Railroad Newsline for Saturday, November 18, 2006

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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Rail News

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Five Sentenced For Lying To Get Derailment Payments

LAFAYETTE, LA -- Five people who admitted lying about being in Eunice, Louisiana to get part of a $65 million settlement stemming from a train derailment have been put on probation for three years.

The five were among a group of 13 people charged with mail fraud last year while claiming to have been visiting the city in May 2000 when rail cars carrying hazardous chemicals derailed and forced evacuation of most of Eunice.

Most of the group claimed they were exposed to chemical vapors while attending a family reunion, but investigators confirmed that the event never happened, prosecutors said.

More than 12,000 people filed claims in the class-action lawsuit against Union Pacific Railroad Co. Attorneys overseeing the settlement tagged a few hundred claims as suspicious and more than 200 were eventually thrown out.

The twelve accused of mail fraud had filed appeals of their initial denial. Sentenced to three years of probation by U.S. District Judge Tucker Melancon on Thursday were Tambra R. Bright, Karen E. Cole, Angela Ashley, Lillie Derry Townsend and her husband, Henry Townsend. All pleaded guilty to a count of mail fraud.

Three other defendants were put on three years of probation earlier this month. - The Associated Press, The New Orleans Times-Picayune

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Union Pacific Corporation Declares Quarterly Dividend

OMAHA, NE -- The Board of Directors of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) has declared a quarterly dividend of 30 cents per share on its common stock, payable January 2, 2007, to stockholders of record November 30, 2006.

Union Pacific has paid dividends on its common stock for 107 consecutive years. - Kathryn Blackwell, UP News Release

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Now Hiring: Excellent Jobs Available In Northern California

OMAHA, NE -- Union Pacific Railroad has openings for train service employees between now and the end of the year in Northern California to help keep goods such as automobiles, consumer products and food moving across the nation's rail system.

"We offer our employees great pay and benefits and advancement opportunities at one of the premier companies in the country," said Barb Schaefer, senior vice president - Human Resources. "Many of our current openings are train service positions are in Oakland and are essential to the success of Union Pacific's ability to safely transport our customers' goods."

The men and women handling train service duties across the Union Pacific system are directly involved in train operation and movement, switching operations, and equipment inspections. The railroad provides all training required for these positions. Train service positions offer pay of up to $40,000 in the first year and $75,000 in future years. There also is the potential opportunity for advancement to other positions within Union Pacific.

Other California locations with train service employee openings include Roseville, Dunsmuir, Ozol/Martinez, Milpitas and Watsonville.

Jobs at Union Pacific

Currently, Union Pacific has job openings at many locations throughout its 23-state operating system. Opportunities are available in train service, skilled disciplines (e.g., diesel mechanics and electricians) and management. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit www.unionpacific.jobs. - James Barnes, UP News Release

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Dodge County, Wisconsin Task Force Addresses Burglaries

JUNEAU, WI -- More than two dozen burglaries have been reported in Dodge County over the past two weeks. In response to the crime spree, law enforcement agencies from Beaver Dam and Watertown have joined with the Dodge County Sheriff's Department in establishing a burglary task force.

In different pockets of the county, Dodge County Sheriff Deputy Chief Blaine Lauersdorf said, many of the cases appear related.

"We're coordinating our efforts with different agencies in working the cases and sharing information," Lauersdorf said.

While a handful of homes have been broken into throughout the county, Lauersdorf said businesses in Beaver Dam and Watertown have been the hardest hit targets.
On Thursday, thieves stole a large, towable air compressor from behind a locked fence at a construction materials firm, Payne & Dolan on County Trunk R near Hustisford. That same day, officials from the Union Pacific Railroad reported the theft of a gasoline-powered generator on Junction Road in the town of Clyman.

Sheriff Todd Nehls said the latest crime spree is the worst he's seen in Dodge County since he's been sheriff, noting that deputies respond to reports of three to four burglaries a night. Most of the crimes have involved the theft of cash during the early morning hours.

The Sheriff Department advises business owners to inspect security measures including strong locks and ample lighting at all entrances. Nehls also suggests owners consider video surveillance and alarm systems to protect their property. - Colleen Kottke, The Fond du Lac Reporter

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BNSF Workers Honored For Saving Comrade

PASCO, WA -- Windle Todd and Brian Watson have worked for the railroad for a combined 31 years. But it's what they did in the span of mere minutes that earned their employer's praise and extended a fellow worker's life.

Todd, 50, and Watson, 24, didn't even know each other Oct19 as they worked in opposite ends of a four-story brick tower in the BNSF Railway Co. yard off Railroad Avenue in Pasco. Todd, a carpenter, was painting, and Watson, a yard master, was in the conductor's lounge when they both got word that someone had fallen over in a chair.

Todd didn't immediately realize the seriousness of the situation.

"I thought it was a joke, but when I walked around the corner, somebody was laying on the ground," he recalled.

The unconscious man was Keith Wiles, 50, a locomotive engineer working out of Spokane. About 10 workers were tending to him, and when one asked if anyone knew CPR, Todd and Watson stepped forward.

Todd had received company-sponsored training in the life-saving technique several times in recent years. Watson had learned it as a Boy Scout, but his most recent training was four years ago.

Despite the surreal moment, they responded on instinct.

"It was the weirdest thing. You always feel for a pulse, and people always have a pulse," Watson said, feeling the pulse in his own wrist as he talked. "I checked for his pulse, and it wasn't there."

Together, Todd and Watson went to work on Wiles. Todd administered chest compressions, and when he paused, Watson breathed into Wiles' mouth. They kept going until Wiles started to respond.
An automated external defibrillator was brought over but wasn't needed. Paramedics soon arrived and took over.

Wiles underwent triple-bypass surgery the following week and is recovering in Vancouver, Wash., where he has moved with his wife. He's expected to return to work in mid-December, said Jeep Labberton, manager of the BNSF Pasco terminal.

Todd and Watson, meanwhile, have learned to accept hero status among their peers. On Thursday, their supervisors threw a steak lunch in their honor at the Bridge & Building Department off East A Street in Pasco.

After they retold their story to about 25 engineering personnel, Labberton reiterated the point.

"This guy falls on the ground. He's not breathing, and there's no pulse. Inside of 90 seconds, these two individuals here had his pulse back and had a faint breathing started before they got the oxygen on," Labberton told the assembled workers.

Their quick action kept Wiles from suffering any damage to his brain or his heart muscle, Labberton said.

"They not only saved his life, they saved his quality of life," he added.

Todd was presented with the American Heart Association's Heart Saver CPR Certificate - available to anyone who receives the association's training and uses it to save a life.

Lancene Lamson, American Heart Association coordinator at the Kennewick General Community Training Center, commended BNSF for the CPR training it gives to employees. From January through October, she and instructor Bobbi Sanders taught the skills to about 140 workers in the railroad's Northwest division.

"It does save lives, as Windle showed," Lamson said.

Todd and Watson said they had to find ways to deal with the shock of the incident after it happened. Watson said he was shaky. Todd went back to painting to keep himself occupied.

And a few days later, as soon as he could schedule the appointment, Todd visited his doctor for a checkup. - Joe Chapman, The Tri-City Herald

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Youths Left In Dark After Copper Wiring Theft

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA -- Thieves cut the electricity to the John Swett High School stadium and stole copper electrical wiring Wednesday night, leaving school officials scrambling to fix the problem and forcing the boys' and girls' soccer teams to share the school's field for practices.

Maintenance crews discovered the copper wire missing Thursday morning after finding exposed, mangled wires. Superintendent Michael Roth said the theft must have occurred sometime after 10 p.m. Wednesday night when stadium maintenance crews left for the evening.

"It's unbelievable," Roth said. "It's discouraging when someone vandalizes things that students are using."

Roth said it isn't yet known when the lights will be fixed, how much it will cost, or what damage has been done to the stadium's electrical wiring.

The boys' soccer team uses the stadium lights to practice after dark, while the girls' team practices after school. John Swett Athletic Director Wayne Basye said that until the lights are fixed, the girls' and boys' teams will have to split the field and practice at the same time.

The school is not hosting any playoff football games, and no home soccer games are scheduled in the near future, Basye said.

A rash of copper thefts have occurred throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties in recent months. The Altamont Wind Resource Area near Livermore has been a target, as have railroad companies.

Higher-than-normal copper prices in construction have been attributed to the increases in thefts. - Kimberly S. Wetzel, The Contra Costa Times

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Union Pacific To Offer Route To State Fair Train From Pueblo

PUEBLO, CO -- Union Pacific will provide a special train to Pueblo from Denver for the opening day of the Colorado State Fair next Aug. 24, according to U.S. Rep. John Salazar's office.

Salazar, a Democrat who represents Pueblo and the 3rd District, wrote to Union Pacific officials on Oct. 17, noting that the railroad provides a special train to Cheyenne's Frontier Days from Denver each summer. He asked the railroad to provide similar service to the Fair and received word from Union Pacific that it would.

The railroad will provide a vintage steam locomotive for the train, which will carry approximately 250 people.

"We would be delighted to provide a special train from Denver to Pueblo for the 2007 Colorado State Fair," Robert W. Turner, Union Pacific's vice president for corporate relations, wrote Salazar in a letter dated Nov. 14.

Fair General Manager Chris Wiseman said the special train had been on the Fair board's agenda for several years and he credited Salazar with getting Union Pacific's support. Salazar serves on the House Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over the nation's railroads.

"We think the Fair train will be another attraction that we can offer to people in the Denver metro area," Wiseman said. "Fortunately, Congressman Salazar was able to open doors to get this done."

Pueblo lawyer Jim Koncilja, who owns the Union Depot with his brother, Joe, said they have been lobbying Union Pacific for some time to provide a Fair train. He said the train will be named The Chieftain Express, following the model of the train that goes to Cheyenne each year, which is sponsored by the Denver Post newspaper.

It wouldn't be the first special train from Denver to the Fair in Pueblo. In the early years of the Fair, many Denver area residents traveled to the Fair by rail. According to The Pueblo Chieftain archives, one of the special trains brought 1,000 Denverites to the Union Depot in Pueblo on Sept. 17, 1902 to attend Denver Day at the Fair.

They were met by Morris Military band. The contingent paraded up Union Avenue to West Fourth Street where they boarded street cars that carried them to the Fairgrounds. - Peter Roper, The Pueblo Chieftain

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Derailment, Landslide Mean Expensive Sprinter Repairs

OCEANSIDE, CA -- A train derailment in late August, followed by a landslide in September, and ongoing problems with a railroad crossing in Vista have gobbled up nearly $5 million in "contingency" funds built into the Sprinter's already tight budget.

The North County Transit District's governing board -- which is building the 22-mile Sprinter line from Oceanside to Escondido -- received a quarterly update from its professional staff Thursday that detailed three major changes to construction plans.

According to Thursday's progress report, Sprinter construction will be 70 percent complete by the end of November. Contractors have laid 18 of 32 miles of rail, have replaced 32 of 36 railroad crossings and have 10 of 12 Sprinter vehicles in the district's new Escondido maintenance building.

Don Bullock, the district's manager of capital projects and construction, detailed three unexpected problems that have recently added expense and delays to Sprinter construction.

On Aug. 28, a Burlington Northern and Santa Fe freight train hauling a load of unspecified material east to an Escondido business lost one of its cars, which derailed in an environmentally sensitive area alongside Oceanside's Loma Alta Creek, west of Rancho del Oro Road.

"It was a mile before they figured out they had a car off the tracks, and it just chewed up a mile of our brand-new track," Bullock said.

Bullock estimated that it will cost between $750,000 and $900,000 to repair the damage. He said the derailment was likely caused by a faulty brake on the rail car.

Shortly after the derailment, which caused no injuries, builders discovered a section of new Sprinter rail east of El Camino Real had been bowed by a landslide -- engineers call it a "slope failure" -- on the track's southern edge. Bullock estimated that fixing the slope and the newly laid rail will cost an additional $2 million.

"We will have to go in and fix that slope so that it can't happen again," he said.

Farther east, in Vista, the district has been in negotiations with the city's transportation department over its need to reconfigure an existing rail crossing at Escondido Avenue just north of Highway 78.

The Sprinter track curves as it crosses the busy avenue, and that curve presents problems getting trains close enough to a new station being built next to the road. Bullock said that it was necessary to straighten the curve somewhat, and doing so meant moving the crossing several feet.

The city has also objected that putting two rail crossings onto Escondido Avenue -- there is only one now -- will create a dangerous bump for thousands of cars that navigate the road daily.

The solution, Bullock said, is to make the surrounding roadway less steep. And that means serious road work several hundred feet both east and west of the crossing. He said it will be necessary to close one side of Escondido Avenue at a time, likely starting in January.

"This will be disruptive," Bullock said. "There is no other way to get around it. We plan to be as minimally disruptive as possible."

Escondido Avenue has already seen its share of inconvenience. Workers recently closed part of the road to investigate underground utilities in preparation for the more extensive work to come.

Bullock said that changing the Sprinter's plans for Escondido Avenue will add $2 million to the project's cost.

"This is a very small problem that required a very big fix," he said.

Meanwhile, the Sprinter continues to battle for its budget. Transit district officials will go before the San Diego Association of Governments board today to finalize plans for additional funding to satisfy the Federal Transportation Association, which has threatened to withhold about $60 million in funding for the project if its budget is not increased to $484 million.

Transit district board Chairman Jerome Stocks of Encinitas said Thursday that the district will likely have to increase the project's budget and delay its completion date to July 2008 before federal officials agree to provide $60 million promised for the project. But all present Thursday said they still believe the Sprinter will open in December 2007 at a cost no greater than $440 million.

Stocks noted that the federal agency demanded the budget increase after it assigned additional "risk factors" to parts of the Sprinter project that remain incomplete.

"All the risks that they have identified have not come to fruition," Stocks said. - Paul Sisson, The North County Times

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CN To Reduce Fuel Surcharge For The Third Time Since April, 2005

The Canadian National Railway announced Friday it will reduce its fuel surcharge under the company's Tariff 7401, effective Jan. 1, 2007. The surcharge reduction will be the third since CN introduced Tariff 7401 in April 2005.

James Foote, executive vice-president, Sales and Marketing, for CN, said: "This latest reduction in CN's fuel surcharge reflects our commitment to fair pricing for a quality transportation product. We apply the surcharge to our customer base as broadly as possible. We believe this universal application is equitable to all of our customers and responsive to the marketplace."

When the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil monthly average price equals or exceeds US$25.00 in the second calendar month prior to the month in which the fuel surcharge is applied, CN's fuel surcharge is calculated starting from a base of 1.5 per cent of the line haul freight charge. Effective Jan.1, 2007, for each incremental fluctuation of US$1.00 per barrel of WTI crude oil above US$25.00, the fuel surcharge will decrease or increase by an incremental 0.23 per cent, which is eight per cent lower than the 0.25 per cent incremental change under CN's current Tariff 7401.

CN's new fuel surcharge will remain the lowest in the North American rail industry based on a WTI price per barrel of US$25.00.

At a WTI price level of about US$60 per barrel on Jan. 1, 2007, CN's new fuel surcharge would be 9.32 per cent, compared with 10.0 per cent under the current tariff. - Mark Hallman, CN News Release

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Celebrate The Incline Railway's History This Weekend

Cañon City, CO -- Take a step back in time when the Incline Railway was built.

At the same time, you can pick up a collector’s items when the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Incline Railway in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service.

The Post Office, which will be set up by the Trolley tree, will offer a cachet and cancellation for collectors during park hours from 10:00 to 16:00 Saturday at the Royal Gorge Park.

Created by artist Edward Adamic, the cachet depicts the Royal Gorge Bridge and the Incline.

“We’ll have a short ceremony at 11:30 with Area 6 Postmaster and general manager Mike Bandera speaking,” said Peggy Gair, public relations manager.

Shortly after the bridge was built, the owners noticed those riding on the train stopped to take pictures of the bridge as they passed underneath.

“The Royal Gorge owners wanted their customers to get the same view that you get from the railroad,” Gear said.

So they set out to build the Incline with Royal Gorge engineer George Cole and the help of engineers from the Otis Company, who installed the special hoist machinery and automatic safety devices.

“The Incline was built from the top down,” Gear said.

Workmen, who were suspended on ropes and cables, cleaned the loose rock from the canyon wall during construction. The new facility, which provided a view of the famous gorge from the bottom, as well as the top opened June 14, 1931.

During Saturday’s celebration, Adamic and the original painting will also be featured. - Charlotte Burrows, The Cañon City Daily Record

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Three New Ethanol Plants Planned For Nebraska

LINCOLN, NE -- A Nebraska-based company joined the stampede for ethanol production Thursday, announcing plans to build three large plants in the state in the next two years.

Executives of Central BioEnergy LLC of Grand Island said the company will invest $500 million for plants in Seward, Howard and Chase Counties.

CBE President Gordon Glade, a Grand Island businessman, said the company has raised money in part from local citizens, including farmers who will sell corn to the plant, and is nearing its financing goals.

Nebraska now has 12 ethanol plants operating, 10 under construction and 33 in the planning stages.

Gov. Dave Heineman, who attended the announcement ceremony in the State Capitol Rotunda, said the state will surpass Illinois in 2007 to become the second-largest ethanol-producing state behind Iowa.

Each of CBE's plants will produce 100 million gallons of ethanol a year. They will purchase about 40 million bushels of corn a year, about double the amount that is grown in the counties where the plants will be built.

The company also will sell distillers' grains as a feed to local cattle feeders.

"Everyone should benefit - farmers, feeders and local businesses," said Brett Frevert, chief financial officer.

Heineman said each of the plants would add 50 permanent jobs to the communities. Company officials said salaries would average about $42,000.

CBE holds options on land for all three plants and will stagger their construction. The first to begin construction, later this year, will be near St. Paul in Howard County. Completion is expected in early 2008.

The plant near Utica in Seward County and the plant near Imperial in Chase County will break ground in the spring of 2007 with completion expected in the summer of 2008.

Company officials said that CBE will become the largest ethanol-producing company in Nebraska and will be among the 10 largest in the United States.

Glade founded AXIS Capital Inc., a nationwide equipment leasing company based in Grand Island. - Bill Hord, The Omaha World-Herald

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All Aboard The Pahrump Valley And Amargosa Railroad

PAHRUMP, NV -- The train always leaves on time for the Bannings, but that's because Louis Banning built the train himself.

The Pahrump Valley and Amargosa train, or the "PV & A," as Banning calls it.

Engine 1103 (numbered for the date Banning got the engine, in November 2003) is a one-and-a-half scale engine that Banning bought and then built a train for, complete with a caboose.

Picking up the engine from Oregon was just the beginning for Banning. Once he had the engine, complete with lights (it even has high and low beams), a bell and horns, Banning tweaked it a bit.

He replaced the engine's horns with horns from an old Cadillac.

Then he hauled the engine to Utah where a cousin painted on its logo and engine number.

But what's an engine without cars and a caboose?

So Banning built flat-bed cars for the train, on which he attached car seats complete with seat belts. Next he built the caboose, and at the request of a neighbor painted it bright red. But every train needs a track, and in the case of the PV & A, Banning, with help of friends and neighbors, laid down 2,000 feet of rails.

"I felt like I was Tom Sawyer when I started building this," Banning said.

When he first started laying down the gravel and track for his "big train," friends and neighbors all came over to help.

"I couldn't believe it," Banning said. "I just said, 'Hey, I'm going to build a railroad,' and people just started coming over to help."

Banning's neighbor donated lumber and wood for the track, and his wife's cousin, a contractor, even came up to pour concrete for the inlaid track. His son-in-law joined the crew, and everyone worked to drill holes and cut planks for the track (from a jib Banning built), and then put it all together and lay it down. Six thousand ties and 32,000 screws later, the track was ready for the PV & A to make its first trip.

The only thing Banning didn't build on the PV & A are the wheels and the couplings to hold the cars together, which he ordered.

Riding the train through the Bannings' front and back yards is a pleasant experience. Dutch, the Bannings' dog, will run alongside the train happily and bark. It's a smooth ride, and gasoline over hydraulic-powered engine takes you under trees and over a bridge by a pond in the yard, all the while with the unmistakable clickity-clack of a train sounding in your ears. The engine allows for speed control, and we were traveling just fast enough for a breeze to stir the five passengers' hair.

There is even a real railroad crossing sign with red lights that flash when the train is approaching.

The springs on the cars can hold up to 1,000 pounds of cargo, and the gas tank holds about two and a half gallons of fuel.

Banning said he's never used more than a gallon of gas in a day, however, and that includes holidays when the train is running all day long, giving rides to his 22 grandchildren and other family members when they all get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

Although now it's mostly the younger grandchildren who ride the train at family gatherings, Banning said of the teenagers, "It's old hat to them now, but they'll be back."

Banning, on the other hand, never left in the first place.

"I always had trains, from the time I was a kid, it just kind of went from there," Banning explained. "Almost everyone my age had a Lionel train set when they were a kid. We'd put them on a 4-by-8 sheet of plywood."

When asked just what it was that he loved about trains so much, Banning said, "I don't know, it just kind of grows on you."

After some thought, however, he went on to point out that "there are a lot of facets in this. There's engineering, electrical work, modeling."

In 1993, while displaying a fire engine for the Henderson Fire Department, for which Banning worked for 27 years, the president of the Las Vegas Garden Railway Society came over to him and showed him its display. Banning joined the club and soon contacted other train enthusiasts.

Banning's "big train" has utilitarian value as well. When Banning needs to get some yard work done, he'll take the passenger seats off the cars and load up trash cans or supplies on it.

It also helps to maintain the track. Banning can attach real gravel cars that open on the bottom to lay out ballast.

There is even a car specifically designed to help maintain the track, with a level on it. As it goes over the track, Banning can see what parts may need to be straightened. Because the track is aluminum, it expands in the summer and tightens in the winter, so maintaining the train and the track, according to Banning, is "an ongoing effort."

But that's just Banning's "big train."

While taking a ride on the PV & A, you can look around and catch glimpses of Banning's garden scale (or "G-scale, to train enthusiasts) train set up.

The G-scale train has been featured on the cover of both Steam and Garden and Garden Railroad magazines.

It's easy to see why, even though Banning apologetically explained to a reporter that he had taken most of the buildings in because of the weather and that he had held his big, "official run" earlier in the year in September.

But if the buildings that were out on display that day were impressive, then one can only imagine that the entire set-up would be nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Thirteen-hundred feet of track, beginning at a five-track depot under a car port, including a dispatcher's tower, wind and circle around the Bannings' front yard.

The trains pass by buildings that Banning said are "scratch-built from anything we can find."

Many of the buildings, and stops, are loosely based on real places.

The G-scale trains in the Bannings' yard pass by a big, red structure that represents the Elkhorn silver stamp mill in Coolidge, Montana.

"The real one was only in operation for about six months, but here it keeps on running," said Banning.

Many of the structures were built by Banning's cousin, Bob Peterson.

Banning would design them and Peterson would build them, meticulously including every detail imaginable. In a barn that Peterson built, there are even stalls for animals on the inside.

Then there's a silver mine, where the hand-painted sign lists Banning as the owner, and some buildings loosely based on the Hamma (Native American for "stink") logging camp.

"It probably doesn't have any resemblance to the real Hamma," Banning conceded.

But Peterson, who built the structure, did grow up at the Hamma logging camp, and the trains would park outside of his house.

"Most of us, when we have these railroads, we name (the stops or buildings) after memories we have," Banning explained.

There are various gas stations as well, the newest of which was built by one of Banning's grandsons and advertises it's car repair service as a "good place to take a leak."

And of course, Pahrump and Amargosa are stops as well.

On this particular day, Banning was preparing to conduct a G-scale run with friends and other members of the Las Vegas Garden Railway Society, the organization that Banning joined in 1993.

Make no mistake about it, though, runs are not just train enthusiasts sitting around watching trains make their way around a track.

Instead, they are carefully coordinated events. There is a dispatcher who has to give permission for a train to leave the depot and keeps track of what trains are coming and going.

Each train has a run card listing it's cargo and destination. Everyone communicates by walkie-talkies, and the switches are manually manned.

This was explained to a reporter when Banning displayed the run card on the side of the ice house, where the beer train was sitting (because it needed to get ice before shipping the beer to its final destination).

"Sometimes we do this all day," Banning said. "It's more fun than watching the train go around in a circle. When we get bored with this, we'll probably do scheduled runs."

Although the tracks are electric, for runs like the one Banning was hosting that day, the trains mostly run on battery power and are remote-controlled.

If there are enough people, they might break up into crews with a conductor and brakeman as well.

Each year, the Bannings host an "official run" with the big train as well, where about 80 people, including friends and members of the Las Vegas Garden Railway Society, attend. They bring their own food, chairs, and trains, and have a pot luck dinner and just a good time.

When asked how long it took him to finish the G-scale railroad, Banning quickly said, "It's never finished."

It may not ever be finished, but according to Banning, it all "started with a small loop." - Christina Eichelraut, The Pahrump Valley Times

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Transit News

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Dumbarton Rail Plan Upsets Some

Union City and Newark, California officials are eager to use a proposed train service across the Dumbarton railroad bridge to develop transit hubs for their commuters.

But they'll have to do more convincing, judging from comments at a public meeting Wednesday night.

The proposed $590 million Dumbarton Rail Corridor project would replace Dumbarton Express bus service from Fremont to Silicon Valley with a 20.5-mile rail line, said Caltrain representative Christine Dunn.

Bus service would be expanded, however, if the rail project falls through, Dunn said.

The prospect of losing the bus service didn't sit well with Fremont residents Eugene Chow and Alison Chaiken, who ride an AC Transit bus daily to work in Palo Alto.

During a packed meeting at Newark Community Center, Chow said he would support the train ``but not at the expense of the bus.''

Instead of near door-to-door bus service from Fremont to her office in Stanford Business Park, Chaiken would have to take a shuttle from the train station.

``If the plan just shifts riders from the bus to the train, will anything be accomplished?'' Chaiken asked, noting that only a fraction of the funding has been raised -- $260 million to date.

Noise and rattling trains were on the mind of Lois Whitley, whose Newark home is near the tracks on which the train would run from Union City across the long-abandoned Dumbarton rail bridge to Redwood City.

From there, riders could catch existing commuter trains heading to San Jose or north to San Francisco.

The comments will be considered as part of the environmental impact study, which is expected to wrap up in 2009. If approved, the project is scheduled for completion in 2012. - Angela Woodall, MediaNews, The San Jose Mercury News

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South Bend-To-Chicago Railroad Asks To Add 14 Cars

HAMMOND, IN -- Operators of Northern Indiana's South Shore line are projecting that more than 4.1 million people will ride the commuter rail line this year, the largest number of passengers since 1957.

They also are asking for funding to buy 14 new cars to expand rush hour service on the South Bend-to-Chicago railroad.

As of October, ridership was up 11.7 percent over last year, according to Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District general manager Gerald Hanas.

Hanas is requesting $17.5 million from the Regional Development Authority to help buy 14 double-decker cars. He hopes to have all financing in order by the end of the year and to have the cars on the tracks by the end of 2008. - The Indianapolis Star

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New Light Rail Heads On Down The Tracks

DENVER, CO -- Amid fireworks and cheers, a new Southeast light rail train pulled out of Lincoln station at Lincoln Avenue and Interstate 25 at about 11:42, marking a new chapter in Denver's transportation history.

People drawn to the grand opening of the new rail service packed the stations along Interstate 25, waiting to take free rides on the E, F, G, and H lines, which add 19 miles to the system.

The event marked the official end to T-REX, the $1.75 billion project that tore up the interstates and rebuilt them into a unique combination of public transit and highway travel.

Free rides on light rail and celebrations at Southeast corridor stations continue Saturday.

Joan Whiting and her husband, Jack, have been waiting for years for the new lines and turned out for the grand opening.

"We don't like to drive downtown so we're ecstatic about it," said Joan Whiting, who lives in the Hampden Heights neighborhood in Southeast Denver.

On Thursday, transportation officials and politicians marked the official end of five years of sweat, noise and traffic jams with a ceremony in Magness Arena at the University of Denver.

"We're celebrating the common-sense solution to one of the Denver metro area's most significant traffic problems," Gov. Bill Owens told an assembly of about 1,000 invited guests.

Still, what seems common sense in hindsight is nevertheless unique among the nation's transportation projects.

The Colorado Department of Transportation and the Regional Transportation District, agencies with competing agendas, partnered to expand a highway and install light rail as a single project. Nowhere else has a highway department and transit agency done that.

And that has made T-REX a pleasant curiosity for outsiders and a model for the nation.

"What T-REX suggests for the nation is that even though we have agencies that are built around their own specific missions - and they can be very parochial about them - we have to bring down those barriers and have them work as a team," said Richard Capka, head of the Federal Highway Administration.

But beyond becoming a chapter in transportation history, the 17 miles of widened highway and 19 miles of new light rail will change communting habits for tens of thousands of people.

Now, workers who live, say, in Denver's Curtis Park can easily commute to the Tech Center in 30 minutes for $2.75 by train. And someone in Lone Tree can make the trip downtown in 41 minutes for a dollar more.

RTD Chairman Chris Martinez said this new mobility expands employment opportunities for people who rely on buses and trains.

At the DU ceremony, politicians and transportation leaders heaped accolades on the skilled craftspeople and laborers who actually got dirty making T-REX happen.

"Construction is the wackiest business on the planet," said Bruce Grewcock, chief executive officer of Peter Kiewit Sons Inc., the construction contractor on the project. "But it's just plain fun."

"Fun" was not a word commuters might have used when looking ahead to a long slog through construction zones.

But CDOT and RTD used a contracting method called design-build that eased the pain. It allowed Kiewit and Parsons Transportation Group to design and build the project as a team.

In the more traditional process, CDOT and RTD would have hired separate engineering firms to draft designs and then possibly hired separate contractors. The estimated completion time for T-REX under that method: 15 years.

The newer process was expected to cut that to eight years. But, in fact, Kiewit and Parsons beat that by 22 months while staying well within the budget. Furthermore, the project absorbed about $48 million in additional work on the fly without losing a day on the schedule.

T-REX trivia

Friday's grand opening of the Southeast Corridor light-rail line marks the official end of the T-REX project, the dinosaur-inspired name of a project that brought metro Denver's transportation into the 21st century. Sit back and let your brain absorb some of the facts and figures of the project.

. PAVED WITH GOLD

$19.3 million The average cost of each new lane-mile of highway.

$27.6 million The cost per track-mile of light rail.

. FULL EMPLOYMENT

At the peak of construction in 2003, about 2,500 people were working on T-REX.

. T-REX's SHOPPING LIST

6.9 million pounds of structural steel; 509,000 feet of copper wire for overhead train power; 865,000 tons of asphalt; 830,000 cubic yards of concrete; 57 million pounds of steel rebar; 260,000 tons of crushed rock for track ballast; 80,628 railroad ties.

. MILE HIGH SALUTE

About 30 percent of the 7,500 tons of new train track comes from steel retrieved from the demolition of Mile High Stadium. It was melted down and milled by Rocky Mountain Steel Mills in Pueblo. The rails are stamped "Mile High To T-REX."

.THE CONE HEADS

12,000 The number of traffic cones used. T-REX also used 2,000 barrels for traffic control. For detours, T-REX painted 2,100 miles of white striping to make temporary lanes.

. PICTURE PERFECT

Best location to view the Rocky Mountains? From a light-rail car between Dry Creek and County Line roads. Worst place to view the mountains? In the Narrows around Louisiana Avenue. All you'll see there is the highway and concrete walls.

. ALL ABOARD

Each light-rail car costs $2.4 million, seats 64 people and can hold 120.

. FULL HOUSE

An expected 33,800 riders a day will use Southeast light rail within a year, increasing to 38,100 a day by 2020.

.AC/DC

Not the rock group, the light-rail power sources. Unlike RTD'sinitial 49 light-rail cars, which operate on DC electrical power,the new cars run on AC power. The new cars convert the overhead power, which is 750 DC volts.

. TIMETABLE

Lincoln Avenue to California Street: 41 minutes. Lincoln to Union Station: 40 minutes. Lincoln to Parker Road: 19 minutes. Parker Road to California Street: 33 minutes.

. HANG 'EM HIGH

1,200 The number of poles along the tracks holding the overhead power lines.

Celebrations mark Southeast light-rail opening

Friday:

. 10:00 to 14:00

Lincoln Light Rail Station (Lincoln Avenue & I-25). Free entertainment, refreshments, music & giveaways

. 10:30

Grand opening ceremony at Lincoln Light Rail Station

. Approximately 11:00 to midnight

Free rides on Southeast light rail on the segments of the new E, F, G, & H lines from Lincoln Avenue to I-25 and Broadway and from Lincoln Avenue to Nine Mile Station at Parker Road. The trains stop at each station along these light rail segments.

. Noon to 15:00

Colorado station (Colorado Boulevard and Evans Avenue)

Food, live local music and activities

SATURDAY:

Free rides on the entire RTD light rail system

10:00 to 16:00

Light rail station parties (times vary by station)

. I-25 & Broadway

Street fair with food vendors

. Louisiana-Pearl

Taste of Pearl Street fair with food vendors and merchants

. University of Denver

Food from local vendors, music and activities

. Yale

Food from Schlotzky's and India Oven, music from Mix 100 Radio, bake sale, balloon artist & canned food drive

. Southmoor

Kids' activities, Children's Museum exhibit, local food, music from KOOL 105 and a canned food drive

. Dayton

Beach party with live music, Polynesian dancers, food and giveaways from Aurora businesses

. Nine Mile

Beach party with live music, Polynesian dancers, food and giveaways from Aurora businesses

. Orchard

Snacks, activities, and giveaways,

Arapahoe at Village Center.

Greenwood Village Mayor Nancy Sharpe will kick off the party at 11:00.

. Dry Creek

Tailgate party and Empty Bowls Soup Project to benefit 9Cares Colorado Shares. Sport team appearances, soup cookoff with area restaurants and entertainment

. Lincoln

Fall fair with pony rides, popcorn, cotton candy, face painters, live entertainment and vendors

- Rocky Mountain News

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Railroad Popularity On Rise In California

While cheaper gas and the open road beckoned in October, Californians flocked to the state's intercity railroads in numbers not seen since the birth of the freeway system.

The Bay Area and Central Valley led the charge, with the Sacramento-Oakland-San Jose Capitol Corridor line increasing 9 percent over October 2005 to a record 120,074 riders.

The San Joaquin's, which runs from Oakland to Stockton to Bakersfield, increased 5.5 percent to a record 66,750 passengers, according to figures released by the state Department of Transportation. Both lines are operated by the national rail service, Amtrak, but receive large state subsidies.

"In the run-up of gas prices, people discovered that there was this alternative out there" and continued to ride the rails even when gasoline dropped sharply during October, said Bill Bronte, chief of Caltrans' Rail Division.

Southern California also saw an increase in intercity rail service, which Caltrans classifies separately from commuter lines like the Stockton-to-San Jose Altamont Commuter Express and Gilroy-San Jose-San Francisco Caltrain services.

The Pacific Surfliner trains, which run from Santa Barbara to San Diego via Los Angeles, increased 1.3 percent to 215,692 passengers for October.

Much of the Capitol Corridor's increase came after the line boosted its service, especially between Oakland and San Jose where it paid for track improvements that allowed smoother coexistence of freight and passenger traffic, said Eugene Skoropowski, managing director of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority.

"We now have the same frequency of trains as Amtrak runs on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and New York," he said, noting that when the line was created in 1991 it had three roundtrips and carried 270,000 passengers a year. Today it has 16 roundtrips and carries nearly 1.3 million passengers.

That growth has pushed the Capitol Corridor to Amtrak's third-busiest line, after the Northeast Corridor and Pacific Surfliner, Bronte said.

"Another big thing people don't realize is that 20 percent of all the riders on the entire Amtrak system are in California," Skoropowski said.

The Nov07 passage of billions in infrastructure bonds could push back California's hopes for high-speed rail indefinitely. - Erik N. Nelson, The Daily Review

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

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American Fork Railroad Helps The Good Times Roll

AMERICAN FORK, UT -- In April 1872, a number of promising mines, foremost among which was the Miller, operated in American Fork Canyon. Enthused by the bright prospects these mines offered, the owners of the Miller Mine announced their intention to build a narrow-gauge railroad to serve the mining district. Trains would carry passengers, transport supplies to the mines, and haul ore, bullion, wood and charcoal back to the valley.

Surveying and grading the route began early in May and work progressed satisfactorily. Laborers completed 17 miles of grade by the middle of July. On about July 22, men hefted their sledge hammers and began driving spikes and laying track from American Fork city to American Fork Canyon. They completed eight miles of rail in a month.

Their little Fairlie engine, the "American Fork," arrived at the Utah Central Railroad Station in Salt Lake City on the morning of July 17, and by that time, most of their rolling stock had also been delivered to the capital city. Getting the locomotive and cars from there to American Fork presented a problem.

Local investors were building the Utah Southern Railroad south from Salt Lake City, and the grade was completed into Utah Valley. The rails, however, had only been laid as far as southern Salt Lake County. The Utah Southern could transport the locomotive and rolling stock to the temporary terminus, but how to get them the rest of the way to American Fork proved to be a thorny issue.

American Fork Canyon Railroad officials pondered their limited options and devised a plan. The Salt Lake Herald reported their decision. It would be a slow and laborious job, but the company decided to drive their locomotive and some of their rolling stock from southern Salt Lake County to American Fork on skids, "temporary track laid down in sections for the purpose." The Deseret Evening News said the skids were "fitted up in sections so as to be drawn forward from the rear of the engine by a team."

Railroad employees assembled a section of track skids several hundred feet long and drove the engine and rolling stock forward. Then they disassembled the sections behind the train, pulled them forward with teams and assembled them again in front of the engine. Concerning the speed of this process, the Herald commented, "The progress is rather slow but it keeps moving towards its destination."

A snail's pace

The tedious process seemed to move at a snail's pace. The Herald reported the engine left Salt Lake City for the end of the line on July 22. A month later, the Deseret Evening News reported the locomotive and the tender arrived in American Fork on Sunday evening August 18, and the citizens "turned out almost en masse to see the elephant."

Charles (Charley) Joseph Logie, a strapping 16-year-old, and his sister Anna, who was 19, saw the engine chug into American Fork. In order to catch an early glimpse of the train, most of the town gathered near the railroad grade about a mile down State Street near where Alvey Green's property stood at that time.

Charley later told his daughter, Laura Logie Timpson, "The engineer gave such a loud whistle it frightened all the children. Enos Kelly ran home and got under the bed, and they had to drag him out to eat his supper."

Mary L. Clements Steggie also remembered how all the children ran when the train blew its whistle, and she marveled over the great clouds of steam that wafted skyward.

The Deseret News reported the railroad workmen continued moving the train during the night and "early on Monday morning it was placed upon the track just above the settlement, from which point it could steam at pleasure for about eight or nine miles to the present terminus of the track in the kanyon."

Having the locomotive on hand expedited track laying up the canyon toward the mines. On August 30, William Paxman, another inhabitant of American Fork, told the Deseret News the train made three trips a day to the terminus of the railroad, which at that time was just above the mouth of the canyon. The engine hauled rails, ties, nuts, bolts and spikes to waiting workmen. In another month, the men had completed the line to Deer Creek.

This achievement prompted a correspondent to the Salt Lake Herald to smother the American Fork Canyon Railroad Company with well-deserved praise. This canyon observer, who identified himself simply as J.A.B., wrote, "One half the length of one of the most rugged, tortuous and inaccessible canyons is already traversed by a narrow gauge locomotive. ... No railroad enterprise contemplated here ever presented a task more difficult of performance, or furnishing a better opportunity for erasing the word impossible from the vocabulary of American engineers."

Then the correspondent figuratively tipped his hat to the Mormon men who constructed the railroad line by writing, "It seems but justice to the Mormons to say that they seem able to furnish talent for every emergency."

The railroad company originally intended to run the track another four miles to Forest City and the Sultana Smelter, but grades between the two areas were steep and necessitated many cutbacks.
Even though the track grade had been completed to Forest City, the company's board of directors later decided to take the rails no farther than Deer Creek, making that little mining town the terminus.

Mules hauled ore, bullion, lumber and charcoal from Forest City to Deer Creek, and from there they carried supplies delivered by the train up the canyon to Forest City.

As soon as the tracks reached Deer Creek, Major Edmund Wilkes, superintendent of construction, moved most of his crew down the canyon to American Fork. He set them to work there constructing a temporary narrow-gauge track from that town to Lehi. After they completed that stretch of rail, the county's freighting route to Salt Lake City was shortened by five miles. The American Fork Canyon Railroad Co. hauled passengers and freight between the two towns until the Utah Southern Railroad reached American Fork.

Tourist attraction

Tourist excursions began shortly after track layers completed the line to Deer Creek. Brigham Young became one of the first sightseers. An excursion party including Young, Daniel H. Wells and some of their family members left Salt Lake City for an outing in American Fork Canyon on October 15, roughly two weeks after the line had been completed. T.H. Goodman, general passenger and ticket agent for the Central Pacific Railroad, and Judge Sanderson and their wives also joined the party.

The recreationists traveled south on the Utah Southern to its terminus in northern Utah County and rode to American Fork over the temporary track laid by Wilkes and his men. At the point where the line of the canyon railroad began, they boarded flat cars fitted out with chairs and took the leisurely, open air ride to Deer Creek.

At the terminus of the road, the party saw the sights before reboarding the short line in anticipation of the exhilarating trip down the canyon. Brigham Young and party arrived back in Salt Lake City that evening.

Ten days after President Young and the other early excursionists traveled through the canyon, the railroad's little Fairlie engine burst an exhaust pipe while laboring up a steep grade. This mishap rendered the locomotive unusable for several days.

The elevation from American Fork to Deer Creek increased about 2,684 feet. The average grade was 3.8 percent, but in some places, it reached 6.0 percent, or about a 300 foot gain in elevation per mile. The railroad company realized the steep inclines in the canyon put too much stress on the little engine, and they knew they needed a larger locomotive.

In April 1873, the company advertised the Fairlie engine for sale and ordered a 17-ton Porter Company 0-6-0 engine. The Utah Northern Railway eventually bought the smaller locomotive.

While they waited for the delivery of the heavier engine, the American Fork line used mules to pull their cars to Deer Creek. The cars coasted down the canyon controlled by the steady hand of a brakeman.

John Chadwick served as one of the early brakemen during 1873-1874, according to Chadwick's biographer, Laura Logie Timpson. He received $3 per day for his labors, and in 1874, he earned the respectable sum of $495.

Chadwick's span of mules pulled the rolling stock up the canyon. When he arrived at Deer Creek and unhitched the animals, they walked back down the canyon on their own. After the cars were loaded, Chadwick guided them on their trip back to the valley.

Dangerous work

Chadwick found being a brakeman was a chancy venture. On Nov. 24, 1873, he slipped off the car and sustained injuries to his hands and face. He missed five days of work while recovering.

Other accidents occurred. The Deseret Evening News described a potentially deadly accident that happened on the railway in May 1874. A man identified as Major Tipple acted as brakeman on a railroad car loaded with wood. Others, including his 10-year-old daughter, accompanied him on the nearest thing to a Disneyland ride that Utah County had to offer.

After starting their descent, the car became unmanageable because of a defect in the brake, and Tipple ordered all hands to self-jettison. All passengers leaped to the safety of terra firma -- with the exception of Captain Tipple's young daughter.

The captain must have despaired as the car rolled down the hill, and his daughter faced almost certain destruction. The girl remained composed as she rode the trip out to its unorthodox conclusion. The car eventually jumped the track and threw the girl into a pool of water unhurt.

Working the mines

Many local people found work in American Fork Canyon. A few of them, like Patience Loader Rozsa, were women. During the winter of 1872-73, Mrs. Rozsa, a widow, cooked for the miners working in the Miller Mine. When she arrived at the mine, she was not exactly pleased with the prospect of staying there all winter with her 13-year-old son, John.

In later years, she wrote, "Oh, I will never forget my feelings I was so dissapointed in the place I at once said to Mr Ezekiel Holman you will have to take me back home I cannot stay here in this place."

Holman persuaded her to stay, but he couldn't make her enjoy the experience. It snowed nearly every day. For two months, there was so much snow she couldn't see out of the window. She used coal oil lamps all day so she could see to cook. The miners entered the dining room through a snow tunnel.

The heat from the cook stove kept the room warm, and it melted the snow on the roof. Patience described her working and living conditions inside the building: "The water run down in the kitchen and I stood in pools of water all winter I wore rubers all the time to keep my feet dry and my little bed room was full of chipmonks." These rodents stole a pair of her socks, and when she finally found her stockings, they were "all torn in peices."

Under these circumstances, Patience gave her name the lie and became impatient to leave the mine. She got her chance when the mine shut down. The snow was so deep that she could only walk part of the way from the mine to the smelter farther down the canyon. The miners pulled her the rest of the way to Forest City on a makeshift sleigh made from bedding.

Patience made it as far as Deer Creek that day. Mrs. Anderson, who helped run the community's boarding house, put Patience to bed in dry bedclothes, and with the aid of a half glass of brandy and a hot sage tea chaser, the female traveler spent a warm comfortable night. Mrs. Rozsa eventually completed the trip down the canyon and lived to tell the tale.

Far more males than females worked in the canyon. Some of the men labored in the lumber industry. James Chipman ran two sawmills and E. Nash operated one.

Joseph W. Smith worked as a lumberman from 1866-1877. His sawmill, one of the first steam operated mills in the canyon, was located where Mutual Dell stands today. Joseph provided ties for the American Fork Canyon Railroad. Some young men like Nick Iverson and David Daniel Peet helped build the railway, and then hauled logs and ore. Peet eventually became a fireman on the canyon railroad.

Newlywed Charley Logie worked at a sawmill in the canyon one summer, and his wife, Mary Ann, lived in the canyon with him.

Charles Green, a large, congenial man who came to Utah with Johnston's Army, and his wife, Mary, a splendid cook and excellent housekeeper, ran a boarding house and saloon in the canyon. The neighborly Greens invited the Logies to Sunday dinner one day. Mary Ann Logie was pregnant and she did not feel very well. A Sunday off sounded good to her, and the Logies accepted the invitation.

Mr. Green roasted a porcupine, but in deference to Mary Ann's squeamish stomach, he told her it was a wild turkey he had shot that morning. The young wife ate two or three slices of the "turkey" and seemed to feel better.

Everything went well until the Logies prepared to leave. Green, a fun-loving man, could not resist asking Mary Ann how she liked the roasted porcupine. Upon learning the true identity of the meat she had eaten that afternoon, Mary Ann disgorged a tender tummy full of "turkey." - D. Robert Carter, The Provo Daily Herald

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