Railway Age back issues from June 1998:
TRAFFIC ORIGINATED.(US, Canada)(Illustration)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... <Pre>TRAFFIC ORIGINATED CARLOADS MAY 16 MAY 9 MAY 2 APRIL 25 MAJOR U.S. RAILROADS BY COMMODITYWEEKWEEKWEEK WEEK Agricultural products39,153 38,002 39,756 39,600 Chemicals...
INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC (TRAILERS AND CONTAINERS LOADED, IN THOUSANDS).(intermodal forecast)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Economic Planning Associates expects intermodal traffic to rise by 3.52% in 1998 and 4.1% in 1999, with growth continuing at an average annual rate of 3.4-3.6% through the year 2003. Equipment shortages are easing, says EPA. More than 15,000 intermodal flat cars and articulated platforms ...
FOR SUPPLIERS, A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES.(internationalization of the US market)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... NACO signed a contract last month to supply bogies to Swedish State Railways. Racine Railroad Products was negotiating the sale of rail drills to Egyptian Railways. Varlen announced that it was supplying Keystone cushioning units to the Gorki Railway in Russia. Greenbrier Companies bought a ...
DM&E POWDER RIVER DECISION DUE DECEMBER.(Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern coal line expansion)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... A decision on the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern's petition for authority to build 281 new miles of line to extend its system into the Powder River Basin coal fields in Wyoming is ...
CN SEEKS MORE SHORT LINE BUYERS.(Canadian National)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Canadian National is offering 1,250 more miles of secondary line to short line operators and plans to discontinue operations on an additional 289 miles in Canada and 47 miles in Michigan. For sale to short lines are: the 132-mile line from Saint-Andre Jct. to Matane, Que.; the 94-mile ...
FREIGHT CAR VENTURE PLANNED IN MEXICO.(Greenbrier and Bombardier)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... The Greenbrier Companies and Bombardier Transportation plan to form a 5050 joint venture to build up to 3,000 freight cars a year at Bombardier's Concarril passenger railcar plant in Sahagun near Mexico City. Definitive agreements were still ...
IANA INITIATES MAINTENANCE PROGRAM. (Intermodal Assoc of North America)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) and its member firms have instituted a pilot intermodal equipment maintenance and best practices program to ensure that equipment is reliable and meets customer requirements for loading and service. Initially effective from May 1 through ...
Equipment.(briefs - new orders and deliveries)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... CIT Rail Resources: Placed an order with Johnstown America for 1,320 aluminum cars-720 BethGon Coalporters[R] and 600 AutoFlood [II.sup.TM] cars. CIT Rail Resources, railcar leasing unit of The CIT Group/Capital Finance, Inc., says it expects its current fleet of more than 12,000 cars to ...
Facilities.(brief notices of new contracts and deliveries)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Avtec, Inc.: Has been awarded contracts for its DSPatch communication control systems from Union Pacific, Florida East Coast, and Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana. The DSPatch system will be installed at UP's Harriman Center and 12 other UP locations to cover more than 1,000 radio and ...
LEASING: A LOOK BACK, A LOOK AHEAD. (Brief Article)(Column)
Jun 01, 1998; ... Regular readers of Railway Age's Financial Edge column may recognize the name Rick Folio. Folio is the railroad lending and leasing guru at the First National Bank of Maryland, a regular contributor for this column, and a speaker at Railroad Financial's conferences and seminars. Folio is a ...
AMTRAK: THE STORY YOU AREN'T GETTING IN THE BUSINESS PRESS.(deficits; political fights over board appointments)(Brief Article)(Column)
Jun 01, 1998; ... Recent reports in the business press might lead you to believe that Amtrak is once again on the brink of financial disaster, its deficit soaring to an unmanageable level, its plans to improve revenues by increasing mail and express business pie-in-the sky. Amtrak's financial situation is not ...
HOURS OF SERVICE EXTENSION OPPOSED. (by independent contractors to railroads)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... As House and Senate conferees quarreled and quibbled over ISTEA reauthorization last month, and as railroads and their customers continued to spar over competitive access, another, lower-profile issue surfaced that could have a disruptive effect on independent contractors to railroads. This ...
FREIGHT CAR FORECASTS REVISED SHARPLY UPWARD.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... As railroads and other rolling stock owners scramble to replenish depleted and aging fleets, the freight car market is showing extraordinary strength. Economic Planning Associates, whose forecasts are more often than not on target, is now predicting that freight car deliveries will soar to ...
TRINITY UNVEILS NEW PLASTIC PELLET CAR.(Trinity Industries)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Trinity Industries last month unveiled a higher-capacity plastic pellet car that it is building for FINA, Inc. Trinity said the 6,221-cubicfoot, 286,000-pound-gross-weight car will allow FINA to "ship more product, thus decreasing the number of railcars needed for its fleet." FINA has ...
APL ADDING 2,400 53-FOOT CONTAINERS.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... APL says it will buy up to 2,400 new 53-foot domestic containers this year, bringing its total fleet of 53-foot boxes to 5,100. By late 2000, 53-foot containers will make up about half of the company's total domestic fleet. The total fleet will have about 20,000 45-foot, 48-foot, and 53-foot ...
SWEDISH STATE RAILWAYS BUYS NACO TRUCKS.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Following an intensive two-year testing period, Swedish State Railways (SJ) maintenance and repair subsidiary TGOJ has ordered 116 Axle Motion freight car trucks from NACO for retrofit on coil-steel and slab steel cars. The passive-steering, 30metric-tons-per-axle-capacity. swing-hanger ...
GE CAPITAL RAILCAR EXPANDS IN EUROPE.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... GE Capital Railcar Services, which last year acquired the German freight car company Cargowaggon, has reached an agreement to purchase a similar venture in Britain, International Wagon Services Ltd. The British company, which is based in Kent, England, ...
RAILTEX SET TO BUY OHIO/INDIANA LINES.(Central Railroad of Indianapolis; Indiana)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... RailTex has agreed to pay $14.1 million for two short lines in Ohio and Indiana that together handled 18,000 carloads of traffic in 1997 and had a consolidated operating ratio of 75.4%. The acquisition will give the San Antonio-based short line holding company a 900-mile network in central ...
SHIPPERS TEAM UP TO SAVE SHORT LINE.(Ballard, WA)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... After Burlington Northern and Santa Fe shut down three miles of waterfront line along the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Ballard, Wash., last year, four shippers got together to form the Ballard Terminal Railroad Co. Last month, BRTC was awarded a ...
BNSF PUTS RATES ON WEB SITE.(Burlington Northern Santa Fe)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Burlington Northern and Santa Fe says more than 20,000 rates are now available to customers on the railroad's Internet Web site at www.bnsf.com. "The addition of rate retrieval to the ...
SHORT LINE/ REGIONAL RAILROAD OF THE YEAR: ENTER NOW!(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Railway Age is now accepting nominations for its 1998 Short Line/Regional Railroad of the Year Awards. Four awards will be made: Short Line Railroad of the Year, Regional Railroad of the Year, Short Line Railroad Award of Merit, and Regional Railroad Award of Merit. The winners will receive ...
PAN AM GETS A LIFT FROM GUILFORD.(Guilford Industries bankruptcy acquisition plan)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Guilford Industries has offered to help pull Pan American World Airways out of bankruptcy. Pan Am says the New England regional rail operator has agreed to pay $23.5 million in cash for "certain of Pan Am's airline related assets"--including three Boeing aircraft--plus "all of Pan Am's route ...
HONG KONG'S NEW AIRPORT RAILWAY.(buys BWI Dawson train-washers)
Jun 01, 1998 ... HONG KONG'S NEW AIRPORT RAILWAY has purchased two train-washing systems from BWI Dawson, a British company based in West Yorkshire. Each system includes eight side and two roof-brush units, ...
CHINA WILL INVEST $5.43 BILLION.(in railroads)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... CHINA WILL INVEST $5.43 BILLION in railway construction this year, an increase of 30% over originally planned spending levels, according to the Ministry of Railways ....
THE XINSHISU TILTING TRAIN.(begins service)
Jun 01, 1998 ... THE XINSHISU TILTING TRAIN, which is being supplied to the Guangshen Railway by Adtranz under a two-year lease agreement, was formally unveiled at ...
RAILTRACK.(UK - plans $27-billion 10-year upgrades)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... RAILTRACK, which owns Britain's rail infrastructure, has announced a 10-year, $27.4-billion improvement program. It calls for expenditure of $13.1 billion on track and associated infrastructure renewal, $9.1 billion on ...
GEC ALSTHOM.(wins Railtrack contract)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... GEC ALSTHOM has been named preferred bidder for a new train control system that is part of Railtrack's $3.5-billion West Coast route modernization program. Charles Burch, managing ...
THE PARIS METRO.(plans 1,500-train buy in '99)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... THE PARIS METRO plans to order 1,500 new trains next year and will, for the first time, invite component suppliers as well as prime contractors to submit bids directly to the RATP, the purchasing agency. RATP is looking ...
BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION'S.(wins Vienna contract)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... BOMBARDIER TRANSPORTATION'S Vienna-based BWS facility has been awarded a $17.8 million (C) contract to supply six three-car CityTrams to ...
JORDAN.(Aqaba Railway management bidders)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... JORDAN has won the interest of 19 bidders with its proposal to offer a 30year concession to operate, upgrade, and expand the 180-mile, metergauge Aqaba Railway, which hauls phosphate from inland mines to the port of Aqaba. U.S. bidders, according to ...
ITALY AND SWITZERLAND.(merger freight operations of national rail)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... ITALY AND SWITZERLAND plan to merge the freight operations of their national railway systems by 2001. A new company called Cargo Suisse Italie will be formed, with ownership divided ...
CUBAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS.(railcar purchases)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... CUBAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS has purchased 27 EMUs, built 60 years ago and refurbished 30 years ago, from Spain's Catalunya Railways. They'll replace 80-year-old, U.S.-built ...
UZBEKISTAN.(Asian Dev. Bank loan for rail upgrades)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... UZBEKISTAN will use a $100-million Asian Development Bank loan to ...
AFRICAN RAILS GET HELP FROM USAID.
Jun 01, 1998 ... The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded a two-year task order contract to Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) and subcontractor Morrison Knudsen International to help design and implement a Rolling Stock Information System (RSIS) for the national ...
CN PICKS EDMONTON FOR NEW TERMINAL. (Canadian National)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Canadian National will invest $18 million (C) in a new, 370-acre intermodal terminal in the western outskirts of Edmonton, adjacent to the railroad's main line and the Yellowhead interprovincial highway. It's scheduled to open in September 1999. Four of the new terminal's 10 tracks will be ...
TRANSFLO TARGETS GULF COAST TRAFFIC.(CSX Transflo markets intermodal)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... CSX TransFlo's advice to shippers hurt by rail congestion along the Gulf Coast is, "Try truck-to-rail." TransFlo last month began offering what it called New Orleans Short Stop Service, trucking freight from troubled areas to a transfer terminal in New Orleans, then ...
BMWE MEMBERS RATIFY CN PACT.(Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees; Canadian National Railways)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes last month became the fourth union to ratify an agreement with Canadian National that includes a gain-sharing plan under which workers share productivity improvement. The agreement also provides increases in pension benefits of up to $1,200 (C) ...
AMTECH.(sold to Unova Corp.)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... AMTECH, which supplies AEI systems to railroads, plans to sell its Transportation Systems Group to Unova Corp., Beverly Hills, Calif. TSG, which will become part of ...
ANSALDO SIGNAL.(profit expected in 3rd qtr.)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... ANSALDO SIGNAL President James N. Sanders says the company "expects to break even in the second quarter and turn a profit beginning in the third quarter." Sanders ...
ABC RAIL PRODUCTS CORP.(new Ashland, WI plant; acquires Railway Systems Support)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... ABC RAIL PRODUCTS CORP. will build a new plant at Ashland, Wis., for the assembly of track panels up to 264 feet long. Burlington Northern and Santa Fe, Wisconsin Central, and Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range are among the customers to be served from the new facility. ABC Rail's plant in ...
PROGRESS RAIL SERVICES.(acquires Amarillo Railcar Services)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... PROGRESS RAIL SERVICES has signed a letter of intent to acquire most of the assets and operations of Amarillo ...
ARI FLEET SERVICES OF CANADA.(acquires ECS Services)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... ARI FLEET SERVICES OF CANADA, a subsidiary of American Railcar Industries, St. Charles, Mo., has acquired ...
JOHNSTOWN AMERICA INDUSTRIES.(income, earnings report)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... JOHNSTOWN AMERICA INDUSTRIES posted a net income of $14 million on revenues of $231.4 million for this year's first quarter--a "record quarterly performance driven by substantially improved results from our freight car operations and by the continued strength of our truck ...
VARLEN'S RAILROAD SALES.(earnings report)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... VARLEN'S RAILROAD SALES in this year's first quarter were up 33% from 1997 levels, helping the company to post record net earnings of $11 ...
FINOVA GROUP INC.(earnings report)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... FINOVA GROUP INC, posted a net income of $39.1 million for first quarter 1998--a 23% increase over first quarter 1997--due, in part, to an issuance of 1.7 million additional shares to purchase the business of FINOVA Realty Capital (formerly operated by Belgravia Capital Corp.). The increase ...
C.K. INDUSTRIES.(opens Lake Zurich, IL, office)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... C.K. INDUSTRIES, a freight car leasing company based in DeLand, Fla., has opened new Midwest operations in Lake Zurich, Ill., with Richard E. Meyers as director of sales. A privately-held company affiliated with ...
KOPPERS INDUSTRIES, INC.(acquires Itsco)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... KOPPERS INDUSTRIES, INC. has acquired ITSCO, Inc., a specialty trackwork company based in Alorton, Ill. "ITSCO's product line fits our strategic plan to better serve our railroad customers with more ...
SALCO PRODUCTS, INC.(acquires Railcar Solutions)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... SALCO PRODUCTS, INC. plans to acquire the assets of Railcar Solutions, Inc., a company based in Tomball, Tex., that supplies refurbished outlet gates and related components to shippers, leasing ...
AMERICAN SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (AST).(acquires Transit and Rail Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... AMERICAN SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (AST), a subsidiary of ABC Rail Products Corp., has acquired Transit & Rail Systems, Inc. (TRS), the systems engineering subsidiary of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. AST, which provides railroad and rail ...
ALL-TRACK EQUIPMENT.(acquired by Progress Rail Services)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... ALL-TRACK EQUIPMENT of Granite City, Ill., has been acquired by Progress Rail Services Corp. of Albertville, Ala., and is now a division of Progress Rail's Rail and Trackworks Group. In a separate development, ...
SAFETY PENALTIES RISE WITH INFLATION.(Federal Railroad Administration raises minimum penalties)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... To adjust for inflation, the Federal Railroad Administration is increasing the civil monetary penalties it imposes for safety and other regulatory violations. The maximum penalty for a single violation rises from $10,000 to $11,000, and for a willful ...
FT. CAMPBELL GETS NEW YARD.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... To speed the deployment of military equipment overseas, the U.S. Army is building a new, $13.5 million rail yard at Fort Campbell Militaty Reservation, which straddles the Kentucky-Tennessee state line about 60 miles northwest of Nashville. Omaha-based HDR Engineering, Inc., is providing ...
CSXI WINS "CARRIER OF THE YEAR" AWARD.(CSX Intermodal)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... CSX Intermodal is "setting the standard for others to follow," said Rance87 Rogers, Owens-Corning's logistics optimization leader, as Owens-Corning joined Rail Van, its intermodal services provider, in naming CSXI "Carrier of the Year." The award was presented last month at the International ...
CONRAIL WINS TOP HAZMAT AWARD.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Conrail and Chevron Chemical have been named winners of the 1997 TRANSCAER* National Achievement awards for transportation safety. TRANSCAER*-Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response-is a program sponsored by 10 associations representing companies that manufacture and ...
NEW JERSEY MAPS MAJOR RAIL PROGRAM. (Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Rail is an important component of New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman's new 10-year transportation plan, unveiled last month. It calls for replacement of 424 NJ Transit railcars and 17 locomotives, p1us upgrading of "the top 20" passenger stations and increased investments in track and rail ...
FOR NYC TRANSIT, A "CRUSHING" PROBLEM.(subway overcrowding)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... Ridership on New York City's subway system is at its highest level since 1972, but the increase is causing system-wide delays. Riders drawn to NYC Transit by discounted MetroCard fares and free transfers between subways and buses are literally stuffing themselves into jammed subway cars, ...
AMTRAK HAS ADDED NEW MID-DAY TALGO SERVICE BETWEEN SEATTLE AND PORTLAND.(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... AMTRAK HAS ADDED NEW MID-DAY TALGO SERVICE BETWEEN SEATTLE AND PORTLAND, with connecting Thruway bus service to Salem, Albany, and Eugene, Oreg., from Portland. The additional train was made possible by FRA approval of use of the Talgo's tilt system, which reduces travel time on the line by ...
AMTRAK'S SEBRING, FLA., STATION.(upgraded)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... AMTRAK'S SEBRING, FLA., STATION, built in 1924, has been renovated at a cost of $800,000, paid for mostly by ISTEA (Intermodal Surface ...
UP's $1.4 billion decongestant.(Union Pacific Railroad upgrades capacity)(Company Profile)
Jun 01, 1998; ... Proclaiming the worst to be over, UP says it will spend big bucks to try to prevent a repeat: $800 million for track and signaling and $600 million for other capacity improvements. Union Pacific Railroad may have grounds to hope that May Day 1998 signaled an end to its near year of distress ....
Leasing helps drive a bull market in cars.(1998 Guide to Equipment Leasing)(Industry Overview)
Jun 01, 1998; ... Welcome to Railway Age's 1998 Guide to Equipment Leasing. Once a year, we take the pulse of the North American railcar and locomotive leasing industries. How are the patients doing? Are their pulses active and running a mile a minute? Or somnambulant? This year most of our railcar leasing ...
Global is the way to go.(railcar making and leasing internationally)(Industry Overview)
Jun 01, 1998; ... The international market is wide open for those who are willing to invest the time and resources--and patience--to develop export business. After nearly two decades of rapid growth following the Staggers Act of 1980, the North American freight railway market, though cyclical in nature, ...
You can get there from here.(train-transit to airport systems)(Industry Overview)
Jun 01, 1998; ... In an increasing number of cities worldwide, the "train to the plane" is becoming the most efficient means to travel to and from the airport. For U.S. new-starts, San Francisco and New York lead the way. The airport rail link is one of the transportation industry's growth segments, and there ...
PEOPLE.(corporate rail, transit and association personnel appointments)(Brief Article)
Jun 01, 1998 ... CONRAIL, INC.-CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. named the following to positions in the proposed Shared Assets Areas: John A. McKelvey, senior vice president-finance and administration and Cheryl A. Cook, vice president-law and resource planning. CSX TRANSPORTATION- James J. Kasprzycki ...
75 Years Ago In Railway Age (June 1923).(Pres. Harding urges rail consolidation; NY City system electification)(Brief Article)(Column)
Jun 01, 1998 ... PRESIDENT HARDING URGES CONSOLIDATION Consolidation of the railroads into a smaller number of systems was advocated by President Harding. The President took a firm stand against government ownership of the roads, which he declared would be a "colossal blunder." Discussing relations between ...
LETTERS.(tributes to late Railway Age columnist Gus Welty)(Letter to the Editor)(Obituary)
Jun 01, 1998; ... Gus WELTY REMEMBERED Washington, D. C To the Editor: It's hard to accept the fact that after 41 years. Railway Age will no longer carry a Gus Welty column. Gus's insight, wry humor, and ability to ferret out and comment on the core of an issue, particularly in the complex and often heated ...