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tor No. 1206. CN purchased EMDX 1206 and its siblings 1208, 1209, and 1210, in Jan- uary 2014, then renumbered these four locomotives 8100-8103. The locomotives were built in July 2012 and demonstrat- ed the builder’s P6 technology, which called for one a.c. inverter per axle (a departure from the company’s tradition- al one inverter per truck design). These four EMD expatriates represent the only SD70ACe variants on CN’s roster; the railroad at one point had an order for 30 such locomotives with Electro-Motive, but this was later canceled and replaced with an order for additional ES44ACs from General Electric.
CANADIAN PACIFIC JAY BROOKS
Chairman Resigns in Boardroom Gaffe
Chairman Gary Colter announced his resignation from Canadian Pacific’s board of directors on July 21 following “disagreements relating to corporate goverance matters” according to presi- dent Keith Creel. Company director An- drew F. Reardon has succeeded Colter as chairman. According to to railroad officials, Colter “caused the company to issue a press release” announcing the departure of director Stepehen Tobias on June 29 though he had not notified the chairman of his plans until July 3. The release made the announcement even though the board took no official action on Tobias’ offer to resign. The announced resignation date is important because it determines whether CP is considered an American or Canadian company in the eyes of the U.S. Securities and Ex- change Commission (SEC). According to a release, CP is no longer eligible for the SEC’s Foreign Private Issuer Exemption and will become a U.S. Issuer in 2016. Colter had chaired the board for about
a year following the 2012 boardroom coup spearheaded by activist investor William Ackerman, whose hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management is the railroad’s largest shareholder. —OTTO M. VONDRAK
Schedule Changes
Canadian Pacific Train 240 (Bensenville, Ill.-Toronto, Ont., manifest) has had 45 minutes added at Obico Yard in Toron- to to set off an empty automotive traffic block for Train 234 (Oak Yard, Detroit, Mich.-Spence, Ont., automotive) to for- ward to Alliston, Ont. Due to reduced
traffic volumes, Train 463 (Lethbridge, Alb.-Eastport, Idaho, manifest) has been reduced to operating three days per week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Fri- day. On Mondays, Train 463 originates at Alyth, Alb., instead of Lethbridge and has an additional hour of time to per- form work at Alyth.
End of the Line for GP9s and SD40s
Canadian Pacific’s rebuilt GP9u fleet is nearly extinct with only one of the clas- sic locomotives remaining on the roster, CP 8249. In late June, 15 surplus GP9us were sold to Larry’s Truck & Electric: CP 1532, 1547, 1555, 1560, 1585, 1590, 1597, 1604, 1633, 1634, 8200, 8220, 8231, 8239, and 8250. The final remain- ing Soo Line SD40-2 has left the proper- ty after being purchased by First Union Rail. SOO 769 departed Toronto in June, destined for Metro East Industries in East St. Louis, Ill.
CSX TRANSPORTATION CHASE GUNNOE
Tennessee Derailment Forces Evacuation
A 57-car CSX freight train enroute to Waycross, Ga., derailed in eastern Ten- nessee during the early morning hours of July 2, causing an explosion and evac- uation of 5000 residents. The incident occurred on the railroad’s former Louis- ville & Nashville mainline in Maryville, Tenn., about 15 miles outside of Knox- ville. The derailment is to blame for the hospitalization of more than two dozen people, including ten firefighters who were exposed to a toxic chemical, acrylo- nitrile, that leaked during the explosion. More than 24,000 gallons of acryloni- trile, a flammable material used in man- ufacturing plastics and other industrial processes, had leaked. Due to the nature of the hazards that acrylonitrile presents, evacuations af- fected more than 5000 residents until the fire was able to safely burn itself out. The American Red Cross provid- ed temporary shelters in a nearby high school, and CSX was offering alternative accommodations to displaced residents. Evacuation orders were lifted on July 3 and citizens were allowed to return to their homes. More than 87 people were treated at Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville for respiratory, skin irritation, and nausea issues. A total of 36 people were admitted. Federal agencies, includ- ing the Environmental Protection Agen-
cy, continued conducting air and water quality samples into July 6. CSX’s Com- munity Outreach Center also remained open on July 6, offering reimbursements for incurred costs while also providing insight and information pertaining to health and safety concerns.
Joint Infrastructure Upgrade Project
CSX and Louisville & Indiana Railroad closed on a joint-infrastructure upgrade project between Indianapolis and Lou- isville in June. The $100 million initia- tive will improve freight efficiency and connectivity between the two cities. On June 19, Louisville & Indiana, a subsidi- ary of Anacostia Rail Holdings, and CSX together announced the completion of an agreement that allows CSX a permanent easement to operate over L&I’s 106-mile rail corridor between the two cities. In addition to CSX’s $10 million ease-
ment purchase, the two railroads final- ized an operating agreement that pro- vides for an additional $90 million in infrastructure upgrades over the next several years to improve and upgrade the tracks. Some of the key upgrades to the mainline will include new rail, upgrades to the rail bed structure, and bridge improvements. Track upgrade work is expected to begin this year, with 20 miles of new rail to be installed over the next several months. The Surface Transportation Board approved the joint project in April.
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN DANNY JOHNSON
New Arcadia Siding
During June, Kansas City Southern placed a new CTC-controlled siding in service at Arcadia, La. The siding is one mile long and extends from milepost 118 to 119 on the KCS Vicksburg Subdivi- sion. Primarily built to serve a large liq- uefied petroleum gas (LPG) distribution center, the siding is intended to reduce congestion and delays experienced when locals switch and service the facility.
Flash Floods Curtail Texas Service
As widely reported on numerous outlets, KCS shared the misfortune of weather related problems at various locations in Texas and surrounding areas during the excessive rainfall events in June. Washouts and fallen trees kept KCS
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