Yard Goat Images Vintage Transport. Today.


Steam in the Mountains


2-Volume DVD set–8 Mountain Railways!


Sold separately or money-saving combo


www.yardgoatimages.com Or request a free catalog


YGI, 112 3rd AV NE, Minneapolis MN 55413 DAKOTAS RAILROAD MAPS BNSF, Canadian Pacific, Shortlines


Concise, clear maps of today’s railroading presented by subdivision for ease in following your favorite line.


Station index


Mainline Radio frequencies Detectors, major sidings & yards Major highways, rivers Sized to pocket or camera bag 4.25x11”, 62 pages


At your dealer, or direct: $12


Plus $2.50 S&H to US


Sonrisa Publications, PO Box 334, Raymond, WA 98577 www.djcooley.com


3 of our Newest DVD’s Lots More on our Website


rare RS-1 number 22 on an over-under shoot with C420’s. Live audio and narration. 68 minutes $29.95


The Sunset of Canadian National Steam: Produced by Rail Innovations and never on DVD. The end of CNR steam in Ontario with mostly the big 4-8-4’s, Manitoba in the summer of 1959 to see a variety of CN power still working. In Ontario we see 4-8-4’s, two different 5700 series Hudsons, and a shot of a streamlined 4-8-4. Also see roundhouse scenes and the last day for one 4-8-4. B&W from Newt Rossiter. Music & Narration also. 30 Min. $19.95


doubleheader fantrip, doubleheaded freight, and Hudson 2839 in freight service. Great CPR history. 32 Minutes $19.95


(free with order)


Catalog $2.00


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CPR Steam - The Final Chapter: Originaly produced by Rail Innovations this show is new on DVD. Newt Rossiter B&W 16mm footage of the last steam in Ontario including regular service operations, and some of the final fantrips. Nice variety of action with com- mentary by CPR engineers. Last run of 4-6-4 Hudson 2857, tripleheader and


Previews and complete descriptions for these and many more at: www.gregschollvideo.com or at http://www.youtube.com/user/GregSchollVideo


S&H Standard US shipping add $5.00 for total order. Canada $9.00 for 1 or 2, and $3.00 each additional 1 or 2. Foreign $13.00 for 1 or 2, and $3.00 each extra 1 or 2. Ohio res. add 6.5% sales tax. All prices $US. Order by phone, mail, fax, or secure web site:


GREG SCHOLL VIDEO


PO Box 123, Dept.R4, BATAVIA, OHIO 45103 PHONE: 513-732-0660 • FAX: 513-732-0666


16 APRIL 2014 • RAILFAN.COM PRODUCTIONS Professional Videos • Prompt Service • Since 1984


Arkansas Alcos: Now on DVD for the first time, we did a total re-edit using the original tape & narration. See Arkansas & Missouri’s all-Alco fleet during April 1988. Freights with 3-unit and 4-unit C420’s to Fort Smith, and even a rare RS32. Local switch jobs with a C420, and another with an ex-N&W T-6. Publicity runs with their


Big Plans, Big Money, Big Fights?


THE YEAR 2014 FOUND THE RAIL INDUSTRY — freight and passenger — about to deal with big issues, more so than usual, it seemed. The U.S. Class I freight roads aim for a record $26 billion to build, maintain, and upgrade their infrastructure. As men- tioned in previous issues, there are plenty of 19th century bridges, tunnels, and other op- erating necessities along, over, and under the rail property. Association of American Railroads CEO


Ed Hamberger notes that the carriers in America’s oldest transcontinental trans- portation network have been bolstered by $550 billion which the major railroads them- selves have invested since 1980. It is likely no accident that the timeline coincides with pas- sage of the Staggers deregulation law, widely credited as rescuing the lines that over the previous 100 years had made this nation an industrial giant, only to come to grips with the onset of highways and airways. Staggers deregulation played a major role


in launching a truly inspiring revival where- by more private dollars sustain America’s freight rail network, according to industry spokesman Ed Hamberger. “The result,” he says, “is a strong rail network that is the en- vy of the world, serving both freight and pas- senger railroads.” But in late 2013 and early 2014, there


were signs that the successes were causing potential ruptures.


Railroads: Victims of Progress? Freight railroaders have made the case to Washington and elsewhere that the need to plunge ahead and make way for more rail- road capacity is obvious. 1) We have on several occasions alluded to


a study the AAR produced several years ago that cited analyses by experts and profes- sionals in the industry as a warning that there could come a time in some parts of the country when America’s freight rail network will become clogged if preventive infrastruc- ture is not added. 2) We have now encountered a situation


where two mainstays of freight railroading are starting to get in each other’s way. Few would have predicted the overnight emer- gence of fracking and its pivotal role in mak- ing the United States the world’s top oil pro- ducer — far more than either Saudi Arabia or Russia, formerly the top two leaders, Newsmax notes. The International Energy Agency (IEA) says as oil exports rose, im- ports declined for America. Meanwhile, surging crude oil traffic on the rails has been cited as a cause of traffic snarls on both sides of the U.S./Canadian border. This has long been bone of contention in the U.S. midwest- ern states, most notably Minnesota, Mon- tana, and the Dakotas, where farmers have predictably gathered seasonally to complain about wheat that is ready to ship, but with no rail cars ready for loading and heading to take it market. So now the farmers have yet another


protest to add to their list; grain and oil don’t always mix well, at least not on the rails.


One of the states involved in particular — North Dakota — is hip deep in both, with plenty of wheat farms there as the Bakken shale operation turns Williston into a roar- ing frontier town.


In Canada It seems our Canadian friends have debated this issue in a manner that is even more high-decibel than in the United States. Canadian National CEO Claude Mongeau protested that, “Blaming railways alone — or even worse, threatening to punish them for an outsized crop and winter conditions beyond their control — will not move any more grain, now or over the longer term.” When the Canadian government pro-


posed a fair grain law to authorize regula- tors to jar loose the backlog by providing ad- ditional “inter-switching” opportunities for competing railroads, the negative reaction was almost instantaneous. Canadian Pacific CEO Hunter Harrison said this would lead to double handling of grain shipments and result in job losses, reduced investment, and negatively affect transit times.


The Very Worst? The word from Platts, Mc Graw Hill Finan- cial is, “The refining industry is awaiting the next accident to hit the crude-by-rail sector. And there’s real fear about what might hap- pen as a result.” That statement from Matthew Rose, BNSF CEO, at a roundtable discussion in Orlando, Fla. The convention was held by the American Fuel and Petro- chemical Manufacturers. Mr. Rose told the gathering that Ameri-


can crude-by-rail movements may hit well over one million this year. “That’s a lot of tank cars, which means more potential for them to slip off the rail, possibly catastroph- ically.”


Stephen Brown, another panelist (from


Tesoro), noted the tension in Washington over the issue. “What we’ve seen so far,” he added, “is that every time there’s a hearing on rail scheduled on Capitol Hill, the [pipeline division of DOT] realizes it needs to do something, whether it’s an emergency order or a clarification of an order.” It does that to protect itself, he goes on to say. (Real- ly? Politics? In Washington? Quick! The smelling salts!)


NEC vs. All Others? Once again the regional warfare that has plagued Amtrak since the days of its found- ing is about to resume. The passenger rail operation is seeking congressional approval to use the operating profits from the North- east Corridor Acela for infrastructure im- provements on that line rather than to sub- sidize long-distance routes. For FY 2015, Amtrak officials have re-


quested $1.62 billion in federal and capital support. That is a 16 per cent increase from FY 2014 federal appropriations. It would, among other things, provide expansion for more trackage at New York Penn Station as additional schedules for Amtrak and its sta-


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