SOUTH OF THE BORDER

News and photos from our American CRO contributors.

Alaska Railroad

In October, the Alaska Railroad (ARR) obtained FRA approval to move liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail to points in Alaska's interior.  The ARR is the first U.S. railroad to receive such a federal permit, says Doug Engebretson, the regional's chief operating officer. The ARR is also the first railroad to take a significant step in the regulatory process, which eventually will help make LNG business available to others, he said. ARR sought the FRA approval to provide a rail option for moving LNG into communities within the state's interior, such as Fairbanks. Alaska's Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), Energy Authority, Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, Department of Revenue and Department of Natural Resources are pursuing an Interior Energy Project (IEP) to help residents reduce high energy costs associated with oil-burning and wood heating systems. As part of the IEP, AIDEA is evaluating the logistics and costs of moving LNG via rail, truck or pipeline. "Fuel oil prices there are extremely high, and payments sometimes are higher than mortgage payments," says Engebretson, noting that the price at times have reached $475 per gallon. "The state needs to do something." 

In November 2014, ARR approached the FRA about obtaining approval to move LNG in portable tanks via container-on-flat car service in both unit and manifest trains. In February 2015, the FRA sought additional information from the railroad, which submitted a formal request for approval. The agency then conducted a thorough review and analysis of the proposed LNG operations.
"This was a completely new process since there are no current regulations that allow for LNG movement by rail," says Engebretson. "This is unchartered ground."

The FRA approval - which remains in effect for two years - includes a number of stipulations, such as that ARR must:
- operate only up to two trains carrying eight portable tanks of LNG per week;
- perform at least one track geometry car inspection and four internal rail-flaw inspections annually;
- provide initial training to all crews operating LNG-carrying trains and emergency responders along an LNG route;
- prohibit double stacking of the portable tanks; and
- issue a report each month to the FRA on the number of portable tank loads and other data.

The interior is in desperate need of an affordable energy source and natural gas by rail holds real promise, said U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in a press release. "With many details still to be addressed, I look forward to continued cooperation with the FRA to move LNG to our interior communities," she said. "I appreciate the FRA working with my office on this issue and will continue to work to facilitate solutions to address our energy needs in the interior and across the state, but this is a great step."  However, state and private entities still have much to do to bring cheaper and cleaner energy options to the region, says Engebretson. The state currently is exploring proposals from five finalists for the IEP.  Engebretson isn't sure when ARRC would begin to move LNG since there haven't been any determinations as to where the gas would originate and exactly how it would be moved. If the gas originated in Anchorage, it would need to travel about 350 miles to reach the interior region.

Shippers would own the tank cars and ARR would provide the intermodal service using its own flat cars if the state opts to move the gas via rail. And the energy market will determine whether any LNG moves on rail, says Engebretson.  "We don't know what the growth potential is," he says. "But we know the consumers are there in the interior."

The FRA is considering other LNG-by-rail applications in United States, yet those proposals are different because the gas would need to be transported through or around many cities, says Engebretson.  "We are in very, very rural territory," he says, adding that if LNG was moved from Anchorage to Fairbanks, it would only travel through three small towns. For now, ARR is trying to gain a better understanding of the learning curve associated with transporting the gas. "We will have to crawl, and then walk, and then run," says Engebretson.  (Article from PROGRESIVE RAILROADING by Jeff Stagl Managing Editor - October 2015)

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On October 20th, 2015 Stephen M. Koenig snapped Union Pacific's very first Tier 4 locomotive on the GE test Track in Erie, PA.(Stephan M. Koenig).

Mike Garza snapped an Iowa Interstate delivery to the IHB at Blue Island Il., on September 30th, 2015 with the Rock Island Heritage unit.

Lots of BNSF pumpkins this month for Halloween!  Dennis Weber clicked this nice shot of the BNSF Roadswitcher with matching paint BNSF schemes! BNSF 2699 leads through Sioux Falls, SD on September 11th.

Dennis also bagged this nice shot a BNSF eastbound oil train at Hawley, MN with BNSF 6704 leading a trio of CSX units, on September 12th.

Classic from 1941, a swoop nosed EMD-built E5 (CB&Q 9911) at the STREAMLINERS event in Spencer, NC in 2015. (Mike Ray Photo). 

For the BNSF "Warbonnet" fans Shawn Heller submitted this BNSF southbound manifest train at Winlock, WA August 22nd, 2015. The southbound cruising into Winlock with BNSF warbonnet C44 4706 leading and ES44DC 7814 trailing. 

On September 11th, Dennis Weber caught this D&I Railroad empty ballast train on the bridge at Sioux  Falls, SD.

BNSF's experimental GE AC44C4M 616, was rebuilt from a Santa Fe C44-9W in 2014.  The locomotive features A-1-A trucks, which are also prominent in the new General Electric ES44C4 locomotive model, along with a new 12 cylinder engine block, conversion from DC to AC Power, and numerous electrical upgrades and modifications.  George Manley clicked the front and rear of the rebuilt BNSF AC44C4M 616 while its train was tied down on a crew change at Hanshaw, just east of Stockton, CA October 6th.  On the other side of this train is the EB track, and then a steep drop off, so this side was chosen.   BNSF has at least eight more AC44C4M's being completed down in Mexico.

Shawn Heller photographed a BNSF Rivergate (Portland, OR) grain empty passing over the bridge in Vancouver, WA September 20th.  Led by BNSF 5068, 7402, and 4452 up front, this train will head east via Stampede Pass. 

Portland and Western train 664 (a light northbound power move) had a nice surprise up front; P&W SD45 3052 leading GP39's 2317, 2311, and 2309.  Shawn Heller took the shot as they rounded the curve by the Amtrak station in Vancouver, WA.

Fresh looking UP 4599 was at the IHB in Riverdale on October 8th.

CSX train Q132 had a recently painted C40-8W repainted with the new logo on October 8th.

In October, new business arrived on the Port Harbor RR in the form of 40 car unit pipe trains received off the Union Pacific. In this view taken by Mark Mautner, we see PHRR SD40-2 2301 (ex-CNW) in Illinois Terminal livery leading a unit pipe train at America's Central Port in Granite City, IL Sept 23rd 2015

Terry Respondek and his colleagues completed the painting of ex-CP (MILW bandit) GP40 2064 into the Illinois Terminal scheme. In this view taken on Oct 6th 2015 the IT 2064 is temporarily numbered as IT 2302 ( to pair with IT SD40-2 2301 for an event they had October 5th. Unit will go back to IT 2064 and needs a few finishing touches such as rear striping  painting the bell, horn, handbrake and antenna. Taken by Mark Mautner at Granite City, IL, on October 5th, 2015.

 FTRL Railway has just purchased former CP GP9U 8223. This geep  will get FTRL colors at Metro East Industries (MEI). Mark Mautner shot FTRL 6223 at MEI in East St Louis, IL, on October 7th.

GATX SD38 3300 (ex-NS 3809, exx-CR 6939, nee- PC 6939), was clicked at MEI East St Louis, IL on October 7th by Mark Mautner. Unit has been rebuilt, and will be paired with a ex MVPX GP40 to make a slug set. 

This former GO Transit F59PH is now lettered SLC 526, and wearing an all white, with yellow safety trim paint scheme.  GO Transit GMD-built F59PH 520-568, were built in four separate GMD locomotive orders starting in 1988.  The fleet remained on the roster until the beginning of 2009, when the earlier units in the first order, began to be retired, and then later sold. GO Transit's purchase in 1988 marked a return to having a single unit having a separate HEP engine and generator, as opposed to the shaft-driven HEP system of the older F40PH. As well, they were GO's first units equipped with computerized systems, and thus allowed for a substantial increase inperformance and reliability. 

Despite having been rebuilt twice,(and receiving upgraded http://www.cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php?title=Head-End_Power&action=edit&redlink=1 HEP engines and generators) these units were becoming troublesome, with frequent failures sometimes necessitating a second unit being added to the weekend trains.

 The first order of units (GO 520-535), were retired and sold off by April 2009, once all of the first order of MPI-built MP40PH-3C's (GOT 600-626) were in service, the second F59 order and the majority of units in the third were retired when MP40 units 627-656 were delivered. Gradually over 2010 a number of remaining units received electronic bells (e-balls) in place of their mechanical ones. Not all units received them however, with an one example being GO 564, which retained its mechanical bell.  Plans to rebuild some of the existing units again were put through in 2010, And by early 2011, GO 558 and 559 returned to service after a full overhaul and repaint.  All the units from GO 557 to 564 were eventually rebuilt for continued service, with the remaining units scattered below 557 retired and sold.  All GO F59PH's retired have been sold off, and many enjoy second careers under AMT, NC-Dot, SLC, TRE, and leased to AMT and VIA from RB Recycling (CADRAIL's Leasing division), with some rebuilt, and others just renumbered/re-lettered like this one.

 By Herb Iske

Ken Rattenne recently completed scanning the Herb Joiner photo collection for my good friend Aaron Barkl. Both Aaron and I have been posting selections from the collection over on the Facebook SOUTHERN PACIFIC group.  He is one of the admins).  It occurred to him that many or most of the people on George's list don't belong to social media and have missed out on some amazing photographs of SP in and around the Roseville, CA area. Herb Joiner started with the SP in 1954 as a switchman assigned to the Antelope end of the vast 5-mile long Roseville Yard. He took his camera to work with him and lucky for us, he shot Kodoachrome. Below are two selections from the 12gb of images Ken scanned.   (Via George Manley and Ken Rattenne with thanks).

SP Train 202, the local passenger train to Gerber, rolls through Antelope, CA on the western end of Roseville Yard, in June of 1957. Roseville Yard was originally owned by the Central Pacific RR. 

 SP cab forward 4249 shakes the ground on the outskirts of Truckee, CA  in the fall of 1954.

FACEBOOK PHOTOS

The following shots were taken by some of the great photographers your editor has met through Facebook:

Warren Calloway shot AMTRAK E8A 240 in the Blunt Arrow paint scheme at Raleigh, NC, in the late-1970's.

On April 13th, 1983, Donny Albertson photographed former Conrail C430 2051, repainted and renumbered to NYS&W 3004, seen here making her debut outside the roundhouse in Little Ferry, NJ.

"Red P" E44 4443. Very rare on these motors. Got a cab ride on these back in the mid 1970s on a ZBJ train out of Greenwich Yard. Three of them and a little under 10,000 tons on the drawbar. (These two photos by Dave Hopson with thanks)

Former Virginian Railway, PC E33 4610 in the 1970's.

Tommy Parker clicked SP 8694, an SD40M-2 with her original SDP45 Body at Savannah, GA February 25, 1998.

Westbound Santa Fe Dash 8-40BW 545 leads its train down the South Main with the dynamics growling through Cajon Station in Cajon Pass 1991.

© CRO November 2015