www.railfan.com/railnews
the Norfolk-Chicago Mountaineer, which was discontinued in 1977. This is the third service expansion launched under the Amtrak Virginia partnership, which introduced state-supported service to Lynch- burg in October 2009 and to Richmond in July 2010. Amtrak Virginia routes saw large rider- ship gains in fiscal year 2011 over the previous year, with 28.5 per cent more riders on the Washington-Lynchburg route and 19.1 per cent more on the Washington-Newport News route.
EX-M.U. CARS REBUILT FOR CALI: Four- teen former NJ Transit Comet IB commuter coaches are being reconfigured for Amtrak Cal- ifornia’s Pacific Surfliner service between Los Angeles and San Diego. The stainless steel cars were built by St. Louis Car Co. for the New Jer- sey Department of Transportation in 1968-’69 as 100-series Jersey Arrow I electric multiple units for service on Penn Central commuter routes between New York, Trenton, and South Amboy, N.J. Capable of 100 m.p.h. operation, NJT converted the Arrow I’s to locomotive- hauled operation in 1987-’88 and dubbed them Comet IB’s. (The 105 aluminum Pullman-Stan- dard push-pull cars, purchased by NJDOT for Erie Lackawanna diesel routes in 1970, were the original Comets.)
At its Beech Grove, Ind., shops, Amtrak is re- placing the cars’ fixed 3-2 commuter seating with 2-2 reclining seats similar to those used in other Amtrak cars. They’ll also be equipped with new, ADA-compliant restrooms, luggage racks, bike racks, wi-fi, and 110 volt a.c. outlets; the cab cars are being converted to trailers. In order to make up three trainsets, a trio of Horizon dinette cars are being refurbished for use with the coaches along with a like number of Non-Powered Control Units (former F40PH-2 locomotives converted to cab/baggage cars).
Privately-Operated Pullman Service Is Offered Between Chicago and New Orleans
IOWA PACIFIC’S new Pullman Sleeping Car Co. subsidiary launched its new overnight service be- tween Chicago and New Orleans behind Amtrak’s City of New Orleans with a ceremony at Chicago Union Station on November 2, 2012. Painted in classic Illinois Central chocolate and orange, former IC sleeper-observation Pontchartrain Club punctuated the southbound City’s consist at Homewood, Ill., on November 10 (above) as it trailed a baggage-crew dorm, three sleeping cars, and an ex-Santa Fe full-length dome, all in IC paint. The company offers traditional Pullman service aboard historical- ly correct, meticulously-restored sleeping cars along with good, freshly prepared railroad dining car food. In 2013 the service will be offered twice a week in each direction; additional routes are planned.
NEW DRAWBRIDGE IN SERVICE Amtrak’s new “NAN” drawbridge over the Niantic River near East Lyme, Conn., was opened to traffic on September 8, 2012. The last train to use the old bridge, built in 1907 by the New York, New Haven & Hartford, was Regional No. 67 on Sep- tember 7; the first to use the new span was Re- gional No. 66 the following day. Track 1 was not put into service until Veterans Day weekend in November. The new NAN has a wider naviga- tion channel with greater vertical clearance un- derneath and allows 60 m.p.h. rail operations.
Apache Railway Sound Transit Lakewood Extension Is in Service
SOUND TRANSIT HAS OPENED ITS NEW EIGHT-MILE EXTENSION over the new eight- mile extension between Tacoma and Lakewood, Wash. On October 8, 2012, trains began to stop at the South Tacoma and Lakewood park and ride stations, which have been open and served by Sound Transit buses since 2008. The agency began to run test trains on August 9; the first one (above) crossed a new bridge over Pacific Avenue in Tacoma on the new connector between Tacoma Dome station at Freighthouse Square and the Lakeview Sub at Tacoma Avenue South.
RAILROAD WILL SURVIVE: As a common carrier, the Alco-powered Apache Railway has survived the September shutdown of parent company Catalyst Paper’s mill in Snowflake, Ariz. While the bulk of the railroad’s traffic had been inbound coal for the mill, the huge Farmer John hog farm located about halfway between the Holbrook interchange with BNSF Railway and Snowflake receives a consider- able amount of animal feed by rail, and the re- mainder of the line may be used for car stor- age. A scaled-down Apache Railway will continue to operate, although less frequently, with about a third as many employees and, likely, fewer locomotives. The last “Blue Loop- er” coal train off BNSF from the Peabody En- ergy El Segundo mine at Lee Ranch, N.M., ar-
25
DAN SIMMERING
PAUL BURGESS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70