NS article in Oct. TRAINS

[Modelcar]

Gates....We're into a vicious cycle now for the foreseeable future....and I don't see anything on the horizon that is poised to change it....for the better.

[dwil89]

Modelcar...I'll post more info on the Windber mine reopening later this evening....gotta run out for a few hours....Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[dwil89]

Modelcar....Here is a link to a Newspaper article on the Windber Mine reopening http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_249234305.html This mine would be served by Norfolk Southern off the South Fork Secondary Branch. Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

Gates....We're into a vicious cycle now for the foreseeable future....and I don't see anything on the horizon that is poised to change it....for the better.

True, the people I feel sorry for are the ones who will someday refer to these days as the 'good old days'...what a croque that would be, huh? [:D]

Back to the article I noticed that John Friedman neglected to mention the General Motors assembly plant near here in Roanoke, which is smack on the "Wabash" line, which I'll bet wasn't so much of an oversight as it probably was a prophetic slip of the tongue.

Although there are no official words most folk suspect that 5-8 years and it'll be a gonner..

[dwil89]

The newspaper article discusses the reopening of the mine at Windber...According to the article, there is enough coal there to last 30 years of mining....The Windber coal will be hauled out by NS off the South Fork Secondary which already hauls coal out from Central City and Huskins. Also, .Mine 33 which is up around the Ebensburg area is also supposed to restart within a couple of years, with a portal planned to open near Cresson. This Mine 33 coal will likely be trucked out to loadouts around the area, including the Sonman loadout near Portage where NS is loading up to three trains a week...Dave Williams @ [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

I think that this is probably one of the best TRAINS Magazine issues that's ever been produced. I really liked how they talked about the ILLINOIS DIVISION, I think it even mentioned Princeton Indiana's Toyota Plant that NS serves. NS definetely does a lot of business at Princeton. NS is indeed the best managed and best operated railroad. David R. Goode seems to know how to run a successful railroad. I think he has a Passion for Norfolk Southern that will keep Norfolk Southern running strong for a long time. NS also is very good at serving small customers, around here they haul grain for small elevators, 2 box cars of bricks, 2 or 3 gondolas of just stuff, and a few other small items for the small business customers around here. NS has successfully combined the Past with the Present. Here, they still use tractors and speeders to help push around grain cars, that's definetely neat to see that happen, but they also run fast High Priority Intermodal and General Freights through, so we see a Big Variety of all kinds of things on NS. NS's future is definetely very good. I also want to add that I think that a lot of people that like BNSF and UP and live out west should stop going around saying that NS will be acquired and will disappear. For starters, they do not understand NS or how it runs. NS is run totally different from all other railroads. I think that BNSF and UP do a great job out west and that's where they should stay. NS has very good company spirit. All of the conductors and engineers I've talked to all say they love their jobs and would not work for any other railroad other than NS. They feel lucky for being able to work for such a great company. NS, for the most part, seems to be like a big family with most of their employees having good company spirit. Keep up the Good Work NS.

[Modelcar]

Dave.........Thanks for the update on new openings of mines in the general area. Yes, I understand NS would haul out Windber coal...Just went under an over pass of that railroad on our way from the Stoystown area to Windber {a so called county road back way}, about a month ago. Went to Windber with friends after church to have sunday lunch but the restaurant was closed so we ended up on Giestown hill on...old 56 for our lunch...forgot the name of the place.
I can' t seem to open the Tribune-Democrat address in your above post...I just get the page of "this page can't be displayed"....No problem.
Do appreciate hearing of new work being opened again....Glad to hear it. I'm sure the Windber area can use it.....I was amazed in coming through Windber how many old rail crossings are still in the downtown area....One would think they would have been removed long ago....

[Modelcar]

PS.....I finally did get the Tribune-Democrat address open Dave....Thanks, Interesting.

[dwil89]

Alot of those old crossings in downtown Windber are old industrial spurs off the South Fork Branch...for whatever reason they have not been ripped up...there is also a SW switcher and a few freight cars on one of those spurs in Windber down near Rte 56 that have been sitting idle for at least a decade....trapped, if you will, when the connection to the South Fork Branch to where they sit was severed. Reports are that a track will be relaid to extract the SW from there to be used at the Windber Mine site....a twin to that SW is either sitting, or being used in an operation at Holsopple. Dave Williams @ [e-mail]

[Modelcar]

Dave, we missed that SW that's trapped in our pass through Windber recently...but an interesting story of it being there, etc.....and I wonder what the one in Holsopple is all about....Years ago there was activity at that big new plant down below the Quemahoning Dam that made railroad wheel sets, etc....and I believe there was access via a branch over to near it....Currently, I don't know what is happening at that plant. I know the "old" railroad depot {restored, kinda}, still stands in Holsopple but believe it's not the property of the CSX now....
Always liked to see the "old" depot right along the Main St. there in Windber.....Believe the interurban from Johnstown stopped near it back in the 30's before the '36 flood took out portions of that liine and it was never restored.

[dwil89]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

Dave, we missed that SW that's trapped in our pass through Windber recently...but an interesting story of it being there, etc.....and I wonder what the one in Holsopple is all about....Years ago there was activity at that big new plant down below the Quemahoning Dam that made railroad wheel sets, etc....and I believe there was access via a branch over to near it....Currently, I don't know what is happening at that plant. I know the "old" railroad depot {restored, kinda}, still stands in Holsopple but believe it's not the property of the CSX now....
Always liked to see the "old" depot right along the Main St. there in Windber.....Believe the interurban from Johnstown stopped near it back in the 30's before the '36 flood took out portions of that liine and it was never restored.

Well, it will be interesting to see the resurgence of mining and additional rail traffic on the South Fork Secondary from this.....Dave Williams http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nsaltoonajohnstown

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Modelcar

In taking another look at the TRAINS map....and looking at the trackage rights on CSX to get to Indy from Muncie....{and it's really a round about way to have to do it}, it's hard to tell from that map just where that is but maybe it's {from Muncie}, down the NS line {south}, to the New Castle area and then connect on a CSX line that must run north west...{really out of the way}, and across I-69 to roughly Noblesville area and then south from there to Indy....So, if it actually is done, that is go from Muncie to Indy via trackage rights, that must be the way it would have to be done.

Here is an interesting map circa 1999 that depicts NS & CSX's trackage rights in each others lines in indiana

http://indiana.railfan.net/maps/inmap.gif

[ValleyX]

After the acquisition, NS ran a train daily from Muncie to Hawthorne Yard in Indianapolis. It originated at Muncie and got onto the former Conrail main at the New Three connection, which runs off the Frankfort District, on the near westside of Muncie.

Today, the NS runs a job daily except Sunday from Marion, IN, to Indianapolis, via Anderson.