Today's Train of Thought takes us to the Hawkeye state and features the somewhat quirky Iowa Interstate Railroad. The 580 mile regional got its start in late 1984 from the ashes of the Rock Island, operating between Chicago and Council Bluffs, IA.
For nearly 20 years, motive power for the IAIS consisted of primarily former Illinois Central Gulf GP10s and GP8s along with former CSX GP16s, ex-Providence & Worcester M420s and ex Illinois Central SD20s showing up long enough to get a coat of paint before being scrapped or re-sold.
By 2003, with traffic on the rise thanks in no small part to the growth of ethanol and the fleet of IAIS rebuilt geeps were beginning to show their age, the units were gradually replaced with former Conrail GP38-2s purchased through LLPX leasing, followed by ex-Reserve Northshore Mining SD38-2s also purchased through LLPX.
The motive power selection for the Iowa Interstate only got more interesting after the acquisition of the 6-axle EMD's- by the summer of 2006, the IAIS purchased two 2-10-2 QJ Class steam locomotives from China's national railways for use in excursion service. Two years later, the Iowa Interstate broke with tradition and purchased brand new ES44AC GEVOs from General Electric- joining Montana Rail Link and Indiana Railroad in purchasing new locomotives from GE or EMD instead of using secondhand power purchased from Class 1 lines or other regionals.
Here, railpictures.net contributor BA Tiemann caught Iowa Interstate SD38-2 #150 leading mixed freight ICCR [Iowa City to Cedar Rapids- NANESB!] around the curve on the former Milwaukee Road line between Cedar Rapids and the interchange with the IAIS Council Bluffs-Chicago line at Homestead, IA on May 9th, 2007. The line is actually owned by the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, but is subleased to the Iowa Interstate and is the IAIS access to interchanging with the CRIC, Canadian National and Iowa Northern in Cedar Rapids.
While the lead unit has been repainted, some of the trailing units are still in their blue and white Reserve Northshore mining colors. Although the CRIC originally had a more direct former interurban line between its namesake cities for interchange with the IAIS, it was surprisingly hilly considering that its Iowa and is seldom used to this day. Today, the much newer GEVOs are likely to appear on the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids run either in solid sets or working in tandem with the older 6-axle EMDs.
Iowa Interstate's Chinese manufactured 'QJ' 2-10-2 #6988 is seen passing the former Rock Island Iowa City, IA depot on the return leg of its round trip excursion between Cedar Rapids, IA and Rock Island, IL on June 19th, 2012. Erik Rasmussen photo
IOWA- For the second year in a row, the Hawkeye state and regional Iowa Interstate played host to a large gathering of rail enthusiasts and historians with their 2012 convention in Cedar Rapids, IA.
Like last year's Trainfest in Rock Island, IL, this year's NRHS convention featured steam and diesel powered rare mileage excursions on former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific and Milwaukee Road lines that only see freight traffic these days.
In addition to a day out at the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion at Mt Pleasant, IA where attendees got to see restored trolleys, interurbans and steam as well as vintage steam powered tractors and farm machinery, the convention featured a steam powered excursion between Cedar Rapids and Rock Island, IL with IAIS Chinese QJ #6988 doing the honors.
Cedar Rapids and Iowa City MP15DC #122 seen powering an excursinon on the original interurban line between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City at Cou Lake, IA on June 22nd. FJ Grizel photo.
Attendees also got to ride behind rare mileage excursions over Dan Sabin's Iowa Interstate and former interurban Cedar Rapids and Iowa City- also known as the CRANDIC and owned by Alliant Energy [NYSE- LNT]. In addition to Iowa Interstate's Chinese made QJ, excursions were also powered by F40PH's from Iowa Northern's Hawkeye Express passenger trains that shuttle football fans to and from University of Iowa home football games and some of CRANDIC's yellow and grey EMD endcab switchers.
Interestingly, a few days before the NRHS excursions, the Iowa Interstate operated a series of trips between West Liberty, IA and Durant, IA to benefit those towns' respective fire departments.
The 2013 NRHS convention is scheduled to take place in September 2013 in Anchorage, AK.
Alaska Railroad's former Army 2-8-0 steam locomotive seen returning home from the lower 48 in January at Anchorage, AK. Michael Dinneen- Alaska Business Journal
The Rasmuson Foundation announced the grant to the newly-formed non profit Engine 557 Restoration Company in early July. This is the first substantial donation that went towards the full restoration of Alaska Railroad #557. The unit last saw service in the early 1960s running shuttle trains to the Alaska state Fair before being sold to a scrap dealer in Washington State. However, instead of cutting up the former Army steamer, the scrap dealer took a shine to the Baldwin and displayed it in front of his business. As it turned out, the cool and relatively dry climate of east-central Washington State was almost ideal for preserving a steam locomotive.
Restoration is currently estimated to cost between $600,000 and $700,000. Major costs include initial tooling, asbestos removal and abatement, replacing galvanized steel cladding, new insulation, boiler and tubing replacement and repair, gear inspection and repair, painting and positive train control electronics.
In order to establish a funding mechanism, project supporters recently turned to The Alaska Community Foundation (ACF), which oversees and has helped establish nearly 300 funds and endowments that support philanthropic endeavors that benefit Alaskans. ACF agreed to establish and administer a new fund to accept donations, while the Restoration Company will coordinate the project, including fund-raising, hiring subcontractors, recruiting volunteers and overseeing the restoration work.
While the narrow gauge White Pass & Yukon continues to operate a pair of steam locomotives out of Skagway, Alaska #557 would be the first operating standard gauge steam engine in the Last Frontier on nearly 50 years. While one time roster-mate #556 remains on static display in an Anchorage park, the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum has a sister locomotive to Alaska #557 & #556- former US Army #610, which was one of the last American steam locomotives made for an American customer.
Soo Line 2-8-2 #1003 seen crossing the Rock River in Edgerton, WI in August 2000 on the Wisconsin Southern. Barry Moore photo.
WISCONSIN- Reports of Soo Line 1003's demise are apparently premature, as the 1913-built Baldwin underwent a series of test-firings in May. The locomotive last operated pulling a Santa Train in November 2010 before her mandatory 15 year FRA boiler inspection.
After being taken out of service, the venerable ALCo steamer was kept on the grounds of the Wisconsin Auto Museum in Hartford, WI. Returning #1003 back to service carried an estimated pricetag of around $400,000, although some of these costs were reportedly picked up by Wisconsin Southern President and CEO Bill Gardner. When in operation, the Soo Line #1003 had operated almost exclusively on the Wisconsin and Southern.
While China's dalliance with High Speed Rail in recent years has caught the attention of both the industry and politicians alike, it remains a little known fact that China's national railways continued operating steam locomotives on certain main lines up until a few short years ago.
While some steel mills, quarries, mines and lumber companies still use both narrow and standard gauge steam engines to this day, the fires dropped on mainline steam in China for the final time in 2005.
The massive 2-10-2 QJ class steam locomotives [QJ being shorthand for 前进 or Qian Jin meaning 'advance'- thanks again for the assist, Wikipedia- NANESB!] that saw service on China Railways were manufactured by the Da Tong Locomotive works from 1956 on into the late 1980s, and spent their final days hustling fast freights over Jingpeng pass along the arid steppe of Inner Mongolia.
They would often work in tandem on the Jitong line and were popular among enthusiasts in the wintertime since the displays of steam and exhaust stood out that much more dramatically against the frozen air. Interestingly, despite being the last holdout for the centuries-old technology, the nearly 600-mile Jitong line actually opened as recently as 1995.
Since they were too big for the mills, mines and quarries that continued use steam locomotives to this day, the QJs appeared to have little future. A company called Multipower International has advertised both the QJs and smaller steam locomotives for sale online.
Like their American counterparts from a half century earlier, many QJs have wound up on static display in the cities and towns that they once chugged through on a daily basis as well as at least 1 QJ in the Chinese National Railway Museum just southeast of Beijing.
However, the QJ's tale does not end there. In 2006, a pair of QJ's (#6988 and #7081) were shipped to the USA to their new homes on the Iowa Interstate via the port of Houston. Two years later, another QJ made its way to Kentucky where it entered service as part of the RJ Corman network of short haul railroads. These locomotives are primarily used for excursions and publicity, although they also occasional work on revenue freights for both the Corman Lines and IAIS on an as-needed basis.
Here, with about a year to go until retirement, railpictures.net contributor John Day caught 2-10-2 QJ #6763 leading a doubleheader as the freight train begins its assault on Jingpeng pass on a frigid February 22, 2004 day.
ARGENTINA: At least 11 people were killed and dozens more injured after a bus collided with two trains in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires last month.
CCTV cameras on the nearby station platform filmed as the disaster unfolded. Upon impact with the bus, the first train was knocked into the path of an oncoming train that was also pulling into the station.
Argentine Transportation Secretary Juan Pablo Schiavi said that most of the fatalities were on board the bus. The crossing that the bus used was reportedly protected by gates that lowered on a train's approach.
Arizona Eastern B39-8 #8560 leads a train north into Duncan, AZ on the former Southern Pacific Clifton Branch in April 2009. Photo- Micheal Derrick
ARIZONA: Greenwich, CT based shortline operator Genesee & Wyoming [NYSE: GWR] announced last month that it has completed the purchase of the 200+ mile Arizona Eastern from Iowa Pacific Holdings.
Arizona Eastern operates two branchlines in Arizona and New Mexico. The 130 mile line between the Southern Pacific Sunset Route in Bowie, AZ and the copper mines around Miami, Globe and Claypool, AZ was purchased from Southern Pacific in 1988. In 2008, the AZER purchased the 70 mile Clifton branch between Lordsburg, NM and the Freeport McMoRan [NYSE: FCX] mine at Morenci, AZ from Union Pacific.
The deal is worth an estimated $90.1 million and includes about 50 miles of trackage rights over Union Pacific's former SP Sunset route between Bowie, AZ and Lordsburg, NM to connect the two lines.
Nickel Plate 765 doing a photo runby on the Cuyhoga Valley Scenic Railroad at Boston Mills, OH on September 25th. Photo, Richard Thompson
OHIO: The Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society's restored Nickel Plate Berkshire #765 travelled to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in September to haul a series of excursions as part of the CVSR's 'Steam in the Valley' event. The steam powered excusrions were in additon to the regular slate of diesel powered excusrion trains on the CVSR. This is the second year in a row that the #765 made an appearence on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
The Berkshire travelled northwest to Owosso, MI from the Akron area to haul a series of fall foliage excursions for the Michigan Steam Institute between Owosso and Alma, MI over track belonging to the Great Lakes Central. The October excursions in Michigan are reportedly to help raise funds to bring the Michigan Steam Institute's own Berkshire steam locomotive- Pere Marquette #1225- back into working order after its 15 year boiler inspection.
F Units and passenger cars from Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern make their way across the Hudson River at Stillwater, NY enroute to the former B&M yard at Mechanicsville, NY. Photo, John Bazan
The office car special used FP9s and cars from both railways before being split up at Mohawk Yard in Schenedtady, NY with the Pan Am equipment heading back east and the Norfolk Southern equipment making its way back to home rails via Canadian Pacific and Binghamton, NY.
Freshly repainted into Boston & Maine 'heritage' colors, Pan-Am GP9 #77 is seen at the former B&M yard in E. Deerfield, MA drilling cars with Guilford-painted GP9 #72 on September 25, 2011. Photo, Justin Winiarz
OTHER PAN AM NEWS: Workers at Pan Am's Waterville, ME shops painted former Boston & Maine GP9 #77 into vintage maroon and gold colors complete with the B&M 'Minuteman' herald that adorned the railway's early diesels.
The locomotive debuted in it's 'new' colors in August and saw service on Waterville, ME-based local SAPPI-3 before being transferred to the Boston & Maine's freight yard at E. Deerfield, MA where it was put into service as the yard switcher. Reportedly, more 'Heritage' style locomotives are in the works for Pan Am, including some vintage EMD's that could be painted in Maine Central's green and orange paint scheme.
Photo, Dave Duccolo
CALIFORNIA: Stockton, CA based Central California Traction Company purchased their first genset locomotive, which was completed by the Brookville Locomotive Works division of Brookfield Equipment in August. The locomotive, designated a BL21CG is former Brookville Locomotive Works Demonstrator #259 which was rebuilt from a Maine Central GP38.
In addition to the former Brookfield demonstrator, Central California Traction currently rosters a number of SW1500s as well as a couple of 1st generation GP18s and GP7s.
Brookfield has previously built gensets for both ConnDot and MetroNorth to be used in passenger and work train service.
NBSR GP38-2 #2317 seen heading west on the former Montreal Maine & Atlantic/ Bangor & Aroostook Millinocket subdivision with Maine Northern/New Brunswick Southern Train #901 bound for Brownsville, Jct, ME on July 30, 2011. Photo, Ron Tilley
MAINE: St. John, NB-based New Brunswick Southern Railway has begun operations over nearly 230 miles of track owned by the state of Maine beginning in July. The track was the former Montreal Maine & Atlantic Millinocket subdivision between Millinocket, ME and Madawaska, ME as well as branch lines to Houlton, Limestone and Ft. Fairfield, ME. Previously the line had belonged to the Bangor and Aroostook.
In early 2010, the MM&A filed a notice of intent to abandon most of its northern trackage. The state then reached an agreement with MM&A to purchase the lines for $20 million and then subcontract operation of the lines out to a third part while MM&A would retain trackage rights over the line to serve between St. Leonard, NB to the north and Brownville Jct, ME to the south.
In April 2011, the New Brunswick Southern- part of Canadian congolmerate J.D. Irving's holdings in transportation, lumber, food processing agriculture, retail and shipbuilding- was awarded the contract to operate the former MM&A lines, with the actual transfer set to take place on July 1, 2011.
Prior to the agreement, the New Brunswick Southern already operated over 100 miles of former Canadian Pacific track in the state of Maine as the Eastern Maine Railway between the Maine Central/Guilford/Pan-Am junction at Mattawamkeag, ME and the international border at Vanceboro, ME as well as the MM&A connection in Brownsville Jct.
Parent company J.D. Irving said that they expect to hire 30 additional employees and purchase more rolling stock as a result of the agreement with the state of Maine. To accomodate the expansion, the NBSR also purchased a pair of former Union Pacific GP38-2s that arrived in July
OREGON: The former Southern Pacific branchline between Eugene and Coos Bay, OR has been reopened and is seeing limited freight service as the Coos Bay Rail Link ran the first through train over the line in nearly four years.
Rail America's Central Oregon & Pacific last operated over the line in September 2007, electing to shut down most of the branch west of Eugene due to at least nine aging tunnels that would cost an estimated $7 million to repair. A month later, the Port of Coos Bay filed a $15 million suit against Rail America saying that they failed to provide the required 180 day notice prior to shutdown. In late 2008, the surface transportation board ordered Rail America to sell the line to the Port of Coos Bay for $16 million. Since then, contractors have gone to work replacing washouts, strengthening tunnels and inspecting trestles and crossings. In April 2011, it was announced that Arizona-based ARG Trains would handle the railway operations of the 133 mile line.
The first revenue Coos Bay Rail Link train departed Eugene on October 11th with a single SW1200 and dozen centerbeam flatcars, arriving in Coos Bay the following day.
MPI GP15D Genset #1509 and GP20D #2009 are seen waiting to enter yard limits in Rutland, VT with a local freight on August 10, 2011. Photo, Kevin Burkholder
VERMONT: The Vermont Railway began testing a pair of MPI Gensets in early August. The two locomotives- a 1500 HP GP15D and 2000 HP GP20D- were scheduled for three months of testing and began service as a pair on the Rutland to Florence, VT local their first week.
At around the same time, the VRS has started the long-term lease of two former Rail America GP38-3s- numbered 3801 and 3803.
Iowa Interstate 2-10-2 QJ steam locomotive #6988 seen running around the wye at Bureau, IL on September 9, 2011. Photo, Erik Rasmussen
IOWA INTERSTATE: Just because Trainfest 2011 is over and done with doesn't mean that the Iowa Interstate was finished with steam for the year. On the weekend of September 9-11, the town of Geneseo, IL- just east of Rock Island, IL on Iowa Interstate's former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific line- was home to the 5th annual 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'.
Besides vintage aircraft and automobiles, the Iowa Interstate provided the trains by having Chinese built 2-10-2 QJ class steam locomotive #6988 on display along with a switcher from Patriot Renewable Fuels. The #6988 also powered short excursions out of Geneseo with Iowa Interstate coaches.
Iowa Interstate ES44AC #513 is seen leading detoured freight BICB (BI = Indiana Harbor Belt Rail Yard at Blue Island, IL; CB = Council Bluffs, IA) off IAIS rails in Peoria Heights, IL on October 9, 2011. Photo- Craig McGregor
OTHER IOWA INTERSTATE NEWS: A derailment in Tuskwila, IL on October 7th forced the detour of Iowa Interstate's daily Chicago-Council Bluffs, IA (and its eastbound counterpart) BICB/CBBI by way of Peoria, IL and then west to Colona, IL on the BNSF via Galesburg, IL.
About a half dozen cars loaded with ethanol ignited and the village of Tuskwila had to be evacuated after the derailment in the early morning hours. Nodoby was injured in the wreck and the fire was contained by mid-morning.
The NTSB is dispatching a 6-person team to investigate the cause of the derailment.
New Genset from Tacoma Rail basking in the sun enxt to Mount Rainer Scenic's Restores Polson Logging 1922-buil Balwin on Aug 27th. Andrew Temoshek photo
WASHINGTON: Tacoma Rail has taken delivery of its first genset, an 3GS21B from National Railway Equipment. The locomotive arrived on the property in time for an open house where the 3-day old diesel was on display with Mount Ranier Scenic Railway's restored 1922-built Baldwin 2-8-2 #70, contrasting the old and the new.
"For each individual that comes in, they spend 200–300 dollars a day in restaurants, hotels, and entertainment. That's spent after they leave the festival," Nelson said, "this is good clean economic industry. They bring in their money and then they leave."
Folks from at least 46 states and 14 foreign countries are checking out the locomotives
Among the featured locomotives at the 2011 event were Nickel Plate 2-8-4 Berkshire #765 and Iowa Interstate's two Chinese made 'QJ' class 2-10-2 steam locomotives.
The Nickel Plate #765 travelled from Logansport, IN to and from the Quad Cities over a Norfolk Southern/Toledo Peoria & Western/Iowa Interstate routing and powered eastbound excursions to Rock Island and Bureau IL and back and westbound excursions over the Government Bridge and west to Walcott, IA along with IAIS QJ 2-10-2 #6988.
Although Santa Fe 3751 wasn't able to make it out from California this year, the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL managed to step up and send their Nebraska Zephyr trainset that they purchased from the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy in 1968. Although operational, this is the first time the Nebraska Zephyr trainset has ventured out from the Illinois Railway Museum under it's own power in more than 43 years.
Curiously, with Nickel Plate #765 being made by Lima Locomotive Works in 1944 and the Iowa Interstate's Chinese QJ steam engines fabricated by the Datong Locomotive Factory in 1986, the 1936-made Nebraska Zephyr trainset featured the oldest motive power hauling excursions at Train Fest 2011. According to the Illinois Railway Museum, CB&Q E5(A) #9911A is also the last surviving locomotive of its kind. On Sunday July 24, the Zephy trainset powered an excursion from Rock Island to Bureau, IL and back over the Iowa Interstate's former Rock Island Chicago-Council Bluffs, IA line.
The Nebraska Zephyr travelled on Canadian Pacific's former Iowa, Chicgao & Eastern (ex I&M Rail Link exx Soo Line nee Milwaukee Road) Chicago line before crossing the Mississippi RIver and turning south towards the Quad Cities at Subula, IA and heading south on the ex-Milwaukee Road line (now CP Rail) to Davenport. Also along for the ride were the museum's CB&Q EMD SW7 #9255 and Chicago & North Western F7A #411.
Nor date or venue has been announced for Train Festival 2012 yet. With the combination of the state's centennial and ongoing restoration work towards Santa Fe 4-8-4 #2926, I wouldn't be shocked to learn if the event moved out west to the Land of Enchantment. But then again, it's also Arizona's centennial and the Grand Canyon Railway already has established a history of running steam-powered excursions. Then again, that's just idle speculation on my part.
PROVIDENCE & WORCESTER: Providence & Worcester [NASDAQ: PWX] is reportedly leasing a trio of former Oakway Leasing SD60s from GATX [NYSE: GMT]. GMTX SD60s #9014 and #9059 were spotted transiting via the New England Central in White River Jct, VT on July 25 (above) destined for the P&W. Reportedly the cab signal equipment that Amtrak requires to operate on the Northeast Corridor were scavenged from the P&W's two GE Super 7s. According to Kevin Burkholder, the cabs and rooflines have been modified for the six-axle leasers to operate under the catenary on the NEC in Rhode Island as well as between New Haven CT and Queens, NY.
The 6-axle EMD leasers represent a departure for the P&W, who have demonstrated an affinity for burly, 4-axle GE products purchased secondhand from the New York, Susquehanna & Western, BNSF or CSX. It is thought that the blue & white EMD's will be powering the stone trains from the Tilcon Stone quarry in North Branford, CT to the New York & Atlantic interchange in Queens, although some have expressed doubts that Metro-North (the commuter agency that operated the NEC between Penn Station and Connecticut) is reluctant to allow 6-axle units on their rails.
The SD60s were leased to the Burlington Northern in 1986 through Oakway, Inc- a subsidiary of Corrnell Rice & Sugar- in a first of it's kind "Power by the hour" arrangement in which BN purchased nothing more than the electrical output from the fleet of SD60s and leased on a kilowatt hour basis.
Xinhua photo
CHINA: At least 35 people were killed and nearly 200 injured when two high speed trains collided in the eastern province of Zhejiang on July 23rd.
The first train was traveling south from the Zhejiang provincial capital of Hangzhou when it lost power in the lightning strike and was hit from behind by the second train in Wenzhou city at 8:27 p.m. (1230 GMT) Saturday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The second train had left Beijing and both trains were destined for Fuzhou in eastern Fujian province.
The Ministry of Railways said in a statement that the first four carriages of the moving train and the last two carriages of the stalled train derailed.
CSX: Nearly a decade after paying out in asbestos-related lawsuit settlement, CSX [NYSE: CSX] is suing Pittsburgh-area trial law firm of Robert Pierce & Associates alleging fraud and racketeering in pursuit of claimants and settlements.
CSX's lawsuit against the Peirce firm is rooted in the last days of the mass asbestos lawsuits, when plaintiffs' firms routinely rounded up hundreds or thousands of people who had been exposed to the cancer-causing flame retardant, and brought gargantuan claims against manufacturers and employers.
CSX alleged that in 1999, an employee named Danny Jayne went to an asbestosis screening set up by the Peirce firm or its affiliates. A doctor found abnormalities on his x-ray, and in 2002, the company agreed to settle his claim for $7,000.
Meanwhile, the company alleged, another CSX employee named Ricky May was screened and tested negative for asbestosis.
But at a subsequent screening in 2000, a contractor working for the Peirce firm helped arrange for Mr. Jayne to pretend to be Mr. May, CSX claimed. That resulting x-ray was used by the firm to justify a claim on behalf of Mr. May, which CSX settled for $8,000.
CSX said the law firm took advantage of an expedited court system that didn't allow for scrutiny of individual cases and pursued the cases with fraud and negligence. The Peirce firm didn't deny that Mr. May and Mr. Jayne had pulled a fast one, but argued that they had acted without the lawyers' knowledge or encouragement.
In August 2009, a federal jury in West Virginia found that the Peirce firm and its contractor weren't liable for fraud. That, however, didn't end the matter.
CSX has since pursued a broader theory, outlined in detail for the first time in a July 14 court filing: that the Peirce firm pursued "a calculated and deliberate strategy" of "unlawful conduct, including bribery, fraud, conspiracy and racketeering."
CSX said the firm used "intentionally unreliable mass screenings" by a radiologist who had a criminal history and a doctor who has been accused of tailoring diagnoses to fit lawsuits.
The company pointed to 11 cases in which Peirce-paid professionals found no signs of asbestosis in an employee, then later screened the employee again and found the disease. It settled just one of the cases, for $25,000.
CSX is going after the Peirce firm using the civil provisions of the 40-year-old Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO, statute. RICO is a law more often used by law enforcement to prosecute organized crime.
The firm "repeatedly used or caused their agents to use the mails and wires," CSX said in a July 14 court filing, characterizing the communications as "mail fraud" and "wire fraud."
Neither CSX nor the Peirce firm would discuss details of the case, now before Senior District Judge Frederick P. Stamp Jr.
Legal experts are hard pressed to think of another case where a corporation on the recieving end of mass litigation retaliated by invoking RICO against trial lawyers. Even if CSX falls short in their attempt to being RCO charges against Pierce & Associates.
According to Attorney Mark Behrens of the Washington, D.C., defense firm Shook Hardy & Bacon CSX would be the third company in recent years to take such action against a law firm. The two other companies won their respective suits- interestingly, one of them was another railroad. In 2010, a judge and jury ruled that MacComb, MS based lawyer and former Democratic state senator William Guy pay the Illinois Central Railroad $420,000 in damages after representing plaintiffs thay they knew had been awarded a settlement from an earlier suit.
ARKANSAS & MISSOURI: As part of its ongoing 25th anniversary celebration, the all-ALCo Northwestern Arkansas shortline Arkansas & Missouri continues to operate a slew of excursions between Springdale and Fayetteville, AR.
This includes an August 14 run between Springdale and Winslow, AR that will be a fundraiser to help in the ongoing efforts in rebuilding Joplin, MO after May's deadly F5 tornado tore through the city center. Riders are also invited to bring paintbrushes, theater makeup and fabric to help the East Middle School's art and theater department after the tornado levelled the school.
The acquisitions by Rail America come a few months after the Gulf & Ohio acquired the previously independent Lancaster & Chester in North Carolina. That deal was finalized in November 2010.
PATRIOT RAIL: Boca Raton, FL-based Patriot Rail announced their aquisition of six railroads formerly operated by the Weyerhaeuser company [NYSE- WY] was finalized this year.
• the DeQueen and Eastern Railroad (DQE) operates over 50 miles in southwest Arkansas; • the Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad (TOE) operates over 41 miles in southeast Oklahoma and connects directly with the DQE at the Oklahoma/Arkansas border; • the Columbia & Cowlitz Railway (CLC) operates over 14 route miles in southwest Washington; • the Patriot Woods Railroad (PAW) operates over 23 route miles in southwest Washington and connects directly to the CLC; • the Golden Triangle Railroad (GTRA) operates over 9.5 route miles in central Mississippi; and • the Mississippi & Skuna Valley Railroad (MSV) owns 22 route miles in Mississippi.
This brings the total number of railroads owned and operated by Patriot Rail to 13 (although under Weyerhauser, there was little if any distinction between the Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern and DeQueen Easter and the Columbia & Cowlitz and Weyerhauser Company Forestry railroad). In the above photo, a quartet of Weyerhauser Woods SW1500s is seen crossing a trestle in Ostrander, WA just north of Longview, WA in March 2006.
CHINA: Engineers in China celebrated late last week as a Chinese-built passenger trainset became the fastest unmodified train in the world, setting a new record at the speed of 302 MPH. In 2007, a modified SNCF high speed train in France reached speeds of 357 MPH during a special test run. The Chinese CRHtrainset reached the 302 MPH speed on a recently completed line linking Beijing and Shanghai and reportedly took 22 minutes to accelerate to the record-breaking speed from a standing stop.
The Beijing-Shanghai line opened up nearly a year ahead of schedule and is expected to begin regular service next year. It is estimated that the journey between the two cities will take 4 hours versus the current 10 hour trip.
IOWA/ILLINOIS: Organizers in the Quad Cities have announced details for Train Festival 2011, set to take place in Rock Island, IL from July 21-24, 2011.
Some of the locomotives expected to appear include Nickel Plate Berkshire #765 as well as Iowa Interstate's Chinese built 2-10-2 QJ Class steam locomotives #6988 and #7081 (above), among the last mainline steam locomotives to operate in the world. China Railways retired the QJ locomotives in 2005 and the Iowa Interstate purchased the pair the following year.
The San Bernardino Railway Historical Society also announced that Santa Fe #3751 is expected to make the trip out from California to attend the 2011 Train Festival. Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Milwaukee Road #261 has been the featured power on previous excursions to and from the Quad Cities, but is currently undergoing it's 15 year overhaul and it's not known if it will be ready in time for Train Festival 2011.
Excursions are expected to run between Rock Island and Bureau, IL to the east and Iowa City to the east, as well as shorter excursions to Walcott, IA.
NORFOLK SOUTHERN: The Norfolk Southern has announced plans for a limited return of mailine steam excursions, which were discontinued in 1994. Initially the excursions are supposed to be limited to southeastern Tennessee and use a trio of restored steam locomotives from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.
The TVRM announced that the Southern Railway 2-8-0 Consolidated #630 was ready for steam up testing to check for any potential boiler issues as of November. Norfolk Southern plans on using the #630 along with Southern Railway 2-8-2 Mikado #4501 and former US Army Baldwin 2-8-0 #610- which the TVRM's current steam workhorse- for excursion service.
TVRM #610 leading excusrion through Rock Spring, GA on October 2008. Photo- John Higginson
In fact, the #610 is the only one of the three aforementioned steam locomotives currently operating. The resumption of steam on the NS excursions in Chattanooga and finishing touches on the #4501 and #630's restoration would also coincide with the TVRM's 50th anniversary.
CHINA: Passengers stranded on a train that was stuck on a partially collapsed bridge Guanghan, Sechuan were successfully evacuated shortly before at least two of the cars plunged into the river below this week. Amateur video shot inside one of the cars shows passengers making frantic calls to loved ones as the bridge starts to buckle, and later on shows another train passing in the background on a separate bridge immediately in the background as the passenger cars are plunging into the river. Rescuers and railway officials were able to get the passengers out of the cars minutes before the first passenger car toppled into the floodwater-swollen river and came to rest at the abutments of nearby bridge that was still under construction.
Severe flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have battered southern China leaving hundreds dead and hundreds missing this month alone.
HOLLAND: An out of control maintenance-of-way train crashed through a barrier and tore its way through 300 feet of parking lot and slicing a watersports shop in two before coming to a stop in the town square in Stavoren, Holland on July 26.
IOWA: The volunteer fire departments in Atlantic and Anita, Iowa held a fundraiser that featured Iowa Interstate's Chinese made QJ 2-10-2 #7081 powering an excursion between the two southwestern Iowa towns. The excursion ran on the western portion of Iowa Interstate's former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific between Blue Island, IL (Chicagoland) and Omaha, NE (across the river from Omaha, NE) line.
Two trips were initially planned, but a third was added due to increased demand.
ALASKA: The Alaska Railroad announced that Kiewit Pacific Co. has been awarded the contract to provide general contracting and construction management services for the first phase of their planned 80-mile extension from the current end of the line between Fairbanks, AK and Delta Jct.
ELSEWHERE: The trailer for Unstoppable is now available online. The movie was flimed along portions of the Wheeling & Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and Western New York & Pennsylvania in western New York State using locomotives from Canadian Pacific and Wheeling & Lake Erie (modified to portray the fictitiousAllegheny & West Virginia)
Actually, I think this picture by railpictures.net contributor Tom McNair has alot going for it in terms of composition and activity.
But having said that, it still sucks. Allow me to explain- take a close look at that one-car train on the bridge. That's an Iowa Interstate Maintenance of Way special, and on the flatcar behind the IAIS GP38-2 is a vacuum truck being used to clean up the right of way along the Government Bridge, linking Rock Island, IL with Davenport, IA. Since much of the bridge is inaccessible to the truck, the Iowa Interstate figured it would be just as effective if it put the truck on a flatcar and towed it out across the span. Besides the rail line, the span also features a two lane roadway (visible on the lower deck) and the middle span swings out to accommodate river traffic.
Closer to us is Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Barstow Local with GP38-2 #2034 leading an impressive 6-unit lashup as it tiptoes under Government Bridge utilizing trackage rights over the Canadian Pacific/Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern. The motive power consists of former Burlington Northern and Conrail units as it makes its way south on June 24, 2010.
RUSSIA- Investigators from Russia's FSB and Transportation Police are looking for four suspects thought to be involved in the terrorist attack on the Moscow-St. Petersburg Nevsky Express on November 27, 2009. The blast and resulting derailment killed 27 passengers and used the equivalent of 15 lbs of TNT. A smaller bomb near the derailment site was detonated the following day, targeting rescuers and investigators. There were no fatalities in the second blast and security services believe that both bombs were detonated by remote. The suspects are thought to have rented a house in the nearby village of Lycoshino to monitor train movement on the Moscow-St. Petersburg Line.
This is not the first time the Moscow-St. Petersburg train has been the target of terrorists or saboteurs. Two men previously held on terrorism charges by authorities were found guilty of lesser charges of trafficking explosives and unrelated counts of armed robbery this week that carried 4 and 10 year prison sentences last week in connection with the August 2007 bombing of the Nevsky Express. The blast derailed the train just outside the town of Malaya Vishera, but resulted in no fatalities.
IRAN: Eight people were killed and twelve hospitalized when two coaches of a speeding passenger train derailed at the Azadvar Station in Joqati, in the northeastern part of the country some 430 miles east of Tehran. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been experiencing problems with it's deteriorating transportation network over the last several years that have resulted in numerous and deadly plane crashes and derailments [YET- they'll somehow get it right with a 'peaceful' nuclear energy program- NANESB!].
(Mariana Bazo/Reuters)
PERU: Heavy rains in southern Peru earlier this week stranded over 2000 tourists in the area around the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu when floods and landslides blocked off the railway line connecting Machu Picchu and the nearby town of Aguas Calientes with the rest of the country. Peruvian military officals evacuated the visitors using seven helicopters flying between the town of Aguas Calientes and Cuzco on a rotating basis. The railway line between Cuzco and Aguas Calientes is said to be obstructed by at least 40 landslides and will require several weeks worth of work in order to reopen.
CANADA: Canadian Pacific hosted a ceremony this week featuring the Olympic torch at Craigellachie British Columbia, site of the ceremonial last spike driven on Canada's transcontinental line in 1885. The Canadian Pacific [NYSE: CP] is a corporate sponsor of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The special train continued on to Revelstoke, BC where the torch resumed its journey through the Canadian Rockies. The 2010 Winter Games opening ceremonies are scheduled for Febuary 12, 2010.
USA: The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic has announced the layoff of 75 employees in their 315-employee workforce. The news comes a few months after one of the railroad's largest customers, the Katahdin Paper Mill of Millinocket, ME shut down due to increased fuel costs for the plant's $150 million No. 11 Machine. Currently, the Toronto based paper company is exploring alternative fuels for the No. 11 Machine, but more than 200 workers from the plant are out of work.
The Iowa Interstate has taken delivery of their two new ES44AC GEVO locomotives this month. What separates these two from the first dozen that IAIS ordered was that these two have been painted in vintage Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific colors.....on locomotives that were made nearly some 30 years after the Rock Island ceased to exist. Appropriately, the Iowa Interstate hauls commodities on the former CRI&P Blue Island, IL-Council Bluffs, IA line. Here, the Rock Island/Iowa Interstate #513 hammers the diamonds at Joliet, IL with a train of ethanol in tow on January 29, 2010. The #513 is using Metra trackage rights and the tracks in the foreground belong to Union Pacific and BNSF.
(Gary McLean)
A CSX track inspector in Alabama was in for a surprise when he was inspecting the tracks around the Birmingham, AL area in the wake of last week's cold snap down south. An unfortunate puppy, believed to be 8 weeks old was frozen to the rails after his wet fur froze to the steel rail. Track inspector Gary McLean was able to cut the puppy's fur free from the rails before a freight train was scheduled to traverse the line. McLean had the frozen pup warm up in his hi-rail vehicle while he sent some pictures of the critter to his wife. The couple already had 3 dogs and couldn't keep the puppy Gary found, but Mrs. McLean posted a photo on her facebook page when a local meteorologist got word of the little canine's plight and his tale made its way to the blog of the local ABC affiliate. The e-mails came pouring in and Terry Walls of nearby Bessemer, AL persuaded the McLean's that she could provide the best home for the baby pooch. Appropriately enough, the puppy's name is Track. [Hat Tip: PiGuy]
Note: Most of this information was already mentioned in the latest issue of Trains that's out on newsstands. I know about most of these developments before reading about them in the magazine, but this was also before I had a blog, as well. There's no mention of Iowa Interstate's new GEVOs, Florida East Coast testing the Progress Rail PR30C demonstrator or Great Walton's abandoning the Covington, Ga branch. Everything else mentioned was pretty much news to me or I already knew about, but the issue was already on newsstands.(railpictures.net/Kenneth Lehman)
Iowa Interstate announced the purchase of two additional General Electric ES44AC GEVOs in a press release dated September 9th, 2009. This comes after purchasing a dozen ES44ACs in 2008, such as this pair photographed hauling this Cedar Rapids-bound mixed freight past a windmill at Wilton, IA last year. This would bring their total number of GEVO's to 14.
Norfolk Southern and Florida East Coast have begun testing Progress Rail's line of higher horsepower rebuilt genset locomotives. Norfolk Southern's Progress Rail testbeds are designated PR43C's (Progress Rail; 4300 HP, C for 6 axles) and were built from the frame and shells of a pair of retired SD50s. The two of them are currently painted for the Norfolk Southern and numbered 4001 and 4002. For the time being, Norfolk Southern [NYSE: NSC] is restricting the duo's service to eastern Illinois, not far from Progress Rail's parent company Caterpillar [NYSE: CAT]. Progress Rail's demonstrator on the Florida East Coast is designated a PR30C (3000 HP this time around) and is shown above sandwiched between FEC SD70M-2 #106 and FEC GP40-2#426 on southbound train 109 crossing the lengthy bridge at Roseland, FL in August 2009. The PR30C Demonstrator is trailing because the FEC requires Automatic Train Control (ATC) equipment in the cab to operate on its mainline between Jacksonville and Miami.
CSX has discontinued through service on it's ex-Monon Louisville, KY-Bedford, IN Hoosier line this summer. This forces the Indiana Railroad- who operated on trackage rights over the Hoosier subdivision to re-route traffic to and from Louisville, KY via Indianapolis courtesy of a haulage-rights agreement with Anacostia Pacific Company's Louisville & Indiana railroad. Here, Indiana Railroad SD9043MAC #9007 is seen heading west past a pair of vintage upper-quadrant semaphore signals in Orleans, IN in May 2009.
The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway announced that it plans on abandoning the northern 241 miles of it's system between Millinocket and Madawaska, ME. In lieu of abandonment, they have proposed that the state of Maine purchase the line and take care of the maintenance while covering the costs by leasing the line back to the MM&A. The idea is not without precedent- Maine DOT presently owns the ex Maine Central Brunswick to Rockport line presently operated by Maine Eastern. There is also support for this idea among state representatives in the counties that will be affected by the MM&A's abandonment. Railpictures.net contributor Kevin Andrusia snapped this picture of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic B39-8E #8569 with a northbound frieght approaching yard limits at Oakfield, Maine last month on the stretch of track that's up for abandonment.
North of the border, there's somewhat better news for Genesee & Wyoming's [NYSE: GWR] troubled Huron Central railroad. Shippers and the province of Ontario reached a deal that will keep the Huron Central operating for at least another year. Here, GP40-3 #3803 leads a rebuilt road slug, a GP38 from sister railroad Quebec-Gatineau and a GP40-2LW west out of Sudbury, ON with a 131-car train bound for Sault Sainte Marie, ON in August 2009.
(railpictures.net/David Stewart)
According to railpictures.net contributors David Stewart and Nikos Kavoori, Georgia's Great Walton Railroad's lease on the Covington, GA branch has expired. The last day of operations was September 30, 2009. Here, Mr. Stewart documents Great Walton GP9 #6580 and ex-MidSouth GP10 #8395 en route to the CSX interchange after retrieving about 30 cars being stored at Newton, GA on the last day of operations for the Covington branch. The locomotives will be transferred to Great Walton's Social Circle, GA branch or sister Hartwell Railroad. Great Walton's trains would occasionally appear prominently in the background on the In The Heat of The Night TV series, several seasons of which were filmed in Covington, GA.
Miscellany: Montana Rail Link suffered a partial collapse of its tunnel in Mullan Pass on July 20th. The railway was shut down and traffic re-routed over BNSF's [NYSE: BNI] ex-Great Northern Line across Northern Montana until mid-August.
*Elsewhere in Big Sky country- a retired F45 was converted into one-of-a-kind accomodation at the Izaak Walton Inn in Essex, MT. F45 #441 is fitted with antique oak hardwood flooring, king-size bed and a fully-equipped kitchen among other amenities.
*Indian mining company Sterlite [NYSE: SLT] has applied for permission to purchase Arizona's 61-Mile Copper Basin Railway
