Magma Arizona Mikado is Restored in Texas
THE TEXAS STATE RAILROAD has returned Magma Arizona No. 7 to service in its historic identity, complete with copper-colored smokebox and stack. The light Mikado had previously been painted as Texas State Railroad No. 400; the 2-8-2 was built by Baldwin in 1917 as Tremont & Gulf No. 30 and was sold to MARR in 1954. No. 7 worked in regular service until replaced by diesels in 1968 and appeared in many films, including the Cinerama movie How the West Was Won. It was acquired by the Texas State Railroad Commission in 1974 and re- turned to service in 1978.
Amtrak
ROCKFORD IS ON THE FAST TRACK: The Illinois Department of Transportation has earmarked $60 million to return Amtrak serv- ice to the Chicago - Rockford route next year. Rockford has not had passenger service since the state-supported Amtrak Black Hawk was taken off in 1981. Track and signal upgrades will eventually enable operation at 79 m.p.h., although initially the top speed will be 59. The goal is by 2016 to establish a 90-minute sched- ule over the 87-mile route which will include stops at Elgin, Huntley, and Belvidere. At that time a second daily round trip will be added, and the state is negotiating to extend the route to Dubuque, Iowa, over Canadian National. The trains will use the Metra Milwaukee Dis- trict West between Chicago Union Station and
22 MAY 2014 •
RAILFAN.COM
Iowa Pacific Holdings promised to paint and letter TSR locomotives in their historically accurate images when it won the operating con- tract in 2012. The first to be restored was Texas & Pacific Ten-Wheeler No. 316 (formerly TSRR No. 201) in 2012. Pershing 2-8-0 No. 300 (an- other ex-Tremont & Gulf engine) and Pacific No. 500 (ex-Santa Fe 1316), remain in TSRR lettering and will be restored in turn. No. 500/1316 is currently in the shop being overhauled while No. 300 is in regular service. Texas & Pacific 2-10-4 No. 610 of Freedom Train fame also calls TSR home and is on display at Palestine in its T&P livery.
a connection with Union Pacific’s Belvidere Sub west near the Metra Big Timber station. IDOT would have preferred to use CN’s short- er route, but could not come to an agreement with the freight carrier. The ultimate goal is to extend the service to Dubuque; if that hap- pens, the route will use CN from Union Sta- tion to a connection with Metra’s Union Pacific - West line near Elmhurst.
IDOT has also identified funding for several other rail projects including $585.1 million to purchase up to 160 electric Highliner com- muter cars for Metra, $222 million to establish passenger service between Chicago and Mo- line in the Chicago-Quad Cities-Iowa City Cor- ridor, and $132.6 million for the Englewood Flyover to reduce congestion-related delays to Amtrak, Metra, and freight traffic at the cur- rent at-grade crossing.
BATON ROUGE SERVICE IS PLANNED: A study has been released on proposed Am- trak service between New Orleans and the state capital of Baton Rouge, La. Trains would use 66.5 miles of Kansas City Southern’s New Orleans Subdivision between Baton Rouge and Frellsen Junction, 7.5 miles of Canadian National track from there to Southport Junc- tion, and 3.7 miles of city-owned track into New Orleans Union Passenger Terminal. CN wanted a passenger flyover built at East Bridge Junction (at the east end of the Huey P. Long Bridge), but the Federal Railroad Ad- ministration thinks reconfiguring trackage there will increase capacity and reduce delays with less expense.
To start, one round trip will originate at each endpoint each morning and evening with a maximum authorized speed of 79 m.p.h. over
ANTHONY WESSELL
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