cation by the organization, which is expected by the end of February. NQISL was established when, at the end of the 1980s, rationalization of certain CN routes in Quebec led management to estab- lish a new shortline railway which ultimately operates as an independent employer with a greater flexibility in the distribution of duties, as well as other administrative and economic advantages of a shortline.
Whitehall Sub Upgrades
On December 10, 2014, CN placed into service a new Dual Tone Multiple Frequency (DTMF) tonable switch at milepost 181.89, east of In- dependence, Wis., on the Whitehall Subdivi- sion. When within two miles of this switch, train crews may, on the radio, select a tone that corresponds with the desired position of the switch: normal for movement on the Whitehall Sub main or reverse for movement on the Hi-Crush Industry Lead. A new station name and corresponding 11,100-foot siding were put in service on De- cember 22, 2014, at Waterbury, Wis., at mile- post 133.0 on the Whitehall Sub. The siding at Waterbury is nearly halfway between City Point and Merrillan on the former Green Bay & Western Route to East Winona, Wis.
CSX TRANSPORTATION CHASE GUNNOE
Financial Results
In a press release issued in early December 2014, CSX is expected to deliver fourth quar- ter 2014 financial results comparable to those achieved in third quarter 2014, as service re- mains consistent in the midst of the fall peak and onset of harsh winter weather conditions. The railroad’s Chief Financial Officer Fred- rick Eliasson noted that the Jacksonville, Florida-based Class I
railroad is noticing
strength in nearly all commodities and mar- kets across its system with proactive mea-
sures currently being initiated to increase efficiency and update infrastructure.
CANADIAN PACIFIC JAY BROOKS
SD90MAC Overhaul
At the Credit Suisse Global Industrials Con- ference in New York in December 2014, CEO Hunter Harrison stated that Canadian Pa- cific’s fleet of EMD SD90MAC locomotives would be returned to service after receiving electrical upgrades and other improvements. Details of the program and a time line for completion have not yet been released. How- ever, Harrison expects the cost to overhaul each unit will be half the cost of a new loco- motive and has hired a new Chief Mechanical Officer to oversee the program. Of the original 61 CP SD90MAC locomotives in the 9100 se- ries, only three are currently operating — CP 9108, 9142, and 9157. CP 9129, 9133, and 9138 were sold for scrap in 2012 and the bal- ance of the fleet remains stored in Winnipeg, Manitoba. CP’s four SD90MAC-H locomo- tives, CP 9300-9303, were previously retired and have since been scrapped.
Operations
Train 280 (St. Paul, Minn.-Calumet Yard, Chicago, manifest) now terminates at Norfolk Southern’s Calumet Yard in Chicago instead of Bensenville, Ill.
Train 299 (St. Paul-Sutherland, Sask., manifest) now originates at St. Paul instead of Belt Railway of Chicago Clearing Yard in Bedford Park, Ill., and departs at 11:00 a.m. New Train 289 (Clearing Yard-St. Paul, man- ifest) has been introduced and will handle all traffic previously moved by 299 between Clearing Yard and St. Paul. Additionally, 299 is now responsible for all on-route traffic pre- viously handled by Train 491 (St. Paul-Win- nipeg, Man., manifest). Train 491 will now operate only when required based on traffic volume.
Train 498 (Moose Jaw, Sask.-St. Paul man- ifest) now departs at 5:30 p.m. For the winter season, Trains 420 (Winni- peg-Toronto, manifest) and 421 (Toronto-Win- nipeg, manifest) will operate as required and will not perform work between Thunder Bay, Ont., and Sudbury, Ont. Trains 422 (Thun- der Bay-Sudbury, manifest) and 423 (Sud- bury-Thunder Bay, manifest) will operate as required and handle all on line work not per- formed by 420 and 421. Trains 422 and 423 will be responsible for interchanging traffic with CN at Franz, Ont.
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN DANNY JOHNSTON
Unit Crude Oil Trains
During the first week of December 2014, KCS operated a unit crude oil train between two unlikely endpoints — Kansas City, Mo., and Artesia, Miss. The first movement, O-KCAR02 (Oil- Kansas City-Artesia) departed Kansas City with 90 cars filled with Bakken crude oil for delivery to a refinery in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Between Artesia and Tuscaloosa, the train used the former Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, previ- ously part of the KCS system, and now op- erated by the Alabama Southern Railroad, a WATCO subsidiary. The loaded train was powered by CP ES44AC 8843 and CP AC44CW 9750 performing distributed power (DP) du- ties. The empty unit train, O-KCAR09, was led by KCS ES44AC 4790 and a BNSF SD70MAC in the executive scheme. At pres- ent, it is not known if there will be additional movements to and from Artesia.
New International Bridge to Open
After a two-year delay, the new Interna- tional Bridge connecting the United States and Mexico between Brownsville, Texas, and Tamaulipas, Mexico, will open. The new bridge, along with an eight-mile rail line on the U.S. side, will improve efficiency and de-
New Paint for ADM Geep Rebuild
The new Archer Daniels Midland logo and paint scheme are shown on ADMX GP9 No. 932, former Grand Trunk Western No. 4559 built in 1954. This unit was recently rebuilt with a large radio control box on the rear platform by Relco Locomotive at Albia, Iowa. The locomotive was at rest at the ADM plant in Peoria, Ill., alongside the Illinois River on January 19.
PHOTO BY STEVE SMEDLEY
8 MARCH 2015 •
RAILFAN.COM
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