Farewell to the Red Car?
September 27, 2015, was supposed to be the last day of operation for the revived “Red Car” waterfront trolley using restored and replica Pacific Electric cars (such as PE 501, at left). Opened in 2003, the trolleys ran over former PE right of way from the World Cruise Center cruise ship terminal to the intersection of 22nd Street and Miner Street on Port of Los Angeles property. The operation has come under threat from new development that will take away the trolley right-of-way for street realignments. Though local proponents call for continuation of service, the future is uncertain.
PHOTOS BY CHARLES FREERICKS
impact. All were hospitalized, with one crewman in critical condition. NS esti- mates that Train 208 was traveling at 34 m.p.h. and Train G23 was traveling at 27 m.p.h. when they collided. Four days after this latest incident,
Vice President of Transportation Terry Evans issued a notice to employees that “the improper use of cell phones and oth- er electronic devices continues to cause or be a contributing factor in serious in- cidents and injuries.” He went on to re- mind train crews that the improper use of a cell phone and electronic devices is a violation of FRA regulations, and that such violations will continue to be han- dled as a major offense under the NS START Policy.
Increased Speeds on the CF&E
With most of the initial tie and surfacing work funded by NS now completed on GWI’s Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern route between Chicago and Bucyrus, Ohio, NS operated an inspection train over the line on August 5 and 6. This work has enabled speed limits to be raised on much of the line to 49 m.p.h., and work continues on new passing sidings. As of September, daily traffic east of Fort Wayne is usually just two or three oil trains eastbound. However, NS is using the line west of Fort Wayne bi-directionally to help keep fluid its parallel former Nickel Plate main. On Friday, September 5, the dispatcher ran a fleet of five westbounds out of Fort Wayne, including the L48 local and four intermodal trains. Trains 13J (Fort Wayne-Gibson, Indiana/Indiana Harbor Belt), 217 (Greensboro-Chicago) and 233 (Norfolk-Chicago) seem to be the most common westbounds, but 216 (Atlanta-
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Chicago) and 282 (Jacksonville-Chicago) are also routed this way as needed.
Schedule Changes
This past summer, manifest Train 169 was operating from Conway, Pa., to Birmingham via Portsmouth, Ohio; Roanoke, Va., Linwood, N.C.; and Atlanta. As of September, it
is back
operating on the more direct route via Cincinnati and Chattanooga. In another change on this north-south artery, Train 144 has been established as a Chattanooga-Elkhart, Ind.,
schedule,
operating via the New Castle District west of Cincinnati to Fort Wayne. Also, Train 178 has been extended from a Birmingham-Chattanooga to a Birmingham-Bellevue, Ohio, run. Manifest Train 10R had been oper- ating from Kankakee, Ill., to Conway, Pa., via Toledo, but is now terminating at Bellevue as of September. It carries a Conway block that connects through to Train 14K (Bellevue-Conway). Train 10R carries mostly traffic received from the BNSF at Streator, Ill.. NS has been expanding capacity along the Streator Line to help bypass traffic around Chi- cago. This work has included the expan- sion of Kankakee Yard and extended sid- ings at Riddick and Schneider, Ind. After being established in late spring, NS has abolished two trains running over the former Conrail main. The east- bound is Train 38J, which operated from Conway to Abrams, Pa., outside of Phil- adelphia. Also cut was westbound 39J from Pavonia Yard near Camden, N.J., to Elkhart, Ind.
LP gas traffic has resulted in some new train designations between load- ing points in northwest Ohio and un-
GP33ECO Debut
On September 1, a host of NS and government officials held a dedication ceremony in Atlanta’s Inman Yard for the new fleet of GP33ECO locomotives being assigned to that region. Wearing a unique modification of the NS scheme that features green waves, they are branded “Eco” locomotives for their operating efficiencies in reducing emissions and fuel consumption. The 3,000-h.p. engines meet the EPA’s strict Tier 3 emissions standards. Numbered in the 4700-4725 series, the Eco units were designed and built at NS’s Juniata Shops in Altoona. Additional grants will lead to future placement of Eco locomotives by NS at Macon and Rome, Ga., and at Chicago. All are being paired with RP-M4C slugs (600 series) wearing matching paint.
Ohio Discontinuance
We offer the following correction and clarification to a previously reported item regarding an Ohio discontinuance. NS and Midwest Rail, doing business as Toledo, Lake Erie & Western Railway, jointly filed with the STB to discontinue rail service over 1.8 miles of NS trackage
derground storage sites around Dragon and Hattiesburg, Miss. Train 399 runs as needed from Bellevue, Ohio, to Shef- field, Ala., where Train 396 is built for movement to Dragon. The 396 replaces Train 355, which was mostly LP traffic to the Hattiesburg area. Empties have been moving back from the area on a Train 392, operating as necessary from Meridian, Miss., to Bellevue.
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