SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Paul Burgess sent us this teaser!  On December 10^th former CNR FPA4 6789 and a CN steam generator car look great and get to stretch their legs with some mainline running on the NS (ex-Wabash trackage), in Niantic, IL.  These are Monticello Railway Museum units and they put in an appearance out on the high iron once a year on the Santa Train for NS employees.  NS #957 Santa Special has an IC passenger consist, and the CNR steam gen car is still operational and worked on this sunny but with only a brisk 15 degrees F outside. As the train was bi-directional, Wabash F-unit 1189 was called to duty and looked  beautiful on the end of NS 957 consist at Harristown, IL.    The USA have several FPA4 and FPB4 locos, whereas Canada has only has one CNR FPA4, preserved at Exporail-Montreal.  CLICK HERE FOR THE ROSTER .

On December 7^th, Gary Knapp was tuned to the D&H channel when the North End Dispatcher crackled in setting up a meet with 930 and the returning unit oil train empties, train 697.   After setting up his lights and Camera he was expecting SOO 6034, but heard CEFX 1006 was the leader and only six miles away from him!  Gary climbed abourd the RS18u on display and stood on the front of the engineers side of the cab, mounting the camera on its tripod and waited .  Coming into view… a blue and white CEFX AC4400CW, CP 5951, an ICE SD-40-2 and the SOO 6034 passing Port Henry Station., I fire off the lighting and the engineer gives me a couple of toots from the air horn!  

CSX Mark Mautner was able to catch this delivery of  brand new Kansas City Southern ES44AC's on December 3^rd. These GE Erie built units are part of a 30 unit order currently being delivered # 4760-#4789. Seen in transit on CSX train Q639-03 (Indianapolis to TRRA Madison) at a couple different locations in Caseyville, IL on CSX's St Louis Line. These first four are #4767-#4770  seen in CSX Rose Lake yard, were handed off to KCS for forwarding to Kansas City and are now in service.

Progress Rail (PRLX) PR30C 3001 is shown painted at Waycross, GA April 17^th 2011, the paint scheme reminiscent of the Burlington Route  CB&Q 1970’s livery. Even the CAT square logo on the cab is very “Burlington” looking!  (Photo by Alan Williams Jr.) 

At Trempealeau, WI, Dennis Weber photographed BNSF H-NTWBRC, NS C40-9W 9965 and CSXT SD70MAC 4552 on BNSF St. Croix Sub on December 8th.

Joe Ferguson shot BNSF blue GP38-2 2050, and BNSF GP50 3162 at Keokuk, IA on December 11^th.

George Redmond photographed the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad (COER) Christmas train with EMD SW1200 Switchers front and rear operating trips west from the COER station in Marion, Illinois then back East to the station on a one hour voyage.  Shown are COER SW1200 1136 and 1161 with the passenger consist at Marion, IL on December 18^th.  

On December 14^th, George Redmond clicked Seaview Transportation “SAVATRAINS LLC” (SVTX) ES44AC 1982, 1986, EVWR 3838, and SWRX GE 80-ton switcher #1  in the Evansville Western Railroad (EVWR) engine facility at Mount Vernon, IN.  The SAVATRAIN units (ES44AC’s built to CSX specifications),will haul coal from the Sugar Camp Mine in Akin, Il. to Mount Vernon, where there is a new rail-to-river transload facility along the Ohio River.  SVTX has a total of  three ES44AC’s, numbered 1912, 1982, 1986.

On December 13^th Al Gorney took this great first snow shot of Bow empties at Afton, NY on the former Conrail (nee-Erie Lackawanna) Southern Tier Line no owned by Norfolk Southern.  Back in the DL&W and EL days, this line was high speed double-track.  Conrail  chose to single track the line in the early 1990’s.

On December 24^th Joe Feguson clicked UP 9918, in the middle of conversion from SD60M to SD59MX, VRE F40PH V32, CP SD40-2’s and ex-UP power stored at Progress Rail, in Mayfield. KY.

The NRHS Board of Directors has approved Anchorage, Alaska as the venue for the Society’s 2013 convention.  The nationally-sponsored program will take place in mid-September.  The program will include pre-convention activities in Fairbanks and several charter train operations on the Alaska Railroad.  For more information about the Alaska Railroad, you may want to check out the cover story in the December 2011 issue of Trains Magazine.

 The convention program will provide an in-depth look at railroad operations and rail history in our largest state.  In addition to that program, the Society is working to provide members with the opportunity to explore Alaska, with discounted airline and railroad fares and an attractive selection of individual touring options in the days before the official program.  The mid-September timing will allow participants to take advantage of shoulder-season prices and avoid peak-season crowds.

© CRO January 2012