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Wateree Coal Resumes NS is once again delivering coal
into South Carolina Electric and Gas’ generating plant at Wateree, S.C. After NS last delivered a train in March, Wateree has been receiving most of its coal via CSX. With the resumption of NS deliveries during November, the source also changed from Kopper Glo Fuel’s Clairfield, Tenn., mine on the Central Division’s Jellico Branch to the Clintwood No. 2 mine at Biggs, Ky., on the Pocahontas Division’s Levisa Branch. That mine at Biggs recently changed ownership from TECO Coal LLC to Cambrian Coal Corporation, a Booth Energy company. Loaded trains out of Biggs are routed
from Weller, Va., to Iaeger, W. Va., via the Dry Fork Branch and Clinch Valley District to Frisco, Tenn. From there, they run to destination via Asheville and Salisbury, N.C., and Columbia, S.C. Empties have been returning reverse-route as far as Salisbury, but then continue north to the Hurt, Va., connection and run west via the former N&W mainline. Loads operate as Train 788 and empties return as Train 789. Delivery frequencies have been one train every one or two weeks, with NS coal hoppers and Top Gons being assigned.
Carolina Route Restored
The Piedmont Division’s route between Spartanburg and Columbia, S.C., was finally restored to service on the morning of December 7. The line suffered significant bridge and track damage during early October from the
flooding associated with Hurricane Joaquin. With this restoration, NS has resumed operating intermodal/ automotive Train 20D (Spartanburg- Charleston, S.C.) and counterpart 21D. Also, Train 237 (Charleston-Atlanta) and counterpart 238 have returned from the detour route via Charlotte, N.C., Port of Charleston officials were most happy with this news, as was BMW, which uses the route for both finished autos and containerized parts to and from, its Greer, S.C., plant.
Triple Crown Update Now that Triple Crown has scaled
back operations to a Detroit-Kansas City auto parts captive service, it is operating just one pair of trains most days. Westbound RoadRailer Train 255 operates Tuesdays through Sundays from Detroit’s Oakwood Yard, handling parts traffic destined to Ford Motor’s Kansas City Assembly Plant complex in Claycomo, Mo. The train departs Oakwood at 2:15 a.m., and is due into NS’ Voltz Intermodal Terminal by 2:30 a.m. the next morning. Counterpart 256 departs Voltz Mondays through Saturdays with empties from the Ford plant. It is due out of Voltz at 1:00 a.m., and scheduled into Oakwood by 3:00 a.m.
UNION PACIFIC KEVIN SNYDER
Power News In November, Union Pacific received
new ET44AC Tier 4 emissions compliant locomotives from General Electric out
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of both the Erie, Pa., and Fort Worth, Texas, manuafacturing plants. From Erie, the railroad received 2570, 2572- 2575, 2577, 2578, 2580, 2584, 2585, 2588, 2591, 2593, and 2597; from Fort Worth, UP received the 2617. Beginning with 2617 and through 2669 (to be delivered later), these ET44ACs (C45AHs in UP’s nomenclature) will all originate at Fort Worth. Other new locomotive deliveries in November included Railpower RP18GPs 907-911. Several GATX Corporation GP38-
2s leased by UP were returned to the company in November, including GMTX 2100-2108 and 2300-2320.
Cross-Border Beer Run
Union Pacific opened a new railport
facility between Eagle Pass and Brackettville, Texas, on November 3. The Kinney County Railport will clean and repair boxcars carrying packaged imported beer from Mexico, according to a company press release. The 100- acre facility cost $40 million and can be expanded up to 470 acres; at full operation it will employ about 100 workers. Cars must be cleaned to food grade specifications before they can be sent for loading. “This new railport is strategically
located to support our growing import beer business,” said Jason Hess, vice president-agricultural products. “The Eagle Pass gateway will become a pipeline for crossing millions of cases of beer annually. —STEVE BARRY
A Pacific Electric Wig-Wag Survivor
An old wig-wag railroad crossing signal dating to the Pacific Electric era protects the movement of Union Pacific NRE 3GS21B No. 2704 across Eucalyptus Avenue in Hawthorne, Calif., on December 15, 2015. As soon as UP finishes installing new crossing gates, the old wig-wag will be removed. Pacific Electric, a subsidiary of Southern Pacific, operated an extensive trolley and interurban system from Los Angeles across southern California.
PHOTO BY SNUFFY’S CAT PRODUCTIONS
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