January 2006 – Railfanning.org

Texas Advocates Want Funding for Feasibility Study

January 21, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

DALLAS – What would happen to jobs, real-estate development and highway congestion if travelers could ride passenger trains that went 110 mph and shippers could route their freight on intermodal containers trains that did 90 mph? That’s the issue railroad executives, state government officials and managers from some of Texas’s biggest corporations will address Jan. 27 when Texas Rail Advocates holds its second annual conference on the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor at the Dallas Forth Worth International Airport Hyatt Regency Hotel. “In the autumn of 2000 the federal government designated nearly 1,000 miles of main line in Texas

Cryo-Trans Buys Refrigerated Cars From Greenbrier

January 20, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Cryo-Trans Inc., a leasing company specializing in the development and leasing of railroad freight cars for transporting frozen and perishable products, has placed an order for 429 new refrigerated boxcars. These state-of-the-art railcars, ordered from The Greenbrier Companies Inc., have an interior length of 72 feet and have the highest cubic capacity in the industry – 7,765 cubic feet. The cars, ordered in November 2005, will be delivered later this year. Cryo-Trans officials cite Greenbrier’s expertise in building these highly specialized cars and its reputation for innovative, quality products as reasons for placing the recent order

CSX Transportation to Re-Open Gulf Coast Rail Line

January 19, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation is resuming local freight rail service on its Gulf Coast line, a vital transportation artery to New Orleans, railroad officials announced Jan. 18. Service through the entire area is expected to be restored beginning in early February. “We are incredibly proud of our employees and contractors for their tireless efforts to help bring the railroad and its economic benefits back to the region,” CSXT Chief Operating Officer Tony Ingram said. “Many of them contributed to the rebuild straight through the holidays while dealing with their own storm-related issues at home.” Over the past five months,

Flames Reported After Ala. Wreck

January 18, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

LINCOLN, Ala. – Two Norfolk Southern trains, including one that was carrying sodium cyanide, collided Jan. 18 near a Honda plant, causing a "massive" fire, WXIA-TV reported on its Web site. Flames as tall as 60 feet were reported after one train was rear-ended by another, according to reports. Three injuries were reported as a result of the wreck, according to the WXIA-TV report. About 500 people living within two miles of the crash were evacuated, the television station reported. Service on Norfolk Southern’s line between Birmingham, Ala., and Meridian, Miss., was restored a day earlier following a Jan. 16

An engine from the Nicholasville, Ky., -based short line R.J. Corman sits idle outside the engine house in downtown Guthrie.

R. J. Corman Railroad Leases Memphis Area Industrial Switching From BNSF

January 16, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

The R. J. Corman Railroad Co./Tennessee Terminal will add 36.6 miles of industrial track in the Memphis, Tenn., and Olive Branch, Miss., area, the company announced Jan. 16.

Driving down the Atlanta Highway

January 13, 2006 Railfanning.org

One of the great things about commuting regularly between Athens, Ga., and Winder, Ga., is the fact that the road runs parallel to the CSX main line. As such, I often bring my camera to catch some railfanning action.

Amtrak and Cianbro Corp. Announce $76 Million Bridge Span Replacement at New London, Conn.

January 13, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The nearly 100-year-old Thames River Bridge between New London, Conn., and Groton, Conn., will undergo a $76 million replacement of its aging bascule lift span under a construction contract between Amtrak and Pittsfield, Maine-based Cianbro Corp., the parties announced. The construction project will take two years to complete and is the largest single capital improvement Amtrak will make to the Northeast Corridor during this time. Work on the project begins this month on the installation of seven new underwater communications and signal submarine cables. In the most dramatic phase of the construction project to occur over 12 days

William Huskisson and the Dubious Railroad Distinction

January 7, 2006 The Cross-Tie

Had the events of Sept. 15, 1830, turned out a little differently, William Huskisson probably would be remembered for his political career, not for his dubious railroad connection. But as it turns out, Huskisson’s name is forever preserved in the annals of railroad’s history books, not for his career as a politician but for his taking a bad step — into the path of an on-coming train and becoming the world’s first ever railroad fatality. Born in 1770, Huskisson’s political resume included a stint in British Parliament. Huskisson served as the first commissioner of Woods and Forests from 1814 until

Taking a Look Back at 2005 for Railroads

January 6, 2006 The Cross-Tie

ATHENS, Ga. — For better or worse, 2005 began and ended with the railroad industry in the headlines. On Jan. 6, two Norfolk Southern trains collided in Graniteville, S.C. The National Transportation Board later ruled the crew of a Norfolk Southern train failed to return a main line switch to the normal position after the crew completed work at an industry track. Fast forward 12 months. In December, the subway drivers in New York City went on strike, an illegal strike at that. It was eventually resolved, with the union coming out of the deal with what it wanted. But

Buttrey Selected as Temporary Chairman of STB

January 1, 2006 The Cross-Tie

The Surface Transportation Board announced Dec. 20 that it has voted to elect Board Member W. Douglas Buttrey to serve as the agency’s Chairman, until President George W. Bush designates a Chairman for the agency.