July 2009 Memphis Buff

THE MEMPHIS BUFF

VOLUME 36, ISSUE 7

NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Norfolk Southern, Fayette Move Closer to Intermodal Marriage The “Delta Eagle”

JULY 2009

Memphis Chapter Officers President – David Chase

dchase@memphisredbirds.com

Vice President – Bruce Smedley National Director – Bill Strong

williambstrong@bellsouth.net

Secretary – Oliver Doughtie

doughtio@bellsouth.net

Treasurer – Thomas Doherty

TRDoherty@aol.com

Librarian – Mike Pendergrass Publication Editor – Tom Parker

tscottparker@gmail.com

Last Month’s Meeting The May meeting was called to order by Vice President Bruce Smedly. Bruce gave a rundown of few of the upcoming progams. Bill Strong donated a copy of the “Memphis News” containing an article about NS' plans for a new intermodal facility in Fayette County which is reprinted herein. The program consisted of the video “Steam Shortlines of the South” and a second video featuring some larger locomotives of the same period (1950's) that were furnished by Carl Lancaster.

This Month's Meeting More videos are on tap for the July meeting courtesy of Nep Maury, “Mid American Glory – ICRR” covering the IC from the 1940's to the 1960's with steam and passenger and early freight diesels and “The Glory Machines” Volume 5 which features 1940's railroading and includes some video shot at Kentucky Street.

BUFF ONLINE: www.buff.illinoiscentral.net User Name:Member Password: Buff (Capital “M” & “B”)

Cover Photo: Missouri Pacific 670, an ACF “MotoRailer” Built in 1942, it was originally assigned to the MP's Lincon to Union Nebraska route. It's last service was on what was left of the Delta Eagle's route between 1955 until service was dixcontinued on February 27,1960. It is pictured here at the depot in Helena, Arkansas. This photo by Richard Andrews from the trainweb website (http://www.trainweb.org/screamingeagle/eaglette.html)

Norfolk Southern, Fayette Move Closer to Intermodal Marriage

By Eric Smith Reprinted from the May 15, 2009, Memphis Daily News and used with permission (http://www.memphisdailynews.com/)

modal yard on private land owned by William Adair between Rossville and Piperton, just north of the state line.

ON TRACK: Progress is being made on Norfolk Southern Corp.’s plans to build a massive intermodal facility in Fayette County. While a final decision on where the railroad will develop the facility has not been made, all signs point to the land owned by William Adair between Rossville and Piperton, just north of the state line.

PHOTO BY BOB BAYNE

The South Fayette Alliance on Wednesday night began the process of endorsing a site where the group wants Norfolk Southern Corp. to build its proposed intermodal facility, although it didn’t reach a formal position.

The nonprofit organization is mulling a proposal that will ask the Norfolk, Va.-based company to build its multimillion-dollar, multi-acre inter-

Though the railroad’s desire to develop a roughly 500-acre yard in the county has been long known, and though Fayette County leaders’ preference for this site was revealed in a March report by The Memphis News – The Daily News’ sister publication – the alliance has yet to take an official stance on the matter.

Buck Clark, president of the South Fayette Alliance, the group that formed last year in response to Norfolk Southern’s announced intermodal plans, said the alliance’s executive committee met Wednesday night and discussed “quite thoroughly” the idea of endorsing Adair’s property to the railroad.

“We are in the process of preparing a specific position,” he said. “The process we put into motion (Wednesday) night should be completed within a week or so.”

Clark wouldn’t speculate on the alliance’s position, but he said for an endorsement to happen it will require a con-

sensus of the group’s executives and directors.

“I think it’s important for the alliance to adopt a position,” Clark said. “It is a very important matter and we want to give it the most careful possible consideration and to be as specific and accurate as we can be in whatever we say about it.”

Quiet conversations If the alliance decides to back the Adair property, and if that position is agreed to by Norfolk Southern – and sources say both are done deals – the railroad will carve 465 acres out of Adair’s 3,000-acre property in southwestern Fayette County that he bought in 2007 for $28 million.

When reached earlier this week, Adair said the decision of where to build was solely up to the railroad, which has remained reticent on a site selection.

“The ball’s in their court,” Adair said. “It’s out of my hands. It’s all up to them.”

Norfolk Southern spokeswoman Susan Terpay said the railroad has not selected a site. She acknowledged that as the company considers locales, it continues meeting with

the South Fayette Alliance to hear county residents’ concerns.

“We’ve talked with them over the last few months, the South Fayette Alliance, and kept them up to date on how it will proceed,” Terpay said. “We’ve always said we’re interested in talking with them and keeping them up to date.”

Staying up to date on this issue is difficult because of the railroad’s silence with regard to site preference. But Norfolk Southern’s plans for Fayette County have stirred all kinds of buzz since the railroad made clear its plans to expand there.

Norfolk Southern wants to develop a major intermodal facility in the area to bolster its “Crescent Corridor,” a 2,500mile rail network linking the southeastern and northeastern parts of the country.

The corridor, a $2.5-billion public-private partnership, is set up to relieve truck congestion on major highway routes such as Interstates 40 and 81, potentially taking a million long-haul trucks off the road once it’s complete.

The city of Memphis tried to lure the company to build its facility at Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park near Downtown, but the railroad ruled out that site earlier this year,

site,” Russell said. “I think it’s down now to what I’ll call logistics.”

The logistics involve the sale of Adair’s land to Norfolk Southern and access to the property from the railroad’s main line, which runs parallel to 57. A spur from that line would need to be built south into the yard, crossing the highway and two other properties.

ON THE TABLE: Rossville mayor James Gaither looks over the aerial image of where the proposed Norfolk Southern Corp. intermodal terminal will sit, south of Tenn. 57 and north of U.S. 72 on private land owned by insurance mogul William Adair. The yard will carve 465 acres out of Adair’s 3,000 acres, most of which lies within Rossville’s urban growth area.

Fayette County leaders are pleased with the site selection, because it keeps traffic away from the residential areas of Rossville and Piperton and keeps truck traffic away from natural areas like the Wolf River.

-- PHOTO BY ERIC SMITH

as The Daily News first reported.

Twists and bridges Norfolk Southern initially considered a Fayette County site between Rossville and Moscow, north of Tenn. 57, on property slated for a golf course and country club development by the owners of Windyke Country Club.

The “Windyke” site, as it came to be known, was vehemently opposed by nearly every stakeholder – from environmental groups, because of the yard’s proximity to the Wolf River, to residents of

Fayette County and eastern Shelby County, because of the yard’s reliance on Tenn. 57 for trucks to access highways and byways.

Mike Russell, Collierville alderman and citizen, a Piperton landowner and a board member of the South Fayette Alliance, said the Adair property has been a more popular choice because traffic from the yard would spill onto U.S. 72, protecting 57 and the Wolf River.

“In general, from what I hear in Piperton and even parts of Collierville, public opinion continues to support that

State Rep. Barrett Rich, whose district includes the area in question, said he is working with the governor and the state transportation commissioner about getting the 57 overpass built. In light of the current economic crunch, he noted, an ideal situation would be to find federal stimulus money to build it.

But if government money doesn’t come through, that means Norfolk Southern could be stuck with the bill, perhaps prompting the company to reconsider the original Windyke site.

Another twist in the development is if Norfolk Southern did revert to Windyke, Tenn.

57 would need to be expanded to four lanes, something the county and state would likely have to fund – and something nobody wants.

Illinois Central's “Hot Cut” - By Tom Parker

Rich said that means the overpass funding needs to be resolved. Meanwhile, some fear that if those property owners don’t agree to terms to sell their land for the spur to reach the yard, the entire deal could fall apart, forcing the railroad to reconsider Windyke.

“We’re probably going to end up having to spend a little bit now to save a lot later,” Rich said.

Other issues to consider More details about the yard development were revealed this week when Dan Wilkinson of Colliers Wilkinson Snowden confirmed he is representing the railroad in this matter.

“Not in everything they do, but in a lot of what they do,” Wilkinson said, adding that he couldn’t comment and that he was under a “seven-page confidentiality agreement.”

“There is no way I can say anything about this particular deal,” Wilkinson said. “If I do, I get into all kinds of trouble.”

Other issues at hand are zoning and annexation for the Adair property. Though the land is in Rossville’s urban growth zone, it is zoned residential and will need to be

rezoned light industrial, said Rossville Mayor James Gaither. He said Rossville will need to annex the property as well before a deal can be struck.

“It won’t be too bad,” Gaither said. “We’ll probably zone it and annex it at the same time if it comes to that. We don’t know for sure whether they’re going out there or not. We hope they do, but we don’t know for sure.”

Ron Gant, county commissioner for Rossville, said a host of other issues remain up in the air, such as the yard’s profile. A major concern for the county is the facility’s noise and light pollution.

“Once the zoning is done, then we move forward with the overall project being approved by the city of Rossville, putting as much screening and that kind of stuff as far as making it more neighbor-friendly,” Gant said.

“That’s going to be the next big phase, making it fit in as best as possible to help the surrounding neighbors.”

Though Adair said nothing is finalized, sources told The Daily News that an agreement between him and the railroad has been signed, with the overpass and those properties between the main rail line and

Adair’s property being the final pieces of the puzzle.

More on this story can be found by reading this article from the March 18 editions of The Daily News and The Memphis News.

CORRECTION In June Memphis “Buff” article “Casey's Railroad --Gone?” the date of Amtrak's re-reouting of the “City of New Orleans” was incorrectly shown as September 10th, 1965. The correct date is September 10th, 1995.

Mike Condren's Website Has Moved Due to Dr. Mike Condren's retirement from Christian Brother's University, he has moved his excellent railroad website from the University's server to a new web address: http://condrenrails.com/railroad-pages.htm Update your bookmarks and links, the old address is no longer functional.

Happy Retirement

The “Delta Eagle”

By Tom Parker with contributions from Donald Weis

MP 7100, the Eagle's one of a kind locomotive

One of the most interesting passenger trains to serve Memphis has to be the Missouri Pacific's “Delta Eagle”.

The “Delta Eagle” was launched on May 11, 1941, and ran from Memphis' Union Station to Tallulah, La, a run of 259 miles. It was the second of the MP's”Eagle” trains, the original “Eagle” running between St. Louis and Kansas City.

The “Delta Eagle” was an experiment for the Missouri Pacific. The line had not previously had any through passenger service and the train brought first class service to a secondary market.

Aside from serving only one major population center, several other features made the “Delta Eagle” unique. With a single engine and only two cars, it was the shortest

The Route of the "Delta Eagle" in green. The route included some 18 stops and a thirteen mile back up move to Helena AR.

streamliner to operate on an American railroad.

In keeping with the uniqueness of the “Delta Eagle” it was pulled by a one of a kind locomotive, given the designation of an “AA6” type by EMD. Built expressly for the

“Delta Eagle” in August of 1940, it resembled a typical “E” type locomotive. Instead of the usual two diesel engines, however, the 7100 was equipped with a single 1000 HP engine. A baggage compartment occupied the space that normally contained the second prime mover.

Two streamlined chair cars, specially built for the train by St. Louis Car Company in 1941, rounded out the consist.

The first car, MP 760, had a 15 foot Railway Post Office next to the engine and seating for sixty passengers on the rear.

The second car, MP 732, seated 48 passengers, and feartured a lounge area and a grill which served complete meals and refreshments to passengers at the counter, at tables in the lounge area, or at their seats in either car.

Both cars were air conditioned, were equipped with pile carpeting, reclining seats that also swiveled and individually controlled overhead lighting.

Designated train number 334 northbound and 335 southbound, the schedule allowed for an almost four hour midday layover in Memphis, allowing passengers to take the

train to town, conduct their business or do some shopping and return home in the afternoon. The “Delta Eagle” covered its entire route in six and a half hours in each direction and averaged forty miles per hour in spite of some twenty regular and flag stops in each direction.

The 1952 schedule between Memphis and McGhee

The post 1954 Schedule without the "Delta Eagle" name.

The original schedule from the inaugural run pamphlet of the "Delta Eagle" (Stolen from the May 2001 "Arkansas Railroader".) Complete pamphlet is on line at http://thundertrain.org/MAY2001.PDF

The “Delta Eagle” was very successful during World War II, actually paying for itself in four years and two months after its inauguration. Loss of wartime traffic, incresed automobile ownership and improved roads ate into the train's traffic and on January 4, 1952, service between McGhee and Tallulah was

discontinued.

Further reduction in service occurred on October 28, 1954, when service between Memphis and Helena ended.

At the about same time the name “Delta Eagle” was quietly dropped.

Service reductions on the Missouri Pacific were not unique to the south end of the

Missouri Pacific 670

Railroad. On the other end of the railroad, at the same time that the “Delta Eagle”'s wings were being clipped, another popular service was experiencing declines in traffic.

In September of 1942, the Missouri Pacific placed into service a self propelled motor car between Union and Lincoln, Nebraska to connect with their new streamliner, the “Eagle” (later the “Missouri River Eagle”) at Union.

Built by American Car and Foundry, MP 670, dubbed a “MotoRailer” by ACF, had room for 34 passengers and duel controls for bi-directional operation. The “Eaglette”, as it was fondly called, was replaced by a bus in 1954.

In 1955, MP 670 was sent to the shops in Sedalia, Missouri, and overhauled. The original pair of 210 horsepower Waukesha-Hesselman engines which drove the two trucks through a single gear

on each truck were replaced with two 300 horsepower Cummins diesel engines and an Allison troque converter.

After the overhaul was complete, the repowered MotoRailer replaced the “Delta Eagle” equipment between Helena and McGhee. MP 7100 was then used between Memphis and Hot Springs as well as between El Dorado, Arkansas, and Monroe, Louisiana.

With traffic declining and losses in excess of fifty thousand dollars a year, the railroad on October 7, 1959, petitioned the Arkansas Public Service Commission to discontinue the train. On January 22, 1960, the Commission granted permission for the train to be discontinued after 30 days public notice. Consequently, on Saturday, Februry 27, 1960, what once was the “Delta Eagle” made it last run.

The last run, however, wasn't made by the “Eaglette”, but was made by shortened version of the original “Delta Eagle”. MP 7100 and a combination baggage coach car made the last run between McGhee and Helena.

It was reported that four people were on the train when it arrived for the last time at Helena, two of which were riding on passes. Twenty or so passengers boarded the outbound train at Helena, but a number of them were parents taking their children for their first train ride and were getting of at either Lexa or Elaine, just a few miles down the track. The departure marked the end of passenger service to Helena.

Presumably the passenger cars, MP 760 and 732 saw service on on other trains after the demise of the “Delta Eagle”. One of a kind MP 670, the “Eaglette” was scrapped in 1961 and one of a kind MP 7100 was scrapped at Little Rock on February 1, 1962.

The following sources were relied on heavily for this article: Screaming Eagles MoPac Eaglette Motorailer #670 The May 2001 Arkansas Raileroader The February 2006 Arkansas Railroader Follow above links for more!

CABOOSE

“The Delta Eagle�

From Mike Condren's Railroad Pages (http://condrenrails.com/railroad-pages.htm) Meeting Schedule July 13, 2009 August 10, 2009 September 14, 2009 October 12, 2009 November 9, 2009 Meetings are the 2nd Monday of each month in the White Station Branch Library from 7-9 pm.

5094 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN (in front of Clark Tower)

Contact the Editor Tom Parker 3012 Wood Thrush Drive Memphis, TN 38134 tscottparker@gmail.com

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. All credited photos herein are copyright by the photographer and may not be reused without permission.