Amtrak’s Significant Footprint The dream scenario leaves Amtrak as (again) the operator of most, if not all long- distance trains. On the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak would remain the only operator oth- er than the commuter lines. Amtrak could also be “the carrier of choice” on other corri- dors, with short lines or “independent oper- ators” as feeders.


Iowa Pacific Holdings IPH, as mentioned above, is into many facets of the railroad business including car storage, freight service, specialized passen- ger trains for all tastes including tourism, holiday-focused runs, and luxury trains, to cite a few. This is an operation that Ed Ellis has been quietly building in recent years. And his business is virtually overflowing with potential for participation in the futur- istic map that he and his fellow panelists discussed (without coming to a “one size fits all” conclusion on the part of all four of them). In fact, new and different ideas are obviously worthy of consideration, individu- ally and collectively by the “out of the box” panel at the Railway Age conference. In the genre of the “luxury” service IPH offers a first class level of service between Chicago and New Orleans twice a week be- hind an existing Amtrak train (obviously City of New Orleans).


Expanded Operation, Expanded Regs Because that trip operates an interstate schedule, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) believes the private car runs should be subject to federal regulations regarding en- trance and exit fees. Meanwhile, as an energy carrier in places such as Texas and New Mex- ico, IPH’s energy haulage is reaching new records. These are among several indications that the IPH is “spreading its wings” (to bor- row an expression from another mode of trav- el) in the arena of U.S. rail transportation. Heffner sees his client Ellis as “evolving into more of a regularly scheduled common carrier-like service.” There is reason to be- lieve “about a dozen” of these types of com- panies will develop in the U.S. in the next few years on regular schedules.


ASLRRA Makes Plans Two October panelists have taken on ac- tivist roles at the American Short Line & Re- gional Railroad Association (ASLRRA). Ellis is Chairman of the Passenger Rail Commit- tee, Heffner is Vice Chairman. That new ASLRRA appendage is rapidly expanding — somewhere between two dozen and fifty members, Heffner estimates.


The business of short lines is mainly


freight. But because they see fewer expan- sion opportunities in the future, they are se- riously trying to figure out how they can get into the passenger game whether it’s as a commuter rail provider, an excursion opera- tor, or conceivably an inter-city carrier. “Many short line operators are entrepre- neurs and are expansionist,” according to Heffner, “like growing their empire. But un- fortunately none of the Big Seven railroads are really shedding very much anymore.” In fact, he adds, “some of the Class I’s are even buying back [short lines].”


A headline in the Dallas-area Star-


Telegram read, “Without federal aid, Amtrak could leave rural areas behind.” The short line industry intends to see to it that does not happen.


Congress Studies Freight Rail The House Transportation and Infrastruc- ture Committee’s new subcommittee on 21st century freight transportation has issued a report calling on all modes to establish a comprehensive national freight policy — in- cluding “a multi-modal freight network, and identify sustainable sources of revenue all across all modes necessary for freight in- vestments.” The committee called among other things for ensuring “robust public in- vestment” in all modes, and said that pri- vate investment in freight transportation fa- cilities should be “incentivized”; adding that development and delivery of freight projects should be “promoted and expedited” Edward Hamberger, President of the in-


dustry’s Association of American Railroads (AAR), in his testimony leading up to the committee’s report, noted that most freight in the U.S. today is carried and delivered by more than one mode of transportation. Therefore, the industry’s voice in Washing- ton emphasized, extra efforts need to be uti- lized to make certain that there are no fail- ures as the cargo moves from one conveyance to another. The “critical link in all of these freight movements is the health of the first- and last-mile connection,” Ham- berger said. The committee’s report, in fact, noted that “In all, freight rail carries 43 per cent of inter-city freight, which is more than any other mode, and for every rail job, 4.5 other jobs are supported elsewhere in the economy.”


PTC


Hamberger again mentioned in his testimo- ny that the PTC crash avoidance technology is unlikely to meet its December 2015 dead- line for full implementation throughout the property. Another potential monkey wrench tossed into that schedule appeared in a story by Bloomberg News that “565 American In- dian tribes had to review one by one, whether 22,000 antennae required for the [PTC] system to work might be built on sa- cred ground. That’s as many wireless tower applications as the U.S. Federal Communi- cations commission approves in two years.” A retired FRA official, Grady Gothen, com- mented, “I’m just speechless.”


Meanwhile Revisiting MM&A The Canadian Transportation Agency ex- tended a deadline for the suspension of Mon- treal Maine & Atlantic Railway license to operate in Canada. The CTA issued an amended decision decided the new deadline would be February 1, 2014. This, of course, ties in to the disastrous crash of an MMA oil train July 6 (reported in-depth in this space). MMA is now bankrupt. CTA determined that MMA has adequate third-party liability insurance coverage to operate until February 14. The agency con- cluded that by discontinuing the transporta- tion of crude oil for the period of time in- volved, lower volumes and shorter distances over which hazmat is carried will lower the risk by at least 90 per cent.


Streetcars Back in D.C.


Moviegoers in the early and mid-20th centu- ry were accustomed to seeing in the back- ground the distinctive streetcars that plied the streets of the nation’s capitol whenever a Hollywood production portrayed a political drama occurring in Washington. The last run of the old conveyances occurred in 1962.


 


The Leader in Contemporary Train DVDs


    how operations have changed in recent years.





 right to


connect with      been growing rapidly. This program shows over 24 hours of action east of


-  mixed on these trains.       





   This program shows over 30 hours of ac-  in northern Mississippi in October of 2012. Today this line hosts a wide mix of


train types from hot “Z” trains to nineteen thousand ton coal and taconite trains. 





This program shows over twenty-four hours of ac-                     - the heart of the once greatly admired Nickel Plate. Once the home of the famous Berkshsires, today big GEs thunder across the north-         





        Toronto and the Buffalo – Niagara   This DVD shows over 24 hours of action on CN east of London


         -            





- ber 2012 between Britton, 47 miles southwest of Detroit, and Blakeslee, Ohio. This was once part - sas City main line and today is a key part


of  In addition,    Chicago trains on this line. 





 in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas south of Neosho, has three, 1 1/2% grades against the normally heavier south- bounds.


This DVD shows 1 1/2 days between Neosho, Missouri and Decatur,


      Arkan-


sas in April of 2012       


Afton in northeast Oklahoma, 183 miles south of Kan-                   


            track.


This program shows over 24


hours of action in and around Afton and nearby Vinita in April of 2012.





           


program shows thirty hours of action       the outskirts of Pratt and Hutchinson in south-central Kansas in April of 2012.


 Big “E” Productions


P.O. Box 75, Greenland, NH 03840 800-832-1228 or 603-430-3055, 24 hours a day.


Check out our webpage at www.trainvideos.com Visa, MC, Amex, Disc. Card, check, or Money order. Add $5 per order for shipping and handling. All orders shipped  have menus and chapters.  the option of being watched with or without narration.


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