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Railroad Newsline for Saturday, December 30, 2006

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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[b]RAIL NEWS[/b]

BNSF UPDATES WINTER WEATHER SERVICE ADVISORY FOR COLORADO

As an update to the winter weather Service Advisory issued on Friday, December 22, 2006, BNSF Railway Company customers will continue to incur delays due to the severe weather conditions throughout Colorado.

This inclement weather has been forecasted to continue into Saturday, December 30, 2006.'

Denver’s Intermodal Facility is fluid and operational, however, BNSF may hold Denver traffic at origin or stage online until conditions throughout the area improve.

Customers may experience 48 to 72 hours delay on traffic moving through this region. - BNSF Service Advisory

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INVESTIGATION IN RAIL DEATH CONTINUES

SIOUX CITY, IA -- Union Pacific continued to investigate a fatal accident in which a 57-year-old Sioux City, Iowa rail worker was killed Thursday.

"The entire operation continues to be investigated," said Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman at the railroad's corporate office in Omaha.

The Woodbury County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the victim's identity as William Magel. An autopsy was completed Friday morning, but results have not been released.

Sioux City Police Sgt. Rex Mueller said foul play is not suspected.

"We're satisfied that it's an accidental death. At this time it appears to be a tragic accident," Mueller said.

Further investigations will be conducted by railroad officials, and the police department's role has been completed, Mueller said.

Union Pacific will look at all facets of its operation, including track structure, mechanical failures and human factors, Davis said. Investigation findings will be shared with the Federal Railroad Administration. - The Sioux City Journal

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SALE OF DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO RAILYARDS A DONE DEAL

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The sale of the downtown railyards is now final.

Thomas Enterprises took possession of the 240-acre Union Pacific Railyards in downtown Sacramento Friday.

Mayor Fargo said that the project will set the standard for development.

“We’re on the verge of a regional renaissance,” said Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo. “Just as the railroad employed our people and shaped our future, this project, and in particular our new inter-modal transit facility will set the tone for smart growth into the next century. I want to thank Stan Thomas and his team who never let go of that dream.”

The deal involves Thomas' transfer of 8.8 acres of the property to the City of Sacramento including the Sacramento train depot, the surrounding parking lot and the existing rail corridor as planned. The City has also agreed to purchase 23 acres north of the existing tracks for a future rail corridor once an environmental impact report (EIR) is certified in 2007.

The City Council decision in favor of the deal was nearly unanimous with an 8-1 vote.

Sacramento City and Thomas Enterprises are planning a ceremony in January to celebrate the sale.

Once completed, the rail yards will contain entertainment venues, retail establishments, mixed-use, high-density housing, open space, riverfront access, parks, hotels and museums. - KOVR CBS-13, West Sacramento, CA, courtesy Coleman Randall, Jr

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MUD SLIDE STOPS RAIL TRAFFIC AGAIN

SEATTLE, WA -- Mud, trees and roots slid onto railroad tracks between Seattle and Everett Friday morning, causing passenger trains to be delayed for the second time this week.

The BNSF Railway Company, which owns the tracks, learned of the slide around 04:00. The 30-foot long, 1-foot deep slide occurred north of Carkeek Park, said Gus Melonas, a company spokesman.
"It appeared that heavy winds due to the saturated soil caused this," he said.

While mud covered only one set of tracks, trees including some up to 40 feet tall came down on both sets, he added.

Crews cleared the slide and the tracks reopened to freight trains Friday around 07:30.

BNSF officials have stopped passenger traffic until Sunday at 04:00. A company rule requires passenger trains to wait 48 hours after a landslide is discovered, officials said.

Passenger service had been scheduled to resume early Friday morning after several slides, including another large one near Carkeek Park Tuesday night, covered the tracks.

Sound Transit is using buses to move its commuter rail passengers between Seattle and Everett Friday, said Geoff Patrick, an agency spokesman. - Brad Wong, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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IDAHO RAIL BUFF PROMOTES TOURIST TRAIN TO YELLOWSTONE

POCATELLO, ID -- Even in the railroad town of Pocatello, Idaho getting a steam-powered tourist train is still a long shot.

Undeterred, a local train buff, Gene Wiggers, is trying to get civic groups and the local railroad union behind his nostalgic idea.

Wiggers, who helped bring the Senior Games for aging athletes to Pocatello several years ago, says the town's founding as a railroad town make it a perfect fit for such an operation.

A train could take riders from Pocatello to Yellowstone National Park.

Still, he says, "I'm not naive enough to think there are no obstacles to something like this."
One of them is finding a steam locomotive that's still up to the job of tugging around tourists.

Right now, the nearest luxury tourist train, the American Orient Express, travels from Jackson, Wyoming to Seattle every summer. - The Associated Press, KTVB-TV7, Boise, ID (ED. NOTE: And on which tracks does the AOE travel from Jackson, Wyoming? Far as I know, there are none. LWG)

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RAILROAD SEEKS $2 BILLION GOVERNMENT LOAN

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) has added language to a federal railroad bill to enable the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation to secure a $2.3 billion loan from the federal government, more than twice the size of the Chrysler Corporation bailout in 1979.

The loan would fund part of a $6 billion project by the railroad to rebuild 600 miles of track and add 260 new miles of track to low-sulfur coal mines in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming.

A coalition of energy companies, farm organizations, and other business groups is backing the earmark, which has created strange political bedfellows.

Former U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow of South Dakota, a Republican, has helped project opponents, including former U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, who serves on the board of the plan's major detractor, the Mayo Clinic.

The public comment period on the loan program ended in October. The Federal Railroad Administration has 90 days to approve or oppose the loan. The process is off to a bumpy start.
Pros, Cons Abound

Thune says he's helping his state.

"Any railroad can apply for these loans," Thune said. "This has national implications in terms of public benefit. It's about cheaper, cleaner coal."

But Steve Ellis of the budget watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense called it the "granddaddy of all earmarks."

"Thanks to changes made to the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing [Act], the administration is considering awarding one of the largest loans to a private company in the history of the United States," said U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) in a recent statement on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. "It is inappropriate for the taxpayers to finance it."

Even though the current controversy appears to be coming to a head, debate has been going on for some time.

Mayo Clinic Steps In

The loan would allow the railroad to build new track near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo officials object, saying the proposal would jeopardize sensitive equipment and increase the risk of hazardous spills.

"The concerns stated by Rochester citizens and Mayo Clinic must be addressed or the DM&E project should not go forward," said Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) in an October 10 press statement.

"There are economic benefits to the project," Pawlenty continued. "A suitable mitigation plan that preserves and protects Mayo Clinic, however, one of the great treasures of our state and this nation, must be developed."

U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton (D-MN) also sides with the Mayo Clinic and questions the rail company's ability to repay the loan. He described it as "one of the largest federal loans ever given to a private company. It's a real perversion of the process and the public interest."

Railroad Defends Loan

Kevin Schieffer, president and chief executive officer of the DM&E, says arguments against the project have no merit.

Schieffer referred this writer to the Growth Opportunity Through Rail Access Coalition Web site, [www.gotrac.org], where he is quoted as saying, "We are very solid financially. The project has overwhelming support throughout our entire region. We continue efforts to advance our $2 billion PRB Project."

Minnesota Rep. Has Doubts

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) issued a statement on October 10 saying she is "strongly opposed to asking taxpayers to provide an unsecured loan of more than two billion dollars" to the DM&E Railroad. "I urge the Federal Railroad Administration and my colleagues in Congress to signal a return to fiscal responsibility in Washington by protecting taxpayers and rejecting this proposal."

Many taxpayer organizations, including the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), agree with McCollum.

"Americans should not be forced to subsidize the operations of an unstable company," said NTU's government affairs manager, Andrew Moylan. "The Federal Railroad Administration should reverse course before taxpayers' wallets are flattened." - John W. Skorburg, Budget & Tax News, Published by The Heartland Institute (John W. Skorburg (skorburg@heartland.org) is a visiting lecturer in economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and associate editor of Budget & Tax News.)

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SOME HELPED, SOME HURT BY RAILYARD REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL

SACRAMENTO, CA -- To 20-year Alkali Flats resident Dan Cavanaugh, the upcoming start of the new railyards development project in Sacramento is scary. He worries it'll send rents skyrocketing.

"I'm already spending too much money for rent," he said, adding he might be forced to move out.
The plan to develop the 240-acre railyard site includes retail stores, restaurants and up to 10,000 new housing units.

Tru Valu Market owner Najm Surah worried his friends and customers may be forced out by rising rents, but he sees opportunity, too. "In the long run, it may also provide those who have difficulties around here, work," Surah said. "And so that's a positive thing, too."

To Michael Ault with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, the impending closure of escrow to begin development is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the city. He expects the final master plan will include a new sports arena, even though voters rejected a plan in November.

"Now saying that, should the arena hold up the development of this deal? No, it shouldn't," Ault said. "This deal should happen with or without an arena."

To Ault and urban planners familiar with such projects, the biggest challenge may be making sure the new development fits with what's already there. The project size is huge, almost identical in its' footprint to the existing downtown business district.

To Tru Valu owner Majm Surah, the reality is simple, "This can no longer be a lazy city by the river," Surah said, "...it has to start growing." - KXTV- Channel 10, Sacramento, CA, courtesy Coleman Randall, Jr

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GROUP SEEKS TO CUT TRAIN-CAR COLLISIONS IN IOWA

Last year, there were 77 "crossing collisions" between trains and other vehicles at railroad crossings in Iowa, and six people died. A group called Operation Lifesaver has made it a mission to teach drivers crossing safety, especially during wintertime.

Spokeswoman Shelley Harshaw says the weather can be an extra distraction, and a lot of rail lines run through this part of the country, with a lot of places where roadways cross tracks.

Last year the crashes and fatalities "spiked," Harshaw says. She says the group's hit education hard this year with its "Three E's," Education, Engineering and Enforcement -- and says the numbers are down. Nationally, there were 355 highway-rail fatalities at grade crossings.

Iowa ranks sixteenth in the nation for the number of crossing collisions recorded in 2005. Education consists of sending speakers out to any group that asks for one, with a simple message. "Any time is train time," she says, and the message is to always expect a train because if drivers look, listen and live -- they will live, at the highway-rail grade crossing.

Enforcement puts teeth into that advice, as Harshaw says they do that in cooperation with Iowa law enforcement. They put a law-enforcement officer on the "lead locomotive" and other squad cars a ways back. When the officer sees a car that fails to yield at the crossing, a driver who speeds up to beat the train or goes around the crossing gate, he'll radio the others.

Using chase cars and even state patrol airplanes at times, they follow up and ticket the offending drivers. She says new high-tech systems make it even less likely that any driver could bypass warning lights and safety arms to "beat the train" at a road crossing. By the time the gate comes down, within 20 to 25 seconds the lead locomotive is going to be there, no matter what the speed of the train.

Harshaw says while many rural crossings don't have automatic barriers or even lights and bells when a train's coming, there is little proof that those automatic warning systems would prevent all crashes. Drivers should stop at least fifteen feet before railroad crossings, especially in winter when some hit the brakes too late and slide onto the tracks.

In addition to half a dozen fatalities last year, there were 32 injuries from crashes at railroad crossings, and a handful of deaths and injuries to people trespassing on the tracks. - Stella Shaffer, RadioIowa.com

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HISTORIC STEAM LOCOMOTIVE RETURNING TO DULUTH

DULUTH, MN -- A steam locomotive listed on the National Register of Historic Places is returning to Duluth, Minnesota.

Soo Line locomotive 2719 pulled trains to and from Duluth decades ago. Now it will be on display at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum.

Museum director Ken Buehler says the locomotive will likely run on the North Shore Scenic Railroad during special steam events.

The 2719 hauled freight and passengers -- and pulled troops during World War II and the Korean War. - The Associated Press, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

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AGRIUM CALLS IN CONSULTANTS AFTER ACIDIC SPILLS AT IDAHO PLANT

BOISE, ID -- Enough acid-laced water to fill more than five Olympic-sized swimming pools breached a berm at an eastern Idaho fertilizer manufacturer, inundating a nearby farmer's field but injuring nobody, the plant manager and state officials said Thursday.

The accident, which occurred early Wednesday, prompted officials at Calgary-based Agrium Inc.'s plant about 16 kilometers north of Soda Springs to call in clean-up consultants who work on railroad spills, as well as state and federal environmental officials, to survey the scene.

The 3.5 million gallons of acidic water that gushed over the protective berm surrounding a six- to nine-meter-high storage area -- called a “gypsum stack” -- is used to turn ore from the nearby Rasmussen Ridge mine into phosphoric acid, Charlie Ross, manager of the Agrium's Conda Phosphate Operations, said Thursday.

The water normally carries the waste product “phosphogypsum” from the processing plant to the gypsum stack before being recycled, but something happened to damage a 40-centimeter by six-meter section of the surrounding berm, causing the liquid to gush as far away from the plant as a quarter-mile.

“We immediately notified the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and we're working with them on addressing the situation,” said Mr. Ross, adding he's uncertain just why the berm failed.

“No one was hurt, no livestock, no wildlife, nothing like that. There were no living animals out there, and the ground was frozen, so that's helping make sure the water is staying where it is.”

Federal Environmental Protection Agency investigators were traveling to the site Thursday.

Department of Environmental Quality regulators were studying how to clean up the remaining water, which wound up in two low-lying areas.

Mark Dietrich, the state agency's regional administrator in Pocatello who inspected the spill Thursday morning, said that after the standing water is removed, more work will be necessary into the spring, either to remove contaminated soil or neutralize what acidic residue remains.

“The immediate action is to get at the standing liquid so it doesn't migrate down through the soil,” Mr. Dietrich said.

“There will be a long-term monitoring component to make sure we don't get any future impacts to the groundwater and also to the soil.”

The acidic solution is unlikely to cause health problems, Mr. Dietrich added, although it might cause some itching if a person's skin came into contact with it.

Agrium and other agricultural companies have been attracted to the region by rich phosphate deposits in the surrounding hills.

Mr. Ross said the Agrium has already used pumps to return some of the water to containment areas, The plant switched to an older gypsum stack, so there was little disruption to operations, he said.

Mr. Ross didn't have a cost estimate for the damage.

“I'm not worried about money,” he said.

“I'm doing everything I can, including flying specialists in to help me this morning. For me, the cost isn't the issue. The issue is, protecting environment and taking care of the problem.” - The Associated Press, The Toronto Globe and Mail

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES CHANGED THE FACE OF DAYTON, NEVADA

DAYTON, NV -- Trains, planes and automobiles - they are all a part of Dayton, Nevada's history. The narrow-gauge train that ran through Dayton from the 1880s to the 1930s left its mark in history. Called the Carson and Colorado Railroad, it ran from Mound House to Keeler, California.

Today, the original station house at Main Street and Highway 50 East is a home, but will one day be rehabilitated into the historic landmark the C&C RR station was in its heyday.

On its route to Keeler through central Nevada, the little train carried passengers, supplies and produce into the Owens Valley, which was a garden for the Comstock. Los Angeles changed that when it bought the water rights in Owens Valley, and farms and ranches dried up.

American Indians could ride the train for free, but they had to ride on top of the cars. It's said they rode up and down the line going nowhere in particular, but just for the ride.

The Virginia & Truckee Railroad was important to the area, too. It carried everything imaginable to and from the Comstock. People in Dayton relied on the V&T to deliver their mail (it arrived in Mound House at the main terminus), and the Carson & Colorado carried it on to Dayton. The V&T also brought coal as far as Mound House, where it was picked up and hauled to Dayton or Como in the 1920s and '30s.

One winter in the 1930s, the V&T was stranded in Washoe Valley for several days. Extra engines were brought out to the valley to help get the train out of snowdrifts; meanwhile, the mail and other goods had to go to Fernley, back to Dayton and Carson City.

Airplanes were an oddity in the 1920s and '30s. When a plane went over Dayton, everyone ran out to see it. Dayton pioneer Fannie Hazlett took her first "aeroplane" ride in a biplane when she was 84 years old.

Emma Nevada Barton Loftus reported in her diaries that the first flight from San Francisco to Manila carrying the mail in the 1930s had arrived safely, this being a milestone in aviation history.

With the advent of World War II, there were a lot of aircraft for Nevadans to see along with a training airstrip in Silver Springs.

There weren't too many automobiles in Nevada in the 1920s, and mechanics were practically nonexistent. Chester Barton, Emma's son, saw the need and opened a repair shop in Dayton, one of the first garages in Nevada. He was a self-taught mechanic, and also acted as a new-automobile dealer in the area.

Emma was proud of the old Hudson she drove. She noted that Chester bought her a Ford Coupe in the 1930s - but she called it "the puddle jumper." She drove it up Clear Creek Canyon to Whispering Pines at Lake Tahoe. Eventually, Emma got too timid to drive and gave her cars to the Hankammer children.

The Dayton Museum is on Shady Lane and Logan Street in Old Town Dayton. It's also the location of the Dayton Chamber office. The museum is closed December and January. Call 246-5543, 246-0462 or 246-0441 for an appointment or group tours. The Historical Society of Dayton Valley meets at noon on the third Wednesday of the month at the Dayton Valley Community Center. Visitors welcome. Check out [www.daytonnvhistory.org]. - Ruby McFarland, The Nevada Appeal ( Ruby McFarland is a board member of the Dayton Historical Society, a docent at the museum and has lived in Dayton since 1987.)

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TANKERS CARRYING BUTANE JUMP THE TRACKS IN GANG MILL, NEW YORK

GANG MILLS, NY - Disaster was averted Thursday when two rail cars filled with butane did not leak their contents following a derailment in Norfolk Southern's Gang Mills yard.

The incident began around 08:45 when the Gang Mills Fire Department responded to a report of two overturned tank cars at the facility south of Corning. Firefighters quickly identified the two cars as carrying butane, and Painted Post-based state police immediately closed both lanes of adjacent State Route 15 as a precaution.

According to Steuben County Office of Emergency Services, a command post was set up on South Hamilton Street and traffic patterns were re-routed to State Route 417/South Hamilton Street between the two Gang Mills exits.

The Corning City Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team determined around 13:04 there was no leak or spill of butane from the two tank cars.

A railroad contractor was called out to upright the tank cars and it is believed Norfolk Southern will contact a private company to handle cleanup of the incident. The investigation into what caused the incident is continuing.

Gang Mills firefighters were assisted by Coopers Plains, Painted Post, North Corning and Addison firefighters, Corning City fire department Hazardous Materials Team, Rural Metro Medical Services, members of the state Department of Transportation, Steuben County Sheriff's deputies, Steuben County Office of Emergency Services and Norfolk Southern. - The Hornell Evening Tribune

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TRANSIT NEWS

LINK LIGHT RAIL TRACKWAY TO BRIDGE I-5 FREEWAY

SEATTLE, WA -- Sound Transit is building a key piece of its new 15.7-mile Link light rail line connecting downtown Seattle with Sea-Tac Airport. PCL Construction Services, Sound Transit's contractor, will build a light rail bridge over the I-5 freeway just south of Boeing Access Road. This bridge will connect the seven-mile Tukwila/Airport segment of the project to the Seattle portion.

The light rail bridge will be built with pre-cast concrete segments placed by cranes as a "balanced cantilever." Two large bridge piers are already built, one on each side of the freeway. Beginning with the pier on the southbound side of I-5, giant cranes will hang the pre-cast segments one at a time on each side of the pier, to keep the structure in balance. Steel tensioning cables running through the segments will keep them in place as the structure extends in each direction.

The Link light rail project is the first use of this construction technique in this region. Sound Transit is building four balanced cantilever bridges on the Link trackway, one of which is already completed. It is located next to E. Marginal Way S., where Link crosses the Duwamish River.

In order to safely build the balanced cantilever bridge, it is necessary to close one or more lanes of I-5 under the construction work. Sound Transit and PCL have coordinated closely with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which owns and controls the freeway.

Lane closures will occur Sunday through Thursday nights and possibly on some Saturday nights during evening and nighttime hours (generally between 18:00 and 06:00). These lane closures will affect traffic on I-5, but they will occur during hours when traffic volumes are usually light.

In addition to the lane closures, it will be necessary to completely close I-5 in either the southbound or northbound direction for nine or more nights. These total closures are scheduled to occur between midnight and 5 a.m., when traffic is lightest.

WSDOT's overhead Variable Message Signs and Highway Advisory Radio systems will be utilized during these closures to provide advance notification to motorists of the construction. The construction work and its associated lane closures will take about two months. The work will halt for the holidays between Dec. 22 and Jan. 1. Link light rail construction is on schedule and heading for opening day in 2009, providing riders with a fast 36-minute trip between SeaTac Airport and Westlake Station in the downtown transit tunnel.

For more information about the design and construction of Link light rail, contact Roger Pence, Sound Transit community outreach coordinator, at 206-398-5465 or at pencer@soundtransit.org or visit [www.soundtransit.org]. For I-5 lane closure information, visit [www.wsdot.wa.gov] . If an urgent issue arises regarding Sound Transit construction activities, contact Sound Transit's 24-hour toll-free Construction Hotline at 888-298-2395. - The Beacon Hill News & South District Journal, Pacific Publishing Company

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ALL LIGHT-RAIL INPUT IS WELCOME, BUT... CHASTAIN SHOULDN'T EXPECT TO BE THE ONLY VOICE HEARD

KANSAS CITY, MO -- Clay Chastain recently gave Kansas City officials a timeline for implementing his light-rail plan. The schedule even included a prospective date for issuing $600 million in bonds.

Voters last month approved a light-rail system drafted by Chastain. But as the debate over its implementation proceeds, he has no special standing to referee which aspects of the blueprint can be followed or which might be left out.

As City Attorney Galen Beaufort said recently, any material deviation from the ballot language could put the city at risk of violating election law and the state constitution. That means the city can’t tweak the plan much, if at all, without voter approval.

In an interview before the election, Chastain had suggested otherwise. For example, the plan mandated a “wooden light-rail truss bridge” in Penn Valley Park.

“No, it doesn’t have to be wood,” he said at the time.

He says his thinking changed after Beaufort’s opinion, because he realized allowing one aspect of the plan to be “substituted” would put other aspects at risk.

In an interview Wednesday, Chastain also agreed that his status was merely that of an observer and said the timeline he had offered was only a recommendation.

Chastain’s success at the ballot box has given the city an opportunity to build a light-rail system.

But his blueprint also served up a plateful of problems — such as closing Penn Valley Park to traffic and financing the rail line with a tax now used by the bus system.

The tax money is scheduled to shift from the Area Transportation Authority to light-rail financing in 2009. That would take away about 40 percent of the bus system’s revenue, says ATA General Manger Mark Huffer.

The city may well need to ask voters to approve a modified light-rail plan. As city officials work through these issues, they should be open to suggestions from Chastain — but they are not bound to follow them. - Editorial Opinion, The Kansas City Star

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DENVER GETS BLITZED BY ANOTHER SNOWSTORM

DENVER, CO -- The second major snow storm in a week pounded Colorado on Friday, burying the foothills under another 2 feet of snow, shutting down highways and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights at the Denver airport.

The storm stretched across the Rocky Mountains into the western Plains, where the National Weather Service warned that the gusting wind could whip up blinding whiteouts.

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens again declared a statewide disaster, putting the National Guard on standby as areas west of Denver got 28 inches of snow Thursday and early Friday. In the city, more than a foot of snow had fallen by morning and another foot was expected.

United Airlines and Frontier Airlines, the largest carriers at Denver International Airport, canceled 513 flights starting Thursday through Friday morning, trimming their schedules to ease congestion from weather delays.

While last week's blizzard dumped nearly two feet of snow in about 24 hours, making it impossible for airport and highway plows to keep up, snow from the new storm was expected to stretch over about three days.

The metro area's light rail trains, buses and public transit all planned to run on their regular schedules Friday. Maintenance crews covered Denver streets with deicer, but offices still closed early and residents stocked up on groceries. Many residential streets -- never cleared after the first storm -- were buried again.

A 200-mile stretch of Interstate 70, the main east-west highway through the state, was closed early Friday from Denver to Colby, Kansas. Greyhound canceled all trips out of Denver on Friday and more cancellations could follow.

With memories fresh of the 4,700 stranded holiday travelers and backed up flights around the country last week, New Year's travelers jammed the airport Thursday trying to get out of Colorado while they still could.

Managers at the nation's fifth-busiest airport drew up snowplowing plans, and airlines urged ticket-holders to get early flights or wait until after the storm.

Chris Malmay of San Diego hoped to spend a long holiday with family in Colorado, but because of the first storm, he couldn't reach Denver until Christmas Eve. On Thursday, his flight back to California was canceled because of the second storm.

"It's been crazy," Malmay said as he waited to board a plane Friday. "I'm saying, 'Please let me go back where it's sunny. You won't get snowed in, I promise.'"

The airport and airlines called in extra workers, and security lines moved relatively quickly. But long lines formed at ticket counters as travelers tried to adjust their plans.

The Frontier line snaked across the cavernous terminal, weaving behind the lines of ticket counters on the other side of the building.

Frontier waived its usual change fee to encourage passengers to catch earlier flights. "Let's try and get as many people out ahead of the storm as we can," Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas said.

After running out of bedding for stranded passengers during the first storm, airport managers lined up cots and blankets and urged food vendors to ensure they had plenty of supplies on hand.

In New Mexico, Interstate 40 remained closed Friday morning from Albuquerque to Santa Rosa, with numerous crashes were reported after a storm swept through.

More than an inch of snow per hour was falling Friday morning in parts of Kansas. Six inches were on the ground, and forecasters predicted 15 to 20 inches in some areas.

Residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming, also braced for another storm. The 7 inches of snow that had fallen by Friday morning put Cheyenne over its nearly century-old record for December snowfall -- 24 inches in all, exceeding the 21.4 inches that fell there in December 1913.

State government offices in Cheyenne were on a two-hour delay Friday morning, streets in Cheyenne were snow-packed and icy, and parts of Interstate 25 were closed. - Chase Squires, The Associated Press, The Houston Chronicle

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

SIGNS IN THE SALT DESERT

TOOELE, UT -- Driving west on Interstate 80 away from Lake Point Junction and the Tooele, Utah area you soon enter a very strange land where the interstate is surrounded on all sides by water and mud.

Depending on the time of year and the weather conditions, you will see the Stansbury Range reflected perfectly in the water to the south, with its high snow clad peaks rising up majestically above the greenery of the Grantsville area and the brown cheat grass covered benches.

At other times the water recedes and leaves a stark, bleached white salt plain on either side of the road which provides an equally striking scene as that of the mirrored image of the mountains in the water. This continuous wet / dry cycle has repeated itself for thousands of years, sometimes to extreme extents. In fact, an ancient lake once covered the entire area. This ancient body of water known as Lake Bonneville was fully 1,000 feet deep along sections of the I-80 west corridor from Lake Point to Wendover. Forceful wave action of this enormous lake left its mark upon the Oquirrh, Stansbury, Cedar, Lakeside and Grassy Mountains which you will pass in that order heading west to Wendover. The eroded waterlines look like bathtub rings around the mountains, hundreds of feet above the valley floor.

Now if you think the terrain near Tooele and Grantsville was strange, you will be in for a great surprise when you reach mile marker 40 and the Knolls exit. The Knolls are significant because they are the last variation in elevation for over 40 miles. The desert becomes completely flat beyond this point, almost beyond description, and it as white as snow — even in July. Early explorers such as Jedediah Smith, John C. Fremont and Howard Stansbury nearly perished in this inhospitable place. The wagons of the Donner Party cut deep ruts in the salt that are still visible in places even today. Just as the ancient lake and early explorers left their mark upon the desert, travelers speeding along the highway today often stop to mark the desert in their own way.

These self-proclaimed scriveners of the desert use rocks to convey messages to speeding motorists as they endeavor to escape the monotonous salt flats. This is quite an undertaking as the rocks necessary for the construction of the messages has to either be stolen from the roadbed, railroad grade or from points distant as there is no naturally occurring rock for miles and miles. These amateur artists also have to contend with the very real possibility of sinking beyond their knees in the muck as they arrange the rocks into pictures and written messages.

Hazards notwithstanding, these makeshift billboards are very effective and are easily visible to their captive audience on the interstate. Messages of professed love, proposition and conquest adorn the salt desert floor. In some instances, the art is very intricate. I remember specifically a perfect rendition of the Looney Tunes character “Yosemite Sam,” the creator of which was blessed with great artistic ability. Just as you become mesmerized by the messages on the salt, a strange object begins to take shape on the horizon on the north side of the freeway.
As you approach this solitary feature you begin to wonder just what the heck you are looking at.
This is the “Tree of Utah” and everyone has their own opinion of this 87 foot concrete anomaly which is unlike any tree I have ever seen. I have crossed the flats more than most people and I still wonder what the creator was smoking when he created it. Karl Momen, the artist responsible for this structure expressed his vision of bringing nature, space, myth and technology together in the Tree of Utah. Looks like unnatural space junk to me, the creator of which should be jailed for littering, but to others it is a “modern art masterpiece.”

Rock art and artistic expression gone wrong are not the only markings upon the desert. The early surveyors dragged their chains across the salt and marked the corners of the township and range sections in the late 1800’s and some of their corner monuments remain upon the desert. More recently, individuals filled with post 911 patriotism have taken to posting old glory upon the salt. What a beautiful sight it is to see the red, white and blue standing tall out in the salt, waving in the breeze.

On the far edge of the desert at Wendover, travelers will notice a large, rocky mound rising right out of the city which has become a billboard of another type for this community and visitors to it. Since the days of World War II, military units have painted their insignias upon this peak which overlooks Wendover Airfield. All of the various types of rock messages found on the salt are painted here, high upon the rock for everyone to see. In the days of the Second World War, a beacon adorned its summit in order to prevent aircraft collision on approach.

One thing all of these markings have in common is that they are temporal. Eventually, the desert will claim them, erasing any trace, but for now it is very interesting to cross the Salt Desert and see the signs upon the desert for yourself. - The Tooele Transcript

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LAKE OSWEGO, OREGON'S BEST O' THE BLOTTER 2006

12/30 16:26. A young girl showed up on a doorstep on Stonehurst Court and asked to go to a mental hospital. She already was a resident of a mental hospital.

1/03 15:30. A woman found a posting on the Internet that indicated she was “part of the Iraq party.”

1/07 15:29. The mother of an adult man called police, concerned he was running with the wrong crowd.

1/23 22:22. A naked man was standing at the intersection of Cervantes and Jefferson Parkway.

1/25 15:58. A resident called police after finding a 12-pack of toilet paper on her doorstep on Greenridge Drive, not for the first time.

2/19 07:20. A suspected transient who rang the doorbell of a home on Hobbit Court turned out to be a neighbor. He was trying to tell the residents there that their sprinkler system was leaking.

2/22 20:52. An endangered woman who was clearly being tailed by a black car on Boones Ferry told police the driver she was avoiding her cousin.

3/4 15:15. A kid in polka-dotted pants who “looked like a young Bob Dylan” appeared to be prowling cars near the Bryant Park Easement.

3/21 13:22. A woman who accused a coffee barista of poisoning her food was told she couldn’t come back to a shop off A Avenue.

3/27 13:25. A friendly, hand-fed show pigeon showed up at a home on Cardinal Drive and tried to get into the house.

4/03 21:29. A woman who had been out of town returned home to find oil spots in her driveway on Ridgewood Road. Police attributed the marks to barkdust piled there.

4/06 21:02. A guy in a store was covered in blood. Police found nothing wrong with him and gave him a lift home.

4/14 16:36. A customer who took a car on an unusually long test drive was located at a bank. He was getting a loan.

4/22 16:47. A passenger accused of trying to swipe at bicyclists on A Avenue said he was just waving at them.

4/24 18:02. A local woman called police after seeing a towel on the railroad tracks on Bryant Road. She was concerned it could derail a train.

4/25 08:59. A man whose brakes went out on Bonita Road called police to let them know, just in case anyone complained about his driving.

4/26 19:44. A green and gold colored bird on Southwood Drive appeared injured. It ran into the bushes when questioned by police.

5/5 15:22. A guy seen dancing on the side of the road on Kerr Parkway was not drunk, as reported, just dancing to his iPod. He was warned to stay out of the road.

5/6 02:21. A woman in the Davis Lane area had been screaming since midnight. Pounding sounds could also be heard.

5/7 02:00. Teens who dialed 9-1-1 to report that “everything is fine” were checked on and found to be in possession of alcohol. They were cited and released to their parents.

5/10 18:23. People going door to door on Bryant Road were asking for soup labels to get over their fear of public speaking. Residents feared they were casing the neighborhood.

5/21 10:59. A man dropped his bike in traffic on State Street and went running into the trees, grabbing at his shirt and waving his arms around.

5/31 21:10. A man who stood on a bucket and then crawled through the window of a restaurant on B Avenue turned out to be the owner of the place.

6/06 12:40. Two male streakers, both wearing capes and Batman masks, made a run on Overlook Drive.

6/12 11:29. A person was hit in the head with a water balloon on State Street.

6/21 10:04. A motorist who returned a pile of trash to the driver of a Geo Metro, who threw it out the window, said he was nearly run over afterward by the irate driver.

6/28 13:09. A man who was turning in circles and poking his fingers in his ears was just waiting for his court appointment at city hall.

6/30 16:23. A fight involving about 200 people was reported in the Childs Road area. Police turned out to find homeowners standing off with six busloads of kids, who had just floated down the Tualatin River.

7/05 20:04. A medical bag with “something inside it” on McVey Avenue turned out to be a bag full of urine with a catheter attached.

7/24 21:15. After dropping off her child for a field trip, a mother reported concern about the condition of the tires and taillights on a bus.

7/24 15:18. A mattress was left on a road, then was run over by teenagers.

7/26 08:54. Someone used chalk to draw animals on Nansen Summit.

7/31 09:23. One neighbor reported another for name-calling on Touchstone. He told police he was thinking about retaliating, also with name-calling.

7/31 13:44. Two teenage boys were reportedly talking about penises with small children.

8/06 20:40. Juveniles on Princeton Court were using a catapult to launch one-gallon water jugs around the neighborhood.

8/07 08:58. A man who appeared to be having difficulty standing up on Middlecrest Road was not drunk, as reported, just waiting for a bus.

8/10 10:44. An older type Airedale dog was wandering along Furnace Street, apparently wearing a bib.

8/21 21:34. A group of skateboarders on Carman Drive and Touchstone reportedly had a dummy that looked like a small child.

9/3 09:41. A woman reported she was receiving phone calls from an unknown person singing “Happy Birthday.”

9/30 11:00. After discovering a plastic bag full of dog waste on her welcome mat, a woman told officers that the waste might have come from her own dog.

10/8 01:29. Two persons having relations in a parking lot were interrupted by the security officer who spotted them. The couple uncoupled, then backed up their vehicle and nearly hit the officer before driving off.

10/10 07:31. Making an all-out effort to warn people about the bad place, a man went on the campus of Lake Oswego High School with signs, propaganda and wearing a sign around his neck that said, “Avoid Hell.”

11/11 20:08. A man arrived to pick up his date on Palisades Terrace Drive, only to be informed by police that she no longer lived at that address.

11/17 18:43. A man who lost phone contact with his girlfriend called police when she didn’t answer her door. She was doing fine, she just didn’t want to talk to him.

11/20 13:25. The driver of a Dodge minivan arrived on Churchill Downs, walked away for 30 minutes and then came back again. He has apparently done this before.

11/27 14:41. A local man got a message on his voicemail from another man, who was apparently trying to sell some marijuana and himself.

12/03 09:21. Dogs on First Street pooped on park supplies belonging to the city’s maintenance department. The owner laughed when an employee asked him to clean it up. Police later forced him.

12/04 14:50. A dog at a flower shop on Boones Ferry Road appear to have chicken wire wrapped around its neck. This turned out to be a tomato cage, which was removed.

12/06 19:16. Reports of screaming and yelling from a parking lot on McNary Parkway led police to a tickle fight.

12/07 22:46. A man who dialed 9-1-1 after being locked in the library was taken to jail on an outstanding warrant from Beaverton.

12/11 18:12. A man who was acting odd, waving and stomping the ground on Jefferson Parkway was suspected of being drunk and possibly smoking marijuana. He was actually just enjoying his scratch off lottery tickets.

12/11 22:55. One person hit another in the head with a piece of cardboard. This happened on Lakeview Boulevard.

12/15 22:41. A woman who was late returning home requested police turn off her Christmas lights.

- Lee Van Der Voo, The Lake Oswego Review

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THE END