Thursday, April 30, 2009

Conrail 'Wilkinsburg Whoops' 30 Years Ago: GP40 Nose-down on Street‏

Received the following text and photos via email from Nathan S. Clark, Jr.
To fully appreciate these pictures, click on them and you will get a larger version.

I took the attached photos on April 27, 1979. This incredible scene was between railroad overpasses on the former Pennsylvania RR main line in downtown Wilkinsburg, PA (just 6 1/2 miles east, by rail, from the passenger station in downtown Pittsburgh).

As I recall the details, Conrail SD40-2 #6480 and GP40 3184 were running light (helpers returning from assisting a road train over the grade) when they were sideswiped by derailing or overhanging equipment from an adjacent track. The GP40 derailed and crashed through the concrete abutment/retaining wall and plunged down onto South Avenue. Fortunately, this happened when there were no vehicles waiting at the traffic light visible just beyond the underpass. In fact, I don't recall hearing reports of any injuries, although I have to believe it was a 'rough ride' for the crew (look at the engineer's seat in the down-on view). At the very least, it had to be LOUD when that 250,000-pound GP40 landed on that street. Steve Timko had advised on the 25th Anniversary, a half-decade ago, that the engineer who had been sitting in that seat was still working for NS in 2004. Mike Repka also got photos of this mishap.







Spotted an old relic trackside...

(Train sightings on 4-26-09.)

No, I am not talking about myself when I say "...an old relic". That relic was a fallen flag from the past, a CNJ covered hopper! I finally made the effort to photograph it after seeing it on this siding during my drives through Raritan. The car is definitely showing its age and one can see it has been around a long time. In looking at this car, it made me think that not many modern freight cars sport any type of logo such as Miss Liberty.



On a more current note, the other other scene shows NS 22E making its way east with COFCs. NS 2777 and NS 9176 has just passed through the Lansdown Road grade crossing on this sunny Sunday morning.


Tuesday, April 28, 2009

A lonely abandoned ALCO in a field

Received the following via email from Kermit Geary, Jr. Text, photos, and captions are his.

Found this lonely ALCO switcher abandoned in a field on an ripped out ex-IC branch branchline near Rockport, KY The poor thing is just sitting out in the middle of a reclaimed coal mine, longing to feel the open road.........


Pyramid Mining 'Little Miss' details



Pyramid Mining 'Little Miss' engine plate



Pyramid Mining 'Little Miss' at Rockport, KY



Pyramid Mining 'Little Miss' at Rockport, KY


Weekly Rail Carloading Report - Week 15, 2009

There is an interesting report available on the web that is "A Weekly Report of North American Rail Freight Traffic by Major Railroad and Commodity." It is currently showing data for week 15 of 2009.

http://railfax.transmatch.com/

Here is an example of the information available on this web site. This graph shows Total Traffic for 2008-2009 vs. 2007-2008. There are more graphs and tables on the web site showing data by railroad and by commodity.


Note: This web site has new tables and graphs every Thursday. So, if I am late or miss a week with this blog posting, you can check for new data on Thursdays.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Black River Railroad Historical Trust Newswire

Received the following via email.

This May: The Stop Hunger Express and the Great Train Robbery!

The Black River Railroad Historical Trust and Black River & Western Railroad are teaming up to bring you two charity-oriented special events this May: The Stop Hunger Express and the Great Train Robbery.

The Stop Hunger Express - to benefit the Flemington Area Food Pantry
This event operates one day only on May 2. All passengers ride for FREE when making a donation of two or more food items per person to the Flemington Area Food Pantry at Flemington Station. All passengers must donate (tickets are not available for sale) and all passengers must board at Flemington Station. Round-trip trains depart Flemington Station at 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:30 pm. Visit our website for full details and a list of food items the pantry needs most!

The Great Train Robbery - to benefit Autism Speaks
The dreaded Covered Bridge Gang returns on May 16-17 to raise funds and awareness for Autism Speaks! Passengers will watch as the gang chases down the train on horseback and rob passengers of "Black River Bucks". At Ringoes, kids get to help the Sheriff bring the bandits to justice! Wear your bandana and cowboy hat and bring your cap gun (no water pistols, please) to help protect the train.

All passengers must board the robbery trains at Flemington Station. Round-trips depart at 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, and 4:00 pm. Tickets are $14/adult (ages 12+) and $7 per child (ages 3-12). Kids under age 3 ride free. Black River Bucks are available for sale outside the station by volunteers of Autism Speaks. 100% of funds raised through the sale of Black River Bucks benefit Autism Speaks! Visit our website for full details.

Scenic Excursions
Our regular Saturday-Sunday passenger excursions begin May 3 and continue through October. Visit http://www.brrht.org/ for our complete operating schedule.

About Us
Based in Ringoes, NJ, the BRRHT's mission is to preserve the heritage and history of railroading while educating the public about railroad safety. To fulfill this mission, the BRRHT operates seasonal passenger excursion trains on the Black River & Western Railroad. Other activities include hosting special events in partnership with the railroad, working towards the creation of a small museum at the Ringoes rail-yard, and ongoing acquisition, restoration and preservation of historic railroad equipment. The BRRHT is constantly seeking out individuals with an interest in railroading or railroad history to become a part of our organization. For more information on how to support the BRRHT email mailto:info@brrht.org or visit http://brrht.org/GetInvolved.aspx.

Black River Railroad Historical Trust - PO Box 232 Ringoes, NJ 08551 - 908.782.6622 - http://www.brrht.org/
The Black River Railroad Historical Trust is a 501(c)3 Not-For-Profit Corporation.

Norfolk Southern Declares Quarterly Dividend

Received the following via email.

April 21, 2009

Norfolk Southern Declares Quarterly Dividend

NORFOLK, VA. - Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) today announced the regular quarterly dividend of 34 cents per share on its common stock, payable on June 10, to stockholders of record on May 1.

Since its inception in 1982, Norfolk Southern has paid dividends on its common stock for 107 consecutive quarters.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

Norfolk Southern contacts
Media Frank Brown 757-629-2710 fsbrown@nscorp.com
Investors Leanne Marilley 757-629-2861 leanne.marilley@nscorp.com

Friday, April 24, 2009

$1.2 million settlement in railroad injury case

Following article is from The Courier-News for 4-22-09.

Piscataway man gets $1.2 million settlement in railroad injury case

By KEN SERRANO
Staff Writer

A former switchman for Raritan Central Railway at Raritan Center in Edison who severely injured his knee in a fall in July 2004 settled with the company for $1.25 million.

Christopher Hughes, 31, of Piscataway contended that the company failed to provide him with adequate training and instructed him to jump from moving trains.

He suffered a disabling injury, resulting in several operations and eventually a knee replacement.

The case settled Monday, April 20, the day it was set to go to trial in Superior Court, New Brunswick, said his attorney, James Curran of Milltown.

Curran said Hughes destroyed the top of his tibia in the fall. He has not returned to work since the accident, Curran said.

"He's in a lot of pain. He'll have to have knee replacement surgeries every 15 years," he said.

Christopher Hoare, a Mount Laurel attorney representing the railway company, said, "We're glad it was settled amicably so the whole thing didn't have to be relived at trial."

The company services only Raritan Center, moving boxcars to and from warehouses and setting them up for freight trains to transport, the attorneys said.

Rail Freight Traffic Off in Most Recent Week

The following press release was posted on the Association of American Railroads (AAR) web site on 16 Apr 2009.

Rail Freight Traffic Off in Most Recent Week

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2009 — Bad weather in the Upper Midwest, the slow economy and the Good Friday holiday all combined to produce another down week for U.S. rail freight traffic during the week ended April 11, the Association of American Railroads reported today.

U.S. railroads originated 248,391 cars during the week, down 24.5 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 22.5 percent in the West and 27.3 percent in the East. The comparison week from last year did not include Good Friday, which is observed as a holiday on most U.S. railroads.

Intermodal volume of 178,283 trailers or containers was off 21.6 percent from last year, with container volume falling 17.7 percent and trailer volume dropping 35.7 percent.

Total volume was estimated at 26.4 billion ton-miles, off 23.7 percent from 2008. For the first 14 weeks of 2009, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 3,770,207 carloads, down 17.2 percent from 2008; 2,606,619 trailers or containers, down 15.9 percent; and total volume of an estimated 400.1 billion ton-miles, down 16.1 percent.

Canadian railroads reported volume of 56,493 cars for the week, down 28.3 percent from last year, and 37,544 trailers or containers, down 24.6 percent. For the first 14 weeks of 2009, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 859,664 carloads, down 20.6 percent from last year; and 567,617 trailers or containers, down 13.5 percent.

Mexican railroads reported originated volume of 8,418 cars, down 29.6 percent from last year, and 3,705 trailers or containers, down 39.3 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 14 weeks of 2009 was reported as 154,742 carloads, down 10.7 percent from last year; and 64,712 trailers or containers, down 20.4 percent.

Combined North American rail volume for the first 14 weeks of 2009 on 14 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 4,784,613 carloads, down 17.7 percent from last year, and 3,238,948 trailers and containers, down 15.6 percent from last year.

Railroads reporting to AAR account for 89 percent of U.S. carload freight and 98 percent of rail intermodal volume. When the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads are included, the figures increase to 96 percent and 100 percent. The Canadian railroads reporting to the AAR account for 91 percent of Canadian rail traffic. Railroads provide more than 40 percent of U.S. intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.

AAR is the world's leading railroad policy, research and technology organization focusing on the safety and productivity of rail carriers.

All AAR press releases are available via the Internet at http://www.aar.org/.

ex-Erie Lackawanna GP35s

Received the following via email.

What you get when you add a couple former EL GP35s to 'Chile':

http://ferro-railcl.iespana.es/galeria/chile/d-23.html

http://emdexport.railfan.net/samerica/chile/chile22.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrotren/3208346786/

http://usuarios.lycos.es/ffcchistoria/D23%20(20).JPG
"Engine D-2356 rail yards at the Port of Valparaiso. Photo by: R. Alfredo Navarro"

http://usuarios.lycos.es/ffcchistoria/D23%20(13).JPG
"D-2356 locomotive maneuvering carts loaded with container at the Port of Valparaiso. Photo by: R. Alfredo Navarro"FEPASA #2355, EMD SD39-2m, Co-Co, 2250 h.p. was EL GP35 #2582FEPASA #2356, EMD SD39-2m, Co-Co, 2250 h.p. was EL GP35 #2576

Of course, there is also one former EL GP35 still extant back here, stateside, and it is the most intact (hardly any external changes since it was delivered by EMD -- and worth preserving): WAMX 3524 was EL #2563:
http://www.barraclou.com/rail/eirr/wamx3524_2.jpg

In all three cases, "a long way from Port Jervis or Scranton"!

Friday, April 17, 2009

A sad day in Jim Thorpe, PA - Part 2

This is a follow-up to yesterday's post about the move of CNJ 1554 from Jim Thorpe, PA (4-9-09) to Scranton, PA (4-10-09). Kermit Geary, Jr. took a lot of pictures of this move, and he has posted them on Facebook. There are 32 pictures on 2 pages. Too many pictures to post here. Here is Kermit's email of 4-10-09 with the link to his pictures.

Greetings all: Had a good day today with the R&N and D-L moving the CNJ 1554 to her new home in Scranton, PA . With the amount of photos taken and the fact that I am on dial-up here at the house, I offer to you this folder at facebook.com with all the photos from both days of chasing.

www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=21403&id=1030074083&l=9b698e7688

To be kept on topic, I really do apologize for the D-L and R&N power showing up in these shots. Sure hope it doesn't get me banned or moderated again.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

A Sad day in Jim Thorpe, PA

Received the following via email from Kermit Geary, Jr. Text, photos, and captions are his.

It was a sad day in Jim Thorpe, PA on Thursday (4-9-09) when the R&N 5014 picked up the LAST CNJ RS-3 left in the world and removed it from the lands of the CNJ. While it is going to a better home on the D-L, one can't forget the good times and life it had while operating in excursion service during the Rail Tours era in Jim Thorpe, PA. Yes, The two CNJ painted F-units will be leaving also...headed for the Morristown & Erie. When that sad day occurs, there will be NO REASON for anyone to revisit the town of Jim Thorpe, PA


R&N 5014 coming to take 1554 away from Jim Thorpe, PA



CNJ 57-56-1554 at Jim Thorpe, PA



CNJ 1554-56-57 at Jim Thorpe, PA



An airhose on Viagra



The sun sets on the CNJ 1554 as the R&N prepares to move it to Pittston, PA



CNJ 1554 on connection at Coalport, PA



Heading north into the Lehigh River Gorge, PA

For Circus Workers, Home Is Where the Train Is

The following article is from The New York Times of April 10, 2009. Click on the link for a couple of pictures.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/11/nyregion/11metjournal.html?_r=1


Secaucus Journal

For Circus Workers, Home Is Where the Train Is

By ANNE BARNARD

SECAUCUS, N.J. — Jonathon and Karlene Griggs’s cozy apartment has an eat-in kitchen, mesmerizing views, two flat-screen televisions and room for their son, Bryce, 5, to ride his skateboard up and down the hall.

Leah Christiana Gonzalez’s place is more modest, with a cubiclelike bedroom, no living room and a shower she shares with seven roommates who keep odd hours. Still, not bad for a 26-year-old’s first apartment away from home.

What the two apartments have in common is an extremely exclusive address: on board the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus train.

“We’re basically a city without a ZIP code,” Mr. Griggs, a circus manager, said Thursday at his home, which sat in a railyard in Secaucus, N.J, the sun gleaming off its silver paint. The train’s 33 coach cars, he said, are like a 33-story apartment building, only horizontal, with onboard electricians and mechanics in place of a super.

About 250 people — performers, train crew members, porters, cooks, stagehands — live year round on the train, one of two that crisscross the country carrying elephants, sequined costumes, stage equipment and the cast and crew of the Greatest Show on Earth.

Most train denizens, like Ms. Gonzalez, a gymnast and former Oakland Raiders cheerleader who rides an elephant in the show, live in rooms not much bigger than standard sleeping compartments, eight to a car. But the Griggses’ dwelling, which takes up half a coach, is larger than some New York City apartments.

With a dinette, beige kitchen cabinets, a full-size refrigerator covered with family photos and a bathroom sink where Bryce keeps his Spider-Man toothbrush, it looks like it could be anywhere in Middle America. And it has been.

In a nation where long-distance train travel has almost died out, the Griggses and their neighbors get to see places that cross-country drivers never glimpse: remnants of wooden water channels built by gold rush prospectors in California hills; tracks that run along Washington State beaches where sea lions lounge; mountain passes through the Rockies with no highway signs to clutter the view.

When the train stops, spending about a week at most destinations, its residents can take a circus bus to town to explore and do errands; a few have cars and motorcycles that are hauled on the train’s flatbed freight cars. Between shows at Madison Square Garden this week, the Griggses have been to the Central Park Zoo and the Times Square Toys “R” Us.

In Secaucus, home is a gravel-lined track bed just off the New Jersey Turnpike, hidden away down a dirt road behind a stand of yellow reeds and a warehouse parking lot full of Goya food delivery trucks. Two strings of coach cars, with the name of the circus painted on their sides, stood with their doors open to the spring morning, wooden footstools placed beneath each car’s stepladder. As Bryce snapped together a jigsaw puzzle of jungle animals, a train whistle hooted in the distance.

“I don’t want to use the word ‘stigma,’ ” Mr. Griggs said. “But people think, ‘Circus people, they’re gypsies.’ We’re normal people with normal lives.”

“We’re not carnies,” he added, pronouncing the word with a distaste bound to rile fans of Coney Island’s freak shows. “This is a business.”

Still, a few romantically nomadic touches evoke a time when the line between traveling entertainers and hobos was fuzzier. A charcoal grill on the tracks hinted at a barbecue under the stars the night before. A few nights earlier, some acrobats had a cooking fire that ignited the brush, forcing the appearance of local firefighters. Kodak, a 6-year-old Labrador mix that lives with Mike Hickey, the trainmaster, in an apartment with an electric fireplace, trotted up and down the train, then headed to its dinerlike restaurant, the Pie Car, where the cooks give her bacon.

Alex Ramon Gonzalez, 23 — Ms. Gonzalez’s brother and the illusionist star of the circus’s current Zing Zang Zoom show — said life on the train was far more civilized than hopping from hotel to hotel. No packing and unpacking, and he can keep some of his doves in his apartment.

“The train kind of rocks you to sleep,” his sister said.

Most of the performers, who come from 18 countries, are between 18 and 26. But some are older, with their own families, including 15 children, who have their own teacher and day care on board.

The Lopez family of trapeze artists — two brothers and their wives — between them have five children, whose grandmother rides along to watch them. The Rodriguez family, who perform on steel contraptions that resemble huge hamster wheels, include an 11-year-old acrobat.

Ms. Griggs, once a trapeze artist herself, now freelances as a massage therapist for the performers. Like many of them, she grew up in circuses, where her grandfather walked a tightrope above pacing lions. She met her husband when he joined her and her brother’s trapeze troupe, the Flying Rodleighs.

Mr. Griggs, who has the brush cut and triangular torso of a cartoon muscleman, went into management after he caught his brother-in-law midair at a performance in Germany and felt his kneecap pop out. Still, the couple’s walls are lined with photographs of their old life: husband and wife in sparkling leotards.

Mr. Griggs has a GPS unit mounted in a window so he can learn the names of the places he sees outside. Sometimes, the family takes folding chairs out through their screen door onto the vestibule between cars — which, unlike those on Amtrak, can be opened to the air — to watch the scenery. Sometimes people wave.

“This is really part of American history,” Mr. Griggs said. “It’s one of the last trains where you can lean out and feel the fresh air go by.”

Sunday, April 12, 2009

National Train Day, 2009

Amtrak's National Train Day is on May 9th this year. For complete information, please visit the following web site.

http://www.nationaltrainday.com/2009/

Weekly Rail Carloading Report - Week 13, 2009

There is an interesting report available on the web that is "A Weekly Report of North American Rail Freight Traffic by Major Railroad and Commodity." It is currently showing data for week 13 of 2009.

http://railfax.transmatch.com/

Here is an example of the information available on this web site. This graph shows Total Traffic for 2008-2009 vs. 2007-2008. There are more graphs and tables on the web site showing data by railroad and by commodity.


Note: This web site has new tables and graphs every Thursday. So, if I am late or miss a week with this blog posting, you can check for new data on Thursdays.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Toyota Recognizes Norfolk Southern with Logistics Awards

Received the following via email.

April 8, 2009

Toyota Recognizes Norfolk Southern with Logistics Awards

NORFOLK, VA. - Toyota Logistics Services has awarded Norfolk Southern Corporation the 2008 President's Award for overall logistics excellence among rail carriers, its highest award given to a logistics provider.

The award is based on overall performance in customer service, on-time performance, and quality. Norfolk Southern has received the President's Award six times since the program began in 1996.

"For more than two decades, Norfolk Southern has been a strong logistics partner with Toyota," said David Julian, NS president, automotive and supply chain services. "We remain committed to that partnership, and we look forward to continuing to meet Toyota's high standards for excellence by providing safe, damage-free, on-time service."

Norfolk Southern also received Toyota's individual Excellence Award for best On-Time Delivery among rail carriers and its top Award for Quality, which recognizes damage-free handling of Toyota's vehicles.

Norfolk Southern transported 552,000 Toyota vehicles in 2008, including those originating from NS-served plants in Georgetown, Ky., Lafayette, Ind., and Princeton, Ind. Georgetown produces the Camry, Avalon, Solara, and Venza. Lafayette produces the Camry, and Princeton produces the Sienna minivan and Sequoia SUV and will begin producing the Highlander crossover utility vehicle in 2009.

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

Norfolk Southern contacts
Media Robin Chapman 757-629-2713 robin.chapman@nscorp.com
Investors Leanne Marilley 757-629-2861 leanne.marilley@nscorp.com

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

CN in NJ...

(Train sightings on 4-4-09.)

Saturday's dreary skies were brightened with the appearance of two CN units on Q300. Seen here passing by the site of the old Belle Mead station (that is the Route 206 bridge it is passing beneath), CN 5711 and CN 2707 appear to be in a Maine setting. Hopefully Sunday's skies will be a little more sunny and this dynamic duo will once again provide the power on CSX's Q300.


Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Weekly Rail Carloading Report - Week 12, 2009

There is an interesting report available on the web that is "A Weekly Report of North American Rail Freight Traffic by Major Railroad and Commodity." It is currently showing data for week 11 of 2009.

http://railfax.transmatch.com/

Here is an example of the information available on this web site. This graph shows Total Traffic for 2008-2009 vs. 2007-2008. There are more graphs and tables on the web site showing data by railroad and by commodity.


Note: This web site has new tables and graphs every Thursday. So, if I am late or miss a week with this blog posting, you can check for new data on Thursdays.

Norfolk Southern Facilitates $2.2 Billion in Industrial Investment along Rail Lines in 2008

Received the following via email.

April 2, 2009

Norfolk Southern Facilitates $2.2 Billion in Industrial Investment along Rail Lines in 2008

NORFOLK, VA. - Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) participated in the location of 80 new industries and the expansion of 35 existing industries along its rail lines throughout 2008.

New plants and expansions represented an investment of more than $2.2 billion by Norfolk Southern customers and are expected to create 3,623 jobs in the railroad's territory and eventually generate more than 136,000 carloads of new rail traffic annually.

Norfolk Southern assisted state and local government and economic development officials throughout 20 states in helping customers identify ideal locations for new and expanded facilities.

"Renewable energy projects led the way across our service area in 2008," said Newell Baker, assistant vice president industrial development. "Our group was able to assist in the location of 19 ethanol and bio-diesel production and distribution facilities across 10 states. In addition, we completed eight projects with stone producers and electric utilities to facilitate rail shipment of high-calcium limestone for use in 'scrubbing' power plant air emissions to reduce atmospheric sulfur dioxide and meet future clean air standards."

Other projects supported include automobile assembly; coke production; lumber, aggregate, paper, and grain distribution; plastic products production; steel processing; and solid waste disposal.

Norfolk Southern works with state and local economic development authorities on projects involving site location and development of infrastructure to connect customers to its rail system and provides free and confidential plant location services, including industrial park planning, site layout, track design, and logistics assistance. During the past 10 years, Norfolk Southern's Industrial Development Department has participated in the location or expansion of 1,115 facilities, representing an investment of $23.6 billion and creating nearly 55,000 customer jobs in the territory served by the railroad.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

Norfolk Southern contacts
Media Frank Brown 757-629-2710 fsbrown@nscorp.com
Investors Leanne Marilley 757-629-2861 leanne.marilley@nscorp.com

Norfolk Southern Announces 2009 Investor and Financial Analyst Conference

Received the following via email.

April 1, 2009

Norfolk Southern Announces 2009 Investor and Financial Analyst Conference

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) invites active sell-side analysts as well as the company's largest shareholders of record to attend its 2009 Investor and Financial Analyst Conference on June 3, 2009, at The David R. Goode Building in Atlanta, Ga.

The event, which will begin at 8 a.m. and conclude around 3 p.m., will provide Norfolk Southern an opportunity to present a comprehensive overview of the company's financial and strategic initiatives.

The David R. Goode Building is located at 1200 Peachtree St. N.E. in Atlanta and is about a 35-minute drive from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The office building also is accessible by Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA).

Qualified investors interested in attending the meeting should visit the Norfolk Southern Web site at www.nscorp.com, select the "Investors" tab, and submit the required information by May 6, 2009.

NS will provide a continental breakfast and lunch at the conference. Participation requests should note any dietary restrictions or other special requirements.
NS' intent is to accommodate everyone who wants to attend the conference; however, attendance will be restricted if demand exceeds capacity. Each firm should limit its participation to a single representative.

Simultaneous Webcast details for interested investors will be provided at a later date.

Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation's premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is North America's largest rail carrier of metals and automotive products.

Norfolk Southern contacts
Media Frank Brown 757-629-2710 fsbrown@nscorp.com
Investors Leanne Marilley 757-629-2861 leanne.marilley@nscorp.com

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Lawsuit over cost of custom built model railroad

Received the following via email.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/03/31/2009-03-31_hedge_fund_hotshot_robert_mercer_files_l-2.html

Hedge fund hotshot Robert Mercer files lawsuit over $2M model train, accusing builder of overcharge

BY John Marzulli

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, March 31st 2009, 4:00 AM

A hedge fund hotshot's lawsuit over a toy railroad setup sounds more like the great train robbery than Thomas the Tank Engine.

Robert Mercer is accusing the builder of overcharging him by nearly $2 million for the elaborate HO-scale model railroad constructed and installed in his Long Island mansion. Mercer, 62, contends in a federal suit that the correct amount due for labor and materials is more like $704,669, according to the complaint filed in Central Islip Federal Court. Mercer's lawyer Steven Pinks confirmed the figures are not typos, but declined to comment further. Mercer filed notice Monday seeking a default judgment against RailDreams Custom Model Railroad Design, in Michigan, and the company's president, Richard Taylor, for failing to answer the suit.

Taylor expressed shock over the legal maneuver because he thought they were going to settle the matter out of court.

"He [Mercer] is a hedge fund guy, part of the reason why the country is in the situation it's in," Taylor told the Daily News.

The suit accuses Taylor of padding the bill "wrongfully and fraudulently," but he countered that like many large transportation projects, the costs ballooned as a result of the buyer's demands.

Reluctant to discuss details of the railroad set, Taylor said it depicts a specific location in New York State with museum-quality detail and is about half the size of a basketball court.

"To the discerning model railroader, a finished RailDreams layout is truly a unique work of art," the company's Web site crows.

Taylor said a team of craftsmen was dispatched from its headquarters in Lake Linden, Mich., to Long Island to finish the job while Mercer's home in Mount Sinai, L.I., was being built.

"We had to get it done for his daughter's wedding," Taylor said.

Aloft, on & above CSXT's ex-P&LE RR Ohio River Bridge

Received the following via email. More of a bird watcher's story than a railroad story, but it does involve a very impressive railroad bridge. After reading the "birdblog," check the pictures of the bridge.

Despite their blatant exhibitionist behavior on a privately-owned structure stretching 5,092.68 feet above the Ohio River, I don't believe these fowl have run afoul of CSX Transportation's Police Special Agents. May there be many more generations descended from these two.

Peregrine drama in Beaver County, Published by Kate St. John 'Peregrines'

http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/03/22/peregrine-drama-in-beaver-county/

Oh, and it is a mighty spectacular bridge on which to nest and raise a brood, now made all the more interesting to us humans by the presence of these magnificent birds of prey. This pair has found a cozy condominium with a terrific view (although peregrines certainly aren't lacking in their 'easy access' to terrific views!). What a great place for a 'nest cam'!

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/displayPhoto.pl?path=/pnp/habshaer/pa/pa3700/pa3716/photos&topImages=361924pr.jpg&topLinks=361924pv.jpg,361924pu.tif&title=HAER%20PA,4-BEAV,1-2&displayProfile=0

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