Black Friday 2009 - Christmas Shopping at the Big Little Railroad Shop

Avoid the crowds at the malls by coming to the Big Little Railroad Shop in downtown Somerville on "Black Friday." We have all sorts of wonderful model railroad items from full sets to individual cars, locomotives, track, buildings, scenery supplies, etc. If you don't know exactly what to get your modeler, we have gift certificates. We also carry books, videos, and calendars. We have items in all the popular scales: G, O, HO, and N. And, if we don't have what you want in stock, we probably can order it for you.

In addition to a full line of model railroading "stuff," The Big Little Railroad Shop is now carrying plastic model kits for airplanes, ships, automobiles, and military vehicles. We also carry Ninco slot cars.

We are located at 63 West Main Street in Somerville, NJ. Phone: 908-685-8892.

Visit our web site at: http://www.biglittle.com/

For your holiday shopping convenience we are open the following hours through Christmas:

Tuesday - Wednesday 11AM - 7PM

Thursday - Friday 11AM -8PM

Saturday 11AM - 5PM

Sunday 12noon - 4PM

Weekly Rail Carloading Report - Week 45, 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 45 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, late afternoon. So, if I am late or miss a week with this blog posting, you can check for new data on Thursdays.

Job Perks

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

Subject: Job Perks (aka the reason I work at Sperry)

The side benefits of working for Sperry is that you get access to places that would be impossible to gain legally! (It sure isn't the money that keeps me here!!!) And the object of these mailings is to make photos of these sites available to the viewing public...aka you! Here are a few from today as we tested the CR-SA's Del-Aire Branch in Philadelphia, PA and the Thorofare Runner in Morrisville, PA.

NJT 4415 & train at Morrisville, PA

Septa 9014 at North Philadelphia, PA

Tyburn RR 390 at Morrisville, PA

Amtrak 2013 at North Philadelphia, PA

A trashy day in November

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

Enroute to the ConRail Shared Assets test in Camden, NJ, I stopped for the weekend in Allentown PA...The first frost train show was a bust as usual...unless you are a Lionel & its knockoffs fan...altho it was good to visit with some of the dealers and a lot of the patrons.

Sunday lived up to its name by providing some sun in the Lehigh Valley. A westbound trash train with 2 SD-40-2's (ex CR) and a Portland Coal train provided some action before moving to West Trenton, NJ....and another trash train...whew!@!

NS 3389 at Bethlehem, PA

NS 2672 & train at Steel City, PA

CSXT 879 & train at West Trenton, NJ

Indian Summer in New York State

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

Spent a RARE SUNNY weekend in November with two close friends railfanning the Rochester - Syracuse New York region. Caught some unusual power lash-ups as well as some shortline action. The trailing unit in the 8810 lashup is a Nashville Star Commuter loco # 120. The Finger Lakes provided a freight and a passenger train in Solvay, NY ...opted to follow the freight for a while.

CSXT 8810 & train at Minoa, NY

Finger Lakes 2304 & train at Camillus, NY

Finger Lakes 2304 & train leaving Solvay, NY

CSXT 8547 - 8590 leaving Syracuse, NY

Afternoon Delights

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

The last day of testing on the WNYP found us in Driftwood, PA the same time as the DFT was. Some shots of it departing for Olean, NY at about 1230hrs.

Heading home to the Allentown area this weekend, then starting a test on ConRail-Shared Assets in Camden, NJ on Monday, before taking a week off for Thanksgiving. Hope all is well with everyone.

WNYP RRPX 43 and DFT depart North Driftwood, PA (2)

WNYP RRPX 43 and DFT depart North Driftwood, PA (8)

WNYP RRPX 43 and DFT depart North Driftwood, PA (11)

Weekly Rail Carloading Report - Week 44, 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 44 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.

Eight trains in three hours!

(Train sightings on 11-8-09.)

that would be my final tally of seen on Sunday morning along various locations of the Lehigh Line. This day started out with noticing that NS 18G was holding at Flemington Jct as I drove along Route 31. Much to my surprise, NS 214 was also on the siding right behind 18G. About 8:05, westbound 19G had the "pedal to the metal" as it sped along. Twenty minutes later, NS 21M would also head west on the main. After it passed, 18G was given the green to proceed and did so at 8:28. Fifteen minutes later, NS 214 would also continue its journey east.

It had been a long time since I stopped at Pattenburg Tunnel and today would be a good day to see what changes had occurred since my last visit there over a year ago. During my relatively short visit, three more trains would pass by. 11J would bring empty autoracks west. Shortly there after, an NS 68Q and intermodal 22V came east. I was told there was one more train to come east and that was another intermodal, NS 212. I decided that it would be nice to photograph this train at the "S" curve at Stanton Station.

Eight trains in three hours on a warm sunny November, what more could I ask for except my Pick-3 lottery number to come in on Sunday night. Stay tuned to see if that happens. In the meantime, hope you enjoy the two images from Sunday morning.

NS 22V at Pattenburg tunnel on 11-8-09

NS 212 at Stanton Station on 11-8-09

Magazine names Norfolk Southern a top 'green' company

Received the following via email.

November 10, 2009

Magazine names Norfolk Southern a top 'green' company

NORFOLK, VA - Norfolk Southern Corporation's sustainability initiatives have earned the company recognition as one of 25 green supply chain partners named by Inbound Logistics magazine.

The magazine said its inaugural G25 list was created "to celebrate companies that are on the cutting edge of green; and we want to provide shippers with examples of how service providers are making the sustainability leap, and justification for why they are a cut above."

Norfolk Southern was singled out for its "Green Machine," a carbon footprint analyzer that allows businesses to estimate the emissions savings of choosing rail transportation. The magazine also noted NS' investments to upgrade its locomotive fleet, making it the rail industry leader in achieving federal locomotive emissions standards.

"Inbound Logistics is pleased to recognize Norfolk Southern as a Green Supply Chain Partner (G25) for 2009," said Keith Biondo, the magazine's publisher. "The recognition is in part for Norfolk Southern's sustainable supply chain vision, but most importantly for providing practical real-world services and solutions helping leading logistics practitioners achieve their sustainability goals."

Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is a leading North American transportation provider. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates approximately 21,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

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

Before "participating" in a fall tradition...

(Train sightings on 11-7-09.)

...of raking leaves, I wanted to spend some of this sunny morning trackside and see what was running along the Lehigh Line. Prior to going, I checked the internet to see if anything special would be coming eastbound. One website had mentioned that CP 38T had passed through Phillipsburg at 6:54. Since it was 7:05 when I saw this post, there would be sufficent time for me to drive down and photograph it at the Roycefield Road grade crossing. Around 7:30, a train horn could be heard blowing faintly for a grade crossing. A few minutes later, there appeared a headlight off in the distance. This one proved to be a false alarm as the headlight belong to NS 8819, the leader on NS 212 and not the train I was waiting. Fifteen minutes after 212's passing, another headlight appeared off in the distance. Sure enough this headlight belonged to CP 9654, 38T's leader along with CP 8797.

After I snapped a photo or two of 38T, I thought briefly about how far railfanning has come over the years. Prior to the age of railroad oriented websites and cell phones, spending time trackside could be likened to playing cards. Sometimes a person would win and other times come up empty. Today, with and assist of the internet, I came up with a winning hand.

NS Thanksgiving Holiday Operations

Received the following via email.

Thanksgiving Holiday Operations

In observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday, Norfolk Southern will curtail (non-intermodal) freight operations beginning 7:00 A.M. on Thursday, November 26, 2009 and resume full operations at 7:00 A.M. on Friday, November 27. Interline gateways will remain open for traffic delivered from connecting carriers and passenger trains will continue to operate through the Holiday.

Customers with critical shipments, particularly unit trains, where customer operations will continue through the holiday, should contact their Customer Service or Marketing Representative regarding service requirements.

Where local service (set/pull) will be required through the holiday period or for questions regarding specific shipments, customers are encouraged to contact their Central Yard Operations or Customer Service representative.

Customer Service - 800 635.5768
Central Yard Operations - 800 898.4296

Photos from the 2009 Transit Modelers Meet

The 2009 Transit Modelers Convention & Trolley Meet was held on the campus of Rutgers University on October 24, 2009. This meet was sponsored by the New York City Model Transit Association. Here is a link to photos from that meet.

www.nycmodeltransit.org/2009Meet.htm

Norfolk Southern announces $11 million investment in Philadelphia Navy Yard intermodal facility

Received the following via email.

November 2, 2009

Norfolk Southern announces $11 million investment in
Philadelphia Navy Yard intermodal facility

PHILADELPHIA, PA. - Norfolk Southern and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are investing $11 million in the railroad's Philadelphia Navy Yard intermodal facility to expand track and parking capacity. The expansion is part of Norfolk Southern's multi-state Crescent Corridor initiative to establish a high-speed intermodal freight rail route between the Gulf Coast and the Northeast. The proposed investment - $6 million from Norfolk Southern and $5 million from Pennsylvania - will create the capacity to handle more than 72,000 containers and trailers annually. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2010.

"Because of its strategic location to Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and Delaware, expansion of the Philadelphia Navy Yard intermodal facility is critical to the success of our Crescent Corridor," said Wick Moorman, Norfolk Southern's chief executive officer. "We commend Gov. Ed Rendell for his efforts to provide state funding for our intermodal terminal initiatives in the commonwealth. We want to thank Sens. Robert Casey and Arlen Specter for their support of a public-private partnership with the U.S. Dept. of Transportation so that Pennsylvania will benefit from the economic development opportunities and job growth potential of integrated logistics hubs. We also want to express our gratitude to the members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation who support the Crescent Corridor, including Reps. Bob Brady, Charlie Dent, Chakah Fattah, Jim Gerlach, Tim Holden, Patrick Murphy, Todd Platts, Allyson Schwartz, and Bill Shuster. Finally, we express our appreciation to Mayor Michael Nutter and the region's economic development agencies and authorities for their efforts to improve freight transportation infrastructure in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley."

"Rail freight is an important component of any transportation infrastructure discussion," Governor Edward G. Rendell said. "The Philadelphia Navy Yard intermodal facility will serve Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, creating good jobs, generating revenue locally, and helping reduce highway congestion. Pennsylvania has invested heavily in rail freight because it is a smart, environmentally friendly, cost-effective infrastructure investment. I will continue to advocate for rail freight investments at the state and national level."

"Philadelphia has been a rail transportation hub for the Mid-Atlantic region for more than 100 years," said Mayor Michael Nutter. "With this $11 million investment, Norfolk Southern's intermodal terminal at the Navy Yard will benefit shippers and consumers in the city and lead to further economic development opportunities in the Philadelphia area."

Norfolk Southern's Crescent Corridor initiative is a multistate network of infrastructure improvements and facilities intended to enhance Norfolk Southern's 2,500-mile rail network that supports the supply chain from the Gulf Coast and Memphis to Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and the New York metropolitan area and enable it to handle more freight traffic faster and more reliably. The railroad is in the process of implementing corridor projects, including straightening curves, adding passing tracks, improving signal systems, and building new terminals.

Altogether, nearly $2.5 billion in Crescent Corridor projects have been identified, and based on the public benefits of relief from highway congestion, NS plans to implement the Crescent Corridor initiative through a series of public-private partnerships. At completion, the Crescent Corridor is projected to divert more than 1 million truckloads of freight from the highways to the rails annually, saving the U.S. more than 170 million gallons of fuel per year.

When the Crescent Corridor is fully operational, annual benefits to Pennsylvania are expected to include nearly 700,000 long-haul trucks diverted to rail, almost 10 million gallons of fuel saved, carbon dioxide reduction of 110,000 tons, more than $44 million in traffic congestion savings, and avoidance of an estimated $8.5 million in accident costs. Over the next 10 years 26,000 jobs in Pennsylvania are expected to be created or enhanced by the Crescent Corridor. Norfolk Southern is constructing a new $95 million intermodal facility in Franklin County, Pa., and has $52 million in improvements planned for its existing Harrisburg intermodal terminal, along with $27 million in track and signal upgrades in Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, and Northampton counties.

Rail intermodal traffic uses one-third of the fuel required by long-haul trucks and greatly reduces highway congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and highway maintenance costs. The Crescent Corridor will help the environment and reduce a large burden on state budgets.

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, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal and industrial products.

Any statements contained in this news release which are not related to historical facts are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties (noted in the corporation's filings with the SEC) which could cause actual results to differ materially.

Norfolk Southern contacts:
Media Rudy Husband 610-567-3377 rudy.husband@nscorp.com
Investors Leanne Marilley 757-629-2861 leanne.marilley@nscorp.com

Warren Buffet buying all of BNSF

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway company announced this morning that it will buy all of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad. Following article is from CNNMoney.com and is dated Nov. 3, 2009.

Buffett's firm to buy Burlington Northern

Berkshire Hathaway will acquire unowned stake of railroad in a cash-and-stock deal worth $44 billion.

By David Ellis, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: November 3, 2009: 12:55 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said Tuesday it will buy railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $44 billion.

Berkshire (BRKA, Fortune 500), which already has major stake in Burlington Northern, said it would acquire the remaining 77.4% of the company in a cash-and-stock offer worth $100 per share.

Widely regarded as both one of the world's richest men and the investment community's more brilliant minds, Buffett called his firm's investment an "all-in wager on the economic future of the United States."

"Our country's future prosperity depends on its having an efficient and well-maintained rail system," Buffett said in a statement.

Burlington Northern (BNI, Fortune 500) shares soared 28% in morning trading on the news.

Separately, Berkshire said it was announcing a 50-for-1 split of its Class B common stock. The majority of stock issued by the company in its purchase of Burlington Northern will be its pricier Class A shares, the company said.

The deal, which would rank as the largest acquisition in Berkshire Hathaway's history, would also include $10 billion of Burlington Northern debt.

It would also expand the already massive portfolio of companies Berkshire already owns. Brand-name businesses such as auto insurer Geico, See's Candy and Fruit of the Loom are all subsidiaries of the Omaha, Neb.-based firm.

Matthew Rose, Burlington Northern's chairman and CEO, said the sale of the Fort Worth, Texas-based firm was a "strategic fit" for both the company's customers and employees, during a conference call with investors Tuesday.

No management changes are expected at Burlington Northern as a result of the deal, which is expected to close sometime in early 2010.

Berkshire's purchase, of course, will require the approval of shareholders and will have to undergo regulatory review by the Justice Department.

First Published: November 3, 2009: 8:01 AM ET

Brushcutting at Lakehurst - more follow-up

Here is more follow-up to our post on Brushcutting at Lakehurst. See the post below from Saturday and the one from last Tuesday. The following article is from NJBIZ.com, dated 10-22-09.

Railroad line gets new Hammonton-based operator

By João-Pierre Ruth
10/22/2009

New Jersey Seashore Lines Inc. has executed an agreement with Clayton Cos. Inc. to operate an out-of-service private railroad line for 10 years, according to documents filed with the Surface Transportation Board of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“We started trimming some trees. It’s been more than 20 years since there’s been a train on [the rail line],” Anthony Macrie, president of New Jersey Seashore Shore Lines, said in an interview with NJBIZ. New Jersey Seashore Lines will maintain the 13-mile rail line, which extends from Lakehurst to Woodmansie.

He said rehabilitation of the line began in mid-October. After the tree trimming is complete, Macrie said his company will inspect the rail line for any necessary upgrades. One possible use will be to serve Clayton’s sand mine in Woodmansie, he said.

Lakewood-based Clayton acquired the line from Consolidated Rail Corp., which abandoned the stretch of short rail in 1985.

New Jersey Seashore Lines, in Hammonton, is an affiliate of Cape May Seashore Lines Inc., a short-line rail carrier for freight and excursion passenger service. Cape May Seashore Lines operates excursion passenger service between Richland and Tuckahoe, as well as a roundtrip line from Cape May Court House to Cape May City.

Clayton tapped New Jersey Seashore Lines to replace Ashland Railway Inc., in Mansfield, Ohio, the previous contract operator of the line.