Today's Train of Thought- Olympic Consolidateds, Feb 9th, 2014

In honor of the opening weekend of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Today's Train of Thought harkens back to the 2002 Winter games on Salt Lake City- the last Olympiad to take place in the USA.

Part of the ceremonies leading up to the 2002, the Olympic torch moved by rail more than once but it's final and most noteworthy leg was on the 16-mile Heber Valley Scenic Railroad in Utah where the tourist railway went past Soldier Hollow in Wasatch Mountain State Park- home of the cross country skiing and biathlon venues. The torch train featured three steam locomotives operating as a tripleheader- an impressive feat considering that at the time, the Heber Valley was home to two working steam locomotives at the time. A few weeks prior to the game, Nevada Northern 2-8-0 Consolidation was trucked in from Ely, NV to help with the Heber Valley's increase in traffic- allowing the ALCo to operate with Heber Valley's in-house Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidations- former Union Pacific #618 and Great Western #75. Each of the Heber Valley's Consolidations were lettered for their former owners as well.

Here, railpictures.net contributor Greg Brubaker caught the rare tripleheader steaming across a trestle over the Provo River with the torch train enroute to the Soldier Hollow venue on Feb 7th, 2002. Within a few weeks of the closing ceremonies, the Nevada Northern #93 was trucked back to Nevada. While the Heber Valley still has the #75 and UP #618, both are idle awaiting their FRA mandated 15 year boiler inspection.

Iron Horse Update for February 2014

Southbound MM&A train with Vermont Railway and Montreal, Maine & Atlantic power seen rolling through a meadow in North Troy, VT on its trek between Farnham, Quebec and Newport, VT on June 15, 2013- a few weeks before the deadly explosion after a runaway MM&A oil train derailed in Lac Megantic, Quebec. Richard Deuso photo

MONTREAL, MAINE & ATLANTIC- After months of speculation and uncertainty, the beleaguered Montreal, Maine & Atlantic has a new owner.

New York-based hedge fund Fortress Investment Group [NYSE- FIG] was announced as the winning bidder in a Jan 23rd bankruptcy auction. Other bidders reportedly included Pan Am Railways and JD Irving, parent company of the New Brunswick Southern railroad and the refinery that the oil being hauled by the ill-fated MM&A train was destined for. Within days of the winning bid being announced, courts in both Canada and the USA approved the sale to Fortress.

Largely shut down in the wake of the July 2013 Lac Megantic derailment that killed 46 people, the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic filed for bankruptcy shortly after the disaster, the MM&A ran a test train through the La Megantic in December in anticipation of fully reopening the line. Reports surfaced in September 2013 that the oil being shipped was much more volatile than the manifest indicated. In 2010, the MM&A and the state of Maine agreed to terms on the sale of more than 230 miles of lines in northern Maine. By early 2011, the state of Maine had contracted with JD Irving to operate freight service over the recently sold lines between Madawaska and Millinocket.

Fortress Investment Group has also been the parent company of the Florida East Coast Railway since 2007 and was majority owners of shortline holding company Rail America until their 2013 sale to Genesee & Wyoming. The FEC has won a number of industry awards for safety, a background that could prove useful in persuading otherwise reluctant Canadian officials into allowing oil to once again move over Fortress-owned MM&A trackage. Shortly after the MM&A sale was made official, Great Northern paper of Millinocket, ME announced they would be suspending operations for sixteen weeks, depriving the railroad of a major shipper.

Other assets owned completely or partially by Fortress include private aircraft leasing firm Aircastle [NYSE- AYR], Luxembourg-based reality company GAGFAH, Brookdale Senior Housing [NYSE- BKD] and Canadian ski resort company Intrawest.

Union Pacific SD70M #4884 is seen leading 'Big Boy' locomotive #4014 through Ontario, CA en route to the former Southern Pacific yard in Colton, CA on Jan 25th, 2014. The locomotive was removed from the Los Angeles County Fairground Complex at Pomona, CA using temporary track and its final destination will be Cheyenne, WY. Matthew Griffin photo

UNION PACIFIC- Union Pacific's 4-8-8-4 'Big Boy' is on the move after crews painstakingly moved the giant steam locomotive out of the LA County Fairplex at Pomona on temporary track and onto the mainline to the former Southern Pacific facilities at Colton, CA.

The behemoth locomotive has another 1200 miles to go before reaching its final destination of Cheyenne, WY but will reportedly be on display in Colton for the first two weekends of February. In exchange for the Big Boy, the Rail Giants museum at the Pomona Fairplex will receive Union Pacific SD40-2 #3105 as well as a caboose and boxcar. Although the 4014 was the biggest steam locomotive on display, it was by no means the only one- Santa Fe 4-6-4 #3450, Union Pacific 4-12-2 #9000 and Southern Pacific 4-10-2 #5021 remain on display on the grounds along with restored freight cars.

The largest steam locomotive ever built, the Alco built Big Boys hauled freight and passengers for the Union Pacific over the Wasatch Range between Cheyenne, WY and Salt Lake City, UT in the 1940s up until dieselization in the 1950s. There are several surviving examples of the Union Pacific's Big Boys on static display- most notably in Cheyenne, WY and Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA- but after an exhaustive search, the Union Pacific determined that the #4014 in Pomona was the best candidate for a full restoration.

Motive Power Inc. HSP-46 demonstrator #2100 seen undergoing outdoor testing at the MBTA's South Station engine terminal in Boston, MA. David Hutchinson photo

MBTA- The first units from MBTA's order with Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies [NYSE- WAB] subsidiary Motive Power Inc have arrived and are undergoing testing on MBTA and elsewhere.

In 2010, the MBTA Board of Directors approved an initial 20-unit, $115 million order with Boise, ID-based MPI. However, since then the order has been upped to 40. The new locomotives are designated HSP-46 and are powered by General Electric GEVO engines and clock in at 4600 HP each. So far only one unit is on T property and has been undergoing compatibility testing with the electronic systems in the T's various coaches manufactured by Bombardier and Kawasaki. Two other HSP-46s are currently undergoing testing- one at GE's East Erie, PA test facility and the other at the FRA's Transportation Technology Center in Pueblo, CO.

Oddly, this isn't the first appearance of MPI power on the T- the agency purchased two MP36PH-3Cs from Motive Power, Inc. The locomotives were originally intended for Utah's Front Runner commuter rail before the order was partially cancelled. For commuter rail, the T has been using 1970s built F40PHs along with rebuilt GP40MCs for passenger service along with some GP9s, GP40s and an NRE genset used for maintenance of way service.


MISSISSIPPI- At least 18 cars on a Canadian National train- some of them carrying hazardous cargo- outside of the southern Mississippi town of New Augusta derailed over the weekend. First responders were able set up barriers around some of the cars that had derailed and both lanes of nearby US highway 98 were shut down.

The train was carrying crude oil, liquid fertilizer and methanol- a state department of Environmental Quality official described the site as dangerous, but more dangerous to the first responders than the public.

Iron Horse Roundup For August/September 2013

Arkansas & Missouri SD70ACe #71 is seen crossing Arkansas route 127 at Garfield, AR with a northbound Monett turn on September 23rd, 2013. Michael Harding photo

ARKANSAS- The formerly all-ALCo Arkansas and Missouri has acquired a trio of EMD SD70ACes for use on their 139-mile ex-Frisco line between Ft Smith, AR and Monett, MO. A&M #70, #71 and #72 were released from Progress Rail's Mayfield, KY paint shop in September sporting the new Arkansas and Missouri livery which included larger, more prominent lettering on the sides of the burly EMD's [and immediately reminded some viewers of the fictional Allegheny & West Virginia from the 2010 movie 'Unstoppable'- NANESB!].

The Arkansas & Missouri is the latest US shortline or regional to purchase new EMD power. In 2005, the Montana Rail Link took delivery of 16 new SD70ACEs from EMD while in 2008, the Iowa Interstate took delivery of fourteen new GE ES44AC 'GEVO' units. Strictly speaking, those units were brand new- the trio of SD70ACes that A&M had acquired had logged considerable time as EMD/Caterpillar Demonstrator units.

Even with the new purchase, the A&M plans on retaining much of their ALCo fleet for use on locals between Springdale and Ft Smith, AR.

Paducah & Louisville GP40-3 #2103 is seen heading southbound with the Vermont Railway's Bennington Turn up the grade outside of Arlington, VT on October 1st, 2013. John Cullinan photo

VERMONT- The Vermont Railway has recently taken delivery of a GP40-3 Slug/mate set, borrowed from Kentucky's Paducah & Louiville railroad for trials throughout the VTR system. While slugs are normally designed to produce additional tractive effort at lower speeds and don't even require a cab in many cases, road slugs retain the cab controls and are paired up with a 'mother' unit so they can operate at track speed.

The GP40-3 'mother' for this particular set started out life on the New York Central in 1967 and was paired with road slug #2108, which started out life as a Southern Pacific GP35. Both were rebuilt by VMV of Paducah in 2001.

In recent years, the Vermont Railway has leased SD9043MACs and Gensets from CIT leasing as well. Starting in 2010, the Vermont Railway began handling overhead movements of ethanol between the Midwest and the Motiva facility in Providence, RI via a Canadian Pacific/Vermont Rail/New England Central/Providence & Worcester routing. The initial movement required nine units and more than 24,000 horsepower to get 80 loaded cars over the summit of the Green Mountains on the former Rutland line between Rutland and Bellows Falls, VT. Subsequent unit ethanol trains have been broken down into two 40-car sets before being moved over the Green Mountain railroad and reassembled in Bellows Falls.

Central Montana GP9 #1809 leads a dinner train over the 1, 698 foot lone Sage Creek Trestle in Danvers, MT in June 2006. Matt Wellborn photo

MONTANA- Sidelined for more than two years, the mostly-dormant Central Montana Railroad will receive federal funding to repair a trestle that was undermined and knocked askew during a 2011 flood. The damaged trestle isolated a number of shippers on the line from the BNSF interchange at Moccasin, MT.

The loss of rail service over the last two grain harvests have cost farmers in Denton and Geraldine an estimated $1 million annually as they've had to move their harvest to elevators some 70 miles further by truck.

While the line couldn't operate freight for the last two years, it still hosts the seasonal Charlie Russell Chew Choo dinner trains based out of nearby Lewiston, MT. In September 2012, a group of railfans chartered a series of photo freights on the undamaged portion of the line, using the line's five unrebuilt GP9s, a caboose and some MofW ballast hoppers.



The line was originally built about 100 years ago by the Milwaukee Road as part of a branch from their Twin Cities to Seattle transcontinental line. However, by 1980 the bulk of the Milwaukee Road's transcontinental line was abandoned, as well as the branchlines around Lewiston. In 1985, the non-profit Central Montana was formed to operate some 63 miles of the former Milwaukee Road branch through Choteau, Fergus and Judith Basin counties as well as another 19 miles of a former Great Northern branch between Moccasin and Kingston Jct.

Santa Fe Southern GP7u #07 is seen trundling along the former Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe route between Santa Fe and Lamy, NM with a 'mixed freight in March 2012. James E House photo

NEW MEXICO- A shortline whose ownership once included Family Ties actor Michael Gross and was made famous by a particularly tense and dark episode of AMC's Breaking Bad is out of commission.

A message on the Santa Fe Southern website said the railway won't be operating through 2013 and hopes to resume operations by the spring of 2014. The line was also one of the few remaining in the nation to still regularly operate mixed trains [carrying both freight and paying passengers- NANESB!].



The line was also used for filming an episode of the fifth and final season of the critically acclaimed crime drama Breaking Bad in which mild-mannered chemistry teacher turned meth kingpin Walter White along with his partner Jesse Pinkman and ex-cop Mike Ehrmantraut orchestrate a complex heist in which thousands of gallons of methamphetamine precursor chemicals are stolen from a tank car on a stalled freight train. The episode was rated one of the best in the series by critics and the producers thanked the Santa Fe Southern for their considerable assistance in the credits.

Lousiville & Indiana GP38-2s #2003 and #2002 leads a northbound Columbus, IN to Jeffersonville, IN turn across a bridge at Sellersburg, IN in September. Photographer Joe Vittitoe points out that faded Pennsy lettering is still visible on the bridge.

INDIANA- Anacostia Pacific's Louisville & Indiana has acquired a trio of GP38s for service on their southern Indiana line between the two namesake cities.

Besides the EMDs being rebuilt, they were also painted into Pennsylvania Railroad-inspired Tuscan red at mid America Car of Kansas City, MO, joining L&I's all-EMD roster. The Pennsy heritage units arrival coincides with the announcement by Louisville & Indiana officials that they plan on spending $90 million to upgrade approximately 100 miles of rail and replace bridges along the route.

Prior to the 1994 formation of the Louisville & Indiana, the line was previously operated by Conrail, Penn Central and the Pennsylvania railroad.

Milwaukee Road #261 heads southbound on the return leg of a Duluth-Twin Cities excursion over the BNSF Hinckley sub at Askov, MN in May 2013. The trip was the first run of the #261 in more than four years.

MINNESOTA- Just a few months after the Milwaukee Road #261 made its triumphant return to the rails with a mainline excursion from its Minneapolis home to Duluth, MN, the big 4-8-4 is slated to return to the mainline during the second weekend of October.

This time, the 1944-built ALCo will hit the high iron on the BNSF Wayzata Subdivision between the Twin Cities and Willmar, MN on October 12, 2013. The total round trip will be 186 miles and will be followed up by a partial reprise of the May 11-12 excursion between the Twin Cities and the Duluth-Superior Twin Ports area over the BNSF Hinckley sub. The key difference between the May Excursion and this upcoming excursion is that the 261 will turn around at Boylston, WI south of Superior instead of navigating its way through the massive yards, crossings and over the swing bridge between Duluth and Superior.

Tickets for the excursions range from $99 to $359 and are available through the Friends of the 261 homepage.

Newly acquired and repainted Paducah and Louisville SD70ACe #4519 is seen awaiting pickup behind the VMV backshop in Paducah, KY in July. Terry Redeker photo

KENTUCKY- Apparently when they aren't sending off their 4-axle mother/road slug sets to Vermont, Four Rivers Transportation's Paducah & Louisville is in search of bigger and brawnier motive power.

The Paducah & Louisville took delivery fifteen SD70ACes from the CSX earlier this year. All units were purchased new by CSX and repainted at VMV Paducah, KY facility- quite literally in the PAL's backyard- before delivery.

CSX owns roughly 40% of the PAL's parent company- Four Rivers Transportation- and there's speculation that the units could end up in service on one of the PAL's sister railways, namely the Evansville & Western and Allegheny and Ohio. Slumping coal traffic on the CSX along with the Class one's affiliation with the parent company likely resulted in some sort of a deal on the newer units that the PAL felt was too good to pass up.

Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 'Big Boy' #4104 is seen during a special night photography session- complete with smoke- at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, CA where it has been on static display since 1961. Mike Massee photo

CALIFORNIA- The largest class of steam locomotive in the world may once again be under steam on the high iron thanks to its original owner, the Union Pacific.

In late 2012, there was speculation that the Union Pacific was scouting various museums and parks with the intent of adding one of their 4-8-8-4 ALCo Big Boys to their steam excursion fleet. This included Big Boys on display in St Louis, Cheyenne, Los Angeles, Omaha, Denver, Green Bay, WI and Scranton, PA.

By July, not only did the Union Pacific make it official that they did intend to restore a Big Boy to operating condition, they had chosen former UP #4104 which had been on display at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds since its 1961 retirement. The railway agreed to purchase the #4104 from the Southern California Railway & Locomotive Historical Society at the end of June with the stipulation that it be moved after the LA County Fair in late September- the delay also gives UP and the RL&HS time to figure out how to best move the slumbering behemoth from its display area to the nearby mainline.

Once out of the Pomona Fairplex, the #4104 will be moved to Cheyenne, WY for restoration. Cheyenne is also home of Union Pacific's two other operable steam locomotives; 1943-built 4-6-6-4 Challenger #3985 and 4-8-4 #844, which holds the distinction of being the only steam locomotive in the USA that was never retired by its original owner.

Most estimates have the #4104 returning to service by 2016 at the earliest. Once it does return to service, it would displace the #3985 as the world's largest operating steam locomotive. The Big Boy's were originally assigned to the Union Pacific mainline out of Cheyenne, WY.

Nebraska Northeastern SD40-3 #127 is seen leading an all EMD 5 unit lashup through Osmond, NE in May 2012. Kenny Thies photo.

NEBRASKA- In something of a reversal, the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe has acquired the Nebraska Northeastern Railway- a 120 mile shortline that was formed in 1996 when the 120 mile line between South Sioux City and O'Neil, NE was sold off by none other than the BNSF.

The line served three major ethanol producers and also hauled popcorn. However, track along parts of the line are in dire need of an upgrade as speeds were restricted to 10 MPH in places and the NENE had the notable disadvantage of having only one interchange partner in South Sioux City- the BNSF. Across the Missouri River in Sioux City, IA, two additional Class 1 carriers (Union Pacific and Canadian National) and the Dakota & Iowa shortline were tantalizingly close but the NENE didn't have any trackage or haulage rights across the river to any of those carriers.

BNSF has promised shippers lower rates since the Nebraska Northeastern takeover would eliminate any interchange between the BNSF and NENE. The massive railroad can carry out much-needed trackwork more efficiently than the NENE. The Nebraska Northeastern was affiliated with the Texas, Gonzalez and Northern Railway prior to the BNSF takeover.

A Class 1 carrier reacquiring trackage that it had spun off years ago is unusual, but not completely unheard of. In 2008, Canadian National took over operations of the 311 mile New Brunswick East Coast and nearly 250 miles of mainline, branchlines and trackage rights from the affiliated Ottawa Central Railway. The NBEC acquisition came almost exactly 10 years after the Canadian National spun off the line in the Maritimes.

Burning wreckage in the immediate aftermath of the July 2013 runaway train in Lac Megantic, Quebec. Sûreté du Québec handout.

MONTREAL, MAINE & ATLANTIC- A federal judge approved a $3 million loan that would keep the beleaguered Montreal, Maine & Atlantic operating through the month of October. In August, Canadian authorities ordered the MM&A to operate their trains carrying hazardous or volatile cargo through Quebec with two man crews after the devastating train wreck and fire killed at least 47 people in the Quebec town of Lac Megantic in July.

The loan is structured as a revolving line of credit up to $3 million and may be used only as working capital, according to court documents. It will be secured by the property and tracks the railroad owns in the U.S. and Canada.

“The loan will ensure that the [MMA] and MMA Canada have adequate working capital to continue operating pending a sale of their assets,” bankruptcy trustee Robert Keach wrote in his motion seeking approval of the loan.

Eight potential suitors have expressed interest in purchasing MMA’s assets, and seven have signed nondisclosure agreements, Keach confirmed Wednesday. Gordian Group, a New York-based investment bank Keach has secured to handle the sale of MMA’s assets, is speaking with the suitors this week, according to Keach. He hopes to begin the auction by the end of November.

Keach also said that the Canadian Transportation Agency’s certificate of fitness, which expires Oct. 18, was dependent upon obtaining operating capital.

The Hermon-based railway has been using a $6 million line of credit, provided by Ohio-based Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Co., to continue operating since it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Bangor and Canada on Aug. 7. Keach said Wednesday that it would continue using that cash collateral to fund operations once a new agreement is worked out with Wheeling’s attorneys.

The bankrupt railroad is slated to have their assets sold off to potential buyers in an auction slated to take place in late November or early December. As many as eight potential buyers have reportedly expressed interest, but only one- J.D. Irving's New Brunswick Southern has been identified. A refinery in St Johns, NB- also owned by the Irving Group- was the final destination of the MM&A oil train that fateful July night.


TEXAS- Dramatic video from west Texas has emerged showing a Union Pacific freight train colliding with a stalled tractor trailer at a crossing in Midland.

Officials say that a semi with a flatbed loaded with pipes was stuck by a train at the railroad crossing on County Road 1130 in Midland.

Officials say the train collided with the semi and pushed it a little over half a mile down the tracks.

cials from Union Pacific, the Department of Public Safety and Midland County Sheriff's Office all responded.

One crossing arm was damaged in the crash and 100 gallons of diesel was spilt due to the accident.

The railroad crossing will be closed until the crossing arm has been repaired.

There were no injuries to the crew and the truck driver was clear of the vehicle before the collision.

Last November, four people were killed when a Union Pacific freight train slammed into a tractor-trailer carrying a veteran's parade float in Midland, TX.

Death Toll From Colorado Flooding Revised As Waters Recede

Helen H. Richardson- Denver Post

At least 7 people are feared dead after floodwaters tore through parts of Colorado's Front Range north of Denver last week. The college town of Boulder was particularly hard hit and several outlying mountain towns were cut off from the rest of the state after rising floodwaters undercut state and local highways.

Transportation networks were also snarled by the flooding, as rising waters shut down portions of I-25 between Denver and Cheyenne, WY. Union Pacific was working to restore service over their Denver- Cheyenne mainline as well as portions of the former Rio Grande Denver to Salt Lake City mainline just west of Denver. The UP is also working to shore up their transcontinental mainline downstream in Nebraska from additional damage from the floodwaters.

Joseph K Vonnida- Getty photo

The Colorado National Guard had been activated and was using helicopters and high wheel vehicles in an attempt to get to some of the completely cut off homes and towns in the mountains. The National Guard has also made it a point to evacuate people with their pets if possible in what officials are calling "No pets left behind".

Early estimates put the total amount property damage in the $2 billion range. Rebuilding efforts will likely be complicated by the fact that most of the damaged structures and properties lack flood insurance.

Iron Horse Roundup For May 2013

CONNECTICUT- Rail service along the Northeast Corridor between New York City and New Haven after a May 17th derailment and collision that injured 72 people at the height of the evening rush hour.

National Transportation Safety Board officials are looking into a broken part of the rail that underwent repairs last month, but have not determined whether it was a pre-existing fracture or if it occurred as a result of the accident, according to NTSB spokesperson Earl Weener, who provided an update at a news conference on Saturday afternoon.

NTSB officials arrived on the scene on Saturday morning to begin investigating the cause of the train crash, injuries sustained by the commuters and operator performance.

The NTSB's investigation could take seven to 10 days but that does not mean that service shutdown will take that long, board spokesman Earl Weener said..

The eastbound Metro-North train derailed just after 6:00 p.m. and was hit between the Bridgeport and Fairfield stations, officials said.

"We came to a sudden halt. We were jerked. There was smoke," Alex Cohen, a Canadian passenger on the westbound train en route to New York, told NBC Connecticut.

"People were screaming; people were really nervous. We were pretty shaken up. They had to smash a window to get us out," he said.

St. Vincent Hospital in Bridgeport, Conn. said on Saturday that it saw a total of 46 patients, six of whom were admitted for treatment. All patients remained in the hospital and were reportedly in stable condition.

Bridgeport Hospital saw 26 patients and admitted three. Two of those patients were in critical condition a day after the accident, and one was in stable condition, according to The Associated Press.

The FBI has ruled out foul play early into the investigation while the NTSB is focusing their probe on a possible fractured rail that could have derailed the first train. The Northeast Corridor opened on a limited basis by Tuesday as the NTSB investigation continued.

Between commuter service and intercity passenger service, the Boston-New York-Philadelphia-Baltimore-Washington DC Northeast corridor is the busiest stretch of passenger track in the United States. The Connecticut derailment posed a massive bottleneck for the New York-Boston portion of the Northeast Corridor, with many trains cancelled and some being replaced by bus service for the duration of the closure.

MARYLAND- Suburban Baltimore was rocked by a massive explosion on Tuesday after a CSX freight train collided with a truck and derailed. The train was reportedly carrying sodium chlorate- a bleaching agent used in the papermaking process. A CSX spokesman confirmed that the train was carrying the sodium chlorate, but denied that it was in any of the derailed cars.

Reports indicate that the trucker- who also owned the waste hauling company- was hospitalized and in serious condition but there were no reports of injuries among the train crew or the public. The force of the blast damaged nearby warehouses, but Baltimore county fire officials reportedly had the blaze under control.

The NTSB and Maryland State Police are focusing on the safety record of the trash hauling truck involved in the collision.

As cleanup crews and investigators worked at the crash site in the eastern Baltimore suburbs, NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt gave what he said was the agency's last local news conference on the Tuesday derailment. He said the agency has looked at federal transportation department safety records for Alban Waste and found an above-average number of violations resulting in trucks being ordered off the road.

Records of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show the company that has three trucks was involved in two crashes with injuries in 2012 and 2013. The agency's website also shows the company's vehicles were inspected 43 times in the last two years, with trucks being ordered out of service in about 40 per cent of those cases. The national average is about half that.

The 45-car CSX train crashed into the trash truck driven by company owner John J. Alban Jr. Sumwalt had said investigators planned to interview Alban Jr., who remained in serious condition Thursday at a hospital. His was the only injury in the derailment, explosion and fire that sent a plume of black and grey smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.

A new video of the crash, captured by a nearby business's surveillance camera, shows Alban Jr.'s truck approaching the crossing before the train is in sight, driving away from his business. Without stopping, the truck heads across the tracks as the train approaches. The truck appears to get mostly across before the lead CSX locomotive slams into it. The impact wraps the truck's white cab and a portion of its trailer around the side of the train, and the train drags the wreckage forward. The video appeared first on the Baltimore News Journal website.

Sumwalt said the video was helpful to investigators.

He said the train was going 49 mph, just below the speed limit of 50 mph on that track section.

Other Motor Carrier Safety Administration records obtained by The Associated Press show Alban Waste failed a safety audit in November 2011 due to file-keeping problems regarding drivers' qualifications, a random drug and alcohol testing program and maintenance reports. The company notified the agency in March 2012 of its actions to correct those problems. Other federal records show violations over the last two years including brake and light problems to tire and seat belt violations.

Capt. Norman Dofflemyer, commander of the Maryland State Police Commercial Motor Vehicles Division, said the federal trucking regulatory agency has asked his office to help review the company's compliance with federal regulations. He said that even before the crash, "they were approaching a threshold that would have triggered a notice that we should start looking at the company through the compliance program."

The company is located a short distance from the crossing where the collision occurred. The road to the business crosses the railroad tracks, separating Alban Waste from the rest of an industrial neighbourhood off Interstate 95.

Alban Jr. was ticketed May 25 in Baltimore County for failing to properly secure a roll-on container to his truck and convicted earlier on the same charge. He is awaiting trial July 19 on a speeding ticket. His license was suspended for about a month on March 25 after he failed to either pay the fine or ask for a court date. When he requested a court date April 23, the suspension was lifted. Alban Jr. was convicted of using a hand-held cellphone while driving in June 2011 in the city of Baltimore.

Sumwalt said the NTSB will review cellphone records as a routine part of the investigation.

The collision is said to have caused an estimated $625,000 in damages and the road leading into Alban's company was blocked off by the train derailment.

MISSOURI- An highway overpass in southeastern Missouri was brought down this week after a collision between Union Pacific and BNSF freight trains.

Seven people were injured Saturday morning in a massive train collision in Scott County that took down an overpass.
Officials say that around 2:30 a.m. there was a train crash near County Road 210 and Highway M in the Rockview community. The Highway M overpass collapsed on impact.

Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter says a Union Pacific train T-boned a BNSF Railway train that had just made it through the intersection.

The collision caused one of the trains to derail and hit a pillar under the overpass causing it to collapse. A dozen Union Pacific train cars derailed.

Trooper Clark Parrott with the Missouri Highway Patrol says two vehicles were not on the bridge when it collapsed. The cars came up on the bridge as it went down.

Three people in one vehicle, and two people in another vehicle, were taken to a nearby hospital.

One of the drivers, Christopher M. Cantrell, 22, of Benton, Missouri, received minor injuries.

Two 19-year-old passengers, Victoria L. Cantrell and Sarah R. Ishmael, both of Chaffee, Missouri, received moderate injuries in the crash.

The Union Pacific engineer and conductor were pulled from the wreckage and treated at a nearby hospital. According to the Union Pacific, the train was hauling automobiles between Illinois and Arlington, TX.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, the highway overpass sees an average of more than 3000 vehicles daily while the span itself weighs more than 370 tons. Removal of the collapsed bridge is expected to cost nearly $3 million.

Today's Train of Thought- Mile High Club, April 24th 2013

Today's Train of Thought takes us to the Mile High City and features the final steam locomotive ever ordered for the Union Pacific.

Union Pacific took delivery of  4-8-4 #844 from the American Locomotive Company in 1944. After operating on passenger trains like the Overland Limited and Portland Rose, the 844 spent its final two years of revenue service between Cheyenne, WY and Omaha, NE before being withdrawn from service in 1959- but was saved from the scrapper's torch in 1960 as it was selected by the Union Pacific to handle company excursions. The UP also set aside massive 1943 ALCO-built 4-6-6-4 Challenger #3985 to handle similar duties around the same time, but the #844 holds the distinction of being the only steam locomotive that was never retired by a class one railroad [although it was renumbered  to #8444 for awhile to accommodate diesels on the UP's active roster- NANESB!].

In addition to lengthy, interstate trips through several states like when the #844 travelled from its Cheyenne home base to Arizona and New Mexico for those state's centennials last year, the #844 and #3985 can be found closer to home in July shuttling VIPs between Denver, CO and Cheyenne for the Wyoming capital's Frontier Days.

Here, rrpicturearchives contributor Kevin Andrusia caught the #844 pulling ahead past Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, in downtown Denver after dropping offer passengers at Denver's Union Station on July 22nd, 2010. The Rockies were not playing at Coors that day- instead they lost to the Florida Marlins in Miami by a 3-2 final that day- between the All Star Break and an 11-game road trip, there would be very little baseball in Coors Field at the time.

Behind the big 4-8-4 (and the yellow water tender) is Union Pacific DD40AX #6936- the massive 8-axle diesels were the largest single-unit diesel locomotives ever made. Union Pacific was the only customer and by 1986, most of these behemoths were retired, although like the #844 and Challenger, Union Pacific retained one for use on special trains.

Today's Train of Thought- Donner's Passing Grade, December 19, 2012

Donner Pass has become synonymous with California's rugged Sierra Nevada range, America's westward expansion and cannibalism. It was also one of the operational hurdles the Union Pacific ended up with after their 1996 acquisition of the Southern Pacific.

Some 30 years ago, Union Pacific's only gateway to California was the Los Angeles-Salt Lake City line through Cajon Pass and Las Vegas. That began to change with the 1983 acquisition of the Western Pacific, whose line from Sacramento and the Bay Area cut through the mountains along the turbulent and flood prone Feather River before reaching Nevada and continuing east to Salt Lake City.

By 1996, the Union Pacific had acquired the Missouri Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, Chicago & Northwestern and Southern Pacific lines. And with the Southern Pacific acquisition came one of the UP's biggest operational headaches west of the Pecos- the Donner Pass line.

That particular stretch of the Sierras was made infamous by the ill-fated Donner Party of 1846 who had to resort to cannibalism after becoming trapped when they were attempting to traverse the Sierras in the winter months. 106 years later, the outcome of the ill-fated Donner Expedition was likely on the minds of some 200 passengers and crew of Southern Pacific's City of San Francisco as it became trapped under some 12 feet of snow and buffeted by wind gusts of nearly 100 MPH- all 196 passengers and 20 crew members were eventually evacuated by highway [an interesting footnote was that an escaped German POW from WWII took part in the rescue despite being on the FBI's most wanted list at the time- NANESB!].

The frequent accumulation of snow along this stretch meant that the SP had to be vigilant about not only clearing the line with plows, but also specially made flanges used to break up snowbanks and snowdrifts before they can become big enough to bring an entire train to a halt- as was the case in 1952 with the City of San Francisco.

Here, railpictures.net contributor Mike Haire caught Union Pacific GP38-2 #572 through a telephoto as it leans into a curve in Cisco, CA on the day after Christmas 2009 with five more EMDs and a flanger in tow- all on their way to Truckee, CA. The units assigned to snow clearing in the Sierras are of Southern Pacific ancestry and some of them were still in scarlet and grey until about five years ago.

At Least Four Killed as Freight Train Slams Into West Texas Veteran's Parade Float

James Durbin- My West Texas

Four people were killed and at least another 17 people were killed in Midland, TX when a parade float was struck by a freight train on Thursday afternoon.

Two people died at the scene, while two others died at Midland Memorial Hospital, City of Midland spokesman Ryan Stout said. Six people remained hospitalized Thursday night, including at least one in critical condition; the other 11 people injured have been treated and released, hospital officials said.

About two dozen veterans and their spouses had been sitting in chairs on the float, set up on the back of a flatbed tractor-trailer decorated with American flags and signs identifying each veteran. Many seemed to panic as the locomotive's horn sounded, said Patricia Howle, who was waiting in her car at a nearby traffic light as the train approached.

The float was one of two on flatbed trailers carrying wounded and disabled veterans and their families while on their way to an honorary banquet when the disaster struck. According to eyewitnesses, the truck pulling the float was unable to move due to the float immediately in front of it being stopped.

The parade was slated to end at a 'Hunt for Heroes' banquet followed by a deer hunting trip this upcoming weekend. in light of Thursday afternoon's tragedy, both events have been cancelled. Lt Col Tom DiTomasso, a commander during the Battle of Mogadishu, was reportedly scheduled to as the banquet's keynote speaker.

Officials from the Midland Police Department, Midland County Sheriff's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and National Transportation Safety Board remained at the crash site well into the evening, examining the wreckage. Officials have yet to release the names of the dead, pending notification of family members.

Shortly after word of the fatal collision broke, hundreds of local residents showed up at a local blood bank volunteering to donate blood. An official with United Blood Services said that donations from Midlanders would be needed over the next few days to help replenish stocks that were used to help vitims of the collision.

The Show of Support parade, banquet and weekend hunt was started in 2004 by Midland native Terry Johnson.

Today's Train of Thought- As the World Minturns, October 14

Today's train of thought takes us to the Rocky Mountains and the tiny burgh of Minturn, situated along the Rio Grande's Tennessee Pass line.

Constructed as a narrow gauge line to tap Colorado's mineral rich interior from Pueblo, the Tennessee pass line was jointly constructed by the Colorado Midland and Denver, Rio Granfe & Western in 1890 to replace a DRG&W narrow-gauge line that had been completed in 1881. Although once the opening of the Moffat tunnel and Dotsero cutoff in the late 1920s and early 1930s relegated the Tennessee Pass line to a secondary route, the line regained importance with the Rio Grande's 1988 merger with the Southern Pacific. The line was used to bypass the increasingly congested Denver & Salt Lake route as well as the Moffat tunnel bottleneck, giving freight trains a fairly straight shot over the former Missouri Pacific line between Kansas City and Pueblo, Co, over Tennessee Pass before rejoining with the Denver & Salt Lake route and then the Southern Pacific line between Salt Lake City and Sacramento via Donner Pass.

However, this revival lasted less than a decade. With Union Pacific's 1996 takeover of the Combined SP/DRG&W system, the UPRR decided that the Tennessee Pass line was redundant and embargoed it within a year. To this day, the line remains intact, but aside from the frequent ballast train or hi-rail inspection, the line hasn't seen a through train since 1997. Although re-opening the line would alleviate some of the congestion along the Moffat Tunnel and Denver & Salt Lake line to the north, part of the problem is that portions of the former Missouri Pacific line between Pueblo and Kansas City have been abandoned- any UPRR trains using the line would have to traverse the busy Joint Line between Denver and Pueblo.

Here, in happier times, railpitures.net contributor Mark Possin caught an Eastbound train powered by a quintet of SP/Rio Grande GP40-2s passing through Minturn with Rio Grande #3132 on the head end in September 1994. This stretch of the Tennessee Pass line is seen hugging the banks of the Arkansas River as the hard-working EMDs are lugging loads of steel coil behind them- most likely from the now defunct Geneva Steel Works near Provo, UT.

Within three years of this photo, the line would be embargoed by Union Pacific.

Long Overdue Iron Horse Update- Pan-Am, MM&A Look To Oil By Rail; Fatal Wreck in Oklahoma; Centennial Steam to the South Rim of Grand Canyon; Susquehanna Gets Oakway Rebuilds; Ambitous WV Tourist Train Project Proposed

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic SD40-2 #758 leads a motley assortment of EMD and GE diesels east through Frontenac, Quebec with unit crude oil train 606-245 on June 8, 2012. The train is bound for the New Brunswick Southern railroad interchange at Brownville Jct, ME. Frank Jolin photo via railpictures.net

NEW BRUNSWICK- Canada's largest oil refinery is looking to bring in shipments of oil from the Bakken shale and that could spell more traffic for some New England railroads depending on what route is selected.

A 104-car test train traversed the 2400 miles between the Dakotas and St John, NB using a BNSF-CSX-Pan Am- New Brunswick Southern route in late May and could provide Maine an economic boost.

The first big shipment was made over the weekend. Each of the 104 cars carried roughly 700 barrels of oil. The train traveled through Chicago to Rotterdam Junction, N.Y., where it moved over Pan Am Railways track through southern and eastern Maine and connected with the New Brunswick Southern Railway for the trip to Saint John.

Pan Am has been improving its tracks and adding locomotives and crews, making it a player in the growing crude-oil competition, according to Hall.

Pan Am operates one of three possible rail routes that can get crude to Saint John. Canadian National Railroad has another, which skirts Aroostook County and stays north of Maine. A third goes through Jackman, Greenville and Brownville Junction to reach New Brunswick via the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway.

"Irving's going to go with whoever does the best job at the best price," Hall said.

The prospect of steady oil shipments has led Montreal, Maine and Atlantic to announce that it will double the frequency of its service from three to six days a week between Montreal and Brownville Junction said Ed Burkhardt, the company's board chairman.

Price is driving Irving's thirst for Bakken oil, Burkhardt said. Irving's refinery, which has a capacity of 250,000 barrels a day, primarily receives its supply via tankers from Venezuela, the Persian Gulf and the North Sea. But overseas oil now is roughly $20 a barrel more expensive, so it's cost-effective to move some of the supply thousands of miles by rail.

"Rail can land oil at Saint John at a better price than by sea," Burkhardt said.

The most immediate factor that could limit business is the availability of tank cars, which are in great demand nationally, Burkhardt and others say. It takes roughly six days to go from North Dakota to New Brunswick, plus offloading time.

If rail delivery grows, it could help Maine's struggling freight railroads and the shippers that depend on them, said Chop Hardenbergh, editor of Atlantic Northeast Rails & Ports. That could help improve service to Maine's paper mills and attract new shippers, he said.

"It certainly helps our railroads and our overall economy," Hardenbergh said.

Enviromental groups raised ocbjections over the 100+ car trains traversing enviromentally sensetive areas of Maine- these concerns were punctuated when a Pan-Am local freight derailed in Bucksport, ME in late May sending a pair of tank cars into the Penobscot River before rupturing and leaking a synthetic latex used in papermaking.

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic began running test trains to the St John's refinery shortly after striking Canadian Pacific employees were ordered back to work, thus enabling MM&A to interchange with railroads west of St Jean, Quebec.

Both the Pan-Am and MM&A hand off the unit oil trains to the New Brunswick Southern- either at Brownville Jct or Northern Maine Jct. Irving's St John's refinery is also reportedly eyeing an all-Canadian National route between the Saskatchewan portion of the Bakken and New Brunswick. The New Brunswick Southern and Irving oil refinery are both owned by J.D. Irving, LTD- a privately held company.

OKLAHOMA- Three crew members were killed in the Oklahoma panhandle last weekend when two Union Pacific freight trains collided with each other east of Goodwell, OK. Investigators from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and NTSB said they had pulled the badly burned bodies of John Hall, Dan Hall (no relation) and Brian Stone from the wreckage. A fourth crew member identified as Juan Zurita jumped from the locomotive prior to impact and escaped with minor injuries.

NTSB investigators are combing the scene and interviewing Zurita to attempt to piece together what had happened. The signals along the line and brakes on the locomotives involved were in working order and no cell phones were found at the crash site. Some experts have speculated that human error- not neccesarily on the part of the crew- could've played a part in the collision.

The NTSB will also be investigating the event recorders- basically a locomotive's black box- before issuing a preliminary report in two weeks.

Grand Canyon 2-8-2 #4960 leads Santa Fe 4-8-4 #3751 on a steam doubleheader to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon outside of Williams, AZ on May 15, 2012.

ARIZONA- The San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society's restored Santa Fe 4-8-8 Northern #3751 powered an excursion from Los Angeles to the South Rim of Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park in May to mark the centennial of statehood for Arizona.

The train departed Los Angeles on May 14th and after making good time over Cajon Pass and to the massive former Santa Fe yard and depot in Barstow, CA proceeded east on the transcontinental mainline to the Arizona & California interchange at Cadiz, where it ran into some problems in the form of a 15 MPH slow order for the journey between Cadiz and the ARZC facilities in Parker. Continuing east to the junction with the BNSF 'Peavine' line at Wickenburg, AZ the following day, the #3751 and its Amtrak diesel helper trudged along under another slow order, eventually making its way onto the Peavine Line north of Wickenburg and stopping to take on water at the siding in Congress, AZ.

Santa Fe #3751 seen heading southbound across the Hell's Canyon Trestle on BNSF's Phoenix-Williams, AZ 'Peavine' line at Drake AZ on the return trip to Los Angeles on May 18, 2012

The special arrived in Williams, AZ well after dark on the second day, but the following morning it left Williams on time while paired up with Grand Canyon's waste vegetable oil-burning 2-8-2 Mikado #4960.

Although used sparingly by Grand Canyon Railway's parent company Xanterra, the former Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Mikado has already made a couple of trips this year including a Valentine's Day special where visitors could ride to the South Rim for 1912 prices to celebrate Arizona's Centennial.

After a day off, the #3751 began its return trip to Los Angeles with the Grand Canyon Limited on May 18, giving riders a rare mileage trip down the former Santa Fe freight line in daylight hours. Keeping close to its schedule, the #3751 took on water in Congress, AZ once again and made better time over the ARZC line between Wickenburg and Parker, AZ as the speed limit had been raised to 35 MPH for the return trip. The following day, the #3751 made much better time to the BNSF Transcon junction at Cadiz and had a relatively easy journey back to Los Angeles via Barstow and Cajon Pass.

Newly arrived Susquehanna SD60 #3810 seen leading westbound Little Ferry, NJ to Binghamton NY symbol freight SU-99 through Bogota, NJ on June 22nd, 2012. Brandon Kaback photo via rrpicturesarchives

NEW YORK, SUSQUEHANNA & WESTERN- The Susquehanna has recently taken delivery of six former Oakway SD60 that were extensively rebuilt by Paducah, KY-based VMV Paducahbuilt. In addition to major overhauls of the trucks, fans, wheels and prime movers, Eastern Railroad News is reporting that the units will be equipped with GPS tracking and a new AESS Fuel Management system. The units were built in the late 1980s for Oakway leasing and spent much of their service lives in freight service on the Burlington Northern and BNSF.

Although there were earlier reports circulating that one of the six EMDs would be adorned with a maroon and silver paint scheme reminiscent of the colors on Susquehanna's early ALCo diesels, it apprears as though all six will be delivered in the NYSW's contemporary 'Yellowjacket' scheme. Per Susquehanna tradition, the units will be assigned road numbers 3800 to 3810- even numbers only.

Previously, the Susquehanna had been utilizing older SD40T-2s and unrebuilt SD45s and a fleet of leased blue CEFX SD40M-2s to handle the heavier road freights between Little Ferry, NJ and Binghamton, NY. The NYSW is also reportedly evaluating four-axle gensets for local and yard service.

The Durbin & Greenbrier Valley's former Moore & Keppel 2-truck Climax is seen leading a mixed train at Durbin, WV in May 2010. The line is currently isolated from other railroads, but a plan is in place to reconnect both the Durbin & Greenbrier and Cass Scenic with the rest of the nation's rail network via the West Virginia Central. Kevin Madore photo via Railpictures.net

WEST VIRGINIA- Randolph County could soon become the lynchpin of an ambitious 90-mile tourist and heritage railroad circuit in the eastern part of the Mountaineer State. The county seat of Elkins is already home to the West Virginia Central's New Tygart Flyer and Cheat Mountain Salamander excursion trains. In 1997, the WVCR was selected by the state of West Virginia to operate 140 miles of former Western Maryland lines that CSX was looking to abandon. Besides a number of excursion services, the WVCR also hauls scrap metal and lumber for shippers in some of the isolated communities along the line. Prior to 1985, the south end of the line connected with the Cass Scenic Railroad south of Durbin, WV but the line was washed out in a flood 27 years ago.

The WVCR is also afilliated with the Durbin Rocket in nearby Pocohontas County. The Rocket is on an isolated 5-mile stretch of former Cheseapeke & Ohio line and offers short excursions and weekend stays in the wilderness in a caboose.

However, according to recent reports in the Elkins Inter-Mountain a proposal is being put before local Chambers of Commerce to restore WVCR's connections with both the Durbin Rocket and the Cass Scenic by rebuilding bridges and re-laying rail that would be ripped up from the dormant southwesternmost portion of the WVCR line between Laurel Bank and Bergoo, WV.

The project would add 60 miles of new rail trail, creating the Highland Adventure of Mountain & Rail, a 90-mile loop connecting Canaan Valley in Tucker County with The Greenbrier Resort, and Belington with Cass Scenic Railroad in Pocohantas County, Bergoo in Webster County and Snowshoe Resort.

"The goal is to have the trains load and unload in Belington," said Smith.

There could be economic benefits to all counties involved, combining recreation with transportation. Those with canoes, for instance, could go canoeing at one location, board a train, and canoe at another location in the same day.

"We think (the rail project) will open many new opportunities because of this plan," said Byrne.

The Highland Adventure of Mountain & Rail could result in the expansion of existing recreational opportunities in the area as well as provide an opportunity for others.

The project would cost about $20 million and is expected to attract 150,000 tourists in its first year, bringing a $50 million economic impact. In 2011, Smith's railroad had 35,998 passengers.

"With the new rail system, even West Virginia residents will have more places to go," said Byrne.

Many of the trains will travel through scenic areas of the state and provide the opportunity for many to merge their train rides with other recreational activities such as rafting, camping, hiking and more.

The plan coincides with the announcement of the West Virginia Railroad Museum selecting the nearby town of Beverly, WV for its new permanent home. The WVRM had originally planned to set up shop in Elkins, but was unable to meet planning requirements because the town's former Western Maryland depot wasn't big enough and the yard facilities couldn't accomodate the Museum's 90ft turntable. The Beverly site also features a historic former WM depot and is less than 10 miles away from Elkins.

Once moved into their permanent home, the West Virginia Railroad Museum plans on restoring some of their rolling stock to working order, including a pair of former West Virginia Northern 2-8-0 Consolidations, a 1943-built former US Army Baldwin diesel and a 1941-built Heisler geared steam locomotive- similar to the Durbin & Greenbrier's geared climax steam locomotive. This could provide an opportunity for the Museum's motive power to haul excursions on any of the three railways.

Coos Bay Rail Link leads a Eugene-bound train across a trestle at Hauser, OR on 2/23/12. The recently-reopened rail line has been mentioned as hosting unit coal trains bound for export from a facility to be built at the port of Coos Bay. Shane Gill photo via rrpicturearchives.net.

OREGON- In remarks at a 'green' energy conference at Portland, Oregon's Democrat governor has called for a 'sweeping review' by state and federal agencies of a number or proposed coal export terminals located throughout the Pacific northwest.

Kitzhaber, a Democrat with strong ties to environmental groups that oppose coal export, requested the comprehensive review in a letter Wednesday to the Bureau of Land Management and the Army Corps of Engineers today. He also called for the review in a broader speech on "clean energy" today before the Future Energy Conference in Portland.

“We’re rushing to this huge infrastructure investment without a full national discussion,” Kitzhaber said after the speech. “I think we deserve to have a full debate on this.”

Kitzhaber didn't take a stand for or against exporting coal, which supporters say would increase rural jobs and tax revenues.

The proposed coal terminals and upgrading the rail lines that would serve them would create much-needed jobs for rural Oregon- the statewide unemployment rate currently is 8.4%. Kitzhaber likely ordered the review to make certain the coal terminal proposals would die a slow death via red tape and regulations rather go on the record as nixing the projects outright. Rural Oregon's economy has been struggling decades before the 2008 subprime lending meltdown triggered a global recession- with their timber industry coming under increasingly strict regulations due to pressure from environmentalists.

The coal would come from the Powder River basin and be shipped via Union Pacific or BNSF to one of the proposed terminals. With half the sites under consideration, the coal trains would have to be handed off to another railway to reach the port. Among the possible terminal locations are Bellingham, Longview and Grays Harbor in Washington state and Coos Bay, Port Westward and Morrow in Oregon. Located much further inland along the Columbia river, Morrow is a realtively short distance away from Union Pacific's yard in Hinkle, OR while any trains using Coos Bay would utilize the newly re-opened rail line between Coos Bay and Eugene. Just west of Portland, Port Westward would utilize Genesee & Wyoming's Wilamette & Pacific railroad while the Grays Harbor proposal would utilize Rail America's Puget Sound & Pacific.

The proposals have met with fierce opposition from environmentalists who are now claiming that coal trains can cause cancer or something. I shit you not- the very same environmentalists who hadn't said a word about train loads of trash being taken from metropolitan areas in the Pacific northwest and being dumped in eastern Oregon and Washington for the last 25 years are now warning the public on the health risks of dust blowing off from passing coal trains.

Meanwhile, Coos Bay Rail Link has obtained two GP38 locomotives to handle an expected increase in traffic as track rehabilitation slated for this summer will lead to increased train speeds between Coquille, OR and Eugene. A number of local companies were awarded contracts for weed abatement, bridge repair and tie replacement along the 134-mile route.

Today's Train of Thought- (Coast) Starlight, Star Bright, March 25, 2012.

Despite the name of Amtrak's marquee west coast train, today's Train of Thought actually takes us a little further inland in Southern Oregon. The name Coast Starlight is actually a combination of two Southern Pacific trains that once plied the California section of the route- the Coast Daylight and the Starlight. It's also worth noting that once north of San Luis Obispo, CA, the route is pretty much inland until it makes its way up to Olympia, WA and the southern reaches of Puget Sound- although it does run parallel to some bays and inlets between Oakland, CA and Sacramento, CA.

The big draw for many of the passengers is the dramatic coastal scenerey between Ventura, CA and San Luis Obispo as the track clings to cliffs over the Pacific Ocean and soars across high metal trestles- complete with a lounge car for passengers to enjoy the view.

Between Portland, OR and Sacramento, CA riders are treated to numerous views of the mountains and forests of northern California and western Oregon. Between Eugene, OR and Dunsmuir, CA the line traverses the former Southern Pacific Cascade Division and Black Butte Division, although the train often runs late enough to traverse that section of the route after dark.

Here, however, railpictures.net contributor Judkins645 managed to catch southbound train 14 (Amtrak and Union Pacific's designation for the Seattle-Los Angeles run of the Coast Starlight) charging up the 1.7% grade at Oakridge, OR on a snowy December 28, 2007. Amtrak GE P42DC #115 is in charge as it brings the southbound Coast Starlight across the 515-foot Salt Creek trestle- the longest on the Cascade division, according to Judkins645.

Bracketed by two big GE's is an Amtrak EMD F59PHI in the blue and silver Amtrak Surfliner paint scheme- the EMD normally sees service between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, CA but was likely pressed into service elsewhere due to increased ridership around the holidays (although the day after Thanksgiving usually remains Amtrak's single busiest day). The train shown here is running two hours late- a problem plaguing that particular route since the late 1990s- but Amtrak has reportedly addressed that and the Coast Starlight enjoyed an on time arrival rate of 86% since 2008

Today's Train of Thought- South Dakota Switchback, March 8, 2012

Although it may not look like it, today's train of thought takes us to the eastern corner of the Mount Rushmore State. And like any complex page-turner or Hollywood noir film, there is more to this scene than meets the eye, complete with a couple of movie stars seemingly hiding in plain sight.

Here, railpictures.net contributor Sam Botts catches a pair of SD39s painted for Rio Grande leading a southboud rock train for the D&I Railroad rounding a curve at Garretson, SD with a cut of first-generation D&I power trailing on November 17, 2005.

The two orange and black locomotives were prominently featured in climactic scene of the 1997 film Switchback starring Dennis Quaid, Danny Glover and R Lee Ermey. After filming for Switchback wrapped up, the two SD39s went to Andesite Rock company of Longmont, CO- a sister company of Sioux Falls, SD-based LG Everist. The locomotives were re-lettered and renumbered for Andesite and joined a pair of former Rio Grande SD45s in the upper Midwest, but the Rio Grande orange and black remained for many more years.

But here's the kicker- the Rio Grande never owned any SD39s. The two Andesite units started out life on the Southern Pacific in 1970 and by 1986 was retired and sold off to Helm Leasing. Along with a hodgepodge of former Burlington Northern SD45s, the two former Espee SD39s logged time on the Utah Railway dragging coal trains over Soldier Summit before being withdrawn from servise and sent back to Helm. By 1993, the duo was sold to Andesite for pulling rock and aggregate trains throughout the upper Midwest. Three years later, the production company responsible for filming Switchback agreed to lease the two SD39s from Andesite. This all took place a few months after the Union Pacific took over the Southern Pacific (and by extension, the Rio Grande). While there were plenty of locomotives in Rio Grande paint still around, the Union Pacific refused permission to lease any of them for the film. Instead, the production company leased the Andersite units and the two SD39s to Midwest Rail Car of Kansas City, MO where they were painted into Rio Grande colors, emerging as 'Rio Grande' #5319 and #5325 respectively.

Interestingly, there really was a Rio Grande #5319 and #5325- both of them were much larger 3,600 HP SD45s that were rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen into SD40-2s (while still retaining the SD45 carbody) that saw service with Union Pacific through the mid-2000s before being sold off to CIT Financial leasing (CEFX).

When the filming wrapped up, the #5319 and #5325 were sent back to Andersite before being renumbered to #4027 and #4028- while still retaining their 'Rio Grande' paint scheme for a few more years. By the mid 2000's, with increased traffic from the Dell Springs quarry and some ethanol plants sprining up on the south end of the line, the D&I needed additional locomotives and horsepower. In addition to purchasing some four-axle GP39-2s and GP50s, the D&I arranged for the long-term lease of the #4027 and #4028. These days, the two SD39s can be seen wearing the D&I's yellow and black colors, although they still carry lettering for ANDX under the cab.

Another twist to this photo. I think I've mentioned before that the D&I interchanges with the Canadian National and Union Pacific in Sioux City, IA thanks to a patchwork of trackage rights with BNSF, former Milwaukee Road track owned by the state of South Dakota and D&I/Everist's branch between Sioux Falls, SD and Dell Rapids, SD. However, because of an ice floe undermining supports for one of the bridges south of Sioux Falls, Andersite SD39 #4027 is seen leading the detouring D&I rock train over BNSF's Marshall subdivision east of Sioux Falls.

[Hat tip to CineTrains for detailing the information about the locomotive's activities before and after the filming of Switchback- NANESB!]

Today's Train of Though- A Grande Finale; January 9, 2012

Today's train of though showcases the end of an era for the Main Line Through the Rockies in the cold, lonely high desert of Utah.

Nearly a decade after Denver, Rio Grande & Western merged with Southern Pacific, businessman Phil Anschultz sold the combined system to Union Pacific in 1996. And just like Union Pacific's acquisitions of the Missouri Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas and Western Pacific railroads in the 1980s, it was seemingly inevitable that these new acquisitions would disappear under a coat of armour yellow paint.

However, a number of 3,000 HP SD40T-2 Tunnel Motors from the Rio Grande would remain in service into the early 2000s, still in unmodified DRG&W black and orange. The majority of these locomotives were assigned to helper and local service in the aptly named railroad and mining town of Helper, UT.

With their numbers declining as the decade progressed, the units- along with other older locomotives from the Union Pacific fleet- were assigned to the 'Dirt Train', a dedicated unit train that hauls gondola cars full of contaminated soil to a disposal site in E. Carbon, UT.

By 2006, all that remained of the SD40T-2 Tunnel Motors that began service in Rio Grande's black and orange was DRG&W #5371. She would spend the next two years alternating service between locals around Salt Lake City and the dirt train.

Here, railpictures.net contributor James Belmont catches the #5371 and a trio of armour yellow SD40-2s trailing as they head east through Wellington, UT on Feb 29th, 2008 while making their way to the East Carbon disposal site with another trainload of contaminated dirt [likely from the decommissioned Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, CA- but that's just speculation on my part- NANESB!].

According to Mr Belmont, this was the last run of the #5371 in regular service. The Rio Grande unit was sent to Cheyenne, WY for storage shortly after this picture was taken. By September 2008, the #5371 was stricken from Union Pacific's roster.

By 2009, the Union Pacific Railroad donated the #5371 to the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden, UT [Housed in Ogden's Union Station along with the John M Browning Firearms Museum, upping the 'must visit' factor for me by about another 1000 points- NANESB!].

Today, the 5731 keeps company with other displayed locomotives such as Union Pacific DD40AX #6916 (largest diesel locomotive built by EMD) and 4-8-4 #833 (a sister to Union Pacific's still-active #844.