Category: Chris Dees
In the early 1950’s, the Toledo Peoria & Western advertised itself as the “Magic Carpet of Railroading”. Over the years, this classic midwestern line has rostered red-and-white GP38-2’s, ran doublestack intermodal service, and served as the Santa Fe’s only reach into the Hoosier state.
Now part of the Rail America family, the TP&W can still be considered a “magic carpet ride” among Hooser railfans. On a balmy 60 degree day in early January 2012, TP&W GP 20 #2048, a former Santa Fe unit, rests after a long week of work in Logansport, IN.
Submitted by Chris Dees.
(Reprinted from Greene County Daily World Monday, August 26, 2011)
Submitted by Chris Dees
Indiana Rail Road Company (IRRC) will announce a major capital investment at a groundbreaking ceremony today in Jasonville. IRRC President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas G. Hoback, along with state and Greene County officials, will participate in the 11 a.m. ceremony at IRRC’s Hiawatha Yard near Jasonville. Hiawatha Yard is the operational heart of the 500-mile Indiana Rail Road system, which is headquartered in Indianapolis and provides nearly 200 jobs in central and southwest Indiana, and east-central Illinois. The event will announce a $65 million, five-year investment plan IRRC is undertaking to prepare for growth in its rail traffic over the next five years. IRRC’s current traffic levels take the equivalent of 800,000 truckloads of freight off highways each year.
The planned improvements will include construction of a new locomotive maintenance shop, a parts warehouse, a two-story yard office and storage warehouse. In addition, about 4,000 feet of new track will be laid in the yard. To accommodate IRRC’s expansion plans, a permanent closure of about 775 feet of Queen Four Road (CR. 800N) was granted by the county commissioners. INRD currently has about 5,000 feet of usable track between Shanklin Street and Queen Four Road (CR 800). Closing the crossing at Queen Four Road will allow the railroad to expand its holding capacity and be able to handle the large, modern 140-car coal trains that can exceed 8,000 to 9,000 feet in length.
Hoback told the Greene County Daily World that the major reason for the planned expansion at the Jasonville yard is a contract his company has with Peabody Coal Company’s new Bear Run Mine near Dugger, which is the largest surface coal mine east of the Mississippi River. The mine is about 12 miles from the Hiawatha Yard and Hoback expects his company to grow 50 percent in the next five years with commitments to be hauling about 70 percent of the coal mined at Bear Creek. IRRC will spend $17.5 million to build a new five-mile rail spur into the coal mine.
The yard is also located just south of the planned Landree Mine and in close proximity to two other contracted mines, Sunrise Mine near Carlisle and a Vectren Energy Mine near Oaktown.
IRRC spokesman Chris Rund pointed out expanding the Jasonville facility is critical to the rail company.
“It’s the hub of the wheel and will allow the company to modernize its facility and grow the number of local employees,” he said.
For many years Purdue operated the Schenectady No. 1 and No. 2, on a dynamometer in an engineering laboratory on the West Lafayette campus. These were 4-4-0 type steam locomotives manufactured by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia. At the time, Purdue did not have a mascot. After much debate, it was decided to build a locomotive on an automobile chassis. The choice allowed the mascot to build on Purdue’s engineering and railroading heritage, as well as represent the school’s nickname Boilermakers in a meaningful way. The Boilermaker nickname came about during the early years of Purdue football when rumors of the university enrolling burly boilermakers from the Monon Railroad shops in Lafayette as football players. The current mascot, Boilermaker Special V, was introduced in 1993. Submitted by Chris Dees.
Back In Black: Newly arrived US Rail GP40 # 400 rests just north of the Wabash River bridge after switching the Rail America (TP&W) interchange at Van Tower in Logansport, Indiana. US Rail operates two former Winamac Southern (Pennsylvania RR) branches out of Logansport – one to Kokomo, the other to Flora. Date: June 17, 2011. Photographer: Chris Dees
With the storm images from the south fresh on everyone’s minds, thought this historical photo would bring back memories from the 1974 Super Outbreak.
An F4 tornado struck Monticello (IN), resulting in an estimated $100 million dollars in damages.
Part of the destruction included the Penn Central Railroad trestle over the Tippecanoe River.
Many of the spans were ripped off their concrete piers and thrown yards upstream of the bridge. The bridge was rebuilt and continues to serve Rail America’s Toledo, Peoria & Western line to Logansport, Indiana. Photo courtesy of Tippecanoe County, Indiana Amateur Radio Emergency Services April 2011 meeting. – Chris Dees.
From Railway Age (www.railwayage.com)
Submitted by Chris Dees
GE Transportation said Friday that it intends to open a new 900,000 square foot locomotive manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Tex., “to meet accelerating global demand.” GE said it will invest up to $96 million in the new plant and will create more than 500 new high-tech manufacturing jobs.
At the same time, GE Transportation also will expand its manufacturing workforce at its Erie, Pa., plant by hiring an additional 250 workers.
“GE Transportation is experiencing strong U.S. and global growth because of its technical leadership and we need to increase our manufacturing capacity and flexibility,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt. “This new state-of-the-art plant in Fort Worth, Texas will produce the world’s most advanced locomotives and transportation products, expand our service and repair capability, and create hundreds of new high-tech manufacturing jobs.”
“We are excited to expand our operational footprint in the United States to better serve our customers,” added Lorenzo Simonelli, President and CEO of GE Transportation. “We see robust growth in the U.S. and around the globe. A new site will help us to effectively respond to the cyclical demand in the transportation industry and to strengthen our overall position.”
The State of Texas will commit up to $4.2 million in incentives toward the project through the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF). GE Transportation said its new manufacturing site in the U.S. will complement its existing manufacturing operations in North America. The company noted it has recalled approximately 800 production workers at its Erie manufacturing facility since late 2010 and announced 450 new jobs since April (including those announced Friday). GE Transportation operates at more than 50 GE and customer facilities in the United States.
http://www.railwayage.com/breaking-news/ge-to-open-texas-locomotive-plant-3142.html
Those of you who know a little about using scanners to listen in on radio communications while railfanning know that the industry is changing with CSX is poised to lead the way.
However, this may come at a hefty price to railfans – the adoption of FCC emission designator 4K00F1E, otherwise known as NXDN digital format – something that is not available in any current scanners (not even the high end digital ones).
The NXDN realization hit home early in 2011 here in Lafayette as callsign KEX475, otherwise known as CSX’s license for Shops Yard, was modified to include the new NXDN digital format. This same format is utilized by Christian County for all of it’s public safety communications, and will soon be utilized by Hopkins County public safety. The format is proving very prevalent as a cost alternative to the more universal APCO-25 (like that used by Kentucky State Police and numerous other states).
So is this the end of railroad scanning? No, not yet. The switch is still a ways out, but there’s more than one way to skin the proverbial cat… There is a software application that allows listeners to decode the NXDN format – a similar type setup like myself and Steve Miller utilize to decode the ATCS signals used on CSX’s CTC system. – Chris Dees
Chris Dees is searching for information about the locomotives and passenger cars used at the Kaintuck Territory amusement park in Draffenville, Kentucky during the late 1960s and early 1970’s. I’ve seen mention of the ones in the photo links below… just curious.
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/misc/images/showImage.php?image=palmersville1.jpg
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/misc/images/showImage.php?image=palmersville3cz.jpg
http://www.steamlocomotive.com/misc/images/showImage.php?image=palmersville2gm.jpg
I’m also looking for a photo of the NC&StL depot in Benton, Kentucky. You can contact Chris Dees at chris.dees@trw.com, or phone: (765) 429-1788
Mobile: (765) 586-9138
Fax: (765) 429-1881
Railfan and Railroad magazine is reporting that Jim Boyd has passed away. Jim started with Carstens Publications working on Flying Models and later Railroad Model Craftsman. Jim served as editor of Railfan & Railroad from the magazine’s inception in 1974 until 1998, and continued as Editor Emeritus and author of the popular Camera Bag column until his passing. We’ll pass along details as they become available.
As a side note, I was able to meet Jim at Rochelle, IL during the MILW 261 Grand Excursion a couple years ago. He was a great guy and an ordinary average railfan. – Chris Dees