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Railroad Newsline for Friday, February 16, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

331 MPH TRAIN SETS A RECORD

A French train has broken its own world record by traveling at 331 mph - a speed which would see it get from London to Edinburgh in just an hour.

The previous record, set in 1990, was 320 mph.

The superfast TGV - Train a Grande Vitesse - established the new mark in a top-secret test on Tuesday. It took place on a stretch of line connecting Paris to the eastern city of Strasbourg.

Now the train will try for an even higher speed in an official world record bid in April.

Average speeds for passenger-carrying TGVs are 186 mph but on the new Paris-Strasbourg line, which opens in June, they will run at 190 mph. - The Glasgow Daily Record, courtesy Marc Pearsall

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BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND

Directors of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI) voted on February 14, 2007, to pay a quarterly dividend of 25 cents per share on outstanding common stock.

Dividends on common stock will be paid April 2, 2007, to shareholders of record March 12, 2007.

Common shares outstanding on January 31, 2007, totaled approximately 359 million.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation's subsidiary BNSF Railway Company operates one of the largest North American rail networks, with about 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. BNSF Railway Company is among the world's top transporters of intermodal traffic, moves more grain than any other American railroad, carries the components of many of the products we depend on daily, and hauls enough low-sulphur coal to generate about ten percent of the electricity produced in the United States. BNSF Railway Company is an industry leader in Web-enabling a variety of customer transactions at www.bnsf.com. - BNSF News Release

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MISHAP WITH CAR, TRAIN KNOCKS POWER OUT

CAMERON, TX -- A suspected drunk driver hit a utility pole, causing a dangerous situation with power lines Sunday evening on the south side of town.

The downed power lines were struck and drug by a BNSF Railway Company freight train, shattering its bullet proof glass and hitting a Cameron Police car, causing serious damage to it.

No one was hurt by the power lines, but some residences south of the College and Santa Fe streets intersection were without electricity for more than 24 hours.

Cameron Police Department Lt. Kris Stringer said that the original call of downed lines at the intersection came to the department at 18:55.

When officers arrived, Stringer said it was clear that they were investigating a hit and run.

"When we arrived, there was a power pole broke in half, and you could tell it was hit by a vehicle," Stringer said.

He said that there was also a telephone wire sagging across the railroad located at the intersection.

"We contacted BNSF...and they said all the trains were stopped," Stringer added.

As on lookers gathered and officers worked to clear the scene, Stringer said a BNSF train came barreling down the tracks at approximately 50 mph.

"The engine clipped the downed wire and it (the wire) busted the bulletproof glass windows in the engine," Stringer said.

The officer said that the live wire caught on the engine and was pulled down the tracks, stretching until it broke. While the wire was being taken down the tracks it was pulling everything it was attached to with it.

"It pulled the (railroad) crossings out of the ground, light poles down and power lines," Stringer said. "It even pulled some of the actual lines and breaker boxes off of homes near the area."

Those who had gathered to see what was happening, along with emergency personnel scrambled to take shelter from the flying debris and live electrical wires.

"I had just gotten in the car when the line hit," Stringer said.

A live wire hit Stringer's police cruiser parked on the north side of the tracks, breaking its windshield and damaging its roof.

"If I hadn't gotten into the car when I did, that wire probably would have killed me," Stringer added.

The wire was pulled so far by the train engine that it finally broke in half, while the train finally managed to stop just as it crossed the US 190/SH 36 overpass according to Stringer.

While people still gathered to see what was going on, an eyewitness walked up to CPD officer Patrick Guffey, who was stationed on the south side of the tracks, and told him they saw the vehicle that struck the pole and gave him the license plate number.

It was a 1994 silver Dodge pickup driven by Robert Ramirez, 45, of Cameron. According to police, an intoxicated Ramirez was in the crowd watching the events unfold.

Stringer said that the driver was on his way to a friend's house when he struck the utility pole.
"We found him at a friend's house, intoxicated, and his vehicle with front end damage," the officer added.

Ramirez was arrested and taken to the Milam County Jail. He is facing charges of duty on striking a fixture, highway landscape causing more than $200 in damage, unsafe lane change, failure to drive in a single lane, no liability insurance, first offense and public intoxication.

Ramirez was released Monday after posting a bond of $2,500 and paying fines totaling $1,078.

The train involved in the accident was hauling 6,000 tons of diesel. Had the wires been enough to derail the train, no electricity would have been the least of the problems according to Stringer.

"It could have been a much more dangerous situation," he added. - Marie Bakken, The Cameron Herald

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HEARTLAND FLYER CELEBRATES OKLAHOMA CENTENNIAL WITH SPECIAL FARES THROUGH DECEMBER

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Amtrak Heartland Flyer train is playing a part in the Oklahoma's celebration of 100 years of statehood. From now until December 13, each adult passenger who uses a special promotional code can bring a companion with them at no additional charge.

Aside from a few blackout dates during holidays in April, May and November, passengers using discount code H711 are entitled to a free companion ticket for the same itinerary at the same time. Couples or adults traveling with kids can enjoy the comfortable and reliable Heartland Flyer while sampling the history of the Sooner State.

"Amtrak has joined with ODOT and the Centennial Commission in recognizing our great State's Centennial year with this very special fare offer," said Joe Kyle, Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Rail Programs Division Manager. "If you haven't traveled aboard the Heartland Flyer, now is an excellent time to take a friend along, enjoy the ride and save money as well."

Oklahoma celebrates its 100th anniversary of statehood on November 16, 2007, and all across the 46th state, communities and organizations are getting ready. Many are creating monuments, fountains, parks or cultural facilities that reflect local or state history, while others are restoring historical sites and structures. Most are planning special commemorations or are enhancing traditional festivals and annual events. For more information, visit the state's official Oklahoma '07 web site: www.oklahomacentennial.com.

"We're excited about teaming up with ODOT and Amtrak this Centennial Year," said Blake Wade, Executive Director of the state's Centennial Commission.

"Thanks to the Heartland Flyer, Oklahoma's celebrations will be even more accessible from our neighboring states," Wade added.

Amtrak operates the Heartland Flyer under contracts with ODOT and the Texas Department of Transportation, with the support of the Heartland Flyer Coalition, a grass-roots group representing communities and leaders along the 206-mile route. - Marc Magliari, Amtrak and Brenda Perry, ODOT, Joint News Release

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BNSF AVERAGE DAILY PRB TRAIN LOADINGS EXCEED 50 FOR THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK OF 2007

Average BNSF Railway Company daily train loadings for the Powder River Basin (PRB), including Wyoming and Montana mines, totaled 50.1 trains per day for the week ended Feb. 11, 2007, compared with an average of 48.7 trains per day for the week ended Feb. 12, 2006.

Planned and unplanned mine outages resulted in an average of 5.1 missed loading opportunities per day for the week ended Feb. 11, 2007.

Year-to-date through Feb. 11, 2007, BNSF has loaded a total daily average of 49.2 trains in the PRB, up 2 percent from the 48.2 trains loaded through the same period in 2006.

Systemwide, BNSF loaded a total of 32.5 million tons through Feb. 11, 2007, up 1 percent from the 2006 year-to-date total of 32.1 million tons.

Construction Projects Update

Turnouts are being installed to link three additional yard tracks at the Donkey Creek Yard near Rozet, Wyoming, to the yard's six existing tracks, which were completed last year. The three new tracks are scheduled to go into service in March after all turnouts are installed and the track is surfaced.

Installation of turnouts is scheduled this week on the first seven-mile stretch of a total of 14 miles of new second main track being built this year between Angora and Northport, Nebraska. The first seven-mile segment is expected to go into service in mid-March after completion of signal work. - BNSF Today

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CN, UNION AT ODDS OVER INCIDENTS

CN officials continue to insist striking workers are having little effect on railroad operations, but United Transportation Union members say several recent railyard incidents indicate otherwise.

Four cars operated by non-UTU workers and "management replacement personnel" derailed in Fort Saskatchewan Tuesday.

That same day four cars skipped the tracks at the Symington railyard in Manitoba, and a locomotive derailed in Prince George, BC. No one was injured in the incidents.

Internet discussion boards are also reporting several other unconfirmed derailments in Eastern Canada.

CN spokesman Jim Feeny said Tuesday's incident in Fort Saskatchewan was unrelated to the strike. He said the Symington derailment is still under investigation.

Local UTU chairman Greg Alm said it's hard to attribute all of the incidents to replacement staff, "but it's easy to see the frequency of accidents affected by lack of experience."

Alm said unionized conductors normally get six months of training before they are certified.

CN has said rail service is running at "almost" the same level as before last Saturday's strike began and has used percentages of up to 80% service levels. Union members say that number is inflated, and plummeting daily. - Brooks Merritt, The Edmonton Sun

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AMTRAK PASSENGERS RIDE BUSES ON THURSDAY

Heavy freight train congestion and broken track has forced Amtrak to replace trains with buses Thursday between Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the railroad line is clogged with a "couple dozen" freight trains that are making it difficult for passenger trains to travel between Kansas City and St. Louis.

He also said there is a broken rail at some point along the route that needs to be welded together. Magliari said it's not unusual for rail to snap during freeze-and-thaw cycles.

Magliari said he expects Amtrak to restore passenger train service on Friday.

Amtrak runs four trains daily between Kansas City and St. Louis, two eastbound and two westbound. It uses railroad owned by Union Pacific.

Union Pacific spokesman James Barnes couldn't quantify the level of congestion on the route early this morning.

"Some of the issues are related to weather and other issues are related to heavy freight traffic," he said. "We're working hard to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible." - Brad Cooper, The Kansas City Star

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PROPANE SUPPLIES ARE TIGHT IN PARTS OF NEW ENGLAND

PORTLAND, ME --Propane suppliers are delivering less than full loads to some northern New England customers because of a railroad strike in Canada and the storm-delayed arrival of a tanker in New Hampshire, an industry official said Thursday.

The tanker Alrar's arrival Thursday morning in Portsmouth, NH, will help the situation but propane supplies will remain tight for the next week, Jamie Py of the Maine Oil Dealers Association said.

"You're going to see dealers prioritizing for those who're out of propane," he said. For now, he said, supplies were sufficient to keep customers from running out.

In Augusta, Gov. John Baldacci met with the director of the Maine Emergency Management Agency on Thursday to assess the situation. Baldacci already declared a state of emergency allowing drivers making fuel deliveries to stay on the roads longer. That will allow drivers to make the rounds to at least make partial propane deliveries to homes, Py said.

Propane ranks behind heating oil and natural gas as the primary heating fuel in New England, but tens of thousands of homeowners use it, and the pinch is being felt across the region.

In Maine, about 5 percent, or roughly 25,000, homes are heated by propane, according to the 2000 census. Propane is used for heat by 50,000 homes in New Hampshire, 29,000 homes in Vermont and 64,000 homes in Massachusetts.

Businesses including fast-food restaurants and big-box retail stores also use propane, which is liquefied petroleum gas, Py said.

There are four sources of propane in New England. Propane deliveries arrive via tankers at ports in Rhode Island and New Hampshire, and there's a pipeline in Selkirk, NY, Py said. The fourth source is rail shipments, he said.

All of New England is affected by the strike against Canadian National, Canada's largest railway. But Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire face the toughest prospects, said Bob Garside, president of the Oil Heat Council of New Hampshire.

After the Alrar, the next big ship carrying propane to New England is due Feb. 22 in Rhode Island, Py said.

Shipping from Selkirk, NY, to New England is difficult because of the distance and because tanker trucks already are lined up, he said.

As for rail, Canadian National shipments are continuing with managers running the trains, but the union says freight shipments are down. A Canadian government hearing on the legality of the strike is scheduled for Monday. - David Sharp, The Associated Press, The Boston Globe

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RAIL STUDY UPDATE

WAXAHACHIE, TX -- Just over a year after a fatal railroad crossing accident took the life of one Waxahachie, Texas resident and spurred the Waxahachie City Council to action, the council heard a presentation from HDR Engineering at its winter retreat on Thursday.

Fredrick Crayton, 32, died after his car collided with a Union Pacific train on Jan. 5, 2006, at the intersection of Munchus and Eggar Streets.

No lights, bells or crossing bars are installed at the Munchus Street crossing where the collision occurred.

After the accident, the council requested the city staff contract with HDR Engineering and complete a study to examine the cost and effectiveness of initiating a quiet zone throughout the city.

A quiet zone is a designation given to an area by the Federal Railroad Administration where safety standards have been improved far enough that a crossing can operate safely without the locomotive sounding its horn.

Currently trains are required to sound their horn for at least 20 seconds prior to their arrival at all public grade crossings.

Since the council approved contracting the study, another Waxahachie resident was killed Jan. 1, at the North Elm Street crossing when his vehicle collided with a UP train.

Raul Martinez, 49, was taken by ambulance to Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie where he was then taken by air ambulance to Baylor Medical Center Dallas and later pronounced dead.

The North Elm Street crossing has crossbucks and flashing lights installed at the intersection but no crossing bars. According to previous statements by the Texas Department of Transportation and UP, the crossing is too wide to install standard crossbars to block traffic in its current configuration.

Collisions at grade crossings are the second leading cause of death associate with railroad operations.

"We've worked on this study for about nine months," Ron Williams with HDR Engineering told the council on Thursday. "We looked at grade changes and possible bridges in some locations and we also looked at signal improvements and closures or consolidation of crossings."

Williams said the firm completed the draft of the study at the end of last year and based their study around two separate quiet zones.

Zone one is located on the BNSF Railway Company line that runs south of downtown and zone two is the UP line that runs north of downtown.

Williams said the city has 17 crossings located on the UP line and another 10 crossings located on the BNSF line.

"Quiet zones must be at least half-a-mile in length," Williams said. "The requirement is that all elements in the crossing zone must have basic safety elements installed at each crossing.
Once the basic safety elements are in place you must give notice to the FRA that you intend to develop a quiet zone. Then you can install supplementary or alternative safety measures."

With supplementary safety measures, the city will be guaranteed a quiet zone and the city will always have the quiet zone. With alternative safety measures, the city is subject to yearly reviews and may lose the quiet zone status.

"We're recommending the SSM because the follow-up documentation can sometimes exceed the cost of the quiet zone itself," Williams said.

Examples of SSMs are median barriers or raised curbing; quadrant gates; wayside horns; conversion from two to one-way traffic, with two gates on the side of oncoming traffic and consolidation by closing crossings.

"One thing you need to allow for is working agreements with the railroads that could take up to 18 months," Williams said. "There are other projects going on that may be higher priority to them and they have projects that have been in the pipeline for years. We don't go to the top of the heap unfortunately."

Williams added that once agreements are in place the construction can take a couple years depending on how fast the city wants to accomplish the project.

"Depending on how you want to do this will make a difference in the construction time," Williams said. "You can do all the crossings all at once or each zone at a different time."

HDR Engineering estimates that a quiet zone for the BNSF line would cost an estimated $725,400 and the UP line would cost an estimated $1.26 million.

"These estimates are based on best available information today," Williams said. "We don't have the specifics of each location and this cost doesn't include utility connections or survey costs."

Williams said that the safest option for the city would be to close all the crossings in the city but after that, quadrant gates have the highest safety effectiveness.

"From here we need to select the SSMs to be implemented, define the project timeline and schedule and provide a letter of intent to the FRA," Williams said. "After that we need to meet with the railroads and develop working agreements and arrange for a formal field survey at each location. After that we'll develop designs for review by all the stakeholders."

Mayor Joe Jenkins said his greatest concern is for the safety of Waxahachie residents.

"I want to know which crossings are safe and which ones are not," Jenkins said. "Where do we have real safety concerns? Safety is primary and noise is secondary."

Jenkins said he was also concerned about future increases in railroad traffic.

Williams told the council that the FRA has a calculator online with the individual safety scores reported.

He said he did not have the ranking or scores with him at the council's retreat.
The calculator can be found online at:
[safetydata.fra.dot.gov].

City Manager Paul Stevens told the council that the city would likely need to upgrade all of the crossings in each zone.

"It's difficult to do incrementally because of the location of our crossings. They're very close together," Stevens said. "I look at it as an all or nothing project."

Williams also reminded the council that six of the crossings in the city are scheduled to be upgraded as part of TxDOT's program for crossing signalization.

Steve Martchenke with UP told the City Council in February that the city should expect to see a huge improvement on the city's grade-crossings with UP rail lines by the third quarter of this year.

Martchenke told the council that each of the passive grade crossings on the UP line had been identified by federal and state standards to be upgraded as a part of the 2006 program.

"All UP passive crossings will start to see active crossing guards installed by the third quarter of 2007 with lights and gates," Martchenke said.

Grade-crossings are considered passive if only crossbucks or other signage is in place at the crossing and no active warning system, such as flashing lights, bells or crossing gates, are installed.

According to an inventory compiled by the city of Waxahachie, the improvements would include crossings at Highland Avenue, North Hawkins Street, North Rogers Street, North Aiken Street and Munchus Street.

Funding for the improvements, which can cost between $150,000 and $175,000, will come from TxDOT and federal money.

The council appeared interested in the installation of wayside horns which are installed at the crossings and sound toward oncoming traffic as opposed to horns on the locomotive traveling down the track.

The minimum level for a locomotive train is 96 db.

The minimum level for a wayside horn is 92 db.

Williams said the wayside horns made less of an impact on homes near the crossings as the sound is directed toward the roadway.

Wayside horns would cost an estimated $96,700 per crossing for installation and the horns must be maintained by the city.

Quadrant gates are estimated to cost $250,000 and are maintained by the railroad but charges are passed along to the city.

In addition to signal improvements, HDR recommends closing the Aiken Street crossing and possibly Highland Avenue, North Hawkins Street, South College and two private crossings near the Waxahachie Country Club.

According to Williams, BNSF will compensate the city up to $25,000 and UP will compensate up to $10,000 for each crossing closed.

The money can be used toward closing the crossings or other improvements around the city.

TxDOT may also give compensation for closing crossings that are scheduled for improvement. The money from TxDOT may be used for anything the city decides.

The city staff believes the cost for the rail crossing improvements can be included in future certificate of obligation bond issues that are budgeted for by the city.

The city has budgeted for issuing $38 million in bonds over the next five years with the current tax rate.

Williams is expected to finish finalizing the report before making a formal presentation to the council during a regular council meeting.

"The plan right now is that Ron Williams will move ahead with finalizing the report," Assistant City Manager Michael Scott said. "Whenever that's complete and he's tweaked the plan we'll have a better price tag. Of course the council wants to address the issues sooner than later because they'll need to address it when they figure out what bonds they might issue."

Scott said he estimates the final report will be presented to the city council in mid-March. - Jonathan Blundell, The Waxahachie Daily Light

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FORTRESS BUYS RAILAMERICA

BOCA RATON, FL -- RailAmerica is no longer a standalone company. Fortress Investment Group LLC has bought it through equity funds managed by affiliates.

Shares in the Boca Raton-based short line and regional railroad operator are to be delisted and deregistered.

Stockholders voted earlier this week to approve the $1.1 billion purchase, first disclosed in November, which calls for them to get $16.35 in cash per common share.

RailAmerica (formerly NYSE: RRA) has 42 railroads operating about 7,800 miles in the United States and Canada. Fortress, an alternative asset manager, raises, invests and manages private equity funds, hedge funds and publicly traded alternative investment vehicles.

Charles Swinburn, its chief executive officer, said the company will partner with Fortress to fully unleash its potential.

Morgan Stanley was RailAmerica's financial adviser in the transaction, while Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin provided the opinion to the company's board of directors that the merger consideration is fair to stockholders.

Citigroup Global Markets was financial adviser to Fortress.

Holland & Knight LLP was legal adviser to RailAmerica and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP was legal adviser to Fortress. - The South Florida Business Journal

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DEPOT FIRE IS QUICKLY DOUSED

Photo here: [www.tulsaworld.com]

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa's historic downtown Union Depot building, which houses the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra's offices and is slated to become the new home of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, was damaged by fire Wednesday.

Flames and heavy smoke were coming from the second floor and roof of the building at First Street and Cincinnati Avenue when firefighters arrived about 19:35, District Fire Chief Glenn Brigan said.

Working in below-freezing temperatures, they extinguished the blaze in about 20 minutes, he said.

"It poses a challenge because we've got a piece of property that's historic -- Union Station," he said. "The nice thing about it is downtown, we've got fire hydrants everywhere."

The fire appeared to have started in wooden trusses that frame heating and air units on the roof, but what caused the wood to catch on fire was not clear, Brigan said.

Parts of the building are under renovation as the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame prepares to move from the Greenwood Cultural Center to Union Depot's second floor. The building's first floor is occupied by the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, which moved its offices there in July.

Chuck Cissel, the CEO of the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, said damage to the second floor was minimal.

"We're just surprised that it happened," he said. "I was here earlier this evening."

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame's new home is scheduled to open in June, he said.

Barbie Reif, the operations manager of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, said one of the group's offices on the first floor sustained water damage. However, the fire did not damage the offices, and the structure was not compromised, she said.

Reif praised the firefighters' quick response.

"We're very fortunate it's not as bad as it could be," she said. "But we have no fire damage at all. The Tulsa Fire Department did a great job in containing it."

Reif said firefighters also helped the orchestra's staff salvage equipment and paperwork and took measures to prevent further damage.

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame project was allotted $4 million in Vision 2025 money. The Tulsa County Industrial Authority bought the building from The Williams Cos. in 2004 for $2.2 million.
The plan is for the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame to lease the space from the county. The rest of the Vision allocation was to go toward renovations.

Vision 2025 includes several projects to revitalize the downtown area.

The depot was abandoned in 1967 and fell into decay before Williams Cos. Inc. bought it and restored it for about $6.5 million. - Clifton Adcock, The Tulsa World

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HARVEY ELEVATOR EXPANDS

MINOT, ND -- Ask anyone in the Ag industry and they'll tell you adaptation is essential to be successful.

The Harvey Farmers Elevator has seen that hold true in the field. Now they're on their move to update and expand to meet the growing needs of producers and the railroad.

(Kevin Preble, General Manager) "We're adding a hundred car loading facility at our Prairie Towers facility just east of Harvey on Highway 52. Along with that we're adding another dump to our facility."

Preble says the shuttle system will turn the time table on grain train loading and get the shuttles back to the railroad sooner.

(Preble) "We currently co-load shuttles between our AnaMoose station and our Harvey station. Our load out will be about 40 thousand bushels an hour which will allow us to load this train from start time to billing in about 12 to 13 hours."

Like most everything in business it comes down to service and money. The elevator gets a better price for transportation from the railroad.

(Preble) "A shuttle and single origin car is about 17 to 18 cents a bushel. So if you put that back into the volume that we even do today. It's well over a million dollars a year that will be pumped back into the region and into our growers pockets."

And farmers are able to unload faster at their facility.

(Preble) "It'll allow us about 20 thousand bushels per hour."

Preble says it's an exciting time in the industry. Not only is the Elevator expanding it's horizons but farmers are coming into a spring that is filled with optimism.

(Preble) "It's one of the first times that I've been in this business that pick it, grow it and you can probably make some money doing it."

Harvey Farmers hopes to have the new continuous shuttle loading system up and running by next fall securing their place in the future of grain handling in central North Dakota. - Shaun Sipma, KXMC-TV, Minot, ND

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RAIL HISTORY BROUGHT INTO FOCUS

Photo here:

[web.bcnewsgroup.com]

Caption reads: This V & S Railway locomotive pulled passenger cars through town near what is now the Town and Country shopping center. (Photo courtesy B.C. Archives)

SAANICH, BC -- Construction of the new Town & Country shopping center due to begin this spring provides an opportunity at the site to remember a forgotten piece of history.

More than 100 years ago, the first railroad to run from Victoria to Sidney had a right of way that went through this now valuable piece of Saanich real estate. In 1892, the Victoria and Sidney Railway was incorporated and it remained in operation until 1919. The tracks came up the slope from the city heading north between what is now Blanshard and Oak streets, and proceeded northwest through the present Town & Country location.

In 1913 B.C. Electric opened the second rail service out of Interurban Road, through Central Saanich and on to Deep Cove on the Saanich Peninsula.

A third railway to Pat Bay was begun in 1913, but was delayed while land was expropriated along the route. This rail link by Canadian Northern Pacific necessitated the removal of rock to maintain a gentle rail grade, and to allow the existing V & S Railway to pass overhead. This rock cut at Town & Country is now part of the Galloping Goose Trail.

The two competing railways met in this location in 1915, and for three days the V & S Railway was shut down as a steel bridge was moved into place over the rock cut. This bridge was supported by large concrete abutments, which are still visible and are the last traces of this early rail link to Sidney.

Walkers and cyclists on the Galloping Goose to this day pass beneath these concrete monuments, most oblivious to their history. - Dennis Robinson, The Saanich News

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GRAND PRAIRIE INSTALLS FIRST RED LIGHT AND RAILROAD CROSSING ENFORCEMENT CAMERAS

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX -- Vehicles at Belt Line Road and Lone Star Parkway in Grand Prairie, Texas better stop on yellow, as the city's first two red light enforcement cameras became active on Dec. 27. The cameras at Belt Line Road and Lone Star Parkway cover the northbound and southbound approaches along Belt Line. The rear license plate of the violator's vehicle will be photographed and the registered owner will receive a citation in the mail.

Grand Prairie has a contract with RedFlex Traffic Systems of Scottsdale, Arizona, for the installation of 10 more intersection approaches and three railroad crossings. Additional cameras will be installed at various locations in Grand Prairie over the next few months. An analysis is currently underway of all rail crossings on the main rail line running parallel to Jefferson Street and intersections identified by the Police Department as the most hazardous due to red light running.

According to the Grand Prairie Police Department, the city's first traffic fatality of 2005 was the result of a driver running a red light, killing the mother of three young children. In the last three years, four people have been killed in Grand Prairie and others injured because drivers have ignored railroad crossing laws.

"If people know they will get a ticket for running a red light or crossing a railroad when the railroad crossing arms are down, they will start stopping before the light turns red," said Police Chief Glen Hill. "The automated red light enforcement cameras should reduce the number of these incidents."

Violations issued as a result of the Photo Enforcement Program differ from a traffic violation issued by a police officer in that the photo enforcement violation is a civil penalty and will not appear on the violator's driving record and the amount of the fine is less than the traffic (criminal) violation. After a 30 day grace period, violators will be fined $75 for red light violations and $150 for rail crossing violations.

There will be no out of pocket cost to the city for the Photo Enforcement Program.

Administration of the program will be funded by fines collected. All revenue generated above administration cost has been designated by the City Council to upgrade rail crossings in an effort to have a quite zone approved on the main rail line through Grand Prairie. - The Grand Prairie Paper

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ALL ABOARD FOR A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL -- Our family -- especially my brother, Bud, and my father -- loved trains.

The last place we lived in McLeansboro before moving north was at the edge of town. A single railroad track cut through the field across the road. I remember Bud, a small tow-headed tyke, yearning after the Shawneetown freight, the only train to pass each day.

Dad had always wanted to be a train engineer. Once, in his 40s, he worked briefly as a fireman on a Santa Fe Railroad freight. However he soon returned to find another job. I suspect he missed my mother while discovering there was little joy for a middle-aged man to be found in steadily shoveling coal.

Bud was determined to be an engineer - right up to the summer between his junior and senior years at Woodstock High School when he received a call to be a minister.

My husband's family liked trains, also, but for a different reason. During the Depression, the trains were a source of food and a small amount of warmth.

"The tracks were built up and a lot of rabbits burrowed in the banks," Dean explains. "We weren't supposed to hunt there, but we did, and we usually got several rabbits. Then we also picked up coal scattered along the track, and Dad threw it in with the wood in our stove."

Engineers, spotting the young boys illegally hunting along the tracks, would sometimes give them a shot of steam as the engine rolled past.

"It never hurt us, but it used to scare the heck out of us."

My husband grins as he recalls those freight trains. "The engineers used to hate Hampshire because of Briar Hill. It never looked like much of a hill but if you were pulling a long string of cars, the engine often couldn't make it. Then the crew would have to wait until another engine could be sent out."

Dean and I spent three weeks in Germany, Switzerland and Italy for our silver anniversary. We loved traveling by train. There were wonderful people to meet along the way and, when switching trains, the longest we ever had to wait was two hours in a small Tuscany village.

So when we were going to make an early December visit to my brother and sister-in-law in Sacramento, I talked an extremely reluctant husband into going out by train and returning by plane. Bud and Ruth, would meet us in Reno.

It was early evening, when we left Aurora in a snowstorm. Riding up in the observatory car past snowy farms and through country villages while another passenger, a young man, softly strummed a guitar is one of my favorite memories.

The next day was memorable, also. In the night the train lost all heat. We woke to bone-chilling temperatures. Snow had blown in the club car and a waiter had fallen, suffered a back injury and was taken out on a stretcher.

Then in the salt flats other problems - I know not what - kept us stranded for hours. We were seven hours late arriving in Reno and the first words out of my brother's mouth were "OK, Marie, what did you do to the train?"

For several years I tried to interest my husband in taking a train across Canada. He just looked at me. "If we go," he would say, "we'll drive." - Marie Doty, The Northwest Herald

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TRANSIT NEWS

88-YEAR-OLD BEARS WEIGHT OF LIGHT RAIL

PHOENIX, AZ -- Ruth and Harold Strang were living in a mobile home on Maryland Avenue when they heard about some property in a grapefruit orchard north of 19th Avenue and Northern in what then was not yet a part of Phoenix. It was 1952.

"There was nothing out here, really," says Ruth, who is 88. "My husband had worked in the citrus industry for years, but he was always good with his hands. His hobby was carpentry. So we built this house ourselves."

The couple bought two parcels of land for what Ruth remembers to be $750 each. On one, they put their home. The other she still calls the "horse pasture," although the land around it has since been swallowed up by houses, roads, a school, a church, apartment complexes and more.

This past October, Ruth and her neighbors received an invitation from the city of Phoenix to attend a meeting about the construction of the northwest extension of the light-rail system being built a few miles south of where she lives.

"I thought at the time that it would be a meeting at which they would describe for us the eventual problems with noise and construction," Ruth says. "As it turned out, they told me that I would be losing my home. That I would be forced to move."

Officials with Metro light rail call it an economic decision. Opposite Ruth's house on 19th Avenue there are apartments, a Salt River Project underground pipe and a 10-inch gas line. Purchasing properties on Ruth's side and relocating an 88-year-old is a lot less pricey. Depending upon how we define expense.

Ruth and Harold moved to Arizona from New York in the mid-1940s after Harold's sinus problems began affecting his heart. Ruth, a schoolteacher, taught second-graders in Phoenix for nearly 30 years.

The house that she and Harold built appears now to have settled into their land like a head on a comfy pillow. It lies quietly beneath a blanket of shade provided by large pines. A few of the old grapefruit trees are still in the yard. The "pasture" where their son had his horse is empty now, and there are neighbors where once there was an orchard.

Cheryl Oliver, who lives a few houses east of Ruth, worries about her friend.

"It isn't just the house, but the whole neighborhood that will be taken away from her," Oliver says. "Ruth drives herself to the grocery store near here. Her hairdresser is near here. She meets friends for lunch near here. Her life is here. It's been here for 50-plus years."

Metro officials have spoken to Ruth, as well as her son and granddaughter. The plan is for the northwest extension of light rail to begin construction in 2010. Property along the site must be acquired by then.

"They have to make a lot of decisions, and we are more than willing to work with them through this process," said Metro's project planning manager, Jim Mathien.

Metro spokeswoman Marty McNeil added, "We're hoping to have the conversation with Mrs. Strang and her family early enough to figure out what is the best approach. We are all really cognizant how sad and difficult it is for her."

It's a nice thing to say. It's also easy, because for most of us, the price of "progress" is the few minutes we lose in traffic at light-rail construction sites. Ruth will lose 56 years.

"They promise to try to find a place for you and take care of costs," she says. "They make it sound very good. But they are talking about a house, and I am talking about my home. There are things here that Harold built just for us, with his own hands. How do you replace that?" - E. J. Montini, The Arizona Republic

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LIGHT RAIL LINE COSTS WORRY CENTRAL CORRIDOR NEIGHBORS

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MN -- As a recent conversation at the Rondo Library in St. Paul moved to the proposed Central Corridor light-rail line between the Twin Cities, DonEsther Miller couldn't keep still.

She said some of her older relatives were concerned that construction of the line could repeat what happened years ago when hundreds of black people were moved out of the Rondo neighborhood to make room for Interstate Hwy. 94.

"Is it too late to stop this?" she said they asked her.

As planning for the $932 million line proceeds, some members of the black community in and around University Avenue worry that escalating property values could price some residents and businesses right out of the neighborhood.

Residents and community groups will have an opportunity to comment on a Central Corridor development strategy during a series of open houses sponsored by the city today and Friday.

There are significant differences between the construction of I-94 and plans for the Central Corridor. The freeway required the physical displacement of Rondo's residents, as homes were demolished to make room for it.

Officials with the light-rail project have said they don't expect the line to destroy any homes or businesses.

But residents and owners of a number of the small and minority-owned businesses near the proposed line who rent their properties would be subjected to market forces that probably would increase the value of the land.

Memories of Rondo

That worries Marvin Anderson, who watched his father lose a Rondo apartment building he owned in the 1950s to eminent domain. It prompted him to go to law school, and it's also made him sensitive about light rail near the Aurora/St. Anthony neighborhood, where some families moved after they were forced out of Rondo.

Anderson said there's a correlation between the two projects. "It's happened more than once to African-American communities around the country," he said.

City Council Member Debbie Montgomery also has concerns. More than 50 years ago, her family was displaced by the I-94 project, which she said cost the city's black community many of its pharmacists, lawyers, doctors and other professionals.

She said a similar predicament exists along University Avenue, now occupied by numerous businesses owned by members of various ethnic and immigrant groups. A 2005 city survey of University Avenue businesses found that 39 percent of respondents said they owned their properties, and 50 percent said they were "ambiguous or had some concerns and questions" about light rail.

Montgomery, who lives in Aurora/St. Anthony, said that her property taxes have gone up and that she's sure that trend will continue once the light-rail line is completed, which could dramatically affect affordability in the surrounding area.

"When they came through and took Rondo, they took the economic engine of the African-American community," she said.

Some believe there's hope

Melvin Carter III, a former mayoral policy aide who is challenging Montgomery in this year's election, recognizes the concerns but also views light rail as an opportunity to bring resources to a thriving community.

"There's a whole lot of wealth, resources and opportunities that Central Corridor is going to create," he said.

Montgomery believes that small businesses can survive with the proper partnerships. She pointed out that in Portland, Ore., city officials, college students and small businesses worked together to ensure that entrepreneurs affected by light-rail construction survived. The city didn't lose any businesses while the line was built, she said.

Nieeta Presley, executive director of the Aurora/St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation, said that people in her community aren't sure they'll be around to witness the benefits of light rail, because of rising property values and taxes. She said that property taxes around University Avenue are escalating now in anticipation of the line.

But she's content that community members have engaged officials this early in the planning process. The Metropolitan Council, which has the final say on project plans, and the city have created community task forces.

Planners are aware of what happened with Rondo, and that's why they've reached out to residents and community groups, said Steve Dornfeld, spokesman for the Met Council. He said the council is forming a business advisory committee and has already created a community advisory group with 42 members.

He also said the Met Council will address concerns about too few and widely spaced stops available along the line. The proposed stops would be placed about a mile apart. Presley said accessibility is also a community concern about light rail.

"I think everybody's sensitive to the fact that the project could have some negative effects on people," Dornfeld said. - Myron P. Medcalf, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

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LIGHT-RAIL CONTRACTOR DISPUTES SOUND TRANSIT SAFETY AUDIT

SEATTLE, WA -- The contractor digging through Beacon Hill for Sound Transit's light-rail tunnel said Wednesday it doesn't believe there is a "disconnect" between a safety emphasis at the corporate level and project managers and workers on the ground as was suggested in a safety audit released Friday.

The Sound Transit audit found that safety expectations weren't being properly passed down to employees at the Beacon Hill Project, calling the problem a "disconnect."

In its formal response to that audit, Obayashi Corp. said safety is "a primary objective."

"We think that the use of the word 'disconnect' conveys an unwarranted negative picture of the diligent efforts made by the job safety professionals," the company wrote.

Despite the disagreement, the company says it has implemented several changes to address safety concerns raised by Sound Transit.

The audit and the reply were in response to an Oct. 27 incident in which a supply train crashed, with workers escaping mostly unharmed.

But the audit and its response carry extra weight because of a Feb. 7 accident that killed a 49-year-old mechanic and injured one other worker.

The cause of last week's accident is under investigation.

The response says Obayashi believes it has addressed all of the issues raised by the audit: "We are strengthening the efforts of our team of safety professionals in the ways suggested in the audit findings. We believe that this will make a good program even better."

Obayashi also said it will continue to work with Sound Transit on safety issues but that tunnel digging is inherently dangerous. - Brian Alexander, The Seattle Times

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FROZEN SWITCHES CAUSES DELAYS FOR METRO-NORTH

NEW YORK, NY -- Trains were late getting to platforms and late getting commuters to work Thursday morning by an average of about 15 minutes, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad said.

Details about how many trains and riders were affected were not immediately available at 10:00.

The railroad would only say that the problem was frozen track switches that affected trains on its Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines.

There was no word whether the problem was expected to affect the evening commute home. - The White Plains Journal-News

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LIRR HEARS GAP SOLUTIONS FROM ACROSS U.S.

Map here: [www.newsdayinteractive.com]

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Railroads across the country are taking a fresh look at the gap issue and some already are making changes as a result of the death of a Minnesota teenager on the Long Island Rail Road in August, officials said Wednesday.

Details of some railroads' actions came out at a meeting of a federal group studying the issue nationwide. An initiative to develop national gap standards is under way.

New Jersey Transit voluntarily undertook a survey of platform gaps at all of its 44 high-level platforms that are 4 feet above the tracks at about the same height as train doors.

Now, the New Jersey railroad, which has "Watch the Gap" signs inside trains, is using new signs and on-board announcements in a stepped-up education campaign.

"We wanted to say something more about the gap," said Jeff Kovacs, the railroad's director of safety.

The new poster reads: "Don't turn your trip into a fall. Watch the gap between the platforms and the train."

The LIRR conducted a survey regarding gaps throughout its system at the request of state and federal investigators after the death of Natalie Smead, 18, who slipped through a gap at Woodside station and crawled in front of an oncoming train.

A five-month Newsday investigation found that the railroad, which had 882 gap incidents in the past 11 years, had known for more than three decades that gaps posed a hazard to riders.

The investigation, published last month, also found that there are no federal regulations limiting gap width, except for a 3-inch maximum in the Americans with Disabilities Act that federal transportation officials concede is impossible for most commuter railroads to meet.

At the second day of a Federal Railroad Administration study group's meeting, officials from several railroads discussed gap widths, statistics on gap accidents and measures they are taking to prevent falls.

New Jersey Transit's gap width survey, which measured gaps at 100-foot intervals on all the railroad's high platforms, found that most gaps were between 6 and 8 inches, Kovacs said. Most railroad experts consider such gaps acceptable.

A few on curved platforms were about 12 inches; those complied with the railroad's internal standard gap maximum of 13 inches on curved platforms, Kovacs said.

The railroad also analyzed gap falls, finding a slight increase over the past six years -- and a sharp rise in 2006. In 2000 there were 26 gap falls but 38 falls each year in 2004 and 2005. But in just the first seven months of 2006, there were 27. - Jennifer Maloney, Newsday

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THE END