System-Wide Weekly Update #25

7 October 2004

 

 

          This past week has again been another very productive week on both properties as crews and managers make the final year-end preparations to complete all projects by the end of this very aggressive production season.

          The IC&E crews have been busy doing final surfacing across the entire system as well as installing an additional 10,000 ties in the Quad Cities terminal area that have been added to this year’s program.  Other crews have been doing final crossing surface work in the Calmar area in preparation for the completion of that project.  The CWR crew will begin their final effort of the year on the Kansas City sub to install rail in 28 curves between Ottumwa and Polo no later than the 18th of October.  This project will last until nearly Thanksgiving.  Steve Koser’s crew has performed admirably all year for the IC&E engineering department, whether they have been installing rail or installing ties. 

Also, preparation has been made in the Liberty, Missouri area for the installation of 10,000 ties on track 1 yet this year, which we expect to get started toward the end of October with the LA Colo crew.  This, along with the subsequent surfacing, may very well be the last project completed on the IC&E this year.

          Bruce Wold’s utility crew in the Quad Cities area installed the cross- overs north of Nahant and put them in service two weeks ago.  They will assemble and install the crossovers at Sampson Street in Muscatine within the next week.  They have also installed several crossing surfaces in the Quad Cities area.  This crew will travel to Moravia to install that connection toward the middle of October.

          The DM&E crews have been concentrating on the final tie installation on both ends of the Huron sub.  Both of these projects expect to be completed by the middle of October, allowing for final ballasting and surfacing after that.  Over the past two weeks two sections of track on the DM&E have been raised to the 40 MPH level.  These are the first locations that CWR was installed this year.  The first location is near Cobden on the Tracy sub and the second location near Arlington were just raised to 40 MPH late last month. The final section of CWR between MP 228 and MP 267 is expected to be brought up to this speed by year end.

          Surfacing across the rest of the DM&E system is progressing well and we expect to get all scheduled projects completed by the end of the year.

          The Cobden siding is providing immediate help for the transportation department.  Engineering forces are making excellent progress on the Florence connection and siding.  The siding is expected to be in service by the week of October 25th, providing the BN completes their portion of the project, the connection will be in service by the end of the October.

          Bridge crews on the DM&E continue to make excellent progress and the Sioux River Bridge is now expected to be completed at least 2 weeks ahead of schedule and, in fact, the slow order will be removed from this bridge on tomorrow, Friday the 8th.

 

¨       Equipment problems have been very minor and have not been delaying any of the projects.

¨       Even though we have added another 10,000 ties to the production schedule, most of these ties are already on the property. The last shipments will be coming from our three main suppliers, Koppers, Webster Industries, and Intermountain Orient, by the end of the month.

¨       All five bridge crews from Osmose and E-80 continue to do an excellent job and will completed their respective projects on schedule.

¨       LG Everist and New Ulm Quartzite Quarry continue to do an excellent job supplying ballast for all of our projects.