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The Bull Sheet

October 1991

Current News

The city of Cumberland, Md., has voted to allocate $30,000 per year for the next five years to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. According to the Western Maryland Chapter NRHS publication 'Automatic Block,' the funds will come from the city's portion of the hotel-motel tax, which is collected by Allegany County.

For the first time since the merger of the Seaboard and Chessie systems, the Federal Railroad Administration has ranked CSXT as the safest of the seven major freight carriers in terms of train accidents. Norfolk Southern was ranked second.

Hershey Foods will build a pasta plant in Winchester, Va., which will be served by CSXT. The plant, once in full production, is expected to add 2,000 cars a year in new business.

Fred Favorite has been named vice-president and controller of CSX Transportation, and John Giles has been named vice-president of planning.

Once CSX's pending takeover of the RF&P is completed, the Baltimore Division will assume the mainline, and the Florence Division will assume Richmond's Acca Yard.

Amtrak is testing cellular phones on the Capitol Limited for use by on-board services chiefs to call in food service supply information, to relay no-show accommodation figures, and for use in emergencies.

Amtrak's reservation sales offices handled 3.2 million calls in July, a 2.3 percent increase from July 1990. Call conversions, a term to describe calls resulting in reservations, improved by 11.7 percent.

The Amtrak depot at Holland, Michigan, has been dedicated following extensive renovation. It has been renamed the Padnos Transporttion Center.

Amtrak round-trips between Chicago and Milwaukee will be increased from 44 to 55 a week (eight a day Monday to Saturday, and seven on Sunday) effective October 27.

CSXT's new Bulk Intermodal Distribution Services terminal is now in service at the site of the former Mount Clare 'A' Yard in Baltimore.

High-level platforms have been constructed for MARC's new Greenbelt station near the Capitol Beltway in Prince George's County. When open, it will replace the present stop at Berwyn.

The Transportation-Communications Union, which represents railroad clerical and car department employees, has elected Robert Scardelletti as its international president, replacing Richard Kilroy.

The former B&O's HB Tower in Baltimore has been demolished to make way for track improvements. The initials 'HB' were coined for nearby Hamburg Street, and replaced towers at Lee Street and Baileys, each with both an operator and a leverman. HB Tower closed in July 1984. The name HB Tower is still used as a location in the railroad's employee timetable.

CSXT has adopted a paint and lettering scheme for its cabooses, and approximately 150 of the cars will have the new designs. One side has an Operation Redblock design, and the other side will have an Operation Lifesaver design. The scheme includes a silver roof, yellow ends and steps, gray sides, blue lettering and blue and yellow diagonal striping.

Septemer 28 was the date of the 'official' arrival of steam locomotive 614 at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. Promptly at 1 o'clock, the huge 4-8-4 came thundering through a paper welcoming sign, stopping in front of the museum for a welcoming ceremony. Ross Rowland was at the throttle.

The former Missouri Pacific depot at Arkadelphia, Arkansas, has been nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in the 1910's and later enlarged, it is a brick combination structure with space once used for passengers, express, offices and maintenance of way. Amtrak's Texas Eagle stops in Arkadelphia.

 

 

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