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February 1993

 

CSXT Reimplementing Stop & Proceed Signal

CSXT is reimplementing the signal 'Stop and Proceed.' .. It replaces 'Restricted Proceed' which had been in use for about a decade... Signals with a 'G' marker are 'Grade' signals, which eliminate the need to stop if conditions permit.

 

D&H Trains Return to Northeast Corridor, Port Road

Delaware & Hudson trains between Harrisburg and Potomac Yard returned to the former Northeast Corridor/Port Road route on January 26, 1993... The trains, 555 and 556, run at night.

 

Schedule Arranged For Amtrak's Transcontinental Train

Tentative schedule for Amtrak's transcontinental train beginning April 4, 1993, includes a westbound departure from Miami at 1:45 PM, Orlando at 6:48 PM, Jacksonville at 10:30 PM, and Tallahassee at 2:15 AM... The eastbound train departs Tallahassee at 10:20 AM, Jacksonville at 2:45 PM, Orlando at 5:50 PM, and arrives Miami at 11:00 PM... There will be a total of 14 stations served east of New Orleans as an extension of the existing Sunset Limited to form the coast-to-coast train... Departures from Miami and Los Angeles in each direction will be Sunday, Tuesday and Friday.

 

'SteelLink' Implemented on Conrail

Conrail and CWS Incorporated have formed a joint venture providing 48-hour door-to-door intermodal steel service - called 'SteelLink' - between Philadelphia and Chicago.

 

Crossing Accidents Decline on CSXT

Crossing accidents on CSXT in 1992 declined 21 percent from the previous year, compared to a decline of about 10 percent nationwide.

 

Railroad Stocks in 1992

Here are how some of the major railroad stocks performed last year:

 

 Ticker Symbol

 High

 Low

 Last

 Net Change

 Pct Change

 Burlington Northern

 BNI

 47-3/8

 33-1/4

 43-1/2

 + 3

 + 7.4

 CSX

 CSX

 73-5/8

 54-1/2

 68-3/4

 + 10-7/8

 + 18.8

 Conrail (adj for split)

 CRR

 48-3/8

 36-1/4

 47-1/2

 + 5-1/4

 + 12.4

 Florida East Coast

 FLA

 49-5/8

 39

 48-1/8

 + 8-3/8

 + 21.1

 Norfolk Southern

 NSC

 67-1/2

 53-1/4

 61-1/4

 + 1-7/8

 + 3.2

 Santa Fe Pacific

 SFX

 14-1/8

 10-5/8

 12-7/8

 - 1-1/8

 - 8.0

 Union Pacific

 UNP

 60-1/2

 44-3/8

 58-1/2

 + 6-3/4

 + 13.0

 

CSXT Locomotive Notes

Here are roster changes occurring between December 27, 1992, and January 22, 1993:

ADDITIONS include CW40-8 units 7837-7845 and 7847-7855.

DELETIONS include the following:

 GP16

 1740

 1775

 1851

 GP35

 1704

 1741

 1777

 1852

 4429

 1706

 1742

 1778

   

 1707

 1747

 1780

 GP38

 U36B

 1714

 1751

 1786

 2038

 5746

 1716

 1753

 1791

 2071

 5780

 1718

 1756

 1793

 2139

 5785

 1720

 1758

 1797

 2148

 

 1722

 1762

 1802

 2183

 

 1724

 1764

 1803

 

 GP40

 1725

 1765

 1834

 

 6531

 1726

 1766

 1846

 U23B

 6581

 1727

 1768

 1847

 3250

 6679

 1729

 1770

 1849

 3286

 6749

 

CSXT Manifest Freight Changes

New train R386 began operating January 14, 1993, from Willard to Cumberland... It runs Thursday through Sunday, and makes same day connections at New Castle with Q216 and following day connection at Cumberland with Q378.

Trains R402 and R403 were eliminated effective January 26, 1993, replaced by D&H trains 555 and 556 using trackage rights on Conrail and Amtrak by way of Perryville, Maryland... Northbound 555 is scheduled to leave Potomac Yard at 2130, and southbound 556 is called at Harrisburg at 1900 for arrival in Potomac Yard about 0200.

Schedules of R412 and R413 have been changed to accommodate connections with he new D&H trains... R412 now operates one hour earlier, arriving Potomac Yard 1230... R413 leaves Potomac Yard 0830 with work at Fredericksburg (0945-1015), Doswell (1115-1130), Acca Yard (1200-0300), Collier (0415-0515), Weldon (0645-0800), arriving Rocky Mount 0930.

 

Hampstead Depot Restoration Proposed

The historic former Western Maryland Hampstead, Maryland, railroad station may be saved... The building is in poor condition with peeling paint and holes in the roof... This situation may change if a Hampstead councilwoman gets her wish. Jackie Hyatt has begun negotiations with CSX Transportation, owner of the depot... She says that the project would be a 'labor of love.'

Stewart Rhine, a member of the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society in Union Bridge, Maryland, says that the society will assist he town council with the preservation.

The station was built in 1913 at a cost of $4,100... The last passenger train to call there was in 1942... The freight agent was removed in the early 1970s, and the building was boarded up in 1979 after the railroad maintenance crews stopped using it.

If the town can gain ownership, the structure would be restored and used for meeting space and offices.

 

Reflections of QN Tower (a letter to the editor)

Dear Allen,

Thanks for your article in the October 1992 issue on the closing of [CSX's x-B&O] QN Tower [Washington, D.C.]... After being depressed by visiting there in late August, your article brought back many pleasant memories... When I dropped off the rear of No. 34 as it slowed to go around the wye in mid-December 1949, the tower looked just like the 1918 photo, except for the awnings... I was sent there to be the assisting operator on second-trick during the Christmas rush... After working for 11 consecutive days beginning December 15, I drew my largest paycheck of my three-month career, grossing $193.46 for the last half of December... (The hourly rate was $1.762.)

I worked with Emma Hillerman, the regular second-trick operator, who was well-qualified on busy interlocking jobs and also an expert Morse operator... Female operators were a real rarity back then... On her relief days I worked with Joe Sargent. Bob McNeil had the daylight job at the time, and Harry Jones was his assistant. George Virts from Brunswick [Md.] worked third-trick alone... In those days, the desk was in the bay window, and it vibrated as moves on No. 1 track passed under your feet.

I worked second- and third-trick a few more times until getting my first regular job in July 1950... During my time on third-trick, the yardmaster was A.W. Johnston, who later became division superintendent, then a general manager, and finished his career with the AAR... I worked first-trick at QN Tower on Tuesdays for most of 1953 and 1954 as part of a relief-job... Then I held the relief-job at QN from May to December 1957, until being bumped back to the roving relief-job by Hugh McDonald, who later became a federal marshal... During 1957, John Sim had the third-trick, Bob McNeil was on daylight, and Jesse Brown had second-trick.

I could list many more names of yard crews, yardmasters, clerks, signal maintainers, car inspectors, railroad police and road crews... There was always somebody around and something happening... I still remember having four moves going by the window at one time, and two or three at the same time was not unusual.

After F Tower closed, the desk was relocated toward the east end of the tower on a small table which was part of the F Interlocking machine, and sat at about a 45-degree angle to the large pistol-grip machine which controlled the QN switches.

The spiral staircase was unique and took some getting used to when you occasionally had to go down with three train-order hoopes to hand orders to a passenger train... We also had the benefit of Bob McNeil's invention of two long-handled train-order hoops which hung out the front window on the east end of the tower...These saved many trips on the spiral stairs...The hill behind the tower was the home of squirrels and chipmunks, including one squirrel who responded to Bob McNeil's voice and would run up a board to the rear window and come inside to get peanuts.

I last worked at QN in October 1959 when CTC installation on the west end chased me to Baltimore, so I never had any experience with the switching signals on No. 1 track or the model-board pictured in the article.

DONALD MARKS
Baltimore, Maryland

 

 

 

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