Cross Bucks 

WHRC RAIL NEWS PAGES

Cross Bucks 

Welcome to the WHRC's Rail News Pages.

Here is a listing of current railroad related new events form Wisconsin and around the Midwest. These pages will be updated as stories come in. If you have any railroad related news items of interest, please e-mail the webmaster.

Page 4


Millennium National Christmas Tree To Be Moved By AMTRAK

The "Millennium National Capitol Christmas Tree," which was cut in northern Wisconsin recently and has been touring the state, will depart for Washington, D.C., from Milwaukee's Amtrak station Saturday morning November 27 on a special train.

The consist will be P42 locomotive 77, conference car 9800, Viewliner sleeper 62022, Amfleet II lounge 28001, biz car Beech Grove, and a Canadian Pacific XXpressway flatcar carrying a truck trailer bearing the tree plus a portable ramp for loading and unloading the trailer.

The train will leave Milwaukee at 950 a.m.; leave Chicago at noon on the Capitol Limited route; leave Toledo at 830 pm, Pittsburgh at 350 a.m., and is due into Washington at 230 p.m. on Sunday.

Below is a message partially from a CP dispatcher and partially from an unknown Amtrak source, forwarded, regarding special media accommodations on the Milwaukee-Chicago leg, and info from other sources about the handling once in Washington. Schedule:

Equipment will Deadhead on rear of train #333 on Friday Nov. 26 and will be positioned backwards.
Lv Chicago 1030 AM
Ar Milwaukee 1202 PM
Once in Milwaukee expressway car will be connected and flatbed trailer loaded on track #7
Once loading complete, train will move to track #1 for overnite storage.

Saturday November 27,1999
Sendoff event from 9:00 AM to 9:50 AM CT Special Train #900
Lv Milw 9:50 AM Central time
AR Chi 12:00 PM Detrain psgrs (Note: Train limited to 55 mph)
Dp Chi 12:15 PM NS AR Toledo 8:30 PM ET- Change engineer
Lv Toledo 8:40 PM Sunday November 28, 1999
AR Pittsburgh 3:40 AM Change crew
Lv Pittsburgh 3:50 AM CSX > AR Washington 2:30 PM
Psgrs will detrain at stn, trn to move to Ivy City. All eq except flatbed will be offloaded from expressway car.
P-42 swapped for AEM-7 to reduce noise for arrival.
Temp decals of US forest service will be applied to motor.

Monday November 29, 1999 At approx. 9:30 AM, Dignitaries and invited guests will board a reduced consist at Ivy City. Trn will depart for a 10:00

AM arrival on track 12 at WUS. After brief ceremony on platform, guests will move to Starlight lounge for formal reception from 1000-1100. After reception, trn will move back to Ivy City where flatbed immediately unloaded for final trip by truck to Capitol Hill.

SUBJECT: Millennium Tree Move Transportation *** UPDATE 2 *** ---------- AMTRAK is requesting TV video shots as train is enroute. Expected to be seen around the world. Stops will increase scheduled run time slightly on CPR trackage at Menomonee and Sturtevant. Departure is still 0950 AM out of Milwaukee on Saturday Nov. 27, 1999.

Train will leave depot on east end and TV video crew will film train leaving Milw depot from their location at Plankinton Ave.

Train will stop at Menomonee to take off temp banners then proceed to Sturtevant depot and stop. (Request made to have train on track #2 into Sturtevant)

TV video crew will be transported by van from Milwaukee Plankinton) to MP 62 just west of Sturtevant to film train as it approaches station. TV video crew drives to Sturtevant depot and boards train. NOTE: This special train to follow #334 out of Sturtevant.

TV video crew will conduct interviews onboard. Train will stop at Glenview where TV video crew will board engine and film engineman dressed in Santa suit operating train (rumored to be some of us Milwaukeeans know well). Train will stop somewhere outside of immediate Chicago Union Station for TV video crew to detrain and proceed filming.

There is no ramp available at Washington, DC so ramp will have to accompany special train. Ramp will be tied down on section just behind the xmas tree. Road move by truck would be almost impossible as wide load permits need to be secured.

AMTRAK has advised there is a crane in place next to the expressway car already at Milwaukee. They will advise all concerned to have crane stay Friday night until such time as all equipment loaded and secured for special train move.


High Speed Rail Study Gets Go Ahead in Wisconsin

From Tribune News Services November 19, 1999

MADISON, WISCONSIN -- Gov. Tommy Thompson said Thursday he has signed a $2.5 million contract to study high-speed rail between Madison and Milwaukee. The preliminary engineering study will determine improvements required for 110 m.p.h. passenger rail service between the two cities, Thompson said.

The Madison-Milwaukee corridor is part of the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, an effort to provide high-speed rail service over 3,000 miles of track in nine states.


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This site Created & Maintained by: Jim Kalrath   © 1998, 1999
Changes Last Made: November 19th, 1999