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Railroad Newsline for Thursday, 03/29/07
Author: Larry W. Grant
Date: 03-29-2007 - 01:23
Railroad Newsline for Thursday, March 29, 2007
Compiled by Larry W. Grant
In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006
RAIL NEWS
CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR RETURNS
Photo here:
[www.news10.net]
Caption reads: California Zephyr
SACRAMENTO, CA -- The California Zephyr rolled through Sacramento Wednesday evening. It was the first Amtrak train to cross the new railroad trestle since a massive fire two weeks ago.
The Zephyr, which came over the new trestle about 19:00 hours, half an hour behind schedule, was the only Amtrak train to cross the tracks Wednesday. Amtrak officials plan to run two trains on Thursday: one from Emeryville to Chicago and another from Chicago to Emeryville. Capitol Corridor trains will resume normal service this weekend.
A Union Pacific train was the first to cross the new tracks just before 02:00 hours on Tuesday.
Union Pacific crews are now concentrating on main track number 2 which sits to the right of the bridge. They do not yet know when this portion will be open, but the original date given was April 22.
The blaze on March 15 destroyed 1,400 feet of elevated track. The rebuilding process would normally take several months, with pe rmits and Environmental Impact Reports required. But the railroad is not bound by those requirements.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but investigators believe the fire was not an accident. A $2,500 reward is being offered by U.P. for any information leading to the arrest of any person who may have been responsible for the fire.
The Sacramento City Fire Department is asking anyone who knows anything about the fire to call its arson tip line at (916) 808-8732. - April Ghan, KXTV-TV10, Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA, courtesy Coleman Randall, Jr
AS SECOND RAIL LINE IS BUILT, QUESTIONS REMAIN ON CAUSE OF TRESTLE FIRE AND ITS TOXIC EFFECTS
Photo here:
[media.sacbee.com]
Caption reads: A train crosses the new trestle Tuesday near Cal Expo. Union Pacific crews worked around the clock to replace the main line that burned March 15. Work on a second line is expected to be finished April 3. (Sacramento Bee/Carl Costas)
SACRAMENTO, CA -- Freight trains rumbled again through Sacramento on Tuesday along Union Pacific's newly constructed main line, a scant 12 days after a key trestle burned to the ground in a suspicious blaze.
And while UP's rebuilding effort received kudos as an impressive display of engineering muscle, company spokesman Mark Davis shrugged it off as typical yeoman's work to bring a vital freight corridor back on track.
"I've seen (UP) put together trestles over the years in remarkable time," a laconic Davis said from the agency's Omaha, Nebraska, headquarters. "This isn't unusual."
Yet even as the first trains crossed the concrete and steel structure, questions loomed in the aftermath of the March 15 fire:
The cause is unknown, the full threat of the fire's plumes of black smoke remains unmeasured, and initial results of state testing showed high levels of toxics in soil at the site of the fire.
More than 100 people have called the Sacramento Fire Department's special tip line as part of the investigation, fire Capt. Jim Doucette said.
"The chief investigator says they are knee-deep in it," Doucette said. "This is an important case."
He said investigators are interviewing witnesses and saying little about what they've found.
Although the fire scene was cleared of debris by UP the weekend after the fire, fire officials said they had inspected the scene and obtained the information they needed before rubble was cleared.
"UP wanted to get in there right away," Doucette said. "Our guys wouldn't let them in until they felt comfortable they had ... what they needed."
Local air pollution and health officials have yet to learn the type and amount of toxic air contaminants in the smoke from the fire, which spanned four days. Burning timbers contained creosote, a wood preservative that releases benzopyrene and other cancer-causing chemicals in a fire.
Government officials have not yet received full results from smoke samples collected and analyzed by a private testing firm on behalf of the railroad.
"They're still trickling in," said Larry Greene, executive officer of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District.
Greene said officials expect complete data from UP by Friday. State scientists will evaluate associated health risks and announce results next week, he said.
And there's the soil.
Results of initial sampling by the state -- from the river bank below the railroad bridge and from the blackened ground beneath the burned wooden approach -- show cancer-causing contaminants from burned creosote exceeding federal limits more than sevenfold in the case of benzopyrene and napthalene.
"There's a potential for groundwater contamination," said Duncan Austin, who collected samples the day after the start of the fire for the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
By state law, UP must conduct a more thorough environmental investigation. It's clear from the water board's limited sampling, however, that the railroad will have to remove truckloads of toxic soil and revegetate the site, Austin said. That means the area, within the American River Parkway, will remain closed to bicyclists and others during the remediation, Austin said.
UP's Davis said the company "will work with the various agencies to do whatever necessary cleanup needs to be done."
Meanwhile, UP freight is moving again, four days ahead of what was already a breakneck construction schedule. The initial freight train crossed the structure before 02:00 hours on Tuesday, Davis said. Dozens more were expected to follow by day's end.
Davis said the second track should open April 3, nearly a month ahead of schedule.
The shipping line, which connects the Port of Oakland and the Bay Area with the rest of the United States, typically handles as many as 50 trains a day, UP's Davis said.
Trains carry home-building products, automobiles, produce, electronic equipment and other market goods.
The railroad had a major incentive to rebuild fast -- "the profit motive," said Chuck Baker of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association.
"If they don't move it, they don't make money," Baker said. "It is private, so there aren't a lot of bureaucratic hurdles to jump."
Capitol Corridor intercity passenger train to Auburn will use the line starting Sunday evening, with regular service Monday morning, Capitol Corridor director Gene Skoropowski said.
"I have never in my entire career seen this kind of response," Skoropowski said. "It is phenomenal. Things don't normally happen this fast. They (UP) sure have the capability."
Night-time pile driving disturbed some area residents, but city officials said they had no jurisdiction over UP, and UP officials said they intend to work nonstop until the project is done. Pile driving should be finished by Thursday, UP said.
The steel piles are being topped with a row of 30-foot-long concrete railbeds. Cranes then are adding 80-foot sections of rail -- with ties pre-attached -- and tamping them into rock ballast.
The project moved quickly into overdrive after state officials -- spurred by the Governor's Office -- gave UP a green light to begin reconstruction.
Officials determined the railroad company did not need permits to begin work.
UP deployed a 135-person force that's been working 12-hour shifts, day and night.
The new bridge is the same design the railroad uses on other new trestles -- including the 2002 reconstruction of the Yolo Causeway rail bridge -- and is made up of four main parts.
The segments had been prefabricated and stored at various sites, and were shipped via truck and train to Sacramento.
There were 282 steel piles driven into the ground at the site. "It was easier than we thought," UP's Davis said. "We found good conditions and no surprises." - Tony Bizjak, The Sacramento Bee
BNSF ISSUES UPDATE ON UNION PACIFIC BRIDGE OUTAGE
As an update to the Union Pacific Bridge Outage damaged by fire on March 15, one track on the Union Pacific bridge near Sacramento, California was restored to service early Tuesday, March 27. Union Pacific estimates restoring the second track to service early next week.
BNSF Railway Company carload shipments between Northern California and Denver, Colorado will begin normal routing with the first train operating eastbound from Stockton to Denver on Thursday, March 29. Westbound shipments will begin normal routing with the first train operating from Denver, Colorado to Riverbank, California on Saturday, March 31.
Customer shipments moving between the Pacific Northwest and stations south of Fresno, California should have improved transit times after the second bridge track is repaired early next week.
BNSF will provide updates as additional information becomes available. - BNSF Service Advisory
WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS
PLUMAS LAKE, CA -- A Plumas Lake, California couple, with support from several of their neighbors, are circulating petitions for a little nighttime peace and quiet.
For them, the sound of trains running through the night is hardly soothing or romantic, at least when trains sound their jarring horns close to homes in the new community south of Marysville.
Marina Bolshakoff and her husband have been especially concerned with the noise level and initially contacted Yuba County officials to seek a solution.
They were advised to circulate a petition to present to the board requesting a so-called "quiet zone" during certain hours of the evening.
"My husband and I have been awakened by the noise of the horn in the middle of the night, and some nights it seems like a train is honking every hour on the hour," said Bolshakoff.
It has gotten especially bad, she said, since rail traffic increased because of rerouting prompted by a trestle fire in Sacramento. Bolshakoff said it has common recently for trains to press on their horns for 30 seconds several times during the night and early morning.
"They are really getting obnoxious," she said.
While most residents were aware when they purchased their homes in Plumas Lake that the train tracks were not far away, many were not prepared for the long drone of the train's horn awakening them in the middle of the night.
"We have lived here just a month, and no one mentioned to us when we purchased our home that the train ran 24 hours a day," said Plumas Lake resident Charles O'Donnell. "I understand if it is a safety issue, but it seems the train noise is excessive sometimes."
According to a federal law passed in 2005, all trains must sound their horns when approaching a railroad crossing. California law also requires trains to sound horns when approaching both public and private crossings. There are two in Plumas Lake along with the public highway crossing at Plumas Arboga Road.
The law also allows regions affected by regular train noise to petition the local regulating body, in this case the Yuba County Board of Supervisors, requesting it to start the process of establishing a quiet zone.
A quiet zone during certain hours of the day is exactly what the Bolshakoffs and others want to see put in place. The petition requests a requirement that trains stop sounding their horns from 22:00 to 07:00.
"We are not asking the trains to stop running altogether," said Bolshakoff. "But some peaceful hours during the evening would go a long way for those of us that tend to sleep on the light side."
Bolshakoff said that so far about 50 people have signed the petition, but that she hopes there will be a lot more before it is presented to the supervisors, probably in May.
"We moved here just six months ago," said Cindy Smiley. "My husband and I chose to sign the petition as we didn't realize the noise of the train was going to be so loud." - Michele Perrault, The Marysville Appeal-Democrat
(ED. NOTE: Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Waaaaah…, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha - lwg)
UNION PACIFIC BRIDGE DESTROYED BY FIRE
Before spring break, a massive fire in the Sacramento area burned and destroyed the Union Pacific bridge that crosses the American River. Now, less than two weeks later, reconstruction of the bridge is nearly complete and one train has already operated over the new track.
On Mar. 15, firefighters were called to extinguish the bridge's fire, which burned powerfully for several days. At approximately 6 p.m., a large fire blazed across the bridge and engulfed the entire structure in flames. Within minutes, Sacramento-area firefighters arrived at the scene and lengthened their hose lines to reach the nearest fire hydrant, as they began putting out the inferno.
Sacramento Fire Department Captain Jim Doucette said approximately 150 firefighters from the Sacramento, West Sacramento and Elk Grove areas helped to control the fire.
"It took us about three hours to get the fire controlled," Doucette said. "But it burned for almost three full days and was certainly our largest fire this year."
Mark Davis, regional public affairs spokesperson for Union Pacific, said this specific railroad line is one of the most important lines for the distribution of goods and services in the United States. Davis said usual movement across the bridge begins in San Francisco and carries products to the eastern part of the country.
"That line handles about 50 trains per day and is a vital route," Davis said. "We knew that once we had a service interruption on the line, we would have to rebuild it as soon as possible."
On Mar. 27, the first new track of the line opened and serviced a train. The next track structure is scheduled to be completed for Apr. 3. Construction of the new tracks included steel pile supports, the placement of concrete girders and track installation. According to Davis, the construction team was very lucky to have had weather that facilitated rapid reconstruction of the bridge.
"The original schedule was Apr. 1 for the first track to be opened," Davis said. "The unknowns of the soil conditions and weather were what caused us to estimate that date. We were very fortunate that we had excellent weather conditions and that the soil compacted, so that we did not have to drive the piling so deep and the tracks could be completed more promptly."
Currently, the investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing. The Sacramento Fire Department arson investigation team was not available for comment but is reportedly working to determine whether the fire was caused by people or if it was an accident. Union Pacific is also offering a $2,500 reward for any information about the source of the fire.
"There is no new news about the cause of the fire, other than that they are still knee-deep into the investigation," Doucette said. "It's going to take awhile. I have my ideas as to what happened, but cannot comment officially." - Courtney Burks, The California Aggie (Student Newspaper of UC Davis)
READERS RESPOND TO 'PORK' ISSUE
ABERDEEN, SD -- Last week we laid out the issue of pork-barrel politics and asked for your comment. Here was the issue again, in a nutshell: Sen. John Thune recently missed getting the infamous title of "Porker of the Year" by the Washington-based group Citizens Against Government Waste.
Last November, the group designated Thune as its "Porker of the Month" for his work on behalf of the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad. Thune was not given the annual award, but the fact that he was in the running got us thinking about pork in Congress and how, if a state benefits from it, pork can be a great thing. In contrast, if South Dakota tax dollars end up helping to build something somewhere that will never impact our state whatsoever, the value of pork diminishes quickly - at least among South Dakota taxpayers.
We asked the questions: Is pork-barrel politics a valuable part of the political process or not? Would it have been a good thing or a bad thing if Thune had earned the "Porker of the Year" award? Here are some of your responses:
. Pork is a waste of our money and our elected officials' time.
. The answer is simple - by the definition you provided, the issue is whether the project serves the greater citizens of the nation or just the local folks. This project clearly addresses national needs. Calling it pork-barrel politics belies a misunderstanding of the issues or lack of knowledge. .. . It is a matter of perspective.
. If Sen. Thune were "Porker of the Year" it would have been good. The DM&E rail expansion will be the biggest thing to happen to the state of South Dakota in the life of present-day citizens. This expansion will not be a one-state-only beneficiary, but Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa would also benefit.
. South Dakota currently ranks high on list of "pork" states, getting back more than $2 for every $1 sent to Washington. Out here where the deer and the antelope play, we like to think of ourselves as independent and pioneering, but the sad truth is we're already a ward of the federal government ...why not a little more pork?
. We appreciate that our elected officials help get recognition for our state, among other things. Our water projects, roads, any improvements are credited to those who work for us. When projects become useless, or have no benefits, or border on the ridiculous, then that would be named "pork." Residents of other states do not recognize the fact that we have needs along with good highways for them to travel, that is one reason we pay taxes. There is a line between benefits and "pork." We in South Dakota can define it and not misuse federal funds.
. It is sad when someone tries to do something good for the state of South Dakota and all the media wants to do is criticize them. It was a loan. That means it was gong to be paid back. If you want to know what waste is, look at the welfare system. That is a waste of money. The government will never see that money again.
. Yes, pork is bad. The more pork our elected representatives deliver to us, the better job they claim to be doing. This, however, cannot continue. With the federal debt approaching $9 trillion (about $29,000 for every U.S. citizen), time is running out on us.
. Unfortunately Thune's good name and reputation has been trashed by our "friends" to the east. He did nothing more than fight for our state and his constituents. As a state, we should be thanking our lucky stars we have Thune as a senator.
. Obviously the group expressing its opinion, doesn't have all the facts. This project is not a "Get out of jail free" card, it is a loan. As in any loan it has to be paid back and paid back with interest. We, all South Dakotans, should be proud that our governmental representatives are working together for the good of South Dakota.
. I want to thank our elected officials for their support, and especially Sen. Thune, who truly understands that fighting for his state and its future is what he was elected to do.
Reader Commentary, The Aberdeen American News
FACILITIES MANAGER AT POWER UTILITY DERAILS PIGEONS
When you work for a large, publicly owned electric utility, your job and reputation are always on the line. Second-guessing is not uncommon, and managers can take heavy flak for the decisions they make and the actions they take.
Ted Wilson, facilities manager for Gainesville Utilities in Gainesville, Florida, knows the ropes and the risks. He is facilities manager of the utility's Deerhaven Generating Station and has been with the utility for seven years.
As one of the larger generators of electricity in the state using primarily coal, Gainesville Utilities operates a huge track hopper building where railroad cars pull in to deliver coal.
"The structure is open at both ends," Wilson says. "It's big enough to hold three railroad cars at once and twice as tall as the cars."
The wide-open building was easy pickings for pigeons searching for shelter. And come they did. Beginning approximately thee years ago, pigeons flocked to the track hopper.
"Twenty to 30 pigeons began roosting on the steel I-beams," Wilson says. "They created a big problem with odors and mess."
The birds became "a major irritant to workers." Both the smell and the look were unpleasant and not acceptable in the workplace.
"Dead birds that fall out of nests are not appetizing," Wilson says, underscoring the issue.
To make matters worse, if the facilities manager did nothing, the problem would only multiply - literally.
Wilson 's 30 prior years in the Navy did not prepare him for this battle. His predecessors, he knew, had tried some "unmentionable" methods to deter the pigeons from roosting, nesting and messing. These methods had little permanent effect; the open-ended track hopper building was simply too attractive to birds and, by practical necessity, too accessible to prevent their entry.
Then Wilson read about an ultrasonic device produced by Bird-X Inc. of Chicago which could repel birds without harming them. The company's QuadBlaster QB-4 unit claimed to deliver ultra high-frequency sound waves, beyond the normal human hearing threshold, that annoyed birds and discouraged them from inhabiting areas wherever the disturbing waves penetrated.
Wilson ordered one of the units.
"First, we pressure-washed the building and cleaned it up. Then, we installed the QB-4 unit," he recalls.
He also remembers clearly the ribbing that accompanied his ordering the unit.
"I took a lot of heat from co-workers for buying a black box with funny-colored lights on it," he confesses.
His colleagues and crew teased him about being "taken in by black magic."
"You must admit that 'ultrasonic' sounded unbelievable," he says. "But I was desperate; I was willing to try anything. Besides, for only $500, I thought I'd give it a try."
The unit was easy to install.
"Just put it up and plug it in," says Wilson.
His crew placed it on a beam about 20 feet above the floor. They turned the unit on.
The birds high-tailed it out of the track hopper and haven't come back. That was three years ago.
"The pigeons never returned," Wilson says. "The QB-4 unit keeps out all birds, even grackles; and it's a humane solution. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked."
Wilson also likes to count up the savings for Gainesville Utilities. Pressure-washing the building takes two men working two days, plus the cost of repainting, he calculates. That savings easily covers the cost of the unit. And, the cost of operating a QB-4 unit is minimal; "it's like operating a 100-watt light bulb," he notes.
Wilson has since purchased a second QB-4 unit for use in an open storage building.
Nobody teased him about it this time. - R. W. Delaney, Reliable Plant Magazine
LUCKY'S WAR: ZALMAN PREPARES HIS NEIGHBORS TO BATTLE UNION PACIFIC
Photo here:
[www.metrowestfyi.com]
Caption reads: Lucky Zalman clears his head. The Zalman homestead is poised on the brink of industrial development. (Photo by Gene Sears)
BRIGHTON, CO -- Lucky Zalman hopes his nickname holds true, at least for a few more years. It's held up since 1976, when he moved onto Kramer Lane, first as a renter, then buying a couple of acres. Then he bought four more acres, the first non-Kramer to hold title to a parcel of the land since 1904. Usually, Zalman is a happy man, the kind that brightens a neighborhood with one of his dozens of down-home jokes. But not lately. Lucky is a squeaky wheel these days, and he'll tell you why without a second's hesitation.
"This here is what got me," said Zalman, handing over a well-worn copy of an article pulled from The I-70 Scout, the Bennett weekly that reported the shift of preferred locales by Union Pacific from the Front Range Airport site to Fort Lupton.
"This part, right here."
Zalman points to a quote from Union Pacific Spokeswoman Kathryn Blackwell, in which she attributes TransPort's public disclosures for the decision to consider Fort Lupton.
"[TransPort officials] were a little too vocal with the public and media for [UP's] liking," Blackwell said. "Moving an operation of this magnitude is a complicated thing and sometimes discretion in the deliberation is better."
More of a straight shooter himself, Zalman found Blackwell's statement offensive. "When I read that, I got madder than a one-legged man in a butt-kickin' contest," said Zalman. A"t first, I thought, 'Well, it's the railroad, and you just can't ever stop them,' and then I got madder and madder, thinking, 'Don't we even have the right to know?'"
"Everybody's so hush-hush," said Vicki Kramer Bilak, current owner of the Kramer Centennial Farm, property that has been in her family for more than a century.
The grapevine is alive and well in South Weld County and it remains a primary source of information among neighbors. Particularly in the murky waters of speculation surrounding the rail yard issue, where the only public info is tied to the sellers.
"They didn't really sell, what they (Union Pacific) did was give them some money to hold it," said Bilak.
"Ten thousand down is what we heard," said Zalman. "And if they don't buy it in a year, you get to keep the money."
According to Zalman, Union Pacific offered his neighbors options equaling $15,000 an acre for their property, a figure turned down as too low. Considering current state eminent domain law, they may want to reconsider. According to Colorado transportation law statutes; "Any corporation formed for the purpose of constructing a road, ditch, reservoir, pipeline, bridge, ferry, tunnel, telegraph line, railroad line, electric line, electric plant, telephone line, or telephone plant that is unable to agree with the owner for the purchase of any real estate or right-of-way or easement or other right necessary or required for the purpose of any such corporation for transacting its business or for any lawful purpose connected with the operations of the company, the corporation may acquire title to such real estate."
Eminent domain statutes notwithstanding, Zalman has decades of experience with rail yards, Union Pacific's in particular, and doesn't like what he has seen so far.
"I drive a truck, and for the past 30 years I've been haulin' trailers out of the UP and the Burlington Northern," said Zalman "They have porta-potties for the truck drivers, but who wants to go in there? That's the filthiest yard in town. They used to have the Santa Fe, Burlington Northern, D&RG and the UP, and the UP is always the nasty one. That Union Pacific down there on 40th and Williams, that's a nasty, dirty place. It's horrible."
Zalman is so vehemently opposed to the Union Pacific relocation, he's taken his campaign to the streets, galvanizing neighbors and friends, and erecting a large sign on the county road that runs past his, and Union Pacific's proposed, property.
Zalman's red-letter billboard, erected by permission on neighbor Ted Crim's property, proclaims; "Union Pacific not welcome on this land, they're not good neighbors," something that Zalman says he has first-hand experience with.
"Right now, they'll block this road (WCR 4) for two hours at a time, said Zalman, echoing a common complaint. "Maybe you've been down to the Brighton rec center? They've got that road blocked too, every night, right at rush hour, cars backed up for a hundred miles, and we are supposed to trust them? How hard is it to break apart a train that is going to sit for two hours? They just don't give a damn, and they are not going to make good neighbors."
"Out there in Watkins, at the airport, they want the railroad out there," said Zalman. "That's already an industrial park, and I think maybe the land is more expensive out there than this agricultural land."
"I don't know why they don't build it there," said Bilak "They are already set up for it. And they (Watkins) want it."
"The railroad is going to come right up to here," says Bilak, indicating the edge of Zalman's property. "We can't live here. Not with all that dirt and noise. Who could?"
"It just makes me want to cry."
"I just don't think people realize just how humongous this thing is going to be," said Zalman.
Bilak said she wishes she could take everyone down to the 40th street yard. "So people can see what's going to happen, and let them listen to the noise. Because I don't think that any of these people know."
"The rail yard downtown is a 24/7 operation," said Zalman. "I think the only time I've seen them shut down was on Christmas. The rest of the time, all that banging and clanging. It's a slum area."
When Zalman needs a little peace of mind, he tends to drive across the farm to a high point, a place he sometimes sits for hours in silent reflection. Today is no exception, and Zalman puts on his hat and hits the trail.
Stopping "just a ways" up the hill, past hold-your-hands bridge, named for the usual white-knuckled passage across the narrow wooden structure in Zalman's John Deere Gator, Zalman kills the engine. Soaking up the silent view down and across the river valley, all the way to the foothills and beyond to the peaks of the Front Range, then down to the Denver metro area in the distance. Zalman leans back in the driver's seat, and lets a sigh settle into the stillness. Summing up a feeling common in these parts, Zalman voices an opinion tinged with 61 years of rural pride.
"I'd rather be dead out here than live in that city." - Gene Sears, The Brighton Standard Blade
DEPOT'S FATE LEFT UP TO PUBLIC
PEKIN, IL -- It will cost the Pekin Park District about $115,000 to save and move a historic railroad depot. So board members now are asking the community if the building is worth preserving.
The park district is considering an offer to take and move the 1898 structure from its current Broadway Street location. But during a special meeting Tuesday, board members acknowledged it's a hard decision to make without community input.
"People have a lot of confidence in the park district. And I think the community thinks we've already committed to this," Director Bob Blackwell said. "This community needs to know that we've yet to make our decision and we have a great interest in hearing from them as to whether or not they think this preservation is important."
Dave Milam, owner of Creative Landscaping, is closing his store and sold the property on which the depot also is located to Walgreen's. He offered to donate the passenger and cargo depot, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, to anyone who wants it for free as long as the new owner moves it off the property.
The park district is considering moving it to open park property adjacent to the cell phone tower off Stadium Drive. That's also railroad property the park district bought in 1992 to expand Mineral Springs Park, Blackwell said.
Actual renovation costs are unknown because board members said acquiring the depot would be the first phase.
"The (monetary) risk we have is stuff we haven't thought or know about. Those risks are greatest in terms of renovation," Blackwell said.
The Broadway Street railroad depot was built by St. Louis, Peoria & Northern Railroad and used by five railroad companies until the 1960s or 1970s. Milam bought the depot in 1999 with plans to tear it down and expand his parking lot until his mother, who wanted to get the depot historic status, convinced him otherwise.
It would cost $15,000 to move the north and south sections of the depot to a new location and nearly $58,560 for footings and foundations. Concrete floor slabs, lead-based paint stabilization and wire relocation would cost an additional $41,740.
But if the park district only moved the station portion and not the baggage room, relocation would cost about $63,000, Blackwell said.
Blackwell said he's received about a dozen calls of support, including several offers for monetary donations.
Park Board member Gary Gilles said he would favor the park district takeover, but only with input and support from the public.
"I think it's a good lesson for the community - there is a cost for preservation," Gilles said. "I'm as much in favor of preservation as anybody, but at what cost?" - Karen McDonald, The Peoria Journal Star
WEST MEMPHIS SEEKS UNION PACIFIC FINES FOR 2-HOUR BLOCKAGE
LITTLE ROCK, AR -- A railroad company that blocked traffic for two hours at five crossings in West Memphis last fall should be fined for the blockage, city officials told the state Highway Commission on Tuesday.
Fines might deter the Union Pacific Railroad from doing it again, the commission was told at a hearing. Lawyers for the railroad told the commission that steps had been taken to assure that it didn't happen again, and asked that no sanctions be imposed.
"I don't want to wait until someone has serious health problems or is injured seriously or a large institution burn(s) down," West Memphis Mayor Bill Johnson told the commission during a hearing.
The incident involved two trains on separate tracks that converge in West Memphis. A train bound from Memphis to Pine Bluff stopped in West Memphis on an east-west track in the early hours of Oct. 21 to drop off some railroad cars and pick up others. That train blocked a crossing that city officials said is the only way in and out of a major petroleum facility that was the scene of a major fire nine years ago.
Another train running on a north-south track began its journey south from Marion but stopped at a signal near the intersection with the east-west track. That trained blocked four more crossings on city streets.
"The east-west (street) traffic was paralyzed," said West Memphis city attorney David Peoples.
Trains are required to uncouple rail cars to clear crossings if they block vehicle and pedestrian traffic for more than 10 or 15 minutes. But railroad officials said that procedure would have taken longer than the two hours the crossings were blocked.
They told the commission that Union Pacific now requires company dispatchers to delay trains leaving Marion if another train is stopped on the east-west tracks in West Memphis.
"We admit we blocked these crossings, we admit that the dispatcher in charge of these trains on that day should not have put the intermodal train where it did," said Joseph McKay of Little Rock, an attorney for Union Pacific. "However, we have taken corrective action. We have instituted a procedure to avoid this in the future."
The Highway Commission's chief counsel, Robert Wilson, said that, after briefs are submitted by both sides, the commission will issue a decision. - The Associated Press, The Pine Bluff Commercial
RAIL FEST EVENT COULD REVITALIZE NORTH SIDE
NORTH PLATTE, NE -- Popular interest in railroads in general - and North Platte, Nebraska's world's largest railroad classification yard specifically - are now linked with plans to revitalize the north side of town.
Original Town Association announced plans for the first Rail Fest, scheduled at Cody Park, Sept. 21-23.
"You can't rebuild a neighborhood with bake sales," said OT president Dave Harrold. "It will take a major event to raise money to rebuild."
OT member Ken Bible proposed holding an event that celebrates North Platte's railroad heritage as a way to honor the contributions of the Union Pacific Railroad and raise money to improve the north side.
U.P.'s North Platte general superintendent Cameron Scott, along with the North Platte Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln County North Platte Convention and Visitor's Bureau have signed to work with OT.
"A few years ago, we all celebrated the opening of the new Wal-Mart Distribution Center," Harrold said. "According to the Development Corporation, having the U.P. in North Platte is the economic equivalent of opening a Wal-Mart Distribution Center every year."
Interest in the railroad at U.P.'s Bailey Yard is international, said Muriel Clark of the Lincoln County NP Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
"One of the biggest requests we have is for information on the U.P.," Clark said. "At least 30 percent of the calls we receive are from people asking 'how do we see the railroad?' The railroad and Bailey Yard is a jewel in our community."
Rail Fest is a unique event that reflects many aspects of the railroad, from preservation and education to safety and history.
"U.P. is a community-wide entity," Harrold said. "As the U.P grows, we all grow. In an economy where a fire in China raises the price of toys in North Platte, it is clear that in order to prosper, we must remain an inter-woven community. It's important that we work toward a common goal to take advantage of all the assets we have."
Bailey Yard, with its 2,225 employees, is interwoven with the economic development of North Platte, Harrold said.
"The U.P contributes economically to the growth of the city," Harrold said. "But the value of its employees to this community is immeasurable. They serve on the city council, they are on school boards. We want to say how much we appreciate that."
U.P. General Superintendent Cameron Scott said he was pleased with OT's plans.
"This will be a tremendous event," Scott said. "We are working with OT to layer in to the festival what we do and why we will be hiring 3.000 new employees over the next six to 10 years."
The U.P is now hiring its fifth generation of employees in North Platte, Scott said.
"I think there is still a little bit of mystery about what we do," Scott said. "All our departments will be represented at the Rail Fest."
Original Town Association was established in 2004 in response to the stagnation of the area north of the railroad with hopes of re-vitalizing the part of town that includes the initial plat of the community.
Since its inception, OT has initiated annual north side Clean Up Days, helped build a park, worked on increasing its membership and raised enough money to pay for a Neighborhood Development Plan.
Money raised by Rail Fest will help with OT-targeted projects, which include building a new basketball and ice-skating multi-use facility at Cody Park, and creating new green space, parks and trails on the north side, as well as link the downtown area, the north side and Cody Park with vintage lighting.
OT members have the commitment to make the vision of Rail Fest work, said David Bernard Stevens, director of the chamber of commerce.
"Perhaps 10 years from now, the north side might be the best place to be," Bernard Stevens said. - Diane Wetzel, The North Platte Telegraph
RAILROAD ISSUES TRACKED BY ACC
Some questions were answered and more questions were raised, but Arizona's Corporation Commissioners left Friday evening with a better understanding of the issues surrounding Union Pacific's plans to double track in Willcox.
Safety issues -- such as blocked crossings when a train stops and train speed, and noise issues -- such as whether or not there should be a quiet zone in town -- dominated the public comment session that lasted nearly two and a half hours.
Another prominent issue was how a proposed overpass on Rex Allen Drive would impact economic development in historic downtown. In 2005, Union Pacific Rail Road announced its plans to expand its Sunset Route, a 760-mile rail corridor that extends from El Paso to Los Angeles. The Sunset Route passes through or near several Arizona communities that stand to be affected by the expansion.
The number of trains passing through Willcox daily could increase from the current 50 to as many as 120, though city officials who spoke with Union Pacific believe it will be more like 70 to 100.
Commissioner Kristin Mayes said that the double-tracking project is causing "concern throughout the state of Arizona."
Mayes then listed effected communities, such as Willcox, Cochise, Benson, Kino, Picacho, Tucson, Casa Grande, Maricopa, Gila Bend, Sentinel and Yuma.
"This is the first border-to-border railroad project in 50 years in the state of Arizona. It's an incredibly important issue and it is incredibly important that this railroad listen to those communities and the people in those communities," she said.
"We don't have the authority right now to tell the railroad where they can put that line, but we do have the bully pulpit. We have certainly used that bully pulpit in other situations," Mayes said.
The commissioners, city staff and council, and other officials introduced themselves and gave brief presentations before the citizens began speaking.
There was some good-natured banter between Willcox City Manager Mike Leighton and Union Pacific's Rob Henderson as to where the second track would be located. The railroad calls it south and the city calls it east -- of the existing track.
"They're going to put the track on the side we like," Leighton concluded.
The city had asked Union Pacific in writing last year to place the track on the east side, rather than the west as they had tentatively planned.
"There's going to be a lot more train traffic," Leighton said. "But there's not a lot we could do about that."
Leighton described the March 6 meeting with Union Pacific as "cordial and productive.
They came to the table with some proposals that will help mitigate some of our concerns about location of tracks and safety, along with some recommendations about noise mitigation."
UPRR "also indicated that they would help with a new entrance for Maid Rite Feeds, which will take out a dust issue," Leighton said.
Long-time resident Laura Ann Bethel, who lives outside city limits "by about 300 yards," told the commission "it's a real problem when our crossing (Patte Road) is being blocked."
Bethel said she believes that sometimes it has been blocked because the train crew wanted to stop and have lunch.
"Sometimes our crossing has been blocked for two hours. I know it's a law that a crossing cannot be blocked for more than 15 minutes," she said. "Sometimes a train is so long it blocks both our crossings. That's not okay. I would like that looked at because that's a safety issue."
"You've raised a very legitimate issue. Violation of the law needs to be addressed," said Mayes, adding that residents should notify local law enforcement and the ACC if that situation occurs.
"I'll work with Mr. (Rob) Henderson to try to remedy that situation," said the ACC's Supervisor of Railroad Safety Brian Lehman.
As to the proposed overpass on Rex Allen Drive, Dick Seidel, owner of Willcox Commercial, said that it wasn't practical to close either crossing in town, and didn't favor the overpass, either.
He recommended instead elevating the train tracks, so that street traffic and also floodwaters could go underneath them.
"We could eliminate the whistles that way," he said. Downtown business owners Cliff Kline and Chuck Broeder both expressed their agreement with Seidel's idea.
Longtime resident Keith Klump, who lives near the train track, also spoke against the proposed overpass.
"It will kill the downtown just like the Interstate killed Willcox 50 years ago," said Klump, adding that if the overpass goes in, "just move Willcox somewhere else and forget about it."
Donna Stratton, who also lives near the track, supports the idea of the overpass and is "very interested" in a quiet zone.
"If we make the downtown inviting, then people will want to come to it. We don't have to trap them," she said.
Longtime resident Tony Cohorn commented on what he saw as a contradiction in that evening's discussion.
"I've been sitting here trying to figure it out. You're talking about safety and on the other hand you're talking about no whistles blowing. I don't understand," he said. "The whistle's been blowing for a hundred and some years. If you don't like the whistles, don't move here."
Cohorn said he has lived in the area since 1950, in Bowie and Willcox.
"I've never lived beside the tracks because I knew the tracks were there," he said. "If you want to put up with the train whistles, that's your choice. But I don't understand how you can have safety without the train whistles."
"I'm an engineer," Henderson told the audience. "Although we do have specifications that you have to blow so far in advance of that crossing, there's the old railroad saying, 'I'm not going to get fired because I stop too short, but I will get fired for stopping too far.' It's the same way with the whistles. You're not going to take exception to anyone who blows a short whistle, but when they blow a long whistle you may think it's unnecessary. To me, more warning is better."
Henderson indicated that that LED lights and other "state of the art equipment" would be required for Willcox to have a quiet zone.
"If that's the way the city wants to go, I think you'll find the railroad receptive to working with them to try to get that," he said.
Ann Bryan, a Rail View Avenue resident, asked for more consistency with the train whistles and also expressed interest in a quiet zone. That evening, however, she was primarily concerned with the railroad cars parked on the tracks in front of her home.
"Today, I'd like to see those trains moved," said Bryan, adding that Willcox has already been fighting graffiti, then the railroad moves more of it into town.
"The box cars will be moving next week," said Henderson, drawing applause from the audience.
"I wish I could take credit for it," he said. "But the gang is finished working here and is now going toward Tucson."
To the business owners, Henderson said, "We need to do our double-track and also take care of the businesses here," adding, "I need to do a better job of that."
"That's why we're here," said Commissioner William Mundell, who chaired the meeting. "To open up the lines of communication."
Mayes said that Union Pacific has been very responsive to the people of Willcox.
"I hope that you will respond to other Arizona communities the way you have responded to Willcox," said Mayes, pointing her finger in Henderson's direction. "And we'll be here to make sure you do."
Rep. Jonathon Paton is expected to introduce a bill in the state legislature this week that would give the ACC some control over the railroads. (See related story below.)
It would allow the ACC to decide if a railroad could use state land and whether or not it can acquire land through condemnation.
"I am generally in favor of the commission taking over," Mayes told the Range News after the meeting. "Right now there is lack of oversight. Somebody needs to be judging whether Union Pacific can take people's private property through eminent domain. Right now there is a real vacuum. The commission is stepping into that vacuum. We are saying to Union Pacific, 'You cannot expand your line without taking into consideration the concerns of the local community."
"I am hoping Union Pacific will do for other towns in Arizona what they've done for Willcox, but it is extremely unusual," she added.
Mayes said that there are concerns over the constitutionality of the Paton bill, "but I think those constitutional issues can be dealt with." - Carol Broeder, The Arizona Range News
NOW IS TIME FOR COMPROMISE AND VIGILANCE
When there is a proposed change in the infrastructure in our community, there are a number of hurdles for entities involved to leap. If it is a building, there is planning and zoning approval, requiring notification of neighbors. Then the city council or board of supervisors votes on the outcome of the P and Z action, once again usually with public input. The same process is the case for roads. They are not simply imposed from above, but take into account public views.
At least that is usually the case. But in one instance, changes can be imposed and there is little a municipality or area can do to argue. We are talking about railroads in general, and Union Pacific Railroad in particular. Railroads are governed federally. So the railroad makes its argument to the Surface Transportation Board, which governs rail lines. The problems or issues in individual communities are not taken into consideration. What matters is what works for the railroad.
At the moment, Union Pacific is interested in increasing its 760-mile El Paso to Los Angeles Sunset Route. It has already announced intentions to double-track through Willcox. That would allow the number of trains passing through daily to increase from the current 50 to as many as 120, although it is unlikely that many would pass. A better number, according to Willcox officials who have spoken with the railroad, is 70 to 100. That is a lot of trains going through several towns en route to Tucson and on to California. None of the towns between Willcox and Vail have overpasses. In all cases, traffic is stopped while the trains go by. In Vail, it is possible to be trapped for quite some time. And yet, there is no one to hear citizen complaints.
That could change if a bill sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Paton passes. Paton expected to introduce the measure in the Legislature today. It seeks to give the Arizona Corporation Commission some control over railroads in the state. The bill would allow the ACC to decide if a railroad can use state land and whether or not it can acquire land for routes through condemnation.
The wording was still being tweaked, but this is a good idea. Arizona residents should have some say in the expansion of something as big as a rail line. There are environmental issues and noise and access issues it is unlikely a federal board would ever care about. We support Paton's efforts. If you think they are a good idea, contact your local representative and urge him or her to support the bill. - Editorial Opinion, The Arizona Range News
RAILROAD OFFICIALS FIND NUMEROUS CSX DEFECTS
WASHINGTON, DC -- Federal railroad officials said Tuesday that an investigation found more than 3,500 problems with CSX Corp. railroad properties in 23 states, a probe started in response to a series of accidents involving the company's trains.
The Federal Railroad Administration's inspection, conducted over four days in January after a derailment on Jan 16 in East Rochester, NY, recommended that CSX be fined for 199 violations, including failure to replace defective rails, failure to make repairs and improper handling of hazardous materials.
Joseph Boardman, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, said in a prepared statement that CSX "is still not doing enough to make safety a top priority."
The agency's inspectors, he said, "identified problems in every area of the company's safety performance, including track, hazardous materials and on-track equipment."
In the inspection released Tuesday, federal railroad inspectors found 3,518 defects, or less-severe problems with railroad equipment or operating practices - such as not using radios or switches properly. A violation is a more serious infraction that usually mean a penalty.
CSX, in a prepared statement, said it would "continue to work closely and promptly" with federal railroad officials to solve the issues identified. The company said its safety record has been improving with an overall 24 percent reduction in train accidents last year.
Last week, Michael Ward, CSX's chief executive, told analysts that the railroad operator won't cut down on spending, especially on projects related to safety, to improve cash flow.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who is pushing for tougher penalties for fatal rail accidents and negligent railroad companies, said the report shows CSX is not making safety enough of a priority.
"This scathing report confirms our worst fears about CSX's safety record in upstate New York and across the country," Schumer said. "It's not a coincidence or just bad luck that there has been a rash of accidents and near misses. CSX is simply not putting the energy, effort, and resources into safety."
Earlier this month, 28 cars on an 80-car freight train in upstate New York jumped the tracks. Eight tanker cars contained flammable substances and caught fire, forcing the temporary evacuation of thousands of residents. The incident marked the fifth derailment involving CSX in New York since December.
Jacksonville, FL-based CSX is also rebounding from a derailment in Brooks, KY, which so far has cost the railroad $30 million. Other recent derailments have occurred in Maryland and Ohio, according to railroad officials.
Federal railroad officials said March 19 they would check nearly 1,300 miles of track in New York State for problems, including heavily used CSX tracks between Albany and Buffalo. Boardman has said that has met with top CSX executives to discuss safety.
At the analysts' meeting, Ward said CSX reinvested $1.4 billion into its operations last year and plans to spend the same this year. About 58 percent of that money will go to its infrastructure, while it will spend 12 percent on both locomotives and freight cars, he said. - Alan Zibel, The Associated Press, The Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger
TRANSIT NEWS
RESIDENTS SOUND OFF ON EAST LINK RAIL
SEATTLE, WA -- When it comes to freeway expansion and light rail, Alice Nordwall of Bellevue, Washington finds herself squeezed in the middle.
One Sound Transit proposal runs light rail in front of her condo on 118th Avenue Southeast. Interstate 405 runs behind her building.
Nordwall was one of more than 130 people at a workshop at Bellevue City Hall Tuesday commenting on possible routes for the Sound Transit East Link light rail.
People were randomly assigned to small groups and told to discuss one route between I-90 and downtown Bellevue and talk about things they wanted preserved.
Four additional workshops will be held in the next two weeks. Two meetings will focus on stations on Mercer Island and in Seattle's Rainier Vista neighborhood. One meeting will explore options through the Bellevue-Redmond corridor, and the final meeting will cover routes to Redmond.
Community comment will be considered in the final route planning process, transit officials say.
In Nordwall's group, people were worried about encroachment on established residential areas around downtown Bellevue.
It isn't just the neighborhoods, said Susan Woerdehoff of Bellevue. It's the amenities, too.
"Don't touch the Pancake Corral," said the 42-year-old who grew up in Bellevue. "Don't mess with Chace's pancake house."
The 10 people around the table in group five, including moderator James Irish of Sound Transit, laughed and agreed that the 48-year-old restaurant was a community treasure.
Comments ranged from concern about noise to the use of local parks as construction staging areas. One man, Josh Montgomery, suggested that East Link be routed along 116th Avenue with trolleys running across the freeway to downtown Bellevue.
"We don't need the redevelopment that light rail brings in downtown," he said. "We need it along 116th."
Woerdehoff, who lives in Surrey Downs, agreed.
"I'm not going to take the train to take the dogs to the groomers, to Safeway to get groceries, or to pick up my brothers at basketball practice. We don't need light rail on our local roads."
If built, the East Link extension would cross Lake Washington on the Interstate 90 bridge and head north to downtown Bellevue and east to the Microsoft Campus and downtown Redmond. The route could be scaled back, depending on funding, particularly the Overlake to Redmond leg.
It would operate 20 hours a day. People could go from downtown Bellevue to Seattle/Qwest Field in 20 minutes and from Redmond's Overlake Transit Center to downtown Bellevue in 10 minutes, transit officials estimate.
Light rail could open to downtown Bellevue as early as 2016 or as late as 2020.
The Sound Transit board won't decide on a final Eastside route until after November, when voters will decide on a $16.5 billion Regional Transportation Investment District highway measure.
That includes $6.7 billion for roads and $9.8 billion for the phase two plan of light rail. That cost also includes expansion of light rail from Seattle to Lynnwood and Tacoma. The Legislature has mandated that voters must approve the transit and highway plan together.
The Environmental Impact Statement, which will contain the final routes, is expected to be complete in 2008. - Sherry Grinderland, The Seattle Times
FASTRACKS CHALLENGES
DENVER, CO -- RTD's $4.7 billion FasTracks plan is still in its infancy, but a recent study predicted costs could run more than 50 percent higher than original estimates.
Staff writer Kevin Flynn recently noted that a flurry of change orders already have been issued, and many more are expected as time goes by.
For instance, the light rail stop at Union Station will now be a long 2 1/2-block hike from the commuter trains instead of adjacent to them; the two tracks planned for part of the West Corridor will be reduced to one; trains and platforms will be shortened; the light rail on the northwest Gold line could be shifted to commuter rail or street cars - just to name a few.
Changes occur, of course, during any massive project. The question is, how many changes are too many? Could cutbacks and shortcuts, the truncation or even elimination of a major line for cost reasons prompt some sort of public protest?
Two options are possible. Either someone could challenge the project in court or opponents could go back to the voters and ask them to repeal the tax. Indeed, backers of FasTracks challenged their foes many times during the 2004 campaign to do just that. So far they haven't, nor are they likely to unless things get much worse.
Lawsuits are difficult. Ballot-issue drafters have learned over the years to be suitably vague, to avoid being charged with breach of contract. The 2004 ballot issue, for instance, made no mention of "light rail," only "fixed guide way mass transit."
Of course, the verbal and written campaign promises used by promoters of the project have no legal standing and can't be used against them later.
The courts have been invited into bond issue disputes on occasion. One Colorado case of note occurred a half-century ago.
In May 1955 Denver voters approved an $8.7 million bond issue authorizing numerous street and traffic control projects. But after the vote, officials decided that one of them, the 15th Street viaduct over railroad tracks in the Platte bottoms, was undesirable and even hazardous.
They decided to spend the money on a lower priority project: widening University Boulevard near the Denver Country Club.
But City Auditor Thomas Currigan, who like all auditors in those days desired to become mayor, refused to sign off on it since it went against the voters' will.
The city administration sued to compel his cooperation. But the trial court sided with Currigan. The viaduct project may have been difficult, said the judge, but not impossible. He declined to force Currigan to sign a contract for a project not specifically authorized by voters.
In 1961, the Colorado Supreme Court affirmed his ruling. "The projects are not interchangeable and . . . the priority called for in the ordinance must either be adhered to or the project abandoned," said the high court.
True, it's an ancient case and hardly a man is left alive.
But wait. At least one of them is. It's none other than attorney Ben Klein. He represented Currigan (who later did in fact become mayor) and he won.
It's the same Ben Klein who later was elected to the RTD board and served three times as its chairman.
He's still around, still practicing law, still keeping an eye on RTD. He spent most of his time feuding with other board members and management, and takes a dim view of FasTracks.
He's not likely to be suing anytime soon, but others are watching too.
Footnote: One thing the RTD dare not do when faced with shortfalls in the FasTracks budget is cut back on bus service. One promise it did make in the ballot issue was "increased bus service," probably to make urban voters more supportive of a rail project primarily designed as a subsidy for suburban riders. The Los Angeles transit district, which cut bus service when faced with rail overruns a decade ago, was successfully sued by a populist bus riders group. - Commentary, Peter Blake, The Rocky Mountain News
WESTSIDE FREEWAY FAVORED OVER LIGHT RAIL
WEST VALLEY CITY, UT -- Backers of the Mountain View transit corridor are accusing transportation planners of low-balling ridership projections.
They say that is happening in order to favor a competing plan to add a new westside freeway.
At a meeting yesterday to discuss transit plans for the proposed 5600 West route, Sierra Club representative Marc Heileson said that favoring freeway over light rail or buses is a disservice to the region's future.
"If they think they can justify an eight-lane freeway and put off transit for 20 years because they say nobody is going to ride it, [that] is just bad planning," Heileson said.
An environmental impact study of Mountain View is being done by the Utah Department of Transportation. So far, that plan projects the first phase of west-side freeway would be finished in 2015.
Meantime, the ongoing study suggests that transit right-of-ways will be preserved, but not developed until after 2015.
Consultants so far estimate a best-case scenario of 5,900 daily riders along Mountain View's transit corridor in 2015. Planners say that is not enough to justify putting down rails quicker than proposed.
Heileson says that ridership estimate is way off.
"It's one thing to be conservative; it's another to miss the broad side of a barn," he said. "People are riding transit. . . . The problem we have is that the citizens are way ahead of their leaders." - Joe Baird, The Salt Lake Tribune
THE END
Railroad Newsline for Thursday, 03/29/07