Adversity Mars Occasion as Steam Into History Begins Excursions
THE NORTHERN CENTRAL RAILROAD came back to life in June 2013 as Steam Into History kicked off its summer schedule of steam passenger excursions between New Freedom and Hanover Junction, Penn. Unfortunately, newly-built replica Rogers 4-4-0 No. 17 York, which had been delivered by Kloke Locomotive Works in May, suffered a problem with its inside-connected valve gear on the first of three
Gerald Altizer, who hopes to have the locomo- tive’s condition stabilized by the end of 2013. GCRY has recently acquired an off-rail shop in McCoole, Md., which has an overhead crane and plenty of work space.
Iowa Pacific
SANTA CRUZ BRIDGE BIDS REJECTED: Bids for the repair of 37 bridges along Iowa Pacific’s Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway in California came in much higher than ex- pected. The 31-mile former Union Pacific, nee- Southern Pacific branch between Watsonville Junction and Davenport is owned by the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, which expected the bridge work to cost about $4.8 million. Only two bids were received, one for $6.8 million and another for $9.4 million; the state has pledged $5.3 mil- lion for the project. At its June 6 board meet- ing, the RTA rejected both bids and said it would advertise for new bids.
The spans are generally in worse condition than was anticipated, and several require
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RAILFAN.COM
scheduled trips on the official Opening Day, June 22, and had to be taken out of service. Unlike its sisters Central Pacific No. 63 Leviathan, CP No. 60 Jupiter, and Union Pacific No. 119, which are not subject to sustained operation under load, York is scheduled to run about 60 miles a day, half of it uphill pulling a three-car train. Repairs had been com- pleted and the railroad was running a full schedule in early July.
nearly total replacement due to decades of de- ferred maintenance by UP and SP. Bridge conditions have prevented SC&MB from bringing in equipment and so the anticipated summertime passenger service has been can- celed. (The Santa Cruz, Big Trees & Pacific passenger trains are still running between Santa Cruz and Felton.)
Metrolink
FIRST TO ORDER NEW EMD DIESEL: Metrolink has ordered 20 of EMD’S new, lightweight, low-emissions F125 diesel- electrics for delivery beginning in 2015. The F125 is the first higher-speed diesel to meet EPA Tier 4 emissions standards, using a tur- bocharged, four-stroke Caterpillar C175 V20 engine which produces 4700 h.p. at 1800 r.p.m. and will use a urea injection exhaust af- tertreatment system. Compared to the medi- um speed EMD 710 engine, the smaller CAT engine provides room in the carbody for the aftertreatment system and other accessories while keeping the total locomotive weight low
enough to use a four-axle configuration. The F125 will be built at EMD’s plant in Muncie, Ind. (EMD moved locomotive assembly from Canada to Muncie in 2010 in large part to en- able itself to bid on passenger locomotive or- ders with Buy America requirements when paid for with federal money.) The F125 has a.c. traction with individual axle control, takes up to 1050kW (1400 h.p.) off the prime mover to power the head-end power alterna- tor, and will be able to pull ten bilevel corridor coaches at 125 m.p.h. on level track. Dynamic braking energy will be applied to the produc- tion of HEP when possible, rather than burn- ing it off through resistor grids.
NJ Transit
HIGH AND DRY STORAGE IS FOUND: After high water during Hurricane Sandy last year inundated a large portion of the NJ Tran- sit locomotive and coach fleet which was stored at low-lying yards in Hoboken and Kearny, N.J., the agency has sought out emer- gency storage locations on higher ground. NJT
MITCH GOLDMAN
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