News Briefs - October, 2001
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CN
derails 14 cars at Little Lake in the Upper Peninsula...
The Mining Journal reports that railroad workers were on the scene of a 14-car derailment near Little Lake in the Upper Peninsula most of the day Thursday, 10/18/01. Little Lake is about 1/2 way between Marquette's Empire Mine and the ore docks in Escanaba. The iron ore cars were part of a 47-car train that derailed at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, spilling some of their cargo from the Empire Mine. The Canadian National train was bound for the Escanaba ore dock. (Mining Journal photo by Brian Halbrook). Greg Peet notes that CN sounds odd, but true - the route belonged to Wisconsin Central until about 3 weeks ago. Nothing like a good derailment to welcome CN to the Upper Peninsula.
Amtrak work in Kalamazoo...
Mark Tomlonson of Kalamazoo, on the MichiganRailroads list reports that Amtrak has been working on CP 147 on the west side of Kalamazoo. They've been installing new signals and an equilateral turnout. The turnout has been in place for several days. It looks like they're shifting it into final position and applying new ballast, etc. The signals at CP 147 and what had been a distant signal at MP 144.3 westbound are also being changed. Eastbound at CP 147 there is still a two-head mast (although of different design) but the westbound signals are now both two head, as opposed to the former arrangement of a two head and a three head. The signal at MP 144.3 had been an approach-lit two head signal. It's been constant lit for a couple of weeks, and today I noticed the lower signal head has been removed from the mast. There are two new masts without any heads (so far). It looks like there will be a total of eight - two for each track in each direction. The Amtrak equipment, ballast cars, a Burro crane and an alignment machine are spending their nights at the WMU power plant siding. Not all the motorists on Stadium Drive believe the flashing red lights, as that spur is rarely used.
Roger Oliver of Vicksburg reports on the MichiganRailroads list that the storms last night did significant damage to rail facilities in Schoolcraft, south of Kalamazoo. Both CN/GTW radio towers are down (fell north westerly) and the southern tower was across the tracks and onto the railroad depot for a good portion of the night. I don't think the larger (adjacent to depot) radio tower hit the Quality Films plant, but it might have been close. They have trees up-rooted in their business entrance side. A auto repair shop just south of the CN/GTW depot lost it's roof and at least some brickwork from the upper portions of the wall. A good portion of that roof is now in the gravel parking area by the Depot. Roger saw a GTW track-crane tooting it's way along with a hi-rail truck in the lead (heading through Vicksburg to Schoolcraft about 11pm). It appears that Schoolcraft has no power. He overheard an NS foreman working his way northward last night and he said the only problems he saw were poles down at MP 19.2...but he was not yet to Schoolcraft when I heard that. Trains were rolling through East to West on CN this morning.
Dan Risdon reported CN dispatcher TD3 talking to 399 last night about a downed tree just east of Lansing. Greg Peet added that Galesburg was another town that was hard hit, losing all electric power. Trains on the NS line east of Kalamazoo had to stop at blank signals and also flag every crossing. Early this afternoon Amtrak #350 was waiting at Comstock for #351, while #364 was entering town from the west. Power was still out at 2:00 p.m. and scanner "chatter" was plentiful.
Wayne Kuhl adds that the CNIC suffered major disruptions on the South Bend subdivision due to a radio tower falling on the track in Schoolcraft, several high tension wires down near South Bend, and associated signal problems. The South Bend subdivision was shut down from approximately 8pm Wednesday night until around noon on Thursday. Signal maintainers from as far away as Pontiac were called in to clear the mess. Traffic has started moving as of this writing (Thursday at 10:39pm) with 142 near or at Trowbridge. This was the 142 that should've been through Durand early Thursday morning around 1am. Traffic is obviously backed up quite a bit.
New Rail/Truck Tunnel Proposed for Detroit-Windsor...
A Toronto company is
planning to create a new truck tunnel between Detroit and Windsor that
backers say would help speed trade at the busiest U.S.-Canadian border
crossing. Under the proposal, the Detroit River Rail Tunnel, a
100-year-old cargo train tunnel that runs between Detroit and Windsor,
would be converted into a truck tunnel. A new tunnel for trains would
then be built under the truck tunnel, or beside it on the bed of the
Detroit River.
The plan was announced by Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc., a
company backed by $50 billion in Canadian pension funds. Borealis, which
bought a 50-percent share of the Detroit River Rail Tunnel this spring,
now owns it in partnership with Canadian Pacific Railway. In March,
Borealis also purchased land around the tunnel openings, said Borealis
CEO Michael Nobrega. That land would be used to construct connectors to
Highway 401 on the Windsor side, and I-75 on the Detroit side.
Nobrega said the new rail tunnel could open by 2005, and a two-way truck
tunnel by 2006. Nobrega estimates the project will cost $350
million to $400 million, and would be paid for by Borealis and other
large pension- fund groups in the United States. The company would then
charge tolls.
The main challenge will be cutting through bureaucratic red tape in two
countries. Borealis is lobbying government officials on both sides of
the border to back the plan. And Byintgon is meeting with
neighborhood groups in southwest Detroit and Mexicantown to discuss
where new roads and railways would be built. Information from
the Conrail Technical Society.
MDOT continues to introduce intermodel facility for Detroit-Dearborn...
The Michigan Department of Transportation will meet with residents at 6:30 p.m. tonight (10/24) regarding a proposed intermodel railroad terminal. The meeting will be in the Dearborn Ice Skating Arena. The 800-plus acre terminal is planned for southwest Detroit and Dearborn and would run along property next to the railroad tracks. The plan for the facility calls for the demolition of about 100 existing homes and businesses. From the Detroit News.
Wayne Kuhl reports via the MichiganRailroads list that sometime between between Sunday night (10/21/01) and Monday morning, a train derailed in Imlay City. Ten cars are off the track, with about 1000 feet of track torn up. Trains are detouring via the Holly Sub. As of noon Monday, estimates were that the track would be back in service around 2300 Monday night.
Amtrak Schedules Updated on MichiganRailroads.com Mobile...
For those readers who also have a Palm-compatible or Pocket PC-compatible PDA, the new fall/winter Amtrak schedules have been added to our Mobile site. This will allow you handy access to Amtrak schedules while you are on the road. The schedules are available for each train in the MichiganRailroads.com regional area. Also provided is a listing of passenger trains for each major station in the region. Anotherwords, if you happen to be in Kalamazoo, you can check the times of all Amtrak trains through that city. So... hot-sync your PDA through www.Advantgo.com for the latest schedules. For more information about MichiganRailroads.com Mobile, click here.
Another near hit at NS' Maumee River bridge...
The lake freighter Nanticoke ended up sideways in the Maumee River just upstream from the former Conrail bridge in Toledo, OH this morning (10/17). Train traffic is moving at restricted speed across the span in case she cuts loose and drifts into the span. Two tugs are pushing against the Nanticoke, presumably to keep it in place, if not push it back off the mud. Additional tugs have been summoned to straighten her out. As of 4 PM the Nanticoke is still there; three Great Lakes tugs and one Hoey tug could not get her straightened out against the current. The Coast Guard insists that Nanticoke is not seriously grounded. Bigger tugs have been dispatched from Cleveland, OH and Detroit, MI to assist. Information courtesy of Ken Borg and David Patch via the Conrail Technical Society.
CN moving Troy dispatchers?
Word was posted on the
RRMichigan list-serv that CN will be closing its dispatching center and
office building in Troy within 90 days. The report says that
personnel will be relocated to Homewood, Illinois. Not true, says
jukeman4@home.com. The dispatching staff at Troy is NOT moving to
Homewood, IL at this time. What they are referring to is a notice was
posted that with the exception of train dispatching, crew dispatching,
and general manager's staff all other jobs would be relocating to
Homewood on or about January 14, 2002.
NS Kendallville, IN Derailment Update 10/17 at 19:35 EDT...
Following a derailment Monday which impacted Norfolk Southern's main line operations near Kendallville, Indiana, both main lines were returned to service earlier today. Efforts have been made to clear resulting congestion in the area and service has returned to near normal levels. Special Note to Customers with Committed Service Agreements: Norfolk Southern invoked Force Majeure on all traffic normally moving on Norfolk Southern lines between Chicago, Illinois and Toledo, Ohio, effective 9:00 PM EDT, Monday, October 15th, 2001. With service returning to near normal levels, Norfolk Southern is lifting Force Majeure effective 1:00 PM EDT, Wednesday, October 17th, 2001. From Conrail Technical Society.
NS Derailment of 33 Train Cars Blocks Northern Indiana Tracks...
KENDALLVILLE, Indiana --
Railroad crews were working Tuesday to clear Norfolk Southern tracks
blocked when 33 train cars derailed. The train's two-man crew was not
injured in the 7:20 p.m. Monday derailment, but the cause of the
accident was not immediately known, said Susan Bland, manager of public
relations for Norfolk, VA-based Norfolk Southern Railroad. The train was
traveling westbound from Pittsburgh, PA to Elkhart, IN when the cars
derailed about seven miles east of Kendallville, IN according to The
News-Sun. Firefighters from Corunna and Kendallville checked the
overturned cars and found no serious spills. The 89-car train's two
locomotives remained on the tracks and nearby residents were not
evacuated. One of the derailed cars spilled about 1,000 pound of baking
soda, Bland said. Former Corunna fire chief Jay Christian said he was at
home when the derailment occurred. "I heard the boom," he said. "It
sounded just like thunder." Repair crews arrived Tuesday morning and
expected to have the derailed cars removed and the tracks reopened by
Tuesday night, Bland said. From Conrail Technical Society.
Greg Peat reports... The NS derailment in Indiana brought some unusual action to Kalamazoo and the Michigan line. Heard on the scanner in the middle of the night that Amtrak's #30 passed thru. Downtown today saw NS 20-W at 2:15 p.m. Engines NS 2573 and PRR 8330 with all pigggyback, anout 75 trailers. It stopped only briefly for a re-crew, as it stretched across Kalamazoo Avenue.
NS to decrease Ann Arbor Railroad usage?
It appears the Norfolk Southern will be putting in a switch at Ecorse Jct. on the east end of Oakwood Yard which will go to the former Conrail Junction Yard Secondary or Industrial Track. Train crews are starting to qualify on the Detroit Line from CP YD to CP Alexis. With this switch in place, NS will likely take their trains off of the Ann Arbor Railroad between Milan and Toledo. When it is all said and done, it should increase traffic on the Detroit Line by at least two trains each way. From Mark at RRMichigan list.
Cleveland Cliffs buys LTV mining, railroad...
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
announced that its subsidiary and Minnesota Power, a business of ALLETE,
Inc. have reached an agreement with LTV Corporation to acquire the
assets of LTV Steel Mining Company (LTVSMC) in northeastern Minnesota
for $25 million and the assumption of environmental and certain other
liabilities. Cliffs and Minnesota Power will each pay $12.5 million to
LTV.
Cliffs will acquire all of the iron ore mining and processing facilities
of LTVSMC, including its 74-mile mainline railroad and dock operation at
Taconite Harbor, Minnesota on the north shore of Lake Superior. A
Minnesota Power subsidiary will acquire the 225 megawatt electric
generating facility at Taconite Harbor, transmission facilities, and
non-mining property. Minnesota Power will make a $62.5 million payment
to Cliffs. Cliffs will use the payment for its share of the purchase
price and the environmental liabilities and holding costs.
The LTVSMC iron ore mining operation was closed on January 5, 2001,
after LTV Corporation initiated a Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.
Completion of the purchase transaction is subject to regulatory and
bankruptcy court approvals. While the LTVSMC mining assets being
acquired by Cliffs will not be operated to produce iron ore pellets, a
number of options do exist including non-ferrous metals development and
providing transportation support services to other Minnesota mining
operations."
Cleveland-Cliffs is the largest supplier of iron ore products to the
North American steel industry and is developing a significant ferrous
metallics business. Subsidiaries of the Company manage and hold equity
interests in five iron ore mines in Michigan, Minnesota, and Eastern
Canada. Cliffs has a major iron ore reserve position in the United
States and is a substantial iron ore merchant. Cleveland-Cliffs will now
have two railroad operations in northern Minnesota as it is also the
operator of the former Reserve Mining railroad and taconite facilities
at Silver Bay and Babbitt. At this time, there is no information
regarding the former Erie Mining/LTV railroad equipment.
(Cleveland-Cliffs, Eastern Railroad News, MN Rail List, Railroad &
Railfan Magazine)
Bluewater Annual meeting...
Bluewater's
Nineteenth Anniversary Banquet will be held at Vladimir’s, Grand River
at Eight Mile in Farmington, MI. Bluewater has had previous
banquets at Vladimir’s. The food and the service have always been
excellent. Presenting our program this year will be Ron Cady.
His outstanding photographs have been published in many magazines
including TRAINS and AAA’s Michigan Living. You will enjoy his
presentation.
We will have photo (color and black and white) and railroad model
contests. All photos entered must have been taken by the person entering
the photo. All model trains or structures must have been built or
substantially restored by the person entering the model. Only dues
paid Bluewater members may enter the photo or model contests. Member of
the Year and President’s Appreciation Awards will be presented.
The social hour is at 6:00PM with dinner at 7:00PM. Tickets are $25.00.
The banquet chairman is James Bradford. For more information,
click here
for the Bluewater web page.
Update on Central Michigan abandonment in Saginaw...
Our sources tell us that the Central Michigan has not yet abandoned the 2 mile stretch from Meredith St Jct. to Hoyt interlocker, but it will be closed soon - awaiting the installation of a connection at Hoyt so that the CM can use CSX trackage rights. The northeast quadrant of the diamond at Hoyt has been cleared of brush and graded with a sub roadbed put in place. That was done back in June. Until recently it stayed that way. The CSXT has now built a switch panel and have material to build another plus the track panels to connect the CSXT outbound main with the old MCRR Denmark Branch just east of the existing diamond. The talk around here is that it was to be finished by November 1st, now its looking more like the middle of November or early December. For a description and map of the entire project, click here. Get your pictures now.
In
a broadcast to CN employees today (October 9, 2001), the railroad
announces that Wisconsin Central officially joins CN as their sixth
division: the Wisconsin Central Division.
The new division will be led by
Gordon Trafton, vice-president Wisconsin Central Division. The
acquisition of WC can only reinforce our position as the best railroad
in North America. I have met with many WC employees in the past few
months, and I've been very impressed with their professionalism and
dedication. I know that same spirit will make the Wisconsin Central
Division a strong member of our CN Team.
The integration of our new partner will require dedicated teamwork of
all employees at all levels. I am confident that we will be just as
cooperative and successful with this merger as we were during the
combination with IC. Let's welcome Wisconsin Central employees to the CN
Team and move forward together.
Riverview Trenton Railroad news...
Shawn O'Day reports on the list-serv that the Riverview Trenton Railroad may be coming to reality. "There is a set of new signs at the entrance of the lot. Inside I spotted around fifty containers on chassis parked within. This is all on the north end of the old McLouth steel mill. Hopefully the old north end rail connection will be upgraded...along with the Jefferson Ave road crossing-it's terrible. No sign of locos or freight cars on the grounds."
Transport Facilities Raise Security...
WASHINGTON -- A wire service reports that the nation's freight railroads
restricted movement of some cargo and activated a full-time crisis
center after U.S. military strikes against the Taliban, the industry's
trade group said Monday.
As the attacks began Sunday, railroads began restricting operations near
stadiums and other public places where crowds congregated, said Peggy
Wilhide, spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads. At
the request of law enforcement, the railroads have been conducting
computer checks of employees against a list of names supplied by the
FBI. Wilhide would not specify which materials were restricted.
Attorney General John Ashcroft alluded to new restrictions at a news
conference Monday, but said authorities were not trying to stop all
shipments of materials that could be terrorist targets. "We're
asking companies to develop security plans which are reasonable and
which provide a way to secure cargo and facilities, but not to cease
operations," he said. "We want secure operations. We do not want to
cease operations." From the Conrail Technical Society.
Update about the Norfolk Southern's Kalamazoo local...
From Ben Higdon in Kalamazoo: The local you mentioned in the news section operating from Kalamazoo to Niles is called YBZ01 ("bozo1") on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, handling morning yard work at Botsford Yard as well as downtown and northside industries in Kalamazoo. Work for the job was dramatically decreased when the James River plant in Parchment closed. Other closings, including the Georgia Pacific paper mill and the Mead plant in Kalamazoo have hurt traffic. In addition, Grand Trunk has lost the old Simpson mill in Vicksburg (on one of few remaining portions of GR&I track) and NS the Plainwell paper mill in Plainwell (also former GR&I). The Grand Trunk branch to Kalamazoo lost traffic through the Georgia Pacific closure, which on top of the GM closing a few years ago has made the line much less lucrative. GT has for some reason been rerouting short covered hoppers through Kalamazoo for the past year, perhaps to make the line appear more necessary. I don't know where the cars are going, but they don't seem to go anywhere around here and were not formerly interchanged here or at Battle Creek.
Bluewater rethinks travel plans...
Dave Williamson of the
Bluewater Chapter, NRHS reports that due to the tragedies of September
11 and the resulting security concerns , Bluewater has canceled the
overseas trips to Switzerland and Norway. Dave says you may receive a
flyer listing these trips, but they are canceled. For the similar
reasons, the Super Bowl was pushed back a week in New Orleans to the
weekend that our City of New Orleans trip was to be run. City of
New Orleans Trip Chairman John Moore believes that the trip could be
compromised with the Super Bowl crowds and has decided to annul this
year's trip and focus on returning to New Orleans in 2003.
Bluewater regrets any inconvenience this may have caused our members and
friends. The trip committee is investigating some trips such as a
Halifax trip, an Ottawa trip and a Niagara Falls trip and a couple trips
with our coaches in the Thumb. Marlette to Millington and perhaps Gera,
near Frankenmuth, to Marlette/Brown City. More information will be
forthcoming on these trips when available.
Michigan Railroad Club marks its 64th Anniversary...
The Michigan Railroad Club, the oldest railfan organization in Michigan and one of the oldest in the country celebrates its 64th anniversary today, October 5, 2001. Next year on the occasion of the MRC's 65th birthday, the group is planning some type of celebration among its members. Congratulations Michigan Railroad Club, and happy anniversary!
Norfolk Southern Dearborn Dispatcher news...
John Krattinger of the Conrail Technical Society reports that there have been some job reductions (not known which) in the former Conrail Dearborn, MI CATDF office which left some of the dispatchers from that location looking for jobs. It is reported that two or three of these dispatchers have been training on the Memphis Line in Knoxville, TN and they will be eventually be going to Birmingham, AL when that move occurs.
Facts and stats about moving hazardous materials...
The American Association of Railroads reports that rail is by far and away the safest way to transport hazardous materials. 99.996 percent of hazardous material moved by rail arrives to destination without incident. There have been only three fatalities attributable to railroad transportation of hazardous materials in the past two decades. Although hazardous materials can be dangerous if not handled properly, they are important. Hazardous materials often include chemicals used to treat illness and chemicals such as chlorine, used to make our water safe to drink. According the Research and Special Programs Administration of the U.S. DOT, the number of hazardous materials incidents per thousand carloads has declined 38 percent since 1990.
According to Shawn O'Day, a circus train came to the Detroit area last night (10/1) pulled by the CSX up the Lincoln Secondary from Toledo at about eight o'clock. It is parked somewhere near Townline (Greenfield Road railroad overpass, south of Michigan in East Dearborn). The animal cars may be parked closer to downtown.
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