M.J. Scanlon Photo M.J. Scanlon Photo M.J. Scanlon Photo M.J. Scanlon Photo THE MEM THE MEM THE MEM THE MEM THE MEM THE MEM THE MEM THE MEM PH PH PH PH PH PH PH PH IS BUFF IS BUFF IS BUFF IS BUFF IS BUFF IS BUFF IS BUFF IS BUFF Volume Volume 34, 34, Issue Issue 2 Feb, Mar, Apr 2007 Feb, Mar, Apr 2007 NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS NATIONAL RAILWAY HIS TORICAL SOCIETY TORICAL SOCIETY TORICAL SOCIETY TORICAL SOCIETY TORICAL SOCIETY TORICAL SOCIETY TORICAL SOCIETY TORICAL SOCIETY MEMPHIS CHAPTER MEMPHIS CHAPTER MEMPHIS CHAPTER MEMPHIS CHAPTER MEMPHIS CHAPTER MEMPHIS CHAPTER MEMPHIS CHAPTER MEMPHIS CHAPTER
January’s MeetingJanuary’s MeetingJanuary’s MeetingJanuary’s Meeting We had fifteen attendees at the January meeting. Dave Chase called the meeting to order. Bill Strong had a “non-rail” an-nouncement that the Commercial Appeal had named Dave Chase the “Sportsman of the Year” for the Memphis area. Congratula-tions Dave!!! Bruce Smedley announced that the Chapter Board had formed a Program Committee to assist in developing ideas for our monthly meetings. Bruce will serve as the Chair of the Committee along with two other individuals. Bill Strong has volunteered to serve and we are looking for one additional member to serve on the Committee. If anyone is interested, please let Bruce know. Tom Doherty re-minded everyone that dues are due, so please pay them as soon as possible if you have not already done so. Dave also discussed that we are considering purchasing a 20 inch TV/DVD/VCR combo to use at our monthly meetings. We are attempting to work out an ar-rangement with the library whereby we could store it at the library and then use it at our convenience (as opposed to paying $50 to rent their TV or having to coordinate bringing the equipment from another location). The program was the video “Inside Grand Central” presented by Dave Chase. This video provided a detailed look inside New York’s Grand Central Station throughout its history from its origins to today’s modern operations. Among several interesting facts about the station were:
· The station sits on nearly 48 acres of land · At its deepest point, Grand Central is ten stories underground · Currently, approximately 700,000 people pass through Grand Central every day · The original building was built in 1871 as “Grand Central Depot” and served all steam locomotives · Grand Central Station opened on February 1, 1913 using electric powered trains to reduce the pollution and increase safety · The building is designed using a system of ramps whereby a passenger can go from train to street without climbing a single
stair February’s presentation will be by David Johnston, who will present Memphis railroading from the 1960s to the present. ---- Oliver Doughtie Oliver Doughtie Oliver Doughtie Oliver Doughtie
PresidentPresidentPresidentPresident - David Chase [email protected] Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President ---- Bruce Smedley National Director National Director National Director National Director - Bill Strong [email protected] SecretarySecretarySecretarySecretary - Oliver Doughtie [email protected] Treasurer Treasurer Treasurer Treasurer ---- Thomas Doherty [email protected] Librarian Librarian Librarian Librarian ---- Mike Pendergrass Publication Editor Publication Editor Publication Editor Publication Editor ---- M.J. Scanlon [email protected]
Cover Shot Cover Shot Cover Shot Cover Shot ---- A wave from the yard crew in NS Forrest Yard near the Fairgrounds. (M.J. Scanlon Photo)(M.J. Scanlon Photo)(M.J. Scanlon Photo)(M.J. Scanlon Photo)
We had nineteen attendees at the February meeting. Congratulations to Bill Strong and Michael Jack for reaching 25 years of membership in the NRHS. Also, the Germantown Presbyterian Church made a $50 donation to our chapter in appreciation of Bill Strong for presenting the history of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. At the January meeting, Dave discussed that we are considering purchasing a 20 inch TV/DVD/VCR combo to use at our monthly meetings. We are attempting to work out an arrangement with the library whereby we could store it at the library and then use it at our convenience (as opposed to paying $50 to rent their TV or having to coordinate bringing the equipment from another location). After researching and discussing different options, the membership approved the purchase of a 24” VHS/DVD player combo unit at the February meeting. February’s presentation was by Bill Strong, who presented “Steam in the 50s.” The video featured over fifteen different railroads with video primarily in Illinois and in West Virginia. CN&W, Grand Trunk, Milwaukee Road, C&O, NYC and several others were videotaped in and around the Chicago area. In West Virginia, the video focused on the Norfolk and Western and their coal hauling steam locomotives. Next month’s presentation will be by Bruce Smedley featuring Streamline Steam. ---- Oliver Doughtie Oliver Doughtie Oliver Doughtie Oliver Doughtie
By Jane Roberts Memphis Commercial Appeal March 7, 2007 Memphis is considering building and running its own railroad line from the Mississippi River into Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park, the largely vacant 3,000-acre greenfield the city has marketed for years.
An independent line, supporters say, would give other railroads access to the park without having to pay or negotiate with Canadian National, which owns the only rail line leading to the park and is working with the state Department of Transportation to acquire right-of-way for a second line. "A city-owned line is a wonderful opportunity to rebirth the Super Terminal," said Robert Milner, retired Air Force lieutenant colonel in charge of military logistics. A group of citizens, led by Milner and Dr. Tom West, is spearheading the effort, which passed in a resolution
Memphis Considers a City-Owned Rail Line
to Pidgeon Park presented by City Councilman Dedrick Brittenum Tuesday before the council's Economic Development, Tourism, & Technology Committee. The group says the region cannot afford to lose more jobs and opportunities like Toyota, which last week announced it would build its $1.3 billion plant in Tupelo, Miss., instead of Marion, Ark. "Transportation is this city's strength," said West. "This is
something we can do. But we've got to be proactive and not let this opportunity pass by." Key to the argument and timing, they say, is Norfo lk Southern 's crowded rail yard near Southern and Highland. City leaders say it has long been looking for a larger space outside Memphis and would qu i ck l y move i t s switching operation to the Super Terminal if CN didn't control access into the park. "The Norfolk Southern has got to do something soon," Milner said. "It would be the first to try to get in there because it has been strained for some time where it is." If Norfolk Southern moves its yard outside of Memphis, the synergies that make the Super Terminal a possible job
engine would be reduced. While Norfolk Southern would not comment on plans to move its yard, "direct access" to a facility like Pidgeon Park "is always an issue," said spokeswoman Susan Terpay. "It would mean coordinating traffic with other railroads, which would certainly slow operations down," she said. Gil Carmichael, chairman of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver and
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It’s not unusual to see more foreign power than NS power in Forrest Yard near the Fairgrounds.
M.J. Scanlon Photo
P A G E 4 T H E M E M P H I S B U F F
"Our needs are being met by our expansion at the Tennessee Yard," said spokesman Joe Faust. "We're not interested in moving." Several council members, including Jack Sammons and
Barbara Ware, expressed doubt about the city "getting in the railroad business." " I ' m n o t o p p o s e d t o exploration, but I think that our getting involved with a railroad is kind of scary," Ware said. "We might be going a step further than we really intend to." C i t y - o w n e d , neutral railroad lines have been successful in New O r l ean s , L o s Ange l e s a nd F l o r i d a , Carmichael said. "New Orleans runs its line by a c i t y - a p po i n t e d authority," he said. "It takes care of the
six railroads coming into the city. You better believe it's a moneymaker." Southern California runs the Alameda Corridor, a 20-mile rail cargo expressway linking the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to a transcontinental rail network near downtown Los Angeles. The corridor consolidates four low-speed branch rail lines, eliminating conflicts at more than 200 crossings. Brittenum and the citizen group say a city-owned line would provide Memphis revenue, reduce truck traffic around Norfolk Southern's yard and give the railroad space to conduct its switching operations outside a residential area. "The noise over there has become a real concern," Brittenum said. "We think a second, independent line into Pidgeon would bring railroads to the Super Terminal who aren't there now because they don't want to share track with Canadian National." The issue will be on the City Council agenda March 20.
former federal railroad administrator, said Memphis has been slow to realize the importance of being one of only two U.S. cities with five Class 1 railroads.
"You've got to honk some horns and ring some bells if you want something," he said. "I don't think Memphis has thought about the role railroads play in its future." Ten years ago when the term "Super Terminal" was coined, city leaders were on fire to reap synergies from a consolidated railroad terminal in Pidgeon Park. The Super Terminal not only would bring the railroads together with river and truck traffic, but it was expected to boom with warehousing and logistics companies that theoretically would want to be in a center of the logistics park. Economic forecasters estimated it could have a $2.7 trillion impact on the national economy and create nearly 50,000 local jobs. It has not developed as envisioned, largely because Union Pacific and BNSF railroads expanded elsewhere. Milner said they could be enticed back, particularly if a third bridge were built over the Mississippi, reducing, for instance, what shippers have to pay to get goods from UP's yard in Marion. BNSF, which is expanding at Shelby Drive and U.S. 78, says it has no plans to move to the Super Terminal.
A tired looking former Conrail GP40 works the NS yard in Memphis as job AE20.
Business moving from the United States to other countries isn't pleasant news for local economies. But when freight begins moving to Canada instead of Long Beach, Calif., it will be music to the ears of many Memphians. Goods coming in from Asia often arrive in Long Beach. But when the Port of Prince Rupert Container Terminal in northern British Columbia opens later this year, it will mean more business for Memphis. A quick look at a map tells why.
Canadian National railroad goes east-west across Canada. In the center, it branches south, creating a Y of sorts. At the west end of that Y is Prince Rupert. And at the center of the southern leg is Memphis. "The Prince Rupert project is going to open a lot of new opportunities for us," said Dexter Muller, senior vice president of community development for the Memphis Regional Chamber. "You can bypass Long Beach by going to Prince Rupert and then come down through and bypass Chicago and come straight to Memphis. It opens a big opportunity for us to get a considerable amount of traffic from the West Coast." Muller estimates that Prince Rupert is two days closer to Asia than Long Beach. CN officials estimate sailing time from Asia could be reduced by as much as 58 hours. "A lot of cities are looking for alternatives to coming through Long Beach and one is Prince Rupert," Muller said. "Basically, (CN) has made a major commitment to Memphis." A big part of that commitment is the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park just south of Downtown. Originally envisioned as
a Super Terminal serving all five Class 1 railroads in Memphis, the facility has five rail lines and two intermodal ramps - one each for CN and CSX Corp. Other news has been circulating that could signal a resurgence in rail use in Memphis. BNSF Railway Co. announced last month it is reintroducing international intermodal container service from the Pacific Northwest to Memphis. BNSF announced a $40 million expansion in August 2005, proposing to double its capacity to nearly 400,000 containers. And in October, BNSF and CSX announced plans to create a high-volume rail corridor for intermodal services on the lines connecting California, Atlanta and the Southeast.
BNSF announced it would expand capacity on its rail lines connecting Avard, Okla., Memphis and Birmingham. The agreement also allows for continued interline rail service between Memphis and Florida. This resurgence has been years in the making, but Muller can remember when it wasn't even on the radar screen. Muller, who began working in economic development in 1988 in Memphis, couldn't recall working on a project in those early years in which railroads made much of a difference. Rail users then primarily were manufacturing operations bringing in bulk items such as coal, steel, chemicals and raw materials. "The big thing that has caused a resurgence that I see is the use of contain-ers," Muller said. "As the manufacturing was moved offshore, that meant the finished products came back to the U.S. from Europe and more recently from Asia, and they're coming back into the U.S. in containers." The biggest port, Muller said, is Long Beach, where it is economical to place the containers on trains and move them east. "That's been the biggest shift," he said. "If
you look at what's in a general merchandise store, probably 70 percent or more comes from Asia. That means containers are bringing those." And they're arriving here in Memphis. Even more containers will arrive in Memphis in coming years thanks to an expansion of the Panama Canal. Currently the largest ship that can travel through the canal can carry about 4,500 containers. But when an expansion is complete in the next 10 years, the new container ships will hold more than 12,000, tripling capacity. Ports in Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans, not to mention eastern ports in Savannah, Ga., and Norfolk, Va., will receive more containers from Asia via the expanded canal. That will affect Memphis, as many of the eastern railroads transport freight from the East Coast to the Mississippi River and cities such as Memphis, St. Louis and Chicago. Those cities are also the end of the line for freight coming from the West. "Memphis, St. Louis and Chicago are at the nexis of that," Muller said. "Chicago is still probably No. 1, but they are
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New Canadian Rail Route Promises More Loot for MemphisNew Canadian Rail Route Promises More Loot for MemphisNew Canadian Rail Route Promises More Loot for MemphisNew Canadian Rail Route Promises More Loot for Memphis
Route Map
P A G E 6 T H E M E M P H I S B U F F
Tuesday, February 06, 2007 By Brenda G. Anderson Mobile (AL) Press-Register Bill Gordon is using his knowledge from many years in the railroad industry at the Foley Railroad Museum. On Saturday, the museum will hold its grand opening, and no one could be more proud than Gordon.
A couple of years ago, Gordon and several others were asked to evaluate a possible donation of an O-Gage model railroad. "A group of us went to Montgomery to see the train; we wanted it. The City Council and the mayor took our recommendation to acquire the train and to build a facility for it. After the building on 125 E. Laurel Ave. was completed Jan. 12, 2006, several of us began the train layout," he said. With 1,400 square feet of train area, a media room and a display room, Gordon said that there's always something to do. "We have about 120 railroad cars and 30 locomotives. Five model trains are running all the time. Even though the museum is opened on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., I'm there every day," he said.
Gordon and six other men have logged 6,000 man hours constructing the train layout. "These men are fantastic. They quickly learned what needed to be done, then did it," he said. Gordon loved every minute of this project, but then he has railroading in his blood. "My great-uncle sold stock for the New Albany and Salem Railroad. My great-grandfather was a building
supplier and my grandfather was a construction foreman for the railroad. My father retired as a locomotive engineer," said Gordon. "I started sweeping floors for the railroad after I graduated from high school in 1948." The Korean War came along and Gordon joined the Navy in 1951, serving in Japan and Korea on the USS Castor. "Our ship often helped with the evacuation of North Vietnam escapees. They were mostly women and children; those people endured some terrible things from the communists," said Gordon. Before Gordon left for overseas in 1951, he and his bride got married. "We met on a double date -- she was with the other guy and I was dating Mary's best friend. In April, we'll celebrate our 56th anniversary," he said.
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Retired Railroad Manager is Model
Volunteer for Foley (AL) Museum
Model layout located at the Foley AL Railroad Museum near Gulf Shores off
Alabama State Hwy 59.
M.J. Scanlon Photo
The next time
you find your-
self on the
way to Gulf
Shores or
Orange
Beach in
Alabama a
stop at the
Foley
Railroad
Museum
would be
worth the
time.
P A G E 7 V O L U M E 3 4 , I S S U E 2
(Continued from page 6)
After the Korean War, Gordon began his climb up the railroad ladder. He completed a four-year apprenticeship as a machinist. When his first daughter was born, he realized he needed more education, a promotion and more money. He began a correspondence course in the early 1960s through Purdue University. In 1985, he got his long-awaited degree from the University of South Alabama in Mobile. From machinist to foreman of locomotive maintenance to supervisor, he continued to study and acquire more responsibil it ies. He became the superintendent of all railroad shops for the state of Indiana then was transferred to Louisville, Ky., as an instructor. With more railroad mergers, Gordon moved to Jacksonville, Fla., to the corporate office as assistance manager for mechanic operations. "I ended up supervising the maintenance of 3,300 locomotives east of the Mississippi River," he said. "After I left the railroad, I did some consulting work until I finally retired in 1995. I spent a total of 47 years in the railroad industry," he said. Gordon filled his retirement with
woodworking and antiques restoration until the Foley Railroad Museum project came along. Because railroading is a part of his life, he's looking for more projects. He just might have one or two on the backburner.
Another angle of the layout at the Foley AL Railroad Museum.
M.J. Scanlon Photo
(Continued from page 5)
experiencing a lot of congestion. So what we're experiencing is Memphis is the ideal location." And as containers arrive in Memphis, the contents quickly can be broken down, placed on trucks and moved quickly to many locations throughout the country. "From Memphis you can reach more of the top 100 metro markets by truck in one day's drive than any other city in the country," Muller said. "That makes us a great place to bring by rail and then distribute by truck. That's why in the last 10 years, much larger
warehouses are being built, not only in Memphis, but other key cities in the central U.S." Interest in Memphis in general and the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park in particular hasn't hit a fever pitch yet. But it will. "The opportunities for us we believe to be great," Muller said. "We can now go out and recruit companies. We have a magazine called Hub. We're putting together an economic development team working with CN and the Port of Memphis ... on marketing strategy so we can then draw those companies. "We haven't seen interest yet because (Frank C. Pidgeon) is still under construction. What we're doing is getting the message out so when it's open they can take advantage of it."
Meeting ScheduleMeeting ScheduleMeeting ScheduleMeeting Schedule March 12, 2007March 12, 2007March 12, 2007March 12, 2007 April 9, 2007April 9, 2007April 9, 2007April 9, 2007 May 14, 2007May 14, 2007May 14, 2007May 14, 2007 Meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month in Meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month in Meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month in Meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month in the White Station Branthe White Station Branthe White Station Branthe White Station Branch Library from 7 ch Library from 7 ch Library from 7 ch Library from 7 ---- 9 pm. 9 pm. 9 pm. 9 pm. 5094 Poplar Avenue5094 Poplar Avenue5094 Poplar Avenue5094 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN (in front of Clark Tower)Memphis, TN (in front of Clark Tower)Memphis, TN (in front of Clark Tower)Memphis, TN (in front of Clark Tower)
Contact the EditorContact the EditorContact the EditorContact the Editor M.J. Scanlon 3549 Kenwood Avenue Memphis, TN 38122 [email protected]
THE MEMPHIS BUFF welcomes contributions for publication. Copyrighted materials must contain the source. Original documents and photos are preferred for clarity. Enclose a SASE for the return of your materials. Articles sent via the Internet should be in Microsoft Word format. Photos should be JPEG files @ 72 dpi and at least 800x600 size. Consideration for a cover photo would require a much higher resolution. THE MEMPHIS BUFF is a not-for-profit publication for the Memphis Chapter of the NRHS.
What appears to be L&N Caboose 158 outside the Foley Railroad Museum in Foley, AL, is actually GM&O Caboose 2724 painted
to fit the part of the railroad that once ran through Foley.
