CARLISLE

On Saturday, 2/17, at 2 AM, a southbound CSX freight struck the rear of another CSX freight, killing one man and critically injuring two others. There are a jumble of questions.

It is known that a southbound CSX Ore Drag headed for AK Middle- town was holding for a northbound. The ENQUIRER said "side track" but the train had to be on the main from the looks of the wreck. The northbound train radioed to the Dispatcher that the Ore Drag's EOT wasn't flashing.

For some reason, a southbound Marysville (Ohio)-Cincinnati auto rack train was evidently running on a red block (Possibly to clear the northbound) and failed the see the stopped Ore Drag. The resulting crash dumped the units on their sides, wiped out two hoppers and flipped two loaded racks. The man killed was a pilot engineer, on board to familiarize two men who were qualifying as engineers over this CSX line. This train runs over ex-Conrail lines to Sidney, where it uses the new connection. CR engineers operating south of Sidney need to be qualified. No one can say just who was operating at the time.

The 2/18 ENQUIRER ran a set of photos showing the overturned second unit, GE CW-44 #256. A fan told me that the lead uni t was SD-70AC #700, "Spirit of Louisville" .He said that the two units and two damaged auto racks were taken to Dayton (I think Needmore Yard). The two hoppers are scrap metal.

I visited the site at 12 noon Sunday and was amazed to see that EVERYTHING had been cleaned up. Track machines were working on the new ballast on the main. The two hoppers were shoved off the right-of-way. I suppose there is a ground cover of taconite ore negr ~he row of houses that were nearly missed, but I swear you'd never know anything happened! I watched as an empty northbound ore drag with Wisconsin Central power slowly rolled past on slow orders; this quite possibly is the same power that brought the ill-fated ore drag in Saturday AM.

R J Corman cleaned up the wreck. I noticed six lowboys with heavy dozers on them in Carlisle at a truck yard. They had to haul dirt saturated with diesel fuel out in dump trucks.

CSX estimated the damage at $1 million, assuming that both units can be rebuilt. If not, that's $2 million right there. Today's paper stated that one engineer regained consciousness and may shed some light on the mystery. Speed Recorders were recovered which will also help. It seems to me that speed will be a factor given this much damage.

Walt Edgecomb, retired B&O engineer, recalled that the very same thing ALMOST happened to him AT THE VERY SAME SPOT. He was southbound with an ore drag and running on a red block in a dense fog. As such he was barely moving. Two torpedoes got his attention and a flagman stopped him. The other train's caboose was dead ahead but almost invisible in the fog. Of course, this was before radio communication, but there were cabooses and rear-end crews instead of flashing red lights.

While we're on the subject: Another CSX freight was rear-ended in Syracuse, NY, this time by Amtrak. The Niagara Falls-NYC train, with #414 in the lead, had left the Syracuse station minutes earlier (less than a mile) when at 11 :30 AM on 2/5 it struck the rear of a 92-car CSX freight and derailed. The freight's rear car was a centerbeam bulkhead flat with a load of wrapped lumber, and it did a job on the front of #414. 61 people were hurt, "at least 1011 seriously. A small amount of diesel fuel leaked but there was no fire. Passengers were bussed east, and three Amtrak trains were delayed. The scene was cleared by 6 PM. Cause is under investigation.

A minor freight derailment in Southeast Washington, DC caused delay to freight traffic on CSX as one of two mains was torn up. 7 cars derailed Feb 5th in the D st area. The WASHINGTON POST ran a photo of two coil cars laid over at 45-degree angles and rails twisted under them. Another investigation.

Dangerous area! Jan 26th saw another death on the CSX main in the Maryland suburbs of DC. This time a man was struck and killed by the last Brunswick-DC MARC commuter run of the day. He was walking on the tracks near the Fairgrounds in Gaithers- burg, Md. All traffic, including MARC and Amtrak trains and CSX freights were held for several hours due to the investigation.

Dueling engineers: In the pre-dawn hours of Jan 24th as the eastbound Amtrak Southwest Chief crossed the desert west of Needles, Calif, both the engineer and his assistant engaged in an "altercation" , possibly a fistfight at 70 MPH. The basis for the argument was thought to be smoking, as the engineer is a smoker and the assistant is not. Neither man's story shed much light on the matter. It is known that the Assistant refused to take a turn running the train. He is an ex-UP man and claimed that he didn't know the BNSF (ex-ATSF) route sufficiently (if true, he's unqualified, why was he marked up?? Ed..)

The older head brought the train to an orderly stop at Needles, where on his call the police were waiting. Attempts by the police to calm things down went nowhere, to the point that both men were arrested on "citizen's arrests" of each other. The Chief sat for an hour and 38 minutes until the westbound Chief arrived. One of its engineers then took the eastbound Chief to the crew change point of Kingman, Arizona. This delayed the westbound 49 minutes and one freight, a grain train, was stabbed 55 minutes.

Amtrak and BNSF are investigating and are obviously hopping mad. The official word is that no passengers were endangered but the engineers compromised service and will be disciplined accordingly.

CASS RAILFAN WEEKEND is May 18-20, cost is $95.00, plus $10 if you want the Saturday buffet dinner. INFO: Bob Hoke, 6304 Kaybro St, Laurel, Md 20707.

A SAD LOSS

0. Winston Link, the man who almost single-handedly introduced the Norfolk & Western Ry to those outside its service area, died Jan 30 outside the railroad station in Katonah, NY. He was 86. Link was on his way to his doctor when he pulled over and asked for help, but it was too late.

Winston Link, a New York commercial photographer, was on assignment in Virginia in 1955 when the N&W's mighty steam engines reached out and grabbed him. He'd been a railfan all his life, but in IfJ"5'5he made history. He so totally won the respect of the N&W brass that they gave him a key to lineside phone boxes so that he could check on trains. once he missed his shot of a southbound passenger run and, after his call, THEY BACKED THE TRAIN UP FOR A PHOTO RUN-BY! He rode cabs and cabooses and took almost 2500 photos in 5 years, also producing some of the finest rail recordings ever made.

His best known photos are night shots, results of elaborate setups of hundreds of flashbulbs and reflectors. I have always wondered how an engineer fel t after getting "fried" by Link ; hopefully he had been warned what to expect and where. Human interest was a big factor; N&W employees were in most shots, Virginia families in others.

The "0" stood for Ogle, a first name he never used, and his productions were marketed under the acronym "OWL" , which most people thought fit perfectly with his night shots. His first marriage ended in divorce and his second wife was con- victed of stealing more than 1400 negatives worth $1-2 million. He is survived by a son from the first marriage, Conway Link.

I never met Winston Link but I feel I knew him; I have his books and records and I have walked in his tracks on theN&W in Hagerstown, Roanoke, Blue Ridge Summit, Luray and Shenan- doah and watched the same K's, J's, Y's and A's. I never got to the Abingdon Branch and I never saw a "Molly" in action . I have heard that a Roanoke Museum is planned as a repository for some of Winston's work, and that he had requested that Class A #1218 be displayed in front. He has said that the Class A is "the most beautiful machine I ever saw".

A short time ago, Winston's works were displayed at the Cincinnati Art Museum, but sadly he couldn't make the trip. So we missed the chance to meet him. We've lost an icon, a fellow steam fan, a man who made a huge mark late in life. If there's any justice, 0. Winton Link is out on the N&W main right now shooting Y's, A's and J's for eternity.

CN has agreed to purchase Wisconsin Central for $800 Million. Thwarted by the Surface Board in its bid to merge with BNSF, CN looks to finalize this deal by summer's end. WC holdings in Britain, Australia and New Zealand will be sold off.

Railfan's Diary

Bedding Down in the Corridor

by Jim Mixter

I'm keyboarding the start of this from a table in dinette 20222 on Amtrak's northbound Twilight Shoreliner on January II, 2001. I have some business tomorrow in southern New Hampshire and then plan to spend the weekend with my parents before heading back south to my home in the Washington DC area. Standard bedroom both ways. The corridor at night, something I have only done only a few times before.

It wasn't long into my journey tonight before I was struck with the thought that if a railfan like me had been suddenly transported from, say, 1970, when I traveled this route to and from college, to the present, he or she would not believe the changes since then.

Tonight I had parked my car at the Metro station in Vienna, Virginia, near my home. The Metro was just a distant dream in the early 70's. Going upstairs from the Metro at Union Station, what I found was a far cry from the decaying station of the earlier era. Amtrak's presence was a far cry from the hopelessness of Penn Central's passenger service back then, although the Metroliners seemed to have promise. Today's Union Station sparkles, and there are so many shops and restaurants that you have to consult a brochure to sort them out and find your way.

I made my way to a ticket counter, which would not have looked out of place on the Starship Enterprise, past video monitors indicating arrivals and departures. The station, at 7:00PM after the Thursday night commuter rush, was still bustling with patrons, and the clientele appeared similar in makeup to what one would find at an airport today. (Versus 1970, the clientele has improved socioeconomically at Union Station and perhaps deteriorated, though become more numerous, at airports. ) I gave a six-digit reservation number to the agent, a number I had obtained by making a reservation ON MY COMPUTER and quickly received a computer-printed ticket. No money or credit card changed hands; I just had to show a picture ill. Then I was directed to the Metropolitan Lounge, a special haven for first class passengers. There, a receptionist ushered me into a gracious space comparable to what airline lounges offer members only. I would say, an even nicer and more useful amenity than the red carpet once rolled out for 20th Century Limited patrons! ! The only signs of the past in the lounge were framed posters from the famous trains of the postwar streamliner era.

Did they have "preboarding" for those postwar streamliners? A jacketed man led us to the Twilight Shoreliner about 10 minutes before general boarding, and we descended to the through track area at the far east part of the station to find our train. I won't fill up space with my usual Amtrak consists; tonight we had an AEM- 7, materials handling box, a US Mail/baggage car, 3 Amcoaches, Amcafe, custom class coach, dinette, and, appropriately enough, Viewliner sleeper "Winter View." The only car of the set which would have even existed in 1970, was the mail car-carrying mail again after 25 or so years without mail on passenger trains....

There were some similarities to 1970 at the platform. Car knockers scurrying. Water hoses inserted into the bellies of the cars, then the overflow once tanks were full. Many people working to get a train out on the road. But no steam hissing into the cold air of a winter night. I jotted down a consist as I would have 30 years ago. I'm not quite ready to do that on a Palm Pilot.

Sleeper attendant Steve showed me to room 11 of sold-out car 6600 and then I headed to the dinette for dinner. We had trouble departing the station-1 kept hearing the tower calling the engineer to clear our train, but evidently the head end radio was not receiving. The old dwarf signals might have been more effective in getting us moving! But after about 7 minutes of anxious'messages back and forth, we departed.

The dinette would shock our 1970's era rider. Far from the Penn Central Snack Bar Coach or even the Federal's 6 bedroom lounge, our dinette featured linen table cloths, Twilight Shoreliner placemats, leatherette-bound menus, and complimentary meals and open bar for sleeper patrons, in a section exclusively for them-coach passengers have their own cafe car. I decided Amtrak would be losing money on me tonight and began to consume the complimentary items at a rapid rate. A very up to date offering all in all, although I am not sure the average Amtrak patron (oops, they call them "guests" now) is ready for bread sticks and hummus as an appetizer. I AM NOT READY FOR HUMMUS on a train, or anywhere else, though I did valiantly sample it. I was more than ready for the good rotisserie chicken dinner with various sides, and others supped on roast beef and deli sandwiches, all from the freezer and a convection oven, which stood in pretty well for a conventional kitchen. Dessert was an awesome brand name chocolate and caramel delight, warmed just right.

Just to keep things real, the car had a flat wheel, which made things interesting at 110 MPH. The food was good, the drinks plentiful, and as indicated before, complimentary, so time and miles sped by. I got a good start on this article. The dinette has enough seats to accommodate all sleeper patrons at once, so taking over a place at a table for the evening is not a problem. The 1970's era snack bar coach would not only not have had table seating, it wouldn't have had 110 outlets for personal computers, either... And I would have been writing on a pad of paper.

We caught up to our schedule by Philadelphia; in Baltimore we had passed the Silver Meteor, with its heritage 10-6 sleeper in dormitory service, two Viewliner sleepers, heritage diner, Amfleet cafe and four Amfleet coaches. At Wilmington a Northeast Direct train passed with six coaches, a lounge, and a business class car. An increasing proportion of corridor equipment has been refurbished into the new Acela interiors and exteriors, featuring pastel blues and greens. Call me a traditionalist, but I prefer red, white, and blue, and I miss the pointless arrow. But if the trains keep running, I will survive, I guess.

At about midnight I folded up the laptop and headed back to Room 11 and drifted off to sleep in an old form of conveyance surrounded by signs of transition into a new age.

Morning came at 5:00AM as Steve knocked on the door and left a takeout tray containing orange juice and coffee with all of the fixings. Not a bad stand-in for a shoeshine, I guess. There are no shoe lockers in Viewliners. I had asked for the early call to allow time for a shower and breakfast before our scheduled 6:15AM arrival in Boston's South Station.

I took the shower more out of curiosity than necessity, and it wasn't worth it. 1 have showered in Viewliners before, and this time the room was colder than it should have been. The shower stall seemed smaller -- was it just the early hour, or have I grown larger? Probably a bit of both. I resolved to forego this activity on my return trip.

Breakfast was fine -- a good breakfast sandwich and coffee. The Twilight Lounge stays open all night, so you can snack or dine any time, in contrast to Amtrak dining cars which open at 6 or 6:30AM. There was a small hardy band taking Amtrak up on the offer of complimentary breakfast this day, and attendant Paula made us feel welcome. At Providence some of her fellow Amtrak crewmembers boarded, probably deadheading into Boston for daytime assignments. In another contrast to thirty years ago, when they might have traded tips on horses, they were trading tips on stocks!

Route 128 has become a sparkling new station with high level platforms and acres of garage parking. Boston's MBT A commuter rail is growing by leaps and bounds. Scrolling electronic message boards grace platforms at even smaller MBT A stations, welcoming patrons. They aren't calling them, "guests" yet, but can this be far behind?

South Station was achieved on time at 6:15AM; there is plenty of slack in today's schedule. Two F40PH's, elephant style, had replaced our AEM-7 at New Haven; when these diesels are replaced by run through electrics, another 30 minutes will be available for padding or schedule reduction.

I planned to pick up a rental car at a nearby hotel, but since the office would not open until 7:30AM, I planted myself in the food court of South Station and noted still more drastic changes from 1970. The interior of South Station is smaller than it once was, but what exists today is more open and sports all the modern conveniences, in place of the deterioration and flocks of indoor pigeons I remember. There is now a morning train running all the way to Newport News. A jogger was running laps-were people even jogging in 1970? There is a real bookstore in addition to the newsstand. There are more commuter lines entering South Station than there were in 1970, and equipment is new, including bilevel coaches-what a difference from RDC's and P-70's. Actually, I miss the ROC's. Soon I hopped into a taxi and went off to do a day's business and spend the weekend with my parents.

Sunday night January 14 found me back at South Station, awaiting the loading of the southbound Twilight Shoreliner. When the gate opened, I found the rear portion of the train-cafe, Business Class, dinette, and sleeper--was identical to that of my northbound trip; so was the lead unit (again one of two paired elephant style) and the mail car. The second unit, the two boxcars, and three coaches were different. So Amtrak must shuffle this consist more than it does other long hauls.

Attendant Richard was gracious in his welcome aboard Winter View; I made my way to Room 5 and decided to be adventuresome and sleep in the upper berth and make use of the upper level window. This would leave a downstairs "office" ifI decided to read or use my computer before turning in. Live on the edge, that is my motto. I defied the 50- 50 odds and had a forward-facing bed for both trips.

A Northeast Direct train pulled !n as we slipped out, and it had 11 cars, including a new bistro-style reconfigured Ainfleet lounge.

A few more contrasts with 30 years ago presented themselves. I found a favorable article in the Boston Globe regarding train travel (the new Acela. ) I found snowboards stowed in the vestibule of the sleeper. My room had disposable Twilight Shoreliner slippers for use ifI decided to go down the hall to use the shower. There were gourmet chocolate mints as a bedtime sweet, and the train was running under electric wires, even if still pulled by diesels. My room had piped in music and movies on small video screens. I suppose the video recorder back in 1970 was found only in television studios and broadcasting studios. ...I didn't have to write down my order for dinner-a delicious deli sandwich, and I could have had a Thai wrap sandwich (though I didn't; times may have changed, but I haven't. ) There were two full hot meals available, as well. There were both Amtrak's logo and Pepsi's pressed into the plastic cups used for cocktails.

The food was good, the beverages flowed, and I tapped away at this article a bit before heading back to my room for the night. I was awake for arrival in New Haven but zonked out before departure, not awakening again until somewhere north of Wilmington when the overhead light in the compartment took on a life of its own and began cycling on and off by itself. One of the new style touch pad switches must have gone bad. They didn't have those thirty years ago, and that was a good thing.

Except for the annoying light show, sleeping in the upper was fine; it is the same size as the lower, and it is positioned at the same level as the upper window, making it easier to look out during the night. Richard rapped on my door at 5 :30AM and I dressed and headed to the dinette for Amtrak's tasty version of the McMuffin. 1 think they even toast the muffin to order so it isn't soggy. We flashed through Washington's north suburbs and entered the Capitol City still in darkness. The only (so far) scheduled northbound Acela had whooshed by just south of Baltimore.

The Twilight Shoreliner glided to a stop on one of the lower level run-through tracks in Washington Union Station five minutes early, and my two nights of contrasts with thirty years ago came to a halt along with it. But not before I glanced upward toward the stub- end portion of the station. There, sitting as a backup trainset or maybe a substitute for a morning Metroliner, was the biggest contrast of all-a glistening, articulated, pastel colored, new millennium newcomer, the Acela.

B&O'S MIKES -- PART 1

Baldwin built the first 2-8-2 for the 3'6" Nippon Ry in Japan in 1897. This explains why the type was called the Mikado (Japanese Feudal Lord). I almost bought tickets to see a production of "The Mikado" until I found out it wasn't about trains.

Anyway, conservative B&O didn't just come out and order a demo or try the new type, it sent two E-27b 2-8-0's to BLW for rebuilding. The first to return was Class Q-odd #4160 in 1911 (ex E-27b #274-0); the second was #4161 (ex-2742) in 1912. This tentative beginning produced an order for 150 locos, which started arriving in 1911, the same year as #4160. From 1911 until 1958, when the last steam loco on the B&O dropped her fires, 2-8-2's were the backbone of the freight service. The most popular wheel arrangement in the US had plenty of repre- sentation on B&O. They ran systemwide and did everything.

#4000 was B&O' s first ''as built" Mike, coming from BLW in 1911 as Class Q-1. As built, she had 24X32 cyls, 64" drivers, weighed 276050, rated at 50184 TE at 205 psi. By 1932, she had received a larger firebox and outside steam pipes and was Class Q-1aa, with 195 psi and TE of 54600. The last Q-1aa operated until 1955. #4000 was shot at Smithfield, Pa in July, 1950. I saw this engine in Pittsburgh in early 1955 and she still carried her round numberplate, no Capitol dome. Compare with photo on Pg 127, B&O POWER.

#4201, BLW 1912, was delivered as Class Q-lb with 26X32 cyls, 64"drivers, 190 psi, weight of 282200 and TE 54600. These also had outside steam pipes added and were Re-classed Q-1ba. #4201 also got a stoker. Note that she's been assigned to the B&O Chgo Terminal (Plate above cylinders) and carries a rare Doghouse on her tender, no front markers and footboards. She's in storage (covered headlight, cap on her stack) at Chgo 4/49.

#4236, BLW 1913, is one of 110 Q-1c's. They were 2000 Ibs heavier than Q-1b but otherwise had the same stats. B&O left Class Q-1c alone; the first retiree was in 1941, the last six died in 1955. #4236 shown in Akron, Ohio 9/49. Another dog- house tender, but look at those high markers!

#4495 is an example of B&O's high mark in Mikes, the great Q-4b's. These are the B&O Mikes I saw most often and grew to love. 1922 Baldwins, they had Baker valve gear, 26X32 cyls, 64"drivers, 220 psi and 341400 wt. TE was 63200, better than Southern's heavy USRA's and PRR's L-1 's. The Vanderbilt tank was a stroke of genius. They were used anywhere that the bridge loadings could handle them, which kept them off the st Louis Division and Ohio River Sub. Heavy freight, helper, WWII Troop Trains, all in a day's work. They had air signals and steam heat connections for passenger service if needed. #4495 shot in 1952, location unknown. Note road pilot and centered markers. Renumbered #464 and scrapped in 1957.

PAREE!

They used to call it "Gay Paree" but that's not politically correct anymore. I'm talking France, not Kentucky or Tennessee. Eileen and I hopped on a Delta Getaway Weekend deal before they discontinue the program (May 1) and flew to Paris last Thursday night, getting back in Tuesday afternoon. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips, but we're going to focus on the rail- road aspects. First, I didn't get any photos. It would have been easy to get out at Gare Du Nord or the huge freight yard north of it but we.-didn't have that much time. We got aboard an RER City Express train at Charles De Gaulle Airport and transferred to the Paris Metro to get to our Hotel. From the above-ground RER we saw plenty of small center cab and 3/4 cab diesel switchers in the yards. The line is electrified; there were SNCF E-E boxcabs (look like AEM-7's) on both freight and passenger trains. Parked outside Gare Du Nord (North Station) were 6-8 TGV sets. The freight yard is an interesting combination of 4 and 8 wheel cars, most of them being gondolas with big rounded tarp covers. I saw tanks, boxcars, hoppers (side dumps) and piggy back equipment, most lettered SNCF but some with the new Euro Insignia and a few 4-wheel boxcars lettered DE (German).

The Paris Metro consists of 14 lines, some of them as old as those in New York but some very modern. I heard that the #14 line is automated (no drivers). We rode on older metal-wheeled cars and new Alsthom rubber-tired sets. Of course these cannot be mixed. At one stop we rode a huge elevator to the surface; a good many lines are very deep! We bought a 5- day "touriste" ticket that I s good on any Paris train or bus out to about 25 miles. Most of the Metro (at least the lines we rode) are in tunnels but the #13 out to the Eiffel Tower comes out of a tunnel and crosses the Seine on a bridge with a KNOCKOUT view of the Tower on the left.

We took a tour out to Mount st Michel on the lower coast of Normandy (5 hours out) and saw a few SNCF lines but only one train at night on the way back in. It was a double-decker commuter-type train with electric power.

As we taxied out of Charles De Gaulle Eileen pointed out a TGV which was passing the airport, and by the time we took off I saw three more!! I'd love to railfan France someday.

ACELA NEWS

Mike Weber

A year ago (2/2000) Amtrak had not started any Acela Regional or High Speed service in the Northeast. Now there are at least 3 refurbished Acela Regionals in each direction, and DC-Boston High Speed Express service has started. Amtrak wants to capture the lucrative Boston-NY market. It already dominates the DC-NY run. With 3 hrs, 13mins from NY to RT128 in Boston, another 15 mins downtown Acela beats all competitors. The next big speed advance is waiting infrastructure work with Metro North, 19 miles between New York and New Rochelle. Also, service will expand to New Haven after catenary improvements are made. Hopefully, Amtrak and Acela will point out benefits in relieving highway and airport congestion in the Northeast. The Acela Express did well in its first month: it brought in $125 million, 12% higher than projected, and had a 94% On Time rate based on a 15-minute standard.

PRESENT SCHEDULE:

SP&S 4-8-4 #700 will power a 4-day, 742 mile excursion over BNSF from Vancouver to Spokane in April, 2001. This will be #70015 first visit to Spokane since 1954. The consist will be about 15 cars including coaches, parlors and domes. Dates: 4/20: Vancouver to Pasco, 4/21: Pasco-Spokane. Repeat in reverse 4/22-23. Tickets available for each leg. (WHISTLE STOP)

Spent a couple of hours in Fostoria on Saturday. I was there 2:30-4:30. Saw 5 trains in town and three west of town, all CSX. I got there as #9049 went east with a pig very quickly. As I watched him disappear, a headlight showed in the east and became CEFX leaser in dark blue with white stripes (looks like Montana Rail Link) and a CSX SD-40 with a string of 50-60 B&LE gons westbound. Must have been steel ingots or blooms. Next was a string of auto racks up the old C&O with SD-40's. Behind him was Russell-Willard drag with a FURX SD-40 and one of every type freight car you've ever seen, filled out with tanks. Next another eastbound with a Wisconsin Central SD-45, a BNSF GE and an HLCX GE still in UP paint. I saw three more eastbounds out on RT 18 between Fostoria and North Baltimore: Two CSX GP- 40'5 with a short freight of mostly WC boxcars and covered hops, then a high-class Chicago train with three matched UP CW-40's and more mechanical reefers than I've seen in one place in a long time, and finally to top it off two CP SD-40's with an obvious run-through, mostly CP covered hoppers and ex-SOO equipment. One SOO flat had at least 8" of snow on it. That's a whole lot of eastbounds, and where was the CSX power??

MEETING NOTICE

The next regular meeting of the Cincinnati Railroad Club will be held on Thursday, April 5, 2001 at 7:30 PM in the Club- room, Tower A, Cincinnati Union Terminal. Phil Lind of Queen City Metro will present a program on the history of the cin- cinnati Street Railway Co, from inception to the last run of the streetcars, which was April 29, 1951 (#9 Fairmount). For more info call 651-RAIL. Website: http://www.cincinnatirrclub.org

Still more (official) info on the Carlisle wreck. The Ore train was K-188, the southbound Q243. The northbound train that noticed the non-flashing EOT was G-848. K-188 had reported to Q-243 that they were stopped at Carlisle and that they had no rear marker, and Q243 acknowledged. According to the tapes, Q-243 entered north Carlisle on a restricting signal at 5MPH at 1:28 AM. At 1:42, K-188 got a clear signal. At 1:45, Q-243 slammed into the rear of K-188 at 32 MPH.

So, the question is: Rear flasher or no, why did Q-243 increase speed from 5 MPH to 32? Is it possible that they could see PAST K-188 and took his clear indication for theirs?

Official estimated cost of wreck $850,000.

REMEMBER THAT DUES MUST BE PAID BY THE APRIL MEETING...Jim E