CSX and R.J. Corman crews were busy just before Thanksgiving, November 25, 2008, after a loaded coal train derailed on the wye between the Earlington Main and Morganfield Branch, just behind Regional Medical Center in Madisonville, KY. Not sure of the number of cars on the ground – rumor had it at 10. Thank goodness for the 300mm lens. Photos by Bill Thomas.
Hard to Believe!
– submitted by Jim Futrell
This is not a cropped photo. It is a blower off a freight train that this guy found at a junk yard. They did start the car with it on. With one blip of the throttle lifted the left rear wheel a foot off the ground and blew both head gaskets.
Interesting factoid – February 4, 1936, Vidette Messenger
From the ‘Round About section… – Submitted by Chuck Hinrichs
Approximately 7,000 tons of ice making up 275 carloads, has been harvested and shipped from Cedar Lake by the Monon Railroad company. More than 100 men have been engaged on the project, cutting the ice which was fifteen to sixteen inches thick. It was reported work was handicapped by a lack of sufficient men.
The Today Show ran a short segment on the resurgence of model trains.
Click HERE to view the clip.
Act Now!! Murray Scholarship Deadline Set for March 2 –
– Submitted by John Licht, Western Bluegrass Terminal, LLC
The deadline will be March 2, 2009 for applications for the annual Susan C. Murray Memorial Women?s Scholarship. The four-year college scholarship is named after Mrs. Murray–an executive at Commonwealth Business Media who was instrumental in the creation and early success of the ASLRRA?s annual exhibition–who passed away in January 2003.
The ASLRRA scholarship is open to daughters and granddaughters of ASLRRA Railroad and Associate Members in good standing. Past winners are: Amanda Dawn Simmons, granddaughter of Tommy Joe Alexander from Jefferson Warrior Railroad; Dina McKenney, daughter of Rob McKenney from the former Georgia & Florida RailNet; Kathryn Medlock, daughter of Mike Medlock from Klutts Equipment; Marion Joy, daughter of Christine Joy from Union Switch & Signal; Kristin Wegner, daughter of Mark Wegner from Twin Cities & Western Railroad.
Click HERE for the application form. Please contact Kathy Keeney (kkeeney@cbizmedia.com) with any questions about the scholarship program.
Undoubtedly, the hobby of rail preservation and/or model railroading gets much of its impetus from memories we have from childhood. As a child, teenager, and young adult, I was fortunate to train-watch with my grandfather (Papaw), Burt Dean Rodgers, of Chattanooga, TN.
Mamaw and Papaw lived between Red Bank and North Chattanooga, in the White Oak community, just off Dayton Blvd/Hwy 27. Papaw had been raised in Dayton and Soddy, TN, and was a Southern fan. I remember his stories about watching trains break in two to tackle the hill at Soddy/Daisy.
My mother had lived through some of his “Sunday drives” which always ended up trackside. Somewhere between the ages of 8 and 14, I remember him telling me some interesting history of the line which passed in front of their house in White Oak. “This used to be a electric line with trolleys.” he said, describing the overhead wire and poles used.
Not sure about the trolleys – but, having done some research on the line, it is true that the Chattanooga Traction Company was electrified up until 1941, when the new owner, Southern Rwy, dieselized the branch. The locomotive photo appeared in a past issue of Trains and caught Dennis Carnal’s eye, knowing I had a history in Chattanooga, my native city.
Much of the same line survives today under ownership of Norfolk Southern. It’s a very cool thing to me and I realize it’s just another little branch to most. But, I’ll always think of Papaw every time I see the picture. Papaw, thanks for the memories!
Here’s a photo of the Rodgers in 1979, on their 50th wedding anniversary, 9 years before they passed away.
I am very excited to announce that shortly after seven Central Time tonight, the Mattoon (Illinois) City Council unanimously approved the following motion: Adopt Resolution 2009-2763: Approving the plans and specifications, and authorizing the call for bids for the restoration of the historic Illinois Central Depot.
With over seven years on this project already, I’ve learned that there are still plenty of challenges and disappointments ahead. However, the spending of the first dollar on actual restoration of the three story Illinois Central depot does finally seem to be within sight.
Thomas French
Project Depot Committee Mattoon, Illinois
http://www.projectdepot.org
– Submitted by Chuck Hinrichs
I have posted some train frequency charts with data from a program that interfaces with ATCS Monitor.
The program counts trains as they pass the Hopkinsville, Ky holdout signal as either a northbound or
southbound using the signal indication on CSX’s Henderson Subdivision.
You can view November & December 2008 charts by clicking here
If any of you are interested I can keep this up for a while. Let me know.
Steve Miller
Southbound Ringling Bros. Barnum&Bailey Circus Train At South Casky on CSX’s Henderson Sub
A bit before 11 AM on Tuesday, December 2 I got a call from Bill Thomas advising me that a southbound circus train just passed through Madisonville headed my way and could I possible get a couple of shots as it passed through Hopkinsville. I grabbed a jacket and my trust Pentax and headed for South Casky. South Casky offers a good unobstructed view of the tracks and allows shots of a good portion of a passing train. The South Casky signal was green for a southbound movement so I pulled off the road and waited. The scanner was pretty quiet but a bit before noon, 11:55 to be exact a headligh appeared to the north and, sure enough, it was the circus train. A pair of CSX units were on the point and the consist included some 20 to 30 passenger and baggage cars and maye 20 to 25 flats with trucks, containers, wagons and such. The cars were silver with Ringling Bros. Barnum&Bailey in red on the car sides. A pretty impressive lashup. The train ID is CSX P910-01 with 61 cars, Chicago to Orlando Chuck Hinrichs
photos by Chuck Hinrichs December 2, 2008 South Casky
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville’s light-rail movement faded about four years ago, but traditional train service may be getting a fresh look, the Courier-Journal reports. Elected officials from Jefferson, Hardin and Meade counties are among 100 passengers who plan to take a leisurely three-hour, round-trip train ride between Louisville and Cecilia, Ky., just west of Elizabethtown, tomorrow.
Mass transit supporters view the trip on the Paducah & Louisville Railway, which runs roughly along Dixie Highway and through Fort Knox, as the first step toward establishing a passenger rail system between Louisville and the growing Army post.
“My hope is that we can build some critical mass in terms of support and possibly do some sort of analysis of what it would cost to put commuter (rail) cars on that line,” said Jim King, president of
Louisville’s Metro Council.
The Transit Authority of River City and council members have been discussing commuter rail for months. Tomorrow’s excursion is intended to draw attention to the possibility of passenger service and start gauging whether local leaders want to go forward.
If they do, the next step would be a study outlining the costs — and feasibility — of the project.
While the demonstration trip is scheduled to take 90 minutes one way at 35 mph, actual commuter trains could reach speeds up to 60 mph, said A.V. “Tony” Reck, the railway’s president and CEO. The trip takes 45 minutes to an hour by car.
“We certainly have an interest in expanding rail,” said Barry Barker, TARC’s executive director. He estimates it would cost $50 million to $75 million to create a commuter rail line, with operating costs of at least $4 million annually. Under Barker’s scenario, a commuter rail line would cost substantially less than the city’s light-rail project, which was suspended in 2004 with a price tag of $661 million.
Before that, the city’s experience with passenger rail in recent years was with an Amtrak train connecting Louisville and Chicago. The Louisville-Indianapolis leg of the route took five hours because poor track conditions meant the train couldn’t exceed 30 mph.
The route was discontinued in 2003 after four years amid low ridership.
Tomorrow’s demonstration run is the brainchild of two groups — the nonprofit Coalition for the Advancement of Regional Transportation and the Kentucky-Indiana Rail Advocates — and has the financial backing of local governments.
(This is a portion of an item which appeared Nov. 7, 2008, in the Courier-Journal.)
– Submitted by Chuck Hinrichs
The much-anticipated arrival of E8 796 is celebrated as R.J. Corman crews move the car body from CSX’s main line to it’s home on an adjacent track where it will house a museum display in Bowling Green, KY. (Photo submitted by Bill Grady, Louisville, KY)
From from our President
November 2008 Rich’s Ramblings
We have had a lot of fun activities this fall. Earlier, we had the annual picnic in Crofton, KY hosted by the bunch from Hopkinsville. Then, the train ride in Tennessee was enjoyed by many of us and the scenery was beautiful. Thanks to Don Clayton for setting up the program and getting our tickets and organizing so well. The food, sidewalk vendors, and the car show in Monterey made for a nice midday stop. On November 1st Don and Wally had their annual open house which provided some more good food and conversation with friends and of course the chance to see a world class model railroad.
This month is the election of Chapter officers. It is not too late to throw your name in the hat if you would like to help and guide the Chapter. We have a great group and I always look forward to spending time in good conversation and enjoying the programs.
Speaking of programs, if someone has any ideas for a program at the Christmas Party on December 15 at Bart’s in beautiful downtown Madisonville, feel free to bring it up with one of the officers. Usually we have a show and tell time or someone might relate an interesting train story or happening in the past. We have had some entertaining slide programs, too. We will have an open area on the second floor at the front of the building so we will be by ourselves for the most part.
Having the Party on Monday evening should be good as Bart’s is usually fairly empty at that time and there should not be much of a problem from any smokers that may be there. The ventilation is quite good at the front of the building.
I will be looking forward to seeing your happy faces at the next meeting on Monday, November 24, 2008, at 7pm at the Center and again at the Christmas Party on December 15th. There is no formal meeting in December.
Rich’s Ramblings
A federal class-action lawsuit filed after a train derailment in Bullitt County in January 2007 has been settled for $3 million, according to court records. The Courier-Journal in Louisville reports that of the 17,000 people eligible for claims, none can receive more than $10,000.
The CSX train was carrying chemicals considered hazardous and some residents near the crash went to the hospital complaining of breathing problems. The fiery derailment sent a plume of smoke up over the site and CSX had to excavate contaminated soil from the site.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Russell tentatively approved the settlement on Aug. 28. The newspaper reports that a Web site has been authorized by the court to detail the settlement.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs declined to comment on the settlement. – Submitted by Chuck Hinrichs
Jacksonville, Fla. – October 3, 2008 – CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) today announced that it achieved the best score among Class One freight railroads in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) 2008 Report and third best in the overall Transports and Logistics category.
CDP is a not-for-profit organization representing the interests of 385 mostly-institutional investors with more than $57 trillion in assets under management. CDP’s role is to, “act as an intermediary between shareholders and corporations on all climate change related issues, providing primary climate change data from the world’s largest corporations, to the global market place.”
CSX’s Climate Leadership Index score was compiled by aggregating its weighted answers in a CDP questionnaire split into four sections covering: risks and opportunities; emissions accounting; performance against targets; and governance.
“CSX is committed to providing a high level of transparency and disclosure to investors and other interested parties concerning the company’s long-term environmental strategy and climate related risks,” said Oscar Munoz, CSX Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. “CSX provides the most environmentally friendly way to meet the nation’s demand for freight transportation and is committed to continuing to provide value for both our customers and shareholders while taking meaningful steps to address the important concerns of climate change.”
Mrs. Nelma “Shine” Jean Kittinger, aunt of chapter member Keith Kittinger, passed away Saturday, October 11, 2008. Keith served as a pallbearer at the funeral held at Barnett-Strother, Thursday, October 16.
Ralph H. Jackson, charter member of the Owensboro Chapter NRHS, and cousin to West Kentucky Chapter member Charles Jackson of Hopkinsville, died Monday, October 20, at Owensboro Medical Health System. *Ralph’s father worked for the L&N as a freight agent in Earlington, KY. Charles was an L&N freight agent in Guthrie, KY. * addition to obituary by Dennis Carnal
Note: both entries taken from newspaper obituaries.
by Dennis “Lefty” Carnal
On Saturday, October 4, 2008, between twenty five to thirty chapter members, family, and friends met at noon in the downtown Crofton Veterans Park. They were there for an afternoon of food, drinks, fellowship and to watch a few CSX trains pass by on the Henderson Subdivision.
Chapter members from thee states, Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee, were on hand for the event. Steve Gentry from Lafayette, Indiana, won the award for the greatest distance traveled. Rex and Melanie Easterly drove from the Nashville area. Three members from the Evansville area made the trip; Birk Fischer, Matt Gentry, and David Millen.
Steve Gentry displayed a live steam model of a G gauge, 1/29th scale Nickel Plate Berkshire steam locomotive. Wally Watts had a display of his live steamers. Chuck Hinrichs had part two of his annual giveaways. Last year, Chuck had a large assortment of sweatshirts. This year, the give-away was caps. Let’s hope next year, Chuck doesn’t cleanout his underwear drawer!
Thanks from the Chapter to the Hopkinsville area members for providing the drinks and ice for the picnic. CSX operated six trains through Crofton between 12 noon and 4 pm that afternoon. One southbound manifest train, three northbound manifest trains and two northbound piggyback/stack trains: Q647, Q124, Q592, Q648, Q588, and Q120, in that order.
A total of fourteen CSX owned locomotives powered these six trains. Seven different locomotive models from two builders were seen. Four different models totaling eight locomotives: three SD40-2s, two SD50s, one SD60I, two SD70MACs from General Motors passed in review. Three different models from General Electric, three C40-8Ws, one AC44-CW, and two ES44-DCs rolled through Crofton as well.
Between trains, chapter members passed the time covering topics such as baseball, politics, railroading and the weather, plus, about any topic known to man. To say some of the conversations were lively would be an understatement! Man, those Chicago Cubs fans are a testy bunch. This writer would like to give Cubs fans everywhere my heartfelt condolences for enduring another bitter end to another season filled with so much hope for a World Series title. Talk about fan loyalty, Cubs fans must be the most loyal fans on Earth. In 2009, it will be 101 years since the loser Cubs have won a World Series title. Will the Cubs ever win another title? Ha!!!!
Here’s something to think about during the coming cold months: Why not support a winning team next Spring…. The St. Louis Cardinals? That’s a winner! The St Louis Cardinals Flying High in 2009!!!
See you at Spring Training 2009!!! Play ball!
Last month’s program was very interesting and was provided by Wally Watts to fill in for Tim Moore who had an unscheduled family matter come up. It was about the investigation of a train wreck on the Rio Grande in Colorado. The refreshments were provided by Jim and Thomas Bryan and were excellent. The fish from Lake Barkley probably thought otherwise.
On Saturday, Oct. 4 we had the annual picnic in Crofton and it came off very well. It was well attended and the CSX provided at least 5 nice trains for our enjoyment. Thanks to the Hopkinsville bunch for bringing the drinks and setting it up. Also, the displays set up by Steve Miller, Wally Watts, Wallace Henderson, and Steve Gentry were enjoyed by all. Thanks, fellows. The weather cooperated and was quite pleasant. The opportunity to relax and enjoy ourselves with each others company in the shade of the pavilion was great.
During the October meeting we will be accepting nominations for our officers. The election will be held during the November meeting. Let me take a moment to encourage anyone that would like to be an officer to consider it and realize that we are a very friendly chapter and all offices are to be considered open and no one will feel bad if someone runs for a position. It is a serious responsibility and an opportunity to take the Chapter in a different direction and perhaps accomplish other things that are not being covered now. We are always open to input and your opinions.
Keep Saturday, November 1st open for the annual open house to be held at Don Clayton’s house and hosted by Don and Wally Watts. This is another chance to enjoy the friendships and interests that we have developed over the years and to see a first class model railroad in action.
I will be looking forward to seeing your smiling faces at the next meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, at 7pm at The Center in beautiful downtown Madisonville.
CSX Unit Coal Train, V242, headed south from Atkinson Yard on Tuesday, November 11with a pair of GE ES44AHs in distributed power mode.
Story and photos by Chuck Hinrichs
I got a late morning phone call from one of my contacts in Madisonville advising me that CSX was assembling a distributed power coal train in Atkinson’s south yard and that it would be southbound as soon as the train was assembled. Power for the 90 car train was to be GE ES44AH 750 on the point and GE ES44AH 910 near mid train. The train arrived at South Casky (John Rivers Road) at about 3:15 pm and, as advertised 750 was on the point and 910 was about 50 cars back in the consist. I get a few shots in something less than perfect photo weather. My Madisonville source indicated that this was the first of several distributed power test trains.
