Newswire
AMERICAN EUROPEAN EXPRESS TO INAUGURATE NEW ROUTE: The American European Express will inaugurate a new route on December 21 with a special train from Chicago to Washington via. Indianapolis and White Sulphur Springs. It will leave Chicago at 6:20 P.M., arriving Washington at 4:00 P.M. the following day. Several specials are scheduled between then and the end of the year, but regular-frequency schedules are not planned to be implemented until the spring. It is understood that the train will be powered initially by Amtrak locomotives, but sometime in 1991 the train will reportedly use locomotives acquired by AEE for its exclusive use. One source reports that they will be E9's. [Bull Sheet, December 1990]
AMTRAK TO RELOCATE TO CINCINNATI UNION TERMINAL: Amtrak intends to relocate its Cincinnati passenger operations from River Road Station to the Cincinnati Union Terminal in the spring of 1991. Amtrak will pay $636,000 in relocation costs, and CSX will pay another $500,000. Amtrak will lease space in the terminal, which will also be used by museums, a theater, and various civic attractions. Currently, only the Cardinal, making three trips a week in each direction, serves Cincinnati. [Bull Sheet, December 1990]
NEW AMTRAK F69 LOCOMOTIVES TESTED: Amtrak's two experimental EMD F69 locomotives 450 and 451 have been road tested on several Amtrak routes this fall. On October 23-24 they made their first trip east of Chicago on the Capitol Limited to Washington. The European-looking AC traction motor equipped units underwent extensive testing at the AAR's facilities in Pueblo, Colorado, for a year, and now are completing their final phase of testing in revenue service. [Bull Sheet, December 1990, from report by Alex Mayes]
NEW TICKET OFFICE, BAGGAGE OPERATION OPENS AT CHICAGO UNION STATION: New ticket office and baggage operation at Chicago's Union Station opened on October 27. Other improvements are slated for completion by next summer. [Bull Sheet, December 1990]
AMTRAK TO BUILD NEW COMMISSARY, ON-BOARD CREW BASE IN N.Y.: Amtrak will build a new $5-million commissary and on-board crew base at Sunnyside, New York. According to the October 29 issue of Amtrak's 'Newsbreak,' the new facility will replace an 80-year-old commissary that has become outdated. Completion is slated for the spring of 1991, in time for startup of service on the 'West Side Connection.' [Bull Sheet, December 1990]
RAILROADS TO PAY TAX ON FUEL: Beginning this month, railroads will pay a 2.5-cents per gallon tax on fuel. [Bull Sheet, December 1990]
GRADE CROSSING ACCIDENTS DOWN ON CSX: CSX reports an 11 percent decrease in grade crossing accidents for the first 10 months of 1990 compared to the same period last year. Still, in the 1990 period, there were 625 accidents resulting in 67 fatalities and 247 injuries. [Bull Sheet, December 1990]
CSX ROSTER UPDATE: There are no longer any GP35 units on the CSX locomotive roster. [Bull Sheet, December 1990]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN RESTRUCTURES TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT: Norfolk Southern has restructured its transportation department by reducing its number of regions from three to two, and its divisions from 13 to 10. The Eastern Region now includes the Georgia, Norfolk Terminal, Piedmont, Pocahontas and Virginia divisions; and the Western Region includes the Alabama, Illinois, Kentucky, Lake and Tennessee divisions. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
BALTIMORE & ANNAPOLIS TRAIL IS NOW COMPLETE: The Baltimore & Annapolis Trail is now complete. It was dedicated on October 7. The 14-mile trail makes use of the abandoned WB&A right-of-way between Dorsey Road near Glen Burnie, Md., and route 50 near Annapolis. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
AMTRAK IMPLEMENTING LARGER TICKETS: Amtrak is implementing the use of larger tickets that are easier to read and will mostly replace the need for separate seat checks. Also, beginning this month, advertisements will appear on Amtrak train ticket jackets. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
CSX SELLS EIGHT-MILE RAIL LINE IN FLORIDA: CSX has sold an eight-mile line from Orlando to Toronto, Florida, to the Florida Central Railroad. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
D&H LOCOMOTIVE GETS CSXT REPORTING MARKS: D&H locomotive 7406 now has CSXT reporting marks stenciled on the cab. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
EXCURSION TRAIN FOR GEORGETOWN BRANCH NIXED BY COUNTY: The Montgomery County, Maryland, Council has voted 5 to 2 against further consideration of an excursion train on the county's portion of the former CSXT Georgetown branch. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
BILL PENDING TO ACQUIRE B&O LINE IN W.VA. FOR TRAIL: A bill is pending in Congress to appropriate $310,000 to acquire the abandoned B&O right-of-way between Clarksburg and Parkersburg, West Virginia, for use as a hiking trail. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN DISMANTLING ALEXANDRIA YARD: Norfolk Southern has begun dismantling its yard in Alexandria, Virginia. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
STRASBURG R.R. RESTORING WESTERN MARYLAND COACH: The Strasburg Rail Road is restoring Western Maryland coach 200 (originally WM-835) to its original appearance. [Bull Sheet, November 1990]
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