railfan.com/railnews
leading wheels causing the derailment, and that the design of the cab car may lead to a repeat of this incident.
We encourage your photo submissions related to current railroad events in the United States and Canada. Please send your timely news photos for consideration directly to:
NEWS PHOTO EDITOR
OTTO M. VONDRAK
RAILNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
Please send your news stories for consideration directly to one of our listed news correspondents.
NEWS COORDINATOR KEVIN C. SNYDER
KSNYDER@RAILFAN.COM
BNSF RAILWAY SAYRE KOS
BNSFNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
CANADIAN SHORTLINES GLENN COURTNEY
CDNSHORTS@RAILFAN.COM
CANADIAN NATIONAL SAYRE KOS
CNNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
CANADIAN PACIFIC JAY BROOKS
CPNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
CSX TRANSPORTATION CHASE GUNNOE
CSXNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
IOWA INTERSTATE ALLAN HUNT
IAISNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
IRON ORE ROADS
DAVE SCHAUER
ORENEWS@RAILFAN.COM
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN DANNY JOHNSON
KCSNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
MONTANA RAIL LINK JUSTIN FRANZ
MRLNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
NORFOLK SOUTHERN SCOTT LINDSEY
NSNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
PASSENGER AND COMMUTER OTTO M. VONDRAK
OTTO@RAILFAN.COM
REGIONALS/SHORTLINES - WEST GARLAND MCKEE
WESTSHORTS@RAILFAN.COM
REGIONALS/SHORTLINES - EAST STEPHAN KOENIG
EASTSHORTS@RAILFAN.COM
UNION PACIFIC KEVIN SNYDER
UPNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
STEAM/PRESERVATION JEFFREY D. TERRY
STEAMNEWS@RAILFAN.COM
WWW.RAILFAN.COM/RAILNEWS Service Changes Triple Crown The end of Triple Crown RoadRailer
service across the country (with the exception of a single lane between Detroit and Kansas City) spells the end for BNSF Trains Q-SAGKCK1 (Saginaw, Texas-Kansas City) and Q-KCKSAG1 (Kansas City-Saginaw). These TCS trains began service in August 1997. As of early November 2015, the remaining trains were already shorter than historic averages, suggesting migration to other motor carriers like J.B. Hunt or Schneider. Whatever traffic that will move via rail will be added to existing train schedules rather than new train services being created. TCS is not BNSF’s only experience
with RoadRailer-like service. From 1998 through 2001, BNSF operated a weekly train, the Ice Cold Express, between San Bernardino, Calif., and suburban Chicago, symboled Q-SBDNPV (San Bernardino-Naperville, Ill.) eastbound and Q-NPVSBD westbound. Also, in early 1998, BNSF ran a RoadRailer train between San Diego and Richmond, Calif., to haul new Toyotas. This movement was unique in that it used the handful of Santa Fe RoadRailers — dubbed “AutoRailers,” since they were set up to haul automobiles. This equipment was painted in Santa Fe Warbonnet colors.
Capacity Improvements On October 20, 2015, BNSF cutover
System-Wide
a 9.6-mile stretch of second main track on the Panhandle Subdivision between East Avard and East Noel, Okla. The cutover, scheduled for 12 hours, took 14 hours to complete and took out of service the main track from the crossovers at West Noel to East Avard and the original Main 1 from East Avard to West Avard. Both main tracks were restored to full service on October 27, 2015. The October 2015 cutover leaves just
a 2.6-mile stretch of single main track on the Panhandle Subdivision between the end of two main track CTC at Alva and East Noel. Included in this 2.6-mile stretch is a large, curved bridge over the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River. Outside the Panhandle Subdivision, just two pieces of single main on the entire Transcon between Chicago and Los Angeles remain: 1.4 miles over
the Missouri River between East and West Sibley, Mo., on the Marceline Subdivision, and on the large bridge over the Pecos River at Fort Sumner, N.M., on the Clovis Subdivision. A portion of single main track remains between Ellinor and Mulvane, Kan.; however, this segment features two single-track mainlines with sidings between these two points. BNSF considers this area “Double Main” lines with the Emporia Subdivision used by westbound trains (and occasional eastbound Z trains) with the Arkansas City Subdivision and La Junta Subdivision via Newton used by eastbound trains. On the Aurora Subdivision in northern
Illinois and southern Wisconsin, BNSF added 264 miles of CTC during 2015; previously, these segments operated predominantly with double track, automatic block signal (DT/ABS). Near the extreme west end of the Aurora Subdivision at La Crosse, Wis., BNSF installed a new double diamond at Grand Crossing and 2,500 feet of second main track in October 2015. On the adjoining St. Croix Subdivision,
BNSF added 104.4 miles of two main track CTC operation, eliminating nearly all of the remaining DT/ABS territory.
Operations
Track work projects that took place through October and into November on the Fort Scott Subdivision forced some high-priority manifest trains to detour on an as-needed basis. During the first week of November, PTC installation on the La Junta Subdivision forced some traffic to detour so engineering crews could work uninterrupted. Beginning this past September, BNSF introduced a new schedule for unit crude oil trains operating between Superior, Wis., and Deer Park, Texas. The traffic originates on Canadian National at Lasher, Sask., and terminates at Shell Trading at Deer Park. The trains operate via Galesburg, Ill., then via Kansas City and Oklahoma City before heading down to the terminal in Casey, Texas. At Casey, BNSF interchanges the train to Port Terminal Railway for final delivery to Shell Trading.
Power Briefs During October, ET44C4s continued
to roll off General Electric’s assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas, and onto BNSF. Deliveries that month included 3854-3857, 3859-3877, 3879-3882, 3886,
7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74