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Railroad Newsline for Friday, January 05, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

STATE LAWMAKER WANTS TASK FORCE TO PROMOTE DM&E PROJECT

SIOUX FALLS, SD -- A state lawmaker says South Dakota should expend the same energy lobbying for a $6 billion expansion of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad that it put into its efforts to turn the former Homestake Mine into an underground science laboratory.

Sen. Bill Napoli, R-Rapid City, said the rail expansion could add 5,000 new jobs in the first year and he's disappointed the state has not taken on a greater role in supporting the project.

He wants to create a task force of legislators and other supporters that would "do anything in its means to make the DM&E become a reality."

"The DM&E has huge, huge economic benefits for the state of South Dakota," Napoli said. "We're talking about a railroad that's going to run from one end of this state to the other in areas that need development of some kind."

The DM&E wants to rebuild 600 miles of track across South Dakota and Minnesota and add 260 miles of new track to Wyoming in order to haul low-sulfur coal eastward to power plants.

The railroad is awaiting word from the Federal Railroad Administration on its application for a $2.3 billion loan. Gov. Mike Rounds, whose administration has lobbied strongly for the DM&E project, said a decision is expected this month.

Marvin Kammerer, a project opponent who ranches near Rapid City, called the proposed expansion "a boondoggle." He questioned who it would benefit other than Sioux Falls-based DM&E and said he doesn't think it will employ very many South Dakotans after it's built.

The project is also opposed by some landowners along the route, particularly those whose ranches would be crossed by new track that would be built around the southern end of the Black Hills to reach the Wyoming coal fields.

Donley Darnell, of Newcastle, Wyoming, said other railroads already are hauling coal out of Wyoming and he doesn't see how subsidizing the DM&E with a $2.3 billion government loan makes sense.

Darnell, of the Mid States Coalition for Progress, said the BNSF Railway Company and the Union Pacific Railroad can handle any additional demand for coal using existing routes. He questions how DM&E will capture enough of the market to pay back the loan.

"I don't see why the government should be picking the winners and losers," Darnell said. "If BNSF and UP can do it without a government loan, why not let them do it?"

But Rounds said the project offers another avenue to move coal out of the Powder River Basin.
Past transportation bottlenecks have put a strain on supply at coal-burning power plants such as Big Stone near Milbank. Another line will boost competition and bring down costs, he said.

"I believe that it will be very helpful to the national economy to have more than one competitive carrier moving coal out of that particular location," Rounds said.

Napoli said several dozen DM&E trains a day would haul coal east and it would be foolish to believe they'd return empty. He said the future of bringing freight back to and through the state is enormous.

"Everywhere there's a switch, everywhere there's a roundhouse, everywhere there can be a siding, I envision that there will be places to load freight, load cattle, load all sorts of agriculture products," Napoli said.

The line, Rounds said, could also provide an additional route for South Dakota's ethanol plants to move their product.

Kammerer said there are no guarantees the line would be used for anything other than hauling coal.

Darnell said ranchers in Wyoming and South Dakota will also be hurt by eminent domain, which, if approved, would give the rail line the right to cross private land for its expansion.

"The way the eminent domain laws are structured, actually, there's no way to really recover what this railroad would cost landowners," he said.

Opponents of the planned expansion lost another round in their fight against the railroad expansion last week when the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the federal Surface Transportation Board legally approved the project.

Other opponents of the DM&E project include some residents in Pierre and Brookings, and the city of Rochester, Minnesota., and its Mayo Clinic, which argue that running more trains at higher speeds would create safety problems for the clinic's patients.

The railroad says it's operating on 80-year-old track and that the expansion and modernization project would improve safety.

Napoli said South Dakota has to step up and ensure the new railroad becomes a reality despite opposition and DM&E's poor safety record, which he said will be improved with the rebuilt track.

Long term, he added, "the DM&E is every bit as big a project if not bigger than the (Homestake) Mine," especially if the National Science Foundation picks a site other than Lead for its national underground laboratory.

Rounds said such a task force supporting the expansion has "been operating and moving forward for months."

The governor, South Dakota's entire congressional delegation and many agricultural and business groups all support the expansion, and Rounds said he has attended numerous meetings and planning sessions with DM&E leaders, community members and federal officials.

But he said the DM&E project and the Homestake Mine are completely different efforts.

The railroad expansion involves a private company essentially operating as a public utility, while the state has an ownership interest and direct involvement with converting the former mine to a science lab.

"The state is not in a position to fund the DM&E project," he said. - Dirk Lammers, The Associated Press, The St. Paul Pioneer Press

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COAL BEING UNCOVERED AT NEW MINE

RAWLINS, WY -- The first coal deposits are being uncovered at the new Saddleback Hills-Elk Mountain Mine in Carbon County, Wyoming.

Workers last fall began removing the dirt and rock over the coal seams at the mine operated by Arch Coal Inc., company spokesman Greg Schaefer said.

The mine, which is located between Hanna and Elk Mountain, employs about 30 workers.

Schaefer said coal dug from the mine will be shipped to utility companies soon so they can test how it burns in their boilers and how reliable rail shipments might be.

Major shipments won't begin until a power company commits to buying coal from the mine, Schaefer said.

If rail shipping through the Interstate 80 corridor is easier, Schaefer said it could be a selling point for the Saddleback mine's coal.

Shipping from Arch's Powder River Basin mines in northeast Wyoming can be difficult at times because of rail congestion.

The mine is expected to employ several hundred workers once it reaches full production.

Future plans include mining coal underground as opposed to on the surface.

When the underground mine opens, it will be called the Elk Mountain Mine and its coal will be used to fuel a proposed coal-to-liquids plant near Medicine Bow. - The Billings Gazette

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BNSF ISSUES WEEKLY PRB COAL UPDATE FOR JANUARY 04, 2007

BNSF Sets Coal Tonnage Records in December and 2006

The BNSF Railway Company loaded a monthly record total of 25.297 million tons of coal systemwide in December, breaking the previous record of 25.008 million tons set in October 2006. December loadings brought the total for 2006 to an annual record 287.2 million tons, up 10.8 percent from the previous annual record of 259.2 million tons set in 2005.

In the Powder River Basin (PRB), including Wyoming and Montana mines, BNSF loaded an average of 51.7 trains per day during December 2006, also a monthly record. Mine issues reduced December 2006 loadings by an average of 1.6 trains per day. In 2006 BNSF loaded a total daily average of 49.7 trains in the PRB, up 10.4 percent from the 45.0 average daily PRB coal train loadings in 2005.

Construction Projects Update

BNSF is deriving full operational benefits from six miles of new second main track between Bayard and Degraw, Nebraska, after installation of additional turnouts and signal work were completed December 19. The new second main track is increasing fluidity on one of BNSF's core coal routes southeast of the PRB.

Bridge work is under way for 39 miles of new third main track between Donkey Creek and Reno, Wyoming. Grading will follow, with track-laying scheduled to begin in March. Completion of this trackage this summer will provide three main tracks from Shawnee Junction at the south end of the PRB Joint Line to Caballo Mine at the north end of the Joint Line and beyond to Donkey Creek.

Coal Inventories Up Nationwide

Stocks of subbituminous coal, the type mined in the PRB, were 42.0 percent higher in October 2006 than in October 2005, according to a report issued December 21 by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy. "The October 2006 subbituminous coal stocks were above the annual high levels typically experienced in the spring," EIA said in its Electric Power Flash December Edition. - BNSF Service Advisory

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ATTENTIVENESS PREVENTS BROKEN WHEEL DAMAGE

Dan Sutherland and Joe Ratty, BNSF Railway Company carmen, Pasco, Washington, noticed what appeared to be a flat wheel during a roll-by inspection of a loaded grain train. The two had recently returned from fixing a frog at East Berrian and were in position at a crossing.

When they noticed what they thought was a flat wheel, they reacted quickly and radioed Brent and Jason Bishop, brothers and also BNSF carmen who happened to be at the next crossing, and asked them to take a closer look at the wheel.

The Bishop brothers verified that the wheel was in fact broken, so Brent radioed the train crew to stop the train. The train stopped before crossing the Columbia River bridge and the broken wheel was fixed.

For being attentive and reactive, a Broken Wheel Club award was given to all four men. - BNSF Today

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TWO MEN RESCUED IN BRITISH COLUMBIA CANYON AFTER TRAIN DERAILMENT

Photo here: [www.cbc.ca]

Caption reads: Two crew members escaped serious injury when two locomotives plunged off the tracks in the Fraser Canyon early Thursday morning.(CN photo)

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA -- Two CN crew members have been rescued after spending seven hours trapped on a steep 50-meter embankment after their train derailed early Thursday morning in the Fraser Canyon.

Neither the engineer nor conductor were seriously hurt, suffering only cuts and bruises.

They managed to scramble out of the locomotive. But they were stuck on the embankment above the Thompson River because it was too steep to climb.

Blankets and hot food and drink were dropped down to them for the night.

At first light, rescuers climbed down on ropes to pull them to safety. They brought the engineer up just before 08:00 PT, and the conductor followed a few minutes later.

Train hit rocks

The 105-car train was near Lytton and headed for Vancouver when it hit a rockslide on the tracks at about 01:00 PT.

"When the train struck the rocks, the two lead locomotives derailed, and the first car immediately behind the locomotives, that car containing wood products," said company spokesman Jim Feeney.

He added that the locomotives did not appear to be leaking any fuel.

In nearby Lytton, a restaurant had heated a pot of soup, expecting the stranded crew members will need some warming up. - CBC.ca

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CITY OPTS TO CLOSE ROAD NEAR RAILROAD

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Salt Lake City is considering closing a street west of The Gateway as part of its push to more-quickly move freight trains through downtown.

The city wants to close 120 feet of 100 South at 700 West. Currently, 100 South dead-ends into Interstate 15, and 700 West ends just north of 100 South.

The closure would affect industrial businesses in the area, though the city estimates only 100 cars travel through the intersection every day.

"It's extremely low volume. I don't think closing this street will have any impact on circulation," said D.J. Baxter, senior adviser to Mayor Rocky Anderson.

According to the city, the closure will help create a quiet zone downtown where Union Pacific trains would not have to blow their horns when they cross streets.

If the street weren't closed off to traffic, the city would have to install protective gates and signals that would cost $750,000 to quiet the horns.

But even with the closure, trains will continue to sound their horns downtown while crossing other unprotected streets. Eventually, the city expects downtown to become a no-horn haven.

"This one by itself doesn't create a quiet zone," Baxter said.

The closure is also part of the project to realign UP railroad curves known as Grant Tower. UP owns a bottleneck of tracks from 500 West to 700 West between North Temple and 100 South. Some 80 million tons of freight roll through the area each year, but at 10 mph.

Straightening the curves will speed the trains up to 40 mph. It also will lead to the elimination of freight trains through west-side neighborhoods along 900 South.

As part of the Grant Tower deal, UP will provide the city its property to the north to build a new road at 30 South that will run in the middle of the block between 700 West and 600 West. That way, vehicles traveling west on 100 South will be directed to 600 West via the new street.

City officials think the new street will help encourage development of mixed-use projects because the road will provide better access to new developments. The street would be paid for by the Utah Transit Authority, which is building commuter rail in the area.

"There have been more controversial street closures than this," noted Council Chairman Dave Buhler, referring to the closure of Main Street in downtown.

In other action related to Grant Tower, the city initiated condemnation power to obtain portions of five properties for the straightened rail line. One piece is owned by Rocky Mountain Power, which opposes the move and is considering suing.

After meeting privately with lawyers at a recent meeting, the council moved ahead to condemn.

But just because the city has eminent-domain power, it may not use it. It initiated condemnation power on five other properties in September for Grant Tower, but has since closed on two properties and has purchase agreements on two more. - Heather May, The Salt Lake Tribune

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RAILROAD HISTORY CHUGS BACK TO TIBURON

The railroad line responsible for the birth of Tiburon, California - and much of the county's early growth - turns 100 this month with a celebration recalling the region's locomotive past.

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad will be honored at 13:00 Sunday at what was once the line's southernmost terminal, now housing the Railroad Ferry Depot Museum in Tiburon at 1920 Paradise Drive. The 100th anniversary celebration of the incorporated rail line's creation is a joint venture of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society, the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society and the Native Sons of the Golden West, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting California history.

"There wouldn't be a town of Tiburon unless the railroad was here," said Tiburon resident Phil Cassou, president of the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society. "Prior to that it was pretty much dairy lands, cod fishery off Belvedere and oyster works in what is now Blackie's Pasture. It was pretty quiet until the railroad came."

Cassou said the railroad delivered people, waterfront development and housing to the peninsula town "where before there was just livestock."

Cassou noted the town's original waterfront was created with piers to accommodate early 20th century ferries and schooners.

The museum's Donahue building near the mouth of Richardson Bay - once a railroad and ferry hub - was named for Peter Donahue, builder of the San Francisco and North Pacific rail lines.

Cassou said "a lot of buildings were brought down by railroad from Petaluma for housing for railroad workers," including arks moored in the bay.

On Jan. 8, 1907, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad was incorporated as a consolidation of railroads in Northern California. Owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway at the time, the line was the primary mover of passengers and freight in the first half of the 20th century through Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Trinity and Humboldt counties.

Photo here: [extras.mnginteractive.com]

Caption reads: Downtown Tiburon is seen during the heyday of rail transportation. (Provided by Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society)

The line ran from Eureka to Tiburon and Sausalito, where passengers and freight cars connected with ferries to San Francisco. By 1909, Sausalito began serving as the primary passenger terminal while Tiburon became the main freight terminal and shop facility.

Railroad activities in Tiburon ended in 1967 when the last train departed.

"The railroad is virtually gone now but we like to let people know the railroad was the major factor in the development of Marin County," said Fairfax parlor Native Sons official Fred Codoni, noting most towns in Marin were built around the railroad.

Photo here: [extras.mnginteractive.com]

Caption reads: Former rail worker Fred Codoni of Fairfax is one of the organizers of the celebration of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad's 100th anniversary, which takes place at 13:00, Sunday in Tiburon. (Special to the IJ/Kevin Hagen)

The rail line offered commuter trains between all the major Southern Marin towns and hauled home-building supplies and other consumer products.

Codoni, 72, of Fairfax, worked for the Northwestern Pacific in Tiburon during the 1950s.

"It was the major industry in Tiburon," Codoni said, describing a town full of railroad workers, pubs and supporting businesses including a machine shop, roundhouse, freight storage and paint shop.

"There was everything a railroad needed in Tiburon," he said. "You could basically build a new locomotive there."

Frequent commuter service was offered between San Francisco and San Rafael, Ross Valley and all the way to Fairfax.

"Transit time from San Rafael to San Francisco was less than an hour in 1920," he said, describing a commute which included a 32-minute ferry ride across the bay.

Codoni noted Alcatraz Island opened in 1934 as a federal penitentiary.

"The first bunch of criminals came by train through Tiburon," he said, recalling records of "a trainload of bad guys from the Midwest all handcuffed to the seats of the train."

Codoni said the rail line was abandoned in 1941 because "it was losing a horrendous amount of money, especially after the Golden Gate Bridge was open."

"People thought that the bridge and highways would last forever, fools that they are," said Codoni, alluding to his disappointment over last month's defeated ballot initiative for a commuter rail line between Sonoma and Marin counties. - Jim Staats, The Marin Independent Journal

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1870s DEAD HORSE PHOTO SPARKS MYSTERY

Photo here:

[www.journaltimes.com]

Caption reads: This photo provided by the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center shows a man sitting on a dead horse. The picture taken in Sheboygan sometime between 1876 and 1884 has sparked curiosity, speculation and jokes from people throughout the country, thanks to some newspaper publicity, the Internet and blogging. No one knows who the gentleman is, his occupation, or the exact circumstances surrounding it, said Beth Dipple, director of the Center. "It is a great picture and every time I see it I just laugh," she said. "But this time the novelty is everybody else is seeing it for the first time. The whole world is seeing it now." (AP Photo/Sheboygan County Historical Research Center)

WAUSAU, WI -- It's a cliche, beating a dead horse, but it sure fits what's happening in a southeast Wisconsin city trying to unravel the mystery of an 1870s photo of a stovepipe-hatted man sitting on a dead horse in the middle of a dusty, deserted street.

The black-and-white picture taken in Sheboygan between 1876 and 1884 has sparked curiosity, speculation and jokes from people nationwide after a newspaper published a 2007 calendar with the scene. A response from readers prompted the newspaper to report about it. From there, it took off on the Internet and blogging.

"This thing has gotten more mileage than you can shake a stick at," said Scott Prescher, who has a copy of the dead-horse photo in his Sheboygan restaurant.

"It is just a funny picture," Prescher said, laughing. "He is sitting on there with a top hat like he had somewhere special to go and his horse just croaked in the middle of the road."

No one knows who the gentleman is, exactly what year the picture was taken or the circumstances surrounding it, said Beth Dipple, director of the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center, which has had the picture in its collection for at least 20 years.

"It is a great picture and every time I see it I just laugh," she said. "But this time the novelty is everybody else is seeing it for the first time. The whole world is seeing it now."

After writing two stories about the picture, The Sheboygan Press has received more than 50 calls and e-mails about it, including from a California genealogist.

Some of their ideas for what the picture depicts include the thoughtful _ it was staged for a political campaign perhaps related to sanitation issues _ to the bizarre _ it was a way to help relieve the horse of "excess flatulence."

Dibble said the newspaper published the photo on Aug. 20, 1974, too, but mainly to focus attention on the nearby buildings. The caption said the man who provided the photo to the newspaper received it from a friend who had no idea about its origin.

A Web site that focuses on "pop, politics, sex and so on" sponsored a contest for readers to write the best caption or anti-caption for the photo and about 100 were submitted, including this one: "Lay still old girl, FEMA's on the way."

A blogger for the Poynter Institute, a school for journalists in Florida, included a link to the Press stories as part his daily fix of media industry news.

"I didn't realize there was so much going on with this thing," Dipple said Thursday. "This has all been in the last couple of weeks? They have been having fun obviously."

Dipple said about all that's known about the picture is it was taken at South Eighth Street and Indiana Avenue between 1876 and 1884 _ based on the bridge over the Sheboygan River in the background and the lack of railroad tracks that were installed in 1884.

The city had laws on the books that required people to stay with their dead horses until they were picked up and disposed of, Dipple said.

"Who knows why somebody would take a picture of it," she said. "People had weird senses of humor then just like they do now. Or he was practicing using his new camera. I don't know. That is one of those things that I doubt we will ever know."

Bill Wangemann, who's been Sheboygan's unpaid city historian since being appointed to the job in 1986, said it's not unusual for old pictures to become mysteries because information about them doesn't get passed along.

He said he got a recent call from a woman who told him that her husband once had a glass plate of the picture _ the technology used in 1870s to make pictures _ but it broke and the envelope with it said only that the photo was a man on a dead horse.

Wangemann's seen other gag photos done from that era and thinks the dead horse is one, too.

"I always took it to be just somebody's weird idea of a joke," the 71-year-old historian said. "'Hey Joe, go out there and sit on that dead horse and I'll take your picture.' Maybe he was a friend of the photographer." - Robert Imrie, The Racine Journal-Times

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DALLAS BRIDGES: THE VIEW FROM THE GROUND

View a slide show of Dallas' bridges here:

[www.dallasnews.com]

DALLAS, TX -- A few years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference on waterfront cities. Along with the invitation came a dreamy photograph of downtown Dallas.

You've seen it dozens of times on the covers of travel brochures and annual reports: gleaming skyscrapers reflecting off a broad, glassy Trinity River, which at first glance could be mistaken for the Hudson or maybe the Chicago Lakefront.

In a fit of full disclosure, I called the conference director to say that there were problems with the image.

"You mean it's a fake?" he asked.

"Misleading," I cautioned. "The buildings and the bridges are real enough but the Trinity looks like that only once or twice a decade. It's a stretch to call Dallas a waterfront city."

Silence. "Well, I guess that takes care of that," he replied, and hung up. No invitation. No praise for journalistic integrity. Even growing up in Boston and Maine, places with real waterfronts, couldn't save me.

Dallas has always aspired to be something it's not, and right now it wants to be a "river city," which is why it's hired Santiago Calatrava to design not one, not two, but three signature bridges across the Trinity, as though once they're built the big waters will finally come and validate the expense.

How long this will take is anybody's guess, but in the interim it might be a good idea to get reacquainted with the bridges we already have.

Depending on your definition of bridge, there are roughly a dozen between Corinth Street and Hampton Road. None could be called signature; several are simply labeled viaducts or crossings.
Yet, collectively, they provide a kind of time line for how the city evolved.

Dallas is where it is because of a crude natural bridge of rock and packed clay near Reunion Arena that allowed horses and wagons to ford the Trinity safely. John Neely Bryan built a store and a cabin close by, selling provisions to travelers and lots to homesteaders – the first of our speculative developers.

Since then, the Trinity has been crisscrossed by timber bridges and rhythmically arched concrete bridges, by lacy steel railroad trestles and numerous matter-of-fact beam bridges that shoot back and forth across the floodplain like arrows.

In the 19th century, settlers heading west traversed a crude log span known as California Crossing not far from Texas Stadium. The Trinity still has a few timber bridges that creak and groan under the weight of diesel locomotives, and with their rugged, hand-hewn appearance, they serve as visual metaphors for that frontier experience, right down to the trees and wildlife around them.

When Dallas was small and compact, its bridges were among its most important civic monuments, expressions of its resolve as well as extensions of its social life. Early photographs of the Houston Street Viaduct, which in 1912 was the world's longest reinforced concrete bridge, show couples promenading arm in arm beneath ornate street lamps, looking west at what must have seemed an infinitely receding horizon or back toward downtown Dallas and its fledgling skyline.
The bridge was a gathering place, a modern version of the ancient town wall, from which residents could gaze out and get their bearings.

If you squint, and aren't too literal-minded, you can see traces of continental grace in the arched parapet and ornamental lamps on the Commerce Street bridge, which once was a major gateway to downtown and is now the shortest route to Dallas' criminal-justice theme park on the Trinity.

Like many American cities, Dallas turned its back on its river to embrace freeways and regional shopping malls. Most of its bridges are strictly for cars, trucks and light rail lines, curt, efficient structures designed for convenience rather than excitement.

That undoubtedly explains some of the enthusiasm for the future Calatrava bridges, which, with their lyrical forms and structural expressiveness, could make crossing the Trinity a memorable event, whether there is water in the river or not. - David Dillon, The Dallas Morning News (David Dillon is an author and freelance architecture critic.)

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TARGET FOR A VANDAL

Photo here:

[www.dhonline.com]

Caption reads: Photo by David Patton/Democrat-Herald. This stop sign at a railroad crossing on Tangent Drive has been shot full of holes.

ALBANY, OR -- Ever wonder how much it costs to replace a shot-up road sign?

Linn County Roadmaster Darrin Lane puts the cost between $50 and $75, depending on the sign. He would know: The county road department had to replace 411 road signs in 2005 due to vandalism.

“We probably spend $20,000 a year on vandalism,” Lane said.

Who foots the bill? The taxpayers, Lane said.

“Every time you fire a gun into a sign, you’re taking money out of your own pocket,” he said.

Replacement money comes out of the road department’s traffic maintenance fund, which is about $611,000 this budget year. That fund pays for road striping, reflectors in the pavement, and signs that have been vandalized, damaged in an accident or are worn out.

In 2005, the road department replaced about 1,300 signs overall, including the 411 that were vandalized. Lane said he doesn’t have figures yet for 2006.

According to Lane, the most frequent acts of vandalism are stealing a sign, shooting it with a firearm or knocking it over for fun.

“Frequently, the sheriff’s office will call us if they see a sign missing or knocked over,” Lane said.

“But not if it’s shot. There’s virtually no way we could track that down. If someone saw it, or if there was credible evidence, we’d pursue it.”

No sign is immune. A stop sign on Tangent Drive at the Portland & Western railroad tracks west of Tangent is riddled with bullet holes, and the county and the railroad only put it up late last summer.

Lane said the sign was an upgrade from the previous signage. It’s higher up and more visible.

“Unfortunately, it’s been damaged already by some yahoo,” he remarked.

As unsightly as a shot-up sign is, Lane said a stolen sign is even worse. “In the case where you steal a sign, you’re putting lives at risk and people could die,” he said. “You’d have that on your conscience. It could be someone you care about.”

It’s also a problem on U.S. Forest Service roads, said Mike Rassbach, forest ranger in the Sweet Home district office.

“Most prevalent is signs getting shot up,” Rassbach said. “We’ve had some signs been shot up as many as 20 to 25 times. It’s just unfortunate. The reason the signs are out there is to help direct people so they don’t get turned around. Once signs get to that point, they no longer function in that capacity. Then it just costs money to replace them.” - Ian Rollins, The Albany Democrat-Herald

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CHOO-CHOO PROJECT CHUGS OFF TRACKS AT SANTA FE DEPOT

SHAWNEE, OK -- Construction is almost at a standstill on the railroad layout depicting 1940 Shawnee at the Santa Fe Train Depot.

John Cooper, a volunteer model railroad builder, needs more volunteers to assemble buildings, streets, and landscaping.

“For about a year, there were several people going at this project hot and heavy, then interest died down,” Cooper said.

In 2004, the family of Wallace Kenneth Foust donated half of Foust's HO Model Railroad Collection to the Pottawatomie County Historical Society. In 2005, the society began the Shawnee Model Railroad Volunteer Group with the intention of creating a miniature likeness of Shawnee during the railroad boom.

Foust developed an interest in railroads as a child when his family lived near railroad tracks. He started collecting trains in 1954. Before he died, Foust's collection was quite extensive. He had to build a one and a half story shed resembling a depot in his backyard.

The Pottawatomie County Historical Society ended up with half the collection because Foust was a descendant of federal marshals from this area. The other half of the collection went to the Harvey House Museum in Waynoka.

Cooper, who spent his time in the military working with guided missiles and is retired from Tinker Air Force Base, has a background in microwave transmission. He did the electrical work on the model.

“I'm doing this work for the public, but it's good for me, too. I like hearing the stories from the old timers who come in and the little kids are great to watch,” Cooper said.

At this time, Cooper is the only one working on the model. For people who wish to help, Cooper can be reached in the afternoons at 405-275-7736. - Lori Goat, The Tecumseh Countywide News & Shawnee Sun

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TWENTY YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF AMTRAK CRASH

BALTIMORE, MD -- Thursday marks the 20th anniversary of an Amtrak train accident in eastern Baltimore County that killed 16 people and injured 175.

WJZ's Suzanne Collins reports on the tragic crash that left more than a dozen families devastated by the news of the January 4th, 1987 accident.

The northbound passenger train hit a Conrail freight train that sped through a warning signal. The Conrail engineer, Ricky Gates, later admitted he was under the influence of marijuana.

He served four years in prison and later became an addiction counselor.

The investigation led to operational changes in the railroad system, new equipment and wider drug testing in the transportation industry. - WJZ-TV13, Baltimore, MD

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TRANSIT NEWS

TRAX PROJECT PUTS SQUEEZE AT GATEWAY

SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- Construction on a TRAX line that will connect the Arena Station with the transit hub starts Monday, when project-related traffic controls will mean some downtown streets near the Gateway mall will be squeezed to just one lane each way.

The public can learn more about the project, expected to take up to 18 months, at an open house Thursday from 12:30 to 14:00 at the Salt Lake Intermodal Hub, 300 South and 600 West.

Drivers will be able to get to businesses and parking lots in the construction area during the project, with electronic signs announcing traffic pattern changes or cautionary messages, said Utah Transit Authority spokesman Justin Jones.

The one exception: East-west traffic will be closed on 100 South at 400 West - the block immediately south of EnergySolutions Arena - during the entire construction calendar.

Jones said the work will begin at the outside edges of the streets, then move to the medians where the TRAX rails will be built. The TRAX line extension will run from 200 W. South Temple down 400 West past the Gateway, turn west at 200 South, then south again at 600 West where it will stop at the intermodal hub.

The TRAX project is timed to finish when the FrontRunner commuter rail tracks reach Salt Lake City. FrontRunner passengers will be able to cross a platform to catch TRAX or UTA buses. Beginning next week, the public can access construction information on UTA's Web site at [www.rideuta.com] or by calling 877-UTA RAIL (877-889-7845). - Patty Henetz, The Salt Lake Tribune

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SACRAMENTO'S LIGHT-RAIL RIDERSHIP ALMOST DOUBLE NATIONAL AVERAGE

SACRAMENTO, CA -- Light-rail ridership increased 10 percent for the first nine months of last year in Sacramento, the fifth-largest gain in the nation -- and almost double the national rate, according to the American Public Transportation Association.

Light-rail powered an almost 3 percent increase in public transportation ridership for the first nine months of 2006, according to the report. Americans took 7.8 billion trips on public transit.

Light-rail -- modern light rail, streetcars and trolleys -- had the highest percentage of growth among all modes of public transportation at 5.4 percent. Salt Lake City's light-rail service increased 23.3 percent, the highest in the nation. Minneapolis followed at 22.6 percent, with New Jersey at 16.3 percent. Philadelphia edged out Sacramento for the fourth spot, with 11.9 percent more riders over the nine-month period.

Commuter rail grew by 3.2 percent from January through September 2006. Heavy rail (subways) ridership increased in the same time period by 2.8 percent. Bus ridership increased by almost 3 percent. - The Sacramento Business Journal

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GORHAM MORE THAN TRAFFIC CORRIDOR

Dear Editor: I love the idea of streetcars, but then I also prefer lantern light and outdoor privies (well, maybe not so much the privies) and I'm a big fan of the mustache cup and the Victrola. But I kid.

As I read the proposed map, my street, East Gorham, looks to be a "low potential" area. Can't we please do something about the automobile ("hoopies," I think we used to call them in my youth) traffic on this once-august street?

I just finished talking to an Madison Gas and Electric rep about the new high-powered long lines they have installed up and down our street. It seems as if when any sacrifice has to be made for the public good, Gorham gets a double dose. We are not just a service corridor for the sprawl set. We live here and like to raise healthy children.

But I suppose I should be careful what I wish for just in case I get it. After all, if we do get streetcars, they may frighten my team of fine Morgan dray horses I keep stabled in back or run over my chickens. Then you would see my bustle in a bunch. - Letter to the Editor, Gay Davidson-Zielske, Madison, WI, The Madison Captial Times

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