Trains July 2021

jwrinn@kalmbach.com @TRAINSMagazine @trains_magazine The report by Mark Ragan on pages 10-17 about CSX’s sagging fortunes in the Cumberland Valley coal fields east of Corbin, Ky., is a sad tale of decline. Nobody likes to see once-busy rails rust. It’s also of personal interest. Some 40 years ago, as a college student, I trekked here to see the last Louisville & Nashville Alco diesels in hard service. Many were already stored by the time I got there as new SD40-2 and C30-7 units flooded the area. But there were still enough C628s, C430s, and C420s to satisfy my cravings for a last look at these unique beasts. Standing on the bridge over the throat of the Hazard, Ky., yard made a fan for life of the snoopy-nosed C420. Good memories, and a good time…

LITTLE KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN — at 6,700 miles by far the smallest Class I railroad — is the pretty girl at the dance. Last summer, a pair of infrastructure funds unsuccessfully sought to take KCS private. That sparked merger talks between Canadian Pacific and KCS, which jelled into their $29 billion merger deal announced in March. A month later Canadian National responded with a $33.7 billion unsolicited offer that sought to take away CP’s dance partner. Why all the interest in KCS? The railroad’s north-south main line stretches from Kansas City, Mo., deep into Mexico. Its cross-border traffic has doubled since 2012 and shows no signs of slowing down as intermodal, automotive, and refined products traffic all continue to grow. The pandemic laid bare an overreliance on manufacturing in Asia, and…

The LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD will test a battery-electric multiple-unit trainset on its Oyster Bay Branch, a first step toward ending 160 miles of operation relying on diesel-powered trains. An agreement with ALSTOM calls for retrofitting two EMU cars with batteries. The train would run on third-rail power from New York’s Penn Station until reaching the 13-mile branch, where it would run on battery power. The LIRR says the equipment will be the first of its kind in North America, although battery-electric trainsets are making inroads in Europe. MTA Long Island Rail Road AMTRAK has selected SIEMENS MOBILITY to build 83 new intercity trainsets, equipment intended to replace Amfleet I cars and Metroliner cab cars, as well as the Amtrak Cascades equipment fleet. At least some of the equipment will be…

briansolomon.author@gmail.com @briansolomon.author Blog: briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/ Podcast: TRAINS.com On recent a visit to Brattleboro, Vt., I witnessed the arrival of New England Central’s road freight from St. Albans. Among the classic EMD diesels leading the train was SD40 No. 3405, a machine now a half-century old. Seeing this once-common model hard at work, I reflected on the locomotive’s individual significance for me, as well as its role as a microcosm of the American diesel-electric, General Motors’ role in dieselization, the success of the 645-series diesels, and the influence of the SD40 model. The 100th anniversary of Electro-Motive will be marked next year. Significant because the company was unquestionably the most influential North American railroad supplier of the last century. Its ascendance changed locomotive manufacturing, ushered forth a motive power evolution, and forever altered the way…

bybillstephens@gmail.com @bybillstephens Blog: TRAINS.com Dutchtown Southern, the smallest railroad you’ve never heard of, just might be the biggest story in railroading. The Watco short line began operations in January on 1.76 miles of track leased from Canadian National in Geismar, La. Located some 20 miles south of Baton Rouge along a bend in the Mississippi River, the Dutchtown Southern parallels the former Illinois Central main and serves a cluster of nine petrochemical plants that fill 35,000 freight cars per year. Watco Chief Commercial Officer Stefan Loeb sees “staggering growth potential” by offering more flexible, more frequent, and more reliable switching. Dutchtown Southern serves the plants every day and gets paid by the carload, so it has every incentive to gain as much volume as possible by doing things like interchanging with the nearby CN…

Amoonlit mist is rising off a fastmoving Cumberland River as it sweeps through the sleepy community of Blackmont, Ky. The river has carved through this forlorn community for decades, along with the steel rails of the CSX Cumberland Valley Subdivision. These rails continue to be a means of survival for the people of these communities, keeping coal moving out and food on the table. The sun is soon to rise, but not before the valley is disturbed by the distinctive shrill squeal of flanges grinding against a tight curve. Soon, the river below is brought to life by the headlight of an approaching empty coal train bound for Loyall, Ky. The train passes, silence returns. These days, worry is found in wondering how long it will be before the silence becomes…