THIS MONTH’S TOP NEWS STORIES AND PHOTOS
Finale for CSX Santa Train?
The 73rd annual Santa Train was operated by CSX over the former Clinchfield Railroad on November 21 in conjunction with the Kingsport, Tenn., Chamber of Commerce. The train operated from Shelby, Ky., to Kingsport, spending much of its time in the southwest corner of Virginia. Some 25 tons of presents were thrown off the back of the train as large crowds gathered at each of about a dozen stops on the route. The largest crowd was at St. Paul, Va. (above). With CSX’s mothballing of 22 miles of the former Clinchfield in early November (between McClure and St. Paul), the rumors were swirling that this would be the last Santa Train. Chasers were out in great numbers during the day, just in case classic Clinchfield scenes such as passing the Union Baptist Church in Dante, Va., won’t be repeated in the future. CSX says the Santa Train tradition will continue, but no one knows in what form.
PHOTOS BY STEVE BARRY
BNSF RAILWAY SAYRE KOS
Leased Units Protect Metrolink Cab Cars
In an effort to answer questions surrounding the safety of Metrolink Hyundai-Rotem cab cars involved in recent grade crossing collisions, operator Southern California Regional Rail
6 JANUARY 2016 •
RAILFAN.COM
Authority has leased BNSF locomotives that will be added ahead of the cab car (at the opposite end of Metrolink’s locomotive). This redundancy, notes the passenger rail agency, will not only keep riders safe, but will also address recent mechanical delays associated with locomotive failure. At the beginning of November, 35 AC4400CWs were in Los Angeles and leased to Metrolink, with six additional
units expected to follow. Metrolink has required that all these locomotives be PTC-equipped. Metrolink’s Hyundai-Rotem cab cars encountered some scrutiny following a February 24, 2015, derailment in which a Metrolink passenger train struck a pickup truck and trailer at the Rice Avenue grade crossing in Oxnard, Calif. The plow from the cab car that hit the vehicle allowed debris to get under the
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