April 1994
Amtrak, VRE Work Toward Ticket Agreement
Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express are working toward an agreement
whereby VRE passengers on the Fredericksburg line may use Amtrak trains
at no additional charge between stations that are served by both carriers.
Currently, Amtrak serves Washington, Alexandria, Quantico and Fredericksburg,
all of which are also served by VRE. The arrangement will offer flexibility
of travel making use of Amtrak trains running at mid-day and on weekends.
Amtrak Changes its Smoking Policy
Amtrak has once again ordered a change to its on-board smoking policy.
Effective May 1, smoking will be completely prohibited on the California
Zephyr, Pioneer, Desert Wind, Broadway Limited, and Montrealer. Passengers
who wish to smoke may do so on station platforms at selected stops having
dwell times.
Conrail Planning to Close Remaining Towers
According to the spring issue of The Home Signal, quarterly publication
devoted to railway signaling and interlocking towers, all of Conrail's
towers are slated to be closed by the end of 1996. Included in the issue
was a listing of 35 remaining towers, nearly half of which could close
sometime this year. Tentatively included for 1994 - subject to change -
are the towers at Cresson, Gallitzin, and Midgrade, Pennsylvania. (Midgrade
is now only open part time.)
CSXT Ends Alexandria/Orange Trackage Rights on NS
CSXT's trackage rights agreement over Norfolk Southern between Alexandria
and Orange, Virginia, was terminated on March 20.
CSXT's Fitzgerald Subdivision Assumes Territory
CSXT trackage between Peachtree City and Manchester, Georgia, on the
Atlanta Division, formerly identified as the Manchester Subdivision, is
now part of the Fitzgerald Subdivision. Mileposts are from ANB 826.9 to
ANB 788.3.
CSXT Ditch Lights to be Displayed for Grade Crossings
On CSXT locomotives equipped with ditch lights, it is now required that
the ditch lights shall be displayed approaching all public grade crossings.
CSXT Leases Former Hamlet Shop to Plywood Company
CSXT's former wheel and axle shop at Hamlet, North Carolina, is to be
leased by Diamond Hills Plywood Company for use as a distribution service
facility generating about 250 carloads in rail traffic annually.
SP to Buy 100 CW44-9 Locomotives
Southern Pacific announced on March 17 that it will purchase 100 class
CW44-9 units from General Electric for delivery in the second and fourth
quarters this year. SP will also lease three 5000-horsepower units from
Morrison-Knudsen during the second quarter.
UP to Buy at Least 140 AC4400 Locomotives
Union Pacific plans to purchase at least 140 AC4400 units from General
Electric over the next four-year period.
First Rebuilt GP40-2 for MARC Due this Month
The first of 19 rebuilt GP40-2 units for MARC is expected to be delivered
early this month.
Amtrak's Executive Sleeper Suspended
Amtrak's Executive Sleeper between Washington and New York has been
suspended temporarily due to an equipment shortage.
A Visit With Gerry Kuncio
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
Gerald Kuncio is the new curator at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.
He joined the staff in late February, replacing John Hankey who left the
museum last year to further his education toward a doctorate.
Gerry, 33, is no stranger to the B&O Museum. Following graduate
school in October 1989, he was the facility's volunteer coordinator for
an eight-month period until May 1990.
Gerry can now lay fame to being a railfan. His interest, however, was
originally that of labor and industrial history. He grew up in Allentown,
Pennsylvania, and his father, now retired, worked 44 years with the Mack
Truck Company. This is mainly what inspired Gerry's interest, fostered
even further by attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh during that
city's decline in the steel industry.
He earned a B.A. in American History at Duquesne, and then went on to
get his master's at the University of Delaware. He was still not a railfan
when he entered Delaware, and he might not be one even today except for
the influence of a particular roommate. That roommate was . . . John Hankey!
Well entrenched as a Hankey-inspired railfan by the time his master's
thesis was due, the topic Gerry chose was Labor Representation on the Pennsylvania
Railroad from 1918 until 1938.
Following graduate school and his eight-month stint at the B&O Museum,
he worked three and one-half years in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with America's
Industrial Heritage Project. He and his wife then moved to the Baltimore
area for his present assignment.
As curator, Gerry is responsible for the "care of the collection."
He has a second title, too, that of director of interpretation, which has
responsibility for how the museum presents itself to the public.
Of the B&O Museum, Gerry says: "Without a doubt, the museum
has the finest collection of railroad rolling stock on the East Coast,
if not the entire country." As to its role, says he: "The museum
needs to work in two different directions . . . (1) to work more closely
with railfan groups and research organizations - like the B&O Historical
Society - to ensure upkeep of the collection; and (2) to tell the railroad
story in a broad context and explain how development of the railroad -
especially the B&O - is tied to the development of industry and the
concept of modernization."
He added: "I don't think you can understand industrialization and
modernization unless you understand the role that the railroads played.
I think too many academic historians downplay or ignore the role of railroads."
My final question of Gerry was whether he had ridden trains. "Of
course!" was his reply. He explained that he had often used trains
across Pennsylvania and down the Northeast corridor. He's ridden many of
the tourist lines, too, but he has yet to make a truly long-distance trip.
This will change, though, as he's planning soon to venture to Chicago aboard
the Capitol Limited.
I asked him to be sure to wave as he passes Miller Tower.
Trash Train Planned for Montgomery County
[By Sol Tucker] . . .
Moving trash by train to an incinerator has been an effective way to
reduce overcrowded landfills, with the opportunity to burn trash instead
of covering it with dirt and trying to forget about it. Many setbacks accompany
the building of a new incinerator served by rail, such as location, funding,
and environmental concerns.
A new incinerator in Dickerson, Maryland, nearing completion, is Montgomery
County's solution. This incinerator, which will be served by CSXT, could
provide two to four trains a day on the Metropolitan Subdivision.
The trains would originate at the trash-packing facility in Derwood
(Milepost BA 19.6) where the trash will be loaded into containers on flats
or gondolas, then transported to Dickerson (Milepost BA 35.5). The trash
would be unloaded and burned at the Potomac Electric power plant, and the
empties would be returned to Derwood.
The facility in Derwood is being upgraded with a new area cleared for
a right-of-way where a new siding serving the plant will be put in place.
The new track adjacent to the old existing Sears siding (see photo) will
connect to the main track at the west end of the power crossovers at Derwood.
New environmental smoke-cleaning stacks are in place at the Dickerson site.
Early plans call for the use of two locomotives, and a caboose for reverse
movements. An engine at both ends may be required depending on whether
or not they could run around the train at both ends of the run.
If the project stays on target, the trains may be running by late summer
or early fall.
Rex of Miller Tower
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
He appeared at the tower during a snowstorm in early February. He wore
no collar. He stayed . . . and he stayed . . . and he stayed.
He was a very friendly dog, and he soon claimed the top landing just
outside the tower door as his "post." There, from his lofty perch,
Rex (the name I gave him) could keep an eye on all that happened, and he
made himself a committee of one to welcome all who came to his adopted
domain.
And what a thrill it was each day to arrive at the tower to Rex's friendly
greeting. He would show his delight at my arrival by the tones of an especially
happy bark, and by placing his front paws (mud and all) high against the
door of my car (and then against me when I got out). He also thrilled
at grabbing my arm with his teeth in a most friendly sort of way.
Rex's bountiful appetite was satisfied by gifts of food; a dish left
over from a much earlier visit to the tower by a cat was brought out of
storage for the occasion. An old rug was brought in for his resting comfort.
It was concluded that Rex was probably a rather young dog, perhaps not
yet fully grown, definitely of the "hound" variety. He would
no doubt make a good hunter; his talents as a watchdog were already being
shown.
About a week after Rex's arrival, some photos of him were taken and
affixed to posters explaining his plight. They were displayed at convenience
stores in the area. We wanted to find his owner. There was no response
- not even a nibble. (No pun intended.) We also looked for lost and found
notices in the paper.
As time went on, and with hope growing dim that Rex would ever be claimed,
it became apparent that something ought to be done for his more permanent
benefit. There was concern for his safety, since he liked to chase trains.
There was also concern for his health (shots, worming, etc.) and that he
ought to be neutered (lest someday a dozen little Rexes might come around
seeking similar refuge). So after four weeks of his presence at the tower,
and with due thought of how things might or might not work out, I took
Rex home with me.
The first order of business on his first day home was a bath. (He
didn't mind it.) This was followed by lessons on what a leash was all about.
Next was a visit to the . . . VET.
The doctor took one look at Rex and said: "That dog looks like
he's from WEST VIRGINIA!" (I'm not kidding, that's what he said -
and this was some 80 miles from the nearest part of that state.) The doc
identified Rex as a black and tan coonhound, a noted hunting dog, but he's
probably not a purebred.
Rex weighs in at 40 pounds, and stands 19 inches at the shoulders. The
doc thinks he's fully grown. I hope so. The way he eats, I was fearful
that he might grow to the size of an SD50.
He gets along rather well with my other dog, Penny, a 10-year-old mixed
terrier about half his size. This was my biggest concern. But he has some
behavioral problems to overcome.
I took Rex for a visit to a lady in the neighborhood who works with
the Animal Rescue League. They specialize in finding homes for orphan pets
- just in case! But unlike a pound, Animal Rescue won't destroy the animal,
if it's healthy. This is a comfort. But I think Rex sensed what was going
on. On our way back home, he seemed especially thankful, in his own certain
way, that I had not left him behind.
I hope things will work out. I'm trying. I think Rex is trying, too.
A New Look for Bowie Tower
Photo taken February 18, 1994, by Matt Atkinson
The former Amtrak tower at Bowie, Maryland, was recently painted in
preparation for its permanent display in a park next to the Northeast corridor
main line. The tower, along with a freight building and former passenger
waiting shelter, have been painted gray with a burgundy trim.
The structures were acquired by the city of Bowie from the railroad
and moved a short distance from their former location in July of 1992.
Passengers on trains will get a quick glimpse of the tower as they speed
through Bowie, and they may get the impression that it belonged in its
new location all along.
This tower was the third such structure to serve Bowie. According to
historian Robert Williams, who was an advisor to the project, the tower
was built in 1913 and stood until 1932 at Severn. It was then moved to
Bowie where it was in use until 1988 when it closed. Its bay window was
added in 1959, otherwise the building is basically the same as it was when
it was built.
The Poughkeepsie Bridge
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
Several years ago, when I first visited Poughkeepsie, New York, I had
the great pleasure to marvel in the splendor of the famous railroad bridge
crossing high above the Hudson River at this location. Trains no longer
use the bridge, and probably never will again, but I needed no trains to
appreciate the grandeur of this more than a mile-long monument to engineering.
The bridge, which is now included on the National Register of Historic
Places, has been out of service since a damaging deck fire on May 8, 1974.
The bridge was then owned by Penn Central, which had inherited it from
the New Haven. The New Haven acquired the bridge in 1905 from the Central
New England & Western for which the bridge was built in 1888.
Following the fire, Penn Central decided that repairs would exceed their
worth, and the bridge was retired from service. It was no longer the vital
link to commerce it once was. Conrail subsequently inherited the property
from its predecessor Penn Central, and it was decided to unload the property
in a fire sale. It was sold to a private individual for one dollar.
Ownership following the fire sale has resulted in a somewhat murky trail.
Three different individuals are said to have owned the bridge at one time
or other. Property records show a current owner, but that person reportedly
insists that the bridge no longer belongs to him. A second individual has
claimed ownership, but refuses to present proof. And an attorney has gone
on record as representing a client claiming to own the bridge, but declines
to disclose who that client is. Meanwhile, over $200,000 in back taxes
is owed to two different subdivisions, and fines by the Coast Guard at
the rate of $22,000 per day have accrued since 1986 for the owner's
failure to maintain navigation lights for river traffic.
It could be a simple matter for the affected subdivisions to foreclose
upon the property for their unpaid taxes, but to do so could place the
burden of liability, upkeep, and/or possible mandated demolition of the
bridge upon those subdivisions.
So with this stalemating, the bridge could very well have been doomed
to rust to the day of Armageddon. But where there's a will, there's probably
a way. Enter, now, the POUGHKEEPSIE-HIGHLAND RAILROAD BRIDGE COMPANY.
Under the spirited leadership of William Sepe, a Poughkeepsie resident,
a cadre of concerned folks have organized for the purpose of refurbishing
the bridge for use as a hiking and biking trail.
Imagine if you will a promenade over a mile long, between respective
palisades over 200 feet above the river, offering majestic vistas. This
is what is envisioned, and the concept enjoys growing support. After all,
since the bridge is THERE, why not let it be USED for something. If the
idea succeeds, the Poughkeepsie Bridge would then become the longest pedestrian
bridge in the world. Think of the notoriety THAT would bring!
There are, of course, some legal hurdles. The question of ownership
will have to be established, along with some sort of resolution or waiver
of past fines and taxes. The organization is now pursuing these matters
in carefully orchestrated directions. Meanwhile, the organization (the
Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge Company), has openly asserted a physical
presence by beginning certain improvements upon the bridge (including repairs
to the navigation lights), by decorating the bridge for Christmas, by flying
a flag from the structure, and by conducting walking tours for the media
and others. This presence in itself could even create future ownership
through what's called "adverse possession," if other measures
fail.
The organization has acquired some valuable credentials which will surely
be of help in its efforts. First, it has received an IRS tax ruling allowing
donations made to it since October of 1992 to be tax-deductible. Second,
in February, the Legislature of Dutchess County, New York, officially proclaimed
1994 as the "Year of the Railroad Bridge," and urged all of its
citizens to "actively participate" in the programs and efforts
of the organization. And third, the Coast Guard has mandated that the bridge
must be "returned to a transportation use" to avoid its
being demolished as a navigation hazard. (A hiking and biking trail does
qualify as transportation use.) Moreover, demolition of the bridge is estimated
to cost $20-million, or more than ten times the value of the structure's
scrap.
With these ingredients in place, the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad
Bridge Company has begun the very important effort toward raising money.
(It needs lots of it!)
Memberships in the organization have been established under nine different
categories, and walkway planks are being sold at $20 apiece upon which
one may designate a name (such as an organization, firm, person, canary,
etc.) to be inscribed thereon.
The organization publishes a quarterly newspaper entitled Crossings
which updates members and others of developments to restore the bridge,
including letters and essays about the Poughkeepsie Bridge and its history.
It has a distribution of about 12,000. The organization also sells T-shirts,
videos and photo plates.
Folks from Maryland are no doubt familiar with the annual Chesapeake
Bay Bridge Walk, and similar events are also popular on bridges in other
parts of the country. But that only happens once a year. The Poughkeepsie
Bridge, which would offer a similarly spectacular opportunity, would be
open to the public year round.
The idea of restoring an old bridge to hiking and biking use is not
a new one. A former highway bridge built in 1891 spanning the Tennessee
River at Chattanooga, Tennessee, was recently converted for that purpose.
That bridge, known as the Walnut Street Bridge, has a 2370-foot pathway,
100 feet above the river. The Walnut Street Bridge is now said to be the
world's longest pedestrian bridge. But this claim will easily be broken
if the Poughkeepsie idea reaches fruition. The Poughkeepsie Bridge is nearly
three times as long, and over twice as high.
For more history on the bridge... CLICK
HERE
Dispatchers' Clock Displayed at B&O Museum
Pictured next to the clock at its new location is B&O
Museum librarian Anne Calhoun
The Bull Sheet, in its issues of December 1990 and October 1993, reported
on the saga of the veteran Ball's Standard clock that for many decades
had graced the wall of the B&O Baltimore Division dispatchers' office
at Camden Station. It was estimated that in its long B&O tenure the
clock had ticked away nearly two and one-half billion seconds as
it guided its subjects through countless moves and train meets. It is the
clock by which the dispatchers noted the time that was recorded to complete
train orders and clearance forms throughout the division.
A note affixed to the clock's pendulum chamber offered a brief look
at its history:
- CLOCK MADE IN JUNE, 1889.
- PRESENTED TO B&O AFTER WRECK AT TERRA COTTA IN 1905 BY MR. BALL
- PRESENTED TO MR. T. F. DENT, TRAIN DISPATCHER
The office at Camden Station closed in 1983, and to its new dispatching
home at Halethorpe the clock was moved. But since electronic digital timing
was part of the new facility, the old clock was relegated to a remote corner
where it was allowed to run down. There it stayed until a decision was
made to move it to a more prominent location where dispatchers could use
it in preference to the digital timing if they chose. Later, when the digital
system failed, the old clock returned to glory as the principal means of
keeping time.
The clock was in use until the very day the Halethorpe office closed
on September 13, 1993, and then it was moved to the B&O Museum.
It is now displayed at the top of the stairs as the first clock visitors
will see in the room housing other displays in the museum's clock collection.
They keep it wound, and it keeps good time.