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Railroad Newsline for Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

DM&E AIRLIFTS GEAR TO SOUTH ROUTE

SKYLINE, MN -- The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad is stepping up planning for a possible south route expansion that would cut through the bluffs of Skyline and Mount Kato, Minnesota.

Sunday morning, some Skyline residents were surprised by an effort of military precision as a helicopter carried heavy equipment to the side of a plunging ravine on the south edge of the community.

"I wasn't sure if it was DM&E or Homeland Security," said John Enger, who lives near Mount Kato.

Photo here:

[www.mankatofreepress.com]

Tom and Pat Englund, on whose property the equipment was being set, knew the staging operation was coming, but were still impressed.

"It was a little like 'Apocalypse Now,'" said Tom Englund.

The neighborhood excitement was courtesy of a Spokane, Washington, company hired by the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad to do soil borings, surveying and other preliminary work, in case the railroad builds a new south route around Mankato.

The Englunds, whose home of 28 years would be wiped out if the tracks come through, said the crews have been working steadily the past couple of weeks, including taking soil borings more than 50 feet deep, surveying and bringing in archaeologists to check for any possible historic artifact sites.

Sunday's project was prompted by the fact the crews could not get the equipment they needed in place except by air. Flat-bed semi trucks parked in a gravel pit near Mount Kato and the helicopter, with cable attached, made about a dozen trips depositing a large diesel generator and other boring equipment.

The railroad has been studying a corridor that runs along the bluffs of Skyline, above the Blue Earth River and then turning east toward Mount Kato and roughly along Highway 90.

It is part of the plans by DM&E to build a new railroad line from coal fields in Wyoming to the Mississippi River. The railroad has said it prefers to go through Mankato on the existing Union Pacific corridor, but it is planning a south route in case it can't reach agreement with UP.

DM&E President Kevin Schieffer suggested in an interview with a Free Press reporter last week that negotiations were ongoing with UP but would provide no details.

The DM&E is awaiting word on whether it will get a $2.3 billion loan through the federal Transportation Department. A decision is expected by April 1.

The project, which could bring as many as 34 mile-long coal trains daily, has been hotly opposed by many in Mankato and in Rochester.

The Englunds, whose bluff-side home provides stunning views of the river valley, said they've worried about the project for years but are trying to be philosophical.

"I talk about it way more than I should," Tom Englund said. "It's been out there for so long. But whatever is going to happen is going to happen."

The Englunds even signed a contract with DM&E allowing the workers to walk through their property to do their work.

"They've been very pleasant and forthright. They tell us what's going on," he said.

Pat Englund said she was hoping the sheer scale of a plan to reshape such steep bluffs to build a railroad track might discourage the project. But she said her remarks to that effect to one of the engineers working on the site didn't give her reassurance.

"He said it wouldn't be a problem to do it. He said, 'That's what we do. It's not that hard.'" - Tim Krohn, The Mankato Free Press

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TRYING TO SAVE A TRAIN; COUPLE MOVES TO EAST TEXAS TO HELP TSRR

PALESTINE, TX -- The sound of a train whistle has a special draw for Anderson County resident Fred Brandt and his wife Gaye Anne. In fact it has so much attraction that the couple uprooted their life in another state to come to Palestine and help the Texas State Railroad.

"We saw a PBS special on tourist trains," Fred Brandt said. "And one of those trains was the Texas State Railroad.

"The next thing we knew we had loaded up the fifth-wheel and were on our way to Palestine."

Photo here:

[www.palestineherald.com]

The Brandts arrived in Palestine in October 2005 -- the same time evacuees of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were flocking north through the area.

"We stayed at an RV park on Texas 155 for a few days, visited the railroad and then visited a local Realtor," Fred Brandt said. "After a few trips to get our things, we were finally settled in the area around June 2006."

The Brandts are newlyweds, marrying almost two years ago in May 2005. Gaye Anne Brandt transferred to Palestine's Wal-Mart SuperCenter as a cashier from a Colorado store. Fred Brandt is a retired bus driver.

"I like transportation, and I love people," Fred said. "I realized I could be part of both those things as a volunteer with the Texas State Railroad."

When they arrived in Palestine and began working with the TSRR, the Brandts found the troubled railroad needed all the help it could get. Fred, in particular, has taken an active role in helping save the train.

"I got with the folks at KYYK Radio and recorded a public service spot for the railroad," he said. "I have also attended several Palestine city council meetings.

"I want to make a positive impact on things in the area -- things like the Texas State Railroad."

Whenever the train is running, visitors will find Fred Brandt on the train, serving the TSRR as a volunteer car attendant. He began as a volunteer in December 2006.

"I help people get on and off the train and from car to car safely," he said. "I ask and answer questions and just talk to the visitors who happen to be riding that day."

Both Fred and Gaye Anne have fond memories of railroads -- both grew up around trains and both made tourism train rides an important part of their family vacations.

"I grew up in an era when steam trains were still running -- diesel engines were just starting to appear on the rails," Fred Brandt said. "My mom and I used to ride the trains, and I had them as a kid. I just liked them."

Gaye Ann, a native of Kansas, also recalled growing up around trains and watching them as they passed by her childhood home.

"With my family growing up we took train rides as excursions," Mrs. Brandt said. "Fred and I still enjoy doing that together today."

But no matter where they travel, the couple's hearts seem to be right here in Palestine with the Texas State Railroad.

"I just don't think we should have to fight so hard for funding for something so nice," Fred Brandt said about the TSRR. "The Texas State Railroad ought to be treated as the asset that it is.

"It has such a big impact on this community -- and on this state -- and brings in a lot of tourist money," he added. "I would like to see the idea of private funding for the railroad pursued, so the TSRR can have some sure footing and not have to worry about whether funding will be there or not."

When not railroading, Fred Brandt enjoys fixing old bikes -- and tinkering with anything mechanical, as well as fixing up the couple's new homestead. Gaye Anne is an avid quilter -- making quilts for sick children in the hospital.

The Brandts attend church at the Palestine Church of the Nazarene. They have five grown children between them -- he has three and she has two. - Mary Rainwater, The Palestine Herald

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STRIKE NOT ONLY ABOUT MONEY

SMITHERS, BC -- CN conductors and yard service workers aren't striking just for more money.

Members of the United Transportation Union (UTU) remained on the picket line in Smithers last week after walking off the job on Feb. 10.

Contract negotiations broke down on Jan. 9 over quality of life issues.

"In the end, the Railway would not withdraw their demands to eliminate terminal release, rest clauses, yard/road demarcation and lunch/meal breaks," said Sylvia Leblanc, a UTU general chairperson in a letter to the membership urging support of the strike action.

Members claim the company has already eroded their rest provisions forcing them to work in contravention of their collective agreement and grieve it afterward. They cite 2,500 outstanding grievances in western Canada alone.

Although the union maintains these are the key issues, they are seeking financial incentives in the form of a 4.5 per cent wage increase over two years and another four per cent bump in the third year of the contract.

"It is without question and, in fact recognized in the Canada Labour Code that our members are entitled to a fair and equitable share of our company's financial success that was achieved, in no small part, by the dedication and commitment of our members," said the UTU bargaining committee.

They noted the profitability of the company has continued to increase since the first quarter of 2004 and that CN chief executive officer Hunter Harrison made $53 million in 2005.

On Thursday, Harrison made the striking workers an offer to withdraw CN's legal challenge of the strike and return to the bargaining table if the employees would return to work. The UTU chairpersons categorically rejected the offer.

The Canadian Industrial Relations board was to hear a CN application on Monday to deem the strike illegal because it was not authorized by UTU International.

Paul Thompson, UTU International president, criticized the leadership of the Canadian arm of the union.

"It is a very serious and very sad situation because those general chairpersons have intentionally ignored Article 85 of the UTU Constitution, which forces the International into the difficult and unwanted position of having to deny strike authority," he said.

"Rather than having the assistance of the largest railroad union in North America -- numbering some 125,000 active and retired members -- and the substantial resources of the International on their side -- our brothers and sisters in Canada have been put in a position of having to fend for themselves."

But Rex Beatty, one of the Canadian general chairpersons, had a different take on the matter.
"With all due respect to our colleagues in the U.S., the union's constitution can't supersede the Canadian labour code," he said. - The Smithers Interior News

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DRIVER KILLED IN COLLISION WITH AMTRAK TRAIN

DAVIS, CA -- An Amtrak train collided with a sport utility vehicle in Yolo County Monday morning, killing the driver.

The collision happened at about 09:15 at Arboretum Terrace Drive, a rural road near Davis. The crossing is uncontrolled, meaning it does not have lights or crossing arms to warn drivers of an approaching train.

"The SUV ... was hit by the Capital Corridor Express that was running eastbound. It pushed the car approximately 300 feet to its point of rest. Emergency crews arrived on the scene less than five minutes after the accident and tried to revive the individual. (He) was pronounced dead at the scene," California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Pishkey said.

The victim was identified as 41-year-old Robert Barry Landy, of Davis. Landy was the owner of the nearby RBL Construction.

Part of the rail line was shut down while the California Highway Patrol investigated the crash. - KCRA-TV3, Sacramento, CA, courtesy Coleman Randall, Jr

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SECRETIVE DM&E LOAD PROCESS PROMPTS LAWSUIT DEMANDING TRANSPARENCY

WASHINGTON, DC -- The secretiveness of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad's (DM&E) $2.3 billion federal loan application, today prompted a lawsuit by loan opponents demanding transparency and the public disclosure of the railroad's financial records. DM&E, a private company, has refused to reveal any information about its financial condition and ability to repay its requested $2.3 billion government loan -- the largest ever to a private company -- on top of more than $280 million the railroad already owes U.S. taxpayers. The lawsuit further seeks information about DM&E's ownership, which also remains a secret.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Rochester Coalition and Mayo Clinic, comes more than 10 months after DM&E's financial records were first requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from the Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which is considering the DM&E's multibillion dollar loan request. The FRA has not provided any records in response to that request.

"The public needs to be able to see what the Department of Transportation is doing with hard-earned taxpayer funds; currently there is absolutely no transparency in this process," said Stephen Ryan, legal counsel for Rochester Coalition and Mayo Clinic. "DM&E has 2.3 billion reasons to delay or prevent the disclosure of any information about its financial condition -- beginning with who owns it, and its ability, or more importantly, its likely inability -- to repay the unprecedented government loans it seeks."

The Rochester Coalition filed its FOIA request on April 17, 2006 seeking information related to DM&E's finances and multiple loan applications. Under FOIA, the FRA had twenty days to comply. Six months later, in late October of 2006, the FRA indicated that it had located documents related to the DM&E 2003 loan application. (The FRA did not mention information related to other loan applications, including the DM&E's 2006 $2.3 billion request). The FRA indicated it was seeking the views of the DM&E on whether the documents involved "trade secrets." The FRA imposed a Nov. 20, 2006 deadline for DM&E to comply. The deadline passed with no response from DM&E, yet the FRA still refuses to release the requested documents.

"The FRA has permitted DM&E's continued secretive behavior for 10 months. The public still has almost no information about this private company, which may have some foreign owners, and which stands to gain a windfall in public money," said Ryan. "It is time for our government to require some public disclosure if DM&E wants the public's money."

The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plaintiff is asking the court to order the FRA to provide promptly copies of all records and documents in response to its FOIA request.

Background

For nearly a decade the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad (DM&E) has proposed extending a rail line to haul coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to Winona, Minnesota. Unable to secure private financing, DM&E is seeking the largest federal loan to a private company in American history -- a $2.3 billion subsidy from U.S. taxpayers to finance a major rail expansion project through the Midwest. The loan far exceeds the famous Chrysler bailout, which was debated vigorously in the halls of Congress and by the American people. The proposed $2.3 billion taxpayer loan to DM&E has not been subject to a single minute of debate in Congress, and the public has been barred from examining details of the loan application, the company's finances, and the company's shareholders.

According to the New York Times ("Lobbyist Turns Senator But Twists Same Arms," Feb. 28, 2006), DM&E's loan was made possible in 2005 when Sen. John Thune, a former DM&E lobbyist, championed legislation to increase the Federal Railroad Administration's loan program from $3.5 billion to $35 billion and modified the loan criteria to benefit his former employer.

A poll conducted by KRC Research in the summer of 2006 showed that a majority of registered voters in Minnesota's First Congressional District and more than two-thirds of Rochester residents oppose the DM&E's request for the $2.3 billion federal loan. The same poll conducted statewide in South Dakota found a plurality of residents also opposes the railroad's loan request.

The Rochester Coalition represents the city of Rochester, Minnesota, Olmsted County, the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce and Mayo Clinic. The coalition opposes DM&E's $2.3 billion federal loan and the railroad's efforts to expand its rail line through Rochester. DM&E, which according to government statistics has the worst safety record in its class, currently operates three to four slow-moving trains carrying mostly grain products each day through Rochester. The federal loan would enable DM&E to haul as many as 34 mile-long trains each day through the heart of Rochester at high speed, carrying coal and unspecified amounts of hazardous materials a few hundred yards from Mayo Clinic, Rochester Methodist Hospital, several nursing homes and other health- care facilities. The project threatens Mayo Clinic patients, many of whom are critically ill and unable to evacuate in the event of a DM&E derailment involving hazardous materials. Information on the issue and an online petition against the loan are available at [www.dmetraintruth.com] . - PRNewswire.com, Source: Rochester Coalition

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FOR METAL HAULERS, PROBLEMS ON THE ROAD AHEAD

The recent boom in U.S. manufacturing boom brought into sharper focus a number of inadequacies in the country's transportation systems. Harbor bottlenecks, congested highways, lacking infrastructure maintenance, and shortages of qualified personnel are among the friction points resulting in costly inefficiencies and delays for U.S. metal industries.

A conference organized by American Metal Market last November in Louisville, KY, put a spotlight on these problems and, more generally, the performance of the transportation industries. The event drew a crowd of almost 400, representing harbor authorities, logistics providers, stevedoring and freight companies, as well as steelmakers, service centers, and metal traders.

Alcoa executive Kevin Anton gave the keynote address. The materials-management expert described his work of integrating the logistics systems of two acquired companies, Alumax and Reynolds, into that of Alcoa. Creating a central data bank and thinning out the ranks of carriers engaged by his company, Anton reduced the number of trucks passing through Alcoa plants. Although contracting was computerized, close relations were maintained with trucking firms to discuss common strategic goals. As Alcoa managed to bring down the freight component in the total cost of goods sold, the carriers benefited from increased volume and greater certainty for their business plans.

Two speakers were scheduled to present a "logistics overview," and in their remarks they anticipated the main issues discussed in some of the later sessions. Gregg Troian, of Pittsburgh Logistics Systems, explained that high fuel costs, the growing shortage of drivers, and new rules regarding truck size and driver working hours, had compelled metal companies to review their freighthauling practices and objectives.

For example, profit generation replaced securing backhauls as a goal, and driver recruiters became more important than freight salesmen. At the same time, driver retention took priority over asset utilization, premium assessment over cost reduction, and supply-chain analysis over logistics. Technology helped facilitate tracing freight in transit and forecasting was assigned a more central role than previously. Moreover, greater demand for third-party logistics (3PL) firms had led to faster growth and then consolidation of this industry.

Rosalyn Wilson, of R. Wilson Inc, predicts rapid growth in U.S. demand for freight services (in terms of tonnage shipped) but has concerns about the country's ability to cope with that expansion. The driver shortage is worsening and congestion assumes alarming proportions on highways, truck, and rail access routes to ports, as well as major east-west rail interchanges. Grade crossings in urban areas have turned into "choke points" that reduced the average speed of trains, she contended.

Wilson advanced the view that the present system of local and regional authorities controlling public funding of infrastructure projects does not focus sufficiently on the capacity needs facing the entire transportation system. Only through "strong national leadership" can those problems be resolved, she argued. Responding to a question about the benefits of "peer pass " (a method that lets port authorities divert some traffic to off-peak hours), she pointed to the negative attitude of powerful labor unions toward extending the ports' business hours or even, as in most countries, ports operating around the clock.

According to their titles, three sessions were meant to probe the outlook for the rail, barge, and trucking industries. While some speakers did provide further insights into an impending crisis of the nation's transportation system, the presentations of others were only tangential to this theme. In the rail session, a speaker extolled the progress made by the CN railroad, the fifth-largest in North America, which was expanded capacity, rewarded customers for accepting off-peak deliveries, and developed a deep-water container port on the Canadian west coast. Another speaker commented about fluctuations, especially in flat cars, the type carrying many steel products and also preferred for intermodal use.

Because a listed speaker from the Memco barge company was unable to attend, the state of the barge industry was left unexplored. The remaining presentations dealt respectively with bulk shipping on the Great Lakes, where load-carrying capacity and profitability are impaired by inadequate dredging, and the Owensboro, KY, riverport, which is in reach of eight automobile assembly plants but suffers lack of outside funding to make the best of its advantageous location.

A broker, a logistics expert, and a service-center manager delved further into the already highlighted problem of the trucking industry, and its likely impact on the future needs of metal producers and processors. As others before them, they expected the driver shortage to grow more acute and legal restrictions on working hours to impair driver productivity. But, they also voiced concern about rising equipment costs - in part the consequence of new EPA regulations - and higher customer expectations pushing up insurance premiums. They advised metals shippers in the audience to steer around this worsening situation by taking the following measures:

· Before the driver shortage develops into a full-fledged crisis, conclude long-term contracts with reliable shippers for the bulk of freight requirements, and assign the overflow to brokers - never mind the 15% (plus) fee charged by the latter;

· Cut down the waiting and loading time at the docks to no more than an hour;

· Pick off-hour time slots for loading;

· Specify priority shipments only when absolutely necessary;

· Do everything to reduce driver defection rates as, for instance, by educating warehouse personnel to show understanding for the bad mood of drivers who just spent four hours to cover 50 miles on a heavily congested highway.

In the final session of this conference, an ocean shipping expert, Michael McDonagh of TBS Shipping, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the international freight market and especially with the high volume of steel mill products. Freight rates have been rising since June 2006 and steel prices were softening.

Nonetheless, McDonagh expected steel to remain a very large market for ship operators. China accounts for much of the intensifying bulk traffic, with scrap and agricultural products heading toward China, steel and cement moving to the U.S. Can China's rate of economic growth be sustained? McDonagh thought the answer was affirmative, as the Chinese government was now targeting the relatively backward southwestern provinces for accelerated economic development. He was less awed by India's economic growth which, he thought, looked impressive mostly in percentage terms. He also noted that ship classifications have been moving up, Handimax to 60Kt and Panamax to 70Kt. And finally, he noted, shipbuilders had become more selective.

Erstwhile tonnage leader Japan is now specializing in high-tech LNG carriers, and current leader South Korea gives preference to container ships, whereas China is rapidly expanding into general ocean carrier construction. - Hans Mueller, Metal Producing & Processing (Hans Mueller is a veteran steel industry analyst and principal with TN Consulting, Murfeeesboro, TN.)

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TRAIN WRECK: THE 1936 PACIFIC LIMITED

Photo here:

[www.sierrasun.com]

TRUCKEE, CA -- In 1936, passenger trains were the only reliable way to summit the Sierra in winter.

Huge snowdrifts often closed Highway 40 over Donner Summit to auto and truck traffic, and airplane travel was too expensive for most, so the train was often preferred. But even 68 years after the Central Pacific had been built, making the trip was still potentially dangerous.

Riders on the storm

In the first weeks of 1936, more than 100 inches of snow buried Donner Pass. Railroad plows and rotaries had already put in a month's fight with the storms, but deep drifts and cornices still hung precariously over tracks along Schallenberger Ridge.

On Jan. 15, a raging storm descended on the Sierra as the westbound Pacific Limited - the most popular transcontinental passenger train of the early streamliner era - made its way up the summit from Truckee. Warm rain and snow at high elevations left an unstable snow pack on the ridge railroaders referred to as "Hell's half-mile."

As the Pacific Limited steamed along, passengers overlooked the spot where Donner Party members had suffered 90 years before. As the 13-car train entered the dark of a long snowshed, the mountain shook furiously. A long cornice broke loose from Schallenberger Ridge, 500 feet above, and spawned a snowslide 150 feet long that crashed upon the timber-framed snowsheds.

Boom boom, out go the lights

Without warning, passengers were jolted and thrown about, and the lights inside the cars went black. The train came to a sudden stop around 14:40 as a massive bullet of snow crashed through the sheds and the eleventh car, a Pullman.

One man in the car described the scene: "Suddenly there was a terrific roar. The car seemed to have been pushed by some giant hand. The car crashed over on its side and the cries and groans of the injured could be heard by everyone."

The overturned car filled with more snow, dirt and debris, trapping or injuring a dozen passengers.

Death was close at hand as the crushed car filled with rain and snow. Another slide came hurtling down and collapsed another section of sheds, just missing the rear observation car.

Chaos reigned for an hour as the train crew and other passengers rescued those they could. The crew of a nearby helper engine came to add muscle to the effort.
Rain turned to snow and the wind rose as a crew member journeyed to the nearest telegraph station. It was more than an hour before anyone in the outside world knew about the wreckage.

Three men - A.F. Hayden, H.R. Welter and J.C. Stevenson, all of Salt Lake City - were injured and trapped in the crushed car, which buckled so badly the ceiling almost touched the floor. The car had broken into three parts, and the vestibule at the end pointed straight up. Only the steel shell kept the men alive. It took three hours of digging, prying and sawing to reach the victims.

All three suffered multiple injuries, including crushed chests and broken arms. Other injuries included deep gashes, back and spinal fractures, bruises and cuts. Fireman Bill White "worked like a @#$%&" and personally rescued many other trapped passengers.

One man remarked, "Another six inches and I would not be here."

Another was pulled to safety by hanging onto a blanket with his teeth while being pulled through sharp timbers and steel shards. Stevenson, still in shock, said, "Don't ask me how I got out of there. I don't know."

Rescue on the rail

One passenger, Dr. Edna Jackson Carver of Colorado, aided many of the passengers in the surviving train cars. Other passengers became instant nurses and assisted those close to death, all the while fearing another avalanche.

As the first rescue train from Truckee arrived, Truckee's Dr. Joseph Bernard began to treat patients, and then rode the train to Colfax while treating more.

Other uninjured passengers walked over the slide and into the waiting rescue train. When all had been accounted for, the remainder of the Pacific Limited pulled away and steamed west to Colfax.

With the rescue complete, the cleanup began. A steam shovel worked slowly from the Summit side, while the Sparks wrecking train worked in from the east. It took 18 hours to re-open just one track. Stalled trains crept slowly by the scene, their passengers counting blessings.

Trains had backed up on both sides of the pass. Hundreds of passengers filled the small station at Norden. Bored and pacing, they waited for hours as the blizzard raged outside. Even more stranded riders flooded Truckee, but there the snow was less, and Truckee offered plenty of restaurants and distractions to occupy time.

Temperatures dropped as the storm let up, freezing wet snow into ice and making the cleanup difficult. More than 100 men worked by hand to clear nine feet of debris, and after 30 hours of battle they succeeded.

Huge boulders had crashed down with the slide and had to be blasted and pushed over the hillside. The threat of more slides was ever-present. Indeed, several new slides occurred nearby, but the snowsheds held and the hectic work went on. Division Superintendent W.L. Heck came up from Sacramento to direct the repairs himself.

A temporary spur was quickly built, and a string of dining and sleeper cars gave the repair crews a warm place to rest in the storm. Men worked until they were exhausted and frozen.

A dangerous location

As they worked, the men were reminded of other incidents along the track. Near that same location in March 1867, 50 Chinese workers were swept away by an avalanche that killed 49.

Avalanches constantly knocked down sections of sheds in winter, and section hands and brakemen were often killed, but it had been several decades since any injuries had occurred on passenger trains. There would be other train strandings in the Sierra, but even the City of San Francisco stranding in 1952 at Yuba Gap didn't cause near as much damage as the Pacific Limited wreck.

At the time, the ridge was called Donner's backbone, and over the years had proven to be a bad stretch of track. The Tunnel 13/Eder section caused particular concern. Huge boulders left by ancient glaciers often fell off the mountain and onto section crews repairing slide damage. Three men were killed by a slide in 1908 when they were swept over the cliff into Donner Lake.

Locomotives dragging railcar parts, hobos and other sources were blamed for starting constant forest fires that reduced protective tree cover. The drought of the 1920s fed the flames of several fires on both sides of Schallenberger Ridge.

The Southern Pacific would continue to work for another decade to avoid accidents like this, but winter storms still can prove they rule the mountain. - Gordon Richards, The Truckee Sierra Sun

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KANSAS PATROL STILL INVESTIGATING FATAL WRECKS WITH TRAINS

HUTCHINSON, KS -- Officials with the Kansas Highway Patrol continue to investigate the cause of two fatal collisions this weekend between trains and passenger vehicles.

Trooper Nick Carter said investigators still don't know why 21-year-old Gwen McReynolds drove her 2003 Chevy Malibu into the path of an oncoming Union Pacific freight train.

"All we know is that she was on the tracks when the train struck," Carter said.

McReynolds was traveling southbound on Hodge Road, just west of Arlington, when she drove onto the tracks around 17:00 Saturday, the KHP reported. Carter said the 42-car train, which was traveling between 50 and 60 miles per hour, struck the passenger side of the vehicle, just in front of the door.

Both McReynolds and her 2-year-old son, Tristen, were properly restrained in the vehicle, the KHP reported. Tristen sustained minor injuries, but McReynolds was pronounced dead at the scene and was taken to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center.

Carter said officials also don't know how McReynolds failed to see the train as she entered the crossing. The intersection is free from obstructions, Carter said, and is properly marked with railroad crossing signs. He also said there's no indication that McReynolds' driving was impaired by drugs or alcohol.

KHP officials talked with at least three eyewitnesses at the scene, in addition to the crew of the Union Pacific train involved in the accident. Carter said the Union Pacific's police division will do its own investigation into the accident. Efforts to reach the company were unsuccessful.

In a separate train/vehicle accident in Stafford County, 43-year-old Benjamin Halford died after an Amtrak passenger train struck his 1992 Toyota pickup around 02:00 Sunday. The KHP didn't have any additional details Monday about that accident. - Jason Probst, The Hutchinson News

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FORD RESTARTS PLANT IDLED BY CN RAIL STRIKE

VANCOUVER, BC -- Ford Motor Co. of Canada has restarted its St. Thomas, Ontario, assembly plant, which had been idled by a strike at Canadian National Railway Co. officials said on Monday.

The plant, which assembles Ford's Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis models, was shut down last week because of material shortages, and is being operated on "day to day" basis while CN's labor dispute continues, a Ford spokeswoman said.

A Canadian National spokesman said the railroad has deployed additional crews to try to resolve service problems. CN managers are trying to replace 2,800 striking freight train conductors and switching yard employees.

The strike, over wages and working conditions, started on Feb 10. - Reuters

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KIDS GET HISTORY LESSON ON RIDING THE RAILS IN GENEVA

GENEVA, IL -- Students may have had Monday off school for Presidents Day, but that didn't stop them from learning at the Geneva History Center.

Dawn DiVenti, a Rockford woman who is a hobo expert, energized, enlightened and entertained a group students and their moms or grandmothers.

"Kids today don't know that much about freight trains, let alone hobo history," she said prior to the presentation.

She explained to the students how hobos got their name: it's short for hoe-boy, the a combination of a farming hoe people would carry over their shoulder and the word boy.

She also described hobo etiquette and how these traveling workers helped shape railroads, towns and architecture starting around the Civil War.

DiVenti said hobos would trade their labor or skill set for food or goods and would leave their "monikers" in coal or chalk along water towers that served railroad steam engines.

"It was illegal (to jump trains) back in the day. But they didn't have any other way to get around. They didn't have cars or buses," DiVenti said. "There aren't any real hobos anymore.
They stopped riding trains when the railroads shifted from steam to diesel engines because the diesel engines go too fast."

DiVenti and other hobo enthusiasts gather each August at the Hobo Foundation's annual convention in Britt, Iowa, where she was voted "hobo queen" in 2004 and 2005.

There, she was given the nickname of "Sunrise" -- a play off her first name Dawn.

Monday, she gave each student their own nickname, including "Sleepy James" to James Ellis and "Bass Duck" to Lizzie Condon. Ellis' mother, Theresa, took the two 10-year-old fifth-graders from Western Avenue Elementary School to the presentation after hearing about it from a neighbor.

"It was very entertaining," the elder Ellis said. "Look at how much fun the kids are having. They're all participating."

Each student made a bindle out of a tree branch and red bandana and sang railroad songs.

Dave Oberg, executive director of the history center, said the center tries to coordinate some educational activities with days that students have off school.

"It's a good opportunity to teach them a little history and have some fun," said Oberg, who was named "Dapper Dave" by DiVenti. "I think a lot of folks appreciate it and we get a good response from it."

Margaret Selakovich, educator at the center, said DiVenti's visit dovetailed nicely with an upcoming exhibit about railroads April 21 and 23 and their impact on Geneva's history. One highlight event will be a miniature downtown Geneva built out of Legos. - Harry Hitzeman, The Chicago Daily Herald

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OLD CRIB DAM LUMBER SOLD

FREDERICKSBURG, VA -- Tons of rare, centuries-old wood fished from the bottom of the Rappahannock River may soon be making history anew.

Friends of the Rappahannock is offering the remnants of a historic crib dam to specialty wood companies, cabinetmakers, luthiers and artists who want to work with lumber that's unique. The nonprofit group is still accepting bids for the lumber.

The wood was pulled from the river at Fredericksburg when the concrete Embrey Dam, and its predecessor, a wooden crib dam, were demolished in 2004.

Photo here:

[www.fredericksburg.com]

Caption reads: After Embrey Dam was blown up, the crib dam was exposed. (File/Davis Turner/The Free Lance-Star)

City officials allowed FOR to keep the wood salvaged from the river for fundraising purposes. It's stored in piles in a field behind Bragg Hill apartments.

The crib dam, which supplied water to the Rappahannock Canal and to industries in Fredericksburg, dates from the mid-1800s and was built with massive pine beams and oak planks cut from nearby forests.

John Van Hoy, a member of FOR's executive committee, is handling the sale, which is advertised on the organization's Web site -- [www.riverfriends.org].

Unlike timber of today, he says, the old-growth wood stood for hundreds of years before it was cut and milled for the dam.

"The water changes the cell structure in the wood and the patina, so it's really unique as far as the quality and the color," he said.

And because some of the salvaged wood was used to make furniture in an episode of the "New Yankee Workshop," it's even more desirable.

Local guitar maker and folk singer Bob Gramann made a guitar with the wood. The instrument was sold at an FOR fundraiser last year.

FOR has been selling small pieces, with plaques commemorating the demolition of the dams. It plans to keep some of the wood for that purpose, but wants to sell the rest.

"We've researched this on a national level. We've sent fliers out and had quite a bit of success with people calling and interested," Van Hoy said.

The large lots would go to wholesalers, smaller amounts will probably wind up with small, specialty woodworkers.

"There's one really interesting fellow out of West Virginia who wants small pieces" for fountain pens, Van Hoy said.

Van Hoy is sending pictures and samples of the wood to bidders. FOR hopes to get about $8 a board foot for the pine; $10 for the oak--a bargain price that would still amount to over $100,000 if everything is sold.

Since they were pulled from the river, some of the planks have dried and cracked, Van Hoy said. "But it has remained in remarkably good shape. That's why we want to move it out this year."

Unique and historically connected woods are sought after.

Trestlewood Lumber, with locations in Idaho and Utah, salvages wood from old railroad trestles and barns for use as flooring and roof beams.

Cape Fear Heart Pine, on the Cape Fear River in North Carolina, pulls up 200-year-old longleaf pine logs from the river bottom.

"We have contractors buying it for homes, cabinets and flooring," said Teresa Fisher, the company's administrative assistant.

One customer is making picture frames.

"This is not something you can just walk into Lowe's and pick up," she said. - Rusty Dennen, The Fredricksburg Free Lance-Star

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HISTORIC ABERDEEN DEPOT RECEIVES DONATION FROM BNSF FOUNDATION

A $10,000 grant has been awarded by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation to the Tom and Danielle Aman Foundation for continued restoration efforts at the historic depot in Aberdeen, SD.

The funds will be used to begin construction on the BNSF Railroad Museum and the James Valley Model Railroad Association. The space will house displays, modular railroad layouts and a railroad museum with historical exhibits and displays.

Other exhibits will include the Native American Cultural Center and Museum, a trading post for Native American and South Dakota-made products and a World War II Red Cross canteen exhibit.

The Tom and Danielle Aman Foundation has assumed the responsibility in facilitating the project and collecting the needed funding to continue with the restoration project. - BNSF Today

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TRANSIT NEWS

MAX SKIDS TO STOP JUST BEFORE CRASH WITH FUGITIVE

HILLSBORO, OR -- No passengers were injured as a MAX train skidded to a stop when fugitives crashed through the railroad crossing arm at 185th Avenue and West Baseline Road early Sunday.

Police later arrested John Lafrance and Rebecca Carney after the pair allegedly attempted to elude capture on foot on Skyline Boulevard in Multnomah County.

At around 01:02, deputies received information that the Beaverton Police Department was in pursuit of a white Dodge van for speeding and on suspicion of DUI on the westbound Tualatin Valley Highway.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office took up the chase when the car turned north onto 185th Avenue.

As the Dodge approached the train crossing, the crossing arm was lowered fully with the red lights flashing. The vehicle destroyed the crossing arm, narrowly missing a collision with the train.

The WCSO suspended the pursuit for safety reasons. Train traffic was interrupted while crews repaired the damaged crossing arm. - The Hillsboro Argus

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MANY SCOTTSDALE BUSINESSES SUPPORT ADDING LIGHT RAIL

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- More than 60 percent of Scottsdale businesses responding to a Chamber of Commerce survey support adding light rail or a modern streetcar as soon as possible.

The non-scientific results, released Tuesday morning, shows 62 percent supporting fixed transit systems like light rail and streetcar, 60 percent saying more buses and bus routes are needed as soon as possible and 81 percent supporting widening freeways.

When asked specifically about transit options that would be the greatest benefit to the business community along Scottsdale Road, the city's designated transit corridor, 64 percent favored light rail or modern streetcar, with 21 percent supporting bus rapid transit.

Those are the three options being considered by Scottsdale as part of its master transportation plan update, which is expected to be considered by the City Council this year.

The Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, which supports a fixed-rail transit system but has not taken an official position, surveyed via email the roughly 1,500 members of the Chamber for whom the organization had active email addresses. There were 322 responses, including 40 who found the survey through the Chamber's Web site. The survey was conducted over a 10-day period, ending on Feb. 12.

Thirty-one percent of respondents came from the airpark area, with 27 percent from midtown, 19 percent from downtown, 12 percent from south Scottsdale and 11 percent from north Scottsdale. Of the respondents, 58 percent lived within one mile of Scottsdale Road. - Brian Powell, The East Valley Tribune

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LIGHT-RAIL PARKING FAR FROM FULL

DENVER, CO -- Fewer than half the parking spaces along the T-REX light rail line are used on average, perplexing RTD officials who fretted about a shortage before the new service opened.

The park-n-Ride lots along Interstates 25 and 225 have averaged just more than 42 percent full during the work week, RTD figures from the first three months of operation show. There are 7,576 spaces spread among a dozen stations.

Spaces at some lots are at a premium, but most have plenty of room, the numbers suggest.

Nine Mile at Parker Road and I-225, the end-of-line station in Aurora, draws riders from a wide area and is often filled and even overflowing. Stations at Dry Creek, Orchard, Belleview and Yale are crowded on most days.

But at most stations, there is empty concrete acreage. At Arapahoe, 1,000 transit spots reserved in a private garage have never been used. RTD has agreed to give 530 of them back to the developer, John Madden Co., which wants them for a hotel project.

There are several factors that could be contributing to lower- than-expected demand:

. The T-REX line might be attracting fewer light-rail riders than expected. The T-REX line was projected to handle 33,800 riders a day by the end of its first year.

RTD hasn't calculated ridership on the new corridor but has said overall rail system ridership, including the southwest and downtown lines, is topping 60,000 per weekday.

Before T-REX opened, 36,700 passengers a day rode light rail. But you can't simply subtract that number from the total to determine the T-REX ridership. RTD thinks some riders have switched from the older lines to T-REX, but it doesn't know how many. RTD expects to figure out ridership on individual lines by the end of the month.

. Lots of train riders might be leaving their cars at home. They're able to do that because RTD launched a feeder bus system along with the T-REX line, which brings passengers to their stations.

. RTD might have overestimated how much parking was needed. The agency built twice as many parking spaces for T-REX as the rest of the system. There are 2,595 parking spaces on the southwest corridor and an additional 1,337 at the Broadway and Alameda stations.

RTD numbers show the average park-n-Ride occupancy on T-REX ranges from about 14 percent at the County Line to 94 percent at Nine Mile.

Some of the lots have been getting more traffic as time goes on. In fact, a Rocky count at each station last Monday found higher midday occupancy at all 12 park-n-Rides than the three- month averages.

The Colorado station off Evans Avenue started slowly but lately has been overflowing. When the Rocky visited it last Monday, seven cars were illegally parked in a fire lane because every legal space was taken. The small lots at Belleview and Orchard, with only 59 and 48 spaces respectively, are routinely jammed.

The Dayton Station gradually filled after RTD left leaflets on windshields at the crowded Nine Mile garage, saying there was plenty of room at Dayton, the next station down the line.

But the 540-space University Station garage averages less than a third full. Southmoor, with an expansive 788-car lot, hasn't hit 200 on average.

"It takes awhile for parking demand to be properly distributed along the corridors," said Scott Reed, RTD spokesman.

Before the T-REX line opened, there were dire predictions. O'Neill Quinlan, an RTD board member who represents the southern end of the T-REX corridor, said there would be a "parking lynch mob" of commuters upset over lack of space.

"In fact, I'm going to incite one," he said last September.

Now, in light of results so far, Quinlan takes a different tack.

"This doesn't mean we're not doing well systemwide," he said. "I mean, I have people complaining to me about standing-room- only trains."

Interestingly, since T-REX opened, parking shortages have eased up slightly on the southwest line to Littleton, which RTD predicted would happen.

Immediately after opening in 2000, the Littleton line's parking lots were overwhelmed, and it never let up. Of the five stations on the southwest corridor, three averaged 100 percent occupancy last summer and the other two were at 98 and 95 percent.

The 1,227-space Mineral Station in Littleton, which was always filled, now is averaging 94 percent filled. Englewood Station, at 95 percent before T-REX, now averages 75 percent.

The busy Broadway Station at I-25, where the T-REX line meets the southwest trains and heads downtown, has benefitted the most. Since T-REX opened, parking at the 1,050-space Broadway Station has opened up, dropping from 82 percent full to 52 percent.

That may be because commuters who had been heading up I-25 to park at Broadway and take the train in now can catch trains farther south on I-25. - Kevin Flynn, Rocky Mountain News

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MUNI MISSES ON-TIME GOAL; JUST 70 PERCENT OF BUSES, STREETCARS MEET SCHEDULE

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Linda Rothfield and Yvonne Jackson know firsthand that San Francisco's public transit system isn't reliable. And the city's own data back them up: Just seven of 10 buses or streetcars show up on time, falling short of a voter-approved goal that was supposed to have been met three years ago.

The Municipal Railway, the region's busiest transit system, also has ranked its bus and rail lines when it comes to on-time performance -- and the ones that Rothfield and Jackson use are among the worst.

"Everyone's talking about it. That's all we talk about when we're waiting,'' said Rothfield, a 46-year-old legal secretary who usually commutes from her Castro District home to the Financial District on the J-Church, which arrives on schedule just 61.9 percent of the time.

That is the worst of the rail lines for on-time performance, according to statistics provided by the Municipal Transportation Agency for 2006.

Jackson, a retired cafeteria worker who lives near Stonestown, just missed a bus on Sunset Boulevard one recent morning and had to wait 22 minutes for the next one. At that time of the day, the 29-Sunset is supposed to run at least every 15 minutes. The route has the worst on-time performance, at 59 percent, of the most heavily used bus lines.

"I've gotten used to waiting,'' said Jackson, who was on her way to an Irving Street beauty salon. "I don't like it, but what can I do?''

Systemwide, Muni buses and streetcars arrive on schedule 70 percent of the time. The main reason they don't run on schedule: congested streets that slow buses and trains, and a shortage of drivers, which means that some runs are missed altogether. City officials say they are moving to fix the problems.

Reliability was one of the key issues expected to be addressed under Proposition E, 1999's voter-approved reform measure. Voters said that by 2004, at least 85 percent of Muni's vehicles must run on time.

The deadline has come and gone with the goal nowhere close to being met. Nathaniel Ford, who runs the Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees Muni, said last year after assessing the situation that a more realistic target would be a 75 percent on-time rate -- at least for now. Eventually, he'd like to see 100 percent of the fleet running on time. On time means they show up no more than four minutes later or one minute earlier than scheduled.

Of the 80 Muni lines, only three show up as scheduled more than 85 percent of the time, according to Muni. Fifteen lines break the 75 percent mark. More than half the lines run too early or too late 30 percent or more of the time.

The most unreliable route -- with 33.3 percent on-time performance -- is the 80-Gateway Express, which carries an average of 69 passengers a day on just four runs during the morning commute between the Caltrain Station and the Financial District.

The route with the best on-time performance is the 108-Treasure Island, a little-used run that shuttles people across the western span of the Bay Bridge to the Transbay Terminal in the South of Market and back. The best on-time performance among rail lines is the N-Judah, at 75.8 percent.

Muni is focusing on getting some of the city's busiest lines to run on time more often.

A recently concluded three-month experiment with the 1-California line, the system's sixth-busiest route that carries nearly 27,000 passengers each weekday, increased on-time performance to 88 percent, up from 81 percent.

To get that boost, Muni used overtime to make sure no scheduled runs were missed because of absent drivers, and worked with the Department of Parking and Traffic to keep the streets clear of illegally parked cars and trucks so the buses could move through the streets more rapidly.

The pilot project ended Feb. 2.

Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is running for re-election this year and would like to be able to showcase improvements to the transit system that carries about 700,000 passengers a day, has touted the 1-California trial as an example of what's possible. He supports Muni's plan to next try the experiment on the 38-Geary, the system's third-busiest route.

But such efforts carry a price. The 1-California project cost an estimated $168,000 to implement, according to agency officials.

Connie Porter, a 28-year-old retail clerk who lives in the Richmond District and works in the Embarcadero Center, said she didn't really notice a big difference on the 1-California, her regular commute line, but she appreciates the effort.

"I always try to add in a half-hour to my morning commute just in case,'' she said. "Sometimes I need the extra time to get to work on time, sometimes I don't. It's that unpredictability that I don't like.''

Muni officials are well aware of the public frustration and say they are trying to address the problem.

"Are we working to improve on-time performance? Yes,'' said Maggie Lynch, spokeswoman for the Municipal Transportation Agency.

Among the initiatives: hiring more drivers to cut down on missed runs, more mechanics to keep the buses, trains and cable cars operating, and more street inspectors to manage the rolling stock once it's out on the street.

In addition, Lynch said, Muni is looking to expand its proof-of-payment program that allows people with transfers and monthly passes to board the rear of the vehicles to shorten the time they're stuck at a bus stop. The crew of parking control officers, which writes tickets for double-parking and other street-clogging violations, also is expected to be beefed up over the next year.

Until people can count on when their next bus or streetcar is going to arrive day after day, week after week, month after month, Lynch said, "We're going to have a problem with reliability.'' - Rachel Gordon, The San Francisco Chronicle

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