June 2004
CSX Intermodal to Implement Service Changes
CSX Intermodal will implement a number of service changes beginning
the end of this month. Some trains and terminals will be designated for
containers only and will emphasize expanded use of doublestack trains,
while other trains and one terminal will handle trailers only. Terminals
designated for containers only include Charlotte, Mobile, Nashville, New
Orleans, Portsmouth, Buffalo, Philadelphia, South Kearny, Detroit, Evansville,
and the Hulsey terminal in Atlanta. The terminal at North Bergen will specialize
in handling trailer shipments only. The changes are designed to simplify
operations and improve on-time train performance, according to a CSXI report.
Service will be discontinued in some lanes, and key lanes will be designated
to reduce the amount of sorting required at CSXI's hubs in Jacksonville
and Syracuse. "We anticipate strong import and export activity in
the second half of 2004, and this program positions CSXI to handle that
growth through our East Coast and West Coast ports," said Jeff Provow,
assistant vice president-international.
CSXT to Lease Line in Virginia to Buckingham Branch Railroad
CSXT will lease 200 miles of track between Richmond and Clifton Forge,
Virginia, to the Buckingham Branch Railroad. The line involved runs through
Doswell, Gordonsville, Charlottesville, Waynesboro and Staunton. The deal
also includes the line from Orange to Gordonsville. CSXT will retain trackage
rights. Amtrak's Cardinal uses the portion between Orange and Clifton Forge
three times a week in each direction.
Tom Murphy Dies
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
Thomas J. Murphy Jr., retired CSXT train dispatcher, died on April 27
following a lengthy illness. Tom was a Baltimore Division tower operator
when I began with the B&O in 1970. We worked together on numerous occasions,
I in one tower and he in another. It was always a pleasure when Tom was
around, as he had an easygoing disposition with a sharp wit and attention
to duty. I can recall, too, being especially grateful for his assistance
in my earliest days - I'll call it mentoring - from his post at CX Tower
while I was working at HB Tower, the next tower to his east. I had the
jitters over my then-new assignment, and he called me on several occasions
to offer encouragement.
Towers in the Baltimore area began closing in the mid-1980's, and Tom
took a position as extra train dispatcher. At the time, the division dispatching
center was located at Halethorpe, but that center was slated to be closed
with the number of positions being reduced and those remaining being reestablished
in Jacksonville, Florida. At first, he did not have the seniority for a
position in Jacksonville, but as time went on he did transfer to that location.
I last worked with Tom while I was at Miller Tower and he was the dispatcher,
working the extra list for my territory, in the early 1990's. Shortly thereafter
he retired from the railroad due to disability. He had Parkinson's disease.
Tom was a subscriber to the Bull Sheet, and remained so until his death.
He is survived by his wife Susan, daughter Melissa, son Daniel, two
brothers and two sisters.
The photo above was taken about 1980 when he was working as an operator
at HX Tower at Halethorpe.
Martinsburg Roundhouse Adopts Caboose for Office
Pictured above is B&O I5d caboose C-1913 which was recently refurbished
and put into use as an office for the Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority
in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The photo was graciously supplied by Jennifer
Baker, office assistant for the authority. The caboose is located next
to the former B&O roundhouse which is currently undergoing restoration.
According to historian David Lubic of Martinsburg, the caboose dates from
the 1920's. It is constructed of wood with steel framing and was originally
classed as an I5. Following its retirement by the B&O in 1970, it was
used by a restaurant in Hagerstown, Maryland. Later it was moved to Winchester,
Virginia, where it was used by a McDonald's restaurant as a party room,
but it became surplus as its site was needed for playground expansion.
The caboose was donated to the roundhouse authority and was moved to its
new location by BB&T Bank. The roundhouse complex is also the home
of Miller Tower.
CSX Intermodal Launches 'Transborder' Service
CSX Intermodal has launched "Transborder," a new service product
from CSXI core locations to and from Mexico with 53-foot STAX equipment.
Transborder offers an all-rail service, with shipments traveling in-bond
and customs clearance at interior Mexican points.
Coal Traffic is Surging, CSXT Says
CSXT says that coal traffic is surging due to a combination of dwindling
domestic stockpiles and high natural gas prices, combined with surprising
overseas demand. "That means coal unit trains - loads and empties
- need to move as quickly as possible to leverage the heavy demand,"
says Chris Jenkins, vice president coal and automotive.
Amtrak Over-the-Road Train Performance
How the host carriers compare - May 2004
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
The survey was conducted using randomly selected examples from each
of the host carriers between May 1 and May 28. It is offered as a guide
to how the host carriers compare with the others.
The figures (minutes of delay per 1,000 train miles) for the seven major
host carriers in May were as follows:
- AMTK - 51.7
- BNSF - 91.2
- CN - 99.8
- UP - 120.9
- NS - 136.2
- CSX - 153.4
- CPR - 158.7
Remembering the Parkton Local
[By Frank A. Wrabel] . . .
Some background: This month marks the 45th anniversary of the discontinuance
of the Parkton Local. The Parkton Local had a very special place in my
heart. Its very existence was a catalyst to my family in 1946 in moving
from Baltimore to Monkton where my father, just back from the Navy, could
use the train to commute to work. Then, in 1957, I became a regular commuter
myself to attend my junior and senior years of high school in Baltimore.
I rode the last trip of the Parkton Local, and my father and I were the
very last passengers to detrain at Monkton. Today, I am a regular user
of the Northern Central Railroad Trail, biking a portion of the now-former
rail line I knew and loved. Frank Wrabel is a distinguished historian,
and the following article has been published in serial format in 'News
and Notes,' the quarterly publication of the Retired Administrators of
the B&O Railroad. Special thanks to the author and to Ray Lichty, editor
of 'News and Notes,' for their permission to reprint this article in this
issue of the Bull Sheet.. A.B.
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