Amtrak Special Carrying GOP Congressmen to Political Retreat Strikes Truck in Virginia, 1 Dead

One person was killed and five others injured when an Amtrak train carrying 100 Republican members of Congress, their aides and their families to a political retreat struck a garbage truck in Virginia on Wednesday.

Killed was an occupant of the truck. Three people were transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center, including one who the hospital reported was in critical condition. Two others were taken to another medical facility.

None of the members of Congress, which included House Speaker Paul Ryan, were seriously injured, although Rep. Jason Lewis of Minnesota was taken to a hospital for a possible concussion.

News reports said that three congressmen who are doctors tended to the injured before emergency personnel arrived. They included Reps. Larry Bucshon of Indiana, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Brad Wenstrup of Ohio

The congressmen were traveling to a conference being held at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The accident occurred at 11:20 a.m. on the Buckingham Branch Railroad in Crozet, Virginia, near near Lanetown and Marymart Farm roads.

The route is used by Amtrak’s tri-weekly Chicago-New York Cardinal, which is scheduled to depart and arrive in New York on Wednesdays.

“Today’s incident was a terrible tragedy,” Ryan tweeted later. “We are grateful for the first responders who rushed to the scene and we pray for the victims and their families. May they all be in our thoughts right now.”

Amtrak issued a statement saying that two of its crew members and two passengers on the train were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The train remained upright and did not derail. Photographs made at the scene showed damage to the lead locomotive.

The train had departed from Washington for the retreat, which is to start today and run through Friday.

The train was pulled by P42DC No. 145, the Phase III heritage locomotive. The train of Amfleet equipment had a trailing P42DC, No. 4

A GOP spokesman said the retreat will continue as scheduled.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it sent a Go-Team to the scene to investigate.

News reports said that U.S. Capital Police were on the scene. One account said that following the crash, police wearing dark clothing surrounded the train with weapons drawn.

They had been aboard the train and got off shortly after the train stopped.

Passengers aboard the train were put aboard buses to be taken the rest of the way to the Greenbrier.

Simulating the Work of a Tower Operator

Being a volunteer at the former Erie Railroad WC Interlocking Tower Museum in Waldwick, New Jersey, I have keys to the place and can access it whenever I want.

I had a day off so I decided to spend a Monday morning rush hour seeing it from the tower operator’s point of view.

Between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. there were 30 scheduled movements, plus deadheads and a local Norfolk Southern freight for good measure.

These trains either passed through the interlocking on the mainline or were originating/terminating in Waldwick Yard.

Each time I watched the computer-controlled interlocking set up for each train, all I could think of was the poor operator setting up the interlocking for up to 10 trains per hour.

Even though WC interlocking was electrified early, the operator still had to throw the switches and signals individually.

When you experience the conditions first hand it makes you appreciate the workers of the past. Here is some of the variety from this morning, including New Jersey Transit runs push-pull trains with a cab car on the south end.

They are suffering from a cab car shortage right now, the result being that some trains are being led by a locomotive on the south end, making for some rare photo ops.

Being a volunteer at the former Erie Railroad WC Interlocking Tower Museum in Waldwick, New Jersey, I have keys to the place and can access it whenever I want.

I had a day off so I decided to spend a Monday morning rush hour seeing it from the tower operator’s point of view.

Between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. there were 30 scheduled movements, plus deadheads and a local Norfolk Southern freight for good measure.

These trains either passed through the interlocking on the mainline or were originating/terminating in Waldwick Yard.

Each time I watched the computer-controlled interlocking set up for each train, all I could think of was the poor operator setting up the interlocking for up to 10 trains per hour.

Even though WC interlocking was electrified early, the operator still had to throw the switches and signals individually.

When you experience the conditions first hand it makes you appreciate the workers of the past. Here is some of the variety from this morning, including New Jersey Transit runs push-pull trains with a cab car on the south end.

They are suffering from a cab car shortage right now, the result being that some trains are being led by a locomotive on the south end, making for some rare photo ops.

Article and Photographs by Jack Norris

 

CN Makes Environmental A List

A nonprofit organization has recognized Canadian National as a global leader on environmental issues.

CDP named CN to the Supplier A List of 100 companies that meet disclosure criteria for their actions to address climate change.

More than 4,800 companies submitted annual supply chain disclosures to CDP in 2017 for independent assessment against its scoring methodology. CN is among the 2 percent of organizations participating in CDP’s supply chain program to be awarded a position on the list, CN said in a news release.

“We are pleased to be recognized by the CDP for CN’s leadership on climate action in our customers’ supply chain,” said CN President and Chief Executive Officer Luc Jobin in a statement. “CN works with our customers to offer the environmental benefits of rail, providing solutions to reduce their transportation supply chain emissions, while playing our role as a backbone of the economy.”

CSX to Keep Route of Boston Section of LSL

CSX plans to retain ownership of a route in Massachusetts used by the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited.

“I can definitively say that this line is not for sale,” a CSX spokesman told the Albany (New York) Times Union.

The comment came following a report on the website of Trains magazine that the former Boston & Albany line between Albany and Worcester, Massachusetts, was among several that the railroad was considering selling or leasing.

CSX has acknowledged launching a review of its route network “to be sure our assets are maximized for efficiency and add value to the company’s long-term business needs,” the spokesman told the Times-Union.

The Trains report had reported that up to 8,000 miles could be sold or leased, but indicated that it was unlikely that not all routes said to be under review would be ditched by the Class 1 railroad.

Santa Fe Mini-Meet Set in Indianapolis

A Santa Fe mini-meet has been set in Indianapolis on March 10 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Allisonville Christian Church, 7701 Allisonville Road.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Advance ticket sales are being handled by Tom Cain atsf93@comcast.net, 6383 Dover Road, Indianapolis, IN 46220

The presentation schedule is as follows:

James Brown, Author of the new Santa Fe Illinois Division book: Railroad (and Industrial) Archeology: What’s Left of the Santa Fe Along the old First
District of the Illinois Division (Dearborn to Chillicothe)

Micheal Tomei, a modeler of modern Santa Fe locomotives: What’s
all that stuff on the roof?

Paul Nash, a Santa Fe Trainmaster: Santa Fe Operations/My Life as a Train Master

Tom Cain, an Indiana resident who models the Santa Fe: Adding Signals to the Eastern
Illinois Santa Fe layout with JMRI

There will be opportunities to tour area Santa Fe Layouts on Saturday evening.

Amtrak Holding Winter ‘Flash Sale’

Amtrak announced today a three-day “flash sale” on tickets for several long-distance routes, offering 25 percent if purchased through Thursday, Feb. 1.

Fares will be automatically discounted from the standard coach fare and cannot be combined with other discount codes.

The sale doesn’t apply to one-way travel and upgrades to business class are not allowed. Sale prices are not available on all trains at all times and tickets are non-refundable.

Tickets must be bought at Amtrak’s website for travel between Feb. 13 and March 22, and includes nine long-distance routes:

• Auto Train (Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida)
• The Capitol Limited (Chicago and Washington)
• The Cardinal (Chicago and New York)
• The City of New Orleans (Chicago and New Orleans)
• The Crescent (New York and New Orleans)
• The Lake Shore Limited (Chicago and New York/Boston)
• Silver Service/Palmetto (New York-Savannah, Georgia-Miami)
• The Sunset Limited (New Orleans and Los Angeles)
• The Southwest Chief (Chicago and Los Angeles)

Winter Afternoon in Peninsula

It had been a while since I’d been able to get out with my camera. Car troubles and other matters had kept me at home as winter fell on Northeast Ohio in early January.

More than a week into the month, I finally got everything squared away and was able to get out of the house to go do some winter photography.

I had plans to go watch a college basketball game in Akron on a Tuesday night so I left the house early and stopped by Peninsula to see what I might find.

I knew better than to expect to catch a train on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. That operation was on hiatus until later in the month. But you can still do a lot without a train.

Several years ago I photographed the Peninsula train station during winter when it had icicles hanging on it. That was not the case on this day because the sun had melted them.

A step box on the platform had accumulated some snow and the platform area had footprints made by visitors to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Snow no longer covered the rails, but in the late day sunlight the ties on the siding were barely visible as the snow had that sunken look.

At the far north end of town sat a baggage car that had been used as a prop when the Polar Express trains were operating before Christmas. Beneath that car was bare ground.

There weren’t many people around on this day. It was still cold and winter is not a time of year when many people want to visit the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

 

CSX Using Distributed Power on Coal Trains

CSX is now routinely using distributed motive power on unit coal trains in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia.

The carrier has tested mid-train technology on the former Chesapeake & Ohio route in the past two years, running a few trains of more than 200 cars.

The norm has been unit trains of 110 or 150 cars, but with distributed power the trains can be up to 220 cars in length and need one crew. The longer trains sometimes exceed 30,000 tons.

The trains originate at mines in the Appalachian Mountains and operate to export facilities near Newport News, Virginia.

As part of its shift to the precision scheduled railroading model, CSX is running fewer and longer trains in an effort to cut labor and equipment costs. The railroad is operating with fewer locomotives than it has in the past.

Trains magazine reported that it not clear if the use of distributed power will continue, but cited unnamed sources said to be familiar with the operation as saying that crews are being trained in the use of distributed power.

Michigan Utility Wins Rate Case Against CSX

A Michigan utility company has won a rate case against CSX before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.

The STB recently sided with Consumers Energy of Jackson, Michigan, against CSX in a case filed in January 2015 that challenged the rates CSX charged to haul coal to the utility’s J.H. Campbell generating plant near West Olive, Michigan.

CSX picked up the Powder River Basin coal from BNSF in Chicago and hauled it 235 route miles to the power plant. The STB agreed with the utility company and set a lower rate.

However, CSX has asked the Board to extend the proceeding to Feb. 20 during which time it will decide whether to ask the board to reconsider its ruling.

Trains magazine cited an unidentified attorney who was said to be familiar with the case as saying that it has become rare in recent years for shippers to win rate challenge disputes.

The attorney said most rate cases have involved chemical companies, but the volumes of cars in question and the varied distribution of chemical products makes it difficult for the STB to determine if the rates charged by the railroads are reasonable.

In the Consumer Energy case, the STB said that CSX was the “dominant” carrier in the market and the utility was a captive shipper.

The STB staff used the “stand-alone cost” method to determine if CSX’s revenue unfairly exceeded the cost of hauling the coal.

In response, CSX argued that Consumers Energy had an alternative to rail, including by water because the generating plant was close to the shore of Lake Michigan.

CSX said that a nearby generating plant operated by Consumers Energy on the lake receives coal by boat.

In rejecting the CSX arguments, the STB determined that the railroad had an unusually high revenue-to-variable cost ratio because of the costs of moving coal through the Chicago gateway and maintaining the rail line along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.

South Shore Leases Track from CN in Gary

The Chicago South Shore & South Bend has leased five miles of track from Canadian National to enhance its interchange of traffic with the Class 1 carrier.

The track is located in Gary, Indiana, and will enable the South Shore to provide a higher frequency of service said the railroad’s owner, Anacostia Rail Holdings, in a news release.

“We see this as part of our longstanding commitment to customers by ensuring efficient interchange with all our Chicago-area connections,” said Eric Jakubowski, vice president and chief commercial officer for Anacostia Rail in a statement. “Gary has long been a great place for us to do business and this lease will make it possible for us to do an even better job.”

The South Shore has 127 routes miles between Chicago and South Bend, Indiana, and is one of six railroads operated by Anacostia.