structural improvements to the Interna- tional Bridge in Laredo will also be per- formed.
Wylie Intermodal Terminal Update
KCS reported progress on the construc- tion of the Wylie, Texas, intermodal ter- minal and continued to target the open- ing of the facility for the middle of 2015. According to KCS, concrete pads have been poured and two 5000-foot tracks have been laid. KCS projects facility ca- pacity at approximately 340,000 units annually, with 1500 parking spaces available for customers.
NORFOLK SOUTHERN SCOTT LINDSEY
Locomotive News
During March, Norfolk Southern com- pleted the transfer of 12 EMD SD40–2 locomotives to CSX Transportation in exchange for 12 EMD SD80MAC loco- motives. With the receipt of these dozen units from CSX, NS will own a total of 19 SD80MACs, all of which are former Con- rail units. The units acquired were the CSXT 4590–4593 and CSXT 4595–4602. NS has assigned these units in sequen- tial order to the 7217–7228 series in its roster. This slot is immediately above the 7200–7216 grouping of original SD- 80MACs, primarily used in coal service in Pennsylvania. NS has already re- painted the 7220, 7221, 7224, and 7225 at its Chattanooga diesel shop. Howev- er, only the 7220 and 7225 were in active service as of April 13, with the remain-
der stored in Conway and Altoona, Pa., and Chattanooga, Tenn. The dozen NS SD40–2 units retired and sent to CSX were the 3425–3427, 3430, 3432, 3433, 3438–3440, 3443, 3446, and 3447. All were former Conrail units built during that road’s formative years in the late 1970s. Amusingly, CSX has simply applied its own logo on top of the NS black paint to several units un- til they can be fully repainted as part of CSX’s 8900–8911 series.
With the delivery of SD90MAC 7273 (former UP 3536/UP 8045) in early April, NS will have received 51 of the 100 such units being acquired from Progress Rail’s Electro-Motive Diesel subsidiary. Originally built for Union Pacific in the 1990s, these units are assigned to the 7229–7329 numbering slot in the NS roster. As of the first week of April, more than a dozen of the delivered units were in various states of repair or activation work, mostly at the Enola, Pa., engine facility. Those units in operation were in a variety of services, ranging from unit coal trains off the Pocahontas Division to intermodal trains across the network. As of early April, none had been repainted from their Union Pacific livery. GP33ECO locomotive 4715 arrived in Atlanta on April 9 and will be assigned to yard and local service around the At- lanta terminal. This unit, rebuilt at Al- toona from GP50 7055, is the first of ten GP33ECO rebuilds that will be assigned to Atlanta and 15 that will be assigned to Chicago. NS will rebuild a total of 25 ex-Southern Railway GP50s into this class of units, which feature new, 12-cylinder, 3000-h.p. 12N-710G3B-T3 EMD prime movers that meet EPA Tier 3 emissions standards. Thirteen of the 25 units will be mated to RP-4MC slugs.
All of the Atlanta units will reportedly be mother-slug sets, and three of Chica- go units will be slug sets. The GP33ECO units feature a two-tone green “wave” modification to NS’s standard paint scheme.
During March, “Dash 8.5” locomotives 8501 and 8502 were transferred from Roanoke to Juniata Shop in Altoona, reportedly for further emissions testing. So far, none of the handful of Dash 8.5 prototypes have been placed into service. NS plans to rebuild 84 units with wide- nose cabs and prime-mover improve- ments designed to boost fuel efficiency and reduce air emissions.
Operations
NS is taking good advantage of its re- cently initiated ability to route addition- al traffic over the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern’s trackage between Chicago and Bucyrus, Ohio. Reportedly, the limit of six NS trains per day has been reached on several occasions, with loaded crude oil traffic making up of the majority of train movements. In addition to these eastbound unit trains, manifest Train 10R (Kankakee, Ill.–Bellevue, Ohio) is a frequent sight on the route, sometimes along with 16E (BRC Clearing Yard– Bellevue). Automotive Train 13J (Fort Wayne–Chicago) also runs via CFW&E some days instead of via the former Nickel Plate main. Eastbound ethanol trains have also been using the route. NS crews change at Fort Wayne, usually near Mike interlocking, where the NS’s former Wabash main crosses the CF&E. Some oil trains are also refueled at Fort Wayne. With winter weather now past, additional trackwork is under way on
Portage Bridge Project
At the end of March, construction crews cleared away trees from the south side of the Portage Bridge spanning the Genesee River Gorge in New York’s Letchworth State Park. New views were temporarily opened for fans visiting the steel bridge constructed by the Erie Railroad in 1875. Construction of a new parallel arch span will begin in June, closing access to this portion of the state park. Upon completion of the project, the old trestle will be removed. NS train 12T heads west with the Pennsylvania Railroad heritage unit in the consist on a sunny April 12, 2015.
PHOTO BY MIKE STELLPFLUG
10 JUNE 2015 •
RAILFAN.COM
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