BNSF Employee Appreciation Special
BNSF Railway’s Employee Appreciation Special toured the Pacifi c Northwest in June and July, offering free rides to the company’s employees and families. The special passenger train has toured the BNSF system almost every year since 1996, and this year included 14 vintage passenger cars. The train is seen here at Coram, Mont., near Glacier National Park on July 11, 2015.
PHOTO BY JUSTIN FRANZ
composed of 85 miles of twin single track mains with sidings on the Emporia Sub- division and 106 miles on the route via Newton that includes the Arkansas City and La Junta Subdivisions.
CANADIAN NATIONAL SAYRE KOS
Ontario Passenger Rail Service at Risk
Passenger rail service that uses Canadi- an National rails between Sault Ste. Ma- rie and Hearst, Ont., was again in jeop- ardy late in June after Sault Ste. Marie’s city council accepted a recommendation to not sign a final agreement with Rail- mark Canada concerning the operation of the service over former Algoma Cen- tral trackage. The recommendation was based on Railmark’s failure to produce a required line of credit. “One of the preconditions was financ-
ing in the form of a line of credit, so we cannot at this time recommend we pro- ceed with the signing of the agreement,” said Tom Dodds, Sault Ste. Marie Eco- nomic Development Corporation chief executive officer and interim chair of the Algoma Central Railway (ACR) passen- ger service stakeholder working group, during a June 22 meeting with city coun- cil. Dodds also remarked the working group should begin looking at other op- tions, including other operators, to run the passenger rail service. Meanwhile, Railmark Canada Pres- ident Allen Brown stated his company will continue operating service between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst at his own expense until his firm secures a line of credit. Also during that time, Sault Ste.
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RAILFAN.COM
Marie city council agreed to explore oth- er options of a third-party operator and pledged to write the Canadian federal government and CN, requesting their sustained assistance in keeping the route going for the time being. Prior to Railmark, CN operated the passenger rail service, but in 2014, the federal government announced it was ending its $2.2 million subsidy. That event triggered the formation of the ACR Passenger Service Stakeholder Working Group, which sought a solution for turn- ing the rail service into a self-sustaining, enhanced rail experience for tourists. On March 31, federal regulator Transport Canada announced it would provide $5.3 million over three years to a third-par- ty operator. Whether that will be Rail- mark, however, remains to be seen.
Cold Supply Chain Expansion
On June 1, CN announced it was mak- ing a C$20 million investment to expand its cold supply chain capacity as the railroad seeks to expand its business of chilled or frozen foods in North America and overseas. To achieve this anticipat- ed growth, the railroad will acquire 200 domestic 53-foot temperature-controlled containers, which will supplement the railroad’s current fleet in North Amer- ica. The railroad will also acquire 32 electrical generators to move 40-foot international marine reefers to and from CN-served ports on its intermodal trains. These generators provide econo- mies of scale by creating a daisy chain of up to 17 international marine reefers at one time.
In the announcement, CN stated that
it would support this investment with remote monitoring of interior container temperatures, a dedicated reefer desk team, and superior exception manage- ment services.
Tier 4 Locomotives New GE
On June 18, CN ET44AC No. 3000 was spotted on General Electric’s test track in Erie, Pa. The locomotive represents the first of 39 expected Tier 4 ES44ACs (the “T” in ET44AC representing “Tier 4”) for Canadian National. Delivery of these locomotives was expected to last through the second half of 2015. Compared to its Tier 3 predecessor, the Tier 4 locomotive technology deliv- ers more than 70 percent reduction in emissions, dynamic braking technology aimed at reducing wheel and brake wear by 20 to 40 percent, and reduced mainte- nance costs. The Tier 4 locomotives are 16 inches longer and weigh 8000 pounds more than their Tier 3 counterparts, and a rise (or “hump”) in the locomotive’s mid-section accommodates an advanced exhaust treatment system.
Ex-EMD Demonstrator Repainted
On June 20, CN Train Q11791-20 (Inter- modal, Chicago-Roberts Bank, B.C.) was observed passing Duplainville, Wis., with CN SD70ACe No. 8100 leading in fresh CN livery. Previously, CN 8100 had been operating in former EMD demonstrator colors (blue and silver), which were ap- plied when that locomotive operated as Electro-Motive SD70ACe-P6 demonstra-
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