Santa
Fe News
BNSF
and other Railroads
February & March 2004
The UP suffered a derailment at Guymon, Ok on February 10th. A semi tractor /trailer pulled across the tracks with a lowboy trailer carrying farm machinery. The lead locomotive rode up on the trailer turning it over. The westbound vehicle train had UP SD70M 4484, GP50 5578 and IC GP40 3134 for power. All engines ended up on their sides and damaged along with 16 loaded autoracks. The IC unit was left with not much more than the frame and engine block sitting next to the tracks. The UP Geep had the block and equipment racks destroyed. The cab was mostly in tact though. The SD70M survived the crash the best with the cab in tact and laying on it’s side. The crew was not seriously injured from the initial report that I received. This derailment is very similar to the BNSF derailment that occurred northeast of Kiowa, KS in early September 2003. In this case, the driver says he did not have enough room to cross the tracks and then wait on traffic on US 54 without clearing the tracks first.
The UP had a bad derailment at Carrizozo, NM on February 21st. At 08:30, train GLPNEP-16 was heading into the siding at Carrizozo when train A-MLKS-18 With UP SD60 2193 & GP60 1960 hit the side of the train. For some reason, the crew did not manage to stop short of the red signal at the end of the siding and hit the side of the loaded grain train killing both crew members aboard. The Crew was from El Paso, TX. The Golden state route main line was blocked for several hours. Due to this derailment, at least two UP trains detoured via the BNSF. One was from Vaughn, NM to Phoenix and one was from Vaughn to Barstow.
The UP suffered another mishap that affected the BNSF in south Texas. On Friday, February 20th, a bridge pier collapsed on a bridge crossing the Trinity River near Livingston, TX. The engineer of the UP train about to cross the bridge noticed that the bridge was sagging, so tried to stop but was unable to stop prior to hitting the severely leaning pier. The locomotives and two cars got across the bad spot. The train came to rest with the rear set of trucks on CSXT 128 sitting on the collapsed portions of the bridge and one loaded hopper car dangling in mid-air with nothing but the rail to support the load of plastic pellets it was carrying. A tank car was sitting just short of the collapse. Workers had to unload the plastic pellets out of the car prior to trying to get it across the un-supported rail. BNSF also uses this line to run trains from Memphis to Houston on UP trackage rights. BNSF is detouring their Memphis to Houston train via the former ATSF tracks sold to the Timber Rock Railway (A Watco company) between Teneha and Silsbee, TX.
BNSF suffered another Remote control derailment at Amarillo on February 25th. At 21:15, the 202 job was shoving east through 114 track and shoved out the east end of the track and into the 201 job that was shoving west on the lead. The result was three cars derailed and the lead blocked for 10 hours until it could be cleared. This resulted in the M-AMSGAL train having to get their power out of the west end of the roundhouse and then go to the west end of the yards, pull the train out of 109 track and shove it to 103 track, then run around the train and put the power on the east end so they could depart and head for Wellington. All of that delay took the crew almost 3 hours to get out of the yards. No engines were damaged in this incident and again, no one was hurt.
BNSF suffered a shut down on February 29th. For some reason the BNSF computers did not read February 29th and had to be shut down at 01:00 on the 29th to be reprogrammed. This resulted in the railroad holding trains for a short time at terminals as crew calling was not available and track warrants could not be printed. The Dispatchers could not fax track warrants (General Track Bulletins), as they had no way to verify what was a good bulletin with the computers down. After a two-hour delay, everything was up and running again. All trains on the road at that time were not affected. At 10:00, the computers were again shut down for the weekly scheduled maintenance. This normally lasts for 30 – 90 minutes. For some reason when they came back up, they would not talk to each other and the computer system was again down until 15:15 causing train delays at all terminals across the system. As trains arrived at a terminal, they were parked as crews again could not be called and track warrants/bulletins could not be issued. Trains in Non Block territory, could run until they ran to the end of the track warrant limits then had to stop until the computers could be used to issue new track warrants. This resulted in several trains going dead on the law in various places across the BNSF.
BNSF had a strange service interruption on February 25th. It was not a derailment, but rather a main line blockage for some 3 hours. Normally eastbound Transcon trains are given an intermediate brake inspection at Belen. If not Belen and they are to be filled at Clovis, and then it is done there. For some reason, neither Belen nor Clovis did the brake inspection on train Z-RICCHI1-25 and it had to be stopped at Pampa, TX on Main 1 so the conductor could walk both sides of the train and inspect all the brakes for a proper set and release. This took three hours from start to finish on the 70 car train that was 6500 feet long including the locomotives.
On February 25th, BNSF got some more new AC4400CWs delivered to Lincoln, NE as a special train. Light engine move D-GALLIN1-25C was seen crossing Iowa at Emerson at 23:00 with the following consist. SD70MAC 8883 for power followed by the 5683, 5684, 5675, 5679, 5674, 5678, 5677 & 5681. By February 29th, new AC4400CWs 5654 – 5684 had been delivered during January & February.
BNSF still has lots of SD40-s on the property. In fact they have over 650 of the SD40-2s plus another large block of FURX and CEFX SD40-2s. Many are used in yard and on locals now and seeing them on freight trains on the Transcon is not normal. At least not pure sets of SD40-2s. On February 25th, at Amarillo, TX on the former ATSF main line, there were two westbound manifest trains that had 5 SD40-2s for power with none of the over 1200 Dash 9s in sight. Train H-TULBAR1-24 was in Amarillo at 14:45 with the 6378, 7872, 7062, 7011 & FURX 7247. The first two were in Heritage colors while the last there were all BN green. At 21:00, the M-KCKPHX passed through with BNSF 6921, 7324, 6920, 7898 & 7327. Another pure set of SD40-2s was spotted at Wellington, KS on March 3rd on train G-MTLDIM1-01. The train had FURX 7237 leading the BNSF 6937, 7325, 6898 & 7802 along with 107 loads of corn for Dimmit, TX.
BNSF like almost all major railroads runs trains with someone else’s power from time to time. This one was a strange consist though. Train Q-KCKRIC1-25 was also seen in Amarillo on February 25th with MRL SD45 323, CSXT SD50 8503 & HLCX SD40 6305.
Those SOO LINE SD60s that have been showing up on the V-MCISBD trains are showing up in other places as well. One was spotted in Cajon Pass on February 22nd in helper service. SOO SD60 6006 in white and SD60M 6046 in red were heading to Victorville to help a westbound train over Cajon.
More former BNSF units are moving via BNSF to Brazil. The following units are owned by either NREX or LRCX and headed for Houston during early March. Train M-NEWFTW1-04 was seen departing Newton, KS with BNSF SD40-2 6763 and SD45-2 6488 leading 6 former ATSF SF30Cs, LRCX 9564, 9543, 9537, 9542, 9568, & 9549. The 6 SF30Cs came from Livingston, MT to Kansas City then to Newton on the M-KCKNEW1-03 train. Moving from Silvis, IL to Houston via Galesburg, St. Louis, Tulsa and Fort Worth, were the C30-7s NREX 5206, 5161 & 5168. All three were seen arriving at Tulsa, OK on train H-GALTUL1-02 on March 4th behind BNSF SD40-2 8077, TFM SD40-2 1419 & BNSF SD40-2 6949. All three C30-7s were painted yellow and are ex ATSF units.
Still seeing a few of the NREX SD50s in service on BNSF during February. Most have come off lease and are heading to other railroads. The MRL power is still roaming the rails during February and March although should be heading back to MRL before the end of March. A couple of the original ATSF C30-7s showed up on the Transcon under the name of HLCX C36-7Ms this month. HLCX 582 & 586 were both seen in UP paint and HLCX lettering pulling more than one BNSF train. Even former SP SD45 CEFX 2805 was seen pulling a BNSF grain train in March at Pampa, TX. The G-KCKAMS5-03 had BNSF 4697, NS 8809 and CEFX 2805 for power with 65 loads and 8767 tons. The CEFX unit is in UP colors with red & white stripes on the nose.
Since I reported all the ex BN B30-7A units moving to Silvis last month, I thought I might mention that the Sierra railroad still has three of them in service as stand by power. They are the 4000, 4025 & 4046.
The Port of Stockton, CA has the lease of ATSF GP9 2260 expired. It has been there for over a year now. Since the Swanson Mills Company at Swanson, CA had their ex BN GP9, 1601, damaged, they were considering the ATSF 2260 for a replacement. BNSF 4060 that was damaged after only three days service due to hitting a Little Giant Crane at Morrison, OK, is back in service. It was repaired in Boise, ID and placed in service again in February.
Former DRGW GP35 3042 has been in Omnitrax service in Salina and Abeline, KS for quite some time. It is now re-lettered to PNR 2254 and is painted in Omnitrax blue & silver for use on the Panhandle Northern at Borger, TX.
BNSF is planning to implement more Remote Control jobs this spring and summer. Many of the smaller yards are getting the RCL jobs now. In April planned additions are El Paso, TX; Gallup, NM; Galveston, TX; Amory, MS; Topeka, KS; & Fresno, CA. In May plans include adding Emporia, KS; St. Cloud, MN; Burlington, NE; and El Dorado, KS. June & July applications include Dodge City, Wellington, Wichita, Hutchinson, KS; Bend, OR, and Keokuk, IA.
A very unusual unit was seen in Wichita, KS on March 3rd. Train V-OKCKCK8-03 was routed via Wichita and Newton o the 3rd with BNSF SD40-2 6896 & GP60B 335 for power. Right behind the power was a cabless unit, the NCMX 1667 painted yellow. The BNSF computer shows this as a MP15 owned by the North Carolina Museum of Transportation. The engine moved from the NS at Kansas City to Oklahoma City on a V-KCKOKC train and then returned on the V-OKCKCK8-03.
Spotted at Brownwood, TX, was train H-BARTPL1-07 on February 10th with ATSF Dash 9-44CW 637 leading the BNSF 851 & 785 east though town. Several pairs of Warbonnets existed this month, but this is the only trio of pure Warbonnets reported to me.
How many Bare Tables
can one railroad run in 24 hours? Well
if you are BNSF and are running them through Belen, NM on February 24th,
the answer is 16 eastbound trains. There
were a total of 93,639 feet or 17.74 miles of bare table equipment through Belen
on February 24th eastbound. Four
more trains were ran east on the 25th with an additional 27,057
feet or 5.124 miles of bare table equipment.
In the two days, there was an amazing 22.86 miles of bare tables through
Belen not including the length of the locomotives.
Two of the trains were also used to ferry locomotives east to Chicago.
Below are the train symbols in the order they departed Belen, the total
cars, the length, the locomotives and the time out of Belen.
All of this was very unusual.
B-BELMEM5-23 73 cars 6557 feet BNSF 4504, 1094 out at 00:31 on 2/24/04
B-OIGCHI5-21 33 cars 3154 feet BNSF 4634, 4004, 4527, ATSF 623, BNSF 710, 4386, CSXT 7736, 7612, BNSF 6839, 4736. Out at 01:15 on 2/24/04
B-LACWSP1-22
68 cars 6252 feet BNSF 1084,
4365 out at 02:45 on 2/24/04
B-LACCHI5-23 64 cars
6018 feet BNSF 6752, BN 9241
out at 05:30 2/24/04
B-NEEHAR1-23 67 cars 6220 feet BNSF 4405, 4861 out at 11:02 on 2/24/04
B-NEECHC1-23
77 cars 7083 feet BNSF 5319,
103, 8709 out at 13:31
2/24/04
B-SBDHAR1-23 71 cars 6563 feet BNSF
4178, 4552 out at 13:55 on 2/24/04
B-LACLPC5-23 76 cars 6763
feet BNSF 1005
out at 15:04 on 2/24/04
B-SBDALT1-23 69 cars
6367 feet BNSF 7802, 6922 out at 16:46 2/24/04
B-RICCHI5-21 68 cars 5977
feet BNSF 5474, 6703, HLCX 8172,
BNSF 7024, 4768, 727 out at 18:55
2/24/04
B-NEECHI5-23 62 cars
5570 feet BNSF 8727, 860 out
at 21:40 2/24/04
B-BELMEM5-24 77 cars 6763
feet BNSF 4577, 4732
out at 21:58 on 2/24/04
B-WINSTL1-24
73 cars 6737 feet
BNSF 503, 341 out at 22:20
on 2/24/04
B-LACWSP1-23 74 cars 6819
feet BNSF 704, 599
out at 22:55 on 2/24/04
B-OIGCHI5-22
71 cars 6527 feet BNSF 4928,
ATSF 951 out at 23:00 on 2/24/04
B-LACCHI7-23 78 cars 7006
feet BNSF 4647, 4921 out at 23:25
on 2/24/04
B-BARWSP1-22
63 cars, 5690 feet BNSF
5176, 6772 out at 02:30 on 2/25/04
B-LACCHI7-23
78 cars 7006 feet
BNSF 4647, 4921 out at 05:30 on 2/25/04
B-LACCHI5-24
89 cars 7877 feet BNSF 884,
5244 out at 09:25 on 2/25/04
B-BARCHI5-24
68 cars 6484 feet BNSF 5292,
801 Became B-BELALT5-25 out at 19:27 on 2/25/04
Twice
during February, BNSF annulled the Z-NYCLAC9 train at Wellington, KS and split
it up among the Z-KCKLAC9 and Z-KCKSBD train.
One such move was on February 17th.
The Z-NYCLAC9-17 was brought into Wellington and the San Bernardino
traffic and Los Angeles traffic split into two different tracks.
The power was split as well and left on each section of the train until
it was picked up sot eh air did not have to be walked when picked up.
The 65 car Z-NYCLAC had 28 cars and one engine, BNSF 4622, for the
Z-KCKLAC9-17 and 37 cars with BNSF 1016, & 4540 for the Z-KCKSBD9-17.
Amarillo
originated a M-AMSWEL3-28 train departing on February 29th with GP30
2437 leading GP50 3161 & GP60M 125. The
train departed Amarillo with 94 cars. Most
of them were cars that should have been switched at Amarillo and handled to
other connections there. Due to
Amarillo being plugged up, they sent the train to Wellington to be switched;
sort of. It was actually switched
at Waynoka, OK, which lost their switching yard in 1971.
The train set out the head 10 cars at Panhandle for the Panhandle
Northern train and the rear 37 out at Pampa to move to Amarillo and points west
on a local after the R-KAN091 switched them out.
The remaining 47 cars went to Waynoka for the locals to switch out and
move east and west. Note the GP30
leading this train in through freight service!
On February 29th, several train symbol symbols changed in the BNSF TSP to be effective on March 1st. Train Z-WSPLAC4 was abolished as a daily except Sunday train out of Chicago. It was replaced with train Q-CHILAC9 as a daily train. The Z-WSPLAC4 departed Chicago at 21:45 with an arrival of 03:45 in Los Angeles on day 4 for a 56 hour schedule. The new Q-CHILAC9 departs Chicago daily at 21:45 and makes a one hour stop in Willow Springs between 22:30 & 23:30. It is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles at 10:00 on day four make a 62 hour and 15 minute trip across the Transcon via Amarillo. The train handles Truckload traffic and Lower rated TOFC. It does not handle LTL traffic. On Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, it handles Cold Day UPS air loads for Los Angeles.
Train Q-WSPSBD9 is another new symbol that operates daily except Tuesday out of Chicago. It departs Chicago at 20:00 with a one hour stop in Willow Springs from 21:00 to 22:00. It arrives in San Bernardino at 02:00 on Day 4 for a 56 hour trip across the Transcon also via Amarillo. On Tuesday, the train operates as the Z-WSPSBD7 with the same departure schedule. It is due at San Bernardino at 22:45 on day 3 for a 52’45” trip across the Transcon. The Z train carries the Hot UPS traffic for Albuquerque on Tuesday’s departure out of Chicago. On Sunday, the Q-WSPSBD carries the El Paso Block out of Chicago for set out at Belen.
Also starting on March 1st, train Z-LACWSP2 is annulled on Sunday out of Los Angeles and replaced with a Q-LACWSP2 train. The Z-LACWSP2 replaced the Z-LACNYC2 last fall when the UP got the New York UPS business away from BNSF. The Tuesday departure of the Z-LACWSP2 was scheduled for 14:30 out of Los Angeles and arrived at Chicago at 20:12 on day 3 for a 51 hour and 42 minute trip. The Q-LACWSP2 departs Los Angeles at 16:30 and arrives in Chicago at 09:00 on Day 4 for a 62’ 30” trip across the Transcon. It handles Truckload traffic as well.
AT least twice during February, BNSF operated a new symbol out of New Westminster, BC to Chicago. The symbol was S-NWECHI3-xx. Due to having a tunnel between New Westminster and Seattle, the containers are only loaded single level. One of the trains was symbolled as train S-NWECHC3-22 with BNSF 738, 5460 & 4678 leading the train. It was changed to train S-NWECHI3-22 at Spokane to reflect the route of the train better. The S-NWECHI3-25 was operated out of New Westminster with BNSF 4678 & 708 for power. The train originated at the Fraiser/Surry Docks and were headed for Chicago to Lykes Intermodal. Empty double stack trains B-SSEBRV (South Seattle to Brownsville yard) also operated into New Westminster to provide cars for the loaded trains.
In what seems almost unlikely, CP Rail will no longer accept TOFC traffic on their railroad. As of March 1st all TOFC and containers with chassis under them will be embargoed on the CP. CP will not allow any TOFC traffic to be originated or terminated on their railroad. It is possible that TOFC cars could still move on CP as a bridge move of some sort. This will include the SOO Line trains as well. CP will handle only COFC and double stacked container traffic. In order to help the truckers move COFC traffic to and from CP points, a neutral chassis pool will be established at Minneapolis on March 1st. There is already a neutral chassis pool in Chicago at the CP Bensenville yard. This helps to explain all the empty Flexi-van Chassis that have been moving east on BNSF Z trains to Chicago. During February, several BNSF Z trains had blocks of empty chassis heading for Chicago.
BNSF has ordered 6,000 more grain hoppers from Trinity Rail Car at Saginaw, TX as of February 27th. According to an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Dallas based Trinity Industries will re-open the plant that was mostly closed down in 2001 at Saginaw due to a slump in railcar orders. In September 2001, when the plant closed, it employed some 200 plus workers. The 6,000 cars will be delivered to BNSF over the next 6 years. The BNSF order will be manufactured at Saginaw and Monclova, Mexico according to Trinity. Trinity had a backlog of over 12,000 car orders at the end of 2003, and with the BNSF order announced in February, it will need the plant at Saginaw to get things moving again. The BNSF fleet of grain hoppers is over 26,000 cars. BNSF is the nation’s top grain hauling railroad. The new BNSF hoppers will be the 286,000 pound variety cars that they have been receiving from Trinity for the past few years. Some speculations was that they would be the newer 315,000 pound cars, but BNSF still has too many shortline and branch line operations that can not support the added weight of the 315,000 cars.
A few UP trains are still detouring via the former ATSF between Fort Wroth and Kansas City due to track work in Eastern Oklahoma. Normally only one empty coal train per day is operated via this route where up to two eastbound empty coal trains and two westbound loaded vehicle trains were running on a daily basis.
This is the one that won’t be. The San Bernardino Railway Historical Society had a trip of the former ATSF 4-8-4 #3751 planned form Los Angeles to San Diego and return in May. Unfortunately, the trip has been cancelled. Two wooden trestles near Oceanside on the San Diego Northern have decay and are not considered safe for the weight of the 4-8-4. The bridges are to be rebuilt, but at considerable more cost than originally planned as the wooden pilings are rotting under the surface of the mud.
BNSF
will handle the Artrain again this year to several cities along the BNSF route.
It will be carrying Native American art this year and through 2007.
Artrain USA presents Native
Views: Influences of Modern Culture. The contemporary Native American art
exhibit features 71 artworks by 54 living Native artists. The artists are a
diverse group with many tribal backgrounds.
Native Views explores how Native American artists are influenced by pop
culture. It seeks to change people’s preconceived notions of what defines
Native American art.
Visits
to BNSF country include the cities of Flagstaff, AZ; Gallup and Albuquerque, NM;
Norman, Bartlesville, Woodward, Ada, and Ponca City, OK; Kansas City, MO; Fort
Worth, Dallas, Wichita Falls, Silsbee, and Houston, TX.
For more information about Artrain USA and Native Views: Influences of
Modern Culture, visit www.artrainusa.org.
The
2nd main track project is still going on along the Panhandle Sub.
The two current projects are filling the gap between West Clear Creek and
East Canadian. This 1.6 mile gap of
single track (or the Gauntlet as one of the dispatchers calls it) is over the
Canadian River and US 60. The new
bridge over the Canadian River on the new Main 1 is scheduled to be open in
April. Another bridge just east of
the river is being constructed over US 60.
The new Main 1 should be open in April closing that short gap of single
main track. After that is
completed, there is to be a new bridge built over US 60 for Main 2 that will be
south of the current bridge. This
will change the curve and allow a higher speed for trains that are currently
restricted to 50 MPH. The new river
bridge is some 15 feet higher than the original bridge that will be just to the
south of the new bridge. This will
create a great photo opportunity as the old highway bridge over the river is
just to the south of the BNSF tracks and is a walk bridge for pedestrians.
Photos of trains crossing both bridges should be possible from that walk
bridge.
The
other capacity improvement project is the track between Curtis and Tangier.
Heman at MP 351 to Curtis at MP 367.2 was made into CTC two main tracks
in 1995. New main 1 will start at
the west end of Curtis where two main tracks currently ends and run along the
north side of the current main line. The
roadbed is in place for this now with the exception of the North Canadian River
Bridge that is under construction and should also be ready in late March or
early April. This will allow BNSF
to add the new main 1 from Curtis to Woodward at MP 383.
BNSF has started dirt work for the new main 1 between Gerlach at MP 387
to Tangier at MP 394. The rail on
the sidings at Tangier and Woodward have both been changed out during February
to make them the new main tracks. Tangier
siding will be main 2 while Woodward will become Main 1.
Last fall, a rural overpass to access a back road to the Woodward airport
was demolished over the tracks to make room for the second main track.
Signal work is also being done currently between Woodward and Tangier.
The siding at Gerlach will remain a siding as it serves the Oklahoma
Nitrogen plant. New Main 1 will be
built next to the existing main track. This
will necessitate the destruction of a overpass at the west end of the Gerlach
siding that has been a popular photo
spot for many photographers of ATSF and BNSF trains over the years.
A new bridge should be built, but not with the same character as the
steel truss bridge has now.
Other
capacity improvement projects that are being discussed for the Transcon are the
adding of another main track over the UP at Vaughn, NM and the second main track
in Abo Canyon between Sais and Scholle. Both
of these are very expensive projects. A
third main track is also planned for the Amarillo area to be built north of the
existing two main tracks. This will
be from Eastern to Zita through the Amarillo Terminal.
The
only other changes that are actually in the process of taking place, is the
Santa Fe Jct Fly-over at Kansas City and the Hump extension in Wichita.
In Kansas City, the Fly over is under way to lift former ATSF traffic
over the former BN and UP trains using the junction that is just west of Kansas
City Union Station. In Wichita,
signal and utility work is being done on the extension of the raised portion of
Wichita Union Terminal track through downtown Wichita.
The City and state are paying most of the cost of this project.
No track work on the BNSF side has been started for this project yet.
As of March 1st, 2004, Watco of Pittsburg, KS has officially purchased the Camas Prairie Rail Net in Idaho and Washington. The line was purchased from current owner North American Railnet, Inc., based in Bedford, TX. Watco already has operations in Idaho and Washington. Watco owns Idaho and Washington’s largest shortline operations, The Eastern Idaho Railroad in Twin Falls Idaho and the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad headquartered in Rosalia, WA. The Camas Prairie Rail Net was purchased from BNSF (formerly BN) and UP in April of 1998 when it was the Camas Prairie Railroad. With the Watco purchase, it will become the Great Northwest Railroad, Inc (GNR). There are about 177 miles of track in the transaction: 72 miles from Riparia, Washington, east to Lewiston, Idaho; 74 miles from Lewiston east to Kooskia, Idaho; and 31 miles from Orofino, Idaho northeast to near Jaype, Idaho. The Orofino to Jaype segment is currently out of service.
Watco Companies has shortline railroad and railroad services in 23 states, with more than 900 employees. Founded in 1983, Watco is one of the largest privately held railroad companies in the United States. Watco Companies owns seven shortline railroads in the United States. The Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad based in Wichita, Kans.; the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad, based in Cherryvale, Kans.; the Eastern Idaho Railroad, based in Twin Falls, Idaho; The Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad, based in Rosalia, Washington; The Timber Rock Railroad, based in Jasper, Texas; and the Pennsylvania Southwestern Railroad, based in Midland, Penn. Watco also operates major railroad support facilities based in Jacksonville, FL., Coffeyville, KS., Pittsburg, KS., and Baytown, TX.
From the Railroad_Depots_West list comes this mention of the former ATSF depot in Berkeley California.
The
Berkeley Montessori School will be cutting the ribbon for the opening of their
new campus on February 27th oh the site of the old Santa Fe depot in
Berkeley on University Avenue. The
depot building itself was saved and actually partially restored from its interim
usage after the railroad left---a series of restaurants (although the pizza oven
and refrigerator which each sit at a ticket window have been saved---hey, the
restaurants are now history too). A
particular doorknob that had somehow survived both the restaurants and
collectors, with a Santa Fe insignia has also been saved by the school.
The
School and its PTA are VERY interested in the rail heritage of this place, the
Santa Fe and the California & Nevada narrow gauge, and would LOVE old
photos, memorabilia, etc. You KNOW
the kids will eat this stuff up. Incidentally,
there’s to be a bike trail which, except for the kink necessitated by the
architecture of the new school, will follow the old Santa Fe ROW alongside the
depot/school. It will become a part
of the Ohlone Greenway extension the City is preparing from Cedar Rose Park
along the still –vacant Santa Fe ROW to Strawberry Creek park.
The Santa Fe had a freight shed and stub tracks in this latter park.
An old photo shows kids playing on the California Y Nevada Trestle over
Strawberry Creek (the narrow gauge tracks were a bit east of where the Santa Fe
main line went).
In
Amarillo, TX, the former Rock Island right of way running east and west along
Plains Blvd is being converted to a hiking/bicycle path.
The right of way was part of the Memphis to Tucumcari line at one time.
When the Rock Island ceased operations in 1980, this part of the line was
used by BN to reach a helium plant west of Amarillo.
In the past few years, trucks have moved the helium and the railroad was
abandoned from just east of 6th street to the west.
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Remember
the Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modeling Society Convention in Wichita this
summer. The dates are June 24th
– 27th and information is posted on the SFRH&MS web site: http://www.atsfrr.com/convention/info-Wichita.htm
Make your plans to attend.