Rail Weekly Update #3

29 April 2004

 

 

 

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

 

New Rail.  Please note that we have increased the number of rail miles in the project due to a decision last week to purchase an additional 23,000 feet of 115# CWR to be installed on the IC&E near Buffalo (between the Nahant Yard and Muscatine).  This was an unbudgeted boost to the rail program.  We had the opportunity to get a good deal on this rail because another carrier had ordered less than full train of 115# rail that was moving over our line there anyway.  We got a good deal on the steel and eliminated delivery costs, and decided to install it there because (1) of heavy traffic volumes in the area, (2) curve problems and high defect rates, (3) there is also a good amount of reusable rail in that area (it was recently tested do we can sort out the defects easily).  The rail was delivered April 28.  IC&E crews under the immediate direction of Steve Koser will install it.  Installation is scheduled for completion by late September.

 

As of 29 April, we have installed just over 22 miles of the roughly 97 track miles scheduled to be completed by November 19th.  As of now, it appears we will meet or beat that schedule.  Most of the 2004 work on the DM&E will be done by RJ Corman Construction Company with the remainder being done by a DM&E crew to be determined later.  LA Colo and the IC&E Tie/CWR crew will install all of the CWR on the IC&E with LA Colo installing about 60% and our own crews installing 40%.  The RJ Corman crew working on the DM&E is the same crew that installed the 115# CWR on our Pierre sub in 1996.

 

¨       RJ Corman began on April 12 with the set up of equipment and trained personnel for 3 days then began laying rail on April 15th .  They completed the installation of just over 7 miles of rail near Springfield on April 22, 2004.  This is 3 days ahead of schedule.

¨       RJ Corman has moved their equipment and material to Volga (MP298) in preparation for the next project.  They are planning on starting May 2nd – (10 days ahead of schedule) heading towards Lake Preston (MP 318).  They anticipate they will complete this by May 16th

¨       Total rail delivered thus far is 55 track miles.

¨       The remaining 6 rail trains (470,000 feet) are scheduled to be here by June 30, 2004.

¨       The next welded rail train, CWR train #6, was completed on April 27th in the evening and was pulled from the welding plant by the BN on the 28th. We expect it to arrive in Wolsey on Saturday the 30th and unload in the Tyler area on Monday the 3rd.

¨       The RJ Corman welding truck completed the welding of 1 track mile of jointed 136# on Sunday the 25th of April.