960s. Steamtown received the DL&W chief engineer’s files from the Tri-State Railway Historical Society in 2006, after the group rescued them from destruction. The additions will almost double the archival collection at Steamtown.

Sean Quimby, senior director of special collections at Syracuse University, said in a news release, “I am pleased that these collections will reside in a repository well known to the railroad history community and anticipate they will see great use.”

UP, CSX, and Short Line Team Up on Turbine Move Published: May 16, 2012

Three railroads team up to move 55-meter (180.5-foot) wind turbine blades by rail. Photo by Kevin Burkholder

OGDENSBURG, N.Y. – Three railroads (Union Pacific, CSXT, and Vermont Rail Systems’ New York & Ogdensburg Railway) have teamed up for the first-ever rail move of 55-meter (180.5-foot) wind turbine blades in North America.

Wind turbine farm developer EDP Renewables North America LLC is erecting a 200-megawatt site near Chateauguay, N.Y., known as the Marble River Wind Farm. This site will be the first land site in North America to construct off-shore style wind turbines using Vestas Wind Systems equipment. Vestas has been supplying some of the components through import, including the towers, nacelles, gearboxes, and nose cones, as well as some of the 55-meter blades, which have been arriving by ship for staging at the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority in Ogdensburg, N.Y. The remainder of the 55-meter blades is being constructed at the Vestas Blades America Inc. facility in Brighton, Colo., and shipped by rail to the staging area.

In late April, Vestas began testing a pair of drawbar-connected former intermodal 89-foot intermodal flatcars that had been retrofitted with specially designed mounts to carry the blades. The tests concluded that the design would enable the blades to be transported the nearly 2,300 miles from Brighton to Ogdensburg. Union Pacific train SBRES-05 began the haul from Brighton on

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May 5, using the Kansas Pacific line from Denver to Kansas City, then on to East St. Louis, Ill., where the train was handed off to CSXT. CSXT train K248-08 departed East St. Louis on May 8 and took the blades via Indianapolis, Buffalo, Syracuse and Watertown, N.Y., to the Norwood, N.Y., interchange with Vermont Rail Systems’ NYOG, arriving there late on May 11.

The first of four such trains that will use the same routing, the NYOG has the shortest haul, just 24.8 miles, but the most intensive switching of the three railroads involved, requiring a minimum of three days’ work in unloading the entire train. NYOG crews wasted little time in getting the first blades to the Port Authority staging site, departing Norwood less than one hour after the CSXT delivery and spotting the first cut just before midnight on May 11. Early May 12, a second NYOG train departed with the remainder of the blades destined for unloading at the staging site. Both NYOG crews spent all day Saturday working the site and unloading crews to facilitate the blades movement to staging. The process to unload and stage six blades takes approximately 4 hours.

“The Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority was instrumental in landing this important business for the NYOG. We also worked closely with CSXT our connecting carrier, to make a seamless delivery work,” said David Wulfson, president of Vermont Rail Systems, 2012 Shortline of the Year. “We are proud of the NYOG crews. They are real railroaders, with a can-do attitude to get things done, safe and efficiently.”

The first empty train should be delivered back to CSXT on Monday, May 14, and travel back to Colorado for the loading of the third train, due in 3 to 4 weeks. Train No. 2 is en route from Colorado today and expected in Norwood by week’s end; when unloaded, it will be shipped back to Colorado for train No. 4’s loading.

Orlando Airport Eyes FEC Rail Link Written by Douglas John Bowen

Friday, June 22, 2012

Officials overseeing Orlando International Airport in central Florida say they have approved a request by Florida East Coast Industries to develop plans linking the airport to the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC).

The link is a facet of FEC's announced plan to establish "All Aboard Florida" intrastate passenger rail service between Miami and Orlando, and eventually Jacksonville, using active FEC right-of-way for much of the route but expanding service to the Orlando area by adding roughly 40 miles of new right-of-way.

Some observers on Friday suggested that FEC is also eyeing potentially large lucrative intermodal freight opportunities that the Class II railroad could tap, as well as scoring public relations points for expanding passenger intermodal options. FEC is considered by many to be particularly adept at handling intermodal freight, a mainstay of the railroad.

But "I don't think they're getting an intermodal freight connection to Orlando, but an intermodal passenger connection," one local source told Railway Age. "They're using the same terminology in Miami for their connection between the Metrorail, commuter rail, and the airport's people mover."

"We view the potential opportunity as positive news because it follows our master and strategic plans," Orlando International Airport Executive Director Phil Brown in a statement Wednesday. "The addition of rail, which has always been viewed as significant, will make Orlando International Airport truly an intermodal gateway."

The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which operates Orlando International, says it already has invested in "infrastructure for a station that could accommodate up to four rail systems," including SunRail regional (commuter) rail service serving the Orlando metropolitan area.

Coral Gables, Fla. based Florida East Coast Industries is owned by New York-based Fortress Investment Group LLC.

Amtrak Re-Examining Ridership Numbers for Florida East Coast Route Published: June 22, 2012

PALM BEACH, Fla. – Amtrak is taking a fresh look at ridership figures for a new route in Florida between Jacksonville and Miami. The majority of the 351-mile route would use the Florida East Coast Railway. The Amtrak service is separate from the proposed FEC-operated service between Miami and Orlando.

“The numbers we have are already two years old,” Amtrak Government Affairs Director Todd Stennis told the Treasure Coast Palm. “I don’t want to put a timeline on this revision. Of course, we want it sooner rather than later, but when we do get the numbers, we’ll let everyone know.” The new service would be the first passenger trains to use the FEC since 1968. Station stops would include St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Titusville, Cocoa, Melbourne, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, and Stuart.

Stennis’ comments come after Gov. Rick Scott in late April removed what Amtrak officials said was a major obstacle. Scott signed a new law that provides a no-fault policy on 72 miles of state-owned track from Miami to West Palm Beach.

Amtrak already has a no-fault agreement with other track owners, Stennis said, but had to negotiate one with the state when it bought the track from CSX. The Florida Department of Transportation will buy up to$200 million of insurance and pay a deductible of up to $10 million to cover the state-owned tracks.

After revising ridership and revenue numbers, Stennis said, Amtrak will next have to hammer out an agreement with the Florida East Coast, but he didn’t know when that phase would start. The Florida Department of Transportation has set aside $118 million toward the project in the state’s 2013-14 budget.

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Mica Trying to Fast Track Environmental Process for Florida East Coast Passenger Service

Published: June 22, 2012

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) is asking the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fast track the approval of environmental permits for privately sponsored passenger service over the Florida East Coast between Miami and Orlando, Fla.

“With the right-of-way already in place there is no reason to drag this out,” Mica said. He recently met with Corps of Engineers officials to discuss fast-forwarding the required environmental reviews that will allow the project to proceed, and work on a plan that could bring the route into service by early 2015. Mica expects the Corps’ environmental review and permitting process to be completed within 12 months. Mica chairs the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The proposed “All Aboard Florida” passenger rail project sponsored by Florida East Coast Industries will provide frequent service between Orlando and Miami. The 230-mile distance will be covered in approximately 3 hours at speeds up to 110 mph.

NRHS Announces Receipts of Heritage Grants Published: June 22, 2012

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The National Railway Historical Society today announced the 2012 recipients of its annual National Railway Heritage Grants Program. NRHS will award $50,000 to support 21 nonprofit organizations from 14 states and the District of Columbia. Recipients include NRHS chapters, historical societies, museums, and municipalities.

“This year’s applicant pool was the largest in NRHS history and one of the best in recent memory, making the award decisions painfully difficult,” said NRHS President Gregory Molloy. “While we’re excited to fund these important projects, the fact remains that scores of equally significant rail projects will go without our support this year, underlining the urgency of our mission.”

Since the program’s inception in 1991, NRHS has awarded 221 grants for a total of $548,000 to support a wide variety of railroad history preservation projects.

This year’s recipients and their projects include the following: Alexander Chapter NRHS, Hickory, N.C.: $4,200 to finance the emergency crane lifting, move, and stabilization of two

rare passenger cars from the West Virginia Midland Railroad. Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society, Bellefonte, Pa.: $2,000 to provide roof repair materials to stabilize the roof of a

Bellefonte Central Railroad caboose. Clinton County Arts Council / Clinton Northern Railway, St. Johns, Mich.: $3,100 to repair and restore the exterior of a

1902 wooden sleeping car, the Sault Ste. Marie. Chesapeake Railway Association, Gaithersburg, Md.: $1,500 to remove all asbestos insulation under the heavyweight

Pullman solarium car Meadow Lark. Collis P. Huntington Chapter NRHS, Huntington, W.Va.: $2,500 to repair and paint Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2 no.

1308. Washington D.C. Chapter NRHS: $4,200 to fund the “Digital D.C. Railroad Heritage Project” consisting of an online

museum of Washington, D.C.’s railroad history, an online process to submit and identify images and data of potential historical value, and an e-commerce function.

Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Albuquerque, N.M.: $2,000 to develop a standardized interpretive signage system for the 64-mile Cumbres & Toltec Railroad.

Gold Coast Railroad Museum, Miami, Fla.: $2,800 to restore interior paint and upholstery of the Ferdinand Magellan, the private car of four U.S. presidents.

Monon Railroad Historical-Technical Society, Edinburgh, Ind.: $2,500 for sandblasting, repairing and painting the exterior of 87-year-old Monon business car no. 2, Lynne.

Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, Nevada City, Calif.: $2,500 for the purchase of roof restoration materials for 109-year-old Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation box car no. 4.

Oklahoma Railway Museum, Oklahoma City, Okla.: $1,000 to help fund the restoration of Rock Island caboose no. 17834, built in 1915.

Oregon Black Pioneers, Salem, Ore.: $2,500 to produce a traveling exhibit with the Oregon Historical Society on the history of African-American railroad workers in Portland from the 1800s to 1940s.

Queen Anne’s Railroad Society, Centerville, Md.: $1,200 to fund the rehabilitation of the Pennsylvania Railroad freight station in Centreville, Md.

Railway Restoration Project 113, Minersville, Pa.: $1,500 to fabricate, insulate, and install jacketing on the boiler of Central Railroad of New Jersey steam locomotive no. 113, currently being restored.

New England Electric Railway Historical Society/Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport, Maine: $3,800 to restore Bay State Street Railway car no. 4175 to operational status for its centennial in 2014.

South Carolina Railroad Museum, Columbia, S.C.: $2,500 to repair the museum’s 1924 Pullman dining car, used for educational trips and public charters.

Southampton Railroad Station Society, Southampton, Pa.: $500 to repair the stone foundation on the Southampton’s Philadelphia & Reading Railroad station building.

St. Louis Chapter NRHS, St. Louis, Mo.: $2,800 to cosmetically restore Wabash steam locomotive No. 573, one of only two surviving Wabash Railroad steam engines.

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New Mexico Steam Locomotive & Railroad Historical Society, Albuquerque, N.M.: $1,000 to clean the boiler and smoke box of Santa Fe 4-8-4 No. 2926, now under restoration.

Town of Pittsfield, Maine: $3,300 to replace the roof of the historic Pittsfield railroad station, one of Maine’s only original publicly accessible train stations operating as a transportation museum.

Western Railway Preservation Society, Baker City, Ore.: $2,600 to purchase trucks and couplers for a rare, wooden frame “Red Crown Gasoline” Zerolene tank car that once ran on Oregon’s Sumpter Valley Railway.

Norfolk Southern Ordered to Pay OSHA Fines Published: June 20, 2012

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has ordered Norfolk Southern to pay more than $800,000 for firing three workers after they reported injuries on the job.

Safety officials said this week that the incidents are part of a larger pattern in which Norfolk Southern retaliates against employees for reporting work-related injuries, creating a chilling effect in the railroad industry.

The violations of federal whistleblower laws involved a laborer in Greenville, S.C., an engineer in Louisville, Ky., and a conductor based in Harrisburg, Pa. Payments include back pay, compensatory damages, and about $525,000 in punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.

Norfolk Southern spokesman Robin Chapman said the company plans to appeal all three administrative rulings.

Amtrak's Answer to Competition Posted June 21 2012 by Fred Frailey

Congress this week continues to wrestle with the highway reauthorization bill, which largely finances road and public transit spending. It’s like a Christmas tree, with something for everyone. Railroads are a flea on the tail of this big dog, but three provisions in the U.S. Senate version of this legislation should be labeled “written by Amtrak.” They are simply bizarre, not to mention outrageous. I’ll describe them.

Section 35601 requires that all public agencies, private companies and states that operate passenger services be licensed by the Surface Transportation Board — except Amtrak and also the freight railroads, whose political arm, the Association of American Railroads, lobbied an exemption. What a lovely barrier to entry this is to those companies which compete with Amtrak to run commuter rail services for public agencies. In case you haven’t heard, Amtrak has a lousy track record keeping contracts it has to run commuter trains. This would surely help it get some of them back, by throwing red signals in the face of private commuter train operators, who routinely underbid and outperform Amtrak.

Section 35207 is a doozy. Let’s say a state chooses a company other than Amtrak to operate a state-supported passenger service, as is its right. Let’s also say that the federal government has invested money in the infrastructure of that route — for instance, the more than $11 billion awarded for so-called high-speed rail programs. Section 35207 would make the non-Amtrak train operator pay the government a fee that reflects the benefit of that federal funding. For example, if the $1.3 billion being spent between Chicago and St. Louis were to result in a 50 percent jump in ridership and revenues, the government could conceivably claim half of the revenues as its own. Amtrak is exempted, of course. But if you accept the logic of this provision, which I do not, then Amtrak should be just as liable. But if it were, this provision would never have appeared in the first place.

Section 35105 would pool all the passenger cars henceforth built for state-supported intercity trains into a new entity that Amtrak would largely control. As it stands, cars that California buys for trains in its state are under California’s sole control. As applies to cars built under the Next Generation design that Congress mandated be devised, this would no longer be the case. Next Generation cars that California buys could end up in North Carolina, just as cars North Carolina finances could end up in Michigan.

None of these noxious provisions were contained in the highway bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. One House staffer tells me it’s as if the two pieces of legislation “were written on different planets.” Nor does anyone profess to know which senator or senators slipped these provisions into the bill, because there have been no hearings or public discussions on any of them.

A conference committee composed of members of both houses of Congress is trying to reconcile the two bills. They had better hurry. The current authorization expires at the end of June. At any rate, I’m told that House appointees to the conference committee are adamant that the three written-by-Amtrak sections be tossed aside. I hope they stand by that resolve.

A Couple More New NS Heritage Units (PC & IT) & Six In Tow To Spencer