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Railroad Newsline for Saturday, January 20, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

TRAINS COULD BE MOVING ON REPAIRED TRACK BY 18:00 HOURS, FRIDAY

BULLITT COUNTY, KY -- CSX trains will begin reusing the track Friday where a massive Bullitt County derailment prompted evacuations and closed interstates.

All of the train's rail cars have been removed, and the track will be ready for traffic Friday night, officials said.

CSX Spokeswoman Cindy Sanborn said workers have removed 22 cars from the tracks to a nearby staging area for further investigation. Workers have also pulled up the existing railroad track and are replacing it. She said trains could begin moving over the rails by 18:00.

Meanwhile, 12 families living on nearby Huber Station and Angelina roads can expect to be out of their homes for several more days.

Zoneton Fire Chief Rob Orkies said a task force, to be headed by the Environmental Protection Agency, has been formed and will begin creating a plan to allow homeowners to return.

They plan to meet with homeowners to address any concerns and talk about what issues they face as they return home. Also, the state fire marshal's office will inspect houses before residents can return.

"Everyone else should be fine," Orkies said. He also urged business owners in the area to contact the command center at the Zoneton Fire Department if they need items from their offices.

He said the fire department plans to being reducing the resources they have devoted to fighting the fire on Saturday. He said the fire department would likely remain on the scene with lower staffing for several days.

"This has gone perfectly as far as incidents go," State Fire Marshal Rodney Raby said. "It's gone step by step on the downgrading process.

Orkies said the fire department has a long day ahead of them as they continue to deal with four cars on the staging area.

One car, containing paper products, is continuing to smolder.

Firefighters will work with CSX to vent and evacuate any remaining toxic 1,3-butadiene in three tanker cars in the staging area, Sanborn said.

She said the bulk of the chemical from each of the tanker cars had been burned off in a pit and that workers Friday would vent and burn off any remaining vapors. She said nearby residents would likely not see any flames or smoke from the burning in the remaining chemical cars.

Art Smith, a spokesman for EPA, said air monitoring was continuing and that there was no reason for nearby residents to be concerned.

Orkies said one firefighter from the Okolona Fire Department was taken to Audubon Hospital early Friday morning after complaining of light headedness. Orkies said they believe it was caused by being exposed to diesel fumes while sitting in a fire truck for an extended period of time. Orkies had no other information on the firefighter.

Bullitt County Judge-Executive Melanie Roberts said the incident has been handled extremely well and is improving daily.

"You are in the best hands," she told residents. The next press conference will be held at 17:00 Friday. - Brandy Warren, The Louisville Courier-Journal

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SEVEN FILE LAWSUITS AGAINST CSX IN DERAILMENT

LOUISVILLE, KY -- The CSX Railroad is accused of negligence and failing to warn citizens promptly in a lawsuit filed by seven Bullitt County residents over Tuesday morning's fiery train derailment.

The plaintiffs are from two Bullitt County households who want the court to certify their suit as class action.

The suit filed in federal court at Louisville maintains that many hours lapsed before the plaintiffs learned of the risks to the health and property posed by the incident.

It also said earlier warnings would have prevented some or much of the injurious human exposure to the hazardous chemicals released by the derailment and fire.

The 16-page pleading said that CSX caused the massive rail car derailment, explosion and fire.

CSX spokesman Gary Sease said Thursday he had not yet been served with a lawsuit, but will address it at the appropriate time.

The suit identifies the plaintiffs as Roberta Green, William Green Senior, Michelle Hornback and Hornback's minor child Trenton Redmon as well as Barbara Neuschwander, her minor child Laura Bates, and Henry Neuschwander. - The Associated Press, WTVF-TV5, Nashville, TN

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D-FW LOGISTICS RIVALRY TAKING SHAPE

The newest rivalry between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas has nothing to do with museums, sports teams or major airlines.

Thanks to recent development in southern Dallas County, each city now lies near a massive industrial and logistics park where developers are eager to build warehouses and distribution facilities.

In one corner sits a dominant Alliance, the 11,600-acre development north of Fort Worth that opened a little more than 17 years ago. Its owner: Hillwood, the large commercial and residential developer owned by Ross Perot Jr.

The challenger is the 6,000-acre Dallas Logistics Hub, which is south of downtown Dallas along Interstate 45 and other key highway and rail routes to the east. The Allen Group, a California real estate developer, owns the project and has begun to market it but hasn't yet broken ground.

The hub is pursuing the same tenants Alliance does, such as big-box retailers and manufacturers.
The battle may be David vs. Goliath, but it is the first time Alliance has faced a major local competitor.

Having two industrial parks should enhance North Texas' reputation as one of the leading distribution centers in the country. It will give companies looking for warehouse space more choices.

But it could lead to squabbles over where government funds are used to build highways and other infrastructure for the region.

"There's going to be intense competition," said Terry Pohlen, director of the Center for Logistics Education and Research at the University of North Texas.

As international trade increases, there could be plenty of room for both parks, he said. Imports from China are soaring, and many of those goods are hauled from West Coast ports by freight trains to central locations like North Texas for distribution.

Competition between the parks is just beginning. The Allen Group hasn't signed any tenants yet for its Dallas hub, said Jon Cross, the company's director of marketing, but it has made presentations to several Fortune 500 companies. It says it will advertise this year in national trade publications, such as Site Selection, and market the property at trade shows for site selectors and logistics firms.

The Dallas Logistics Hub plans to start construction of its first commercial buildings this year, along with a bridge and other infrastructure.

In an interview last fall, Richard Allen, the developer's chief executive, said his park could offer tenants more attractive lease deals than Alliance. Currently farmland, the property lies in an area long plagued by a lack of development and a high unemployment rate. Officials in Dallas, Wilmer, Hutchins and Lancaster are backing the project because it promises to create thousands of jobs.

Rail routes

Both parks are next to giant railroad terminals where truck drivers pick up shipping containers hauled by trains from West Coast ports.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., the Fort Worth-based railroad, handled about 587,000 containers and trailers at its Alliance terminal last year, up 42.5 percent from 2000 levels.

At the Dallas Logistics Hub, a $100 million Union Pacific terminal opened in 2005. The hub could gain an edge over Alliance if it gets a second rail terminal. BNSF is negotiating with the Allen Group for an option to purchase several hundred acres at the Dallas hub for such a facility.

Alliance is a foreign trade zone, which means companies can eliminate certain U.S. customs duties and delays, and reduce their paperwork and fees. The Dallas hub has applied for this designation and expects to receive it.

Despite the publicity surrounding the Dallas hub, business shows no signs of slowing down at Alliance. It continues to attract new distribution centers for goods made in Mexico and Asia.

Later this month or in early February, Alliance is expected to announce a deal with a Fortune 500 company that will lease more than a million square feet for its products, which are produced in Mexico.

That comes on top of landing a 402,500-square-foot center for the distribution of Mexican-made Lego toys. And several existing tenants, such as IDC, which imports outdoor lighting products, have announced plans to expand their facilities or move into bigger ones.

Selling points

"We've tried to work with people on not just real estate, but other issues that impact their business" such as labor and transportation, said Bill Burton, senior vice president of Hillwood Properties.

When asked whether Alliance is lowering leasing rates because of the Dallas hub, Mr. Burton said, "We have to compete. We have a lot of things to offer besides the real estate."

These include the flexibility of owning multiple buildings in a single park, workforce training and screening, and proximity to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's cargo operations.

Mr. Burton says he hasn't run into a situation yet where a potential tenant was trying to decide between the two developments and pressing for better deals from both.

But such a scenario may not be far off. Target Corp. is rumored to be looking at both parks for a new distribution center in North Texas.

Target did not return telephone calls seeking comment, and both the Allen Group and Alliance said they couldn't discuss the matter.

"There will be deals that look at both," Mr. Burton said. "We're going to have competition."
'Still climbing'

Companies building or leasing facilities at Alliance are well aware that there's an alternative in southern Dallas County.

KFS Inc. of Grapevine, a logistics and transportation services provider, decided to build a 140,000-square-foot freight forwarding facility at Alliance because "it is an established quality development," said James Keller, the company's president.

"While it has a lot of potential, it [Dallas Logistics Hub] is not as far along," he said.

But Alliance isn't resting on its laurels. The park is only 35 percent developed and is launching five more buildings, Mr. Burton said. In addition, it's trying to make it easier to get in and out of the development by adding more lanes to Interstate 35 West.

And at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, which is located within the park, officials are working to extend the runways to accommodate bigger cargo planes.

"You always need to check your rearview mirror," Mr. Burton said. "In our opinion, we're still climbing the mountain." - Katherine Yung, The Dallas Morning News

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BNSF EMPLOYEES' WATCHFUL EYES PREVENT POTENTIAL DERAILMENTS, DAMAGES

Last month, C.B. Dean, Beaumont, Texas, was being very attentive while assigned as conductor on BNSF Railway Company train U-CFSMAR1-13A. Dean found a cracked drawbar on the second railcar from the head end of the train. By finding this, he prevented potential damage and a possible derailment.

Houston crew members Van Harris, Emmett Wyatt and Harvey Ethridge on the Gulf Division observed and reported track damage in one of the local yards. The team stopped their train and reported the damage. This prevented further damage to the track and equipment.

On Jan. 4, 2007, while operating a train southbound on the Houston Subdivision, Conductor D.C. Hurst and Engineer S.A. Mahon noticed water coming over the rail at a very rapid rate. The crew was able to stop their train before entering this potentially dangerous section of track. Upon further investigation, they found that the ground, including the ballast, had washed out from under the tracks. Hurst and Mahon's diligent efforts and attention to detail avoided a potential derailment and possible injury or worse to the crew and surrounding public. - BNSF Today

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BNSF EMPLOYEES RECOGNIZED AS HEROES AFTER SAVING BOY

Last August, young Kasey Hansen, several family members and friends ventured to the south side of Guernsey, Wyoming, where they were looking for ways to cool off. The bridge over the Platte River there made a great jumping-off point into the waters below, and everyone was having fun swimming and "scurfing" (a form of surfing against the stiff current that involves boards tied to the bridge with ropes). With all the activity, nobody really saw exactly when it happened.

BNSF Railway Company Engineer Travis Pittman, conductors Terry Teal and Greg Beck, were out for a walk, waiting for their call to operate a train back to Sterling, Colorado, their home terminal. As the men approached the bridge, they heard frantic voices and ran to see what was going on. They could see Kasey, 12, face down in the water.

Still unsure as to why, but realizing Kasey needed help, Beck and Pittman jumped in. But the current pulled them downstream and finding it impossible to swim back, they made a second attempt. Now realizing that Kasey was caught by one of the ropes, the men got back in the water and wedged against a bridge piling. As they pulled Kasey toward them, it was obvious he was in serious trouble.

On shore, Teal called 911 on his cell phone.

Down in the water, Pittman and Beck could see that Kasey was not breathing, and they could not find a pulse. But the current was so strong and with Kasey's ankle still tangled in the rope, they had no way to get him out of the river. As Beck laid Kasey across his chest, Pittman started cardio-pulmonary resuscitation on the boy and managed to finally get a response just as rescue units arrived.

Guernsey volunteer firemen secured additional ropes and went in the river to get Kasey and his rescuers to safety. By now, Kasey's frantic parents had arrived at the scene, and although they were very relieved to find a much better situation than what had originally been described, it was still an anxious time.

Kasey was transported to a local hospital, and his only physical injury was rope burns around his ankle where he'd been tangled.

Until this week, Kasey and his family had not met the men who saved his life. Through the efforts of Guernsey's chief of police, who wrote up a brief description of what had happened that day and recommended that the men be cited for their heroism, Kasey and his family finally got that opportunity.

Monday, Jan. 15, a ceremony to honor the men was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming, during a gathering of the Wyoming Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. Gov. Dave Freudenthal presented the BNSF employees each with The Badge of Courage Award, with an engraved wood plaque commemorating the rescue. Beck was unfortunately unable to attend due to a death in his family, but Teal, Pittman and members of Pittman's family attended the ceremony.

Recalling the rescue, Pittman said he was just glad that everything had gone well. "It just seemed like forever when we couldn't get him to breathe, under that bridge. We're just relieved that he's alright."

Teal said he was just thankful that they were able to help. "Thank God that we were there when we needed to be. God put us there for a reason that day."

BNSF is proud and considers these three employees very courageous. - BNSF Today, Source: The Guernsey Gazette

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UP TRAIN DERAILS NEAR CLARKS, NEBRASKA

Photo here:

[theindependent.com]

Caption reads: Fourteen Union Pacific rail cars derailed Thursday just west of Clarks. Damage from the derailment extended from 23rd Road to east of 25th Road parallel to Highway 30 in Merrick County. Independent/Scott Kingsley

Photo here:

[theindependent.com]

Caption reads: A Union Pacific crew uses cranes and winches to raise one of 14 rail cars that derailed west of Clarks. The crews pulled the wheel assembly out from under the car. Independent/Scott Kingsley

CLARKS, NE -- Fourteen Union Pacific Railroad cars derailed Thursday morning near Clarks, Nebraska, and work was quickly under way to repair the damaged tracks.

James Barnes, director of media information with Union Pacific, said the derailment was reported at 08:07.

"We're pleased that no one was injured and no chemicals were spilled," he said.

The 61-car, manifest train originated out of Central City and was traveling east to Council Bluffs, Iowa. It was hauling flour, coal and grain products, Barnes said. Manifest trains carry a variety of commodities, he said.

None of the cargo was spilled in the derailment, he said.

The derailed cars remained upright and weren't blocking any crossings.

The tracks were damaged in the derailment, and Union Pacific workers were on the site Thursday accessing the damage and beginning repairs, Barnes said. The workers were also "rerailing" the cars that weren't damaged, he said.

Rerouting orders were being given to other trains to avoid lengthy delays, he said.

The cause of the derailment was being investigated, and Barnes didn't know how long the repairs would take.

Clarks is about 10 miles northeast of Central City. - Sarah Schulz, The Grand Island Independent

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WINTER PULLS NO PUNCHES; THE REALITIES ARE HARSH AND DEADLY

Untold numbers of wild creatures have been buried under snow since winter hammered southeastern Colorado in late December. But two incidents that happened in plain view provide more obvious evidence of this winter's severity.

Early this month, trains killed 41 elk that waded out of deep drifts and yarded up on railroad tracks between Trinidad and Aguilar.

Photo here: [mas.scripps.com]

Caption reads: Pronghorn gathered where they could find clear footing after southeastern Colorado's blizzards. This herd chose a windswept ridge, but one large herd unfortunately chose a railroad track south of Las Animas. Photo by Colorado Division of Wildlife.

"There was nowhere else they could go," said Mike Seraphin, a Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman.

Worse was the discovery that as many as 200 pronghorn antelope were wiped out by trains south of Las Animas in the past week. The body count started at fewer than 50 pronghorns but grew rapidly when wildlife officials started investigating.

Since then, BNSF Railway Company engineers have agreed to go slow and keep an eye out for wildlife. And the wildlife division has been luring animals away from the kill zones with winter-feed wafers.

"Also, there are lots of reports of pronghorn standing on roadways," Seraphin said. The result has been hits, misses and warnings that motorists must slow down.

All this comes about in a cruel twist of climate generally blamed on El Niño. Snowpacks coveted by ski resorts have grown, instead, chiefly on the plains.

High winds whipped drifts up to 15 feet during the worst of the storms. Ten thousand livestock are said to have died from Lamar to La Junta to Campo.

WINTERKILL WORRIES: The wildlife toll in southeastern Colorado won't be pinned down for weeks or until spring. That's because thousands of carcasses are presumed hidden under snow and because the dying isn't over yet.

Pronghorns are the chief concern. When Lamar-area biologist Trent Verquer flew over the snowy steppe last week, he saw herds concentrated on windblown ridges where dried grass was bared. Many animals were reduced to eating cholla cactus.

He counted 800 pronghorns and spotted only 18 dead. "But there's so much snow, it's hard to say how many died," he said. "There could have been some that were drifted over."

Verquer said this week is critical for pronghorn survival. "We need to get out of these zero and subzero temperatures, or we could have problems."

He is not as worried about deer, particularly those along the Arkansas River bottom: "There's only a foot or two of snow there, and deer can deal with it pretty well."

Usually, big-game winterkill is a western Colorado problem. But Tom Remington, the division's chief terrestrial biologist, says elk and deer are in good shape at higher elevations because of normal to below- normal mountain snowpacks. So far, the only worry area is Walsenburg to Trinidad, where blizzards were nearly as severe as on the plains.

Remington said the division has been feeding animals special wafers containing cottonseed hulls to lure them away from danger and to reduce damage to farms and ranches. He said the division is ready to feed on a regular basis if winter stays its harsh course.

Meanwhile, the division urges people not to feed wildlife. Deer, in particular, cannot digest hay and grain in winter and can die from eating such "hot" feed.

UPLAND BIRDS: In his travels across the barrens and under stark cottonwoods, Verquer has found scaled quail and bobwhites killed by the storms in southeastern Colorado.

The birds most likely to survive, he says, are those that find shelter around old homesteads, barns and where cattle are fed.

"But the ones that are out in the open are going to have a pretty tough go," he said. "We certainly lost some birds."

Remington, a game-bird specialist, said he suspects that southeastern Colorado's formerly impressive quail and pheasant populations have collapsed.

"The storms almost assuredly took out a fairly significant number of pheasants and quail," he said. To the delight of predators, "the survivors are dark birds against a white background."

Remington said 70 percent of pheasants die in a normal year. He believes that will rise to 90 percent in the southeast this winter.

"It's certainly bad news for upland birds for the next year or two," he said.

On a more positive note, both biologists agree that copious moisture on the southern prairie should result in lush groceries and hearty reproduction come spring.

"The wheat crop is going to be outstanding," Verquer said. "And the cover is going to be wonderful - if they can make it through the winter." - Ed Dentry, Rocky Mountain News

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FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LIMITS REMOTE-CONTROL TRAINS TO FLAT LAND

Photo here:

[www.eastoregonian.info]

Caption reads: A Union Pacific remote-controlled locomotive lies on the side of the tracks after it collided with a coal train in April outside of Hermiston. EO file photo.

HERMISTON, OR -- Unless the government changes its recommendations, remote-control trains are prohibited between Hinkle and Umatilla, Oregon.

Union Pacific Railroad has notified the city it wants to operate remote-controlled trains through Hermiston. The city subsequently adopted a resolution banning remote-control operations. The railroad, however, continues to pursue its plan.

Warren Flatau, Federal Railroad Administration spokesman in Washington, DC, said a Sept. 5, 2005, letter from Daniel C. Smith, FRA associate administrator for safety, spells out the government's latest opinion about remote-control operations. Smith wrote the letter to the presidents of two associations that represent U.S. railroads.

Hermiston City Manager Ed Brookshier believes one of the FRA's four recommendations in that letter would stop the UP on its tracks. That recommendation prohibits remote-control operations on any grade greater than one-half percent for more than one-quarter mile.

While the Union Pacific tracks are relatively flat as they pass through Hermiston, Brookshier said there is a considerable grade as the tracks approach the Port of Umatilla.

"The track basically parallels the Old River Road until you get down to Umatilla," Brookshier said. "Then it climbs to the Port of Umatilla's industrial area. ... The distance involved is in excess of one mile and the grade is three percent."

Even though that recommendation would appear to put a brake on the railroad's plan, the FRA is leaving the door open for Union Pacific.

Flatau said the railroad must file an amendment to its remote-control operations training program before it can expand remote operations at Hinkle.

The railroad filed four years ago to provide training that addresses remote-control yard switching only.

"The amendment they will be filing will specifically address training for RCO movements outside of yards," Flatau said. "Union Pacific will not be allowed to implement this job until FRA approves additional training."

Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman in Omaha, said UP has completed its review of remote-control operations through Hermiston and has submitted a training plan to the FRA.

Flatau said Wednesday Union Pacific provided the FRA a draft plan and agency officials offered the railroad guidance about revising it.

"They have not submitted their formal training plan," he said.

Flatau said FRA specialists have been working with Union Pacific and with representatives of the United Transportation Union.

"My understanding is that these (remote-control) jobs are going to be handled by UTU members, rather than BLE," Flatau said, referring to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the union that represents the engineers who normally operate locomotives.

The UTU represents various crafts, he said, including brakemen-conductors.

"It is not our intention to see RCOs (remote-control operations) expand well beyond yard limits," Flatau said. "The FRA wants to be satisfied that the operators not only have sufficient training, but that we feel that it is, in fact, adequate."

He said the agency will approach expanding remote-control operations cautiously, but there is "no legitimate or objective basis for us to ban them."

Representatives of Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., say the elected officials intend to send letters to the FRA on Hermiston's behalf.

Geoff Stuckart, a Wyden spokesman, said Wednesday his office is concerned about potential safety issues.

Andrew Whelan, a Walden spokesman, said his boss will team up with Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., who is on the House Transportation Committee, to write a letter asking, "Is this idea really safe, is it proven?"

Brookshier hopes also they will discuss his main concern about the railroad's plan and the FRA's recommendations. Neither has addressed remote-control operations in an urban environment where railroad tracks cross city streets, he said. - Dean Brickey, The East Oregonian

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NCGA TESTIFIES AGAINST PROPOSED RAILROAD RULES

The National Corn Growers Association is opposing the Surface Transportation Board's proposed rules for handling rate complaints by shippers against railroads, saying it "will make an already untenable situation much worse."

In testimony before the STB, NCGA and other groups told the board that the proposed rules "would slam the door shut against most, if not all, small rate challenges," and that STB's proposal drastically underestimates the cost and time for the new procedures.

STB proposed new rules for handling shippers' rate complaints against railroads in July, and NCGA and other producer organizations filed complaints this fall saying that under the new rules, complaints would be too expensive to file due to legal fees.

The Government Accountability Office released preliminary observations of the STB in June 2006, reporting that although most of the rail freight industry enjoyed strong productivity and passed its lower costs on to shippers. However, the GAO found that grain rates differed from the industry trends; the amount of grain traffic with higher markups increased significantly from 1985 to 2004.

STB will hold more hearings on rail freight, and NCGA and other groups asking to present additional findings before the board on Jan. 31. - FarmFutures.com

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GARDNER SEEKS INTERCHANGE

TOPEKA, KS -- Gardner, Kansas officials asked Johnson County lawmakers on Wednesday for help getting a new interchange on Interstate 35 to serve a planned 1,300-acre freight center there.

Officials from BNSF Railway Co. and the Allen Group, developers of the project southeast of Gardner, called the project the largest economic development effort in Kansas in the last 40 years.

Skip Kalb Jr., the railroad's strategic development director, said the project would generate 13,000 jobs and provide $2 billion in economic benefit to the state.

"So, what's the problem?" asked Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican, after the 40-minute presentation to a meeting of the Johnson County legislative delegation.

"We need an interchange," said Gardner Mayor Carol Lehman.

"We want to have it happen as quickly as possible. We don't want trucks driving up and down our city streets."

Steve Forsberg, a BNSF spokesman, said estimates for construction of an interchange range from $15 million to $25 million.

Kalb said the railroad hopes to open the freight facility late next year. Officials said the exact location of the interchange hasn't been determined but it would be near 199th Street and I-35.

"You can count on this delegation to advance the progress of this project," said Rep. Arlen Siegfreid, an Olathe Republican and chairman of the county delegation.

Gardner will be facing tremendous transportation demands as BNSF moves forward with a 350-acre intermodal hub that will be coupled with a 1,000-acre warehouse and distribution center on the city's western edge.

When the freight center opens in 2008, it could generate roughly 5,900 vehicle trips a day, of which a little more than a third will be trucks. - Jim Sullinger and Brad Cooper, The Kansas City Star

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GROUPS URGE PARK WORK, NOT REBATES

AUSTIN, TX -- A recent suggestion by Gov. Rick Perry to limit proposed budget increases for the financially troubled Texas parks system and instead use some of the money to give tax rebates to sports enthusiasts was met with dismay Thursday by outdoor advocates.

Charles Harkless, president of the Texas BASS Federation Nation, said most anglers would rather have their money go to parks improvements than rebates. Of greater concern to anglers is the neglected parks system and a state government that has taken money originally meant for parks and used it for other purposes, he said.

"There is concern that boat ramps need repairs, the bathrooms need repairs. ... Fishermen don't mind paying money for the parks service," said Harkless, contacted during a fishing tournament in Louisiana.

George Bristol, director of the Texas Coalition for Conservation, said Perry's own political appointees have recommended the proposed budget increases that the governor now suggests may be too much for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Bristol said those recommendations came after a careful review of funding shortfalls for parks.
"I hope the governor and others come to realize that these recommendations, unanimously adopted by his appointees, are not a pie-in-the-sky wish list but are prudent and fiscally responsible," Bristol said.

At issue is the more than $110 million raised each year from the state sales tax on sporting goods. In 1993, the Legislature dedicated that tax to parks, but in subsequent years lawmakers adopted budgets that rerouted most of the money.

Legislation pending in the House would follow recommendations by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission and the Texas State Parks Advisory Board and restore every dime of that tax to parks.

The result would be a boost of more than $90 million a year for the parks system.

When asked last week about the legislation, Perry suggested that Parks and Wildlife might not be in a position to spend all the money and that he would instead consider rebating some of it to anglers and hunters.

"My concern [is] that it is such a large amount of money that the Parks and Wildlife Department cannot effectively spend that money on parks," Perry told the Star-Telegram. "Is the sporting-goods tax raising more money than what the parks system can efficiently and effectively spend? ... Do we need a way to rebate back to Texans a surplus? I suggest that we do.

"We will discuss that during the session ... and not just on that small issue but across the board."

On Thursday, a Perry spokesman clarified that the governor is not ruling out the full restoration of revenue from the sporting-goods tax but rather wants to ensure through the legislative appropriations process that the money will be spent wisely.

If lawmakers determine that the department can't spend all that money, said spokesman Robert Black, then some of it should go back to taxpayers.

"What the governor was saying was ... that the money that a tax brings in should not drive budget decisions," Black said. "Budget decisions should be driven by how much a state agency needs. ... We're going to have a debate during the legislative process, and the parks department needs to justify" its needs.

Last year, a Star-Telegram investigation found a struggling parks system contending with inoperable vehicles, shuttered facilities, and the expensive deterioration of water and wastewater systems.

The department has also cut nearly 100 positions since 2003 and has left parks either completely or partially shut down for more than 15 months because it doesn't have the money to repair damage from Hurricane Rita.

During Perry's tenure, tens of millions of dollars originally dedicated to the parks department was spent elsewhere.

The Republican governor and Legislature have also adopted budgets reducing money for state parks while increasing money for state government generally.

As a result, Texas rates 49th among states in per-capita parks spending, parks advocates say.
Texas Parks Director Walt Dabney said Thursday that restoration of the sporting-goods tax would bring the agency about $90 million annually in extra revenue. He contrasted that with the annual shortfall of roughly $85 million for park repairs, acquisitions and grants recently identified by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, which is made up of Perry appointees, and by the State Parks Advisory Board.

On top of the $85 million needed for repairs, grants and acquisition, Dabney said the agency has identified $11 million it needs over the next two years for the Texas State Railroad and more than $40 million it needs to restore the Battleship Texas.

"If we were not completely funded, we'd have to make some decisions not to enhance operations in some parks or not bring back operations in others," Dabney said.

Bristol, who is also a member of the State Parks Advisory Board, said that panel heard testimony on numerous occasions from department officials who outlined where the extra money would go.

"We felt comfortable that not only did they need the money, but that they could spend it wisely and in a fiscally prudent fashion," Bristol said.

He also said that Texans have repeatedly indicated their willingness to invest more in parks through opinion polls and by votes on bond issues.

"The people who use parks, and Texans in general, are not looking for a rebate," he said. - R. A. Dyer, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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VANDALS: WHY?

SIOUX CITY, IA -- There are times as a volunteer when your heart swells at what is accomplished. Then there are times when your heart sinks.

One recent Saturday was a sinking heart time for the Siouxland Historic Railroad. Young kids, with more time on their hands than good sense, had a jolly time destroying windows, breaking truck windshields and romping over a miniature train display. There was $25,000 to $35,000 worth of damage done. As a volunteer, my heart sank when I arrived at the compound and was told that the place had been broken into. The question "why" popped into my head. Why rip and tear an asset to the community? Why take something that exists for the enjoyment of all and abuse it? Here is a tool that educates young children, entertains adults and informs the public about railroad history in general and Sioux City in particular, so why do scamps go out of their way to negate these ambitions? I don't know.

I do know that the Siouxland Historical Railroad needs the community's help for repairs. I do know that the volunteers will continue to serve the public. I also know that Siouxland will respond to our poor fortune with an abundance of goodwill, hope and much needed money. - Jim Lipinski, The Sioux City Journal

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MODEL TRAIN IS GEORGE'S LABOR OF LOVE

Photo here:

[www.arkvalleynews.com]

Caption reads: Charley George with his Santa Fe engine model, which he worked on for three decades. Photo by Josh Heck.

VALLEY CENTER, KS -- Charley George thought he ought to show off his work.

A project more than 30 years in the making had just gotten a fresh coat of paint. So why not give a look at his fabricated, replica, amusement park-sized train?

Though George, a retired railroad worker, started working on the more than eight-foot Santa Fe locomotive in the early 1970s, he spent a lot more time on it after he retired in 1994.

He said the project was something to keep him busy.

"You'll always be doing something with it," he said.

Equipped with a working engine and several functioning parts, George built the locomotive from scratch.

But the train he showcased Jan. 4 before taking it to his east Valley Center home was the just his latest project. George said he has worked on other projects for the Atchison Rail Museum. - Josh Heck, The Ark Valley News

TRANSIT NEWS

KC COUNCIL CONSIDERS OBSTACLES TO LIGHT-RAIL PLAN

KANSAS CITY, MO -- In its first move toward implementing a voter-approved light-rail plan, the Kansas City Council on Thursday heard reports from transportation experts who said the plan faces several legal and legislative hurdles.

Bill Geary, an assistant city attorney, told the council that the light-rail route voters approved in November raised significant legal questions, including how the route could be built through existing park land.

Geary said the city's Parks and Recreation Department has direct responsibility to manage and develop all park land. To build light rail through city parks, the department would have to cede control of park land back to the City Council, he said. If the department doesn't comply, the city would be forced to find an alternative route, Geary said.

Other legal issues include the ownership of various structures along the proposed light-rail route, including the Heart of America Bridge, which is owned by the state, and property in North Kansas City and Gladstone. Kansas City doesn't have jurisdiction to condemn property in these areas, Geary said.

Jeff Boothe, a transportation lawyer with Holland & Knight, Kansas City's Washington-based lobbying firm, said it will take at least eight to 10 years for Kansas City to secure federal financing for a light-rail line.

"This is a marathon, not a sprint," Boothe said.

The Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program, which provides all federal money for light-rail projects, requires municipalities to follow a regimented, lengthy process, Boothe said. That process includes about two years of initial analysis and three to five years of preliminary engineering work.

Mark Huffer, general manager of the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, told the City Council that within the next few months, his agency would begin to apply for about $2.5 million in federal money for the initial phase of analysis. The ATA, which is the designated recipient for federal money in Kansas City, must submit a request for money by March to qualify for federal financing in fiscal 2008.

Several City Council members asked questions about amending the current light-rail ordinance and resubmitting it to voters to alleviate some of the legal issues. No specific alternative ordinance was proposed, though.

In November, Kansas City voters approved a measure to extend the city's current three-eighths-cent transportation sales tax for 25 years to build a $1 billion, 27-mile light-rail line. The initiative called for about 50 percent of the line's cost to be paid with federal money. - The Kansas City Business Journal

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UNIVERSITY REPRESENTATIVES TO INFLUENCE CITY'S LIGHT-RAIL EXPANSION PLANS

Map here: [www.mndaily.com]

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MN -- When Minnesota Student Association President Max Page took on an internship at the state Capitol last spring, he knew the long bus ride from the University involved some planning.

If Page took the route 50 bus, he could arrive at St. Paul in about 30 minutes. If he took the route 16 bus, it would take almost twice as long.

"I got a lot of good reading done," Page said of his time spent on the bus.

Page joined the Central Corridor Community Advisory Committee earlier this month to help plan for the new light-rail transit system, which will connect Minneapolis and St. Paul.

He is among 42 representatives from the area appointed to the advisory committee by the Metropolitan Council Jan. 10. Kristen Denzer, Graduate and Professional Student Assembly vice president for student affairs, will also be on the committee.

It will meet monthly to provide input on the new light-rail's design, access, traffic, parking, safety and community impacts during construction.

"(The light rail) will help students connect with both the rest of Minneapolis and St. Paul," Page said.

Page said he will propose the idea of having the light-rail track go underground when it passes through campus for safety reasons.

He said he hopes an underground line will keep light-rail accidents on campus to a minimum.

Parking and Transportation Services Executive Director Bob Baker said an underground light-rail tunnel could prevent additional traffic congestion already caused by automobiles and pedestrians, making the campus safer.

"Safety is a fundamental concern for us," Baker said, adding that approximately 16,000 students live within a one-mile radius of the proposed line.

Baker also said an underground tunnel would help keep the train schedule reliable since pedestrians won't be able to slow it down.

Other committee members include representatives of local universities, nonprofit groups, and Twin Cities community councils.

Co-owner of Manhattan Loft and Stadium Village Commercial Association officer Julie Wild will also take part in providing input for the project. She will act as the go-between, linking the committee and the association, she said.

Although the light-rail expansion is still in the planning stages, Wild said she believes it is important for business owners to have a voice in the decision-making process since construction could tear up the roads in front of stores.

"Obviously that's not advantageous for any business to have the front of your business inaccessible for any period of time," she said.

Pi Kappa Alpha adviser Nick Rosenberry is also part of the advisory committee and said he will also represent the Minnesota Greek Alumni Partnership.

"I want to see (the light rail) running as soon as possible," Rosenberry said.

The planned 11-mile expansion will allow passengers to ride from downtown Minneapolis to downtown St. Paul via a connection to the existing Hiawatha light rail at the Metrodome station.

The light rail is proposed to include 16 stops and would travel mainly along Washington and University avenues southeast.

Proposed stations on campus include the West Bank, East Bank and Stadium Village, said Metropolitan Council Manager of Public Involvement Robin Kaufman.

Construction is planned to start in 2010, with service beginning in 2014, according to a Metropolitan Council report. - Brian Kushida, The Minnesota Daily (Student Newspaper of the University of Minnesota)

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REPORT: NY RAILROAD NEGLECTED RISKY GAPS

MELVILLE, NY -- More than a third of platforms on the nation's largest commuter-rail system have troublesome gaps, but until recently the agency did little to stop falls, a newspaper reported Friday.

The Newsday investigation found that Long Island Rail Road officials have known for more than 30 years that the gaps posed dangers, injuring hundreds of passengers. But prevention efforts were mostly limited to posting "Watch the Gap" warnings, the report said.

The gaps - which average 8 inches and top 1 foot at some stations- drew fresh attention last August when 18-year-old Natalie Smead of Northfield, Minnesota, was killed when she fell at a station in Queens.

The railroad started tightening gaps at several stations in recent months, and officials said Thursday that they planned improvements at 100 of the railroad's 262 platforms.

"We're working together closely ... with our best people to mitigate this problem," acting LIRR President Ray Kenny said.

Newsday found that falls into the gaps were the top cause of passenger injuries in the 5-1/2 years before Smead's death, except for 2002. The newspaper also said the LIRR has had more gap accidents than two other local commuter railroads, Metro-North and New Jersey Transit, in several recent years.

The analysis logged 882 gap-related mishaps on the LIRR since 1995, but said that might not include all falls.

The investigation also found that the gaps had been identified as a problem decades ago.

Lawsuits stemming from falls into gaps on LIRR platforms go back at least to 1970. In 1987, the LIRR's parent agency, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, flagged dangerous platform gaps along the Metro-North line.

"This was nothing new," Republican state Sen. Dean Skelos said. "Injuries were occurring ... I just believe that more significant steps should have been taken sooner."

The only legal restriction on platform gaps comes from the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which sets a 3-inch limit at platforms built after 1991. The LIRR and many other commuter railroads meet that limit by providing ramps for train crews to extend. - The Associated Press, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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LAGNIAPPE (Something extra, not always railroad related, for Saturdays only)

OLD-TIME ATTITUDE LIVES AT DONALDSONVILLE STORE

Photo here: [media.2theadvocate.com]

Caption reads: Michel Bellina, owner of Bellina's Grocery in Donaldsonville, slices a ham he boiled for sale. Bellina's boiled ham has become very popular in the area, and there is often a waiting list around Christmas for the hambones. Bellina's parents opened the store in the 1950s, and it has survived despite corporate competitors like Walmart. (All Advocate staff photos by Heather McClelland.)

DONALDSONVILLE, LA -- Michel Bellina walked around Bellina's Grocery on Jan. 11 greeting customers as if they were old friends.

And many of them are.

The store owner has been operating the neighborhood grocery since 1976, continuing a tradition his father and mother began before he was born.

"This is like a family get-together," said Julien Trepagnier, 82, who stopped by to purchase lottery tickets.

Trepagnier, who lives across the street from the Donaldsonville landmark, has been shopping at Bellina's for as long as he can remember.

His wife Rosemary Trepagnier, who is deceased, worked at the store in the 1950s.

"It's a good place," Trepagnier insisted.

Donaldsonville resident Myra Caruso agreed. "It's a hometown store and they're great," Caruso said as she placed a few items on the counter.

The specialties

While they love the small-town atmosphere and the chance to talk with friends, most patrons like Trepagnier are drawn to the store for one reason: the ham.

Donaldsonville resident David Dubreuil said the delicacy is what first made the grocery famous.

"You have to have a calling card that the big stores don't have," Bellina said.

"That's our trademark," he added.

Bellina prepares two hams a day and said he even has customers for the ham bones, which they use to season red and white beans and mustard or collard greens.

Judy Troxclair of Railroad Café purchases a hambone every Monday.

In early fall, it's not unusual for Bellina to have a list of customers waiting to purchase the ham bones.

"That's where the flavor comes from," Bellina said.

The ham became even more famous when actor Clark Gable tasted the dish while in town filming a movie in the mid-1950s, Bellina said.

As Bellina carved slices from today's ham customers moved to the deli counter to place their orders. A picture of Bellina's parents, who purchased the store in 1944, sits in a frame on that same counter.

Virgie Scioneaux doesn't come to Bellina's for the ham, but does come for her staple of lottery tickets.

Part-time worker Margie Barrient said Scioneaux comes in every day to purchase scratch-off tickets.

"If she doesn't show up, we get worried," Barrient said.

The history

Bellina's father, Mike Bellina, and his wife, Virginia Bellina, purchased the Donaldsonville store in 1944 from Joe Fontana. Back then, the business was across the street, where the laundromat sits today.

In 1955, Bellina's parents built the present store across the street from the original location and included attached living quarters, where Bellina lives.

Bellina said he believes the store has been operating since the 1920s.

Bellina remembers how his mother and father would prepare dozens of sandwiches for schoolchildren, who would leave school at lunchtime.

While the most-popular po-boy was ham, Bellina's parents would also prepare cold-cut and salami sandwiches.

"The highest was five cents and that was with everything on it," Bellina said. Made with "Boudreaux" French bread, the sandwiches measured 8 to 10 inches long.

In 1960, after business got too brisk, Bellina convinced his father to stop making the sandwiches.

Bellina grew up with the business and began working for his parents when he was 13, delivering groceries on his bicycle.

"That was my mistake: learning to ride a bike," he chuckled.

In later years, Bellina used his station wagon to deliver goods until delivery service ceased in the 1980s.

"That's when gas was one dollar and we thought that was high," Bellina recalled.

Fond memories

Photo here: [media.2theadvocate.com]

Caption reads: Ivy Waguespack, a longtime friend of Michel Bellina since the third grade, stopped to visit Bellina on his day off Thursday. Waguespack said although his grandmother lived near Bellina's Grocery, he often spent his time with Bellina at the store.

As Bellina moved to the front of the store, he extended his arm from behind the counter and shook hands with his childhood friend Ivy Waguespack.

"He takes after his daddy," said Waguespack, who has been friends with Bellina since they were 10 years old.

Waguespack, who visited his grandmother's home near Bellina's, said he spent more time at the store than at his grandmother's house.

"Many times after school we would come in and get ice cream and his daddy wouldn't make us pay for it," Waguespack recalled. "He would say, 'Bring it in tomorrow' or 'Bring it in the next time you come.'"

More than 50 years later, Bellina still allows customers to purchase "on credit," allowing them to pay later for groceries.

As he pointed to numerous charge books in a drawer below the cash register, he smiled.

"It's a convenience," Bellina said. "It's why they come."

That "convenience" began when his parents owned and operated the store.

The people

Bellina said he owes the success of the store in part to Fritz Sternfelds, who "took a chance" with his mother and father when they first opened the store by stocking the shelves and allowing them to pay for the merchandise later.

As a "thank you" for the gesture, Bellina still purchases his groceries from the wholesale company owned by Fritz Sternfelds' grandson Scott Sternfelds.

With both of his parents deceased, Bellina carries on the tradition with part-time employees Barrient, Deborah Millien and Brett Landry.

His customers are the children and grandchildren of the customers Bellina's parents once served.

Photo here: [media.2theadvocate.com]

Caption reads: Herbert Cox greets another customer as he enters the store. Cox, a regular at Bellina's Grocery, said he comes in almost every day, sometimes just to say hello.

The future

Bellina smiled as he told stories of an old slot machine that his dad once placed in the store and about an old adding machine and cash register that still work, but it's evident that his success has been bittersweet.

Bellina worries about the future of the store.

A single man, Bellina doesn't have children who can carry on the tradition. He has asked his nieces and nephews to consider the venture but all have turned him down.

"It's something from them (my parents) and I'd like to keep it going," Bellina said. "If I had to sell it, I'd be sad."

Although he is not sure when he will call it quits, Bellina is convinced that the store will close when he finally leaves.

"After I get out of it, it's going to close," he said. - Christine M. Arceneaux, The Baton Rouge Advocate

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ARTIFACTS AREN'T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

One explanation made frequently in the @#$%&'s Rope Museum in McLean, Texas points out the differences in a sledge hammer and a post maul.

The museum exhibits a large display of post mauls because they were used in building early day barbed-wire fences, especially along railroad rights of way. Some treated posts used by the railroad had lathe-turned, pointed ends to facilitate driving into the soil.

A sledge hammer is made of steel capable of striking other steel without damage to the hammer face.

A post maul goes way back in history as most were made by local blacksmiths heating cast iron over their forges and pouring the molten metal into molds.

The cast iron hammer-heads will chip and flake off if used against iron stakes or posts. Mauls were used not only to drive posts but wooden stakes and stobs used in setting concrete forms and raising circus tents. Some mauls have wooden inserts to absorb the impact without damage and all have the weight of the head imprinted into the metal. Some weighed up to 40 pounds.

An item often mistaken as some sort of barbed wire is a seed-corn rack. Long before seed companies originated, each farmer had to select, dry and shell out his own seed corn for the next year's planting. The ears of corn were selected by their condition and quality and proper drying was essential to protect against spoilage. Both handmade and factory-made drying racks were used by farmers by pushing the chosen ears onto points attached to a heavy wire, which could be hung up to the rafters of a shed or corn crib. The points resembled barbed wire to some people.

Officially, the first mechanical, adjusting wrench was patented in 1839 by L. Coes & Company of Worchester, MA, and was described as a "screw wrench."

Unofficially, these mechanical tools were called "knuckle-busters" or every type of cuss-word that came to mind as wounded users nursed their mashed fingers and skinned knuckles. Most of these wrenches are found out in deep-plowed dirt as that is where the user flung them after the accident.

The title "monkey wrench" came from the same type tool invented by a man named Monke, instead of a caged monkey as imagined by most users.

Now, if you really want to shake up your coffee-shop buddies, tell them, "I just put a coat of Neats-foot Oil on my John Deere saddle."

After the laughter dies down, relate the following. The John Deere Company owned a saddle and harness-making business in Kansas City, MO, from 1882 to 1906. They sold all kinds of tack, reins, tugs, bridles, halters and saddles.

The most popular saddle was a No. 614 Stock Saddle with a basket-weave stamp, high cantle and swell and iron stirrups. All these items are rare today as most were sold overseas at the time.

With the passing of the horse-power era, John Deere sold the leather department to Velie Saddlery, which was operated by a grandson of John Deere who produced goods on order for the company for years afterward.

There, you now know some trivia you didn't know before. - Delbert Trew, The Amarillo Globe-News

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THE END