10:45 a.m. and 55 minutes have been re- moved from West Toronto Yard. Train 147 (Toronto-Gibson Yard, Hammond, Ind., au- tos) will have an additional 30 minutes of time at Wolverton, Ont. Train 246 (Sudbury, Ont.-Buffalo, N.Y., manifest) has had 30 min- utes added at West Toronto and Train 255 (Binghamton, N.Y.-Windsor, Ont., manifest) has had 30 minutes added at Welland, Ont. Across the rest of the network, Train 113 (Hochelaga-Bensenville,
intermodal) and
Train 199 (Bensenville-Deltaport, Vancouver, B.C., intermodal) have had their crew change point in Calgary, Alb., moved from Alyth to Glenmore. Trains 252 (St-Luc-Binghamton manifest) and counterpart Train 253 are no longer re- quired to lift traffic between Whitehall, N.Y., and Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Traffic along this section of the Canadian Subdivision will now be served by local Train D47. Train 485 (Bensenville-St. Paul, Minn., manifest) has been eliminated and traffic blocks from Bensenville to St. Paul will now be handled by Trains 287 and 289 (Clearing Yard, Chicago, Ill.-St. Paul, manifest). Train 287 will haul the Clearing-Winnipeg, Man., traffic block and will no longer work Milwau- kee, Wis. Two hours have been added to 287’s schedule at Bensenville. Train 289 will han- dle traffic destined for Milwaukee as well as Glenwood, Minn.
CSX TRANSPORTATION CHASE GUNNOE
Operations
Loaded crude oil trains destined to Eastern refineries in Virginia from the Bakken oil- fields began using the new BNSF/CSX inter- change at Smithboro, Ill., in early January. The interchange, located in the south central part of the state, allows oil trains a more direct route to Indianapolis and Columbus without dealing with heavy traffic congestion in the Chicago area. The train symbols, which are K122 eastbound and K123 westbound, are operating to and from Yorktown’s refin-
ery located in southeastern Virginia. Crude oil trains destined for Northeastern refineries are continuing to use the traditional routing via Chicago, through Willard, Ohio, and east across former Baltimore & Ohio trackage.
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN DANNY JOHNSON
Speedway Traffi c Pattern Changes
During January, observers along the Merid- ian Speedway between Meridian, Miss., and Shreveport, La., noted a significant shift in train movement schedules. As a general rule, intermodal trains I-ZLLAT (Expedited Intermodal, Los Angeles-Atlanta), I-DAAT (Intermodal, Dallas-Atlanta) and I-DAATX (Intermodal,
Dallas-Atlanta) along with
manifest trains M-ARSH (Manifest, Arte- sia, Miss.-Shreveport, La.) and M-CNSH (Manifest, CN-Jackson, Miss.-Shreveport) would typically be expected during daylight hours over most of the Speedway. Starting in mid-January, the pattern abruptly changed, placing most train movements starting in late afternoon and continuing through the nighttime hours. Currently, there has been no specific reason provided for the traffic pat- tern shift.
Vicksburg Bridge Park Proposal Revived
The Mississippi River Bridge at Vicksburg, Miss., constructed with private funds in 1930, is a dual-use structure with a single track rail line, currently used by Kansas City Southern and a narrow, two lane concrete roadway that originally carried U.S. Route 80. In 1973, a new Interstate 20 bridge opened, eliminat- ing the need for the roadway on the original bridge. The original bridge roadway remained open for local vehicle traffic until 1998 when inspections revealed significant deterioration of the roadway support structure. The road- way was closed, and repairs performed, but
the roadway remained closed. Several years ago, community supporters started an ini- tiative to turn the roadway on the original bridge into a bicycle and pedestrian park. The initiative was stopped when the KCS ex- pressed concerns about pedestrians being in proximity to their track and passing trains. In recent months, thanks to an initiative to increase tourism along the Mississippi River basin, the road-to-park proposal is in the news again. Local government officials from Vicksburg and Warren County, Miss., met with KCS officials in Jackson, Miss., re- cently to renew the road-to-park proposal. In October, the Friends Group, established to support the bicycle and pedestrian park con- version, sent a letter to KCS stating that a park and bike path on the bridge would en- hance recreation and presented an economic development opportunity. Similar projects in Memphis have been successful and met with tremendous public support. KCS responded about a month later, reiterating its position that a park would be a safety hazard for trains and the public. The most recent talks were described as productive and amicable, but no follow-up meeting was scheduled or mentioned. Both sides are reviewing various proposals, and there are high hopes among lo- cal supporters that a plan can be agreed to by KCS and the community.
STB Addressing Louisiana Trackage Rights Dispute
BNSF Railway has asked the Surface Trans- portation Board to review and rule on a re- quest for terminal trackage rights over nine miles of single track jointly owned by Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific to serve the Rosebluff Industrial Lead (RIL), which serves CITGO Petroleum in Calcasieu Parish, La. The RIL connects to the former Southern Pacific Lafayette Sub at milepost 223.3, now jointly and equally owned by BNSF and UP. STB hearings are expected to continue through the spring of 2015.
Florida East Coast Leases Surplus SD70Ms to CSX Transportation
In January CSX Transportation leased a group of Florida East Coast SD70Ms and SD40-2s that were made surplus by FEC’s purchase of new ES44C4s. CSX has as- signed the units to rock trains out of quar- ries near Junction City, Ga. On February 11, CSX K710 (aggregate empties, Taft, Fla.-Junction City, Ga.), with FEC SD70Ms 107 and 105 in the lead, was returning north on the Fitzgerald Subdivision just south of Osierfi eld, Ga.
PHOTO BY LARRY GOOLSBY
8 APRIL 2015 •
RAILFAN.COM
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