Miscellaneous

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Miscellaneous

Portec Rail Products Sells U.K. Facility

April 3, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Portec Rail Products, Inc. today announced the sale of its Wrexham, Wales, United Kingdom facility to Eifion Lloyd Davies, an individual, doing business as GHA Coaches, based in the United Kingdom. The net proceeds from the sale, which closed on March 29, 2007, were approximately $2 million, and were used to reduce outstanding debt with a United Kingdom financial institution. The Wrexham location was a former manufacturing facility with rail and material handling operations and was closed in December 2006 as part of a business reorganization that the Company had initiated during 2006. “The sale of this

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Miscellaneous

Public Transportation Ridership up in 2006

January 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

Public transportation ridership has increased by nearly 3 percent in the first nine months of 2006, as Americans took 7.8 billion trips on public transit, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). “Even as gas prices declined, more and more people decided to ride public transportation as ridership grew by nearly 3 percent in the first nine months of 2006,” said APTA President William W. Millar. “This continued increase in transit ridership demonstrates that when people have transportation choices, they use them.” Light rail (streetcars, trolleys, heritage trolleys, and modern light rail) had the highest percentage of growth among

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Miscellaneous

Gearing up on the Railways

January 4, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. — Marines rush over top, around and beside a mammoth-looking line of railcars, as Lance Cpl. Brent G. Vines and his fellow Marines finish preparing and loading various combat gear to be sent to Fort Polk, La. for Cajun Viper. The railway is both efficient and good training for the Marines of 10th Marine Regiment. This is the first serious railway operation they have conducted in support of infantry training since 2002. The units participating in operation Cajun Viper, including 1st and 2nd Battalion of the 10th Marine Regiment, will train in Louisiana for approximately a month

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Streetcar Service Returns to St. Charles Line

January 4, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW ORLEANS – Streetcar service is returning to the historic St. Charles line in New Orleans now that a federally funded project to replace electrical lines used to power the system is complete, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said. “Today, the streetcars’ familiar sounds return to St. Charles Avenue for the first time since Katrina hit, heralding to the world the resilience of this city,” Peters said. “Where cable hung following the storm, today neat rows of overhead wires stand ready to power New Orleans on a streetcar we should call Revival.” Peters noted that the Department of Transportation’s

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Miscellaneous

2006: Another Record Year

January 1, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

Click here to read the January 2007 edition of The Cross-Tie WASHINGTON — For the ninth consecutive year, total freight volume on U.S. railroads as measured in ton-miles has set an annual record, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported. Meanwhile, for the fifth consecutive year — and the 18th time in the past 20 years — intermodal freight on U.S. railroads has set an annual record, according to the AAR. Total freight volume for the first 51 weeks of 2006 reached 1.712 trillion ton-miles during the week ended December 23, breaking the 52-week record of 1.696 trillion set during

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Miscellaneous

First-Class Service for Injured Troops on Liberty Limited

December 17, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT BELVOIR, Va. – The luxury railroad car Pennsylvania has seen its fair share of two things: precious cargo and the Army-Navy football rivalry. In 1961 the red Pennsylvania Railroad business car carried John F. Kennedy from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., along a temporary rail line put in place for the gridiron classic. Kennedy chose to take the car to the annual football game again in 1962. This year, the Pennsylvania carried more than one guest of honor as it began a familiar trip Dec. 6 from Washington’s Union Station to the 107th Army-Navy game. The car was part of

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Miscellaneous

TTX Company Announces Senior Level Appointments

December 17, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO – TTX Company President and CEO Andrew F. Reardon announced the appointments of Thomas F. Wells to Executive Vice President and Patrick J. Casey to Vice President Fleet Management.In addition to his current duties, Wells will direct Strategic Planning as well as Strategy and Marketing for the Railcar Maintenance and Technology areas of TTX, the largest private railcar fleet in North America. Wells joined TTX in 2001 as Senior Vice President, Fleet Management. He brings over 20 years of industry experience, including 17 years with Norfolk Southern Railway’s Supply Management, Sales and Marketing, Operations and intermodal departments. A graduate

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Miscellaneous

FreightCar America Delivers 100,000th Aluminum Railcar

December 15, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

DANVILLE, Ill. – During a ceremony here, FreightCar America delivered the 100,000th aluminum railcar produced by the company. The milestone car, a BethGon II railcar for carrying coal, was part of an order totaling 2,695 cars for NRG Energy, Inc. of Princeton, N.J. Executives from NRG and FreightCar America attended the ceremony along with state and local officials. “The first new railcar we ever built in Danville was for an NRG predecessor company,” said Kenneth D. Bridges, FreightCar America’s senior vice president of operations. “Remarkably, NRG is now accepting the 100,000th aluminum railcar here.” Since 1997, NRG has acquired over