Rail traffic is on the rise.

Ongoing track and crossing improvements enable trains to move faster and carry heavier loads, and that makes rail shippers and freight carriers happy.

Thanks to efficiency and its reputation as a relatively inexpensive way to travel, passenger counts are rising along with gas prices as travelers search for economical ways to visit friends and family, travel for business and take vacations.

But along with the good news that comes with rail travel and freight transport improvements, safety remains on the forefront.

The North Carolina Railroad Company, fulfilling its mission of continuous safety improvement, partnered on April 17 with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina Operation Lifesaver, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, CSX, Norfolk Southern Corporation, and Amtrak to provide public officials and law enforcement officers a firsthand look at the tracks from the windshield of a special safety train as it traveled roundtrip between Raleigh and Rocky Mount.

Highway Patrol Sergeant D.L. Mobley had never ridden on a train before and thought the half-day trip was “pretty cool,” he said.

“This won’t be my last ride, either,” he added.

Mobley’s seatmate, Trooper R.B. Maynard, who patrols in Johnston County and has never investigated a train accident, was impressed with the train’s efficiency.

Dave Woodard, a Raleigh businessman who serves on the N.C. Railroad Company’s Board of Directors as treasurer had ridden his share of trains in the past, but this trip was his first on the N.C.D.O.T.’s BeRailSafe Train.

He was happy to be there.

“I like to get out and carry the flag as much as possible for NCRR,” Woodard said. “An important part of our mission is to promote safety. This is a great refresher course. It is especially great that we have such a large contingent of law enforcement officers to see the tracks from the perspective of the train engine. They usually deal with railroad safety from the standpoint of accident investigations.”

Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams is a safety train veteran.  On his fourth excursion, he rode the entire route with his wife, Betsy.

Neither of them ever gets tired of riding a safety train.

“I learn something new every time,” Williams said. “I am always impressed with the presentation and the organization. It’s great to bring on civilians and educate them, and it is also a particularly great opportunity to educate the law enforcement community.”

The Federal Rail Administration Office of Safety reports there were 17 fatalities on North Carolina railroads in 2011.

Back on the BeRailSafe train, David Simpson, PE, owner of Simpson Engineering whose firm contracts with NCDOT’s Rail Division, was on his first safety train trip. He enjoyed relaxing as he watched the landscape roll by.

But he was paying attention.

“I am interested in monitoring the sound of the train’s horn, to see how soon we reach a crossing after the engineer sounds the horn,” he said. “This is really neat, and I’m glad I came.”

According to North Carolina Operation Lifesaver’s website, a 100-car freight train traveling 30 miles per hour has a stopping distance of two-thirds of a mile, or 3,500 feet. If that same train is traveling 55 miles per hour, it takes a full minute to come to a stop.

The horn blasts as the train passes a pasture filled with grazing cows and young calves.

The calves create a small stampede as they flee to the security of their mothers, calmly grazing and accustomed to the sounds of passing trains.

For Tony Beasley, Garner Economic Development Director, “any day on a train is a good day,” he said.

He’s thankful that the partnering organizations came together to promote safety.

“It’s an important issue,” he said.

Outside, children waiting at rail crossings for their school bus wave to the passing train. Some of them raise small fists in the air and pump them up and down, asking the engineer to sound the horn.

On this day, the safety train travels east from Raleigh, with stops in Selma, Wilson and Rocky Mount, where it turns around to head back.  The entire trip takes five hours.

The BeRailSafe program and North Carolina Operation Lifesaver perform periodic safety train excursions and are devoted to educating the public, young and old on rail safety.  The North Carolina Railroad Company regularly co-sponsors many of their safety programs.

Click here to view a slideshow of images from the BeRailSafe Train.

For 20 years, the New Bern Preservation Foundation has tried to gain approval from theNorth CarolinaandNorfolkSouthern railroad companies to restore the 101-year-old New Bern Union Depot. And it has finally paid off.

Joseph Mansfield, president of the Preservation Foundation, said he hopes the first phase of the restoration will take place this summer.

The restoration is being done in conjunction with North Carolina Railroad, Norfolk Southern Railroad and the city, he said.

The Preservation Foundation, which has revitalized more than 65 historic homes inNew Bernover the past 40 years, is providing initial financial support for the project and serves as the private arm of this public/private partnership. It will also be responsible for any private fundraising required to complete the initial phase of the project. No city funds will be used in the restoration project,Mansfieldsaid.

The first phase of the restoration is to replace the roof, damaged by years of wind and rain, and the walls to make the building structurally sound,Mansfieldsaid.

An architectural study of the project estimates the first phase will cost about $500,000. That will be funded by the N.C. Department of Transportation,Mansfieldsaid.

“What we are planning to do is totally restore another historic building and also create another focal point for tourists,” he said.

The Union Depot will be another stop on walking and trolley tours alongHancock Street,Mansfieldsaid.

Plans are to restore the ticket window in the depot as it once was, the waiting room and the freight room, and provide a small railroad museum inside, he said.

The rest of the more than 7,000-square-foot building would be leased as office space and perhaps a café,Mansfieldsaid.

“The people who have been involved in this are tremendously excited,” he said.

The restored depot will probably bring back a lot of memories to people who remember it when it was a bustling station.

“In old days, everybody who leftNew Berntook the train,”Mansfieldsaid. “It was the starting place if you went off to college. It was the starting place if you were drafted and went off to sign in. It was also the place you left to visit relatives. It was a real focal point.”

Dallas Blackiston, past president of the New Bern Preservation Foundation, said that over the past 20 years many attempts were made to restore the depot.

But it was the combination of the city’s 300th anniversary in 2010 and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the station in 1910 that finally opened the door.

“I felt that after many years of trying to restore the depot without success, it was time to make another effort using the historic anniversaries as a driving force,” Blackiston said in a news release.

AfterNew Bernaldermen endorsed the restoration proposal with a resolution, the Preservation Foundation was able to secure a partnership with the NCRR, Blackiston said.

An advisory board consisting of people from the Preservation Foundation, city officials and N.C. Railroad was organized to work on the project.

The old station, abandoned since 1987, will be leased to the city ofNew Bern, according to an agreement signed by the North Carolina Railroad, Norfolk Southern Railroad, operator of the freight line tracks, and the city ofNew Bern.

Chuck Burnell, NCRR vice president for real estate, said everyone was delighted the depot would finally be restored.

“NCRR is pleased that this project is reaching fruition and we are glad to have been a part of it,” Burnell said in a news release. “The city’s plans for the reuse of the depot as part of its proud legacy — and as an important part ofNorth Carolina’s history — is exciting, and this investment is well on its way to serving future generations.”

Scott Saylor, NCRR president, also issued a statement, saying the depot will once again be something the citizens and visitors can be proud of.

 “The New Bern Train Station is a treasured landmark to be enjoyed by local citizens and visitors, and highlights the railroad’s role in economic growth in easternNorth Carolina,” Saylor said. “New Bernwas and continues to be a key railroad junction, helping move our state’s economy.”

This article was originally published by The New Bern Sun Journal.

After visiting Bennett Place in Durham and Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, area Civil War enthusiasts can now cruise over to Morrisville to see more artifacts at another site where the North and South clashed.

Morrisville Town Council members unveiled a North Carolina Civil War Trails marker at 100 Town Hall Drive on Friday commemorating the 147th anniversary of the Morrisville Skirmish, when soldiers fought over Confederate supplies at the train depot.

Morrisville is also where initial armistice correspondence made it into Union hands.

“This is part of a long running effort to put Morrisville in the spotlight of national history,” said preservationist Ernest Dollar. “For only a few days, Morrisville was part of a tragic chapter in our nations’ history. I think it’s important to remember Morrisville’s place.”

Dollar worked with Planning Director Ben Hitchings to get the marker. Dollar also gave a presentation to about 40 people about Morrisville’s role in the Civil War at Friday’s ceremony.

After the capture of Raleigh, Union General H. Hudson Kilpatrick’s cavalry skirmished with Confederate Gen. Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry as it retreated west.

The battle began April 13, 1865, at the Morrisville Depot of the N.C. Railroad.

At about 2 p.m., Wheeler galloped into Morrisville with the federal soldiers close behind. Wheeler’s cavalrymen erected barricades around the depot to protect a locomotive loaded with supplies and wounded who were headed out of town, reads the marker

Union horseman charged within 100 yards of the train before Confederate bullets stopped them. Confederates unloaded the supplies in order to allow the wounded to escape, said the marker.

At about midnight, Union advance guard or “picketers” outside Morrisville spied a Confederate soldier carrying a white flag with a message from Confederate President Jefferson Davis asking for armistice, Dollar said.

Kilpatrick sent the note on to Union Gen. William Sherman in Raleigh. Four days later, Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston met in Bennett Place to discuss surrender and end the war.

It would take two attempts and on April 26, 1865, the two reached an agreement. Johnston surrendered about 89,000 troops, Dollar said.

Visitors to Morrisville Town Hall’s history center can see videos about the town’s history, see artifacts collected from the time period and read the marker outside.

“I hope it means getting more tourism into Morrisville,” Dollar said. “I hope it brings Morrisville’s history to life.”

With the 150th anniversary of the Civil War coming up, the marker could prove to be an economic boon for the town.

According to the July 2010 U.S. Travel Association survey 31 percent of U.S. adults – or 72.2 million potential domestic leisure travelers – reported interest in a Civil War site or trail while traveling on a trip.

The marker is already generating interest.

Living historian Ken Vrana and his wife Lisa Vrana, of Cary, have already made the trip.

“I heard about this on (National Public Radio),” he said. “I decided to come out because there are so few things around here where you can visit places where there were Union soldiers.”

Ken Vrana showed up dressed as Union General Don Carlos Buell.

Mayor Jackie Holcombe said the town has experienced huge growth and the marker gives new residents a chance to learn about Morrisville’s past.

“It gives us a chance to talk about history and this makes sure it stays alive,” Holcombe said. “We talk a lot about Morrisville’s identity. This is something that is unique to Morrisville.”

This article was originally published by The Cary News.

North Carolina was once again among Site Selection’s Top-Ten Competitive States of 2011. In the May 2012 edition of the magazine, North Carolina is listed as the number five most competitive state in the nation for business.

The annual ranking is based a review of 2011 economic development projects. Included in the list of criteria reviewed are:

• The number of new and expanded facilities;
• Capital investment in new and expanded facilities;
• The number of new jobs created; and
• State unemployment rate (US BEA);

In addition, the following performance indexes are also incorporated into each state’s score:

• Rank in the corporate real estate executive portion of the 2011 Site Selection Business Climate Ranking;
• State tax climate as ranked by the Tax Foundation; and
• Performance in the Beacon Hill Institute’s State Competitiveness Index.

North Carolina is currently ranked third for Best Business Climate and fourth for Most New Projects and Expansions by Site Selection magazine.

The state is consistently recognized for its outstanding business climate thanks to its business friendly environment, low overall costs of doing business, productive and skilled workforce, global market access and research and development infrastructure.

Read more in Site Selection.

Major railroad companies are reporting record first quarter revenues in press releases posted on their websites.  For the first quarter of 2012, Norfolk Southern Corporation, CSX Corporation, and Union Pacific Corporation have announced a major growth in revenues and operating income.  In addition, Amtrak announced that it is on pace to set another new ridership record for 2011-2012.

According to a news release posted on its website (www.nscorp.com), Norfolk Southern Corporation reports net income of $410 million, which is 26 percent higher than the $325 million reported in the first quarter of 2011.

“I am pleased to report another record-breaking quarter for Norfolk Southern during which we achieved first-quarter highs in revenues, operating income, net income, and earnings per share,” said CEO Wick Moorman.

At CSX Corporation, Michael J. Ward, chairman, president, and chief executive officer announced first quarter net earnings of $449 million, compared to $395 million for the same period last year, an increase of 23 percent.

“CSX is off to a fast start in a year that will be dynamic and challenging,” Ward said.

Union Pacific Corporation announced its first quarter net income was $863 million, compared to $639 million in the first quarter 2011.

“Union Pacific achieved record financial results across the board this quarter,” said Jack Koraleski, Union Pacific chief executive officer. “We’re clearly realizing the benefits of our diverse franchise, despite current coal challenges.

Meanwhile, Amtrak has reported its passenger counts were up 3.7 percent over fiscal year 2010-2011.  The Northeast Corridor was up 5.2 percent, and long distance trains were up 3.0 percent.  This ridership growth continues a long-term trend that has led to eight records in the last nine years, including 30.2 million passengers in FY 2011, according to Amtrak’s news release.

“Amtrak achieving ridership records is important, but it is more critical that the right infrastructure be in place to continue this trend in the years to come,” said President and CEO Joe Boardman.

Amtrak-sponsored National Train Day celebrations will be taking place all over the country on May 12, including at several locations in North Carolina.

According to the National Train Day website, this observance marks the 143^rd anniversary of the creation of the nations’ first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 in Promontory Summit, Utah.  On that day, the golden spike was driven into the final tie joining 1,776 miles of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railways.

National Train Day celebrates train travel in small towns, large cities, train stations and other venues across the country.  The event will be celebrated in North Carolina towns including:

Cary:  The Heart of Cary Association, in partnership with Amtrak and the Cary Parks & Recreation Department will host its very first National Train Day celebration at the depot.  The event includes guided tours of the depot lead by people dressed in period costumes, food, entertainment and fun.  Hours are 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Calabash: Carolina Travel is hosting its 3^rd Annual National Train Day celebration, featuring food, fun, prizes and tours. Hours are 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Spencer: The N.C. Transportation Museum will offer rides on a diesel electric locomotive pulling 1940s and 1950s era passenger cars as part of its celebration. Hours are 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Enfield: The Downtown Enfield Restoration and Preservation Committee will host a train-themed art and photography exhibit at the Historic Enfield Lodge Performing Arts Center.  The event will include walking tours and iced tea and lemonade on the porch of the 130-year old house at 200 Railroad Street, facing the tracks. Hours are 1 until 4 p.m.

Rocky Mount: The Rocky Mount Railroad Museum will feature a puppet show, music, raffles and train car tours.  Hours are 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Wilmington:  The Wilmington Railroad Museum will have 180 years of railroad history on display.  The celebration will include steam whistle demonstrations, Fairmont speeder cars, and a modern hy-rail maintenance vehicle on display. Hours 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

For more information visit www.nationaltrainday.com

 March 5-6, 2013
2013 Progress In Motion Rail Forum
Raleigh, NC
More information coming soon!

On an unseasonably warm March morning, as a dense shroud of fog was just beginning to lift, Odell Collins maneuvered his large hy-rail vehicle along the side streets that run parallel to the North Carolina Railroad tracks in Wayne County.

Collins, a Norfolk Southern Corporation bridge supervisor, had scheduled some time to help a visitor to the area understand the timber and surfacing work that is going on.

Over the course of the nearly 27 years he has worked on the railroad for Norfolk Southern, Collins has crossed many bridges; built and improved a few too.

“I started with Norfolk Southern in 1985, and never looked back,” Collins says in a phone conversation from the cab of the truck that serves as his office.

On this day, Collins is on his way to Clayton, to review some permits with area contractors.

It is 10:00 a.m. and even though he’s already been at work for five hours, he’s just getting started.

“I’m usually up around 4:15 or 4:30 a.m. and I leave the house around 5 or 5:15,” he says. “I usually put in about 14 hours a day.”

Hard work has always been a way of life for Collins. Growing up near New Bern, he spent much of his youth working on the family farm, and dreaming of a life of travel and adventure.

After high school, he spent four years in the Navy, stationed in Charleston, S.C., Italy, and Norfolk, Va.

Back in civilian life, he drove a 16-wheeler for two years before joining Norfolk Southern as a bridge laborer.  His railroad work gave him a tour of the southeast, and after he was promoted to bridge supervisor, the position he holds now, he settled on a narrower territory in eastern North Carolina.

Collins’ office gives him a 360-degree view of the great outdoors.

He lives much of his life from the seat of his truck, and his world sits mostly along U.S. Highway 70, its side streets and small towns where he can see his work product unfold from start to finish.

“That’s the best part of my job,” he says. “I really enjoy seeing projects that are completed and I know how the work improves the railroad, increases rail speed and allows for more tonnage.”

On the weekends he enjoys spending time with his wife, working in his yard and serving as a deacon in his church.  He lives in Seven Springs, a small, historic town in Wayne County.

In his entire life, Collins has never held down a desk job.

 “I feel antsy working inside,” he says. I’m too fidgety to sit at a desk, and I love being outside.”

Physical fitness and a good attitude go a long way on the railroad, where work is often grueling and the weather doesn’t always cooperate.

“The summer heat is bad, but the worst weather I have experienced has been the hurricanes Floyd and Fran,” he says. “There were so many bridges washed out, and downed trees and debris on the track.  Flooding was a great challenge.  Hugo was bad too. The worst I have seen down in Charleston, S.C.”

Hurricanes come with advance notice that that gives crews time to get materials together, organize the troops and travel to where the hazard is, according to Collins.  And Norfolk Southern often deploys additional labor to storm ravaged areas to expedite repairs.

Over the years Collins has seen his share of changes, most notably technology.

But like any other challenge, Collins tackled computers the same way he approaches everything else, with a smile and a good attitude.

“It’s been a good ride for Odell Collins,” he says. “I have enjoyed all of it, and I have no regrets.  I would do it all over again.”

At 51, Collins’ time on the railroad is growing shorter, and he is looking ahead with his eyes on the prize of retirement, or in his case, his next career after the railroad.

“I’m not one to sit on the porch and lay around,” he says. “I want to pursue a small business of some sort. I enjoy woodworking, and would like to have a business doing that.”

After all these years, he still has not gotten the wanderlust out of his system. He would like to head out west to see Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming.

And he just might take the train.

A dense fog, as thick as white gravy, shrouded the countryside early on a Monday morning in mid-March.

Light objects blended into a landscape as if they were invisible.

Up on the railroad tracks, bright beams cut through the bulky air, as an army of orange machines lumbered along the rails. The Norfolk Southern Super Gang had come to Princeton, N.C.

For 20 miles along U.S. Highway 70, a gang of 48 machines, 58 laborers, three supervisors, eight mechanics and two cooks labored over a week and a half, replacing worn out cross ties and smoothing out the track.

Over time, the wooden ties supporting the rails wear out and must be replaced to keep the track in good shape and enhance the speed of trains that use them.

“We work in all types of weather,” said gang supervisor Jon Mick. “The fog is dangerous, because it can reduce visibility.”

The fog can also distort light beams that are used to determine railroad track alignment, according to Mick.

As the morning sun rose higher, the fog lifted, and work got underway.

The day starts with breakfast and a safety briefing.

“We discuss the events of the day, and anticipated hazards, such as today’s fog and road crossings,” Mick said.

The men will work until around 6 p.m. each night, putting in four 10-hour days a week.

On the downtown rail yard in Goldsboro, a string of white cars, that look like travel trailers, are perched on flatbed rail cars.  Gray satellite dishes hang off of their dusty sidings.  A generator provides electricity. This is home sweet home for the workers, who sleep four men to a car, while they are on the road.  The cooks work out of two dining cars, situated midway between the sleepers.

“These camp cars are like home to the men,” Mick says. “They spend their down time watching television, playing video games, or using their computers.”

Cars bearing license plates from Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia and other southeastern states are scattered along the rail yard in no particular order next to the camp cars.

While the equipment is transported from place to place by rail, the workers drive their own cars. Sometimes they go home on the weekends, and often they stay near their work site, enjoying the local area.

Mick has been taking in ACC basketball.

He’s a diehard University of Kentucky fan, and had just returned from New Orleans where he saw his beloved Wildcats lose the SEC championship to Vanderbilt.

The workers pay one dollar a day for room and board. In addition to a bed, they get three meals a day.

On this day they dined on Bojangles fried chicken for lunch, bright yellow boxes were visible from yards away.

“In a lot of ways, we are like a sports team,” Mick says. “We get comfortable with each other, and we rely on each other.  Ours is a team effort that produces team results.”

This maintenance of way super gang started their work in Selma, N.C. on March 5, and expected to wrap up in Goldsboro on March 15.

“About every seven years, Norfolk Southern goes in and replaces damaged, broken or rotted ties,” said Glenn Hartsoe, of North Haven, Conn., a consulting engineer for the North Carolina Railroad Company.

NCRR owns and manages the 317-mile rail corridor stretching between Morehead City and Charlotte. The company contracts with Norfolk Southern who uses the tracks to transport freight and for maintenance.

“There are roughly 3,300 ties, spaced 20 inches apart, per mile of track,” Hartsoe said.

After marking the ties to be replaced, roughly 1,500 ties per mile, the team installs them, levels the track and banks the curves.

“It is a moving assembly line,” Mick says.

Safety is paramount.

“We are totally devoted to safety, quality, and providing a good work product,” Mick says.

When the work is done, trains will run smoother and faster.

Tired, worn out ties cause trains to slow to around 25 miles per hour, according to Mick.

“The improvements will increase train speeds, and allow them to run up to 47 miles per hour,” he says.

When work in Eastern North Carolina is over, the gang will move on.

From there, they go to Morganton, N.C. and work their way to Asheville.

It’s just another day working on the railroad.

To view a slideshow of images of the timber and surface work visit:

http://www.ncrr.com/about-ncrr/recent-slideshows/norfolk-southern-work-crews-install-new-crossties-and-surface-the-track-near-selma-nc-march-2012/

Nary an empty seat was to be found in the Greensboro Historical Museum’s auditorium on March 3 when more than 70 railroad and history buffs turned out for a panel discussion on the past and future of passenger trains.

Retired journalist Jim Schlosser, who traced the interwoven history of Greensboro and the North Carolina Railroad, shared his memories of the last Southern Railways passenger train and the first Amtrak train that passed through town.

Paul Morris, deputy secretary for transit with the N.C. Department of Transportation, discussed plans to add more passenger rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte, and addressed North Carolina’s unique demographic.

“In the last decade, we have become one of the top two aging states in the country,” he said. “But another consideration is the creative class of residents who prefer options as to how they travel.”

North Carolina’s aging population and younger, tech savvy residents will rely on public transportation, according to Morris.

Lexington, N.C. lies along the North Carolina Railroad corridor, between Raleigh and Charlotte.  Town officials have a seat at the passenger rail planning table, and are preparing for more rail service.

“In 2010, a Tiger II grant of $700,000 led to the start of renovations on the train station,” said William Deal, chair of the Davidson County Passenger Rail Advisory Committee.

Amtrak stations attract local businesses and improve communities, he told the audience and encouraged them to support passenger rail.

Trains Magazine correspondent Bob Johnston and senior editor Matt Van Hattem described their favorite rail routes in America.

Johnston, Van Hattem and many of the program attendees too the 92-mile train ride from Greensboro to Charlotte.

Van Hattem blogged about the ride on http://www.trains.com

“The real treat was discovering that 60 percent of the folks who rode with us had never been on a train before,” he wrote.

Click here to read Matt Van Hattem’s article from Trains Magazine on the Greensboro Historical Museum’s train ride to Charlotte from Greensboro click here.