The Diamond Gazette
February 2004, Vol. No. 2, Issue
No. 1
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Public Relations Department
- General Release -
February 11, 2004
HVR-PC Trackage Rights Talks Continue: While it has been nearly six months since talks were initiated between Penn Central and the Hocking Valley, it appears that an agreement is about to be reached. The proposed plan, if approved, would permit the HVR to operate an unlimited amount of traffic between Sharon, Pennsylvania, and Croxton, New Jersey, via Meadville, Pennsylvania; Corning, Binghamton, and Port Jervis, New York; and Suffern, New Jersey. All HVR trains would be operated by Hocking crews qualified for the entire route between Youngstown, Ohio, and Croxton. At the present time, ten trains would be routed over the trackage rights agreement zone, two of which being UPS-100 and UPS-101. Additionally, four other trains are expected to operate over the proposed routing in addition to the aforementioned ten. These four additional trains, two of which would be exclusively intermodal, would be operated in conjunction with the Allentown, Scranton & Northern. The trackage rights agreement negotiations are expected to be completed by March 1.
Erie Division Signal Project: Much of the HVR Erie Division's signals will finally be replaced and upgraded starting this March. Crews will begin working in two different directions, starting in the Marion terminal area and emanating from there to the east and west. The project is to be completed by July 2005, with all signals in place and operational. The new signal units will be completely digital, linked with a sophisticated, fail-safe network operated from the W. O. Burchett Dispatching Center in Marion. The total estimates for the project at present are near $20 million, expected to top out at $23.7 million. Despite the high cost, however, significant long-term savings are expected in regards to infrastructure maintenance costs and the costs incurred by delaying trains due to signal failures.
Motive Power Adjustments: The Hocking Valley Railway Co. received four new SD70ACe's from the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in mid-January 2004. The locomotives were acquired by trading in seven GP39-2's and four PLE MP15's to EMD. "We are very excited to receive the new locomotives," said Andrew Macrath, Vice President-Mechanical Department. "These new EMD's are in full compliance with the new EPA regulations and are the most efficient locomotives on the entire system. Most of our EMD-certified shop employees have received the necessary maintenance training, with the remaining number to receive their training by late May." The SD70ACe locomotives, numbered 7030-7033, are currently being tested on all types of road trains, but are expected to handle the intermodal trains over the Erie Division.
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