News Briefs - May, 2001

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CP LOU (East Dearborn, from Amtrak/NS at Wyoming to WB CSX).  Ken Borg reports that CP LOU is in service on the old NYC however the CSX end is not in service yet.  In June, the eastbound CP trains are to start using the new connection. The westbound trains will run the old way by Delray. CSXT crews will run to Windsor but CP crews will still run west to Rougemere. The Dearborn Steel job will run both ways on the connection.  

Bridge Declared Historic.  The Southern Michigan Railroad Society reports in their April newsletter that Bridge No. 15, which is located about a half mile south of Sutton Road (near Tecumseh), was recently approved by the Michigan State Historic Preservation Review Board.  It will be designated on the national Register of Historic Places.  The Society's track is the former LSMS Jackson Branch.

NS Running Coke Trains to Rouge.  Shawn O'Day reports that NS ran another pair of Coke trains yesterday into/from Detroit on the former Conrail Detroit - Toledo mainline....The #859 (MT) went south through Wyandotte around mid-afternoon. The loaded coke train, #858, with the primer NS9858 and the NS6555 went north about two hours later and eventually terminated at Fordson Yard passing through Livernois Yard. I still do not know where these are coming from but there have been 3-4 pairs of moves so far in the last week of this new coke business.  From MichiganRailroads@yahoogroups.com.

CN Base Station/Frequency Changes in Michigan.  On June 5, 2001, at 10 A.M. EST, CN/IC MI Zone Flint Sub TD3 will change from AAR 28-28, 160.53 MHz, to AAR 74-74, 161.22 MHz. Fifteen minutes radio outage at 10 A.M. will be necessary to recalibrate the bases.  This change is being implemented to alleviate interference between TD3 and TD2 and TD4.  Yards using AAR 74-74 for switching will change to AAR 38-38, 160.68 MHz.  Also on June 5, a new base will be added at Imlay City.  From Dave Williamson at Bluewater Chapter, NRHS.

Wandering Ex-Southern Pacific Unit in Three Rivers.  Jack Klee sent us this picture of an ex-SP unit, renumbered for the Union Pacific.  The unit was the trailing part of a pair pulling through CP Cowling near Three Rivers, Michigan on May 15, 2001.  This is an ugly ducking that only its mother could love (as well as a whole bunch of camera-toting railfans)..

St. Joseph Purchases Easement from CSX.  The City of St. Joseph has struck a deal with CSX Transportation to purchase an easement for a 50-foot-long, single-truss bridge to span the CSX railroad tracks as part of the fourth phase of the John and Dede Howard Recreation Path. The city has purchased the 0.3-acre easement for $5,200 according to the St. Joseph Herald-Palladium newspaper.

CP/CSX Connection Update.  CSX and Conrail are in progress this week in bringing the new connection on line. CSX has a switchtender near P-Co junction and they are calling the new block "sidney". They started this yesterday and have been issuing blocks (sidney and P-co) to all trains cuase the switches are in "hand" throw.  Conrail has a new "freight main six". I have yet to get to this place so I am not sure what the track configuration is. They are doing work at West Detroit as well. I am hearing this stuff on the scanner.  (From Shawn O'Day, MichiganRailroads@yahoogroups.com.

Another Donation for the SS City of Milwaukee.  The Canadian National Railway has contributed $1,500 US to the preservation fund for the SS City of Milwaukee historic vessel.  The project has received $112,565 in grants to-date, including $79,365 from MDOT, $10,000 from the National Park Service, $15,200 from various foundations, and $6,500 from the Coastal Zone Management Program.  Other grant applications are pending.  CN's support is very appropriate for the 48 years of service SS City of Milwaukee gave CN/GTW.

GTW Files For Abandonment in Flint.  From Jim Flury to MichiganRailroads@yahoogroups.com:  The GTW has petitioned the STB for abandonment authority for a portion of the Old Main through Flint. The segment of track involved runs from near Corunna Rd. in West Flint to Kearsley Street in downtown. This portion of the Old Flint Main was rendered obsolete by the closing of the Delphi West facility near downtown. Corunna Rd. Yard does not seem to be involved in this proceeding. A large pile of ballast sits in the middle of this track now, just west of the Ballenger Highway crossing in West Flint. The Old Flint Main was severed as a through route through downtown Flint around 1969 as part of an urban renewal project. GTW continued to serve what was then Chevrolet Manufacturing from the west, running from Corunna Rd. Yard to this GM facility. On the east side of Flint, the Old Flint Main hosted GTW trains that would service AC Spark Plug. The eastern portion of the Old Main is still used, in that CSX has trackage rights between Port Huron and Flint. CSX uses the Old Main to access their own track at Kearsley, where they then run their trains north to Saginaw. On the west side, the Old Main will apparently be kept intact as far east as Corunna Rd. Yard.

Amtrak Schedule Changes.  On April 29th, Amtrak changed to its new Spring/Summer schedule.  In general most train schedules in the Michigan and northern Ohio/Indiana areas were improved by 10-15 minutes.  The Skyline Connection trains (#45/46) were eliminated.  Train #350 gets into Detroit about 30 minutes sooner and doesn't go on to Pontiac any longer.  Train #355 (the Twilight Limited) leaves Detroit 1 1/2 hours sooner and it originates in Detroit instead of Pontiac.  The International, trains 364/365/367 now stop in Dowagiac.  For those railfans downloading MichiganRailroads.com to your PDA device, the new schedules will download next time you hot-sync.

Belding RR Bridge Almost Finished.  West Michigan Railroad News reports that the bridge at Belding is almost complete, following a devasting fire two months ago which left it unusable.  Click here for pictures of the rebuilding activity.

Leamington Branch Being Removed.  The CASO list reports that the former MCRR/CASO Leamington Branch is in the process of being removed.  This branch has been seldom used since the loss of the Heinz Plant business.  According to the removal crew, the entire branch will be salvaged.

Locomotives Will Generate Electricity.  HELENA -- Montana Rail Link plans to enter the power business by operating 24 parked diesel locomotives and putting the electricity they generate into the Montana Power Co. system, the company said Wednesday.  According to a wire service, the regional railroad experimented with locomotive power this spring in Butte and will expand the project, with the first additional power likely in June, said spokeswoman Lynda Frost.  Montana Rail Link wants to sell electricity that will help meet needs of its freight customers, such as oil refineries, that have been stung by high prices for power sold on the open market. 

"The primary reason for doing this is to serve our customers," said Russ Ritter, a spokesman for Washington Corps., owner of Rail Link. "When they're happy, then we're moving their freight."   Steep prices for electricity have forced some large Montana businesses to cut production.  Frost said the railroad plans to divide 24 locomotives among three sites, one in Butte and two near Three Forks. It is possible the locomotives will operate around the clock, she said. Ritter said each locomotive would generate 1.6 megawatts. Twenty-four of them together would produce about 40 megawatts.  The locomotive power will go through a converter, enter the Montana Power system and be marketed by Commercial Energy of Montana, based in Cut Bank, Ritter said. Generation will be under the umbrella of a Rail Link offshoot, Rail Energy of Montana, he said. 

State officials have issued an air-quality permit for one of the sites near Three Forks, have a second permit application under review and have not received the third application, said Dan Walsh of the Montana
Department of Environmental Quality.  The locomotives will release gases and particulate matter into the air, Walsh said. He likened locomotive power to use of diesel generators that some Montana businesses have installed temporarily to produce power at below-market prices. 

"I applaud Montana Rail Link for their actions because we need to use unique thinking at this time,"  Giacometto said. "It comes down to, 'Is this power cheaper than the power on the open market?'" Dick Watson of the power council staff in Portland, Ore., said he knows of locomotives having been used briefly for emergency power, but the railroad's plan for sustained use apparently is new. Ritter said the locomotive power is intended as a temporary and partial remedy to the price turmoil while it plays out. How long that will take is uncertain. Rail Link has a fleet of 120 locomotives. It is possible more will be leased for the energy project, Frost said.

Bluewater Michigan Chapter NHRS Needs Help.  Bob Thatcher, President of the Bluewater Chapter is asking for help from the membership with staffing needs.  People are needed for ticket order processing and other tasks.  If you are interested in helping, please contact Office Manager John Moore at 248-541-1000 or write to the chapter office at P. O. Box 296, Royal Oak, MI  48068-0296.

CSX/Federal Railroad Administration Compliance Agreement Ends.   The CSX/FRA Compliance Agreement, which was implemented to address concerns about CSXT's procedures and practices has ended, according to the Conrail Railroad Technical Society.   In a communication to CSXT, the FRA stated they "found that CSXT effectively implemented the requirements of the Compliance Agreement" and confirmed that the agreement would expire as scheduled on May 1st, 2001. To track the implementation and effectiveness of the long-term enhancements made to the company's procedures for track inspection and maintenance, CSXT and the FRA have signed a new agreement to monitor the company's continuing progress over the next year.

New CSX Locomotive Paint Scheme?  The Conrail Railroad Technical Society reports that several freshly outshopped CSXT locomotives have appeared at Selkirk, NY recently sporting new white cab roofs to reflect the sun off of them.  SD40-2's 8870 and 8877 along with GP38-2 2742 were all recently seen in fresh CSXT paint with the new paint scheme modification.

Detroit & Mackinac Historical Society Now On Web.  The D&M Historical Society is now on-line with a web page located at www.dm-hs.org .  Site content will be added in the coming months.  The site is being hosted by MichiganRailroads.com.  

CSXT Cleveland Terminal Dispatcher Changes Frequencies.  On Wednesday, April 25th, 2001, the CSXT Cleveland Terminal Dispatcher began using frequency 160.995, which will become CSXT Road Channel #5.  All eastbound trains on the Greenwich Subdivision passing CP-13 will now change over to Road Channel #5.  Westbound trains on the Chicago Line will contact the Cleveland Terminal Dispatcher on Road Channel #5 after
passing the Eastlake, OH defect detector, but no later than prior to pasing CP-171.  From John Krattinger at the Conrail Railroad Technical Society.

More News From April...

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