Santa Fe News
Other Railroads also
June & July 2002
Service Interruptions
On June 24th, BNSF train H-KCKBAR9-22 derailed near
Cosnino, AZ east of Flagstaff. The train consisted of 103 loads only
weighing 12,686 tons and was 6275 feet long. It had three units pulling
up front and two units pushing on the rear in the DP mode. Line 80 of
the train derailed first account a broken wheel. That in turn caused
lines 91 - 97 to derail and turn on their sides. Line 80 was a hopper
car of corn. Line 91 was a boxcar of oatmeal and lines 92 - 97 were
tank cars of corn syrup. It made quite a mess with the oatmeal and corn
syrup mixing together. The derailment occurred at 14:20 MST on June
24th with the train traveling west on main 1. The derailed cars blocked
both main tracks as they turned over onto main 2. Main track 2 was back
in service at 23:00 on the 24th with Main 1 returning to service at noon
on the 25th. At least 26 trains had documented delays including Amtrak
#4 for 2 hours and the Z-WSPNBY9-23 for over 3 hours.
At 13:45 on July 3rd, train M-BARRIC1-02 derailed 28
cars mostly in a pile at MP 954 on the Bakersfield, Sub near Corcoran,
CA. The 87 car train was operating on single main track and derailed
lines 59 through 87. The cause was not determined at the time of the
derailment. There were 11 tank cars that were empties that last
contained hazardous residue. None of them leaked anything however.
No
injuries were reported either. A total of 31 track panels were
installed. 35 truckloads of ballast were also moved to the derailment
site. The track was opened at 08:50 the morning of the 4th. The
first
train over the derailment site was the Z-NBYWSP1-04. Eastbound trains
Z-STOWSP1-03 and Z-FRSCHI3-04 along with westbound trains Q-CLORIC1-02 &
Q-CLORIC3-01were detoured via the UP between Bakersfield and Fresno, CA.
Train X-GATLIN1-08 (Galveston to Lincoln) derailed on
the Strong City sub near Hope, KS on the 10th at approximately 14:55.
26 cars of the 110 cars derailed with 11 of them on their sides. The
cause was unknown. The BNSF ran a ballast train to Hope with 28 loads
of ballast with the symbol U-CDNSCK1-10D (Canadian, TX to Strong City,
KS). The main track was opened on the afternoon of the 11th for normal
train traffic. Only the locals were delayed other than the empty grain
train.
At 15:00 on the 10th, the NOC at Fort Worth got a report that the
Hannibal in Kansas City was on fire. The bridge itself was not on fire,
but the 120-foot approach trestle was on fire. The bridge has two main
tracks over it and is south of Murray yard in North Kansas City, MO. It
crosses the Missouri River just south of Murray. The last train to
cross the bridge prior to the fire was the J-WICLIN9-09 (Boeing
Special). It was stopped in St. Joseph, MO and inspected, but found
nothing wrong. No cause had been given for the fire. The bridge
re-opened at 03:00 AM on the 11th for traffic on one of the main tracks
only. Due to this, several trains were rerouted. AT least 5 empty
coal
trains made a detour of some sort. Train E-KBBBKM0-25 was routed via
Enid and Amarillo and was the first of the empty coal trains to go west
via Amarillo. The train normally runs from the Big Brown Power plant to
Dallas then up the former Frisco to Kansas City where it goes to Lincoln
then west to Alliance and on to the Powder River Basin. It detoured
west from Tulsa over the Avard sub with BNSF SD70MACs 9911 & 9917 as
power for the 135 car train. Upon arrival at Amarillo, it went via the
Boise City sub (former ATSF Line) to La Junta and then to Pueblo and
Denver where it turned back east via Sterling, CO and then north to
Alliance. The second train took nearly the same route. It was train
E-MAHCDM0-05 coming from Madill, OK off the Kiamichi Railway. The
difference is that when it got to Amarillo, it backed out on the former
BN Red River Valley sub and used the BN trackage to reach Pueblo. Since
there are not very many crews in the Amarillo to La Junta pool for the
Santa Fe side, crew issues were a problem running it that way.
Although, it would have made life simpler for the BNSF not making the
back up move at Amarillo. Train E-PAMBTM0-84 was on the fort Scott Sub
when the fire occurred. It was taken into Kansas City and routed west
out of there over the former ATSF via Wellington and Amarillo. At
Amarillo, it too was backed out on the former BN lines and ran via
Dalhart and Trinidad to reach the Powder River Basin. The train with
135 empties had BNSF 8952 & 8875 up front for power. The 9963 that was
the DP unit was cut off at Kansas City. As this train passed Avard,
train E-MAHNRM0-15 was waiting for it to clear the connection from the
Avard sub to the Panhandle Sub. The Madill to New Rochelle train
followed the Palos, Alabama train out on the Panhandle sub with the 8814
& 9935 for power. It too made the same back up move at Amarillo to run
via Trinidad and Denver to go to Alliance. Train E-PAMNAM2-02 was
approaching Springfield, MO when the fire occurred so it was routed west
via Monett towards Tulsa also and was planned to run via Enid and
Amarillo. When fire officials opened the Hannibal Bridge, the empty
train made a change of direction at Afton, OK and ran back it's normal
route via Fort Scott, KS to Kansas City. It just came into Fort Scott
via the Afton Sub instead of the Fort Scott Sub. The M-KCKGAL1-11 was
rerouted via the Marceline sub instead of the Brookfield sub to miss the
bridge as well. Also Trains Z-KCKDEN9-10 and Z-DENKCM9-10 were
detoured. The Z-KCKDEN9-10 was seen in Garden City with BNSF Dash
8-40BW 537 in Heritage 2 colors and a pair of TTAX cars. The 6 car
train had US mail and UPS only. The 537 was having electrical problems
and was cut off at Pueblo and replaced with another unit. The
Z-DENKCM9-10 had the 4952, 5242 & 8231.
Special Trains
BNSF ran a 25 MPH special on July 1st out of Winfield,
KS. Train J-WFIHOL1-01 departed Winfield, KS with ATSF Dash 8-40CW 804
as the sole power on the three car train. It was a large boiler on a
schnabel car (CEBX 100) that had been built in Chanute, KS and moved to
Winfield via the SKOL. The BNSF ran the special to Holbrook, AZ where
it was turned over to the Apache Railway for movement to Snowflake, AZ.
The large load weighed 296 tons. It had a pair of empty hoppers on each
side of it for cushioning and weight distribution. The train arrived at
Holbrook early the morning of the 4th of July.
Power Notes
A pair of SW1500s have shown up at Amarillo for the
former ATSF yard to use. The BNSF 3407 in Heritage 1 colors and 3431
still in BN green are to be paired nose to nose and used on the east end
of the ATSF yard (10th street lead). The 3407 will make a trip to
Kansas City before this happens though as someone slid the wheels on it
and it now needs a wheel change out on the #2 & #4 axles. The units
are
restricted to yard service and can not be used in tramp service
(switching outside of the terminal) due to the fact that they have no
toilets in them. While the 3407 is in Kansas City, the 3431 has been
MUed to the BNSF 1684 (ex ATSF GP9 2299).
BNSF is starting the Belt-Pack Remote Control project at
Clovis, NM. On July 11th, BNSF GP38-2B 2249 was seen moving towards
Clovis on train M-KCKPHX1-10. The 2249 was at Interbay in Seattle for a
short time.
The first of the 4199 class of BNSF Dash 9-44CWs began
showing up in road service on June 19th. Train Z-WSPSTO9-19 had BNSF
5223, 4193, 4199, & 4196 for power. The 4196 had a computer problem
somewhere between Chicago and Kansas City and simply went along for the
ride to Barstow. The 4199 developed computer problems leaving
Wellington, but was fixed and worked fine the rest of the way west. All
four engines had a June delivery date. Seems that GE is shipping the
engines to BNSF to work the bugs out of them as they go into service.
By the end of June, the lowest number on the roster was 4186. About the
only differences in the new Dash 9s from the previous orders is that
they have the BN style chemical toilets from MEI (BN style) instead of
the air flush type toilets that the Santa Fe had been using. They do
have a slightly different window handle also, but nothing external.
Although BNSF is getting rid of the C30-7s, there are still a few left
and are numbered between BNSF 5143 & 5209. Also SF30C BNSF 5220 is
still on the roster. All are presently stored though.
BNSF used some rather unusual power for the Amarillo to Clovis Local on
June 30th & July 1st. The L-KAN0151-30 & L-KAN0161-01 ran with
BNSF
SD40-2 6347, GP7 3820 & slug 3965. The GP7/slug set normally switches
in Amarillo. Another old war horse got out on the main line to stretch
her legs on July 5th. Train B-KCKSBD7-05 departed Kansas City with BNSF
Dash 8-40BW 546 & BNSF GP7 1300. The duo ran all the way to Clovis
before another unit was added due to the 546 quitting. The 1300 was
still performing fine.
BNSF used some strange power on June 20th as train X-PLXETT1-20 (Empty
grain from Plainview, TX to Etter, TX.) rolled through Amarillo with UP
AC4400CW 6459 as the sole power for 92 empties. The 4400 Horsepower was
more than ample to handle the 2800 tons up the 1% grade north of
Amarillo out of the Canadian River valley.
Several BNSF SD70MACs have been seen in freight service lately again.
One example was at Gerlach, OK on June 22nd when train X-HEREDU9-22
(Hereford, TX to East Dubuque, IA) rolled by with 115 empty BNSF hoppers
following SD75M 8294, & SD70MACs BN 9543 & BNSF 9441.
BNSF has sold one of the former Amtrak SDF40-2s. It has been purchased
by Maersk and has been shipped to national Railway Equipment at Mt.
Vernon, IL for painting. Reports are that the engine will be painted at
Mt. Vernon and then shipped to Texas for an unveiling no later than
September 1st, 2002. It is then to be routed around the US for
publicity and PR photos. The rest of the ex Amtrak units are still
stored in California at San Bernardino and Barstow.
Pool Power moves on BNSF
BNSF has had some rather unusual pool power seen on the west end of the
transcon lately. Canadian units, SOO units, and KCS power has been seen
west of Clovis along with the usual NS & CSX power, but some of those
have even been on strange trains. Train M-BARKCK1-03 departed Barstow,
CA on July 3rd with BNSF 4518, ATSF 900, CN 5605, CSXT 8787 & GCFX 3098.
The later two came to BNSF at Memphis, but on the M-MEMBAR train instead
of the normal run through V-MEMSBD train. The M-KCKPHX1-03 was passing
Waynoka, OK on July 4th with BNSF 5356, ATSF 836, NS 8463 & NS 3310.
The latter being a high hood SD40-2.
On June 22nd, train Z-CLOMEM3-22 passed through Amarillo with BNSF 5319
leading SOO SD60s 6048 & 6013. The same day, train H-FTWAMA1-22
departed Quanah, TX with BNSF 4691, SOO 6028 & BNSF 6750.
On June 30th, train Z-ATGLAC1-29 was departing Enid, OK with NS 8397
leading NS 8914, BNSF 8601 & BNSF 6382. The H-FTWAMA1-30 the same day
had BNSF 1055 and NS 2549 for power.
July 5th had train G-PLHSWA9-03 departing Emporia, KS with BNSF 5399,
KCS 2037, BNSF 7334 and BNSF 5497 leading the train with BNSF 4552 &
4937 as DPU on the rear. The train had 110 loads of corn and weighed
14,286 tons.
July 7th had train Z-SBDWSP5-06 showing by Grants, NM with ATSF 932, CN
5798, BNSF 4699 and EMD 9030. The same day, train P-LACHCI4-06 was
departing Winslow, AZ with BNSF 4316, CP 5838 & NS 8932.
Warbonnet Watch
On June 22nd, train Z-LACNYC2-20 was seen at Augusta, KS with ATSF 888,
633, 691 & BNSF 739. The 739 was a spoiler as it was in the 700 class
that are all Warbonnets except for the 739, 740 & 745.
Another should have been was on train Z-LACWSP1-06 seen at Alva, OK on
July 7th with Dash 8-40CW 801 leading Dash 9-44CWs 607 & 657 and SD75M
8207. The only problem with this consist is that the 801 has been
repainted into Heritage colors. One other should have been was the
P-LACCHI2-25 arriving at Belen, NM on June 27th with the 8289, 126, 100
& 8213. The 8213 has been repainted into Heritage 2 colors as well.
And some that were Warbonnet consists:
June 30th had train Z-STOWSP1-29 passing Flagstaff, AZ with a trio of
Dash 8-40CWs, the 903, 803 & 907.
July 7th, train Z-WSPLAC4-06 had BNSF 762 leading ATSF Dash 8-40CWs 930
& 916 at El Dorado, KS.
On July 14th, train Z-PTLCHC1-12 departed Northtown with an all ATSF
consist. It had Dash 9-44CWs 631 & 682 leading Dash 8-40CW 823.
Traffic
Due to congestion on the I-5 corridor, BNSF detoured the H-PASBAR1-01 on
a rather circuitous route. The train ran east out of Pasco, WA
and on
to Denver via Cheyenne, then down the Joint Line to Pueblo and to La
Junta and via the Boise City sub to Amarillo where it ran west via the
Transcon to Barstow.
During June & early July, BNSF has been running an extra train from
Kansas City to Richmond, CA. Train H-KCKRIC3 has been ran on several
occasions with all Northern California manifest traffic. Loads and
empties are usually mixed in the train and it usually is not over 80
cars.
The last week of June, BNSF detoured the Z-DENKCM via the La Junta Sub.
It normally operates east out of Denver via Sterling, CO and to Lincoln,
then down to Kansas City. During the last week of June, a tie gang was
working in Southern Nebraska so in order to move the Z train, it ran via
the former ATSF lines. One example was the Z-DENKCM9-28 passing Garden
City on the evening of the 28th with ATSF 945, 802, 879, 876 & BNSF 6805
(Almost one for the Warbonnet watch). The trains normally run with
boxcar and tank car loads of Coors Beer and then trailers of UPS and
other LTL freight and often doublestacks.
On June 30th, BNSF enhanced their Intermodal marketing plan. They call
the service EPV standing for Expedited, Premium & Value shipments. I
am
sure that many of you read this information in BNSF today and may see it
in other publications. Take note, that the train symbols did not
change, only the marketing service. These changes will help BNSF be
more competitive with the over the road truckers. It looks like this:
* Expedited (E) -- This service is for extremely time-sensitive
shipments. Expedited is the fastest service available in the industry
and is competitive with over-the-road team driver service. This service
will provide seven-day-per-week availability at destination.
* Premium (P) -- The truck-competitive Premium service is comparable to
500-mile-per-day or single-driver truck service. BNSF offers both
Premium service with, or without, weekend availability, giving customers
additional flexibility.
* Value (V) -- This is BNSF's new service offering for freight with
flexible delivery requirements. This new service is a special product
offered in select markets to address fluctuating or special supply and
demand needs.
Depots and Miscellaneous
The Waynoka (OK) depot project has received some
additional funding. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has
notified the City of Waynoka that the former ATSF depot there is among
41 projects approved for funding by the Oklahoma Transportation
Commission. The Depot project needs $300,000 and ODOT will provide
$240,000 of that. The city of Waynoka will have to come up with the
remaining $60,000. The money will be used for paving the parking lot,
landscaping the depot & Harvey House areas and finishing the
transportation museum. More than $1.3 Million has been spent so far on
the Harvey House restoration and exterior work on the depot. The
Historical Society has a locomotive that needs to be moved from the
nearby BNSF tracks to the depot area. Track has already been prepared
for the locomotive. I am speculating that some of this money will be
for the move of the CKRY 2510. It is a GP10 painted for the Hudson Bay
Railway. Waynoka would like to paint it into ATSF colors.
The ATSF depot at Marion, KS has a new life. It is now
the city library. ATSF sold the tracks to the CKR in 1993 and they
abandoned them soon after taking that part of the old Florence to
Ellinwood line via McPherson. Marion is where the ATSF and the Rock
Island Crossed at grade. The former ATSF trains now operating as BNSF
train use the old Rock Island (now UP) to run between Peabody and Lost
Springs as they head for Abilene, KS and Superior, NE. The depot is not
far east of that crossing. The Brick County seat style depot took
$878,000 to convert and make ready for the library. The state of Kansas
granted $726,000 of that. Marion had outgrown their 1938 library and
need more space. The ATSF depot was about twice as large. The depot
was opened for the library business on June 30th of 2002. Construction
began in November 2001 for the library including new floors, new walls,
carpet, furniture and a parking lot. The city raised their money
through fund raisers such as soup suppers, T-Shirt Sales, cook books,
engraved bricks, Christmas Ornaments and Mexican food dinners. In order
to move all the books, the city got many people involved. Most were
moved by a 30-person crew, but for fun, one day people lined up side by
side and moved 1,000 books over the 7 block area in a fire bucket
brigade style.
During the last week of June, the former ATSF water treatment house at
Attica, KS was razed by the BNSF. The wooden top portion of the
building was about to collapse in on itself. The bottom concrete part
had some damage due to vandalism also. In early July, the city of
Higgins, TX razed the former ATSF Water Tank and Pump house. The city
used them both at one time, but evidently has a new well now. The water
tank was taken apart in pieces and hauled off for scrap. The concrete
pump house was bulldozed and the well was filled in with cement.
Due to the recent flap over the government funding of
Amtrak, I wanted to share some numbers. I was sent these facts about
Amtrak funds and found them very interesting.
Public transportation subsidies:
Highways & Roads: $32 Billion - 1 year (2001)
Airlines: $15 Billion - 9/11 Bailout
$13 Billion - Year 2001 subsidies alone
Amtrak: $24 Billion - 31 Years (Its entire life!)
Last year alone the nation's highways and roads received $32 billion
from the Department of Transportation, more than the $24 billion Amtrak
has received in its entire 31 years. Air travel, at $13 billion last
year, receives more funding in two years than Amtrak has in its three
decades. The General Accounting Office this year said the cost of
modernizing America's passenger rail system would be $30 billion over
the next 20 years. That is still less than what America spent last year
on highways.
Letourneau Power
On June 29th, Watco at Wichita, KS received a special engine for the
Kansas & Oklahoma to test for 60 days. The engine is the former
Republic Locomotive Works RD20 now lettered as LETX 20. The engine
still has the 16 cylinder Detroit Diesel that produces 2000 horsepower.
It is still painted black but now has white lettering on the side of it
for Letourneau Drive Systems. Letourneau claims that the engine can
produce more tractive effort than a GP38 that also produces 2000 HP.
The locomotive will be used on the K&O lines for the next two months for
evaluation by Watco.