The locomotives were pulling and Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad freight train at the time of the derailment.

“Early reports indicate that a large boulder and embankment slide occurred in the area of the derailment,” the railroad said in a statement, according to The Associated Press. “It is suspected that heavy rain saturations weakened the bluff embankment causing the slide.”

This new rail terminal will anchor the western end of Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor, which will be a high-speed freight rail route between the Capitol Region and the Boston area once track and signal improvements are complete. Construction of the $40 million facility is expected to begin in the first quarter 2009 and be complete by April 2010.

“As soaring energy costs have forced businesses to re-think how to transport consumer goods, the rail industry has once again become an increasingly viable and affordable option,” Senator Bruno said. “Today’s announcement by Norfolk Southern and Pan Am Railways to invest in constructing a new facility in Southern Saratoga County is great news for the local economies in Mechanicville, Halfmoon and Stillwater.”

“Transportation by rail is still the most economically efficient way to move freight, and even more so today with ever rising fuel prices. This is a great announcement for the Capitol Region and for all of New York State,” said Governor David A. Paterson. “I want to thank Norfolk Southern and Pan Am Railways for choosing to locate here and I applaud Senator Bruno’s efforts to get them to come. This is exactly the sort of smart investment in our transportation infrastructure that we need to make during these tough economic times, and one that will spur further economic development.”

“On behalf of the Pan Am Southern joint venture, I would like to thank Senator Bruno for his leadership and commitment to bring rail yard operations back to Saratoga County,” said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern’s chief executive officer. “With the demand for moving freight throughout the U.S. and New York’s Capitol Region at unprecedented levels, this rail facility will serve as the premier distribution point for consumer products and finished automobiles for upstate New York and western New England.”

“Pan Am Railways is pleased to partner with the State of New York, Saratoga County, and the towns of Mechanicville, Halfmoon, and Stillwater on this important regional transportation project,” said David Fink, Pan Am Railways’ president. “This new terminal will add much-needed freight capacity to the Capitol Region, and is critical to the success of our Pan Am Southern joint venture.”

In May, Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern announced plans to create a joint venture, called Pan Am Southern. The key component of Pan Am Southern is the Patriot Corridor, the 155-mile main line track that runs between Mechanicville and Ayer, Mass. Pan Am Southern also includes 281 miles of secondary and branch lines, including trackage rights, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. The new Saratoga County rail logistics center will serve as the primary distribution hub for the Patriot Corridor.

The Pan Am Southern joint venture is subject to the approval of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, which is expected to issue a decision on the transaction in October 2008.

– PRNewswire-FirstCall

The “Empire Link” allows the short line railroads to market the excess rail freight capacity on NS’ Southern Tier main line between Binghamton and Silver Springs, N.Y., as well as on branch lines between Corning and Geneva, and between Waverly and Ludlowville.

“With the high price of diesel fuel, the Empire Link is an attractive option for shippers currently trucking freight in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey,” said David Lawson, Norfolk Southern’s vice president industrial products. “The Empire Link provides our New York short line partners with the tools and resources to design and offer rail transportation services that are truck-competitive in lanes that are less than 500 miles.”

The 10 short lines participating in the Empire Link are the Bath and Hammondsport Railroad; Central New York Railroad Corp.; Finger Lakes Railway; Livonia, Avon and Lakeville Railroad; the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway Corp.; Ontario Central Railroad; Owego & Harford Railway; Rochester and Southern Railroad; Wellsboro and Corning Railroad; and Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad.

“The recent collaboration of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s Eastern Region Short line members and Norfolk Southern is one of the most creative business initiatives to come about in the last 15 years,” said Rich Timmons, ASLRRA president. “We expect positive results for shippers, communities, and big and small railroads alike. If the Empire Link performs as we anticipate, it could serve as a model for future Class I and short line business arrangements.”

– PRNewswire-FirstCall

The award, presented to short lines and regional railroads with outstanding safety records, are named after Copper Basin Railway President and Chief Operating Officer L.S. “Jake” Jacobson, who created the award in 1994.

Patriot’s Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway (BAP) earned the ASLRRA’s Jake Award with Distinction for the second year in a row. In 2007, the BAP completed 34,590 man-hours with no reportable injuries. Based in Anaconda, Montana, the BAP operates a total of 63 rail miles of rail line in Montana.

The BAP, which traces its history to the 1890s, also operates the Copper King Express excursion passenger train.

Patriot’s Tennessee Southern Railroad (TSRR) earned the ASLRRA’s Jake Award for completing 2007 with a safety injury frequency/severity index rate less than the industry average. TSRR employees worked a total of 65,536 man-hours and moved 327,371 total loaded freight car miles in 2007. Based in Mount Pleasant, Tennessee, the TSRR operates a total of 149 miles of rail line in Tennessee and Alabama. The TSRR also provides intermodal services at the Port of Florence in Florence, Alabama.

“For both BAP and TSRR to win these prestigious safety awards in their first full year under Patriot ownership is a tremendous achievement,” said Gary O. Marino, Chairman, President & CEO of Patriot Rail Corp. “My congratulations to the management and employees at these railroads for making safety a top priority in the workplace. At Patriot, we remain committed to making sure that employee training and education on proper safety procedures is the first order of business at our railroads.”

Patriot Rail Corp. is a short line and regional freight railroad holding company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The Company owns and operates four short line freight railroads comprising 253 total rail miles – the Tennessee Southern Railroad in Tennessee and Alabama, the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway in Montana, the Utah Central Railway in Utah, and the Sacramento Valley Railroad in California.

– Business Wire

CCT tested an N-ViroMotive GenSet locomotive from NREC. The locomotive was a two-engine 1400 HP (2GS-14B) 4-axle unit that is EPA certified and CARB recognized as ultra-low emitting GenSet locomotive.

CCT’s objective in testing the new locomotive is fuel conservation, protecting the environment and operational efficiency which are vital to CCT’s cost effective operations in the Port of Stockton and Stockton to Lodi, Calif., officials said

“The CCT found that the locomotive’s adhesion was very impressive,” Dave Buccolo, CCT General Manager, said. “It consistently pulled very well, pulling the same tonnage as two of CCT’s SW 1500 units up a 2 percent grade. And when CCT analyzed the fuel consumption, there was a 61 percent fuel saving per 8 hour shift compared to one of CCT’s SW 1500s.”

Gen-Set locomotives will help the CCT and the Port of Stockton make reductions in emissions in the San Joaquin Valley and at the Port of Stockton. According to officials, the operational advantages the N-ViroMotive locomotives are dramatic:

• 80 percent plus reduction in nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions
• 50 percent to 65 percent plus improvement in tractive effort adhesion efficiency
• Up to 60 percent fuel savings capability in switching and road switching service
• Microprocessor-based electronic controls and modularized mechanical platforms significantly decrease maintenance requirements
• Quiet operation that easily achieves the most stringent noise level requirements for off-road capital equipment

“Already proven in service, these efficient GenSet locomotives are years ahead of anticipated EPA emissions regulations for new switching locomotives,” Jim Wurtz, NREC’s vice president marketing and sales, said.

– Railfanning.org News Wire/Business Wire

Investments in the Patriot Corridor are expected to improve track quality and customer service, boost train speed and reliability, and increase capacity on the route. PAR and NS each will have a 50 percent interest in the newly formed railroad company, called “Pan Am Southern.”

PAR has agreed to transfer to the joint venture its 155-mile main line track that runs between Mechanicville (Albany), N.Y., and Ayer, Mass., along with 281 miles of secondary and branch lines, including trackage rights, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.

NS has agreed to transfer cash and other property valued at $140 million to the joint venture, $87.5 million of which is expected to be invested within a three-year period in capital improvements on the Patriot Corridor, such as terminal expansions, track and signal upgrades. The companies also anticipate the construction of new intermodal and automotive terminals in the Albany area. PAR’s Springfield Terminal Railway subsidiary has agreed to provide all railroad services for the joint venture.

“We are excited to partner with Norfolk Southern on the Patriot Corridor. Since the Conrail transaction was implemented in 1999, both Pan Am Railways and Norfolk Southern have been working to bring additional high quality rail transportation options to our New England customer base. This joint venture is the culmination of those efforts,” said David Fink, Pan Am Railways’ president. “With energy prices continuing to rise, the Patriot Corridor will give our customers additional capacity and speed to get their products to market.”

“Norfolk Southern has been working with Pan Am Railways to improve rail service and increase transportation options between the Norfolk Southern system and the Boston area,” said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern’s chief executive officer. “The Patriot Corridor creates a new level of rail competition in upstate New York and New England by improving train speed, reliability, and capacity, as well as strengthening connections between the region’s short line and regional railroads and Norfolk Southern’s 22-state network.”

The parties will seek approval for the transaction with the Surface Transportation Board.

Norfolk Southern is currently improving the Heartland Corridor, a high-capacity rail route linking the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago, and has announced the Crescent Corridor, an initiative to divert freight traffic from highways to rail between New Orleans, Memphis, and the Northeast.

Pan Am Railways is the Northeast’s largest regional railroad. It operates over 2,000 route miles in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York and Atlantic Canada. Pan Am Railways interchanges traffic with fifteen railroads throughout its network.

– PRNewswire-FirstCall

“We have the objectives of fuel conservation, protecting the environment and operational efficiency on our railroad,” said Gerry Carr, senior road foreman of engines in Gary, Ind. “We performed an operational test of a National Railway Equipment Co. (NREC) N-ViroMotive unit to see if it would meet our objectives.

“We were pleased with the result, as well as its significant power and outstanding tractive effort,” Carr said. “Also during the test, we discovered that its operation is very user-friendly, and to our surprise, it is significantly quieter than any of our existing units.”

“These fuel-efficient road switcher locomotives have industrial engine NOx emission levels that are best in class worldwide,” said Jim Wurtz, NREC’s vice president marketing and sales said. “Already proven in service, N-ViroMotive locomotives are over five years ahead of anticipated EPA emissions regulations for new switching locomotives.”

The EJ&E is a unit of Pittsburgh-based Transtar® a nine-railroad transportation company providing rail transport services throughout the nation’s industrial heartland. Transtar is a wholly owned subsidiary of U. S. Steel.

National Railway Equipment Co., headquartered in Mt. Vernon, IL, is the designer, developer and manufacturer of the industry’s first ultra low emitting GenSet locomotives. The world’s largest independent locomotive rebuilder and remanufacturer, NREC is also a locomotive lessor. It has locomotive, diesel engine and parts facilities in fourteen locations throughout the United States and Canada.