File: ro_1_7.txt (1/4) The rail magazine for the computer age. =================================================== RAIL ONLINE VOLUME 1, ISSUE 7 FEBRUARY 1994 =================================================== _______________________________________________________________ Editor-in-Chief: Peter Kirn, 73232,3534 CompuServe, 73232.3534@compuserve.com Internet Compilation Copyright (C) 1993 E/Press publishing A non-profit publication from E/Press. _______________________________________________________________ -> Where's January? We've altered the labeling of months in RailOnline to better reflect our schedule. Schedules will soon be posted to Internet and CIS so you know when to expect issue releases. ============== IN THIS ISSUE: ============== E-PAGES: Instead of using conventional searching, RailOnline takes advantage of the search-and-find features in your editor or word processor. For instance, to read the letter from the editor, have your editor search for the text "@@A". >From the Editor..........................................@@A Here's a novel idea / Happy 60th, Model Railroader! Letters..................................................@@B RO Newswire ------------------------------- Bringing people together in `94 INSIGHT: Amtrak faces a squeezed budget..................@@C High Speed Rail Update...................................@@D Texas TGV, high speed outside NE in trouble Santa Fe News............................................@@E Conrail News.............................................@@F Chicago Transit..........................................@@G CTA line closed for renovations Northeast Transit........................................@@H Murder on SEPTA sparks questions, DVRP names "People of `93" BritRail Travel News.....................................@@I Canadian News............................................@@J CPRS / CNNA merger details, last M-630 shut down t I d B i T s............................................@@! Computerized "Talking Timetable" Perspective..............................................@@K European rails close to home when it comes to transit issues (editorial) LATE-BREAKING NEWS.......................................@@L Earthquake, cold and snow hamper rails RO Features --------------------------- >From modelers to engineers. COVER STORY: The online rail world.......................@@M TRAVEL: Algoma Central in the dead of winter.............@@N RAIL INDUSTRY: A phoenix from the ashes..................@@O UNDER THE HOOD: Don't call `em diesels...................@@P MODEL RAILROADING: Roger Hensley.........................@@Q New kit impressions MODEL RAILROADING: Back to basics........................@@R Decals... for the beginner and expert --- RailOnline info: staff, contacting RO, submitting to RO, copying RO...............................................@@^ In the March issue.......................................@@/ OVERWHELMED? RO Guide is your guide through this issue...@@1 _________________________________________________________________ FROM THE EDITOR: Here's a novel idea... @@A _________________________________________________________________ by Peter Kirn Model railroaders or rail historians, it tends to go much the same way. We're all human, after all. As such, we have egos, like everyone else. So, what is it like when you go to a NMRA division meeting or club session, or to that local NRHS or ARP meeting? You know the story. It's great fun to be a member of a group. We retreat together with people who share a common obsession, into the basements of hobby stores and hardware stores, or the second floor in Union Station, or some quiet outbuilding and work side by side on our favorite tasks. What could be better? And half the fun, of course, is debating about things. Everything. "Hey, Joe, the board's been discussing changing some of the standards for modeling, maybe going for a little more detail, like separate grab irons, or ---" WHAM! "I feel like one of Amtrak's big problems is ---" KABOOM! "Well, I'm not so sure about that. I've ---" KAPOWIE! "Well, I've finished the latest issue of the newsl---" CRUNCH! Go ahead, admit it. I know you're just like me. Even if you're on the shy side, those alarms go off the moment you hear or read about something you disagree with . And you react, sometimes with just a slight grimace, sometimes by whipping out the `ol soapbox. It happens at meetings. It happens in publications. And it happens online. (Please do see our article about the online world in this issue, but remember, like all communities, even the online world has a darker side.) Even the most open-minded of us have convictions about at least some of our opinions. And when we have convictions, we fight for them, right? Our brains all tend towards the same response comes up. As soon as a single word betrays "the enemy's" position, the alarms start going off. "All hands to battle stations! Ready the torpedoes!", which usually means warming up the trusty soapbox and figuring out what we're going to say in defense. "Close the hatches!", which usually means button up the ears and ignore the propaganda. And now, as editor of RailOnline, and a nutty idealist, I'm sure you're readying yourself now for me to start preaching about how reasonable the other side can be and how open-minded you all should be and equality and peace and such, just like I like to do in this column. Well, I don't kid myself, and I certainly won't ask you to kid yourself, either. I have a pretty large ego, though I like to think it's a healthy one, and I know many of you have larger ones. I also know that there are an awful lot of unreasonable nuts out there in the railroading world. They're attracted to meetings like the proverbial moths around a flame, but don't be fooled. These folks are real wasps. So, what's an upholder of truth and freedom like you and me to do? Well, instead of going to Condition Red every time a fanatic gets the floor, let's just imagine for a moment what would happen if we "opened hailing frequencies" instead of "raising shields". There's no use listening to the latest rail cult member's usual propaganda, the stuff we've heard a thousand times. What if, instead of listening for what you disagree with, you listened for what you agree with? Let's see. You would be doing something at least somewhat constructive, and you might not get so angry and upset, which is what I do when I hear things I disagree with. Low blood pressure is a good thing in this age of heart attacks, I suppose. And you'd have plenty of ground where you could show you actually agree with your opponent, making you look like the reasonable, cool-minded individual you really are. That is, right before you cool-mindedly rip into their position. Not such a bad deal after all. A "sneak" attack, if you will, can be pretty successful. All through it, you'd look like the force of reason, while they were made out as the force of chaos they are. While you're at it, you'll also end up understanding your opponent's position a little better. Nothing's wrong with being understanding, that's for sure. Hey, look! Maybe you can be open-minded. You could even start to tell the difference between those fanatics and the reasonable people you should be listening to. Could it be? A goal for `94 that will get you somewhere but is still easy to accomplish? Try it, and get back to me to let me know. Whether this listening is internal or external, you'll end up the winner. Not because you've gone the right and moral path, but because peace is the best way to fight. Even Ghandi, the greatest pacifist of all time, knew that pacifism was really just an intelligent way to win. And so he went that way. And India won. (Okay, yeah, he did get shot, but as of yet, I don't think that's happened here, even in the National Model Railroading Association.) Fortunately, you don't have to free yourself from the Imperialist control of the United Kingdom, or defend yourself from assassins. All you have to do is make life easier for yourself and everybody else by listening for the value in your opponent's position, and then, perhaps, hitting the weak points. Maybe I'm just a crazy visionary, but it seems to me the railroading community could do without all the crossfire, and all the labeling groups like railfans, employees, or modelers as evil incarnate. The meetings would be a lot more peaceful. And you'd probably win a lot more often. Sounds pretty good to me. Peace - and plenty of victories - in `94. > Happy Birthday, Model Railroader Speaking of upholding truth and freedom, I'd like to wish a happy birthday to MR. Model Railroader's 60th anniversary could not be dismissed as anything other than a major milestone in rail publishing. 60 years ago, one man created a publication and sent it to about 250 people, simply because it was the Depression, and like everyone else in the US, he needed something to do. Today, that publication has over 250,000 readers. For every one reader they had in 1934, they have over a thousand in 1994. Not too bad. While I'm in my more hopeful moods, of course, I have fun believing that I could do the same thing, since the beginnings of RO have been remarkably similar, even down to the 400 issues of issue 1 that went out. I 'm pretty sure I won't have the success that MR has had. But Model Railroader has been a model for me in good publishing, and could easily be applied to any publication. Al Kalmbach succeeded because he had a vision of creating a publication that listened to its readers, and treated them all equally. Model Railroader has changed a lot in the past 60 years, but I believe many of those changes have been for the better. It's very sad to note the loss of many of their greatest talents through death and retirement. The torch is being passed, though, and I believe they won't be shamed by the MR that goes on without them. My compliments to the staff of MR and all of you who have contributed to it. MR is a beautiful piece of work because it is able to so elegantly represent many viewpoints. And it does it with quality writing and photographs that are nothing short of spectacular. I'd love to achieve your circulation, but I mostly hope to achieve your quality. Happy 60th, and best wishes in the next 60! ===================== RAILONLINE GUIDE: @@1 ===================== It's another big month for the RO Newswire, with several important stories. Canadian Pacific and Canadian National are now definitely merging part of their operations; the only obstacle now is getting government cooperation. Bryce Lee, the voice of Canada for RO, brings us complete details. Of a more sentimental value, the last of the big Alcos are being shut down and shipped out on CP. Here in the US, the biggest story on the rails is the havoc natural forces are unleashing on roads across the country. An unusually-shaped jet stream brought uncommonly cold weather to all parts of the country, keeping crews plenty busy. On top of that, during the same week Los Angeles was hit with a major earthquake. The story, from reliable contact in the Northeast, Chicago, and LA is in our "Late-Breaking News" section. On a more long-term basis is our coverage of the issues facing Amtrak. Congress continues squeezing Amtrak's budgets, and the results aren't something to be proud of. The National Association of Rail Passengers evaluates Amtrak, Passenger Train Journal provides details of the results of the smaller budget for `94, and Sunset Limited crash hearings yield only more confusion in this month's edition of the INSIGHT section. In the Northeast Transit section, a murder on the rails brings up other questions. High Speed Rail News brings only bad news, with a cut high speed budget for Amtrak and the Texas TGV plan crushed. RO's features this month were especially enjoyable for me to write, read, and edit, and I think you'll feel the same way. While Dorr Altizer is sysop of CompuServe's TrainNet Forum, I think his insight into the online rail world will prove interesting for Internet and CIS users alike. Cyberspace's effect on railroading and computing in general are explored in this month's cover story. Winter is usually a time for vacations south. Don't tell our assistant editor that. Dan Dawdy, braver than most of us here at RailOnline (or crazier, I don't know which), went into the frigid Canadian north on a steam-heated Algoma Central train. You can share his adventure, in the comfort of your warm house. Even if you're not planning to invest in the stock market, I think you'll be interested to see how several North American railroads have been able to turn themselves around. Roger Hensley, meanwhile, provides new kit impressions. -Peter Kirn, Editor _________________________________________________________________ LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: @@B _________________________________________________________________ > CHUNNEL CLARIFICATIONS One small comment/correction: You say the tunnel opens for passengers in May. I understood that the May date was for the car shuttle. Passenger trains start later in the summer. I'm not certain about this. BTW, there has already been at least one charter train, carrying fare-paying passengers, through the tunnel. I understand that the lucky passengers were individually invited because the safety systems are not yet in place and so the company running the train could not advertise for customers. - Mike Lewis in Scotland, on CompuServe > PC-RAIL A PROGRAM TO BE AVOIDED In case you have not yet been exposed to PC-Rail, I thought I would pass on a few observations: 1. This program should be driven from the market. 2. Version 2.0 (shipped from the distributor last week) is so full of fatal errors that the program failed approximately 15 times in 30 minutes while I was doing a modification of one of the LGB layouts shipped with the program. 3. The copy protection scheme is one of the most tedious AND poorly executed concepts I have encountered in 26 years of professional involvement with computers. Each and every time you load from DOS, the program first asks you for an answer to a visual question which requires you to turn to different pages in the manual for answers (a variant on what used to be a common approach for kids' game programs). There are only three catches: The manual is so poorly printed that you occasionally cannot read the text inside the figure referenced in the question. On 4 out of 15 occasions, the program incorrectly concluded that I had supplied a false answer (upper case? lower case? Did not seem to matter. When the program decided you were wrong, you were wrong.) When I called their US customer service number to make sure I had a registered copy to see if there was some way to stop this nonsense, I was told that the German programmer had concluded this was the only way to make sure nobody ever stole his program and that there was no way to bypass this "feature". Moreover, he (the programmer) had adamantly refused to consider a change. I get the strong feeling that this programmer must have stolen a lot of software in his time to be so concerned that someone else would steal his stuff. 4. Over the years I have used at least 5 or 6 different CAD programs including such obvious standards as AutoCAD, GenericCAD, MacDraft, etc. This program has the most difficult, non-intuitive, tortured menu structure I have yet encountered in a CAD application (for that matter almost any app). For example, sometimes "QUIT" at the base of a menu means 'return to the next higher menu' and sometimes the exact same button in the exact same place on a different layer in the menu structure means 'stop right now and exit the program without saving'. Maybe the structure is logical in German, but it is not obvious in the translation. 5. It does not work properly as a detail lay-out tool. Using standard LGB switch track from its own library, it would misalign the track by 15 to 25 mm on about half of the junctions. Not a big deal you say. That depends on how large and complex a layout you were building. Frankly, this is a theoretical question at best since most users would have quit in frustration because of either the bugs or the protection scheme long before they had time to build a layout where the cumulative error would make a difference. In summary, the LGB plastic template is quicker, easier, cheaper, and more accurate (if less precise) than this very immature, alpha version of software being shipped as if it were a product. that once it gets online, it can end up virtually anywhere. The disadvantage is that where it ends up and how many people are really reading it will remain a mystery. RO is currently located not only on CIS and Internet/UseNet, but also on the RailNet and Safe Harbor BBSs in Ohio and Wisconsin, respectively, among other BBSs. - Charles Koresh on CompuServe _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE INSIGHT: Inside Amtrak @@C _________________________________________________________________ Amtrak, over two decades old, is facing yet another turning point. Congress continues to squeeze its budget tighter, and Sunset Limited hearings yield merely more confusion. In this edition of Insight, the NARP evaluates Amtrak, and David Warner provides the details of how the new budget will impact rails nationwide, while the DVRP offers an update on the Sunset Limited hearings. -PK "The truth of the matter is that Amtrak's budget is being squeezed" NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RAIL PASSENGERS EVALUATES AMTRAK by John Dawson, NARP Region III Director Delaware Valley Rail Passenger (RO Newswire) The National Association of Rail Passengers' Board of Directors met for fall on October 22nd and 23rd at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago. This is the third time NARP has met in Chicago, but the city always represents a good choice, since it enjoys a central location with direct rail service from most parts of the country. Our hotel atop the Apparel Center overlooked the busy suburban rail lines feeding Northwestern and Union stations. On the day preceding the meeting, early arriving attendees were offered tours of Metra's Western Avenue shops, Union Station, and Amtrak's maintenance facility. > A "Discordant" Meeting Despite the pleasant setting, the meeting was a somewhat discordant one. Members were frustrated both about the inconsistent quality of Amtrak service and the cuts proposed for November, and they took out their frustrations on what were seen as failures by a top-heavy management. "If only those people at headquarters could be more innovative, or do a better job of marketing, or ensure that workers do the jobs they are paid to do." Undoubtedly there are things that management could do better and areas in which they could economize without affecting service, but the truth of the matter is that Amtrak's budget is being squeezed. For years its capital budget has not matched depreciation, let alone provided for expansion, and its fiscal 1994 operating grant is six percent smaller than last year's. This is not sufficient to operate the current system. Much of the capital budget is now being eaten up by the need to convert onboard toilets to a full retention system and to improve handicapped accessibility. The budget squeeze has also reduced spending on maintenance and led to layoffs at Beech Grove [maintenance facility], and this has affected reliability. The stimulus package submitted to Congress last spring would have addressed this last area, but it did was filibustered to death. It is easy to look good when resources are adequate, but difficult when they are not. Several external factors have also contributed to Amtrak's financial distress. Not only have airline fare wars adversely affected that industry's earnings, they have pulled customers away from Amtrak and reduced yield by limiting the railroad's ability to raise fares. And further, when Congress passed the budget authorization last summer, it exempted the airlines from paying federal fuel taxes for two years on the grounds that a fuel tax could force some lines into bankruptcy. But railroads were not exempted, and Amtrak is now paying $5.55 million per year on this account. Hardly a level playing field, and it certainly does not help the cause of energy conservation when fees are waived for the most energy intensive mode and charged on the more efficient ones. The midwestern floods last summer blocked the running of through trains between Chicago and California for several weeks, and this produced a dip in Amtrak's revenues at the peak of the travel season. Amtrak normally sells out most of the space on Western trains during the summer and relies on this revenue to balance the books. And the recent Sunset accident near Mobile did not help financial matters. Aside from the human tragedy it produced.Amtrak's management was in a holding pattern awaiting the selection of president and chairman Graham Claytor's replacement, and this has stifled innovative thinking at the top. Hopefully, the new CEO will begin to address some of the fundamental problems facing the corporation. > Speakers' Views Revealed One of the highlights of attending any NARP meeting is listening to the luncheon speakers, and this year's speakers were no exception. Gil Carmichael, the former FRA administrator and now senior VP at Morrison Knudsen (MK) spoke to us Friday. He believes that Amtrak is frustrated with itself, that Claytor and his staff with 1200 pieces of rolling stock have staved off a shutdown, but the equipment is now strained. MK believes in a rail renaissance. The Staggers Act led to a downsizing of the US rail network, but the surviving core has received $40 billion worth of new investment and is now in better shape than ever before. But it is only used at 25% of capacity. Amtrak and the bus lines should work together to develop a true national passenger system. Amtrak needs to replace its fleet; and investment bankers will fund equipment acquisition and station investments. Better rail access to airports is needed, but the stations should be at the terminal and not at the edge of the field. Cities should build intermodal terminals downtown, in the role they play with airports. Freight railroads see opportunities in passengers, not in carrying them, but in joint ventures, such as providing corridors and real estate development. States should use a penny of their fuel tax to support line acquisition and rail service. He cautioned rail supporters to not let states raise their gas tax without including the penny for rail. The viewpoint of the Clinton Administration was presented on Saturday by the new FRA administrator, Jolene Molitoris. Molitoris was dynamic and quite upbeat, pointing out that this Administration is the first since 1980 to put forward a non-zero budget for Amtrak and is also very supportive of high-speed rail corridors. She promised that this Administration will be proactive, instead of reactive, and will push for a true national transportation system, one that is more than just a national highway system. On the financial side, she noted that budgets will be especially tight in FY96 and FY97 as the effort to reduce the deficit takes hold, and she clearly felt that corridor services were more important than long-distance trains. This thought worried many of the Directors who fear that we could end up with a collection of rail corridors and lose the national system. > NARP sets priorities Every six months the Directors reexamine NARP's priorities and select up to ten issues on which the organization should now focus its attention. It was almost a unanimous decision that the highest priority should be given to ensuring adequate funding for Amtrak, both short- and long-term. The others, in no particular order, were: - A rail tunnel to connect North and South stations in Boston - The overall quality of rail service NARP's goals pamphlet Preservation of the national system (in response to Molitoris' comments) - ISTEA station enhancements - Daily long-distance trains (in response to Amtrak's proposed service cuts) - Enhanced intermodal connections (very important to Pennsylvania) - More communications by NARP with the media (to give rail perspective) AMTRAK'S SHRUNK BUDGET: Numbers and Consequences David Warner Reprinted with permission of Passenger Train Journal and David Warner. (Subscriptions to PTJ are $30/year and available by calling Pentrex at 1-800-899-3400) Congress approved the 1994 Department of Transportation Appropriation bill, of which Amtrak funding is a part on Sunday, October 17. The bill appropriates only $351.7 million for Amtrak operations, less than the $381 the corporation said it need to maintain existing levels of service. Four days later Amtrak issued a press release announcing a number of service reductions that are intended to save approximately $10 million (see Halloween Timetable Change Highlights). To save approximately $5 million more, Amtrak plans to eliminate approximately 33 station staff positions and 116 mechanical department positions. Not all these people will necessarily be laid off; some will be offered jobs in existing vacancies elsewhere on the system. Beginning on October 26, staffing at the following stations was eliminated: Delray Beach, FL; Pocatello, ID, Centralia, Chillicothe and Mattoon, IL; Fort Wayne, IN; Hattiesburg and McComb, MS; Malta, MT; Southern Pines, NC; Devils Lake, ND; Amsterdam, NY; Youngstown, OH; Temple, TX; and Cheyenne, WY. During the next few months additional areas for cost savings will be identified, though Amtrak hopes revenues will be higher than projected thus limiting the amount of further cuts required. In summary, Amtrak will receive the following amounts during the current fiscal year. (The separate House and Senate appropriation amounts, respectively, are listed in parenthesis for comparison). Operations: $351.7 million ($331 million/$351 million) Capital: $195 million ($100 million/$209 million) NECIP: $225 million ($204 million/$250 million) During the past four years Amtrak has been operating at a deficit, that is, the operating grants did not cover all operating expenses. As a consequence, Amtrak has had to use cash reserves, some of which came from operating "surpluses" generated in the late 1980s, and some that came from other sources such as legal settlements with the Penn Central Corporation. These excess funds are now exhausted. Amtrak had requested $381 million for fiscal year 1994 operations, an amount that would have resulted in no shortfall baring any unforeseen problems such as this summer's massive flooding in the Midwest. NARP reports that the resulting service cuts reflect Amtrak management's "determination to narrow the gap between available resources and service levels with a view to improving service quality." The good news for Amtrak comes in the areas of Capital and NECIP grants. Though not as high as Amtrak had requested ($250 million for each category), the appropriated amounts will enable Amtrak to proceed with some important programs. The $195 million capital funds will probably enable Amtrak to order some additional Viewliners to the present order of 50 sleepers being constructed by Morrison-Knudson. Successful financing of the 55-car Superliner II order reported last month is also more likely. No additional reductions in heavy equipment overhauls at Beach Grove are presently being anticipated. Of the $225 million appropriated for NECIP, approximately $175 are earmarked for the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project. These funds will be used for additional track improvements, for the initial phases of constructing the electrification system east of New Haven, CT, and as seed money for the procurement of 26 high-speed trainsets. The remaining monies will be used for NEC improvements south of New York City. Amtrak also received $155 million for mandatory payments such as railroad retirement. Unfortunately, no monies were appropriated for high-speed rail projects outside of the NEC. President Clinton had requested $140 million for these projects. HEARINGS ON SUNSET LIMITED WRECK YIELD MORE CONFUSION Matthew Mitchell, DVRP (RO Newswire) Federal hearings into the cause of the fatal derailment of Amtrak's Sunset Limited determined that the accident was caused by a barge entering a non-navigable bayou and colliding with the railroad bridge, but how the barge and its tugboat got there remains a mystery. Members of the tug crew have given conflicting accounts, alternately blaming fog, navigational lights, and radar failure. A formal report will not be out for some time, but uninformed commentators dreamed up elaborate bridge safety devices and suggested they be applied to every railroad bridge in the country, not knowing that they number in the hundreds of thousands and that the cost of such schemes could reach billions of dollars. Of course those same commentators never thought about who would pay for yet another rail safety overkill measure, or how many more people die because they drive instead of riding a train. Meanwhile, attorneys for Amtrak and for crash victims are proceeding with multi-million dollar lawsuits against anyone and everyone involved. Also on the legal front, Amtrak has sued the operator of a truck which became stuck on a grade crossing near Kissimmee, Florida and was smashed by Amtrak's Silver Meteor November 30. The trucker was hauling an oversized load, and had failed to survey the route or obtain a state-required permit for the move. One piece of good news is that the safety cab of the new GE "Genesis" locomotive worked exactly as designed, protecting the crew from harm and minimizing damage to the train. _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE US High Speed Rail Update @@D _________________________________________________________________ TEXAS TGV FAILS TO MEET FINANCIAL TARGET DVRP (RO Newswire) High-speed rail in the Lone Star state is now much less likely to become a reality, thanks to subsidized road and air competition and unrealistic financial demands placed on the promoters. The Texas TGV consortium announced last month that it could not raise the necessary $170 million in private capital necessary to advance the project. The TGV was to have served a triangle formed by Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. ICE DOESN'T WARM THE HEARTS OF THIS RIDER Many are singing the praises of the ICE train, myself included, after its tour a few months ago. However, the ICE has its opponents, too, who favor the X2000 for Amtrak's high speed rail service of the future. The X2000 fans cite the improved ride from the X2000's advanced tilt technology, and many dislike the ICE's seating. Here is one example from our partner publication, the Delaware Valley Rail Passenger. Opinions expressed are not those of RailOnline magazine or DVRP. Roger Pitcairn Letter to the editor, DVRP (RO Newswire member) _______________________________________________ The November 1993 Delaware Valley Rail Passenger asked if any DVARP members had ridden both the X2000 and the ICE. I did. Specifically, I took the ICE once (1 southbound PHL-WAS trip) and the X2000 five times (1 southbound express Metroliner NYC-WAS trip; 1 NYC-WAS round trip; and 1 PHL-WAS round trip). The X2000 wins my vote. The X2000 rode more smoothly and quietly than the ICE. Obviously, the X2000's better ride is a function of the tilt mechanism which the ICE train lacks. On its native tracks, the ICE train may ride smoothly; however, on my trip south, I thought the ride was possibly even worse than regular Amtrak equipment. I walked the through all the non-first class areas of the ICE and, in doing so, was frequently buffeted from side to side. Furthermore, there were no overhead luggage racks or grab rails to grasp. (Presumably, in Germany, the ICE track conditions are such that no overhead grab rails are needed.) The ICE train was surprisingly noisy--the train made a loud high pitched whine throughout my trip. In term of high tech gadgets, I would say the ICE beats the X2000. The LCD color TVs on the seat backs were neat; however, in terms of appearance and overall comfort, the X2000 beats the ICE. I think the X2000 designers had much better taste than the ICE designers in choosing interior and exterior colors. Also, I thought the ICE train's seats had an incredibly ugly shape and were extremely uncomfortable--the portions supporting the lower back were very hard. Amtrak should have handed out instructions explaining how to use the ICE train's features. For most of the trip, I shared a compartment with some people and we had lots of fun guessing what various knobs, bars, and buttons did! Feedback opportunity -------------------- X2000 or ICE? What's your vote? Whether you've ridden or seen one or both, we'd like to hear from you. CONGRESS SHOOTS DOWN HIGH SPEED FUNDING OUTSIDE NE CORRIDOR No monies in the new Amtrak budget were appropriated for high-speed rail projects outside of the Northeast Corridor. President Clinton had requested $140 million for these projects.Approximately $175 million of the new Amtrak budget is earmarked for the Northeast High-Speed Rail Improvement Project. These funds will be used for additional track improvements, for the initial phases of constructing the electrification system east of New Haven, CT, and as seed money for the procurement of 26 high-speed trainsets. -David Warner Complete article, search @@C ________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE Santa Fe News @@E ________________________________________________________________ ATSF SENDS SAFETY MESSAGE FOR `94 Courtesy Santa Fe News "Santa Fe is well on its way to becoming an injury-free workplace." For most of my 25 years I have worked in operations, and safety has always been a key concern for me. It is my belief that an organization that operates safely will also provide quality, be highly productive and profitable. I understand it is my responsibility to ensure all of you have a safe work environment. Your responsibility is to perform your duties safely and to employ safe work practices in carrying out your assignments. In the fourth quarter of 1993, Santa Fe employees in all areas made tremendous strides in safety improvement. I am dedicated to continue this momentum throughout 1994 and am confident we can achieve our safety goals of a 25 percent reduction in injuries and lost days and no fatalities. Santa Fe is well on its way to becoming an injury-free workplace. Our three-fold policy that no injury is acceptable, all injuries are preventable and working safely is a condition of employment must be consistently applied throughout the company and truly recognized as a driving force for continuous safety improvement. I encourage all employees, supervisors and managers to make this safety policy the basis for every operating activity on the railroad. We have a tremendous potential for 1994 in safety. You can be assured you will have 110 percent of my support to make Santa Fe the safest railroad in the country. - Don McInnes Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer "Each of us every day feels some pressure to get things done. Sometimes when the pressure is on, cutting corners seems like the only way to go. We are so anxious to get the job done that we think it is all right to do less than our best as long as no one notices. Remember, especially when you're under pressure, it is up to all of us to follow the rules and stick to procedures. Your safety and your fellow workers' safety are at stake." - Ronnie Thomas carman/relief supervisor, Argentine car shop ============= Car Movements ============= A unique glimpse of the operations of a railroad Provided by Santa Fe News AUTOMOTIVE TRAFFIC January 4, 1994 Automotive traffic has been light, as is usual for this time of year following the holiday shutdowns. Fleet management reports, however, that as automotive movements resume this month overall shipments will be heavier than usual for this time of year. GM at Oklahoma City is working two nine-hour shifts daily and has just announced it will work two nine-hour shifts on Saturday, January 22. As a result, volume of GM shipments later this month is expected to be heavy. Ford at Kansas City expects to load 140-150 multi-levels next week. Honda at Richmond anticipates loading 130 multi-levels next week. Congestion at El Mirage is still a problem, although the backlog has improved slightly with the reduced traffic levels during the holidays. January 11, 1994 Automotive traffic is picking up. GM at Oklahoma City continues to work two nine-hour shifts daily and has announced it will work two nine-hour shifts on Saturday, January 22, as well as on two Saturdays in February and three Saturdays in March. This bodes well for heavy loadings in upcoming months. Ford at Kansas City expects to load 150 multi-levels this week. Honda at Richmond anticipates loading 70 multi-levels this week. The volume of loads into automotive facilities at San Bernardino and El Mirage is increasing rapidly. Congestion at El Mirage improved significantly over the weekend and loads should now be handled more smoothly. MILITARY MOVEMENTS January 4, 1994 Santa Fe is gearing up for a move of four unit trains of military equipment later this month from Ft. Carson, Colorado, to Ft. Irwin, California. The first train should begin loading on January 20. BOXCAR MOVEMENTS January 4, 1994 End of year slowdowns have meant reduced boxcar loadings for some commodities. Gallo wine is moving at normal levels, about 180 cars this week. Hunt's shipping patterns have change somewhat, with higher volumes than usual for this time of year. This week Hunt expects to move about 120 cars of canned goods from its Oakdale and Fullerton facilities. Perishable shipments -- carrots and citrus -- are increasing to about 90 cars this week. Frozen meat from Kansas and Texas in reefer cars is averaging more than 40 cars per week, resulting in a tight equipment supply. Cotton loadings from west Texas are heavy, with as many as 65 cars loaded one day last week in the Lubbock area. Building materials and paper loadings out of east Texas are typical for this time of year.By planning ahead and carefully positioning equipment, fleet management was able to avoid some of the equipment shortages typically affecting paper product shippers this time of year. January 11, 1994 Boxcar loadings are picking up dramatically for most commodities. Wine and canned goods out of California are averaging 100 cars per day. Perishable shipments out of California are averaging only 8 cars a day, but that figure is expected to reach 20 cars per day as orange shipments increase within the coming week. Frozen meat is averaging 10 cars per day. Cotton loadings from west Texas continue to be very strong, averaging 40 carloads per day. Paper and forest product loadings are high, with about 45 cars of fiberboard and 15 cars of newsprint loaded each day. COVERED HOPPER MOVEMENTS January 4, 1994 Santa Fe anticipates loading 400 to 550 covered hoppers per day for grain loadings. Fleet management is still receiving orders from country elevators as well as unit orders for shipments to the Gulf. Covered hoppers for grain are in tight supply. Potash loadings have dropped off. Domestic orders, however, are expected to pick up soon as shippers prepare a stockpile for the spring spread. Because of last year's flooding, a heavy spring spread is expected this year. Currently, about 120 loads of export potash are at the Gulf, and another 70 cars are to be loaded for export by the middle of the month. The equipment supply is ample to handle current orders. Jumbo airslide cars are still in demand, but there are no shortages at this time. Demand continues to drop for cement covered hoppers. _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE Conrail News @@F _________________________________________________________________ -------- VITAL STATISTIC -------- -> Rail freight rates have fallen 30% since the passing of the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. Period between 1980 and 1991. From a recent report issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission, provided by Conrail Newswire. Covers all US railroads. An "industry first": 30 EMPLOYEES ATTEND TANK CAR SPECIALIST TRAINING AT AAR SITE Conrail Newswire, December 21, 1993 Employees from the Mechanical, Transportation and Safety Departments recently traveled to Pueblo, Colorado to the AAR's Transportation Test Center to attend a "Tank Car Specialist Class." The course was designed to give railroad personnel better understanding of tank car construction and operation so that more accurate damage assessment can be made at the site of an incident. This particular class was a "first" in the rail industry consisting only of Conrail employees. This allowed Conrail to tailor the course materials and activities to its specific needs. The class studied all aspects of tank car operation and safety including car construction, operation, fittings, valves, damage assessment and inspection. The course included actual transfer of a flammable gas and a corrosive material from railcar-to-railcar and railcar-to-truck as well as a simulated haz mat incident. "This experience helps our newly-trained 'hazardous materials sentinels' communicate better with local responders.," said James McNally, director-hazardous materials. NEW PEPCO COAL CONTRACT BRINGS VOLUME COMMITMENT Conrail Newswire, January 11, 1994 Conrail and Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) recently reached agreement on a new contract to supply coal to PEPCO's Morgantown and Chalk Point Generating Plants in Southern Maryland. For the first time, the contract will provide volume guarantees for Conrail-delivered coal. PEPCO agreed to a minimum annual volume of 95 percent of total tonnage delivered to the plants to be shipped via Conrail. Projected annual volume for Conrail is 4 million tons. _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE Chicago Transit @@G _________________________________________________________________ CHICAGO TO CLOSE LINE FOR RENOVATION William Vandervoort, RO News Staff On January 9, Chicago's oldest elevated lines was completely closed for a two year renovation project. This includes the Englewood and Jackson Park lines on the south side, and the Lake Street line on the west side. Since last February those lines have operated as the CTA's Green Line. At that time, the CTA's Howard and Dan Ryan lines were linked together into the new Red Line. In a user friendly move, the CTA has now adopted color coding for its rail lines. For the duration of the project, several CTA bus routes get modified to connect with other rapid transit lines in the vicinity. In addition, the CTA is running limited stop bus routes which approximately follow the closed rail lines, stopping primarily at streets which had had rapid transit stations. The CTA approved the $300 million project in August, after concluding that completely shutting down the line would be more viable than doing work with the line still in operation. An engineering study concluded that if the line were to remain in operation, a 6 to 8 year rehabilitation project would extend the line's life by about 15 years. This intensive and uninterrupted 2 year project will enable the line to last at least another 40 years. _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE Northeast Transit @@H _________________________________________________________________ With the Delaware Valley Rail Passenger (DVRP), RO Newswire member Matthew Mitchell, editor. All stories from February issue DVRP. RailWorks(R) Ridership Statistics: COMING BACK Official reports released by SEPTA last month show passengers returning to the Reading-side commuter rail lines now that construction-related service outages are over. The good news, while expected, is reassuring. Ridership changes so far have been close to DVARP predictions. Ridership losses during phase II of the megaproject were less than during phase I, since many the people who switched to their cars or stopped going to Center City during phase I stayed off the rails last winter and were not counted as lost this year. The net number of SEPTA riders decreased only slightly this year.The biggest variable in determining how much RailWorks will cost SEPTA will be how long it takes for the lost ridership to return to SEPTA. After the1983 strike, that took three years. Perhaps because of the aggressive "Better Than Driving" marketing campaign, rider recovery proceeded well in the fall. The pace is better than DVARP anticipated, but it remains to be seen if the positive trend can be maintained through 1994; if so, the RailWorks drain on SEPTA finances will be reduced. RAIL CRIME: 18-YEAR OLD MURDERED IN LANSDALE YARD; "finger pointing" over cleanup sparked by crime An 18 year old Chalfont woman was found dead in the Lansdale freight yard, a murder victim. According to the Reporter the victim took the 11:13 train from Fern Rock November 8th and arrived in Lansdale about 11:43 pm. The paper states that she called home at 12:25 am and asked her father for a ride. The father, noting that his daughter sounded "distracted," arrived at the station 20 minutes later to pick her up. "I waited around and looked for her. Then I went home thinking we'd get another call from her in a half hour or an hour," he told the Reporter. Her body was found December 2nd. > Murder Sparks Cleanup Finger Pointing According to the Reporter, Borough officials may cite SEPTA for "poor conditions" at the Lansdale Yard. Says SEPTA spokesman Jim Whitaker: "Conrail uses the area. It's their freight area. I think they are responsible for maintaining it." Conrail spokeswoman Andrea Just replied: "we think it is SEPTA's responsibility." > Lansdale Cleanup Gets OK DVARP has learned that efforts to clean up PCB contamination at the Lansdale train station are locked into efforts to clean up the entire Borough of Lansdale. A state legislator's aide told DVARP that the entire borough is a Superfund site. A train station redevelopment effort was scuttled because of the presence of the chemicals. DVARP has also learned that an effort is underway to transfer the $5 million Federal grant earmarked for the proposed Gwynedd Valley Transportation Center to the repair and restoration of the station at Lansdale. DVARP has in the past opposed the ill-conceived Gwynedd Valley project in public hearing testimony. NJT PLANS TO KEEP BUILDING RIDERSHIP New Jersey Transit systemwide ridership increased 1.7% during the last fiscal year. Passenger Transport also reports that this fiscal year NJ Transit budgeted for 41 new services to get people to jobs in the suburbs. "The services will include extensions of existing bus and rail services and a variety of new kinds of transit, including 'flex routes,' rail station shuttles, park-and-rides, mini-buses, and circulators." CAPE MAY SHUTTLE TRAIN ON THE WAY Cape May Seashore Lines is ready to go ahead with its park and ride train service from Tuckahoe to Cape May (see Feb 92 DVRP) as early as next month. Stops at Rio Grand and Cape May Court House are proposed; shopkeepers in Middletown are clamoring for a stop there too. NJ SETS TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE "TransAction '94," the New Jersey statewide intermodal transportation conference, is to be held March 29 and 30 at the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. For information and registration, contact Frank Reilly, Morris County DOT, PO Box 900, Morristown, NJ 07963, phone 201-829-8101. SEPTA SUBMITS STATION GRANTS Five RRD stations: one in each county, are to be restored if SEPTA gets "transportation enhancement" grants authorized under ISTEA. The stations selected are: Allen Lane, Haverford, Radnor, Strafford, and Doylestown. FEDS INTERVENE IN LI DISPUTE A Presidential Emergency Board established under the archaic Railway Labor Act handed down a recommended contract settlement for Long Island Rail Road employees in a labor dispute going back to 1992. The package includes modest wage increases and work rule changes. If the UTU and LIRR cannot settle their differences based on this proposal, a settlement can be imposed by Congress. NJ-LI TUNNEL UNDER STUDY The Star-Ledger reports that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is planning a $5 million study to explore the feasibility of a second Long Island to New Jersey connection, via midtown Manhattan. The study will also look at the possibility of using such a tunnel to provide freight access to Long Island. PEOPLE OF THE YEAR Editorial, Matthew Mitchell The biggest story of 1993 was the conclusion of the RailWorks(R) megaproject. While the people who did the construction work and got the job done on time and under budget have gotten well-deserved credit for their efforts, DVARP pointed to the loss of RRD ridership as cause for concern. Finally, this threat to the long-term health of the railroad has been recognized by SEPTA management, and work is underway to stem the flow of passengers to the private auto. Richard DiLullo, SEPTA's head of marketing, is in charge of this effort. In a move we applauded in these pages, he's meeting the challenge head-on, with the "SEPTA, Better than Driving" campaign. New Jersey Transit is giving serious thought to passenger rail service for Burlington and Gloucester Counties. James Schwartzwalder, Area Planning Manager for NJ Transit has set an excellent example for his peers in the transit planning business by going out to the community both to sell NJ Transit's ideas and more importantly to hear the public response to them. That kind of attitude is essential in winning public support for any project. Kim Heinle is recognized here as an example of new thinking within SEPTA. Heinle has filled a variety of roles in the Authority, and in each of them been willing to reject the tired excuses offered by other management personnel--'we need more money,' 'it won't work in Philadelphia,' 'what if it doesn't work?' He has also been willing to look outside the usual places for support--Heinle's vision created the widely acclaimed Trolleyfest '93. Not all of our persons of the year represented good news though. Political interference with the business of public transportation was popular sport in Harrisburg, so State Senator Vince Fumo (D-South Phila.) is recognized on behalf of his colleagues. Fumo's efforts to wring money for Philadelphia interests out of the Delaware River Port Authority are likely to lead to a fare increase for PATCO riders, while the State Legislature's short-sighted efforts to protect a foreign company with ties to Pittsburgh caused the SEPTA Board to waste four months and a quarter-million dollars. It could have cost taxpayers millions more had the contractors not extended the validity of their bids. The team of Gayle Belford and Alan Wickersham are abject proof of the adage that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. An existing schedule spreadsheet, a growing public information service, and a few hours of formatting work yielded a first-of-its kind information resource at virtually no cost to SEPTA. While their project of getting SEPTA train schedules on the Internet is not going to have a big impact right away, it is an excellent demonstration of how public agencies can and should be seeking out and using unusual resources: an example of "Reinventing Government." --- THE DELAWARE VALLEY RAIL PASSENGER, RO NEWSWIRE MEMBER Matthew Mitchell, editor For RailOnline: Peter Kirn Tom Borawski, DVRP production manager Chuck Bode, DVARP president With correspondents: Chuck Bode, Howard Bender, Tom Borawski, Bob Machler, James Morgan, Don Nigro, John Pawson. Special thanks to Amtrak Public Affairs, and to Mary Donahue, John McGee, and Kim Scott Heinle of SEPTA. DVRP Subscriptions: $7.50, DVARP, PO Box 7505, Philadelphia, PA 19101 DVRP has been an RO Newswire member since July `93. ________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE British Rail Travel News @@I ________________________________________________________________ EUROPEAN NEWS RETURNS NEXT MONTH... Adri Noort's European bi-monthly news column will be featured in the next issue of RailOnline Magazine. (subject to change) SAVINGS OFF THE TRACKS: NEW BRITRAIL HOTEL PROGRAM Peter Kirn, RO News Staff BritRail, in "a move to offer travelers more than rail travel", has introduced a hotel savings program for 1994. Travelers who spend $49 or more on any BritRail product will receive savings on accommodations in Britain, Ireland, and in the capital cities of Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Hotel prices range from $49-$84 in the off-season (now through March 31, 1994) and $60-$112 per person in peak season (April 1 through October 31, 1994), and include private bath/shower, local taxes, service charges and breakfast. "The hotel program is the natural complement to our rail products, and will help out passengers stretch their travel dollars even further, " says Tim Roebuck, president of BritRail Travel in North America. --- For further information, please contact your travel agent or BritRail Travel International, Inc., at 1500 Broadway, New York, NY 10036-4015; telephone (212) 575-2667. BritRail is the North American marketing arm of British Rail offering travel packages for customers on the opposite side of the Atlantic. Special thanks to Bob Halcums with BritRail Travel. _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE Canadian Rails @@J _________________________________________________________________ CN & CPRS TO MERGE PART OF OPERATIONS Bryce Lee, RO News Staff The Newco Railway: this is the unofficial name of the new railway proposed on December 29, 1993 by operators of both Canadian National North America and Canadian Pacific Railway System to merge all of their operations east of the Ontario-Manitoba border and all of their jointly-operated lines to Chicago. Both railways plan to approach the Canadian federal government in 1994 to facilitate the merger which is expected to happen two years from now. Look for massive abandonments of trackage in Eastern Canada and spinoffs to short lines. [See next article] The Ontario province's labor laws will make it difficult for many short lines to be started as the law guarantees jobs to successor companies if a railway or company merges or changes hands and continues operating; all former employees will have access to positions with any new employer with the same wages and benefits as with their previous employer. Short lines are usually set up to reduce the cost of labor and to continue the operation of vital railway lines. Both national railways have already agreed to merge their operations between Ottawa and North Bay. It is expected that the Northern Transcontinental Railway (CNNA) passing through such communities as Capreol, Foleyet, Hornepayne and Longlac and on to Armstrong will become a victim of the cutbacks, with traffic passing to the shorter CPRS route to the south. Ontario Northland Railway took over CNNA's 129.1 mile Kapuskasing Subdivision between Hearst and Cochrane Junction on August 16 last year. ENDANGERED LINES: The following lines may be sold or abandoned as a result of the CN/CPRS merger Bryce Lee - Lines from Toronto to the North Bay and Sudbury Three lines, two CNNA, one CPRS - Lines west from the Niagra Peninsula/Fort Erie and Toronto to Windsor/Detroit and Sarnia/Pt. Huron. From south to north, these include: - The former NYC mainline (Canada Southern), now jointly operated by CNNA and CPRS - Two CN lines from Toronto, one running west through Kitchener to London, the other west through the outskirts of Hamilton to Brantford and on to London - The CPRS line from West Toronto to Milton (present end of GO service) and west to London and then to Windsor and Detroit - East of Toronto there are three lines of concern... - The double track main CNNA Lakeshore line to Montreal - The main CPRS line to Montreal running west through Smiths Falls - The CPRS route to Peterborough which terminates at Havelock, Ontario LAST CP ALCO/MLW SHUT DOWN Bryce Lee, RO News Staff The big news on the Canadian Pacific Rail System (CPRS) was the ceremonial shutting down of the last large ALCO/MLW, unit 4706, on Thursday, December 23, 1993. Bill Stinson p, president of CP Limited, the holding company of which CPRS is a part, performed the honors. All large CPRS Montreal Locomotive Works 4500 (M-630) and 4700 (M-636) series locomotives are now retired and stored. In fact, unit 4711, re-engined with a Caterpillar 3608 engine (3000 hp) in 1988 by Peaker Services of Brighton, Michigan, and 8921 (RSD-17) will be the only remaining large locomotives from Alco on CPRS. These two locomotives will travel to Ogden shops in Calgary in early 1994 for updates and repainting into the new CPRS corporate scheme. Locomotives 4743 and an unidentified 4500 are destined for the Canadian Railway Historical Museum at St. Constant in Quebec. Locomotive 4500 is destined for the York-Durham Regional Museum in Ontario province. LEASING UPDATE: SIX-AXLE FOREIGN POWER BY THE DOZENS Bryce Lee with Peter Kirn for RO CPRS is currently leasing 15 GSCX units and 10 D&H units assigned to the D&H line, 21 dark blue HLCX units assigned to Montreal, 4 IC units assigned to Montreal-St. Luc. and Soo Line, 9 Caterpillar-powered ex-BN GP20c's assigned to the Soo Line in Minneapolis, and 3 NRE units assigned to Toronto. With the exception of the ex-BN, GL units, all power is SD-40 or SD40-2. CPRS: IN BRIEF Bryce Lee, RO News Staff CPRS has announced a formalized RENUMBERING OF ALL OF ITS LOCOMOTIVES as a result of the acquisition of the Delaware & Hudson and the Soo Line in the past years. The cost to renumber one locomotive, given the changes in paperwork required and the physical change of number on the locomotive is about $500 in Canadian funds. This renumbering will not be immediate. CPRS HAS MOVED from the Indiana Harbor Belt Yard at Riverdale, Illinois to the Belt Railway of Chicago yard, effective at the end of November. The National Transportation Act of November 11, 1993 endorsed CPRS's request to ABANDON THE CHALK RIVER SUBDIVISION from Smiths Falls to Pembroke and Camspur to Mattawa on the North Bay Subdivision; CNNA can also abandon 3 km in North Bay. CNNA: In brief Bryce Lee, RO News Staff 40 more units HAVE BEEN PAINTED in the new Canadian National North America scheme. CNNA RETIRED 16 UNITS on November 12 and November 27 of last year, including two electric boxcabs and one trailer coach. CNNA MAY PURCHASE 24 ex-Union Pacific SD40's in the spring. These would perhaps go to AMF and emerge as additional 6000 class locomotives. Quebec moves for commuters with coach purchase DVRP (RO Newswire) The province of Quebec has purchased 80 USED SINGLE-LEVEL COACHES from Ontario's GO Transit. New service on at least two, and as many as six lines radiating from Montreal is planned, pending a financial arrangement between the province and the municipalities to be served. GO BREAKS GROUND FOR COMBINED RAIL & ROAD GO CENTER Bryce Lee, RO News Staff GO Transit broke ground at the former Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo Hunter Street station in downtown Hamilton on December 14, 1993 for the combined GO Transit Rail & Road Center. The 1932 TH&B station which GO Transit is purchasing from present owner CPRS, is designated as an historic structure and will renovated to current standards retaining as much of the Art Moderne style as possible. Restoration, the station, and the office will cost C$16 million and are expected to be completed within eighteen months; the new GO Center is scheduled for a mid-1995 opening. Renovations will probably include direct access stairs ramps and elevators to the restored platform level. The normal compliment of officials attended the ground-breaking ceremony, which included the display of an operational 1951 Chrysler saloon with flanged wheels for track inspection on the TH&B. Retired in 1980, the automobile has been preserved by the South Simcoe Railway, a Southern Ontario steam heritage railway operating on a portion of the Beeton Sub at Tottenham, Ontario. A bus terminal will be added on the south side of the station along Beckley street, with 17 bus bays and 11 spaces for short-term layover of buses; the terminal will have a full-length platform and canopies. The new GO Center will replace the current GO facilities at CN's James Street North and bus terminal on Rebecca Street. --- RO Newswire's Canadian coverage is hosted by Bryce Lee in Burlington, ON. Special thanks to Tom Bowers, James A. Brown, Bruce Chapman, Doug Conrad, Randall C. Kotuby, Bill Linley, Al Turner, Branchline magazine V32 N11, the Globe & Mail, and CP Rail System News. Please send news and comments about Canadian railways to Bryce Lee, PO Box 71047, Maplehurst Postal Outlet, Burlington, Ontario L7T 4J8. Bryce Lee has been in RO since issue 3. _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE t I d B i T s ! @@! _________________________________________________________________ RO Newswire with flavor! COMPUTERIZED INFO SYSTEM: A "TALKING TIMETABLE" FOR COMMUTERS Tom Borawski, DVRP (RO Newswire) SEPTA recently accepted bids for a "Computer Based Voice Response System" which will enhance the delivery of transit information to the riding public. According to the Request For Proposal, the system will have the capability of providing Railroad Division, Subway-Elevated Division and Suburban Division (high speed) schedule information based on "station to station, time of day and day of week requirements" of the caller. Maryland's MARC has had this kind of 'talking timetable' in service for some time now.For Suburban and City bus, trolley and trackless trolley routes the system will provide "frequency of service schedule and general route information based on route, time of day and day of week specification" by the caller. The system will also give information on fares, and sales outlet addresses. For the Railroad Division, Subway-Elevated Division and Suburban Transit rail lines the system will provide a station locator index which has the caller use the touch-tone keypad to spell the station name. The system will retain the voice-mail "Dial-a-Schedule" function and will also retain the customer's option to speak to a live SEPTA agent. Those with pulse-type phones will automatically be transferred to an agent. SAN FRANCISCO STREETCAR RIDERS SURPRISED BY FLASHIER TROLLEYS Chuck Bode, DVRP (RO Newswire) Raves for a trolley fleet reported by San Francisco's Market Street Railway: San Franciscans have been doing double-takes along the city's streetcar lines the past few weeks, as brightly colored trolleys swoosh by, looking like they just came from the showroom floor. "...the car was really zipping along. A test ride along the J-line right-of-way on San Jose Avenue clocked the car at nearly 50 mph. It rode exceedingly smoothly at that speed, too, without the bobbing and weaving of many of Muni's old PCCs. "When used with the raised boarding islands now under construction... [they] comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A lightweight folding bridge stored behind the operator's seat and deployed manually allows wheelchair users to roll from the island right through the front doors, from which the center stanchion has been removed." BIZARRE ACCIDENT ON SEPTA DVRP (RO Newswire) A man was killed by a Route 100 train as he was attempting to board at the Conshohocken Road station at 9:20 am December 22nd. According to The Times Herald, the man rushed up to the station platform after the train began to depart. The operator, seeing the man, stopped the train and started to back up. Lower Merion Police Lt. Michael Tansey said the man slipped off the platform and was pinned between the right rear train wheel and the third railcover board. It was then discovered that the victim was allegedly fleeing the scene of a burglary he had just committed. The Times Herald reported that the victim was found with personal papers and cash stolen from a house in Upper Merion Township. The burglar had broken into the house and taken boxes containing the papers and cash. Police believe that he was attempting to flee the scene of the crime when the accident occurred. BBSs OF THE MONTH >From DVRP (RO Newswire) A free local computer bulletin board operated by the Philadelphia Area Computer Society has a forum where some people discuss transit issues. Dial 215-842-9600 (8-N-1). Once connected type "J RAIL" There's also a railfan BBS which has a national forum--609-723-1393. ARE YOU A USER OR A SYSOP ON A BBS? Submit it to BBS of the month! _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE Perspective @@K _________________________________________________________________ EUROPE PROVES CLOSE TO HOME Debates over transit in Europe turn out to be universal James S. Morgan, DVRP (RO Newswire) An article in the May 21 issue of Die Zeit entitled "Uber die Verfassungswidrigkeit unserer Autos" [On the Unconstitutionality of our Automobiles] is a spoof on some antirailroad forces, in which a law professor, Michael Ronellen-fitsch, claimed to have discovered a new German constitutional right to mobility. He based his argument on an appeal to Article 4 of the German constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion. Missionaries require mobility. Hence, the failure of the state to build more roads restricts the freedom to proselytize. Wesel argues that there is no constitutional right to mobility. Instead, he relies on Article 2 of the constitution to urge that the use of automobiles violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom from bodily injury [krperliche Unversehrtheit], the inviolability of the person. Wesel is mocking conservatives who urge diminution of railway appropriations in the name of privatization and the automobile. Note that former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt is on the editorial board of the newspaper. Wesel seeks to show tongue in cheek that the same basic right that the Constitutional Supreme Court in Karlsruhe invoked to deny then West German women access to abortion should now be invoked to vouchsafe the same right on the highways. The court will not have to criminalize acts, but simply lower speed limits! The article concludes with a quotation from Erich Honecker, former East German Communist Party boss, uttered during his trial for ordering the shooting of fleeing refugees. More than 200 refugees were shot, but every year 10,000 people die on German highways. Until unification, the use of automobiles was restricted in East Germany. Honecker suggests that the Department of Governmental Criminality turn its attention to those bureaucrats in the West who, unresponsive to public needs, shaped a transportation system which kills so many people every year. Wesel concludes by saying that when Honecker is right (which may not be often), he is right! A quasi-satire on the unconstitutionality of automobile travel may not seem quite germane to rail transportation. And, of course, the German constitutional context is very different from our own, in part as a result of measures designed to prevent a recurrence of Nazi atrocities. But then, Die Zeit really does not believe that at least British railfans know what the relevant issues are. Reiner Luyken's "Funf Uhr dreissig ab Charing Cross" [Five thirty from Charing Cross] on in the April 23 issue criticizes British attempts to sabotage the Eurotunnel by insisting upon the use of diesel locomotives. Luyken pokes fun at British railfans with their checklists of ancient diesels that rail enthusiasts should see, and at their chauvinistic adoration of British diesels as the best and fastest in the world. Such "fans" unwittingly serve the interests of Times readers who drive Volvos or Mercedes Benz's and oppose the Eurotunnel because British Rail is one of the last non-privatized state enterprises, and a symbol of union power. Die Zeit does not quite wholeheartedly endorse the French TGV (Train a grande vitesse), however. Developments in France suggest that it would not be appropriate. "Cinq syndicats de cheminots lancent un appel a la grve pour le 12 octobre" [Five rail unions call for a strike October 12] in the October 8 Le Monde states that the unions believe that the quality and safety of public service will be impaired if TGV East continues to be financed out of the already indebted Fernch National Railway: SNCF. The question is, then, why are local SNCF stations being closed and operations being reorganized in favor of TGV service? An article by Wolfgang Blum, "Streit um den Superzug" [Controversy over the Supertrain], which appeared in the April 9 Die Zeit addresses this question both in terms of the French TGV and the German ICE. The ICE is designed for service at 250 kilometers per hour or faster, and uses one third more electricity per passenger-kilometer than do conventional trains. The ICE is energy competitive only in comparison with the automobile and airplane. In other words, the ICE and the TGV are forms of rail transit designed to be competitive in a privatized transportation industry where speed is king because of the preeminence of the automobile and the airplane.Blum simply recommends that the environmental costs of automobile and airplane travel be taken into account. He does not mount the attack on the speed cult which they have engendered that Wesel does. Blum suggests that the public be informed that time spent travelling on conventional trains can be used for reading, resting or sightseeing in ways in which the time spent rushing about in cars, or even planes, cannot be. Some of Blum's arguments that train travel time is time that can be better utilized might prove valuable to area rail transit advocates. But when I read William Vigrass's history of PATCO, I think we need more of Wesel's direct attacks on the car cult, and some Luyken-style self-criticism for not having seen this earlier. --- Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of RO, DVRP, or their affiliates. Here's your chance to get on a soapbox - send your opinions to RailOnline! We'll try to select one or two for printing each month. _________________________________________________________________ RO NEWSWIRE LATE-BREAKING NEWS Winter Blues: Nature an obstacle for railroads @@L _________________________________________________________________ A double-whammy has hit US railroads in the month of January - cold weather, heavy snowfall, including blizzard conditions in parts of the country, and an earthquake on the West Coast have challenged crews nationwide. -PK CHICAGO William Vandervoort, RO News Staff, Illinois, Jan. 23 The third week in January brought extremely cold weather to parts of the United States. This, in addition to the January 17 earthquake in southern California, caused disruptions for Amtrak's passenger trains. On January 18 the temperature in Chicago never got above -11 F. (-24 C.), tying an all time record for the lowest high temperature for an entire day. This was one of several days in a row when the temperature never got above 0 F. The result was the cancellation of many Amtrak trains in and out of its hub at Chicago Union Station. The Broadway Limited was the only train getting through between Chicago and the east coast, although often several hours late. The Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited, and the Cardinal all got cancelled a few times. At times the Broadway Limited instead used the Capitol Limited's route between Chicago and Pittsburgh, via Cleveland. In addition, some midwestern trains were cancelled, while some long distance trains south and west of Chicago were significantly delayed. Metra, Chicago's commuter rail system, had some delays and stalled trains during the cold weather. Most affected was the South Shore Line, with downed electrical wires. But overall, the weather made only a minor dent in what is generally regarded as the finest commuter rail system in the nation. Normally, Metra's on-time record has been 97 percent. LOS ANGELES Harry Sutton for RO, California, Jan. 19 All long distance Amtrak trains from L.A. are running, departing on time except the Starlight. My very reliable Amtrak contact in L.A. said late yesterday that they hoped to have the Northridge line open late last night, and then the Starlight would run normally (but slow thru Northridge!) today. San Diegan trains are running normally L.A.-San Diego. None were running L.A.-Santa Barbara, of course (same line thru Northridge). Amtrak hopes to restore that service today. The rail lines must be closed and inspected (FRA rules) after each quake/aftershock of 5.0 or higher "in the area" (area not defined). So delays and annulments are possible at any time. San Joaquins buses are using a torturous route up 101 and around the quake area. Expect at least 1 hour delays, probably 2 since this is the ONLY route open in that direction. L.A. Metrolink put 5 vs 3 car trains on the Santa Clarita line yesterday. Moorpark line was out (same track as above). Longer and more trains may be used today. Some delays due to crossing gates not working (power outages). Metrolink carried about twice as many passengers as usual yesterday, with many business and all schools closed. NORTHEAST Peter Kirn, RO News Staff, via northeastern contacts January 19, 20 - While temperatures in the Northeast have been significantly warmer than here in Chicagoland, most or all of Amtrak's trains have been running with significant delays, and at least one Metroliner has been cancelled. NJ Transit in particular has been having difficulties with frozen switches and signals. Between Chicago and the East Coast, matters were even worse, with the Broadway Limited the only train running between the two regions on the 20th. The Broadway ran over the Capitals route between Pittsburg and Chicago. Conrail and CSX have been struggling with the cold, snow, and ice. Frozen trains, switches, and broken rails have kept crews plenty busy, and the crews themselves have had difficulty getting to the yards. Power difficulties have added to the problem, as the Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. regions, for example, have been undergoing "rolling blackouts" to compensate for heavy power usage. Metroliners have had to cut power usage. AS OF PRESS TIME Chicago was hardest hit by the weather, but is not alone. The south, too, has had unusually cold weather resulting from the same jet stream. CSX's Atlanta Yard was the victim of a water main break. A frontal system is sweeping across the country as of January 24, though, bringing much warmer temperatures. I hope to have more details for you next issue. -PK _________________________________________________________________ RAILONLINE FEATURES COVER STORY The Online Rail World @@M _________________________________________________________________ by Peter Kirn, RO Staff A discussion with TrainNet sysop Dorr Altizer provides insight into the future of online services everywhere, and into how they can effect the rail community. --- "It's definitely changing the way railfans see the railroad... I've seen a lot of railfans change and grow." - Dorr Altizer, TrainNet sysop In 1981, Dorr Altizer logged onto a modem service called "MacroNet". 1981 was before the "computer revolution" had taken hold, so no one even had a color monitor. MacroNet barely resembled the most primitive BBSs of today. The service didn't have any forums, file libraries, or news services, the staples of modern modem use. In fact, MacroNet was mostly focused around chat areas, the predecessor of today's CB mode. The interface on this is really the only aspect of this early service that has survived onto the online services of 1994. CB mode has no moderator, and no topic; it's the "roller derby" of electronic communities. MacroNet had few SIGs, too, so the whole service was close to a giant "free for all". Dorr would've been lucky to even get that far, though, since the MacroNet system was overloaded with calls - probably less a sign of the success to come as a sign of the inadequacy of the hardware. Most of the time the service was busy. Over a decade later, the online rail world isn't ready for prime time yet, and even modem services have a ways to go. However, it is big enough that I can only cover a fraction. Dorr Altizer left the United States in 1984 to head to an embassy in Kenya. When he came back in summer 1985, an amazing transformation had occurred, and MacroNet was long gone. MacroNet was now CompuServe, the name CIS users now know the service by, and within months the roots of CIS' rail community were planted. In 1994, CompuServe is right at the heart of the online community, along with a service that's just about its opposite, the Internet, a huge service linked primarily through the governmental and education (words don't describe how big Internet is). CompuServe's TrainNet forum, Internet's UseNet railfan news group, and Prodigy compliment smaller services such as CIS Travel SIG's rail travel section, GEnie, Delphi, and BBSs nationwide. I know you Internet readers will balk at this, but the story of CompuServe perhaps best exemplifies the evolution of rail services online. CompuServe, though greatly aided by Internet, has been the biggest force behind RailOnline. And CIS' TrainNet has one of the most active and dynamic sets of users on the CompuServe service. One of the things you'll learn quickly is that size means nothing online - in fact, it can sometimes cause problems. TrainNet has an intelligent, diversified user base. The reason for that goes back to 1985. In summer 1985, when Dorr rediscovered CompuServe, he found a completely re-vamped system. CIS now included an electronic "mall", news and weather services, and special-interest forums will libraries of files, live conferences, and message bases. And , yes, by 1985, people did start to buy color monitors! One of the forums on CompuServe in 1985 was a small section called "ModelNet". ModelNet was actually intended for airplane and rocket models. Before long, though, the model railroading faction began taking over the forum. Dorr Altizer, a model railroader himself, became an assistant sysop for the forum in the fall 1985. More model railroaders isn't a problem in itself, but soon the railroad fans became a bit too numerous, and the airplane and rocket modelers started to get upset. CompuServe only allots a certain amount of space for messages on each given forum, and model railroaders were sucking up all the message spaces with - you guessed it - model railroading messages. Soon, the rest of the ModelNet users were logging on to see all their messages deleted. The model railroading group started petitioning CIS in late 1987 to try to get a separate train forum. This was a long, drawn-out process, though, and time went by. In February of 1989, about a decade after the first CompuServe predecessor went online, trains got their own forum, TrainNet. Dorr Altizer and Corbett Price used the message base from ModelNet to develop a list of about 325 names that formed the original users of TrainNet. Dorr estimates that of those original 325, about 50 have probably survived to today. And the rest is history. TrainNet quickly attracted attention on CompuServe. In only a few years, TrainNet is now pushing 9,000 users, making it a large forum even by CompuServe standards, and much larger than ModelNet. Offline, TrainNet hasn't been successful at all. CompuServe botched up an advertising campaign in Model Railroader for ModelNet since they didn't consult those involved with TrainNet, or anyone for that matter. And rail publications haven't focused much on modem communication, aside from a few devoted writers at a few publications. TrainNet has had a major impact on its users, though, according to Dorr, especially since many of the TrainNet users are not hobbyists; many are employees. This has an important effect on railfans. "It's definitely changing the way railfans see the railroad," says Dorr Alitzer, now TrainNet's sysop. "Most railfans are enamored of the equipment, but know nothing of how the railroads operate. I've seen a lot of railfans change and grow." Most of the discussions on TrainNet aren't about getting the best shot of a certain engine, in fact. The most active threads are about the operations of the event. For example, the recent earthquake in Los Angeles and cold weather nationwide in their effect on railroads have been a major topic for discussion on TrainNet in the last week. (See our RO Newswire article for more.) But, while TrainNet benefits railfans, will it benefit railroads? Dorr says yes, in the long run. Conrail and Santa Fe provide news on a weekly basis from the inside of the railroad, and Dorr believes this look at railroads - without the `colored glasses' the railfan-perspective publications provide - will benefit the railroads in the long term. If nothing else, Conrail got one more employee as a result of TrainNet. A 17-year-old fellow logged onto TrainNet one day and posted a message that said "I want to work for a railroad. How do I go about doing it?" The employees were able to answer the guy's question, and a few years later, when I logged onto TrainNet and introduced the concept of RailOnline, I found a message from him.. The message broke the good news: he had completed his training, and was now a Conrail engineer. And online services are beginning to creep into rail publications. DC Warner with Passenger Train Journal, perhaps one of the most respected publications in terms of quality rail news, uses CompuServe frequently. Recently, a question came up as to whether online information hurts his publication. He says the answer is no. "I certainly welcome information provided online," says Warner. "This forum is a good source of news about rail operations around the country because the members live around the country. And, in the case of a big item such as the earthquake, the on-the-scene information that is available on the forum is very useful. My job of gathering news for PTJ about Amtrak operations has been made significantly easier by using CompuServe and other on-line services," he says. The list of correspondents on CompuServe's Travel SIG alone is pretty impressive. "Today we have about 20 regular contributors plus our representatives from BritRail, VIA, Rail Europe and occasionally Eddie from Swiss Federal," says sysop Dennis Larson. "And of course Ted Kildegaard is almost our Official Travel Agent as many of us have gotten Amtrak and VIA tickets through him," he says. That's just for a single section on the Travel SIG forum, the rail travel section. TrainNet is many times larger, with hundreds of regular message authors and dozens of files uploaded each month. Perhaps most interesting of all, online communications has altered the course of the so-called "computer revolution" itself. "What made computers take off is online services," says Dorr Altizer, especially BBSs and Internet. TrainNet reached its 100,000th message around New Year's Day, and celebrates its fith anniversary this month. Where is it going in the next five years? "Multimedia may be the future of TrainNet," says Dorr. GIF graphics and WAV sounds, says Dorr, are the most compelling to users and, despite their large size, have been very popular. It's the visual, according to Dorr, that will drive online services into the future. Dorr flattered me by saying "the RailOnlines" will be a big part of that. In fact, while it required a good 800k to download including the viewer file, the Farallon Replica edition of RailOnline has had a download count nearing that of the ASCII version. With faster modems, the trends towards the visual is accelerating. Even better news for TrainNet, CompuServe is slicing its rates in half effective at the beginning of February. TrainNet is already growing at an exponential rate, and this will probably make that even better. CompuServe as a whole is growing. "CIS feeds itself," according to Dorr. The more users, the better the service, the more active the users, the better the service, the more active the users, and so on. TrainNet as it is right now, though, is a joining of three major communities, the model railroading community, railfanning community, and employee. There is a great deal of crossover between these sections, or at least the railfanning and model railroading communities, despite criticisms which have even reached RailOnline that model railroaders and railfans don't belong together. Dorr points out here, "If you're a model railroader, how can you not be a railfan?" Dorr believes TrainNet will someday be broken into three separate forums farther down the line, as many other forums on CompuServe have, one for each community: a model railroading forum, a railfanning forum, and a rail employee forum. There is some question as to whether that would destroy the unity between forums. Using history as reasoning, that's unclear. On CompuServe alone, splitting forums into fragments has had both effects; some services have lost users when they are divided while others retain that unity while gaining strength from the separation. Certainly there would be different factions as to which path was taken. I leave you with a glimpse of what was happening on TrainNet as I was writing this article. See the sidebar for a view of what message action was going on, and a selected discussion topic from each section. The biggest topic by far was Amtrak work ethics, with 30 messages in the past three days, unusually high. Back only a few years ago - epochs in "computer evolution time" - when the computer revolution was still young, the programmers and engineers at pioneer organizations like Xerox/Palo Alto and Apple were bent on "changing the world". As the Beatles would say, "we all want to change the world". It's really exciting when it actually happens. Online services aren't making sweeping, massive changes throughout the rail community, of course, we all know this community is far too rigid to change in any direction quickly. But it is making big changes on a smaller scale; it's changing individuals. Especially for railfans and hobbyists, it's changing the way we look at the railroads. It's keeping us informed about the way they operate and grow, and giving us that information from a more reliable source than rumors or the conventional mass media could give us. (And, I hope, especially through services such as RailOnline.) And it's changing the way we look at our selves, just as communication usually has a nasty habit of doing. The 20th century, and computers along with it, were supposed to bring all sorts of innovations. We were supposed to be commuting to work in helicopters. We were supposed to be into World War III by the 1990s. We were supposed to have fought the "war to end all wars" - several times over. We were supposed to have as many computers as televisions. We were supposed to be on Mars by five years ago. Now, the same sorts of wild predictions are being made. And we're supposed to have an information superhighway "real soon now". Where we can `interact' with Jeopardy and `interact' with Home Shopping Club. And we're all supposed to be living in peace without predjudice "real soon now". And, according to the UN, women won't be equal to men for another thousand years. Sure, we hear all sorts of promises for the human race. So, perhaps the reason we keep logging onto online services is that its comfort to see things changing, and be part of that force rather than just hearing about it. We don't have to worry about changing the computer world; it changes itself every week. And each one of us is able to be an active voice on online forums. And, if we can't watch the world changing, we can watch ourselves - we can watch ourselves learning every day, without stopping, something we thought would stop one day. So, I salute the Dorr Altizers and the Corbett Prices of the world, on TrainNet, and, really, everyone who is a constructive part of their online community. I'd love to mention all their names; there are dozens I can think of right off the top of my head. But since you're all paying for downloading it, I won't. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to change ourselves. Not too shabby for a bundle of steel, silicon, and some electrical impulses and analog signals across wire. --- A graphic accompanies this article. Contact 73232,3534 for info on downloading it from CompuServe, or 73232.3534@compuserve.com for info on downloading it from Internet. A TYPICAL DAY ON TRAINNET... >From late afternoon, January 22, to the afternoon of the 23rd Section Topics Messages General 3 3 RR Employees' Corner 12 35 Transit Topics 4 12 Railfans 23 81 Photography/Paint 3 8 Locomotives 4 4 Model RR Layouts 8 12 Swap Shop 8 17 Games/Simulations 2 2 HO Scale 10 30 Z Scale & N Scale 3 4 S, O, G & Tinplate 3 5 Computer/Electronic 7 21 NRHS Members 1 1 Non Train Stuff 3 11 Action was rather slow in the general section, without any messages heralding new files. One of the three messages was asking for information on a Pacific Northwest fire in a tunnel. Railroad Employees' Corner was buzzing with activity; the section has been doing especially well this month. One of the topics was a discussion on flagging distance. Transit topics had the usual activity, including a discussion about Long Island RR rosters. "Amtrak work ethics" was the big topic in the Railfans section, along with folks continuing to chat about the aftermath of the LA earthquake and recent cold weather. Photography and paint's messages consisted of GIFs and uploading chat. Locomotives, which usually discusses model railroading, included a thread about AHM motors. The model railroad section included a thread entitled "Liquid Nails Latex", and swap shop had various models and memorabilia for sale. The numbers of modelers in the various scales on TrainNet clearly reflects that of model railroaders in general - the vast majority in HO, with fewer in tinplate and other scales. Games/simulations was pretty quiet, with most discussions on train software in Computers/Electronics. That section, surprisingly, was also discussing a TV show, Makin' Tracks. The "Non Train Stuff" section was even farther off its stated mission, with most of the discussions being, well, trains! No one had anything to say on the BLE/UTU union section or NMRA sections this time around. All in all, a pretty average two days, with message numbers a little higher than normal - perhaps a sign of TrainNet's growth. -PK _________________________________________________________________ RAILONLINE FEATURES Travel: ALGOMA CENTRAL IN WINTER @@N _________________________________________________________________ The dead of winter - what better time to go on a 9 hour trip in record cold on a steam-heated, subsidized ACR train? Pack your bag lunches, chip the ice off your feet, and hop aboard! by Daniel Dawdy My wife, Amy, and I like to do things a little backwards. This past summer we vacationed in New Orleans, LA. Now, in the dead of winter, we were off to Canada to ride the Algoma Central Railroads's essential services train between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst, Ontario. ...essential services meaning it receives subsidies from the Provincial Government to continue operations. This is not to be confused with the Algoma's Central Agawa Canyon Tour Train, a beautiful one day trip we've taken in summer and fall. This was to be a 9 hour trip to Hearst in record cold temperatures with some of the last regular steam heated passenger equipment left in North America. We made the 9 hour drive from our home in Lisle, IL., to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on December 23rd. We decided to buy our tickets upon arrival instead of waiting until the next morning. The winter schedule for Northbound train #1 is Friday, Saturday and Monday only. Southbound train #2 is Saturday, Sunday and Monday only. No need to buy tickets early, as the train is not heavily used, although those who do use it, need it. Fares are $99.00 round trip in Canadian funds. The agent reminded us that there was no diner on the train and to be sure to pack a sack lunch of some sort. (The Agawa Canyon Tour Train does run with two diners and the food is fresh and very reasonable.) The rest of the afternoon was spent buying warmer clothes as the weather was getting cooler than I had expected. Also, since many American banks charge a surcharge to exchange currency, we waited until getting to Canada before exchanging our money for Canadian travelers checks. The train departs the Sault at 9:00 AM with boarding at 8:45 AM. The ticket office opens at 8:00AM. You are allowed 150 pounds of checked baggage per ticket which barely covered my wife's idea of what we needed for a three day stay in the middle of nowhere. Christmas Eve Day we left our hotel looking for a donut shop to furnish both breakfast and lunch. After passing a few, "Not enough cars in the lot, can't be good", and some, "I never heard of that chain.", we were back downtown five blocks from the station without any food. We got lucky. At 342 Queen Street East, there is a place called Super Submarine & Donuts. It opens at 7:00AM and will make sub sandwiches at that hour. We explained that we were taking the train so they double wrapped everything and we were off. I parked the car at the station. I was not sure about the security, but the station is next to a large mall and parking from shoppers sometimes fills the station parking. I figured it was as safe as anywhere else and parked next to the front door of the station. I dropped off the baggage which was tagged and loaded for me. You can carry on as much as you like but if they are going to load and unload for me, so be it. The train backed down from the Steelton Yards which are about 2 miles north of the depot. (The track dead ends at the station.) The early morning sun reflecting off the cloud of steam coming out of the rear car made me remember all the trains my dad and I used to ride before the days of Amtrak. The Varsity out of Janesville, WI, the Hiawatha between Milwaukee and La Crosse, WI, the Zephyr from La Crosse to the Twin Cities. The Broadway Limited, Silver Meteor, The City of Miami and the El Capitan. It was at about this moment in my solace reflection of the past that a quick slap on my shoulder brought me back to the here and now. "It might be more productive", my wife said, "if you start taking pictures and stop staring into the cloud of steam". This was as good as time as any to check out the train! GP38-2 #205 was on the point with help from GP7 #170. Two baggage cars, an ex VIA steam generator and two coaches made up train #1. Upon boarding, I immediately made a beeline for the rear of the last coach and set up shop... camera case was open and cameras were ready, scanner was on and working, notebook, tripod, maps and route guide were laid out foreasy access. After thinking for a moment I realized I was missing something...my wife. I walked up to the first coach, and invited her back to sit with me. When picking up your tickets, you are given a guide book which lets you read about what is coming up and which side of the train it will be on. There are mile markers every mile all the way to Hearst to make this an easy task. Having ridden as far as the canyon many times before, I knew the shots I wanted, but the guide was a help farther North. We pulled out about 5 minutes late and I was outside on the last car with my motor driven camera blazing. I don't want to give a complete blow by blow of every scene we passed since I can't begin to describe the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, but I will describe the highlights of the trip from a rail adventurer's point of view. Algoma Steel appears first on the left about 1 mile out of the station. They own their own motive power and I caught SW8 #50 shunting cars in the yards. Steelton Yards are to the right. This is where the Algoma's main shops and engine facilities are housed. Because of the holidays and since the canyon train was not operating 'till January, the yards were full of power and passenger cars. One shot of interest was the shell of GP7 #102 sitting on a flatcar. Don't know what she hit but the high nose was totally pushed in. (Checking with Gordon Webster after the trip, I found out that #102 was in a washout about mile 111 back in October.) The "big hook" and snow plows are also here. Just past the yards, we picked up speed and I was forced in as the snow from the roofs was blowing back into the vestibule area. Ten miles later the blowing snow was gone and I was again out and looking. The temperature was about -25C so I could only stay out in short 10 minute lengths. The scanner told me of our first stop in Searchmont, 32 miles out. Six people and lots of baggage to Hearst. About this time, I got the bright idea to place our pop cans outside on the vestibule to keep them cool. More on that later. About 62 miles out, we stopped to let off two people at Trout Lake. There was a "skidoo" there to meet them. (As I learned the vernacular, any snowmobile - regardless of make is called a skidoo. You don't go snowmobiling you go skidooing.) This train will stop at any mile post to let off passengers. All you have to do is tell the conductor ahead of time. The train will also stop to pick up people at any mile post. As far as picking up, there is a list of preferred pickup points where the track is fairly straight and the engineer can see ahead. Skidoos will also be loaded and unloaded at most places, provided there is enough room for the ramp to fit out of the baggage car. If you are interested, a skidoo will run $51.00 Canadian from the Sault to anywhere past Hawk Junction, and about $10.00 less before Hawk Junction. Small cabins, shacks and some nice homes dot the landscape. For most in this area, the train is the only way to get to them. We made another stop at Spruce Lake, 71 miles out, and two more passengers left us. The Algoma Central is mostly dark, meaning there are no mainline signals other than those protecting the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific crossings. Orders come from the dispatcher and the train via radio as we proceed along the route. I had a small tape recorder and recorded many of these transmissions. Below is one such transmission which gave train #1 clearance between Eton, mile 120, and Hawk Junction, mile 165. Capitol letters are used to show the person spelling out a word. "Item 1 clearance number five hundred eighteen, number five, one, eight, December twenty forth, two four, nineteen ninety three, one nine nine three, to number one, ONE, engine 205, two, naught, five. Proceed from North cautionary limit sign Eton to one hundred sixty three point five, one six three point five sign Hawk Junction." At this point, the engineer would repeat the entire message just as above. When he finished, the conductor would also repeat back the full message. Needless to say, a scanner is necessary if you want to know what's going on. You will also hear guys who have worked together for many years and there is just as much camaraderie over the radio as there is good natured kidding. At mile 92, we cross over the Montreal river on a 1550 foot long 130 foot high curved trestle. Below, there is a power damn which supplies electricity to Sault Ste. Marie. The view while crossing is awesome. (I hate that word but there is no other way to describe some of the views.) The best view is to the left of the train. At mile 102, we start the 500 foot descent over 12 miles to the floor of Agawa Canyon. About mile 105 off to the left there is a spectacular view of Lake Superior almost 8 miles off. The Agawa River is also to the left some 500 feet below. As you approach the floor of the canyon, waterfalls are everywhere. Having been this far before, I can tell you that in the Summer they are great, in the Fall they are beautiful, but now in the Winter, frozen in place with the sun shimmering off the ice, well they are AWESOME. We cross the Agawa River a few times so you get a good view from both sides of the train. Passing Eton at mile 120, I thought it would be a good time to break out the subs for lunch since Hawk Junction was 45 miles away. Remember the pop I placed outside to "cool off"? Well, that was a while ago and Amy's Mountain Dew was drinkable, my Diet Pepsi was frozen solid. Hawk Junction is the only scheduled stop between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. The crew radioed ahead to see if the local convenience store was open, which it was. They let us know so anyone who wanted could run across the street and get food, pop, beer or cigarettes. Oh yes, smoking...the coaches were ex VIA cars with no smoking signs posted. However, the Algoma has no such policy on this train. (The tour train does have no smoking cars.) Our trainman put it best, "Smoking in Canada is not a habit, it's a luxury", meaning that cigarettes are very expensive. (No American brands that I could see were available in Ontario.) My only suggestion if you don't like smoke is to sit near the bathrooms as the air returns are located near the opposite end of the car thus pulling the smoke towards them. At least this was the case in our coach. The air flow was good so we were not bothered that much. We only started with 9 other passengers in our car and were about to lose 6 of them. The temperature had been dropping steadily since we left and when we arrived at Hawk Junction, it was about -30C. There is an engine terminal and equipment servicing terminal located here. This is also the only spur line the ACR has and it runs some 26 miles East to Lake Superior. The Michipicoten subdivision, as it's called, provides freight service to ore and coal mines and a petroleum distributor at Michipicoten Harbor. You will have plenty of time to photograph the area before leaving. All facilities, such as the engine house, sanding tower, fueling racks and bunkcars are on the right. Leaving Hawk Junction, we traveled about 1/4 mile and stopped for a Southbound freight loaded with wood pulp. Our next stop was in Franz where we crossed the Canadian Pacific's transcontinental line. We were put in the hole for another Southbound Algoma freight. Backing up to retake the main, we were held up another 10 minutes for the CP dispatcher to give us the light. The scenery from here North is not as spectacular as the first leg of the trip prior to Hawk Junction. It is mostly flat without all the lakes we were accustomed to seeing. At mile 245, we crossed the Canadian National's transcontinental line. The Algoma transfers much steel to the CN here from the Algoma Steel Mill back in the Sault. At this point it was getting too dark and cold to do much more picture taking. The outside temperature was now about -40C. Just a quick note to those of you who trying to convert this back to fahrenheit, at -40, centigrade and fahrenheit are equal. The train carries a five man crew. Two in the engine, a baggageman, conductor and trainman. Talking with the crew about the Wisconsin Central, I was greeted with mixed stories. According to most of the people I talked to, the Wisconsin Central take over is a done deal. Thedate I heard most often was July, 1994. It will be some sort of partnership with the Provincial Government. There was talk of the loss of a few hundred jobs on the Algoma with 125, including most of our crew, being offered early retirement. Full time ticket agents in the Sault would be replaced with part time college students. I got the feeling, the only one happy about this was the Government. Please don't take these comments as gospel as they are admittedly hearsay. I also talked to a passenger who off loads rail cars of lumber in the Sault. He works for Dubreuil Lumber which has a very large mill in Dubreuiville which is located about mile 184. He was worried about his job as the rumor is that the WC would not off load lumber in the Sault, but run it straight down into the States. Only time will tell. Everyone I talked with seemed proud of the Algoma Central. There was much loyalty. The equipment is clean and the motive power and passenger cars are very well kept. No peeling paint on these units. Many times during the trip, the trainman and conductor would ask us how the heat was holding up. If the car got too cool and could not be adjusted, they would stop the train and from outside the last car open the steam valve to "clean out" the pipes. Now that's service! We arrived in Hearst just after 6:00PM. The train is wyed and then backed into the small station. The station serves as not only the Algoma passenger station, but also as an office for the crews of the Ontario Northland which now owns the line between Hearst and East to Cochrane. (ex CN) The temperature was now -45C. A van was there to meet us from the hotel. It's a must this time of year to have reservations, not because the hotels are filled, but to have them meet the train! Hearst is a town of about 6000 people. Most speak French and are bilingual. (That was good, as my four years of high school Latin was and still is worthless in this situation.) Checking in, my first question was where to eat. The restaurant in our hotel, as well as the few others were closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Luckily, the hotel operator knew we would be there and had a list of eating places in town which would be open. Our choice that night was one - the bus station. Asking the location we were told it was "across town". Now to my wife who works in Chicago, "across town" means get a taxi. The taxi office was next to the hotel and away we went. After the $5.00 cab ride (with tip) to the bus station which, by the way, was two blocks, we decided that across town has a much shorter meaning up here and decided to walk back. The food you ask? It's a bus depot for crying out loud. In all fairness, the burgers were good and greasy, the fries crisp and the tea was hot. What else could you ask for on Christmas Eve in this cold 300 miles from nowhere? Walking back to the hotel we learned something. It's very difficult to breathe this temperature. You need a scarf to breathe through although, that presents it's own problems as you will learn later. Christmas Day and still -45C. Our hotel room never got above 15C (60F) so we asked the girl at the desk about switching rooms. After contacting the owner, she brought up a portable heater saying we had one of the nicer rooms and the other rooms may not be any better. The heater worked fine so it was no big deal. We had plenty of hot water and it was a nice room complete with satellite television. At 9:00AM we ventured outside wrapped up about as tight as we could. We did come somewhat prepared. We had long underwear, woolen socks, boots, heavy gloves and coat with scarfs and hats. I am told that flesh will freeze in seconds at that temperature and I was in no mood to find out. We walked a block to the station I took a few shots of an idling Ontario Northland GP38-2 #1806 with an attached caboose #109. You could see the exhaust coming from the twin stacks of the caboose as I am sure the heat was on full. This power would idle away the next few days because of the long holiday. Now I had something in my eye. Looking back at Amy I saw what was happening. Breathing through the scarf, the moisture in your breath would freeze almost on contact with anything, including the scarf. Her hat, scarf, hair and eyebrows were white with frost - after only 10 minutes. Heading back, we found a small cafe which was open. We must have been quite a sight walking in with cameras and all frosted up like snowmen. (That's snowpeople for the "PC" crowd.) The lady who ran the cafe said she would only be open until noon, so, not knowing what if anything would be open that night, we loaded up. A couple of truckers were in and telling us of their problems. They were traveling on Highway 17 approaching Hearst and their truck froze up. It seems that #2 diesel fuel starts to gel at these temperatures. Also, his heater could not keep the cab warm. I am sure there are additives one can mix with the fuel but no one was expecting this cold blast. Looking back at my cameras, I realized I might have another problem. Both black bodies were white with a heavy coating of frost. Having been in the retail camera business a few years ago, I knew what not to do. Don't warm the camera up quickly. If you use a hair dryer the frost will thaw and run down and into the body. By just letting the camera and lens sit in room temperature, the frost should evaporate as it melts. Once the frost is gone, you can wipe off any excess moisture. The inside of the camera should be fine as long as you don't try to reload or change lenses in the cold. I use a Canon motor driven A1 with a Canon 35-70 zoom and a Canon F1 with Tamron 85-205 zoom. The problem with newer cameras, including my A1, is they depend on the 6 volt battery for their life. No battery means no shots, not even manually. That's why I also travel with the F1 which is totally mechanical. If it's meter battery goes out, I can still shoot, relying on my experience to set up the exposure. If you travel and shoot in cold climates with a fully electronic camera, always carry an extra battery and keep it in a pocket next to your body. This type of cold will drop the output of camera batteries just like a car battery. All in all, the cameras worked well through everything I asked them to do, however the aperture in the Tamron lens froze up after only 5 minutes in the cold. Talking with another couple who were on the train with us, his autofocusing Nikon 8008 died. He claims the batteries were fine as he could still get his readings but the autofocus motor was sluggish and then gave up the ghost. What's the moral here? Expect Murphy's law to enter in with whatever equipment you bring and throw in a cheepie throw away camera, just in case. Nothing was open in Hearst that day. No cars were on the streets. I now realized we were one of two staying at our hotel. The hotel, by the way, had electrical cords hanging from the balconies so you could plug in you vehicle. Block heaters are a must as without one, you will never get a car going up here. The rest of the day was spent looking around the town in 15 minute spurts and watching Marry Poppins on TV in French. Yes, many of the stations were broadcasting in French. We did have a good selection of stations but we are not much on TV, so we played Empire Builder which we brought with us. Christmas night, family, friends, presents, good food and drink. NOT! It was 6:00PM and I was ready to shoot night pictures of the train with all that glorious steam! The train was just backing in as we set up to shoot the Ontario Northland power idling in the yard. Next we moved closer to the station and shot some more. Moving to the head of the train, I set up another time exposure and this time "painted" the engines with a strobe. The temperature this night was the coldest it would get at -50C which, as I later figured out, was -58F. No wind, just dead cold. After 25 minutes we had to get in out of the cold and, once again, found ourselves at the bus depot for dinner. That's OK I thought, because tomorrow things will again open up and we can do things in town. Waking up to TV news on the 26th, I quickly learned something about Canada. They have an extra holiday I forgot about called Boxing Day. Although I got several variations on what Boxing Day means, one thing is for sure, stores do not open. Not only do they not open, it is against the law for some to open. Some department stores in Toronto were fined $50,000 according to TV news for opening on Boxing Day. We broke out the Empire Builder game again. The small cafe did open for breakfast and the innkeeper gave me a list of the better restaurants which would open after noon. We also found a small grocery store open so we bought bread and meat for the trip back the following day. (Our room did have a small refrigerator.) Surprisingly, the prices were not that bad. About what you would pay at a Seven-Eleven here in the States. Cans of pop were the exception as they were going for a buck a hit. This has nothing to do with the story but, since it is my story, you will just have to read it. I am originally from Wisconsin. I was, am and always will be a Green Bay Packer fan. (That's a professional football team for those of you tuning in from other countries.) Living now near Chicago, I can no longer see the Sunday afternoon games as the Chicago Bears are on; or if not playing, TV, because of the language of the contract with the Bears, will still not carry the Packer games. Back in the room and channel surfing I made a great discovery. Canadian TV picks up from the CBS feed of football games. Guess what I got to watch on Boxing Day afternoon in the middle of Canada? (The Packers also won the game!!!) We had dinner at a very nice restaurant which I would recommend highly. The place is called Cezar's and it is truly fine dining but you don't have to dress up. The menu and wine selection were good. Liquor is high, so we stuck with Canadian beers. On Monday morning as we headed back to Sault Ste. Marie the temperature was up to -45C. Train #2 leaves at 8:00AM. (That's one hour earlier that it leaves the Sault.) If you miss this one, you will spend a week in Hearst or take a cab back. The lady who opens the depot is paid both by the Algoma Central and Ontario Northland as she also does some work for them. Watching "Red", the baggage handler, load a skidoo into the first baggage car by way of a ramp that hangs from the door, I asked if they ever had an accident loading these things. He told me a story of a guy who just bought his first sled. Since it was brand new and about $6,000, he refused to let anybody touch it but himself. Red, knowing what might happen, opened the baggage car door on the other side. Sure enough, the guy got halfway up the ramp and started slipping. Giving it a little too much gas, the track took hold and the sled shot through the baggage car and out the other side. There was plenty of snow and man and machine were not hurt and no, he never thought about a law suit as his friends would have never let him live it down. The train was of course idling all night and the steam generator was keeping the cars warm. The trainman blew out the steam from the rear car to clean the pipes and we were off. About 9:10AM, the train started to cool and we stopped to blow out the steam once again. At 9:15AM we broke a water pipe. There was water and steam shooting out of one of the bathrooms in our coach. We stopped and crew members tried to find the shut off valves. I went outside and could see the problem with the valves. Everything under the car was encased in ice. All they could do was let the water drain. The first third of our coach was flooded, but that water drained out in time. At 9:35AM, we were underway again and the crew radioed ahead for a carman to meet the train in Hawk Junction. We still had a bad air leak and Pete, our conductor, was on the radio explaining the situation to the dispatcher. About all the ACR could do was have a crew at Hawk ready to chip away the ice to get to the shut off valve. The scanner chatter was non stop as Pete was describing our problems with the dispatcher. I even had the recorder on when they starting singing. More orders were given and repeated by both Pete and our engineer. There was a work extra heading North from Hawk which we were going to meet along the way. Just before Franz, I heard the CP dispatcher talking about holding up a freight. It was too cold to take many pictures out the back, but I took a chance and went out just before the diamond. Sure enough, there was a CP freight waiting for us to cross. Imagine that, a passenger train has priority, what an idea! There are two observations I want to point out. The new ties and all the new line side poles are not creasulted like here in the states. I believe the wood is treated under pressure with some type of stain as it's all green. Also, many of the trackside signs are metal with the words in block letters cut out. That way, if the snow sticks to the metal sign, you can still read it. We slowed down again to check for a fox which the crew saw on the way up last night. They thought it might have been dead, and were going to pick it up and take it to a trapper who was now in Hawk, but it was gone when we passed. Now the engineer was calling into Hawk to have some alcohol ready as the bell on the lead unit froze up. As we pulled into Hawk Junction, I could see a small army of men with crowbars and hammers waiting to greet up. As soon as we stopped, they went to work trying to "chisel" out the air cutoff valve. Another few workers were de-icing the bell and yet another was checking a sticking brake shoe. The small store was closed today, so no pop or food. The rest of the trip was uneventful. The scenery again was great but too cold to stand out back. We were less than 40 miles from Sault Ste. Marie when we made one more unexpected stop. Did we break down? Did we loose our air? Did we derail or hit a rock slide??? NO. Amy woke up from a nap and was "chilled". The trainman ordered the train stopped and he climbed down and once again blew out the steam pipe! Now I tell you all this not to embarrass my wife, although I did, but I want to emphasize the type of service we had. The people who work for the Algoma are all first class and take a tremendous amount of pride in their work. Everyone I talked with, from the conductor down to the carman and the guys chipping the ice off our coach, was nice and courteous and cared about their work. Listing in on the scanner will also tell you a lot about people. (Listen to the CNW here around Chicago and you'll here exactly what they think about their jobs! It sometimes makes me blush, and that takes a lot!) The Algoma is more like a big family. I fear this camaraderie may be lost when the WC does arrive next summer and many of these people take early retirement. We arrived in Sault Ste. Marie just before 5:00PM. The car did start (it was only -35C now) and we loaded up and said our goodbyes to the crew. The train pulled out and headed back to the yards as we drove to our hotel. This is a trip everyone should take. If you are not this adventurous, at least take the tour train. The people, crew and scenery are fantastic. Next month I'll continue with our drive over to Sudbury and a tour of the Ontario Northland Railway in North Bay. --- This is Dan Dawdy's first feature article for RailOnline. Dan is TrainNet's photography sysop as well as RO's assistant editor. A graphic accompanies this article. Contact 73232,3534 for info on downloading it from CompuServe, or 73232.3534@compuserve.com for info on downloading it from Internet. _________________________________________________________________ RAILONLINE FEATURES Rail Industry: A PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES @@O _________________________________________________________________ An investment club member discovers a railroad industry reborn. Here, railroad by railroad, are how the big players are faring in the rail industry of the `90s. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of RO or its affiliates. Do research before investing - this information is only a start. by Craig Bisgeier for RailOnline As a Pellerin Investment Club member, I set out to prepare a report to determine whether or not American railroad companies were a worthwhile investment in the transportation industry. I was surprised to find that many of these companies were in fact very solid investment opportunities. Out of nine railroads I initially investigated, I narrowed my analysis down to five: Conrail, Norfolk Southern, CSXT, CP Rail Services and Santa Fe Pacific. The others, while strong companies in their own right, did not fit our specific interest profile for a variety of reasons. What you will read are my opinions about these companies, after carefully reading their annual reports and analyzing their fiscal and physical performance. The analyses are based on their 1992 annual reports, and information obtained from Value Line stock reports published in September of 1993. I am a railfan, not a stockbroker. Nor do I claim to be an expert in stock picking or the stock market. If you find my analysis of a railroad (or railroads) interesting, I recommend you obtain the companies' annual report for yourself and read it carefully. Do not invest in the stock market blindly, and do not accept my conclusions as though they were written in stone. Out of the ashes of the albatross a phoenix has arisen: American Railroads are a lean, hungry industry poised to take advantage of their abilities and strengths. Having finally thrown off the yoke of crippling regulations long out of date, they are emerging as the common carrier of choice, winning back the freight lost long ago to other transportation industries. Competition for freight is now on par: Rising fuel costs and taxes, lower wages and truck drivers unwilling to spend weeks away from their homes and families have wreaked havoc on the long-haul trucking industry. Trains now carry hundreds of semi-trailers across country far more efficiently than individual trucks can. And the intermodal revolution has led the return of the railroads, allowing shippers to move freight in sealed containers which can go from truck to train to ship without ever being opened. The double-stack train has changed the face of railroading forever. All this, coupled with new technology in locomotive design, delicate lading protection and unprecedented customer service reform have made American railroads a growth industry again. Standards and Poor's latest analysis of the railroad industry was headed up with the statement, "Railroads' second golden era may be dawning". The American Association of Railroads said "Railroads today move 40% more traffic than they did during World War II and do it over 40% less track, with 85% fewer employees, with 42% fewer freight cars, and half as many locomotives -- and with rates that are, on average, 71% lower than they were then (adjusted for inflation)." And according to the US Dept. of Labor, railroads rank number ONE among 176 industries in improvement in productivity in the most recent 5-year period surveyed. American railroads have seen the future of transportation, reached for it and grabbed hold tight. They are sure to be a big part of it. [Special thanks to Ken Pendergast (Ohio ARP) who provided the quotes] CP Rail System (Stock Ticker: CP) "All in all, it's a bleak picture for CP Rail Systems. And it will probably get worse before it gets better." Recent Price: $16.50 Risk/Return: Poor PROS: CP shed its' forestry products division in 1993, a wise move since it had been hemorrhaging money out of the company for years. It had started to turn around, but they decided to cut and run and be rid of it once and for all. Probably a good decision. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will be a big shot in the arm for CP Rail. CP already owns two subsidiary railroads in the US (Soo Line in the Midwest and Delaware & Hudson in NY State) which will also benefit greatly. CP Rail's downsizing and restructuring program is continuing. The Railroad is poised for a lot of growth in the next few years if tax and regulatory concessions from the Canadian Government are passed. CP Rail and CN are currently negotiating to "Share" trackage in areas where multiple parallel competing rail lines are under-utilized by both railroads. [See our merger story in the RO Newswire / Canada. -Ed.] If this happens, both railroads could abandon unprofitable trackage (a major expense) in both eastern and western Canada, making the remaining trackage usage more efficient for both railroads. CONS: The two biggest problems facing CP Rail today are restructuring and regulatory/tax problems. CP's restructuring is proceeding, but at a slower rate than their US counterparts. Much of this is due to the fact that the Canadian government won't let them abandon unprofitable lines all over Canada. Furthermore, they have to compete with Canadian National Railway, the other big-time Railroad in Canada. CN is a ward of the state, and as we all know it can be very difficult to get ahead when the government is your competition. Additionally, CP is not reducing staff as fast as they'd like. Overhead for employee salaries and benefits is still a very real and major expense for them. A nine-month strike in Canadian coal mines hurt the railroad very badly in 1992. It will take a long time before these losses are made up. CP has other woes too. It is an extremely diversified company, with divisions in Railroads, Real Estate/Hotels, Trucking, Steamships, Energy, Telecommunications and until recently, Forestry Products. This should be a good thing, but the only things doing well are the Energy and Steamship divisions. The other divisions are either flat or losing money. Trucking is in the toilet, due to restrictive regulations that make it unprofitable, real estate is stagnant, Telecommunications (long distance service like MCI) is still in the development stages, and eating up capital with little return. But it could soon become a moneymaker. CP Rail has another huge problem as well. It is over 6 billion US Dollars in debt, 3.5 billion of which is due within 5 years. The Telecommunications division could go a long way toward reversing this if it becomes profitable very soon. Otherwise, CP may soon be even farther in the hole. Finally, in a sluggish economy (which is worse in Canada than the US) CP Rail has not managed to maintain growth like its' US counterparts. This has left CP Rail in a position where many US Railroads were about 5 years ago, but without the US's lower taxes and deregulation that made the new profitability a reality. CONCLUSION: All in all, its' a bleak picture for CP Rail Systems. And it will probably get worse before it gets better. The stock price is quite low, inviting a speculative bid that could become very lucrative should the Canadian Government relax it's hold over the transportation industry. Not a safe investment, but the returns could be substantial on a modest investment. Consolidated Rail Corporation (Stock Ticker: CRR) "Conrail can be expected to outperform the market over the next 5 years." Recent Price: $66.00 Risk/Return: Good PROS: Conrail is extremely well diversified in terms of carloadings. Relatively equal proportions of the mix include Intermodal/Piggyback/Double Stacks, Auto parts and finished autos, coal, and chemicals. They also carry forestry products, metals and food and grain shipments. This diversity makes Conrail a relatively safe investment. Conrail has established agreements in 1991 with it's labor unions to reduce the number of employees per train on many trains, which is resulting in lower payroll and benefits overhead significantly. A substantial one-time charge for employee buyouts was incurred in 1991. Conrail was not affected by the midwest flooding of this past summer. Actually, due to rerouting of freight by other affected railroads, Conrail's traffic movements increased a little. Conrail has established a long-range plan as of 1991 to increase their market share and improve earnings, which have been flat for several years now. Profitability has risen because of reduction in debt and restructuring. They intend to increase revenues by 1 billion dollars in the next 3-5 years. Improved overhead clearances in Massachusetts and Maryland has allowed Conrail to establish double stack container service to Boston harbor and Auto Rack service to GM plants in Baltimore, increasing revenues and market share. These improvements have taken place since 1991. A plan to raise clearances through Pennsylvania to allow double stack service to terminals in Ohio is in planning stages. Conrail can be expected to outperform the market over the next 5 years with an average return of 10 - 18% per year. While the price is currently high, I believe it is a good long term investment and that the price will not drop appreciably in the future. As the only significant railroad in New England, Conrail maintains a monopoly of sorts on the really lucrative high speed, high revenue traffic in and out of these areas. As intermodal traffic to Europe and Africa grows, Conrail will be well situated to take advantage of it. Conrail and Norfolk Southern RR have entered into an agreement to extend NS's Triple Crown Intermodal/Piggyback service from the South and Midwest to Conrail's ports in NY and new england. This arrangement should prove lucrative for both partners. This is in addition to Conrails' own agreements with trucking companies like UPS and others to carry long-haul trailer cargo that must travel over 500 miles or more. CONS: Conrail has a relatively high Operating Ratio as compared to its eastern competitors. However, as it maintains a monopoly over the New England area, Conrail maintains a competitive advantage over other eastern RR's whose entire trackage is in constant competition with their peers. This advantage offsets the high operating ratio somewhat, I believe. Conrail has committed to getting their OR down to 80 within the next 3-4 years. CONCLUSION: The current cost per share for Conrail is high. Therefore, immediate growth/return may not be as rapid as we might like, though I expect it will be constant and substantial over the long term. It should not be forgotten though, that the stock has risen 8-9 points since October. The high stock price is consistent with the other two major eastern railroads, Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation. These stocks have not exhibited the growth Conrail has over the last year but are expected to do well also. All three offer very good return on investment, and are similar in that they are very large Railroad companies. Conrail is almost completely involved in railroading, with few outside interests. Norfolk Southern (Stock Ticker: NSC) "Norfolk Southern is a strong railroad almost entirely devoted to rail service." Recent Price: $ 70.25 Risk/Return: Fair/Good PROS: Norfolk Southern is a strong railroad which, like Conrail, is almost entirely devoted to rail service. Like the others, it has decreased crew size on most of it's trains recently, allowing it to operate much more efficiently in terms of salaries and benefits to employees. Norfolk Southern's Operating Ratio of 75.5% is one of the best in the industry among the largest carriers. (Only Illinois Central, a much smaller class 1 RR, has a better ratio of 70%). Norfolk Southern is very strong in intermodal transport, and has solid footing in the Automotive parts and auto transport areas as well. An agreement with Conrail recently will extend Norfolk Southern's' reach from the south and midwest to New York and New England ports and destinations. This should prove very profitable for both partners in the venture. CONS: Norfolk Southern is very heavily involved with the coal business, which makes up over 35% of its rail business. The coal market has been quite flat for several years now due to several factors, including declining coal exports, unseasonable winter temperatures for the last several years and a trend for utilities to move away from coal-fired powerplants when possible. Coal mine labor union strikes in 1992 and 1993 also hurt Norfolk Southern, as well as other coal-dependent railroads. Revenues for coal traffic are expected to pick up as the european recession lifts, but no real progress is expected until late 1994. Norfolk Southern owns a subsidiary, North American Van Lines, which is going through a restructuring period. It is not currently performing very well, but it appears to be holding its own during a difficult period. Trucking companies all over the US are in trouble, and North American is subject to the same problems as other long haul carriers are. CONCLUSION: The stock price for Norfolk Southern is at the high end, as with most of the other railroads because of renewed growth. It has not been increasing in value as rapidly as CSX and Conrail in recent months, though. In the end, while this stock will grow at a reasonable rate, it may not be a strong enough performer for addition to a portfolio. CSX Transportation (Stock Ticker: CSX) "CSX has been steadily moving upward in profitability." Recent Price: $ 85.75 Risk/Return: Fair/Good PROS: CSX has been steadily moving upward in profitability, largely due to a program instituted within the last 2 years which forces each division of the company to earn its own operating capital or face liquidation or sale. This has had a profound effect on the company as a whole, which is performing at very high levels compared to previous years. CSX has won agreements with labor unions (who represent train handling personnel) to cut the crew size to 2 persons on 88% of all its trains. These agreements are usually accompanied by large one-time charges against profits to buy out surplus employees. CSX has taken smaller charges in the last three years running, as opposed to most of the other large railroads which took very large charges in a single year. these buyouts will allow the railroad to operate much more efficiently in years to come. CSX has several divisions besides the rail company, which include Sea-Land Container/Steamship Services, and American Commercial Lines, a barge operator. Sea-Land reported approximately 20% more profitability on 3% higher revenues in 1992, mostly due to restructuring and cost cutting. ACL is getting more profitable, too. The Intermodal end of the Rail division is experiencing rapid growth and will increase to a very strong percentage of CSX's total freight loadings. This lucrative high speed - high revenue business will strengthen CSX's financial position in years to come. CSX has been pursuing a stock buyback program over several years to retire shares from the market and improve the value of outstanding shares. CONS: CSX, like Norfolk Southern, (whose trackage covers most of the same areas of the country) is heavily involved in the coal business. Because of slack activity in this market, CSX rail is not doing as nearly as well as it possibly could be. Because of CSX's other successful divisions and better revenue from other rail carloadings, CSX Corp. is doing well. If the Coal market gets better in late 1994, CSX will really start moving up. If not, cost cutting and higher efficiency will only take the company so far. Sales revenue is increasing at a much shallower rate than earnings per share. If CSX can get out into the markets and drum up new business, they may be able to sustain their excellent Earnings rate over the next few years. This imbalance is partially due to the lack of strong coal business as mentioned above. Unless sales do rise, earnings will likely flatten out in 2 or so years. Unfortunately, nothing is said about commitments to increasing market share outside of regular business in the 1992 annual report. CONCLUSIONS: Like Conrail, the stock price of CSX has been steadily rising for the last several months. Because of this, the stock analysis based on September 1993 information shows this stock to be in the 'Maybe' range. I believe that this stock will perform very well in the 3-5 year period, especially if the coal market picks up. (Part of the current price jump may be due to the cold snap in the east these last two weeks.) If the price drops below 75 in the near future, I believe one could expect to double their investment in 5 years. Santa Fe Pacific (Stock Ticker: SFX) "Intermodal technology is the wave of the future for American rails, and Santa Fe is riding the top of the wave. I believe that this company is coming on fast." Recent Price: 22.75 Risk/Return: Very Good PROS: Intermodal traffic (piggybacks/containers/double stacks) now accounts for 40% of Santa Fe's traffic. This is high priority, high speed and high revenue freight. Santa Fe's trackage situates them well for handling the bulk of Pacific Rim traffic to eastern points and vice versa, and therefore grabs a good deal of available traffic. This is the wave of the future for American railroads, and Santa Fe is riding the top of the wave, and taking assertive measures to stay there. Santa Fe has been aggressively acquiring new, high horsepower, fuel efficient locomotives for Intermodal and Unit Train (Coal) service, and it is paying off in savings on fuel and maintenance. They have also been active in upgrading their railcar fleet with the newest and most efficient designs available for Stack train service and others. Santa Fe has recently (last 4-5 years) emerged from very serious problems and radical restructuring, reducing a debt of over 6 Billion dollars to less than 1.5 billion dollars. A 1/2 Billion dollar sale of trackage assets to the state of California in late 1992 helped retire more debt in 1993. Santa Fe has also been aggressively pursuing for the last couple of years a stock buyback to retire shares from the market. From a low price of $6.00 per share in 1990, Santa Fe was up to $18.50 in October 1993, and is now up to $23.50. (A rise of 25% in four months.) Like almost all railroads, Santa Fe has recently (1992) come to agreements with labor unions to reduce the number of employees per train, which will result in lower payroll and benefits overhead significantly. A substantial one-time charge for employee buyouts was incurred in 1992. Santa Fe is now one of only a few railroads who are permitted 2 person crews over the entire railroad. Capital improvements to the Railroad are running at a higher percentage than other railroads in an effort to bolster hi-speed trackage and acquire high horsepower locomotives. These efforts are producing a appreciable return. Santa Fe is now playing catch-up ball with other American railroads, but is coming back lean and really mean thanks to the disaster of the late 80's and subsequent restructuring. The company shed a lot of size and costs much faster than the rest of the industry because of it's predicament. While they are about 2 years behind the rest of the industry in stock price and earnings, they will very quickly be back among the top dogs, and soon. I expect Santa Fe will easily double its price in the next 2-3 years and maybe triple it in 5. That and its very low price makes it extremely appealing. Flood Damages from the Midwest this summer were significant, mostly due to a washout of an important mainline bridge in the path of the flood. This caused about $40 to $55 Million dollars in damages and lost revenue, but this is not expected to seriously affect Santa Fe after the Fourth Quarter of 1993. Santa Fe Minerals (a subsidiary which concentrates exclusively on Gold mines in the US) is doing extremely well. Santa Fe is considering spinning it off into its' own company. There is also a natural gas pipeline subsidiary which is doing well. Agreements with trucking companies J.B. Hunt and Schneider are boosting piggyback and containerized traffic. CONS: Santa Fe has come a long way, but they still have a lot of debt to erase or refinance. I do not expect this to be a serious problem, but it is there. They have a relatively high Operating Ratio (86% in 1992) but this can be expected to drop further, and has been dropping steadily for the last three years. CONCLUSION: There is definitely some risk associated with investing in Santa Fe, but I believe that this company is coming on fast and it would be a mistake not to grab it now and hold on. This past year their stock was upgraded to investment grade by Standards and Poors. I would recommend this stock highly at this time. ============================================== OUTCOME OF THE 1/14/1994 STOCK CLUB MEETING... ============================================== The members of the club reviewed the reports of the five railroads presented, and agreed on the following conclusions: CSX: Very good earnings on aggressive cost cutting, but with flat sales this cannot continue. Without a commitment to raising sales and market share, which is not indicated, this stock will gradually level out in growth over the next two years. Not a choice pick for long term investment. High price/share means inferior position within holdings for funds allocated. NORFOLK SOUTHERN: Good earnings on good sales, growth is fair to good. Coal business is up and therefore so is NS. Would be good investment but High price/share means inferior position within holdings for funds allocated. Good choice for long term investment for those with more money to invest in a stable, steadily growing company. CONRAIL: Very good earnings on recently flat sales, but a strong commitment to raising sales and lowering operating ratio should allow CR to experience Very steady, good growth. A very good safe choice for long term investment for someone with more money than we have to invest. High price/share limits position within holdings for funds allocated. CP RAIL SYSTEMS: Company doing very badly, with little hope of rapid improvement in the foreseeable future. Too much debt, due too soon. Very low price/share means excellent position within holding could be obtained on a speculative venture, but indicators show little promise for profits. Not recommended as an investment. SANTA FE PACIFIC: Excellent earnings on growing sales, very strong growth. Will likely double stock price within 2-3 years. Good price/share means good position in holdings with excellent potential for profit. Highly recommended as a stock pick for long- term investment. THE VERDICT: The Pellerin Investment Club decided to purchase Santa Fe Pacific stock within the next 2 weeks if the stock price goes to 23 or below for a long-term investment. If after 2 weeks the price has not dropped below 23, they will decide whether or not to purchase at the going rate. ==================== CURRENT STOCK PRICES ==================== Two top contenders, Santa Fe Pacific and Consolidated Rail Corporation. SFP Corp. price per share for the week ended January 7, 1994: High $24 1/2 Low $21 3/4 Close $23 1/8 Weekly change + 7/8 Conrail price per share for the week ended December 31, 1994: High $67 1/2 Low $66 1/8 Close $66 7/8 Weekly change + 1/2 >From Santa Fe News and Conrail Newswire, respectively. --- This is Craig Bisgeier's debut in RailOnline. His work also appears in the model railroading section of this issue, in an article on decaling. _________________________________________________________________ RAILONLINE FEATURES "Under the hood": DON'T CALL `EM DIESELS! @@Q _________________________________________________________________ by Steve Kay, RO Staff I have wondered for many a year why we railroaders, prototype and model railroaders alike, refer to a GP-7, SD-40, U-36B, RS-3, FA-2, or a dash 8-40C as a "diesel". They really should be properly called "diesel-electrics". The diesel engine which is the prime mover in these locomotives doesn't directly propel the train. The engines in our automobiles provide propulsion through a transmission and a differential (in front wheel drive cars, it's a transaxle, which combines both transmission and differential into one unit). Although this straightforward drive set-up is great for the family limo, it would never be able to successfully move the long freight trains which are commonplace on America's railroads, nor would it haul the sleek passenger trains to their many destinations. The diesel locomotive adds a couple of steps to the overall process. The diesel engine turns an electric generator, and the power produced in this process is applied to traction motors (usually one per driving axle). It is these traction motors that actually move the locomotive and all of the tonnage that gets coupled up to it. Over the last forty years, this arrangement has proven itself to be a smooth, relatively trouble-free method of delivering horsepower to the driving wheels of a locomotive. It allows the controlled application of power to move the train as smoothly as possible while avoiding wheel-slip. Although the latest road units from General Electric and the Electro-Motive division of General Motors have added lots of modern state-of-the-art technology to make them run better with lower maintenance, the basic principle still remains the same. And remember, steam locomotive fans, it was the lure of reduced maintenance that attracted the American railroads to the diesel-electric loco in the first place. (I can hear the steam loco fans booing and hissing now)! I'm sure that the late Rudolf Diesel (the inventor of the type of engine bearing his name) never envisioned the uses that his invention would see, especially on our country's great railroads. So the next time you see a train go by, think about what's really going on "under the hood" of that locomotive. --- Steve Kay is a regular author in RailOnline, though he usually writes for the model railroading section. _________________________________________________________________ RAILONLINE FEATURES / Model Railroading Roger Hensley: NEW KIT IMPRESSIONS @@Q _________________________________________________________________ Roger Hensley, RO Staff The East Central Indiana Railroad (ECI - HO Scale Railroad) has begun an expansion program due to a heavy increase in Grain Traffic on the railroad. For the first time in several years, new rolling stock has begun to be added to ECI's fleet of Grain cars to meet this increase in demand. This means that I have spent some time over the past several weeks assembling new cars for my railroad. Since I was doing this anyway, I decided to assemble the first two NMRA Heritage Collection cars as well as Walthers 50' Airslide Hoppers and an Athearn 55' Center Flow Hopper. These are my impressions of these cars after I completed them. The Walthers 50 foot Airslide Hopper (932-3650 through 932-3676) was an impressive kit. This was my first time to assemble any of these particular model kits and I found the instructions to be very good. It is not a 'shake the box' kit, but it is not difficult. It does take several nights to complete if you wait for the glue to dry between working times. It just takes a little time to put it together right. I expect that it would come out the worse for wear if construction was hurried. I learned a long time ago that when my little inside voice says 'quit for now', that's a good time to quit. So, I took my time in construction and used the minor techniques that I have acquired over the years to make a nice model of this. I installed Kadee # 5's to match the rest of my fleet and was impressed with the way it rolled and handled on my track. As the ECI has now acquired several of these kits in different road names, I may well do an assembly construction article on this in the near future to help you with some suggestions on how to avoid some of the minor things that could take away from the finished job. I also assembled one of the old Athearn standbys as well. The Athearn 55 foot DuPont Center Flow (140-1903) wasn't quite as nice as I had remembered. The instruction are of the exploded parts placement variety. It's good enough to work from. I did make note of the suggestion that filing of particular places might be necessary. It was. In fact I filed more that I expected to. As I used Testors' Plastic Cement, I made use of it to soften the paint and to let it flow enough to hide the plastic that was uncovered with the filing. I also had to file out the coupler pockets to receive the Kadee # 5 coupler and spring. I have seldom had to do this with Athearn. I was a little disappointed. It still makes a nice Hopper Car for the delivery of plastics to one of my on line customers, but the kit is showing its age a bit. Ah, but how about the NMRA Heritage Collection kits? The Gorre & Daphetid car is from IMWX - Innovative Model Works. It is an AAR 1937 Standard Box Car. IMWX supplied an exploded parts placement drawing and a 4 page instruction sheet including a Prototype History write up, parts list and assembly instructions. This kit takes time to assemble, but it goes together well IF you follow instructions. Like all of this type of kit, read the instructions FIRST. One of the things the instructions tell you is that couplers are not supplied and you will need weight. I took one look at the tiny plastic lines for the brake line and rigging and said "Whoops, do I really want to do this?" The answer of course was, "Yes." "Never dun dat afore, but I dun did it now." As a fact a did break a couple of the small lines and, although some extra parts were supplied, I managed to use them up plus having to make one. But, hey, it came out well and looks great in my display case. I used Horn Hook couplers instead of Kadee's as most of the cars I have displayed have them and it fits right in. I learned several things on this kit. Things that I was to need on the next one. A good kit! The last impression I want to share with you concerns the C&BT Shops 40 Foot AAR Steel Boxcar that was lettered for the Sunset Railway and Navigation Co. (another NMRA Heritage Collection car). It is a nice looking kit. The instructions consist of a single sheet of instructions with an exploded drawing in the middle. There were spots marked or dimpled for mounting the ladders and grab irons. They had to be drilled out. Okay, not a biggie, BUT they put the marks slightly off of where they should have been. I had problems with this but it doesn't look too bad. I faked one and got the others placed right. The trucks didn't fit right. I don't know whether it was the trucks or the bolster. I really don't care! There is no excuse for this in a modern craftsman kit. I had to do some drilling where I should not have had to drill. This left a bad taste in my mouth for an otherwise fine kit! Both the IMWX and the C&BT kits give you a choice of doors for their boxcars. A great idea! Hey, this is how I spent my Christmas vacation. My railroad needed new rolling stock and I got the chance to assemble some decent model kits. I had several evenings of enjoyment and, with the exception of the two Heritage Collection cars, I can expect to see them working on the railroad. --- Roger Hensley writes this column on a monthly basis. Hensley is a hobby store owner and freelance model railroading author. This article can be reprinted. Contact us for more. Roger and I recently chatted about the lack of feedback we get for RO. It's difficult for an author to adjust to an audience without knowing who that audience is. So, please send me feedback - positive or negative - and I'll forward it to him. -PK, 73232,3534 CIS / 73232.3534@compuserve.com. _________________________________________________________________ RAILONLINE FEATURES / Model Railroading Back to Basics: DECALS @@R _________________________________________________________________ Whether you're a beginner who's totally lost when it comes to decaling, or an expert ready to improve the look of your decaling jobs, here are the details of several techniques. by Craig Bisgeier for RO I find that to obtain professional results, these four rules are the most important to follow: 1) Apply decals to a clean, GLOSSY surface. 2) Trim the decals as close as possible to their edges. 3) Float the decal on clear water until it is clean. 4) Use a decal solvent, and use it correctly. 1) After all the colors are applied, but before weathering, get out your gloss coat paint of choice. (This is assuming you haven't used a glossy paint, like Scalecoat, to start with.) Its' usually a good idea to stick with whatever brand you painted the model with. Spray the model repeatedly with light coats until you have an even, glossy surface over the entire piece. Avoid heavy coatings - it makes the paint build up around details, obscuring them. Coat the model evenly, not just the spots that are to be decaled. Let the gloss coat dry thoroughly. Just before decaling, wash the model with warm, soapy water. Rinse well with clear water and let the model air dry completely. 2) Get out your decals and any prototype reference data for decal placement you may have. This may be diagrams, photos or other sources. Before cutting anything, figure out where each decal should be applied. Try to identify problem areas (like grab irons or bracing ribs) before you start, and plan for them. Using whatever cutting device you are most comfortable with (I prefer a pair of small surgical scissors for precise control), start to cut decals from the sheet. Work in like groups, and cut out only the decals you'll need right away. Trim the edges of each decal, trying to get as close as possible to the printed image without cutting into it. With lettering, don't bother to remove the spaces between the tops of short letters. A straight edge across the top of all the tall letters will look better than a chopped up `city skyline' later. 3) Float the decal face up on the top of a small bowl of warm, clear water and let it soak until the backing paper drops off. (Don't worry if the decal sinks - wait until the backing paper falls off, then fish out the decal carefully with a tweezers and refloat it.) Let it float there for a while so all the glue residue washes off the back of the decal. This gooey film will keep the decal from adhering properly if not washed away. While waiting for the decal to finish soaking, prepare the surface where the decal will be applied. I apply a drop of clear water to the spot to make the decal easier to slide around. Others I know prefer to use a drop of decal solvent and apply the decal directly over it. I don't do this because the solvent makes the decals get soft very quickly, and they can be easily damaged while moving them into final position. Now pick up the decal carefully with a tweezers and apply it over the drop of water. I move the decal into its final position with a blunt-tipped paintbrush, poking and prodding gently until it sits just right. (Note: If there's too much water underneath, the decal will not stay where you put it. touch a sponge or paper towel to one edge of the decal and soak up some of the water - not all!) Take your time positioning, and only proceed when you are really satisfied, because after applying the solvent you won't be able to move the decal again. When it is finally in place, blot the decal GENTLY with a paper towel until almost all of the water is removed. Get out the solvent - I use Solvaset by Walthers, but other brands are available. Load up a brush with solvent and touch the edge of the decal with the bristles. Capillary action will draw solvent under the decal. Run the brush along the edge of the decal SLOWLY. Reload the brush with solvent frequently, but don't let the liquid puddle anywhere. Follow the edge all the way around the decal. The solvent will soften the decal film and allow it to snuggle down into cracks and around details. After about 20-25 minutes, the decal is ready for another coat. This time, look for any trapped air bubbles and poke them with a sharp pin first. Then apply solvent quickly, brushing over the entire decal, paying special attention to the pinholes, and let stand for another 20 minutes. The decal should now be well adhered to the model. After it looks dry, cover your fingertip with a damp napkin, and press the decal FIRMLY into depressions and around details. Finally, apply another thin coat of solvent. Continue to pinprick air bubbles, if any, and press until you are satisfied with the finish. Several coats of solvent will make the decal film thinner and blend it with the glossy finish of the model. After all decals are applied, rinse the model gently in clear water to remove any solvent residue. Do not use soap, or scrub the surface as this will dislodge the decals. I often apply one light coat of gloss paint at this time, which helps to hide the sharp edges of the decals. Let the model dry, then get out your dull finish coat paint of choice and apply it evenly to the entire model. It is now ready for weathering. _________________________________________________________________ SO, WHERE'S THE INDUSTRY CONNECTION? Industry Connection has been removed from RailOnline to make way for articles I feel better distinguish RO from other rail and model rail publications. Publications like Model Railroader have caught up with us to a certain extent, by tightening their deadlines for new product sections. I'm filling the space with more quality model railroading stories. This doesn't mean I'm cutting coverage of the Chicago Hobby Show and Valley Forge Convention. RO will still provide convention coverage with more depth, faster, than has previously been offered. This is not a permanant decision. If you want Industry Connection back, let me know. Or, if you're glad to see it go, contact me in that case, too! In any case, watch for improvements in our modeling coverage. -PK _________________________________________________________________ RAIL ONLINE @^ _________________________________________________________________ ===== STAFF ===== MANAGING STAFF: Peter Kirn Editor-in-Chief CompuServe Distribution Manager Daniel Dawdy Assistant Editor Internet Distribution Manager RO NEWSWIRE: Matthew Mitchell Northeast, transit issues (for DVRP) Bryce Lee Canada William Vandervoort Chicago Adri Noort Europe Harry Sutton News via GEnie / CompuServe Thanks to Conrail, Santa Fe, and BritRail Travel International (Bob Halcums). RO FEATURES: Roger Hensley Model railroading Craig Bisgeier Misc. Steve Kay Misc. Thanks, as always, to all our freelance authors and to the staff of the Travel SIG and TrainNet Forums on CompuServe. Special thanks to Dorr Alitzer and Corbett Price on TrainNet, and Dennis Larson on Travel SIG.. RailOnline is a non-profit organization. Compilation copyright (C)1994 E/Press publications. Copying RO in a manner contrary to the way defined by the section "copying RO" is a federal offense. Violators may be prosecuted. All trademarks are registered with their respective owners. ============== CONTACTING RO: ============== Via US Mail: Peter Kirn 25777 Tara Drive Barrington, IL 60010 Via E-Mail: On CompuServe: Peter Kirn, 73232,3534 On the Internet or on any service that has an Internet gateway: Daniel Dawdy, dawdy@tellabs.com Call 1-800-848-8990 for information on joining CompuServe. ================= SUBMITTING TO RO: ================= Articles may be edited for space and clarity. As a free publication, RO can offer no kind of compensation for submitters. Contact the editor if you're interested, or for more information. =========== COPYING RO: =========== RO may be copied or uploaded in its entirety, unmodified. Any other use of the material is a violation of our compilation copyright and is illegal. Some material is available for free reproduction by editors via our RO Newswire service. Contact us for more. ================= COMPUSERVE USERS: ================= Watch for our February online conference by reading the forum Notice which appears when you log into TrainNet. ============================ ARE YOU A MEMBER OF A GROUP? ============================ We really do want your help to make RO a better publication. Let your fellow members know about us by passing issues around - and let us know about you. Write us or e-mail us today. Your message won't fall upon deaf ears - by knowing about groups around the world, we'll be able to better structure coverage and talk to people in the groups when articles cover issues important to them.. ================== COMING NEXT MONTH: ================== TRAVEL: Part two of Daniel Dawdy's Algoma Central odyssey. EMPLOYEE ISSUES: (May appear later this year) A group of rail employees talks about the issues important to them. MODEL RAILROADING: Roger Hensley discusses scenery, decaling basics RO NEWSWIRE: More details on the flood and earthquake aftermath if they become available, plus the latest from our staff and contacts worldwide And coming this spring/summer: A contest for rail travel writing Tips for getting the most out of Amtrak Santa Fe: portrait of a railroad Debut of historical coverage (subject to change) ...in the coming issues of RAIL ONLINE MAGAZINE 1994