News Briefs - December, 2001

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NS rebuilding SD-9's...

According to information received from the Conrail Technical Society, Norfolk Southern is currently rebuilding its fleet of ten SD9M's.  These units are used exclusively for yard service.  They are being recycled through the Juniata Locomotive Shop at Altoona, PA for their second major rebuilding.  The units being rebuilt are NS 50-59.  Eight are former Nickel Plate Road units, two came from the Central of Georgia.  They were originally built between 1955 and 1957.

CSX Locomotives in predecessor paint schemes...

There are still 11 non-Conrail locomotives in active service on the CSX which haven't been repainted into their CSXT paint scheme.  They are:

• SD40 #4617 in C&O blue

• SW-1500 #1115 in Seaboard System paint

• GP38-2 #2640 and #2667 in Seaboard System paint

• SD-40 #4601 in Seaboard System paint

• GP-40 #'s 6565, 6602, 6627, 6629, 6639 and 6843 in Chessie paint

Log in to the MichiganRailroads.com Lower Peninsula Board if you see these units in Michigan and want to report the sightings to others.  Information from the Conrail Technical Society.

Central Michigan Swing Bridge getting repairs...

The CMGN swing bridge at Bay City is currently being renovated. The renovation is almost completed. The piers had eroded over the years had to be repaired.   Information from Walt via the Michigan Shortline message board.

General Motors To Sell EMD?

From the Conrail Technical Society:  Due to the lower demand for EMD built locomotives, General Motors is reportedly considering selling the EMD division to Bombardier. The division would be consolidated with Bombardier's existing facilities which were formerly the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW).  All locomotive construction would be concentrated in Canada and the supplier base would gradually be shifted to Canada and offshore to take advantage of lower costs.  The division would also be given a new name which has yet to be disclosed as it is a common Bombardier practice.  AEG had looked at acquiring EMD from General Motors in 1989-1990.  General Motors was anxious to sell it off at the time due to a low demand for new locomotives. When the market for new locomotives improved, General Motors withdrew its offer to sell the division.

CSX Derailment...

Note:  Trains magazine now requires a free subscription...

The TRAINS website now apparently requires a subscription, which at the moment is free but you must give them some information about yourself.  We will continue to link news articles to their site but you will need to register with them to see the articles.

NS, CSXT get good grades on merger...

In its Second Annual Oversight report on the Conrail split, the Surface Transportation Board found that Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation “have resolved the service problems resulting from the implementation of the merger” and “there continue to be no competitive or market power problems stemming from it.” STB also said that both railroads “continue to make significant progress in implementing various environmental conditions and settlement agreements.” These findings were announced Dec. 13.

STB said no parties commenting during the second round of oversight proceedings had demonstrated that competition has been impaired by the Conrail split. “Only one party, Indianapolis Power & Light Company (the only shipper to file comments), even made such an allegation and the Board found that the allegation was unwarranted,” said STB. “Most of the issues raised by IP&L related to the conditions that the Board imposed to protect competition at its Stout electric generating plant near Indianapolis. The Board found that competition at Stout remained just as strong as it was before the merger and that those conditions were therefore functioning as intended.”  From Railway Age.

NS Dearborn Division to move?

Norfolk Southern has reportedly purchased the old Sears building which is adjacent to the Mega-terminal in Toledo, OH.  Norfolk Southern is currently considering locating the Dearborn Division train dispatchers at the location.  It is unclear whether Norfolk Southern will move the entire division headquarters to Toledo, OH, or just the train dispatchers.  Toledo, OH is a much more logical and strategic location for the division's headquarters.  Information from the Conrail Technical Society.

NS work on the former Conrail Detroit line...

Josh Osmialowski reports the following maintenance of way work on the NS former Conrail Detroit line: 

Tie Replacement:  During the summer, Conrail replaced thousands of ties over their portion of the Detroit line- they also added ballast where needed- as done during tie replacement.

Signal Work:  They've added a signal at the junction of Toledo st. and Detroit line track two to be named D172. This replaces signals D192 and D164.  -Signals D133 and D134 are to be replaced by signals D131 and D132 near the D133 and D134's current locations (Riverview).  -Northbound signals D114 and D104 are to be replaced by signal D102, located south of Northline Rd. in Wyandotte.  -Southbound Signals D103 and D113 are to be replaced by signal D101- locate south of Northline, in Wyandotte.

Detectors:  Finally, The Wyandotte Dragging Equipment Detector (located at Milepost 11.8, and reads milepost 12) will be relocated to milepost 11.1 (Signal box south of Northline Road). While it seems as though they are just moving the equipment North, there is still a possibility that this NEW detector may also have axle counts, or some other features that are seen on all new detectors (DEDs ARE being phased out for DED/HBD types).

He also notes that FN tower will not be decommissioned until sometime next year.  [From MichiganRailroads@yahoogroups.com].

Web Site for "Wreck on the Wabash"...

Laurie Dickens, author of "Wreck on the Wabash", has open a web site for those interested in her new book. The URL is www.wreckonthewabash.com.  Information from Doug Case.

Engines Derail at CSX Wyoming Yard...

Bob Topping from Muskegon reports that the hostler at Wyoming Yard in Grand Rapids, MI put LMS CW40-8 711 on the ground on track 1 at the engine house today (12/11/01). The hostler was backing a string of engines into the shop and the LMS unit went on the ground.  Both trucks were on the ground and were not parallel to the rails.

CSXT Christmas 2001 Holiday Operating Plans...

It is anticipated that originating through train operations will be discontinued by 4 p.m. on Dec. 23 - except for trains where crews are headed home and can be off duty by 7 a.m. on Dec. 24 or trains going off-line to connections.  A few trains will operate past 7 a.m. on Dec. 24, to protect customer operations, but should be terminated by approximately midday that day, Christmas Eve.  Deadheading of crews will resume at 6 p.m. on Dec. 25 with train operations resuming at 1 a.m. on Dec. 26.  Terminal Operations will be curtailed from 7 a.m. on Dec. 24 until 7 a.m. on Dec. 26 - except for a select few that may have a skeleton crew on first shift Dec. 24 and third shift on Dec. 25.   Plans are also being developed for curtailment on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. These plans will be finalized the week of Dec. 17th.

Part of the former Detroit Terminal being abandoned...

According to the Conrail Technical Society, beginning around Monday, December 10th, 2001, about 10 miles of track from the former Detroit Terminal Railroad from "P Company Junction" to Linwood Avenue will be transferred over to Livernois Yard to handle while North Yard will handle from North Yard about 3 miles down the line to Winston Morrow Scrap.  The 5 miles of track in between will be abandoned, including Ford Junction.  The 10 miles or so being pushed onto Livernois includes 12 industries.  The reason being cited is that this will allow for the elimination of 12 road crossings, 2 bridges, plus the 2 diamonds at Ford Junction.

NS Holiday Schedule...

In response to reduced customer demands during the Christmas holiday  weekend, Norfolk Southern will begin a curtailment of operations on December 22.  Operations will be reduced to minimal levels by December 24, as necessary to meet customer demand where necessary and to provide for fluid operations in critical areas to enable a smooth transition to normal service levels on December 26, following the holiday period. During the period of reduced operations, every effort will be made to minimize impact on customer operations while allowing Norfolk Southern employees to spend time with their families over the holiday.  The same plan will be followed for the New Year holiday period beginning December 29th.

Crew responds properly to blinking signal...

(Note:  This story has nothing to do with Michigan, but I thought it gives some interesting insight to signal systems.  It also been a very slow news week.  The story is from a CSX employee publication).  Calm, correct action in an unusual situation allowed engineer J.L. Freels and conductor E.L. Smith to avert a potential accident recently on the James River Subdivision in Virginia. Freels and Smith were operating a unit train near Lynchburg when they observed a signal cycling, or "telegraphing," from green to dark. They recognized immediately that the signal aspect was improper, and they responded by stopping their train and contacting the dispatcher for instructions. That was precisely what the operating rules call for, said John Drake, general manager- safety. "If it had simply been a dark aspect, the crew would have acted on that indication as the most restrictive," he said. "But because the signal was telegraphing from dark to green, they knew to bring their train to a stop using good train handling techniques, report the incident to the dispatcher and be governed by his instructions." The correct action turned out to be critical, because a second train was stopped on the main line just ahead. An inspection of the signal by the signal department showed that the behavior was caused by a lightning strike. The signal system recognized it was in a green aspect and initiated a shutdown procedure to avoid a false proceed. That is the proper function for the signal system. From the Bullsheet.

Deshler, Ohio fundraiser...

A fundraiser will be held at the Crossroads Park in Deshler, Ohio on Saturday, December 8th, 2001, at 14:00 EST. The proceeds will go towards park maintenance and improvements like permanent restrooms and such. The folks from Cincinnati will be bringing Camp Washington Chili and Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce to supplement Bill Shaffer's legendary grilled chicken.  PLEASE! Tell your friends. Be there and help the best trainwatching spot in Ohio get better! The park is owned by the Bartlow Township Historical Society and is a non-profit organization. Please contribute!  From the Conrail Technical Society.

 

More News Briefs from November...

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