October 2015 - South Shore Model Railway Club

OCTOBER 19, 2015
■■■■■■■■■■■
VOLUME 35 ■■■■■■■■■ NUMBER 10
The Semaphore
David N. Clinton, Editor-in-Chief
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Southeastern Massachusetts…………………. Paul Cutler, Jr.
Paul Cutler III
Cape Cod News………………………………….. Skip Burton
Boston Globe Reporter………………………. Brendan Sheehan
Boston Herald Reporter……………………… Jim South
Wall Street Journal Reporter....………………. Paul Bonanno
Rhode Island News……………………………….Tony Donatelli
Empire State News………………………………. Dick Kozlowski
“Amtrak News”…………………………….….. . Russell Buck
“The Chief’s Corner”…………………………. . Fred Lockhart
PRODUCTION STAFF
Publication……………………………………….. Al Taylor
Al Munn
Web Page and photographer…………………... Joe Dumas
The Semaphore is the monthly (except July) newsletter of the South Shore Model Railway Club
& Museum
(SSMRC) and any opinions found herein are those of the authors thereof and of the Editors and do not necessarily reflect any policies
of this organization. The SSMRC, as a non-profit organization, does not endorse any position. Your comments are welcome! Please
address all correspondence regarding this publication to: The Semaphore, 11 Hancock Rd., Hingham, MA 02043.
E-mail: daveclinton@verizon.net Club phone: 781-740-2000. Web page: www.ssmrc.org
©2015
VOLUME 35 ■■■■■ NUMBER 10 ■■■■■ OCTOBER 2015
CLUB OFFICERS
President………………….Jack Foley
Vice-President…….. …..Dan Peterson
Treasurer………………....Will Baker
Secretary………………. ...Dave Clinton
Chief Engineer………. .. .Fred Lockhart
Directors……………… ....Bill Garvey (’16)
………………………..
.Bryan Miller (‘16)
………………………
.Mike Dolan (’17)
……………………… ….Roger St. Peter (’17)
On the cover: Our to-be-named “Corner City” on
Leg 3, has been the center of scenery activity
for the past year. The results are magnificent.
Has to be seen in person to believe the detail,
like “Chinatown” ! (DNC photos)
2
BILL OF LADING
Chief’s Corner ......……….3
Contests.................….. …..3
Clinic……………………...5
Editor’s Notes .......……….10
Members ...............……....10
Memories ..............………..4
Potpourri ................……….6
Running Extra…………….11
FORM 19
ORDERS
Congratulations to the winner of the drawing,
Fred Lockhart, who took home an Atlas S2
decorated in New Haven “as delivered” paint.
FALL SHOW AND OPEN HOUSE
FOR DECEMBER: There are two very beautiful and
historic viaducts in northeastern Pennsylvania; both over
100 years old. Name them and the railroads that either
ran over them in days past or that presently run over
them. Answer forms available on old display case inside
door to train room or any piece of paper will do, or email
answers to: daveclinton@verizon.net. Good luck!
th
Saturday, October 24 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, October 25th 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
OCTOBER B.O.D. MEETING
Monday, October 26th 8 p.m.
NOVEMBER BUSINESS MEETING
Monday, November 2nd 8 p.m.
DECODER & LOCO TUNE-UP CLINIC
Thursday, November 5th 8 p.m.
OFFICIAL OPERATIONS
Monday & Thursday, November 9th & 12th 8 p.m.
CLUB CAR COMMITTEE MEETING
Monday, November 16th 8 p.m.
NEWSLETTER DEADLINE
Saturday, November 21st
TRAINS ‘N TURKEY
Wednesday, November 25th
NOVEMBER B.O.D. MEETING
Monday, November 30th 8 p.m.
Fred Lockhart
Deadlines! By the time you read this column,
we are right up to our Fall Show and Open House. I
heard members make comments about the shows,
like “it seems we are always working to get ready
for the show” among others. Personally, I found out
this summer that deadlines can be a good thing. As
most of you know, I retired this spring and each
week I would make myself a “To Do” list and each
week I would carry over to the next week some
items that did not get done. Late in August, the
company I retired from asked me if I could help out
on a couple of projects starting in mid-September.
The last week before going into work, I made my
usual To Do list, not sure if it would all get done or
not. Well, I did, and then I realized it was the
deadline of going back to work. So that’s the story.
The shows give us a deadline and if you stop and
observe what is happening on the railroad, you will
notice each committee that has a project underway
is pushing a little harder to get as much done as
possible for the “show”; if you ask them, they might
even admit to it. So that’s another benefit of having
the shows in that it “fires us up” to get things done.
Progress has been very good this month: the
Scenery Committee is working in several areas,
with Mike Dolan working in the cut out area near
Larson, adding rock castings, plaster cloth, and he
started to add coloring to the plaster work. Steve is
working on the West Middleton swamp area and
“Corner City” is looking like it is in the finishing
stages. I’m sure we will hear a lot of good
comments from people who attend the show, keep
up the good work guys!
CONTESTS
Congratulations to Bob Farrenkopf on winning
his month’s 50/50 Raffle!
Those who completed the contest on the
Whyte system of Steam Locomotive Wheel
Arrangement:
Chip Mullen
Al Taylor
Coley Walsh
Bob Farrenkopf
Bill Garvey
Fred Lockhart
Marty Melamed
John Holmes
Jim Ferris
Ron Clough
Brendan Sheehan
Al McCarty
Doug Buchanan
Savery Moore
Al Munn
Eric Tedeschi
Donnie Pierce
3
VT Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders
welcome release of $50 million in Federal
“stimulus” funds to improve Vermonter rail line.
WW&F purchases narrow gauge Wiscasset &
Quebec coach #3 (1894) from MNGRR in Portland.
NS orders 100 EMD SD70ACe locos.
NJ Gov. Christie kills plan to build new passenger
rail tunnels under Hudson River to Penn Station.
Chicago Union Station begins $40 million
renovation.
MBTA explores feasibility of Commuter Rail to
Gillette Stadium station.
MBTA Government Center station begins $72
renovation; “top-to-bottom facelift”.
Amtrak celebrates 100th anniversary of
construction of New York’s Penn Station. That
building was torn down and replaced by Madison
Square Garden in the 1960s.
RI transportation officials strike deal with MBTA
to provide rail service to T.F. Green Airport in
Warwick.
Bombardier unveils new ALP45-DP locomotive,
which can run on A.C. catenary or under its own
diesel-electric power. NJ Transit and Montreal AMT
ordered.
Second Cascades train will continue to operate
between Vancouver, BC and Seattle.
Swiss engineers break through last stretch of
rock to create World’s longest tunnel, 60 years in
the making. 35.4 miles under the Alps.
MNGRR may be forced to vacate its Portland
waterfront location, due to increasing property
values. Has asked 75 communities if interested in
hosting the museum.
OCTOBER 2005 (10 years ago)
Safe Handling Co. of Auburn, ME, expands
trackage by 8,000 ft. on St. Lawrence & Atlantic.
Amtrak begins planning for replacement of
Thames River Bridge in New London, CT.
New England Central upgrades E. Alburg, VT
trestle and automates bridge opening, eliminating
the need for the bridge-tender, who lived in a shack
on the bridge.
Last active semaphore on NS’s “Southern Tier”
line (ex-Erie main) replaced by tri-color type “G”,
and moved to their museum in Norfolk.
Amtrak expands ticket sales to 32 countries on
four continents.
Foreign and Domestic companies pay the U.S.
$2 million to settle allegations that they inflated
The Electrical Committee has also been pushing
along: all of the new switch machine toggle panels
for Cedar Hill freight yard should be operable by the
time you read this. After the show we will go back
and power up the LEDs on each of the panels. It
was decided to get all the toggles working first,
otherwise all the panels would not have been ready
for the show if we took the time to hook up the
LEDs. Bob England was fixing a dead section of
track and discovered that a screw on a terminal
strip had loosened up and was allowing the power
to make and break, mostly break. Since finding
that, he has gone around and started checking
other connections and tightening any he finds
starting to loosen. We will discuss making that a
semi- annual maintenance chore. After the show,
we will work on connecting the switch machine
toggles for the passenger terminal. The model
board for the passenger terminal is also very close
to the top of the list; we need to finalize design and
get on with building it. We are still working from the
“punch list” I made last spring. After the show, I
may schedule a meeting to review our progress
and to plan for work over the winter.
Before closing, I would like to remind members
that are operating for the show that if you are
putting out equipment that is brand-new or has not
been run in a long time to give a couple of test runs
around the railroad before Saturday morning. This
is necessary to find any “bugs” with your equipment
before the show starts. If you don’t set up until
Saturday, please pay extra attention to coupler
heights, wheel sets and such, as you put out your
equipment, Thanks for your cooperation!
That’s all for this month, so let’s have a great
show and have fun.
Fred Lockhart
Chief Engineer
SEMAPHORE
MEMORIES
OCTOBER 2010 (5 years ago)
Amtrak unveils long-term vision for 220 MPH
“bullet train” between D.C. and Boston on mostly
new right-of-way.
4
Hobo RR sells ex-Wolfeboro RR steamer #250.
MBTA GP9 #1921 repainted by BET crews into
historic B&M maroon and yellow scheme.
Valley RR runs first mainline steam excursion in
32 years over P&W’s Norwich line, using their new
Chinese loco, also a 2-8-2 “Mike”.
Ex-MEC S3 $958 is first power for new Maine
Coast RR, which started rehabbing former MEC
Rockland Branch.
MBTA unveils first double-decker passenger cars
at South Station; cars assembled in Pittsfield, MA.
Northampton St. station, from old Orange Line
elevated, moved in two pieces, by barge, to
Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME.
OCTOBER 1985 (30 Years Ago)
”Project Filene’s” in full swing, dividing Club.
Amtrak adds Greenfield, MA and Claremont, NH
as stops on Montrealer route.
Lake Shore Limited celebrates 10th anniversary.
Guilford acquires three ex-&W SD39s, its first sixaxle EMD power.
General Dynamics considers selling its subsidiary
Fore River RR, which operates 3-days/week,
serving the P&G plant.
”Steam Associates” saves two Budd RDC cab
units built for New Haven’s Roger Williams service,
from scrapping.
Ridership on the Cape Cod & Hyannis RR from
Braintree to Hyannis jumps from 8,000 to 19,000 in
one year.
PRR K4 #1361 removed from display at
Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, PA, and replaced with
GP9 #7408; plans to restore K4 to operation.
claims on Amtrak projects to electrify Boston-New
Haven Northeast Corridor.
UP honors George H.W. Bush by painting new
SD70ACe in special colors, numbering it 4141 after
the 41st President.
OCTOBER 2000 (15 years ago)
Amtrak accepts first Acela trainset from
Bombardier in Barre, VT.
Amtrak orders 15 HHP-8 electric locos from
Bombardier, to be built in Plattsburg, NY.
Lionel celebrates 100th birthday.
MBTA board approves free bus to bus transfers.
Cape Cod Dinner Train named one of three best in
country by the “Food Network”.
Alaska RR operates 32-car passenger train,
longest in its history.
Maine Coast RR decides not to continue lease
with State of Maine for Rockland Branch track.
HVAC unit delivered and craned onto back of
Building 51.
OCTOBER 1995 (20 Years Ago)
Iron Road Railways, owner of BAR, acquires 250miles of the last of the CPR’s lines in Vermont and
southern Quebec.
CN receives approval to integrate U.S.
subsidiaries Grand Trunk Western and Duluth,
Winnipeg & Pacific into parent company.
Maine Coast RR acquires three former P&W Alco
M420 locomotives.
MBTA opens bids for construction of IpswichNewburyport Commuter Rail extension.
Amtrak’s first new “Viewliner” sleeper, named
“Atlantic View”, makes first appearance in D.C.
Ex-C&O 4-8-4 #614 moves from B&O Museum to
be restored for excursion service.
Amtrak discontinues famous Broadway Limited,
which had run for 93 years between Chicago and
New York Pennsylvania Station.
Welded rail being installed on Old Colony
Plymouth line.
MBTA extension of the Green Line subway tunnel
between Haymarket and Science Park begins.
Bus station built over the tracks at South Station
opens.
Amtrak renames corridor service “Northeast
Direct”.
OCTOBER 1990 (25 Years Ago)
First “all steam” operations in memory of John
Morrison, our first “Operations Manager”.
NYS&W purchases brand-new steam locomotive
from China, a 2-8-2 “Mikado” (appropriate!).
DECODER &
ENGINE TUNE-UP
CLINIC
Five members showed up to get their locos in
shape.
Joe Dumas brought a Walthers Amtrak E60CP that
he had picked up “cheap” from our W.E. Table.
Paul III assisted him with this hard-wire installation,
as the model is very old—long before the days of
even DCC being thought of! The DH126D fit in the
cavernous shell with no problem. It was discovered
5
with testing on DC before installation of a decoder
(which should be done with all models, especially
older ones) that all the axle gears were split; a
typical malady of Athearn and Proto geeps. Since
both Walthers and Proto used an “Athearn drive”,
the replacement gears from Athearn work just fine.
And it was just fine that Motive Power Chairman
Paul Agnew produced replacement gears from his
replacement parts collection. Joe replaced the
gears and re-gauged his wheelsets, while Paul III
installed the DH126. The loco works great and Joe
will be back to install lighting for both ends, since it
is a “double-ender” loco.
decoders with higher current ratings or replacement
of the motor with a can-type, which uses less
current. Next he had a brass RF-16 dressed in
PRR from Alco with Samhongsa drive. He had
space to hardwire the DH126D and decided to
install lighting at a future time. The loco ran very
good. Lastly, he had a brass CNJ Baldwin “Baby
face” A-B set from Hallmark. He had previously
installed the DH126D but had pick-up problems, as
old brass only picks up on 2-wheels for each side.
So, the new “keep alive” decoder from Digitrax, the
PX112-2, plugs into the back of the decoders
ending with a “6” and by using capacitors, feeds
power to the decoder, when power doesn’t come
from the track pick-ups. If there is room (the
PX112-2 is as large as a typical HO sound
decoder), then this is an excellent addition, as it
eliminates jerking over dirty track or turnouts. It’s
not “cheap”, though, costing as much as a multifunction HO decoder.
Savery Moore brought his contest winnings in to
be made “DCC-enhanced”: an Atlas RS3 painted
in one of the many New Haven schemes. Since the
locos of this vintage were made with Kato drives,
with Atlas making the shells, the DH165KO (for
Kato and “Other”) was the perfect fit. There are now
current-limiting resistors on the “5” boards, so the
lighting was attached to the appropriate contacts on
the board and away he went ready for the new
passenger cars to be brought out by the New
Haven RR Historical & Technical Association next
Spring—it IS equipped with a steam generator, isn’t
it, Savery?
Thanks to Paul Cutler III for being the “substitute
teacher”, since I was busy with other Club
business. Overall, a good time was had by all, with
learning experiences, as usual. If you have a loco,
or two, that needs some tender, loving care to
make it road-worthy, try the clinic some month…it’s
fun! Next clinic will be Thursday, November 5th .
Sign-up sheet on Bulletin Board.
Brendan was the easiest participant this session,
which brought the ceiling down, as it is usually just
the opposite! LOL, Brendan! His Maine Central
GP38 from Atlas was in the “Master” series, so it
only needed the “jumper plug” moved from the DC
slot to the DCC slot; it is a “dual mode” decoder,
which comes from the factory in the model.
POTPOURRI
John Roberts had an Atlas Grand Trunk S2, and
brought his own TCS AS6 sound decoder to install
this night. He found that, because of a bad solder
job on the factory board from TCS, that the rear
LED was very intermittent. After many attempts to
fix, John took the model home without the rear light
working; otherwise, the model ran very nicely.
ELECTRO-MOTIVE DIESEL says it has shipped its
first new freight locomotive with Tier 4 emissions
equipment to Minneapolis for the Railway
Interchange railroad trade show Oct. 4 to 6. The
new SD70ACe-T4 locomotive was built at Progress
Rail’s Muncie, Ind., facility and moved north during
the middle of September to Minneapolis covered in
plastic shrink wrap. It’s one of five the company
plans on building this year for testing. Until this
locomotive
series
from
EMD,
only
GE
Transportation fielded heavy hauling freight
locomotives that comply with the latest U.S.
environmental standards. The SD70ACe-T4 is
numbered EMDX No. 1501 and will be part of the
outdoor exhibits during Railway Interchange’s four-
Paul Agnew kept very busy with four different loco
sets. First off was the Union RR GP7 from Athearn
“Blue Box”. This had been “bad-ordered” and Paul
fixed the mis-aligned couplers. Next in line were the
Club’s ECL FA-2 and FB-2 set from Hobbytown of
Boston. He found that the large DC70 open-frame
motor had “fried” the decoder. He will investigate
6
day show that showcases the latest technology in
the rail industry. BNSF Railway will host the
outdoor exhibits at its Northtown Yard on the north
side of Minneapolis. (TN)
●●●●●●●
FORMER DENVER & RIO GRANDE WESTERN
engine No. 168 has arrived on Cumbres & Toltec
property after being transported from downtown
Colorado Springs. John Bush, president of the
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad tells Trains
News Wire the move from Colorado Springs went
very smoothly. The locomotive will remain inside
the engine house in Antonito until crews can
conduct a thorough inspection. Bush and others at
the C&TS hope to restore the locomotive to
operating condition and as the way it appeared in
1913-1917. Bush estimates the locomotive's
restoration to cost about $650,000 and hopes to
obtain all funding from private donors and not from
loans or government grants. The locomotive has
been a cosmetic display piece in downtown
Colorado Springs since 1938. (TN)
their capital assets to achieve and maintain a state
of good repair. The proposed rule would require
public transportation agencies to develop a Transit
Asset Management Plan that determines the
condition of its capital assets, including the
system’s equipment, rolling stock, infrastructure,
and facilities. To reduce the burden on small
operators, the proposed rule offers a two-tiered
approach for the TAM Plan requirement. Small
transit providers operating 100 or fewer vehicles in
revenue service and no rail fixed-guideway service
and all sub-recipients under the Rural Area
Formula Program would participate in a Group
Transit Asset Management Plan that would be
developed by a state or other direct recipient of
FTA funding. The Transit Asset Management
System is intended to provide a transit agency with
a comprehensive understanding of how the
condition of its capital assets may impact the safety
of its system, the agency said. (TN) Sounds like
something the MBTA needs!-Ed.
●●●●●●●
CONWAY SCENIC RAILROAD, a landmark in
New Hampshire's White Mountains for more than
40 years, is about to be sold to a partnership of two
icons of the tourist railroad business. Jon Delli
Priscolli and Al Harper have joined forces to buy
the railroad, according to the Conway Daily Sun.
Delli Priscolli operates the Edaville Railroad in
Massachusetts, where he recently opened the
Thomas Land theme park. He also operates the
freight-hauling Grafton & Upton Railroad in
Massachusetts and the Seaview Railroad in Rhode
Island. Harper is the owner of the Durango &
Silverton in Colorado and the Great Smoky
Mountains Railroad in North Carolina. They will be
the third owners of the Conway line. Delli Priscolli
said he and Harper have a sales agreement to buy
the railroad. He said he expects the sale to be
finalized in January, following the completion of
bank and legal reviews. Russ Seybold, the current
owner of the line, has run Conway for 25 years.
The original Conway Scenic operation was on a
5.5-mile route, a former Boston & Maine branch
line. In 1994, Conway Scenic leased the former
Maine Central Mountain Division from the state and
began running trains on a 10-mile trip to Bartlett.
Trains now operate beyond Bartlett, climbing
through the scenic Crawford Notch, crossing
streams
and
ravines
on
high
bridges.
In its early years, Conway Scenic operated steam
●●●●●●●
MEN AND WOMEN working on No. 1309 are now
focused on reassembling the Chesapeake & Ohio
2-6-6-2-type locomotive after more than a year of
taking it apart and restoring it, piece by piece. That
kind of progress by crews from Western Maryland
Scenic Railroad and contractors means the
locomotive could steam in early 2016, Western
Maryland General Manager Mike Gresham said.
Reconstruction of the tender by Western
Maryland’s shop crew is well underway, Gresham
says. Major work included tender tank floor
replacement, water baffle reinforcement and
reattachment, and stoker repairs. No major repairs
were required to the tender deck; when the tank
was removed, there was still creosote pooled on
the timbers. Except for paint, work on the tender
should be complete by the end of September. (TN)
●●●●●●●
THE FEDERAL TRANSIT Administration has
proposed a rule that would require public
transportation agencies to monitor and manage
7
locomotives on a regular basis, but in more recent
times, most trains are diesel-hauled. Steam still
appears from time to time, with 0-6-0 No. 7470,
currently undergoing its FRA overhaul. The railroad
operates out of the iconic 1874 North Conway
depot, and its locomotives are cared for in the
nearby engine terminal, complete with roundhouse
and turntable. (TN)
●●●●●●●
THE CENTRAL MAINE & QUEBEC has acquired
10 former Canadian Pacific SD40-2Fs. The first of
the units arrived at Farnham on Oct. 1. Essentially
an SD40-2 with a full cowl hood, the units were
nicknamed “Red Barns” because of their cowling
and CP red colors. The SD40-2F was a CP-only
model. Only 25 were constructed, built by General
Motors of Canada in 1988. CP numbered them
9000-9024. CM&Q has assembled an eclectic
diesel roster since it began operations in 2014. It
now includes several diesel models including EMD
GP35s and SD40T-2s, General Electric B23-7s and
now SD40-2Fs. (TN)
●●●●●●●
AMTRAK IS BOARDING a baggage fee
bandwagon that has generated billions in revenue
for airlines.
This month, the passenger train
operator started charging a $20 fee if a passenger
exceeds limits for carry-on and personal items.
Customers are allowed to bring for free two
personal items weighing up to 25 pounds each;
items include things like a backpack, laptop, or
purse. Passengers with children under age 2 can
also bring an additional item, like a stroller or diaper
bag. Amtrak sez Amtrak didn’t adopt the fees to
make more money, “It is simply a space and safety
initiative.” (WSJ)
●●●●●●●
THE MBTA WILL SOON offer a non-stop roundtrip on Commuter Rail between Worcester and
Boston. The morning run will leave Worcester at
7:55 and the evening run will be during the rush
hour; time not specified. Ride will take less than an
hour, saving riders 30 minutes over the regularly
scheduled trains.(BG) They’re being called “Bullet
Trains” by the press, if you can believe that!-Ed.
●●●●●●●
BEGINNING THIS MONTH, Amtrak will allow cats
and dogs weighing less than 20 pounds on board
dozens of trains per week in the Northeast U.S. as
well as trains in Virginia. The pilot program
includes the Boston to Portland, Downeaster and
all Northeast Regional trains operating between
Boston, Washington, and the four Virginia
endpoints of Norfolk, Newport News, Richmond,
and Lynchburg. The program also includes the
Carolinian and northbound Palmetto, but only north
of Washington. Other than service animals, pets
won’t be allowed north of New Haven, Conn., and
beyond on any Northeast Regional through trains,
shuttles, or on the Vermonter. (TN)
●●●●●●●
THE BERKSHIRE SCENIC RR started operation
on the 6-mile ex-B&A branch from North Adams to
Renfrew in Adams on Saturday, the 10th. They are
using a refurbished Budd RDC-1, pulled by their
SW1000 switcher. Ye Ed wishes them all the best
in this new endeavor, since being kicked off their
original route on the Housatonic RR a couple of
years ago, which was a very successful operation.
●●●●●●●
THE FAMOUS 4-6-2 “FLYING SCOTSMAN” will
be returned to excursion service in early 2016; the
first time it will run in 10 years. The locomotive
holds two world records: the first verified operation
of a steam locomotive at 100 MPH in 1934 and the
longest non-stop steam run of 422 miles in 1989.
The engine toured the U.S. in 1969-1973 and
Australia in 1988-1989. (TN)
●●●●●●●
IN A MOVE THAT HARKS back to the era of
privately operated passenger trains, Rapido Trains
Inc. rented out a rail car to introduce a new line of
model railroad locomotives. On Oct. 11, Rapido
chartered ex-Canadian Pacific Skyline dome coach
No. 8501 to take customers on VIA train 52 from
Toronto to Montreal for a product launch
announcement at Exporail in St-Constant, Que.
Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum, opened a
number of pieces of equipment for Rapido guests
to tour. On Monday at Exporail, Rapido unveiled a
new line of models it calls “Icons of Canadian
Steam.” The HO scale collection will produce 12
steam locomotives from Canadian railway history.
The first model, to be unveiled in 2017, will be
Canadian Pacific’s Royal Hudson. Following its
release, Rapido said it would produce two
Canadian steam locomotives a year for the next
seven years, as follows:
2018: CP and Canadian National 4-6-0s
2019: CP H-Class 4-6-4s; CN 2-8-0
2020: CP light 4-6-2; CN “Bullet Nose Betty” 4-8-2
2021: CP heavy 4-6-2; CN 4-6-2
2022: CP “Selkirk” 2-10-4;
CN streamlined U-4 class 4-8-4
2023: CP 4-4-4 “Jubilee.”
8
This isn’t the first time Rapido has used real trains
to introduce models. The company used museums
before with United Kingdom product launches, but
never before with a product launch in North
America. Rapido was founded by Jason Shron in
2003 and incorporated in November 2004. It
produces model trains and accessories in HO, OO,
and N scales. It was named for Canadian
National’s Rapido service introduced in 1965 to
headline the railway’s high-speed intercity
passenger services. (TN)
●●●●●●●
THE BEACON PARK YARD TOWER is being torn
down.
●●●●●●●
CALIFORNIA RELIES ON RAIL to get produce to
market, but would farmers pony up to bring
trainloads of water to drought-parched fields and
orchards? Water Train Inc. is betting they are and
is actively looking for partners in a test train to find
out. "Given the extreme measures some are taking
in terms of extraction and a finite water supply, we
feel the time is right to explore this option," Water
Train President David Rangel said when the project
was announced in late August. While there's been
much talk of building pipelines from distant rivers
and lakes to take water to farmers, those projects
take years to plan and build, he said. "The Water
Train is ready now," Rangel says. Later, a Water
Train spokesperson tells Trains News Wire the
company will refrain from speaking more about the
project as it solicits public and private partners for a
test train capable of hauling 190,000 gallons. The
company says for actual service it has a fleet of
more than 300 cars capable of delivering 154
million gallons during a growing season or about
1.9 million gallons per 100-car unit train. Farmers
don't work in gallons, however. They talk in acrefeet, the volume of water needed to cover one acre
to a depth of 1 foot. An acre-foot is 325,851
gallons, so 154 million gallons equals slightly more
than 470 acre-feet. "In the big picture that’s a
relatively small amount of water," says spokesman
Dave Kranz of the California Farm Bureau
Federation. "It would depend on all those logistical
questions: How much is available at a time? How
much would it cost? Where would it be coming
from? Where would it be arriving? (TN)
●●●●●●●
KEOLIS COMMUTER SERVICES lost $19.4
million during the first half of 2015, nearly double its
losses from the previous six-month period,
according to financial figures released Friday by the
company, which operates the MBTA commuter rail
service. Leslie Aun, a spokeswoman for Keolis,
said the bulk of the losses stemmed from the
record-breaking snowstorms that hit the region last
winter: higher-than-expected overtime paid to
employees and expenses for utilities. She also
cited penalties Keolis paid to the MBTA for subpar
service — which included late or canceled trains
but also trains that were dirty or lacked the
necessary number of conductors. She blamed the
aging trains, rails, and other equipment in place
when Keolis took over the commuter rail service in
July 2014. “The equipment we inherited was not in
the condition we would have expected and so
repair costs have been disproportionately high,”
Aun wrote in an e-mail. Joe Pesaturo, a T
spokesman, wrote in an e-mail that the MBTA has
“absolutely no reason to believe that the losses will
adversely impact customer service. “He said the
MBTA will make sure Keolis has enough money to
provide the service required by its $2.68 billion,
eight-year contract. (BG)
●●●●●●●
COAL LOADS AND EMPTIES as well as unit
trains are beginning to take alternative routing just
a day after CSX made an announcement it would
close down the majority of operations at its Erwin
terminal. The weakening coal market prompted the
decision, which includes the closing of Erwin’s
locomotive service facility and car shop, affecting
nearly 300 jobs. On Friday morning, there were no
trains on the railroad’s Kingsport Subdivision
between Elkhorn City, Ky., and Kingsport, TN,
(former Clinchfield RR trackage). A single yard job
was switching local industry at Eastman Chemical
and south from there, not a thing on the mainline as
far as Bostic, N.C. That’s nearly all 275-miles of the
Clinchfield mainline. Despite the depressing news,
CSX spokeswoman Melanie Cost tells Trains News
Wire that the railroad will host the 73rd annual
Santa Train this Nov. 21 and there are no plans to
discontinue it at this time. CSX inherited the Santa
Train from the former Clinchfield Railroad which ran
the Christmas-time special as a way to brighten
spirits of families and children in impoverished
communities along the coal road's lines. (TN)
●●●●●●●
RAILROADERS KNOW THAT DERAILMENTS
can happen anytime. But rare is the case when
9
freight cars derail without injuries in a way that any
model railroader could identify with. Such a model
derailment happened in Tacoma, WA, about 3 p.m.
on October 15th, involving seven center beam flat
cars on a BNSF Railway manifest train headed
through the city. From photos, several empty
flatcars "string-lined" on a curve. The Tacoma
News-Tribune reports that the 106-car train was
headed from Pasco to Seattle when seven empties
tipped over. The newspaper quoted a BNSF
spokesman saying that additional tracks nearby
allowed other trains to pass through the area
without delay. (TN)
EDITOR’S NOTES
1. This issue is published a week early, due to
our Show and Open House. Next month’s
issue will be on schedule—the fourth
Monday of the month.
2. Hope that you can help out with our big
Show and Open House next weekend! It’s
very important to the success of our Club,
and a great “show off” for all of the work
that’s done over the year by the 20%, who
do 80% of the work.
…..David
N. Clinton
MEMBER NEWS
Jack Bryant is back in the hospital, so our
thoughts and prayers go out to him for a speedy
return to Cohasset and the SSMRC.
Honorary Member Wally Chase, of Lewiston, ME,
suffered a stroke last November, and has been in a
rehab and nursing home ever since. We keep him
in our prayers and thoughts, remembering many
happy visits and operations of his beautiful home
layout during “Wally World” outings in Maine.
●●●●●●●
I ENJOYED THESE ARTICLES in this month’s RR
magazines and can suggest them to you:
TRAINS
A Study in Steam
Trains Photo Contest Winners
First Encounters of a Close Kind (MEC)
Mallet on the Mend
MODEL RAILROADER
Model a Mini-mill
How to Make Trees from a Natural Kit
Using Whistle and Horn Signals
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
Low-cost Scenery
Flatcar Loads
Grass and Weeds
Birthday Celebrations
The following members have made it through
another year and deserve congratulations:
Tom Wylie................... November 5th
Fred Foley ................... November 17th
Gary Mangelinkx......... November 23rd
REMEMBER:
FALL SHOW & OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, October 24th 9-4
News sources: Boston Globe, Boston Herald,
Amtrak “News”, Trains Newswire, Railway Age,
Railpace Newsmagazine, RRE “Callboy”, “The
470”, Patriot Ledger, Wall Street Journal.
Sunday, October 25th 10-4
We need your help!
10
Irving Oil stops importing crude from Bakken shale and stops shipping oil by rail.
11
Contest 15-10 Answers:
12