January 2005
CSX Opening Consolidated Training Center in Atlanta
CSX is consolidating its employee training program into an $8-million center adjacent to Tilford Yard in Atlanta, Georgia. Conductor training is expected to begin this month, with other crafts beginning by midyear. More than 3,500 students are expected to visit the facility annually when fully operational, according to a CSX report. The training center will provide state-of-the-art equipment, including locomotive simulators. Some management training also will take place at the facility. The center will consolidate training programs that had been performed for locomotive engineers in Cumberland, Maryland; conductors in Jacksonville, Atlanta and Cleveland; track engineering in Barboursville, West Virginia; and train control in Savannah, Georgia.
CSX to Increase its Locomotive Repainting Efforts
CSX will reportedly increase its efforts to repaint its fleet of locomotives into the current, official paint scheme, often referred to as "YN3." The scheme, with a deep blue body and deluxe gold nose, tail and trim, was introduced by the company in early 2002. Since that time about 500 units have been painted, including those that have been added to the roster as new locomotives. Beginning this year, the company anticipates painting about 10 of its older units with the design each week, according to a report.
Columbus & Ohio to Acquire CSX Trackage in Ohio
The Surface Transportation Board has approved a plan for the Columbus & Ohio River Railroad, a subsidiary of Ohio Central, to acquire 38 miles of CSX track between Columbus and Newark, Ohio, and to lease 82 miles of CSX track between Cambridge and Mount Vernon, Ohio.
Amtrak Creates Waiting Lists for Sleeping Car Space
Amtrak has begun to create waiting lists for sleeping car space on its trains. If a train has no sleeping car space, now a client can ask to be added to the list to be called if space becomes available, according to a report by the National Association of Railroad Passengers.
Amtrak Over-the-Road Train Performance
How the host carriers compare - December 2004
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
The survey was conducted using randomly selected examples from each of the host carriers between December 1 and December 26. 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 December were as follows:
- AMTK - 57.5
- CPR - 62.3
- BNSF - 62.8
- CSX - 91.5
- CN - 115.4
- NS - 158.3
- UP - 206.9
Wreck on the Low Grade - The Rest of the Story
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
Today, January 1, 2005, marks the 48th anniversary of a terrible accident that occurred on the B&O's Low Grade line (No. 4 track) running between Miller and West Cumbo, in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. It was a head-on collision between two freight trains. It left three crew members dead, and six others injured.
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